Tang Jia waved goodbye, about to head home when Li Miao's soft question caught her off-guard. "Um... could I bother you more? About Genshin, I mean."  There was a shy hopefulness in Li Miao's upturned face, a vulnerability that tugged at Tang Jia's heart.

 

"Of course! We have each other added already, right? No need to act like strangers." Tang Jia grinned, a warmth blossoming in her own chest.

 

Li Miao's answering smile was like a sunrise, dispelling any lingering awkwardness. "Thank you!" Her joy was pure and infectious. It made Tang Jia pause and truly look at the girl before her.

 

Li Miao was undeniably beautiful, but hers was the kind of beauty that bloomed from the inside out. Her eyes sparkled with an earnest enthusiasm that was unexpectedly charming.

 

Being friends with such a beauty would never be a loss. A mischievous thought flickered across Tang Jia's mind.

 

Xu Yue stood beside Li Miao, her posture deceptively casual. A flicker of unease—not quite jealousy, more like a possession disturbed—tightened the line of her jaw. She'd never expected these two to find common ground so effortlessly. She was never interested in these games and suddenly felt out of place in their energetic conversations from earlier.

 

Tang Jia seized the moment with the precision of a fox sizing up its prey. She leaned close to Xu Yue, breathing a conspiratorial whisper against her ear. "Li Miao's adorable, isn't she? You better act fast, or I might just...

 

Take. Her. For. Myself.”

 

The playful threat hung unfinished, but its effect was immediate. The air went brittle, like a winter wind. But before Xu Yue could even respond, Tang Jia had already sprinted off. With a final, mischievous wave, Tang Jia made a strategic retreat. "See you two later!"

 

Li Miao blinked in confusion. What was that about? She glanced at Xu Yue, who was already schooled back into that gentle smile.

 

Is Xu Yue really that scary? The question echoed in her mind, forgetting that just half a year ago, her heart clenched at Xu Yue's mere glance. A single sharp look could send shivers down her spine, a mouse caught under the gaze of a hawk.

 

---

 

The aroma of coffee filled the air, a bittersweet symphony against the cafe's hum. Xu Yue meticulously cleaned the espresso machine, and the familiar gleam of polished metal was a comfort beneath her touch.

 

“Xu Yue, go take a break." The manager chided gently, taking over. A motherly warmth softened her otherwise businesslike tone.

 

The manager had a soft spot for this young girl. At first, suspicion lingered – such beauty seemed tailor-made for slackers, not hardworking staff. But Xu Yue's quiet diligence had won her over. Skillful hands that brewed the perfect latte were also the ones to help a flustered coworker during the rush. There was a gentle strength beneath that placid exterior. She thought that if she had a daughter, she would want one like Xu Yue. 

 

“Thank you, Manager.” Xu Yue's voice was soft, but the gratitude was sincere. She settled into the break room, not with a textbook but a worn notebook.

 

The pages were a riot of sticky notes and neat script. Alongside rigorous summaries, tiny doodles of an absurdly plump cat danced between formulas. Li Miao's hand was unmistakable, her playful energy infusing even the driest of topics.

 

Xu Yue's fingers traced a particularly ridiculous doodle, a smile tugging at her usually stoic features. Her heart held a soaring joy that couldn’t be contained. That day, with notebooks shoved into her arms and a determined glint in those wide eyes, Li Miao had declared:

 

“Xu Yue, if you won’t accept my money, at least accept my hard work!” 

 

Li Miao meticulously created these notes to ease Xu Yue's studying process. Her cheeky smile and words floated through Xu Yue’s mind: “If you don’t sleep at home, just sleep in class!” Li Miao said with her tongue stuck out mischievously. 

 

Silly little cat, I don’t dare anger the teachers like you do. 

 

She studied for a few more moments, but the clock ticked down until her refuge ended. With a sigh, she closed the notebook—Li Miao's cheerful doodles momentarily forgotten. Her fingers gently brushed the cover, and then she put it away in her school bag.

 

Rising, she stretched, trying to loosen the tension in her shoulders. As she stepped towards the door, a commotion reached her ears.

 

"…that girl Xu Yue? I know it's her shift!"  The shrill female voice cut through the cafe's usual murmur.  Xu Yue's steps faltered.

 

"Ma'am, Xu Yue is on break –" The manager's reply was edged with tightly controlled frustration.

 

"I'm her mother! This is family business..." The woman's voice rose in a crescendo of entitlement.

 

“Ma’am…” 

 

Xu Yue had heard enough. Her fists tightened into tight balls while her palms were damp with sweat. She swallowed her throat and resolved herself, slightly trembling. 

 

"Enough. What do you want?"  She pushed open the door, her gaze locking on the source of the disturbance.

 

Her mother, Bai Yixuan, stood in all her garish glory – a peacock trapped in a bargain bin. Caked-on makeup couldn't hide the hardness in her eyes. Beside her, Xu Yue's father, Xu Mingzhe, seemed to shrink within his ill-fitting suit.  The lines on his face were less about age and more about a lifetime of fading ambitions.

 

Bai Yixuan's demeanor shifted with practiced ease, saccharine-sweet but utterly false. "Yue'er, my dearest daughter! How we've missed you..."

