(Two-in-one, updating two chapters together)

…

Dim…

Blurred…

A face emerged in the darkness, the man named Su Mo was giving her a sly grin.

“I’ll hit you!!!” Dongdong suddenly sprang up from the bed.

In her vision, Su Mo’s face vanished, replaced by an unfamiliar room.

It was now early morning, with perfect sunlight, golden rays spilling in from outside, warming her body, and the air carried a tempting aroma.

Dongdong sat there dazed, gradually coming back from the dream, looking around.

Judging by the setup, it was a single room in a hotel, and though she was the only one inside, clearly others had been there.

A set of brand-new clothes lay on the chair beside the bed.

On the nightstand was a takeaway meal, featuring a Big Mac double beef burger, fries, a big chicken leg, and soda.

She instinctively touched her left arm, realizing at some point a new arm had been installed.

As she was still in shock, a polite voice came from the smart home control: “Hello, esteemed guest. You have a holographic message, would you like to play it now?”

Dongdong: “Play.”

The ceiling’s holographic projector lit up, and amidst the interplay of light and shadows, Su Mo’s pre-recorded message appeared in the room.

Su Mo, eating a burger, greeted the camera: “Hey, seeing this message means you’re awake.”

“You passed out yesterday. Let me clarify first! You slipped on a banana peel on your own, I didn’t hit you!”

“I checked you over, nothing serious, I also got you a new prosthetic arm, didn’t adjust the parameters much, make do with it for now.”

“By the way, there’s a burger meal on the nightstand for you, all real meat, with high nutritional value. You’re still growing, gotta nourish yourself well.”

“The clothes on the chair are a gift for you too, your old clothes are like rags now, don’t wear them anymore. As a girl, you should pay attention to your appearance, can’t be sloppy all day.”

“Okay, that’s all, see ya.”

Su Mo’s holographic image disappeared.

Dongdong couldn’t help frowning, looking at the burger meal on the nightstand.

“He wouldn’t have poisoned it to get back at me, right…” she muttered.

Suddenly, Su Mo’s holographic image reappeared.

He anticipated Dongdong’s suspicion, laughed, and said, “Oh right, the burger isn’t poisoned, nor does it have a laxative, eat with ease, don’t worry.”

Dongdong angrily grabbed a pillow and threw it over: “Who’s afraid of you?!”

Su Mo’s image vanished, not lighting up again.

“Hmph, I’ll eat it then…” Dongdong tore open the takeaway packaging, grabbing the food and started munching.

Before, on the outskirts, she only had synthesized foods, worm-eaten leafy vegetables, and it was considered lucky to occasionally have some artificial meat, with the few real meats she ever tasted being fried mosquito cakes and roasted rats.

Now, this meal, though just the common fast food of Inner City, was something that Dongdong could never afford before, nor would she have dared to spend on.

This was arguably the most delicious meal she had in her life.

The golden, crispy fries released a rich aroma in her mouth, the wheat bread soft as cotton candy, fresh vegetables with sauce tantalizing her taste buds, and the authentic beef exuded an enticing fragrance.

Even though she was very hungry, Dongdong refrained from devouring, chewing each bite diligently dozens of times, trying to prolong the flavors in her mouth.

After finishing the meal and soda, Dongdong, rubbing her round belly, lay sprawled on the bed: “So worth it, even if I died…”

She lay there for a while, then sat up again, pounding the bed: “I spit, this is his sugar-coated bullet! He’s definitely scared of me! Trying to buy me off with just a meal? Dream on!”

Dongdong got off the bed, preparing to continue troubling Su Mo.

Before leaving, she glanced back at the luxuriously decorated room.

“Anyway, with some fool paying the room fee, leaving directly would be such a waste, better indulge first…”

Dongdong ran into the bathroom and, seeing the setup inside, jumped for joy: “There’s even a bathtub! Yay!”

She filled the bathtub with hot water, rummaged around for body wash, shampoo, and essential oils, filling the tub with bubbles, then stripped off and immersed herself.

The bathroom was filled with various pleasant scents, steam billowing up, and as the bubble-laden water enveloped her, warmth and comfort fully embraced her, making all displeasures and vexations seem to vanish at that moment.

Dongdong lay in the bathtub, face filled with bliss, enjoying the soothing sensation of the bath, scrubbing herself clean with the body wash and shampoo.

After bathing, Dongdong wrapped herself in a towel, exited the bathroom, gazing at the clothes lying dirty on the floor, covered in stains and holes, and felt a sudden rise of aversion inside.

It’s easy to go from frugal to lavish, but hard to go back.

Before, mixing on the streets, crawling sewage one day, rummaging through trash the next, she was filthy all over, wearing dirty clothes felt like nothing.

But now, washed clean, smelling fresh, wearing those dirty clothes again would feel uncomfortable.

She suddenly remembered, Su Mo said he bought her new clothes.

She ran to the chair, looked at the set of clothes, hesitated for a moment, and muttered: “Even though I don’t want to wear what he bought, wasting new clothes by not wearing them would be silly… hmph.”

She dried herself with the towel, changed into the clothes Su Mo bought, and stood in front of the mirror for a look.

The outfit was full of street style, featuring a cream-colored base T-shirt, with a black long coat with graffiti prints on top, sea-blue denim shorts reaching just to the thighs, paired with a pair of thin white socks.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep