Chapter 136

"Xiaoyu is back? Come quickly, breakfast is ready~"

"Oh"

After responding, she bent down to change her shoes.

Her mother walked out of the kitchen and glanced at her.

"Do you want to take a shower first? Look at your wet clothes."

"..."

She nodded weakly and walked towards the bathroom wearing slippers.

...

It has been a whole week since the intensive morning run training started.

She remembered on the first day, after finishing the run, she was so sore that she couldn't get up from bed...

Now, a week has passed and she can run the entire distance without stopping.

...

"Dad"

"Yeah?"

"Well..."

At the dining table, Raina Nan suddenly put down her chopsticks and looked up.

"Do you know the clock tower in the west of the city?"

"The clock tower?"

He thought for a moment.

"The one below the church?"

"Yeah"

"I know, what's up?"

"Nothing, just asking... I pass by there every day during my run..."

She said, slightly lowering her head.

"I see."

Dad didn't pay much attention and continued reading the newspaper, saying:

"I remember it was built by a foreigner in that area, but people in that era couldn't even have enough food to eat, let alone have the energy to believe in religion, so the place has always been deserted... Later, I heard that after the foreigner passed away, the church and the clock tower behind it were sold to the government..."

"I see..."

She murmured softly and didn't say anything more.

...

"Xiaoyu, does your brother come to pick you up every morning?"

At this moment, her mother also turned to look at her.

"Yeah."

"He doesn't go to work?"

"He said he can run before going, so he has enough time to come..."

"You too, if you can go by yourself, then go. Your brother is tired from work every day, and he has to get up early to accompany you for a run... It's okay for a day or two, but it's hard for anyone to endure for a long time."

"..."

"Sometimes, you also need to think about him..."

After her mother said this, she was stunned for a moment.

A pause of half a second.

"...I understand."

It's such a simple matter, but she didn't even realize it...

"By the way..."

Her mother suddenly remembered something.

"How is he doing with that girl named Yun?"

"..."

Her mother stared at her directly, as if she wanted to inquire something from her.

"That's his business, how would I know..."

"Hasn't your brother said anything in front of you?"

"No..."

She said softly, burying her head and eating.

"Alright, there's too much fuss over breakfast... The kids will handle their own affairs, why do you need to worry about it?"

Dad's eyes remained on the newspaper as he whispered.

"I just think it's a pity. She's such a nice girl, and she likes our Samson Nan. If it doesn't work out..."

"Stop it, I really don't understand. Did the girl say anything? How can you assert that she likes Samson Nan?"

Dad shook his head, thinking that she was making things up.

"She has been to our house before, and at a glance, I could tell that she had that kind of intention towards Samson Nan~"

"You can tell with just a glance? That's really strange."

"Isn't it? Right, Xiaoyu?"

"..."

She paused for a moment and didn't speak.

"You should persuade your brother when you have the chance."

"..."

"I think he will listen to you~"

"What does it have to do with me?"

She couldn't hold back and exclaimed.

But in the next second, she seemed to realize that something was wrong, so she fell silent and looked aside.

"..."

Awkward.

She stood up.

"I'm full."

After speaking, she walked upstairs.

"..."

Her mother was somewhat surprised and stood there in a daze, turned her head and looked at her father beside her.

In her memory, it was the first time Raina Nan spoke so loudly to her.

"What did I say? You never stop nagging... It's strange if the child doesn't get annoyed with you."

"..."

...

...

She returned to her room and looked out the window, feeling somewhat annoyed. After a while, she took out the pre-frozen ice pack. She had already learned this method of relieving the burden on her knees after long runs. After applying the ice pack to her knees, she leaned on the desk, chin resting on the table, and started idly scrolling through her phone...

"You don't have to come pick me up for a run tomorrow morning."

She pondered and edited the text message. But when she was ready to send it, she stopped. Tomorrow was the weekend, and he didn't have to work...

"..."

She thought for a moment and deleted the text message. It could wait for another two days...

Ding ding ding. At that moment, her phone vibrated, displaying a message. She glanced at the screen. It was from Roxie Lin.

"Xiaoyu, our coffee shop has a big promotion tomorrow since it's the weekend. I have two dessert vouchers that I can give to you. Will you come?"

"..."

Dessert vouchers... Since she was free every day anyway, she didn't think too much and agreed. Besides, she was also thinking about something...

"O.K."

Sent...

...

...

Saturday

"Xiaoxi, the order at table three is wrong! Please change it quickly!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll go over right away!"

The annual promotional event kept the entire Maid Cafe busy and overwhelmed. But even so, the maids had to put on their smiles, be careful, and not make any mistakes.

"This isn't what I ordered, right?"

"Master, I'm very sorry. I'll get you the correct one right away."

It didn't matter if the orders were wrong, but their service attitude had to be impeccable. It was the lifeblood of the service industry, especially for a niche place like a maid cafe.

