That evening, after Chaochao left, the crowd gathered in the dessert shop gradually dispersed, leaving only a few customers dining. After the staff swept up the last bit of dirt from the floor, they turned and went back to the kitchen, where they noticed the pig-shaped cakes already packaged in the glass freezer.
It's their store's latest product, and it sells very well; it's often sold out early in the morning.
The shop assistant frowned, pondered for a moment with a puzzled look, and hesitantly took out his phone.
After quickly leaving the dessert shop, Yu Ning bent down by the roadside and stood for a long time, trying to recover. As the icy despair that felt like falling into an ice cave gradually faded from her body, Yu Ning, with her eyes closed and taking a deep breath, moved her stiff knuckles, raised her hand to politely decline the kind passerby's offer to call an ambulance, and took an unnatural step forward.
Even after holding the position for a long time without moving, my legs still went numb.
However, before she could take the second step...
The old cell phone in my school uniform pocket rang.
Yu Ning didn't want to pay attention, but then she remembered that not many people in this world knew her phone number, and at least the people in the world were decent.
The girl, too exhausted to even muster any expression, took out her phone and saw it was her colleague.
"Hello, is this Yu Ning? Is this cake in the kitchen yours?" A colleague's cautious voice came from the other end of the phone, seeking confirmation.
Upon hearing this, Yu Ning paused, and a slight ripple finally appeared on her usually expressionless face. "Yes, it's mine."
My colleague was surprised that she had guessed correctly and asked in surprise, "When did you start liking sweets?"
She thought of the snowman pudding Yu Ning had bought last time, and with this cream cake, it felt like Yu Ning was a completely different person.
In the past, when the store manager gave out desserts as a perk, Yu Ning always refused, citing her dislike of sweets.
Yu Ning fidgeted with her fingers on the other end of the phone, but didn't say anything.
My colleague just casually remarked, then immediately asked, "Do you still want it? It might not taste very good if you leave it here overnight, you'd better eat it as soon as possible."
"..." Yu Ning slightly moved her phone away, her dark pupils appearing like grayish-white glass beads under the cold white light of the tall street lamps.
"Hey Yu Ning, are you still there?"
Just as Yu Ning was brought back to her senses, she gritted her teeth and said, "I'll be right back."
As soon as she finished speaking, she spun her shoes around and hurried towards the store.
Less than a minute after hanging up the phone, her colleague saw Yu Ning return at the door. She was immediately surprised and widened her eyes, "You...you're too fast."
She's been gone for ages, hasn't she?!
Yu Ning greeted her briefly as she entered, went straight into the kitchen to retrieve a cake box, quickly came out, nodded to her colleague with a forced smile, and then hurriedly left the scene again.
The little dumpling is no longer here.
"Huh...?" My female colleague, holding a mop, stared blankly at the empty shop entrance, feeling like she'd just woken from a dream where Yu Ning came and went. After a long pause, she slowly closed her mouth. She hadn't even asked Yu Ning how she and Chaochao knew each other yet...
Back home, Yu Ning kicked off her shoes, placed the cake box on the table, and then plopped down on the wooden sofa opposite the dining table. She lowered her pretty eyebrows and stared intently at the cake, or more precisely, at the little pink pig.
The restaurant's dim lighting extended all the way to her feet, casting a thin shadow beneath her slightly upturned brow bone, making her appear somewhat sinister.
Just when 050 thought Yu Ning would be sitting like this forever, the girl, who was about to sit and collect dust, suddenly stood up, pursed her lips, lifted the plastic shell covering her, and hesitated for a moment before bringing down the fork, but only for a moment.
Yu Ning scooped out a spoonful of cake and put it in her mouth. After chewing it a couple of times in a perfunctory manner, she immediately scooped out a second and a third spoonful...
Just watching 050, who was bored and observing, was unbearable.
I don't understand why you would eat something you clearly don't like.
Yu Ning swallowed several mouthfuls of cold boiled water, which diluted the lingering sweet milky flavor in her mouth.
She picked up a tissue and wiped her mouth expressionlessly, then stared blankly at the remaining third of the cake and the little pink pig leaning against it.
Yu Ning deliberately avoided it when eating.
Not a single hair was rubbed off.
But there was no one left to send it to.
The little dumpling looked like it was eating really well...
Why does it still taste the same to her?
Yu Ning ultimately didn't finish the rest of the cake.
That night, she lay in bed, her stomach still churning with the cloying sweetness of cream, and had nightmares.
In my dreams, the scene of the wall collapsing and people pushing me when I was eight years old appears again and again, like a death loop, as well as the scene of me standing at the door and accidentally hearing a woman's complaints. Scenes from black and white films alternate back and forth.
When Yu Ning woke up, her eyes were covered with faint dark circles.
At school, Yan Shuangxi called Yu Ning several times but she didn't hear him. She even waved her hand in front of her face but there was no response. Finally, she had no choice but to suddenly shout: "Ningning!!"
"Hmm? Is there a question you don't understand?" Yu Ning, who had suddenly come to her senses, turned her head and asked.
Yan Shuangxi pouted, somewhat dissatisfied, "I've called you so many times and you haven't answered me..."
After saying that, she thought of a possibility and immediately sat up and asked her nervously, "Could it be that you took too many painkillers and damaged your brain nerves?"
“…It’s none of your business.” Yu Ning smiled and cut Yan Shuangxi off before she could press for more information. “Teacher He is here.”
Yan Shuangxi, who dreads biology class the most, immediately sat up straight.
Seeing that the terrified Teacher He was standing some distance from the classroom door with his textbook, she couldn't help but turn around and look at Yu Ning.
Although her expression and complexion seemed normal, she felt that Ningning was acting strange today... although she seemed to have acted strangely before...
Yan Shuangxi turned her head to open her biology book, but the person next to her suddenly asked, "How do you know about Chaochao...?"
She paused, startled. Although she was terrified of the biology teacher, Yan Shuangxi immediately became interested when it came to Chaochao, and could put everything else aside. While glancing at the classroom door, she suppressed her excitement and said, "It was when Chaochao was collecting trash to support her dad! I'm telling you... Holy crap, Old He is here!"
She quickly flipped through her textbook and lowered her head.
She felt a pang of regret that she hadn't had a chance to brag to Yu Ning about her status as a veteran fan. Yu Ning had been a fan of Xiao Tuanzi since the early days of Chaochao's rise to fame online!
The Mediterranean biology teacher was lecturing and drawing on the stage, but Yu Ning's mind had already wandered off somewhere else.
Yan Shuangxi's words echoed in her mind.
Scavenging for trash... to support my dad...?
Yu Ning's eyelashes trembled slightly.
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