Chapter 26 Awakening
Meng Xi turned his head away and explained slowly, "You're a young master... how could you possibly endure this kind of hardship?"
"We'll see..."
She thought about the scene of Lu Yu working at the bubble tea shop, "Isn't it like you working at the bubble tea shop to help the poor? Let's forget about it."
Lu Yu didn't continue the topic with her. As if he had thought of something, his dark eyes darkened. He stepped forward, touched her soft hair, and said, "The college entrance exam is completely over. Get out of the tension and have a good rest."
He looked at her intently, and before closing the door, he said, "Meng Xi, no matter what happens, I'll be there for you."
"And believe me."
-
The part-time job started sooner than Meng Xi had expected.
At seven o'clock the next day, Meng Xi's new phone rang on time. Si Yu's anxious voice came through the receiver: "Xi Xi! Are you awake! Didn't you check your WeChat last night?!"
Meng Xi was not fully awake yet. Hearing the WeChat message while half-asleep, she paused for a moment with her eyes still closed.
...What WeChat?
She turned on speakerphone, opened WeChat, and it displayed "Please Log In".
Oh no! Last night, while she was organizing her new phone, she went to take a shower while the apps were still downloading. She had planned to organize her frequently used apps after she finished showering.
As a result, after taking a shower and drying her hair, she felt sleepy and fell asleep on the bed, where she has been lying down ever since.
Meng Xi immediately snapped out of her daze and quickly logged in with her account verified. Several dialog boxes popped up at the top, including a dozen unread messages from Si Yu.
Siyu said anxiously into the phone, "Hello? Xixi? I have to start work at nine o'clock this morning! Are you still asleep? Will you make it in time to leave now?"
Nine o'clock?
Meng Xi quickly checked the time on her phone. It was a little past seven. Considering the time it would take to wash up, have breakfast, and travel from the Lu family home to the city center, she figured she still had time to get ready.
"I'll make it in time, Siyu. I'll hang up now. Send me your location again, and I'll be there on time."
OK!
After hanging up the phone, Meng Xi got out of bed, opened the wardrobe, and fell into deep thought as she looked at the clothes inside.
Although the clothes Aunt Xu bought for me...
Beautiful and charming, but also excessively expensive.
But she works at a bubble tea shop, so wearing these clothes is really inappropriate.
I'd be so heartbroken if it got dirty or torn.
Meng Xi took out her ordinary clothes that she had been wearing before, a white short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, and quickly went to wash up. Finally, she grabbed a piece of bread from the dining table and ran out.
Just as Uncle Gu was about to say something, Meng Xi turned around and called out in a bright smile, "I'm going out to work, Uncle Gu, don't worry about me!"
According to Song Siyu's location, the milk tea shop is conveniently located with easy access to the city center by bus. It's just a 200-meter walk from the bus stop and is across the street from "Cure," the bakery where she previously bought her white peach croissant.
The bakery isn't very big, with a sign that says "Open for Business" hanging at the entrance. There are two rows of flowers on either side of the store, and green ivy vines hang down from the glass doors, giving it a fresh, natural feel.
It was 8:40 in the morning, and there weren't many people out shopping or drinking milk tea yet. She politely knocked on the door and went in. She saw the young male boss talking to Siyu at the front desk. Meng Xi hurriedly went over to greet them, and then they each gave a brief introduction before starting a short training session.
Apart from Song Siyu and Meng Xi, the entire milk tea shop also had an owner and two employees, a man and a woman, all of whom were quite young.
The female employee's name is Geng Yulin, and she is 22 years old this year; the male employee's name is Tao Bin, and he is 21 years old this year.
They are both college students and work here every weekend for two days, and they work full-time during the two-month summer vacation.
Geng Yulin and Tao Bin are both very nice people. They are patient and serious in teaching everything. Geng Yulin, in particular, is very talkative and cheerful. Meng Xi and Song Siyu, who were working for the first time, gradually relaxed and quickly got the hang of it.
Both of them are top students in the humanities and have excellent memories. By the end of the morning, they had memorized most of the simple milk tea recipes and had even mastered quite a few.
Lunchtime was after 2 p.m., and the shifts were staggered to ensure someone was in the store. The first shift consisted of two long-term employees and Song Siyu, leaving the store manager and Meng Xi in the store.
The manager of the milk tea shop wears glasses, is tall and slender, and has delicate features. He always looks people in the eye when he speaks, and speaks slowly and gently.
He stood at the front desk, facing Meng Xi who was writing in a small notebook, and asked gently, "Meng Xi, how was your morning?"
Meng Xi looked up from her seat, her eyes, which had been focused on memorizing, were momentarily distracted. She quickly snapped out of it, nodded and smiled, "Apart from being a little busy, everything is fine."
The store manager smiled gently and nodded, then asked, "I remember you and Song Siyu just finished the college entrance exam, right? Now that you've finished, you can relax. Today is your first day here, so I'll treat everyone to hot pot tonight. Consider it our first team building activity for the summer vacation."
"Thank you, store manager." Meng Xi replied politely and prepared to continue writing when her phone rang in her pocket.
She picked it up and saw it was a WeChat message from Lu Yu.
Upon opening it, I was surprised to find messages from last night.
Are you asleep?
What was just sent is
Send me your location.
Meng Xi hesitated for a moment while holding her phone.
What is Lu Yu doing at the shop where I work...? He looks too flashy, isn't that inappropriate?
What if they come and take up the guests' seats and cause trouble? Wouldn't that be awkward for everyone?
She hesitated for a while, unsure how to refuse.
Then another message popped up.
Don't worry, I won't bother you.
A rare expression of helplessness appeared on Meng Xi's beautiful face, and she subconsciously sent a blank cat emoji.
She looked at the emoji she had sent.