Ding ding.

"Welcome, Ma..."

Roxie Lin looked up and paused for a moment.

"Hi~"

"It's Xiaoyu. Phew..."

For some reason, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you very busy?"

"Look at me, I can't even stand properly... *sob*"

She said, wiping the corners of her eyes, seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Haha, it's because Xiaoxi has too many customers asking for her."

A maid walked past them, smiling and patting Xiaoyu's shoulder. "You're quite popular, huh?"

Raina Nan also covered her mouth and laughed, looking at her with amusement.

"Don't even have the mood for jokes..."

She pouted, muttering quietly.

"By the way, I gave you two vouchers. You... came alone?"

"Two of us."

"Hehe, I knew it. So where's Nan Gege?"

"Him? He didn't come."

"Eh? Then..."

Roxie Lin paused for a moment. She tilted her head slightly and only then noticed that Bell Tong was standing behind Raina Nan.

"..."

In the next second, she froze.

"..."

"..."

Bell Tong stood behind Raina Nan, slightly raised her head, and glanced at Roxie Lin.

"...I must apologize."

"..."

Roxie Lin suddenly fell silent.

They had recently had a fight and hadn't spoken since then...

Raina Nan knew about all of this, but she still brought Bell Tong along...

Awkward.

Quite awkward.

The air became quiet, making people's scalps numb.

"Um..."

"I'll speak."

Raina Nan was about to say something, but Bell Tong interrupted her.

"A maid should... address the customer as 'master,' right?"

She said, a hint of a smile appearing on her lips, her eyes fixed on Roxie Lin.

"Come on, say it once, let's hear it~"

"..."

Roxie Lin looked at her, swallowing her throat.

Stiff smile, a bit at a loss...

"Ma-, ma-, master..."

Her lips trembled.

"Ah~ It's so difficult just to call someone master. The quality of maids these days is concerning~"

"..."

"Hey, over there..."

Raina Nan nudged Bell Tong with her elbow to remind her quietly.

"Just tease her a bit~"

"You idiot..."

Roxie Lin lowered her head, her voice trembling, reached Bell Tong's ears.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Bell Tong was stunned for a moment.

"I thought..."

She smirked, turned her face to the side, and looked away.

"You won't talk to me anymore..."

"..."

Bell Tong didn't say anything, sighed softly, and looked up at her.

"Is it really okay to leave the guests standing at the door like this?"

"..."

She snapped out of it, somewhat flustered, and took a step back.

"Please, come in!"

"..."

With two people in tow, she chose a seat near the window and sat down.

"Just sit for a while~ I'll go busy myself first!"

"Okay~"

...

After Roxie Lin left, Raina Nan turned back to look at Bell Tong.

"Are you two friends again?"

Stirring her coffee, she asked softly.

"..."

Bell Tong didn't say a word, propped her chin up and looked out the window.

A long silence.

"Why bother doing these unnecessary things..."

She didn't look at Raina Nan, but murmured softly while staring out the window.

"..."

Raina Nan pondered for a moment.

"On a rare holiday, can't the three of us meet?"

"..."

Bell Tong stayed silent and glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

Raina Nan had never asked about the reason for her and Roxie Lin's cold war.

Does she...

"I must look..."

Raina Nan said softly, smiling lightly at her.

"Like someone who can't be trusted?"

"..."

Bell Tong was slightly surprised and paused for a moment, but didn't say anything, just looked at the coffee cup in front of her.

"I..."

Raina Nan said, extending her finger and tapping her own forehead.

"I'm clearheaded here, I know what I'm doing."

"Yu Yu..."

"Don't give me that expression, okay?"

She smiled in relief.

"When did I need Bell to worry about me?"

"..."

Bell Tong stayed silent.

Words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to say them...

Three years.

She had always thought that three years was enough time to see through a person.

But when she lifted her head again and looked at the person in front of her...

She was uncertain...

...

But this time, they talked for a long time.

In her memory, they had never had so many conversations when they were alone together.

Could this person sitting across from her really talk so much before?

Even though she was just saying things to lighten the mood, seemingly unrelated things...

She listened carefully, not being distracted for even half a second...

...

"Xiao Xi, go spend time with your friend."

The store manager walked over to Roxie Lin and patted her shoulder with a smile.

"But it's not..."

She glanced at the clock on the wall. There was still half an hour until closing time.

"They're the people who came to find you last time, right?"

The store manager glanced at the two people sitting by the window and whispered.

"Yeah..."

"Haha, you didn't see how worried they were last time~"

"..."

She stayed silent and lowered her head slightly.

"Make sure they don't worry about you next time~"

"..."

"Alright, most of the customers have left. We can handle the rest ourselves."

"......"

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.

"Thank you, Manager..."

...

She entered the changing room, changed into casual clothes, and then walked out again.

