Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Wu Mengmeng immediately looked up, almost dropping the cigarette she was holding.

She stared wide-eyed at Su Xiao, his face reflected in her pupils.

The two stared at each other for two seconds.

"You... what are you doing here?"

Wu Mengmeng spoke first, her voice sounding a little flustered.

I live nearby.

Su Xiao looked at her, placed the soy sauce on the counter, and asked, "What about you?"

"My family doesn't have any money, so I come out to help out at a shop to earn some pocket money."

She pursed her lips, her tone deliberately nonchalant.

Su Xiao nodded, his gaze sweeping over her.

Her hair was dyed back to black, and her pigtails were neatly tied. She had also removed her makeup, leaving her with a bare face, completely different from the brightly dressed young woman she used to be.

"What are you looking at?" Wu Mengmeng felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and turned her face away. "Didn't you say I'm ugly?"

Su Xiao laughed and muttered under her breath, "This boss is really bold. He puts you in charge of the shop, isn't he afraid you'll steal money?"

Wu Mengmeng's ears are very sharp, and she immediately perked up.

She slammed her pen on the table, glaring at him: "You're the one who stole money! This is my relative's shop!"

"Just kidding, just kidding."

Su Xiao raised her hands in surrender with a smile, and took out some change from her pocket to pay for the soy sauce.

Wu Mengmeng took the money, her fingers trembling slightly as she gave change.

It wasn't because I was nervous, it was because I was still angry.

She slammed the change on the table; the coins bounced a few times on the glass counter and rolled to the floor.

Su Xiao bent down, picked it up, and put it back on the counter without saying anything.

Wu Mengmeng glared at him, then pretended to take a puff of her cigarette, followed by another fit of coughing.

"Why are you smoking for no reason?" He frowned slightly.

Wu Mengmeng had finished the cigarette in her mouth and then took out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from her school uniform pocket.

He pulled one out and put it in his mouth, then picked up a lighter and lit it with a snap.

"My parents don't care about me, so why should you?"

She blew the smoke to the side, preventing it from hitting Su Xiao's face.

Su Xiao felt a little uncomfortable looking at her pretentious mature demeanor.

From an adult's perspective, he actually sees it very clearly.

Wu Mengmeng is simply immature.

In modern terms, it's about following the trend and copying others' emo style.

"Don't smoke like other people," he said softly, unusually kind. "It's bad for your health."

Wu Mengmeng got even more excited after he said that, stuffed the cigarette into her mouth again, and took a big drag.

Her cheeks sank in, and then she exhaled sharply, the smoke obscuring her face.

"I'm going to smoke anyway, because I'm upset and uncomfortable!"

Su Xiao looked at her.

The bright incandescent light above their heads shone on her face, illuminating her expression clearly.

"I'm not used to quitting smoking!"

Her eyes were a little red, I don’t know if it was from the smoke or something else.

"Su Xiao, tell me, am I really that ugly?" Wu Mengmeng suddenly sniffed.

Su Xiao originally wanted to joke, "You're really ugly," but seeing the tears glistening in her eyes, the words that came out were, "How could that be? I was just joking with you before, don't take it to heart."

"If I'm not ugly, then why don't you like me?"

Wu Mengmeng suddenly asked stubbornly, "When you pinched my cheek and confessed your feelings to me that day, did you actually like me, or did you think I was easy to fool?"

Su Xiao fell silent.

He had forgotten which day she was referring to.

Wu Mengmeng wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "I used to hate you, but when I looked back at our old chat history, I realized that what I really hated was that you didn't treat me the same way you used to. Your kindness to me was real, and your promises were real too. So whenever I hate you, I think of all the good things you did for me, all the endless things we talked about, and the future we planned. I often think, if only I were as heartless as you, then I wouldn't be the one crying at dawn!"

Wu Mengmeng suddenly lowered her eyes and choked up as she said, "You weren't like this before. If it were the old you, you would never have treated me like this."

Do you know me well?

Su Xiao's voice was devoid of emotion, "Don't live your whole life in the past."

"Su Xiao, you have no heart!"

Wu Mengmeng suddenly raised her head, looking at him with red eyes, the cigarette in her mouth trembling.

"You... never mind, why am I talking to a little girl like you about this?"

Su Xiao shook her head, then suddenly reached out and snatched the cigarette from her mouth.

The movements were so fast that Wu Mengmeng didn't even have time to react.

By the time she came to her senses, the cigarette was already in Su Xiao's hand.

He then put the cigarette in his mouth and took a puff.

As the smoke entered his lungs, Su Xiao exhaled it expressionlessly, then stubbed out the cigarette and threw it into the ashtray.

The whole process was smooth and seamless.

Wu Mengmeng sat behind the counter, completely stunned.

Su Xiao clapped her hands, her tone indifferent.

"Stop acting like a child. Smoke less in the future; it's bad for your health."

Wu Mengmeng opened her mouth, as if to say something, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something.

"Go do your homework and stop smoking here. It's dry and hot outside. Be careful not to set the convenience store on fire. You wouldn't be able to pay for it even if you sold yourself."

Su Xiao picked up the soy sauce, waved to her, and turned to walk towards the door.

The wind chimes tinkled once, and half of his body was already outside the door.

"Su Xiao!"

Wu Mengmeng suddenly shouted, so loudly that even she was startled.

Su Xiao stopped and turned around.

Wu Mengmeng stood behind the counter, her hands resting on it, her body leaning slightly forward.

Her lips were trembling, and the redness in her eyes deepened.

"You...you be careful on the road."

Wu Mengmeng's voice suddenly became softer, so soft that it was almost inaudible.

Su Xiao looked at her for two seconds, then smiled.

"understood."

Wu Mengmeng stood there, watching his figure disappear into the night.

After a long while, she slowly sat back down in the chair, buried her face in her arms, and leaned on the counter.

The cigarette that Su Xiao had stuck in the ashtray was still there.

She reached out, picked up the cigarette, and looked at it.

"What a fucking waste."

Without saying a word, she put it in her mouth, lit it again, and took a puff.

She opened her notebook and continued writing.

But after writing two lines, he couldn't continue. He threw down his pen and stared blankly at the door.

The light at the entrance was still on, and the wind chimes swayed gently in the night breeze.

Through the thick darkness of the night, Wu Mengmeng seemed to see a tall, slender figure under a streetlamp in the distance, and she couldn't help but murmur to herself.

What will I do without you...?