Xu Xiaoyou woke from a nightmare. She had a terrifying dream where a girl fell into an abyss under the gaze of countless people, while she stood by like a cold bystander, watching the other burn herself out, unable to do anything.
"Tang Xin..."
Xu Xiaoyou rested her forehead in her hand as water droplets fell. Only then did she realize she had actually fallen asleep while soaking in the hot spring. As she stood up, the nitrogen-argon steam clouded her vision. This was no ordinary hot spring; it was infused with numerous expensive medicinal herbs. It eased the day's fatigue while nourishing the body. In this regard, Ivy and Tiger Tail Orchid had never mistreated her.
Suppressing the uneasy emotions in her heart, Xu Xiaoyou pulled out a cinnabar drool medicine pack. After consuming a few pieces, the palpitations finally began to subside.
She had been staying at this Mint Green Leaf Bar for nearly half a month. During this time, she had learned a few things about the Star of Art, including the world-class urban legend artists. The Association had organized two subjugation attempts, both ending in heavy losses. She had contacted Amy and Aivmey and learned about Tang Xin's current situation...
Changing into a clean, tidy bartender uniform, Xu Xiaoyou checked herself in the mirror, neatly fastening the buttons of her waistcoat. Her persona at the Mint Green Leaf Shop was that of a quiet, gentle bartender girl. On weekdays, she was responsible for soothing drunken ladies, drinking and chatting with them, searching for the keys to pry open their hearts during conversation, understanding and delving into their souls to help them share their inner burdens.
She approached it from a service perspective rather than a demanding one.
Even so, her ubiquitous charm had made her this month's sales champion. The ladies were fascinated by her, infatuated with her. They had ordered the highest-spec Sapphire Ocean champagne tower for her three times. Every night, they queued up to book out the entire floor, spending credit points as lavishly as if they were throwing flower vouchers on stage, wishing they could buy the entire green leaf shop just for her.
The name Dark Gold Rose spread throughout Dragonfly Town, though not as a fixer, but as a green leaf. Girls from high society came in an endless stream, nearly crushing the threshold of the Mint Green Leaf Shop. There was even the daughter of an arms dealer who traveled ten thousand miles from North Sea City just to take a photo with her.
Yet she wasn't busy. She had a strict agreement with Ivy: she would only receive two clients a day, spending no more than two hours with each. The rest of the time was her own.
Ivy had readily agreed.
Her earnings over the past half-month far exceeded the Mint Green Leaf Shop's entire previous year. Ivy planned to renovate the second floor exquisitely, rebuild the third floor, and open branch stores, spreading the man's way of the leaf across Red Heaven. To be precise, it was now this sales champion who was paying everyone's salaries at the mint shop, including the owner's.
She didn't know how high the price for her two daily slots was being flipped outside the shop; she only knew that her personal treasury was filling up day by day.
This paid much better than being the boss of a media company.
Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoyou's mood improved considerably. She began humming a light tune, only to see Angelina leaning against the wall outside as soon as she stepped out.
"You seem to be enjoying this job quite a bit," Angelina said, glancing at her.
Xu Xiaoyou maintained her smile. "Not at all."
Angelina snorted coldly. "Yesterday afternoon, I saw that girl named Xiao Fou hugging and clinging to you, and your face was covered in lipstick marks..."
?
"Letting them take advantage of you like that and still saying you're not enjoying it? You just love the feeling of being held up high, don't you?"
Dark lines appeared on Xu Xiaoyou's face. "It's nothing like that. The lipstick marks were drawn on. Xiao Xing is a client who's very empty inside and has no friends at school. I was just chatting with her to kill her loneliness. Nothing out of line happened beyond that."
Angelina sneered.
The silver-haired girl was also wearing an understated bartender uniform, but compared to Xu Xiaoyou, her service attitude wasn't nearly as good. Aside from a few clients with very specific tastes, not many people could tolerate her cold face and biting words for long.
"Anya, you really should learn how to serve properly," Xu Xiaoyou said. "You have no spirit for the way of the leaf at all."
Veins practically pulsed on Angelina's forehead as she suddenly pinned Xu Xiaoyou against the wall.
"Have you forgotten why we came here?"
"Don't tell me you're actually getting immersed in this kind of life!"