"Are you done with your work?"

Raina Nan asked, slightly moving aside.

"Yeah..."

Roxie Lin sat down next to her.

"..."

When she looked up, she could see Bell Tong's face.

The person she had just argued with not long ago, she felt a bit awkward...

"Where is your maid outfit?"

While she sat there feeling uneasy, it was Bell Tong who spoke first.

With her chin resting on her hand, she looked at her without any embarrassment.

"I changed out of it after work..."

"Tch, how boring~"

"..."

"I was saying..."

Seeing her standing there in silence, Bell Tong spoke again:

"You really dare to wear that kind of outfit~"

In her eyes, Roxie Lin, who even blushed when talking to strangers, didn't seem to fit the image of a maid cafe at all.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she probably wouldn't believe it...

"Because it's for work, besides..."

Roxie Lin pinched her fingers and quietly said something only she could hear:

"I also want my sister to see what I can do..."

"..."

Raina Nan looked at her sideways without saying anything.

She probably understood the feeling of wanting to prove oneself...

On the day of the college entrance examination, she had heard something from Lin Ruoxiao in her ear.

These two sisters who had many misunderstandings between them had managed to come this far, although stumbling at times...

...

"By the way, I just remembered something..."

Raina Nan suddenly remembered something.

"My brother wants to take me on a trip..."

"Really? Graduation trip?"

Roxie Lin became interested when she heard this.

"Yeah, so... do you have any places you want to go?"

"Me, we're going too?"

Roxie Lin looked at her somewhat surprised.

"Didn't the three of us agree before? My brother has the same idea, so I thought maybe we could go together?"

"But... that's you and Nan's..."

She scratched her cheek as she spoke.

"...Is it really okay for us to go too?"

"What difference does it make?"

"It doesn't make a difference for you~ But that stubborn dog might be a problem~"

Bell Tong shook her head and laughed.

"But hey, the more he gets angry, the happier I am. I even hitched a ride on this trip, hehe~"

"..."

Raina Nan turned her head and looked at Roxie Lin again.

"Well, I'll go too then..."

She shifted her gaze and looked to the side.

"I hope Nan won't blame me..."

That means everyone is going.

"When are we going?"

Bell Tong stirred the coffee disinterestedly and murmured softly.

"Don't we have to go back to school for the graduation ceremony in a few days? Once we finish those things, we can leave..."

By then, all the students in the school will return to attend the formal graduation ceremony and take graduation photos... in short, there will be a lot of things to do.

"Are there any places you want to go on the trip?"

"I want to go abroad!"

Without any hesitation, Roxie Lin raised her hand.

She had never been abroad before, and she had been waiting for this day since she started working part-time.

"Is that so..."

Bell Tong rested her chin on her hand and looked at her.

"Then it's best to apply for a visa early if you've already decided where to go."

Bell Tong, who had traveled abroad with her family more than once when she was a child, was more familiar with the process than the two of them.

"It sounds complicated..."

Hearing this, Roxie Lin furrowed her brows.

"Then... Xiaoyu, do you have any ideas of where you want to go?"

"Me?"

She paused for a moment, thought about it, and then smiled gently:

"I hear you~"

"......"

Bell Tong sighed and looked at her sideways.

"If you all can't come to a conclusion like this, why don't you just randomly think of one?"

"We can't do that!"

Roxie Lin pouted and slapped the table.

"This may be our last time together...!"

She stopped halfway through her sentence and fell silent.

Hesitatingly, she lowered her head and didn't say anything else.

"......"

"......"

Raina Nan seemed to realize something and turned her face to the side.

A brief silence.

"I mean... can you two stop being so gloomy? It feels like saying goodbye forever... who wants to see your gloomy faces?"

Bell Tong sighed lightly.

"That's right..."

Unaffected by her words, Roxie Lin muttered quietly on the side.

"What a grump!"

With an irritated tone, Bell Tong reached out and flicked her forehead.

"It's all because of you spreading this negative atmosphere all the time. You've infected Raina with it too!"

"I didn't..."

"Still denying it?!"

"Pfft..."

Raina Nan watched from the side and couldn't help but cover her mouth, laughing.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, you guys continue~"

"Sure! Enjoying the show, huh?!"

"Raina, you're too much..."

"Hehe."

"You're still laughing? Watch how I deal with you! Ruoxi! Hold her down for me!"

"Raina, I'm sorry!"

The two of them pinned her down in her seat, teasing her.

"No! Hahaha!"

......

The customers in the surrounding shops occasionally glanced over at them.

But they remained completely unaware.

For Raina Nan, the destination of the trip may not be important, what's important is the company.

She was grateful to have them as her "travel companions".

Although she didn't know how long this scene in front of her would last.

Three years? One year? Maybe just tomorrow?

But even if it's just for now...

Being by their side, being able to hear their voices, is enough to make her feel grateful...

......

......