Is my roommate a caged bird? I'm stealing her away.

The next morning, Zhou Suisui was awakened by the sunlight.

She opened her eyes, stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for several seconds, before remembering that she was at Liu Weiwei's house. On the bedside table, the pure white business card was dazzlingly white in the morning light.

She sat up. The red mark on her chest had faded, but when she touched it with her fingertips, she could still feel a slight stinging sensation under her skin.

The hum of a coffee machine could be heard coming from the living room.

Zhou Suisui put on her slippers and went outside. Liu Weiwei was already up, sitting at the dining table in a silk robe, looking down at her phone.

"Awake?" Liu Weiwei glanced at her. "There's bread and milk in the kitchen, make yourself."

"Thank you, Sister Weiwei," Zhou Suisui said softly.

She went to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of milk, and grabbed two slices of toast. The bread was a little burnt, but she didn't have much of an appetite and just mechanically stuffed it into her mouth.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Liu Weiwei asked.

"...It's alright," Zhou Suisui said.

In fact, she barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Chen Boxu's eyes, the scent of cedar when he leaned over her, and the cool touch of his fingertips brushing against her skin.

Liu Weiwei put down her phone and picked up her coffee cup: "What are your plans for today? Going back to the apartment?"

Zhou Suisui tightened her grip on the milk cup.

"I..." she began, her voice a little dry, "Sister Weiwei, can I trouble you with one more thing?"

Liu Weiwei looked at her without saying anything.

"I'm going to see Chen Boxu tonight," Zhou Suisui said, "but I don't know... what to wear or how to dress."

She looked up at Liu Weiwei, her eyes pleading, "Sister Weiwei, please help me, please?"

Liu Weiwei silently drank her coffee.

"My black dress... is too plain," Zhou Suisui continued. "Earrings won't do either. I have nothing... Sister Weiwei, you have good taste, please help me..."

"Zhou Suisui," Liu Weiwei interrupted her, "do you know what you're doing right now?"

Zhou Suisui bit her lip.

"You asked me to help you get dressed up for a date with a man. And this man is your roommate's sugar daddy." Liu Weiwei put down her coffee cup. "You want me to be your mistress?"

"I'm not..."

"Who are you?" Liu Weiwei looked at her. "Tell me, what are you going to do now? Go have tea and chat with Chen Boxu? Or go discuss cooperation with him?"

Zhou Suisui's face turned pale.

"Sister Weiwei," she said softly, "I have no other choice."

"You do have it," Liu Weiwei said. "Go back to your apartment now, throw away the business card, and then find a job and work hard. That's the way to go."

"But I don't want to!" Zhou Suisui's voice suddenly rose. "I don't want to rent a place for the rest of my life! I don't want to live on a shoestring budget every day! I don't want... I don't want to be looked down upon forever!"

Her eyes reddened as she finished speaking.

Liu Weiwei stared at her for a long time.

Then she sighed.

"Fine," she said, her voice filled with obvious helplessness and disdain. "Since you insist on jumping into the fire, I can't stop you."

Zhou Suisui's eyes lit up: "Sister Weiwei..."

"Don't be too happy yet." Liu Weiwei stood up. "I'm helping you because I don't want to see you make a fool of yourself. But there are a few things I need to say beforehand."

Zhou Suisui nodded.

"First of all, I'm helping you out of a favor, not an obligation." Liu Weiwei held up one finger. "Don't expect me to clean up your messes every time in the future."

"Secondly," she held up another finger, "I'm only responsible for making sure you look presentable. As for what happens after you meet Chen Boxu, that's your own business."

"Third," Liu Weiwei held up her third finger, looking into Zhou Suisui's eyes, "this is the last time I'm advising you—it's not too late to turn back now. Once tonight is over, there will be no turning back."

Zhou Suisui remained silent for a long time.

Then she whispered, "I know."

Liu Weiwei looked at her and shook her head.

"Go wash your face," she said. "Then we'll go to the mall."

---

At 10 a.m., the mall had just opened.

Liu Weiwei walked ahead, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor. Zhou Suisui followed behind her, wearing the same black dress from yesterday, feeling like Cinderella who had wandered into a castle by mistake.

"Go pick out some clothes first," Liu Weiwei said without turning her head. "This dress won't do. It's too deliberate; it looks like you bought it by a lot of money."

Zhou Suisui didn't say anything.

Liu Weiwei turned into a shop with practiced ease. The shop assistant clearly recognized her and greeted her with a smile: "Miss Liu, what brings you here today?"

"I'm bringing my friend to take a look," Liu Weiwei said, her eyes scanning the clothes rack. "Do you have any new arrivals? Something suitable for her age."

The shop assistant glanced at Zhou Suisui, then smiled and nodded: "Yes, we just received a batch of autumn clothes, and there are a few pieces that are particularly suitable for this young lady's temperament."

Liu Weiwei followed the shop assistant inside, with Zhou Suisui following closely behind.

The store was quiet, with soft lighting and a faint fragrance in the air. None of the clothes hanging on the racks had price tags, but Zhou Suisui knew they must be very expensive.

The shop assistant brought out several dresses.

A cream-colored silk slip dress, with an extremely simple cut, but the fabric shimmered like pearls under the light. A dusty pink knitted dress, soft and flowing, with a perfectly pleasing neckline. And a black off-the-shoulder mini dress, with a clean design and an asymmetrical hem.

"Give it a try," Liu Weiwei said.

Zhou Suisui took three dresses into the fitting room.