Due to the sudden movement, the red wine in Xu Xiaoyou's hand splashed onto her collar. Just then, a middle-aged woman's shout came from nearby.
"Little Rose!"
The woman rushed forward without a second thought, trying to separate Angelina and Xu Xiaoyou. "What do you think you're doing to Little Rose!"
"How can you be like this? This is too much."
Angelina knew perfectly well that the other girl had timed this act specifically for the woman to see. She had been played again.
She rolled her eyes at Xu Xiaoyou and turned to walk away, ignoring the fuming woman behind her.
"It's alright. White Flower is just in a bit of a bad mood today. Perhaps my words were too sharp and provoked her. For my sake, please don't hold it against her, Mrs. Ayako."
Xu Xiaoyou held the woman back, her tone gentle.
Seeing her so sensible, the woman felt heartbroken for her, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the wine from Xu Xiaoyou's collar.
"I must have done something wrong; it has nothing to do with White Flower." Xu Xiaoyou emphasized the name White Flower, intentionally winking at Angelina's retreating back.
Angelina's veins throbbed violently. She truly wanted to strangle this Pomelo Pest.
"I know you're a very sensible child, gentle with others and considerate. I believe you, Little Rose," Ayako said.
"I noticed you hadn't come down yet, so I came up to find you. I'm not causing trouble, am I, Little Rose?"
"Of course not, Mrs. Ayako," Xu Xiaoyou said, shaking her head. "Let's go."
They went to a small room downstairs. The layout looked like a cozy apartment, filled with everyday furniture and household items. The washing machine had started running thirty minutes ago. On the sofa sat a framed photo of Ayako with a girl who appeared to be her daughter, not very old, around fourteen, with golden hair shining brightly in the sun.
Xu Xiaoyou served a bowl of steaming udon. It wasn't a luxurious meal—it was so plain it was almost simple. The egg on top was slightly charred on the bottom, seaweed flakes replaced the green onions, and fish cakes and crab sticks were arranged in a circle, along with a few long-nose rolls.
Rather than a proper lunch, it looked more like a meal a child had made on a whim to reward a mother who had been working hard all day.
"I'm sorry, these were the only ingredients I had. You'll have to make do. I'm a bit clumsy, so I burned the egg."
Ayako shook her head, her dim eyes showing anticipation. She pressed her hands together in front of her. "Let's eat," she said, and then began slurping the noodles, her grey hair falling toward the soup.
Xu Xiaoyou sat quietly with her cheek resting on her hand, watching the woman enjoy the udon that looked casual but had actually been prepared with great care. The central air conditioning hummed with warmth, and clothes hanging on the balcony fluttered. Every corner of the room was clean, and there were two pairs of shoes on the rack—one large, one small.
It was as if someone really lived in this house normally. The innocent laughter of a little girl seemed to echo from the entrance, melting into the sound of the woman slurping her soup.
After a moment, Ayako's eyes reddened, and she broke into tears. Hot teardrops fell into the warm soup. Xu Xiaoyou said nothing, stepping forward to gently hug the woman, patting Ayako's shoulders and back.
Xu Xiaoyou knew that Mrs. Ayako's daughter had died in a car accident a long time ago. The woman had divorced her husband early on, working at a corporation while juggling multiple part-time jobs, carrying the weight of the entire family on her shoulders just to create a better environment for her daughter and send her to Red City for better education. Who could have known that when they met again, the mother would be burying her child? This strong mother had developed a mental illness due to her grief.
Given Ayako's economic and mental situation, she certainly couldn't afford the hourly fees. When Xu Xiaoyou first saw her, the woman was standing behind a glass window, thinly dressed, staring at her in a daze, unmoving, until a nurse arrived, apologizing while leading her away.
It was Xu Xiaoyou who, after learning about the woman's story, took the initiative to bring her to the Mint Green Leaf Shop and had Ivy lie, claiming the shop was holding an event where the woman could enjoy her services for free for the next month.
She had told many selfish lies. A little hypocritical lie couldn't change the fact that her nature was wicked, and a tiny bit of insignificant kindness couldn't reduce the coldness of the world by even a fraction. But it could let people know that there was still warmth in this world.
Rate on N.U.
