Chapter 6: Love at First Sight

The sky had grown considerably dimmer as time passed, and if one looked closely, a few bright little stars could still be seen hanging in the sky.

It was the beginning of a city’s night, yet even now, some were still out there laboring tirelessly.

At this moment, by the streetlamp on Commercial Street, a girl stood silently.

Pride was something she still clung to.

Though she was a bit hungry now.

A bit…

“Gurgle,” Su Xiaoxiao’s rebellious stomach let out a loud growl right after she spoke.

She thought she shouldn’t be this hungry after not eating all day.

Her body felt so weak.

The original owner hadn’t eaten much yesterday either, had she?

“This poor girl… what on earth has she been through?”

Su Xiaoxiao crossed her arms, silently mourning the original owner’s fate.

After this moment of mourning, it was now her turn to suffer.

“Forget it, standing here forever won’t do…”

She glanced back at the road where she had been searching for a job just now.

Maybe she could try asking up ahead? Perhaps there was a place that didn’t care about age.

“Better come back tomorrow.”

A hopeful thought, but Su Xiaoxiao knew the reality was cruel.

Going again now would only bring more disappointment and waste more time.

“Guess I’ll have to shamelessly borrow money from classmates or Mu later?”

That was her worst-case plan.

But if she truly couldn’t find anything, there was no other choice.

“Going home.”

Su Xiaoxiao muttered weakly, then stretched out her legs to retrace her steps.

She hoped she wouldn’t forget the way; if that happened, spending a night outside would surely mean death.

Looking ahead at the long road, the girl silently prayed.

The journey was quiet.

Everyone who passed the white-haired girl couldn’t help but look at her.

Her complexion was as pale as her hair.

It was hard to say whether it was her skin or something else causing it, but everyone knew one thing — this girl was beautiful, making them steal a second glance involuntarily.

Su Xiaoxiao was lucky.

The worst outcome she had feared did not happen.

She found the small path back home smoothly.

Also, this slow walk back helped her get acquainted with the surrounding shops and environment.

Though all the shops were small, they covered daily necessities and food, enough to live without worry.

Everything needed could be bought here.

The most memorable was the Bun Shop by the intersection.

Its location was excellent — a place with a lot of foot traffic, narrow streets, so no need to worry about cars coming in and contaminating the food.

The steam rising from the bun stalls stood out under the dim lights, seeming so powerful it could be felt miles away.

“Next time, I’ll buy some.”

Su Xiaoxiao only stopped to observe briefly before walking on expressionlessly.

***

After walking a bit more, she arrived at the small alley she had taken when leaving.

This place was obviously much darker than the well-lit Commercial Street before.

Without the occasional bright store signs, it would be impossible to see the road.

“So dark… can’t it be a little brighter?”

She was starting to get annoyed, staring intently ahead.

It was straining her eyes.

At the same time, Su Xiaoxiao felt a flicker of fear, worried something terrifying might emerge from the darkness nearby.

Like a monster.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared ahead, briefly allowing the girl to feel a sense of brightness.

It was a middle-aged woman pulling a child along, waving a flashlight back and forth to illuminate the road.

“Flashlight! I have one now!”

“A cellphone… I never thought of that.”

Feeling a bit helpless, she realized she hadn’t thought about the cellphone’s flashlight function earlier.

No more fear going upstairs now, huh.

“Ding ding ding, fired!”

In an instant, the darkness was pushed back over half.

Indeed, it was convenient.

With the flashlight in hand, her journey home felt much smoother.

Soon, Su Xiaoxiao arrived at the “Toy Shop” she had seen earlier.

Looking up, she found it was still open.

It looked like it operated 24 hours, just like a convenience store.

Unfortunately, no employees meant no work for her.

“Wow, there’s really a lot of trash around here.”

Thanks to the light, she noticed new things.

Waste paper, garbage bags, all piled up beside the shop and on the alleyway.

“And it stinks, a bit…”

She frowned at the poor sanitation.

The trash bins were overflowing, no one cleaning, litter everywhere…

It was really just like the environment she had lived in before.

“Wait,” she said, about to leave when she spotted something different from the waste on the ground.

It had a slight reflective gleam.

“Although it stinks a bit…”

Pinching her nose, Su Xiaoxiao slowly approached the towering pile of garbage.

“It really is!”

The pale little face finally showed a glimmer of life.

It was a five-yuan paper currency, looking relatively new.

The Arabic numeral “5” on the front reflected faintly under the cellphone light.

“…” The girl stared blankly at it, her hand loosening its pinch on her nose.

She didn’t say anything now, just hurriedly started back.

Only one thing was on her mind.

Back to the intersection she had just passed.

***

“Two steamed buns, please.”

Extending her hand, Su Xiaoxiao reluctantly handed the five yuan note she had picked from the trash into the rough palm of the shopkeeper.

He took it, rubbing his finger over it to verify its authenticity.

“Ugh…”

Su Xiaoxiao’s heart raced nervously, worried it might be fake since she hadn’t confirmed it earlier.

“Three yuan in total, two yuan change.”

Luckily, it was genuine.

“Here are your buns.”

The shopkeeper worked skillfully, weaving through the rows of bun stalls and quickly wrapping up her order.

After buying the two large steamed buns, she still had two yuan left.

“I’ll save it for buying something tomorrow…”

Planning how to use the remaining money, she took a step away from the Bun Shop.

“Awooo,” about two or three meters away, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t wait any longer.

She opened the bag and bit into the steamed bun that was many times bigger than her mouth.

It didn’t taste good, or rather, it had no flavor at all.

But right now, it was the best food this girl had ever eaten in her life.

“Two vegetable pancakes and a cup of soy milk.”

While Su Xiaoxiao devoured the bun, a sweet female voice rang out nearby, crisp and charming like a newly sprung oriole.

“Mmm…”

She stopped chewing and looked toward the voice.

It was a black-haired girl, only slightly older than herself.

The girl stood where Su Xiaoxiao had just been.

Wearing a dark blouse, pleated skirt, and black thigh-high socks, her graceful figure was flawless.

Her appearance was as pure and beautiful as her voice — delicate and captivating.

Even among the girls from the so-called “beauty class” at school, none could match her looks.

Especially the aura she radiated, unlike that of any high school girl, which deeply attracted Su Xiaoxiao.

The dim light didn’t prevent Su Xiaoxiao from seeing her face clearly.

“Move!”

For a moment, she was so mesmerized that she didn’t notice the battery-powered bike speeding toward her.

“Ah!”

Su Xiaoxiao screamed.

The bike brushed past her, knocking the items in her hand to the ground.

“Why are you just standing there? Looking for a collision?”

The middle-aged woman got off the bike and scolded Su Xiaoxiao loudly, refusing to admit any fault.

“…”

Su Xiaoxiao said nothing, only quietly picking up the buns from the ground after the woman finished and left.

Fortunately, the bag landed first, so the buns didn’t get dirty.

Looking at the still-intact buns, Su Xiaoxiao felt happy.

“Oh, that girl…”

After securing her food, the first thing she wanted to do was glance again at that girl, afraid she would leave.

As it happened, the girl was also looking at her, probably drawn by the harsh woman’s voice.

The girl’s deep eyes stared intently, making Su Xiaoxiao feel both scared and shy.

She didn’t approach, just gave a faint smile before walking away.

But even this small gesture was like the dawn’s first light, illuminating the darkness in Su Xiaoxiao’s heart.

“Ah…”

She wanted to say something, but with her timid nature, it was impossible.

So beautiful…