To be honest, I don’t know how long it’s been since I last saw such a pure, youthful girl full of vitality.
Judging by her appearance, she must have just left campus not long ago and hasn’t been tainted by this dirty society yet.
I took a deep breath and buried my head under the covers to avoid any impure thoughts arising from continuing to look at her.
It wasn’t until the girl finished cleaning the room and left that I got up.
Strangely, Sister Ying still hasn’t arrived, no idea what she’s up to.
I felt my stomach, realizing it was mealtime.
Just as I took out my phone to order some takeout, Sister Ying’s call came in.
"I’m really sorry, something urgent came up on my end. Let’s find some time next time to meet."
A person of her stature having some matters to handle is normal.
Since I couldn’t wait for Sister Ying, I planned to go out and grab a bite.
At this time, there were quite a lot of people. I waited ages for the elevator, so I had no choice but to take the stairs down.
However, as I was passing a corner, I suddenly heard faint sobbing sounds.
The sound was so soft, a sobbing that was clearly stifled for fear of being overheard.
I slowed my steps, walked over quietly, and when I took a closer look, I found that the crying girl squatting there was actually the one who had just cleaned my room.
I didn’t know how long she had been crying there; maybe she felt it was inappropriate to cry right there, so she got up to head upstairs.
She turned around and saw me standing there.
The girl clearly didn’t expect someone to be behind her and was so startled she almost stumbled down.
Luckily, she managed to grab the handrail in time.
Looking at her tear-streaked face, I half-expected her to swear at me.
Unexpectedly, she bowed to me, full of apology, "Sir, I’m sorry. Am I being a nuisance here?"
Looking at this pitiful young girl, I felt discomfort in my heart. I remained silent for a while before saying, "No, it was me who scared you, I should be the one apologizing."
"You haven’t had lunch yet, right? Can I treat you to a meal?"
"No, no, I’m not hungry..."
The girl shyly replied with her head down, but at that moment, her stomach rumbled with a growl.
She pressed her lips together shyly, her face blushed with embarrassment, and her hands were clutched tightly together.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, "Alright, come on. Just consider it keeping me company; I don’t like eating alone."
Only then did the girl nod in agreement, and she followed me out of the hotel.
To prevent her from feeling any psychological burden, I deliberately picked a relatively affordable and casual restaurant.
As we ate, I chatted with her.
"May I ask your name?"
"My name is Liu Xiaohua, how about you?"
"You seem a few years younger than me, just call me Brother Tian."
Liu Xiaohua playfully stuck out her tongue, "Thank you, Brother Tian, you are really nice."
"It’s just a meal, no need to be polite."
Looking at her innocent and charming smile, I suddenly recalled her crying in the stairway earlier and curiously asked, "What made you cry back there? Did you encounter some trouble?"
"If it’s inconvenient to talk about, forget it."
After a short silence, Miss Liu pressed her lips and after a long pause, she finally spoke, "I... I’m from a rural area, my family is very poor, my parents are just regular workers here, all the family’s money is saved for my younger brother, so... so my tuition and living expenses are all earned by myself."
She told me that just earlier, her brother took all the living money she painstakingly saved for eating, drinking, and having fun, which means all her hard work for two months went down the drain.
"I... I have no choice, so I went to that hotel, hoping to quickly earn some money."
"To save money, I only eat two meals a day, that way I can save quite a bit."
After hearing her story, I felt really bad, so I took out a tissue and helped her wipe her tears.
"How much is your tuition a year?"