She tried on the off-white one first. The silk fabric felt cool and smooth against her skin, like a second skin. The dress was form-fitting, outlining the full curves of her bust and her slender waist. She looked at herself in the mirror; she was beautiful, but a little...too innocent.

not like her.

She tried on the dusty pink one too. The color was very gentle and made her skin look even whiter. The soft knit fabric hugged her body, and the neckline was slightly open, revealing her collarbone. This dress was more casual than the previous one, but also more...safe.

Finally, there's the black one.

The off-the-shoulder design showcased her beautiful shoulder and neck lines, her waist was extremely slender, and the skirt hem reached mid-thigh, revealing a pair of straight, long legs. The black color made her skin appear radiantly white, and her eyes, set against the black backdrop, possessed an indescribable allure.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time.

This is the person she wants to be. Not deliberately feigning innocence, not deliberately trying to be low-key, just radiating beauty, sexiness, and natural charm.

She walked out of the fitting room wearing this dress.

Liu Weiwei was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine when she heard the sound. She looked up and her gaze lingered on Zhou Suisui for a few seconds.

"This one," she said.

The sales clerk smiled and nodded: "Miss Liu has excellent taste. This dress is a limited edition designer piece; there are only three in the entire city."

"Wrap it up," Liu Weiwei said, then looked at Zhou Suisui, "You need to change your shoes too. Yours won't do."

Zhou Suisui looked down at her feet; the blisters from yesterday were still covered with bandages.

"Sister Weiwei," she whispered, "I...I don't have that much money with me."

Liu Weiwei glanced at her.

"Put it on my tab first," she told the clerk. "I'll settle the bill later."

Zhou Suisui wanted to say thank you, but Liu Weiwei had already turned and walked away.

Next up are the shoes.

Liu Weiwei chose a pair of black stiletto sandals. The heels weren't too high, but the design was extremely exquisite. The upper was made of thin straps that intertwined at the ankle, making her ankles look slender and beautiful.

"Give it a try," Liu Weiwei said.

Zhou Suisui put on the shoes. The leather was soft and fit her feet perfectly, much more comfortable than the shoes she had yesterday.

"Okay," Liu Weiwei nodded.

Then comes underwear.

Liu Weiwei led her into a lingerie store and, familiar with the place, told the sales clerk, "I want a black lace set. Size..." She glanced back at Zhou Suisui, "75C?"

Zhou Suisui blushed and nodded.

The shop assistant quickly brought out several sets. Liu Weiwei picked one out: a black lace set with an extremely sexy design that wasn't too revealing.

"This one," she said.

Zhou Suisui took the underwear, her fingertips touching the delicate lace fabric, and her face burned.

"Sister Weiwei..." she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Liu Weiwei looked at her. "We've come this far, and you're still embarrassed?"

Zhou Suisui bit her lip and didn't say anything.

After buying the underwear, Liu Weiwei took her to get her hair done.

Looking at Zhou Suisui's long hair, the hairstylist suggested, "How about cutting it shorter? It would be more elegant to cut it to collarbone level."

Zhou Suisui looked at Liu Weiwei.

"Cut," Liu Weiwei said.

The snip-snip of scissors rang in her ears. Zhou Suisui looked at herself in the mirror; her long hair was gradually getting shorter, falling to her shoulders, the ends curling slightly inward, making her face look smaller and her neck longer.

After getting my hair done, I also got my nails done.

Liu Weiwei chose a nude pink nail polish, a very light color, but it would show a delicate pearlescent shimmer under the light.

"This color," she said, "is understated, but you can see the quality if you look closely."

By the time everything was finished, it was already 3 p.m.

Zhou Suisui stood in front of the mirror in the mall restroom, looking at herself.

A black dress, black shoes, a newly cut short haircut, and exquisite makeup. She was a completely different person from the girl who stood helplessly in the banquet hall yesterday, wearing a dress she had bought with great difficulty.

But when she looked in the mirror, she felt a little unfamiliar.

"Have you seen enough?" Liu Weiwei's voice came from behind. "That's enough, it's time to go back."

Zhou Suisui turned around.

Liu Weiwei stood at the bathroom door, carrying several shopping bags in her hand, her face expressionless.

"Sister Weiwei," Zhou Suisui walked over, "thank you."

Liu Weiwei didn't respond to that question, but simply said, "Let's go."

The two took a taxi back to Liu Weiwei's apartment.

As soon as she entered the door, Liu Weiwei put the shopping bags on the sofa and then went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.

"Get ready yourself," she said. "I'll take you there at 6:30."

Zhou Suisui nodded and walked into the guest room carrying the shopping bags.

She took out her new clothes and shoes and arranged them neatly. The black dress hung in the closet, the shoes were on the floor, and the underwear was folded neatly and placed on the bed.

Then she sat on the edge of the bed and took out her phone.

The screen showed her chat with Lin Xiao. The last message was from last night, but Lin Xiao hadn't replied.

She hesitated for a moment, then typed:

Sui Sui: I have something to do tonight, so I probably won't be going back.

send.

The message was quickly marked as "read".

But Lin Xiao still did not reply.

Zhou Suisui waited a few minutes, then tossed her phone aside and lay down on the bed.

The ceiling was white, and there was nothing there.

She remembered Chen Boxu's eyes, and the chilling aura emanating from him when he leaned down.

Then she remembered Lin Xiao, the way Lin Xiao sat in the living room looking at picture books, and the condescending words Lin Xiao spoke in that light and airy tone.

The red mark on my chest started to feel faintly hot again.

Zhou Suisui raised her hand and pressed it there.

"Don't regret it," she told herself.

Then she closed her eyes.