The weather was unusually cold, but thankfully it didn't snow today. The roads were cleared, but pedestrians still had to be very careful. If your shoes weren't slip-resistant enough or didn't have anti-slip devices installed, it was very easy to slip and fall.

As usual, Li Ke spent one work point to buy a small bowl of noodles. Xia Qing and Meng Yu disapproved of Li Ke's frugal eating habits.

Both of them are in their late twenties, several years older than Li Ke, and now they treat the new member Li Ke like their own younger sister.

Xia Qing was about to put some meat and vegetables from her lunchbox into Li Ke's bowl when she said, "How can you eat so little? You had such a heavy training load this morning, and you still have things to do this afternoon. You have to eat more!"

Li Ke covered her rice bowl before she could react, stopping Xia Qing's actions; she knew Xia Qing would do that.

"Sister Xia, I've had enough! I'll go home and rest later. If I get hungry, I'll have some snacks. I don't really have much of an appetite right now, so it would be a waste if you put any more food on my plate."

After dinner, they can go home for a short rest of an hour. Li Ke plans to use this time to treat herself to a meal.

Seeing Li Ke's insistence, Xia Qing withdrew her actions, but still said with concern, "Alright, we won't stand on ceremony with you, but if you really can't eat well, you can tell me, and the three of us can get together and cook a nice meal. Your sister Meng and I have a lot of good food in our room, so come find us if you run out of your stock."

Meng Yu nodded repeatedly. The two female team leaders lived together, had similar personalities, and had a very close relationship.

The three were chatting happily when a figure suddenly appeared beside them. Li Ke turned her head and saw that it was her cousin, Li Meng, who had come to find her.

Li Meng did not agree to Wang Zhuo's request last night, nor did she intend to trouble Li Ke in any way. Over the years, her own life had been a mess, and she missed her childhood life more and more. Back then, her favorite person was Li Ke. She was always happy to be with this younger sister because she listened to everything she did and followed her lead.

But after her grandfather passed away, her grandmother moved in with them, and the atmosphere at home became increasingly worse. She was in the second and third years of junior high school, which were crucial periods, and she couldn't compete with the adults in the family.

She was under a lot of pressure from her studies, and the atmosphere among the adults was strange, so she selfishly and timidly disappeared from the public eye.

She was so captivated when she saw Li Ke while getting food that she couldn't move. Li Ke had changed so much. Li Meng was genuinely happy for her. She could protect herself properly and no longer be bullied by others. That was wonderful.

She clearly didn't want to bother her, but she still walked over as if possessed. Li Meng really just wanted to talk to Li Ke some more. If Li Ke got annoyed, she would leave immediately.

Li Meng looked somewhat cautious as she whispered to Li Ke, "Ke Ke, can I talk to you?"

Li Ke already knew from Jian Ye that Li Meng's child had passed the critical period and was now in much better condition.

Although Li Ke was ruthless towards He Ru, she still didn't want anything to happen to the child, and Jian Ye's news did give her a slight sense of relief.

Li Ke finished the small bowl of noodles in front of him, said goodbye to Xia Qing and Meng Yu, and then moved with Li Meng to sit down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria.

The area was quiet and deserted. The two sat facing each other in silence for a while.

When Li Ke was little, she really liked her cousin Li Meng. The two were close in age, and before her uncle and aunt moved to the city, Li Ke and her cousins ​​practically grew up together.

Later, my uncle and aunt took their children to live in the city, and my cousins ​​also went to school in the city. But on weekends, the family would still go back to their hometown to visit their grandparents, and then take some food, rice and noodles back to the city when they left.

She would also bring back some old clothes, stationery, and books that her older cousins ​​could no longer wear for Li Ke.

Li Ke was always very happy to receive such gifts, which was common in families with many children at that time.

When an older child wears new clothes and can't wear them anymore, the clothes are passed on to the next child.

Although the clothes and shoes were worn out, Li Ke still thought they were clean and tidy, and very beautiful and comfortable to wear.

Even in old memories, there are still many beautiful things hidden. At this moment, Li Ke couldn't help but miss the carefree days of her childhood.

"I'm sorry!" Li Meng was the first to apologize.

"My apology only represents myself, not my mother," Li Meng added. Li Meng knew her mother wouldn't apologize, but she, as her daughter, had no right to apologize on her mother's behalf.

Although her mother wasn't good to Li Ke, she was wholeheartedly devoted to her daughter. If Li Meng apologized for her behind her mother's back, it would only hurt her mother, and Li Meng couldn't do such a thing.

Although her mother's love sometimes felt suffocating, Li Meng had no choice; her mother only had her now.

Li Ke thought about it and was a little confused. Why did Li Meng apologize to her?

The two women are only two years apart in age. Before her uncle passed away, Li Ke and her cousin had a very good relationship.

However, after her uncle passed away, her aunt was heartbroken and repeatedly cursed that Li Ke had brought death to her uncle. It was around that time that Li Meng began to ignore Li Ke and became increasingly indifferent to Li Ke and her grandmother.

At that time, Li Ke was actually very remorseful. She had almost been brainwashed by her aunt and believed that she had really brought death to her uncle. So she even had a very saintly understanding of her cousin's estrangement at the time.

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