The Female Lead of the Abusive Novel Can Hear My Heart's Voice - Chapter 30

Watching Xia Chi’s gradually retreating back, Xia Mucai felt an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if she had been too heartless.

Xia Mucai shook her head guy was trying to catch her and kill her, and yet she still thought she was the cruel one.

Now that the lucky cat was still in Xia Chi’s hands, she had to figure out a way to get it back.

The skewer vendor uncle wanted to pat Xia Mucai on the shoulder, but seeing his hands covered in oil and smoke, he held back.

With a booming voice, and looking at Xia Mucai like she was a younger sister, he asked, “Want some skewers? Are you still coming to set up your stall tomorrow? Want me to save you a spot?”

His voice pulled Xia Mucai out of her thoughts. Without her original body, there was no point in setting up the stall anymore.

But she was genuinely thankful to this vendor. Without him tonight, she would’ve died at Xia Chi’s hands.

“Thank you. I’ll have a few skewers, but I won’t be coming back.”

The uncle felt a bit disappointed hearing that she wouldn’t return. He had noticed her for several days already she was pretty, and her presence alone improved his business.

“Alright then, however many you want tonight, I’ll grill them all for you.”

Xia Mucai’s eyes lit up like stars, and her stomach growled right on cue.

She had come back mainly to retrieve her cart and grab some grilled meat from the uncle next to her stall.

Just smelling the meat from nearby had been torture, making her constantly swallow her drool.

Now that Xia Chi wasn’t threatening her, she could enjoy her last meal in peace.

What she didn’t know was that Xia Chi hadn’t actually gone far she had turned back.

This time, though, she only dared to watch from a distance, seeing Xia Mucai’s cheeks stuffed with grilled meat, her eyes naturally softened into a pampering smile.

After Xia Mucai finished eating and left, Xia Chi stepped out from the shadows and approached the skewer stall.

The vendor looked at her in surprise, wondering why she came back.

She didn’t explain anything, just asked coldly, “How much did she eat?”

Obviously referring to Xia Mucai.

“What happened between you two? She looked really scared of you.” The vendor didn’t answer directly but asked what had been on his mind.

Xia Chi’s voice was frosty. “None of your business.”

“Alright, alright. Just pay what you want. I originally intended to treat that girl to skewers anyway.”

Xia Chi frowned slightly but said nothing more. Inside, she wasn’t happy someone else had treated Xia Mucai.

She should be the one paying for everything no one else needed to treat her Mucai.

Her phone buzzed. She typed in the number 1,000, and soon the stall’s payment system announced the receipt of ¥1,000 via Alipay.

Passersby and nearby vendors were all stunned.

That was 1,000 yuan for one night!

The skewer uncle was also a bit shocked. Before he could say the amount was too much, Xia Chi had already walked away.

He sighed deeply, “Sigh, just another lovers’ quarrel. Outsiders always get caught in the crossfire.”

He had seen plenty of girl girl and boy boy videos online in Binhai City, such things were no longer surprising. He could tell at a glance those two weren’t just friends; they were a couple.

Now they were gone, probably never to return. The little bet he made with that young girl earlier in the afternoon was now void.

Watching them leave, he could only wish them happiness.

Back at the hotel, Xia Mucai was like a lazy cat, lying on the 7,000 yuan a night bed, contemplating life.

How was she going to snatch the lucky cat back from Xia Chi?

The overhead light made her dizzy, adding to her drowsiness.

She had no clue what to do. She didn’t even know where Xia Chi was staying taking it back was pure fantasy.

She flopped around on the bed in frustration, tossing and turning until she couldn’t sleep anymore.

Ding-dong.

The suite doorbell rang, and a hotel staff voice followed: “Hello, would you like some late-night snacks?”

It was already 11 PM. She had stayed here two weeks and never heard of any late-night room service.

Xia Mucai was stunned. Barefoot, wearing only a long white T-shirt that barely covered her thighs, she opened the door.

There stood a woman dressed like a butler, pushing a cart. Xia Mucai’s eyes immediately landed on the food and especially on the fish, her favorite.

She swallowed unconsciously.

She looked up at the staff, wondering if this was a prank. But the woman was smiling politely, totally serious.

Fine. If this was a new hotel service, she was more than happy.

“Bring it in,” Xia Mucai said coldly, though inwardly she was drooling.

The server nodded and rolled the cart in, placing steaming dishes neatly on the table, along with two cans of beer.

“Please enjoy,” she said, bowing slightly before exiting quietly and closing the door behind her.

Xia Mucai looked at the feast all her favorite snacks spun around joyfully, and walked over.

She didn’t think twice about how sudden this new “service” was. No suspicion, only excitement.

All she could think about was enjoying this final feast.

After all, she was getting kicked out tomorrow she couldn’t afford another night. Tonight was probably a fluke.

She figured maybe the hotel staff had forgotten about her room checkout, and she’d just coincidentally benefited from a new night snack service.