 

Her father coughed, interrupting the farce. "Xu Yue, we need to talk."

 

The manager moved to intervene, but Xu Yue caught her sleeve. A silent plea: Let me handle this.

 

The manager hesitated.  She read the mix of defiance and desperation in Xu Yue's eyes. "Alright," she relented, "but be careful." Her touch on Xu Yue's shoulder was light, yet carried the weight of unspoken support.

 

Xu Yue chose a secluded table, less out of fear, more out of a desire to shield the cafe's cozy atmosphere from this poison.  Each step was a drumbeat, echoing in the sudden silence surrounding them.

 

"What do you want?" Her usual calm was a thin veneer over a storm.  Beneath the table, her hands clenched the fabric of her uniform, nails digging into her palms to ground the rising fury.

 

"Yue'er, family shouldn't be so cold!" Bai Yixuan's voice was honeyed, the overly sweet tone grating against Xu Yue's raw nerves.

 

Xu Yue knew that it wasn’t that simple. Her parents never actually sought her out while Liu Fang was there. This only happened because they knew she was in the hospital. 

 

"Xu Yue, your father is in a bit of debt... We’re just asking for a small favor." Xu Mingzhe's voice was unctuous, a thin disguise over his desperation.

 

Xu Yue raised an eyebrow before cautiously replying, “How much?” 

 

"Ten million yuan.  Nothing for someone with... your connections.”

 

Ten million? A lifetime of her wages was gone in their grasping hands. Her breath hitched.  They cared nothing for her aunt and saw only opportunity.

 

Memories flooded Xu Yue's mind - countless nights spent hunched over textbooks, the smell of disinfectant clinging to her skin after long shifts at the cafe. Every sacrifice, every exhausted tear, dismissed with a wave of their greedy hands. The injustice of it all burned in her throat, bitter as the coffee grounds.

 

"No. I cannot. Leave." Her voice was a blade, each word cutting the pretense of familial love.

 

"Xu Yue, you’re hiding it now?" Xu Mingzhe sneered. "That fancy car that picks you up every day... what kind of work deserves such payment?"

 

The words landed not like a question, but an accusation, twisting the Li family's kindness into something vile. Xu Yue's hand twitched, her fingers scrabbling against the rough fabric of her uniform as if to erase the imagined stain their words left.

 

"Yue'er, surely your... patron... could spare a bit extra..." Bai Yixuan's smirk held a cruelty sharpened by years of envy.

 

Li Miao's laughter echoed in Xu Yue's mind.  That warmth, that open trust – it was a feast these vultures were eager to devour.  A white-hot rage flared under Xu Yue's icy exterior.

 

I won’t let them try to do anything to her. 

 

Xu Yue's fingers dug deeper into her uniform, the pain grounding her anger. "I have no 'patron'. I would never - "

 

"Ungrateful child!" Xu Mingzhe slammed the table, spittle flying as his mask of civility finally cracked. The sudden violence caused nearby customers to flinch, their curious gazes turning wary. "After all we've sacrificed –"

 

All that you’ve sacrificed? You’ve done nothing. I want nothing to do with you. 

 

Xu Yue thought to herself, her eyes becoming colder and colder. She met her father's glare with an icy resolve. "No, I don't have that amount." 

 

Xu Mingzhe thrust a sheaf of papers at her. "In that case, this man wants you. His wealth... it could solve our problems."  Greed twisted his features.  "A dowry so generous, he'd even cover that burden Liu Fang's become..."

 

Xu Yue recoiled. Each word was not just a threat but a defilement of her aunt's love. She stood then, trembling with anger. Her voice was a whisper, yet it silenced the room. "Get. Out."

 

They misread her fury as fear. Bai Yixuan's triumphant smirk cut deeper than any insult. "My dear, it's already been settled with his family."

 

Xu Yue faltered. Despite everything, the legalities snared her. They held her papers, proof of a guardianship she'd never wanted.  A flicker of doubt poisoned her defiance. Could they...?

 

"Xu Yue, you can finally be free of that disgusting restaurant that Liu Fang owns." Bai Yixuan’s words held a sickening sincerity. That place, a source of comfort despite the endless work, reduced to nothing but an inconvenience.

 

That statement broke her. "You... DISGUST ME!" Her cry tore through the cafe's cozy murmur.  Eyes turned, and whispers began. She didn't care. "Never speak about my aunt that way again!" She didn't care about their stares, just the burning need to escape as she walked away.

 

Bai Yixuan's shriek was pure desperation. "Xu Yue, get back here! That marriage contract—you'll sign it!" This was her escape from debt, from that cramped hovel of an apartment—her mistake, finally paying off!

 

The manager intervened, a wall of strength against their venom. "Leave. Now. You're disturbing our customers."

 

The couple sputtered but knew any further scene would attract unwanted attention. Xu Mingzhe shot Xu Yue a final venomous look before they were hustled out.

 

The silence left behind was suffocating. Xu Yue's hands trembled. Tears welled, hot against her icy rage. The manager's arm around her shoulders guided her away from the curious stares into the sanctuary of the break room.

 

---