Cold icy rain

The lone sky and high moon cast down pure white light, and that radiance gave people a sense of pure beauty.

People always love pure things: pure emotions, pure people.

Lin Yuan also had fantasies, fantasies about the future, and about the person who would appear in his life in the future.

He had also thought that one day he would step on colorful auspicious clouds to find his own pure white moonlight.

But in his life so far, how did that rare ray of moonlight, that figure who bought him milk tea, appear in such a place?

Lin Yuan turned his head, staring blankly at the girl in white stockings.

He didn't know how long he watched until the other girl called out to him, "Just leave the takeout."

Lin Yuan remained unmoved by the dismissal.

'You were a beauty, why did you become... a prostitute?'

At this moment, a BGM sounded in Lin Yuan's mind: "Cold icy rain beats wildly on my face, warm tears mix with the cold rain..."

Lin Yuan's fantasy was not specifically projected onto this girl in white stockings, but rather onto the concrete image that this girl represented. 'I struggled hard, fantasizing about a future dream with someone like you. Who knew, the dream shattered before it even took shape.'

Lin Yuan was very sad, 'Today's society, ah, truly... you can't judge a book by its cover. Such a pure girl, how could she...'

The girl in black stockings, seeing that Lin Yuan wasn't leaving and was still staring at her companion, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, "XiaYe, your business is here."

XiaYe? Lin Yuan didn't know how to write the two characters for XiaYe.

Business? What kind of business?

Lin Yuan suddenly felt a bit disdainful of the woman in front of him; this was disappointment born from admiration.

XiaYe also realized that Lin Yuan was looking at her, so she had no choice but to stand up and stammer, "I... I... I'm just the greeter. I'll take you to play with them."

Lin Yuan slowly walked towards her and calmly said, "No need."

The girl in black stockings was still mocking, "XiaYe, it seems he only wants you."

Lin Yuan was very impatient with this person's chatter and shouted without turning his head, "Shut up."

The girl in black stockings was stunned. She hadn't expected Lin Yuan, a delivery guy, to have such an imposing aura. She wanted to retort, but on closer inspection, she realized Lin Yuan didn't seem like a delivery guy. She quickly reacted: Could it be that the person in front of her was a cosplaying delivery guy?

After all, this was a two-dimensional script-based board game cafe, so a bit of cosplay seemed quite normal.

Lin Yuan continued calmly to XiaYe, "How much do you charge?"

"I... I'm just the greeter."

Lin Yuan then asked the girl in black stockings, "Normally, how much does she charge?"

"She, for her, it's 200 per hour, with a two-hour minimum. You can also get a 5% discount if you top up a card."

XiaYe anxiously said, "When I came here, I already said I only do greeting."

Lin Yuan remained unmoved, "Open your QR code for payment."

"I only do greeting."

"Open your QR code for payment." Lin Yuan repeated again.

"If you keep doing this, I'll call the police."

Seeing Lin Yuan's expression, the girl in black stockings decisively opened her QR code and handed it over, "Master, after discount, two hours is only 300. You can choose any script you like; I'll definitely satisfy you."

Lin Yuan remained unmoved and handed the milk tea in his hand to XiaYe, "Here's your milk tea back. I haven't drunk it yet."

"Milk tea?" XiaYe looked at Lin Yuan in confusion, as if she finally remembered something, "You... it's you." XiaYe then looked slightly delighted, "So it's you."

But then XiaYe looked disappointed again, "Why are you here? This isn't a place a delivery person can afford."

As soon as the girl in black stockings heard the words "delivery person," she immediately scoffed, "Tsk~" Then she turned and walked away, muttering, "He really is a delivery guy. I thought he was cosplaying. Just a poor loser."

"Don't worry about whether I can afford it or not. Open your QR code for payment."

"You... I won't do it. Please, don't make it difficult for me." XiaYe's voice was already tinged with tears, "For the sake of me buying you milk tea."

Lin Yuan sighed, "Can you be serious? I didn't say I wanted to do anything with you."

"Ah? Then why did you ask me to open my QR code?"

"Open it."

XiaYe looked at Lin Yuan's resolute eyes and subconsciously did as he said. She vaguely felt that the person in front of her didn't seem like a bad person, because he didn't have the lewd expression that many otaku who came here often had.

Lin Yuan turned and left after scanning, without saying a word.

Not long after, XiaYe's phone rang, "WeChat received 1000 yuan."

XiaYe looked at the door in disbelief, but Lin Yuan's figure had already disappeared. She then chased after him, "You... wait."

But Lin Yuan ignored her and continued walking forward.

XiaYe really wanted to catch up, but at this moment, she was wearing a maid outfit, and even her feet were in tight white stockings, which was clearly not suitable for parading through the mall, so she didn't dare to go out.

She looked down at the transaction record, and there was even a sentence on it: [You shouldn't be here]

The words were brief, but they brought tears to XiaYe's eyes.

She really shouldn't be here.

Her parents worked so hard to send her to study art, but she really couldn't find a suitable job.

Teaching dance at an off-campus institution was only enough to cover daily living expenses. After deducting food, drinks, medical aesthetics, and cosmetics, it wasn't even enough for rent, so she could only squeeze into her best friend's small studio apartment.

Because of her unwillingness to give up, having studied dance for so many years, she was unwilling to abandon it. She wanted to take a gamble and try to get into the dance department graduate program at Purple Gold Art School, hoping to change her fate through it.

But taking the Purple Gold Art School exam required enrolling in tutoring classes and finding professional teachers, which would cost fifty to sixty thousand yuan. She really couldn't bring herself to ask her family again. That's why she came here to earn extra money through Song Xiaoxiao's recommendation.

However, no matter what kind of ideological struggle she went through, after XiaYe arrived here, she still couldn't bring herself to bend over. Standing at the door as a greeter and calling people 'master' was already her limit.

All things considered, XiaYe was now gradually realizing: ordinary people shouldn't study art unless they can swallow everything in front of them. She had, after all, taken the wrong path.

As for taking the Purple Gold Art School exam, it was more just a personal obsession. Because if she could have gotten in, she would have gotten in four years ago; why wait until now?

Lin Yuan's 1000 yuan transfer was like a needle prick, piercing the self-consoling cocoon XiaYe had built for herself.

XiaYe had to face herself; in fact, she was currently wavering between sinking and refusing to yield.

And Lin Yuan's words, [You shouldn't be here], were like a clap of thunder that woke her from her daze.

XiaYe recalled Lin Yuan's resolute expression just now.

'He's just a delivery guy. How long would it take him to save up this 1000 yuan?'

She remembered the first time she met him, 'It was so hot, and he was still delivering food.'

'He's so hardworking, and then I look at myself, wanting to give up because of a little difficulty.'

XiaYe was ashamed. She suddenly woke up; she shouldn't live like this.

She ran back to the store quickly, changed back into her own clothes, and didn't even want her wages for the day.

After leaving, she walked in the direction Lin Yuan had left, filled with gratitude.

'Thank you, stranger, you warmed my life!'