So I accidentally sent out my true thoughts?
Lu Yu probably won't care.
After the locations were sent out, the first group of people who went out to eat returned.
Siyu put away the parasol and said as she entered the room, "My goodness, it's only the beginning of June and it's already this hot. What will it be like in July and August!"
Meng Xi smiled and waved, "Sit down and rest for a while."
She got up, packed her things, and turned to the manager, saying, "Manager, shall I go eat too?"
Upon hearing this, the store manager glanced at her, put down his phone, and said, "Let's go, together."
Meng Xi was taken aback.
Suddenly remembering what Siyu had told her before about being wary of bad people and workplace unspoken rules, she felt uneasy.
She glanced over discreetly; the shop manager's expression remained gentle and calm, and her initial wariness was quickly suppressed.
She's probably overthinking it.
She nodded, and the two of them walked out the door together.
The two of them picked a restaurant that they both thought was okay, and while they were sitting down to wait for their food, they saw an acquaintance.
This is someone Meng Xi doesn't want to see.
Second Aunt and Meng Jinwei.
Meng Jinwei was in the same year as her, and they had just finished their college entrance exams at this time.
She didn't want to deal with those two people, so she quietly lowered her head and pretended to be playing on her phone.
The store manager tapped a few times on his phone and said gently, "Meng Xi, I've created a WeChat group for our store. You can chat in there if you need anything."
Meng Xi nodded, opened WeChat, and sure enough, there was a new group without a name in the chat box. She changed the nickname to her own name and closed the message. A sharp female voice came from above.
"Mom, isn't this Meng Xi?!"
Meng Xi paused for a moment, then looked up at the mother and daughter in front of her, pursed her lips, and said nothing.
Second Aunt shifted her gaze to the direction Meng Jinwei pointed, her eyes suddenly lighting up above her dark, reddish face. She squeezed through the crowd and said affectionately, "Oh my, Xi Xi is here too!"
"Why didn't you say hello to your second aunt? It's been so long since we last saw you. Your second uncle and I have missed you terribly." They sat down in the seats next to them as if they were old friends, and put their bags on the table.
Meng Xi whispered "Second Aunt" and then didn't want to say anything more.
Second Aunt glanced at Meng Xi and the shop manager, a knowing smile playing on her lips, and said, "Xi Xi, what's this—"
She drew out the last word and added, "That's not good."
Her eyes held a suggestive look, the meaning of which was quite clear.
Does this mean this is your boyfriend from your early romantic relationship?
Meng Xi remained silent, but her second aunt continued loudly, "Xi Xi, you're living so well at another place now, eating and drinking well and having money. You should take advantage of it, shouldn't you?" She glanced at Meng Xi, then looked at the shop manager, and laughed loudly, "To turn down something so good is to be a fool!"
The shop manager's expression was already not good. Meng Xi said, "This is the shop manager of the store where I work. Second Aunt, don't talk nonsense."
The second aunt, embarrassed by the rebuttal, retorted, "I was talking nonsense! I wasn't talking nonsense at all! You've really climbed the social ladder now..."
Meng Xi's face flushed with anger, but she forced herself not to argue, hoping that the other woman would leave quickly.
Before the second aunt could finish speaking, the shop manager said calmly, "As an elder, isn't it inappropriate to discuss a child's private matters in such a setting?"
The store manager turned to look at the short, plump second aunt, a hint of disdain flashing in his gentle, indifferent eyes: "Also, these are the tables and seats we sat at first. Who gave you permission to squeeze next to me? You just made baseless rumors about my relationship with my employees, which has had a negative impact on my mental and physical well-being and the store. If you continue to persist, I will consider suing you for defamation."
Meng Xi looked up at the store manager who had spoken up for her, and a feeling of gratitude welled up inside her.
Auntie was publicly criticized and was about to say something in a fit of anger when Meng Jinwei quietly tugged at her. She paused for a moment, as if she had thought of something, and quickly changed her expression. "Xi Xi, Auntie just lost her temper and got impatient."
She smiled insincerely, then leaned closer, her tone abruptly changing as she sighed, "Oh dear, your second aunt is really worried lately. Your second uncle is sick and lying at home. When do you have time to go see him? He hasn't seen you in a long time and misses you terribly."
Meng Jinwei chimed in sarcastically, adding fuel to the fire: "Mom, I told you long ago that Meng Xi is a traitor who doesn't care about old friendships, but you never believed me. No matter how seriously ill Dad is, she won't feel guilty!"
here we go again.
Meng Xi felt very tired.
It's always the same.
They used moral blackmail, echoing each other's sentiments, to embarrass her.
Everyone thought she was a heartless person who would forget the relatives who had helped her once she found a better place to go.
They used language to pressure her into achieving their goals.
She had no feelings for her second uncle and aunt's family.
The second aunt only knew that she lived in Lu Yu's family and had no worries about food or clothing, but was using this kinship relationship to keep sucking her dry.
She still remembers the time when she left her second aunt's house, her second aunt said disdainfully from inside the door: "I talked until my lips were sore and this is only a few thousand? This girl is just too stingy!"
Meng Xi spent very little money at Lu Yu's house.
No one knows how cautious and careful she has been living as a dependent for the past few years.
Things have finally started to look different these past two months; things are getting better.
There are always unexpected things that remind her of what she used to be like.
But she couldn't.
May you be sucked blood by vampires for the rest of your life.
Standing in the sunlight felt wonderful. She wanted to live a good life, strive for progress, and be the best version of herself.
Even if it's about respecting elders and being polite to others.
That would have to be the case if the other party is a good match, right, Mom?
Meng Xi raised her head and said softly, "I'll go see my second uncle when I have some free time in a few days."
But don't even think about sucking a drop of my blood again.
Maggots.
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