“Hi, I’m Jiang Qingxue.” Jiang Qingxue didn’t think much of it. She reached out and shook Mo Qing’s hand, completely unaware that the woman across from her had ulterior motives.

“Jiang Qingxue. What a lovely name! I’ll call you Xue’er from now on.” Mo Qing spoke as if they were already old friends.

“Thanks. Are you really okay?” Jiang Qingxue asked worriedly. Mo Qing was still soaked through, her red dress covered in mud and making her look utterly miserable, yet she herself seemed completely unconcerned.

Mo Qing’s reaction was a little over the top. Only after hearing Jiang Qingxue did she press a hand to her forehead, then lean limply against her. “I feel so dizzy. I must’ve hit my head when I fell just now.”

“Then I’ll take you to the hospital. Hang in there—we’ll get a taxi.” Jiang Qingxue actually fell for Mo Qing’s ridiculous acting. She supported her, her pretty face showing a hint of worry.

System-chan was practically speechless. Heroine, open your eyes! She clearly landed on her butt. How could her head possibly hurt?!

“But I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Mo Qing refused without a second thought.

“Why?”

“Because a taxi to the hospital costs money, too. I don’t have any, so I don’t want to go.”

“…”

Jiang Qingxue was at a loss for words. Was money really more important than your life? Mo Qing had just accepted compensation from that person, too…

She’d actually been planning to pay for Mo Qing herself. After all, Mo Qing had saved her, so this was the least she could do.

“I’ll pay for the taxi and your medical bills. Let’s go to the hospital,” Jiang Qingxue offered. She was struggling financially herself—she worked part-time to save up for tuition and usually couldn’t even bring herself to take a taxi.

“I still don’t want to go. I hate the smell of disinfectant at hospitals, too.” Mo Qing’s head didn’t hurt at all, of course, so she had no reason to go.

“Then what are we supposed to do about your headache…?” Jiang Qingxue felt a headache coming on herself. Why was this injured person so hard to deal with?

“I need to rest. I’ll be fine after I get some rest,” Mo Qing hinted.

“Then I’ll take you home. Where do you live?” Jiang Qingxue asked quickly.

“I don’t have a home. My landlady kicked me out yesterday. She said, ‘You’re so pretty—why don’t you go sell yourself?’” Mo Qing secretly pinched the soft flesh at her waist, then looked at Jiang Qingxue with teary eyes.

Looking at poor, pitiful Mo Qing, Jiang Qingxue felt a pang of sympathy for no particular reason. So she was all alone. No wonder she cared so much about money—she must’ve been poor for a long time. Jiang Qingxue wasn’t much different herself. Unless she was seriously ill, she’d never go to the hospital.

“How about coming to my place? You can change into some dry clothes, too.” Jiang Qingxue’s voice softened considerably.

“Okay. Let’s go to your place.” Mo Qing rested her head on Jiang Qingxue’s shoulder, a sweet smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Little White Flower was so easy to fool. Mo Qing had only needed to act a little pitiful, and she’d taken the bait.

Jiang Qingxue hailed a car. The driver was a balding middle-aged man. He stared at Mo Qing’s pretty face, unable to look away. When he noticed her clothes were wet and tried to get a closer look, Jiang Qingxue caught him and blocked his view. Once they were in the car, the old lech tried sneaking a peek through the rearview mirror, but Jiang Qingxue blocked him again.

“Mo Qing, put this on.” Jiang Qingxue stood in front of Mo Qing, then pulled a slightly yellowed blue-and-white school uniform out of her backpack. It was the uniform she’d worn in high school, and she still wore it often.

“Thanks~” Mo Qing smiled and nodded, but didn’t put it on right away. Instead, she leaned in and gave it a sniff.

It smelled so nice~

“I’ve washed it, so it’s clean. It’s just a little old…” Jiang Qingxue thought Mo Qing disliked the clothes and explained awkwardly. Her family was very poor, and she didn’t have any decent clothes to wear.

“It’s fine. I like your scent,” Mo Qing said frankly. She seemed to be getting more and more interested in Jiang Qingxue.

The old lech got impatient when he couldn’t see anything. Annoyed by Jiang Qingxue’s actions, he snapped, “Your friend’s soaked from head to toe, and she’s covered in mud. She’ll dirty my car. You’ll have to pay extra.”

“Don’t be so unreasonable. I’ll clean the seat she sat on.” Jiang Qingxue wasn’t stupid. This pervert was obviously making trouble. Why hadn’t he said anything when they first got in?

The old lech sneered and slammed on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road. “If you won’t pay extra, get out. It’s not that easy to clean.”

“Don’t push it!” Jiang Qingxue was so angry her face flushed. It was hard to find a car at this hour, and it might start raining again before long.

Mo Qing watched Jiang Qingxue’s angry expression with interest. She really wanted to pinch those puffed-up cheeks. So cute.

“Baldy, how much do you want? Is two hundred enough for the cleaning fee?” Mo Qing was in a hurry to get to Little White Flower’s place. She didn’t want to waste time dealing with this disgusting driver.

“Not enough. Five hundred!” The driver tried to take advantage of the situation. He could tell the two girls were from out of town and didn’t seem to have any connections.

“Not enough? Fine, I’ll call the police and ask the officer if a ride that just started costs five hundred.” Mo Qing narrowed her eyes.

“You… Fine, you win.” The bald driver muttered a curse under his breath. He backed down. The previous week, he’d been reported for harassing a female passenger. If the police showed up again, he’d probably end up in jail.

Jiang Qingxue stared at Mo Qing in a daze. She hadn’t expected Mo Qing to deal with that jerk with just a few words.

“What should we do now…? Should we get out?” Jiang Qingxue asked quietly.

“No. I’m a little cold, and I want to get to your place soon.” Mo Qing said, gathering the school uniform around herself as if she were cold, then scooting closer to Little White Flower.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon…” Feeling Mo Qing’s soft body against her, Jiang Qingxue’s pretty face turned faintly red. She’d never been this close to a stranger before.

“Got it, Xue’er. Can I borrow your shoulder?” Mo Qing pushed her luck, gazing at Jiang Qingxue’s rosy cheeks. She actually wanted to take a bite out of them.

A pure, kind, innocent Little White Flower like her… Mo Qing just wanted to devour her, bones and all.

“Sure, but don’t fall asleep, Mo Qing. You might catch a chill.” Jiang Qingxue seemed to be good at taking care of people. She leaned toward Mo Qing, letting her rest comfortably on her shoulder.

Mo Qing looked content as she gazed at Jiang Qingxue’s lovely shoulder and breathed in her pleasant scent.

“Xue’er, you’re so gentle. Just like my mom,” Mo Qing whispered in Little White Flower’s ear.

Jiang Qingxue’s ear tickled, and it turned a little red. She stammered, “Then… your mom must’ve been very good to you…”

“Yeah, she was~” Mo Qing smiled sweetly.

【…】

System-chan watched all this in silence, not daring to make a peep in Mo Qing’s mind.

That was because System-chan knew that before she’d transmigrated, Mo Qing had clearly been an orphan. She hadn’t had a mother at all. The way Mo Qing was smiling was terrifying—seriously creepy.