Liu Zhe pressed the accelerator, and the car slowly started moving, smoothly pulling away from the roadside.
The rear window was still open, and Qing half leaned out, still strapped in by the seatbelt, waving continuously at Lu Yuan who stood still watching them leave.
Her pale teal hair fluttered in the wind.
Only when the car had driven far enough that Lu Yuan’s figure shrank into a tiny dot and finally vanished from sight did Qing slowly retract back into the car and obediently sit properly.
The car interior was silent.
Suddenly, from the driver’s seat came the sound of someone trying hard to stifle a sniffle.
Curious, Qing leaned over and saw Liu Zhe gripping the steering wheel with one hand, while the other hand awkwardly wiped at his cheek.
His eyes and nose were red, and there were still traces of tears that hadn’t been wiped away.
Qing tilted her head, her light green eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
She didn’t understand why the person who had just taught her to say the words “I love you” was crying after she had said them.
Silently, she pulled out some tissues and handed them toward the driver’s seat.
Liu Zhe caught sight of the tissues in the rearview mirror, froze for a moment, and then lost control of his emotions even more.
He took the tissues and roughly wiped his face while muttering, “It’s nothing… nothing… just some dust got in my eyes…”
At that moment, his mood was like a father who had painstakingly taught his toddler daughter to say “I love you” for the first time.
This was the child he had raised with his own hands! Teaching her how to pronounce each word carefully, and now finally—finally—she wasn’t so stiff and awkward anymore!
Qing quietly watched him.
Although she still couldn’t fully grasp the complexities of human emotional expression, she could feel that those tears weren’t from sadness.
“Ding ling ling—”
Liu Zhe’s phone rang, and he wiped his tears before answering.
The caller was the owner of the restaurant they had just left.
“Hello? Oh, Boss Chen, yes, yes, yes, I’ll transfer the girl’s meal fee later. Three thousand, right? Hmm, just let her pay a little over four hundred, that’s fine. Yes, thank you for your trouble…”
After a moment, Liu Zhe merged into the traffic and was completely out of sight.
***
Lu Yuan stood there for a while longer before turning to walk back.
She instinctively reached into her pocket, looking for a lollipop, but found nothing, so she pursed her lips and shoved her hands back into her coat pockets.
She strolled back to the restaurant entrance but didn’t leave immediately.
Instead, she leaned against a nearby lamppost, tilting her head slightly, watching the grand glass door of the restaurant.
Inside, she could faintly see busy figures in maid uniforms, among them a blue-haired figure that stood out.
Lu Yuan watched Lin Wan’s busy figure and couldn’t help but smile.
“Experiencing life…? Fool,” she muttered softly, without any trace of mockery, just a hint of amusement, as if she saw through Lin Wan’s disguise.
Time passed slowly.
The setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange, and the pedestrians on the street gradually increased.
Tongmen City’s nightlife was about to begin.
The restaurant lights grew warmer and brighter.
Through the glass, one could see the guests changing shift after shift.
Lu Yuan waited quietly, occasionally glancing down at her shoe tips or looking at the clouds tinged with sunset colors, showing extraordinary patience.
***
Finally, the restaurant door opened.
Lin Wan stepped out, having changed back into her usual casual T-shirt and shorts, dragging tired feet.
She rubbed her sore shoulders as she walked, even though she was a vibrant Magical Girl, after a full day’s work she looked every bit the office worker half-buried in the grind.
She kept her head down, staring at her toes, her face showing the fatigue of a busy day, and… a faint but undeniable loneliness.
Her mind kept replaying the scene from noon, the gentle smile Lu Yuan had given Qing when they sat together.
At that time, she herself was wearing that ridiculous maid outfit and hadn’t even made a sale…
Every thought felt like a little needle lightly pricking her heart.
She sighed and kicked a small pebble by the roadside.
“Experiencing life, Miss Highness? Off work already?”
A familiar voice rang out with a teasing tone ahead of her.
Lin Wan suddenly looked up.
There stood Lu Yuan a few steps away, a mischievous smile on her face.
The golden light of the sunset framed her figure with a soft halo, making her simple JK Uniform appear unusually warm.
She… she didn’t leave? She’d been here all along?
Lin Wan was stunned, her eyes widening slightly.
Her heart skipped an errant beat.
“Lu… Lu Yuan?!” Lin Wan’s voice rose slightly in surprise. “You… you’re still here? You didn’t go back?”
“Hmm?” Lu Yuan shrugged and strolled over to her. “Since there’s nothing better to do, watching someone so two-faced work is kind of interesting.”
“Who, who’s two-faced?!” Lin Wan’s cheeks instantly flushed red, as if her secret had been exposed, and she reflexively retorted.
But her eyes couldn’t leave Lu Yuan’s smiling face, and a joyful, sweet feeling began to dissolve the loneliness in her heart.
“Have you been waiting long?” Lin Wan asked.
“Not long, just since Pangu created the heavens and earth till now,” Lu Yuan replied casually with a perfectly serious nonsense.
“You’re such a smart-mouth!”
Lin Wan knew Lu Yuan had definitely been waiting outside the restaurant for a long time. She’d finished work much later than planned.
Thinking of Lu Yuan waiting for her for so many hours, the sour sadness in her heart disappeared, replaced by a bit of flustered awkwardness.
“Are… are you stupid? Why wait for me!” Lin Wan punched Lu Yuan lightly, though despite her words, her lips betrayed her with a smile trying hard to hold back.
“Oh, should I go now?” Lu Yuan pretended to turn away.
“No!” Lin Wan immediately grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly, as if afraid she would really run off.
“Lin Wan…?” Lu Yuan scratched her face sheepishly.
“No, it’s not…” After a moment, Lin Wan realized she had overreacted.
She quickly let go of Lu Yuan’s hand, her gaze drifting away, voice softening, “I mean, since you’re already here…”
Lu Yuan looked at her awkward expression and laughed out loud. “Alright, stop standing there. You must be tired from work. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To eat,” Lu Yuan said naturally, turning to stroll slowly down the street.
“I know there’s a good oden place down the alley, though it can’t compare to the fancy restaurant you work at.”
Lin Wan immediately fell into step beside her, walking shoulder to shoulder.
The afternoon’s grievances and jealousy had long since vanished, replaced by overwhelming happiness, almost spilling over.
“Hmph! Of course! But… since you’re sincerely inviting me, I’ll generously go try it!”
She lifted her chin, trying to look haughty, but her unconscious lean toward Lu Yuan’s shoulder completely gave her away.
Lu Yuan glanced sideways at Lin Wan, who was clearly happy but pretending to be reluctant, and smiled silently, her gaze returning forward.
So much talk, but such an honest body.
Loneliness and sadness just don’t suit this noisy, lively girl.
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