Meanwhile, at the front desk, the server had just accepted a ¥1,000 service fee from Xia Chi.

There was no such thing as night snack service. Xia Chi was simply worried Mucai might be hungry, so she ordered all of Mucai’s favorites.

When she heard Room 802’s stay was ending tonight, she quietly paid for another night and made the staff promise not to say a word.

If Mucai asked, they were to say a woman with the surname Xia had settled the bill.

The staff all nodded in agreement.

Sunlight poured through the windows. Xia Mucai woke up sweating from the heat.

Without Xia Chi there to wake her up, she usually slept until noon.

She grabbed her phone from the pillow. It was already 12 PM. She tugged at her cheeks.

She wasn’t dreaming she actually hadn’t been kicked out. She didn’t have to sleep on the streets.

A wave of joy and unease hit her, and she sat up in bed, a little panicked.

“What if the hotel staff just forgot me?”

If she went downstairs and someone at the front desk remembered she hadn’t paid, would they throw her out immediately?

Just thinking about it made her anxious. She had never slept on the street and didn’t want to become a stray cat.

Still, she wasn’t the type to freeload. “I’ll lie low for now, but I’ll go out and find money soon.”

She got up, tidied herself, and snuck out of the hotel.

Back at the plaza where she’d once set up her stall, she wandered around, looking at shop windows but none had “hiring” signs.

The only opportunity was a job wearing a mascot costume and handing out flyers in the blazing sun: ¥200 a day.

Well… it wasn’t ideal, but it was something.

She found the flyer boss a short, chubby man with a beer belly in his 30s who looked grumpy and condescending.

“You here for flyer duty? ¥200 a day,” he barked.

His tone scared Xia Mucai. She froze for a moment, then nodded.

“Get in line!” he shouted.

She swallowed hard and got in line behind the other flyer workers.

The man strutted around them like a drill sergeant, then picked up a megaphone.

“Shut up! Who told you to talk?!”

Xia Mucai looked around. No one had been speaking… This guy seemed unhinged.

Then he shouted into his megaphone like a broken gong: “You think you’ll get rich acting like this? You need energy! Say it with me: ‘Have energy!’”

It was a sweltering day no one had any energy. Most people were only here because they desperately needed money.

Still, they forced themselves to yell, “Have energy!”

The boss, still unsatisfied, pointed and cursed, “If you don’t succeed, it’s your own fault! Say it again!”

Next to Xia Mucai was a girl with braided pigtails who rolled her eyes and muttered, “What kind of pyramid scheme BS is this?”

The girl’s name was Xu Qin. She was 20, still in university, and doing this as a side gig.

She was cute, but her foul mouth was something else.

Xia Mucai tried to stay under the radar and didn’t yell too loudly with the group.

A few others seemed brainwashed, shouting their throats raw for a boss who didn’t even care.

Finally, by 3 PM, the exhausting pep rally ended.

The boss flopped down in a shady spot, not caring if the ground was dirty.

It was the hottest part of the day. He had to stall them somehow to prevent anyone from passing out from heatstroke.

Xu Qin glanced at the exhausted man and rolled her eyes again.

Then she glanced at Xia Mucai the new girl who looked clueless, soft-spoken, and way too sheltered.

Pale skin, watery eyes clearly someone who’d never worked under the sun.

Must be a rich girl playing at hardship.

She smirked and approached, suddenly all smiles. “Hey, newbie, do you have a mascot costume yet? You have to ask the boss for one. If you don’t like the ones they give out, you can buy your own.”

Xia Mucai was inexperienced and polite. Someone smiled at her, so she smiled back.

“Okay, thank you.”

Xu Qin asked, “What skincare do you use? Your face is so soft—guys must love your look.”

“Me?” Xia Mucai touched her face. “Just facial wash. That’s it.”

“Damn…” Xu Qin said, touching Xia Mucai’s cheek. “So lucky. I used an 800-yuan serum and still don’t have your skin. You have to tell me your secret.”

“I really don’t have one.”

“Really?” Xu Qin withdrew her hand and suddenly looped her arm through Xia Mucai’s. “My name’s Xu Qin. What’s yours?”

Xia Mucai didn’t really want to say, but since the girl had already introduced herself, she reluctantly replied, “Xia Mucai.”

Xu Qin cooed, “What a nice name. Your parents must really love you.”

She thought of her adoptive parents who had loved the original her deeply.

“Mm.”

Xu Qin added, “So jealous.”

Xia Mucai chuckled bitterly in her heart. Thinking about the debt she owed, she replied, “Nothing to be jealous of. I’m out here doing part-time work just like everyone else.”

“Can I call you Cai Cai?” Xu Qin asked sweetly.

“Sure… Everyone calls me that.” Truthfully, Xia Mucai wasn’t comfortable with this stranger’s friendliness.

Xu Qin tsked and then gently stroked Xia Mucai’s cheek again.

“Cai Cai, do you need money? Wanna come with me to a bar? Just sit and drink with the customers—you can make 1,000 yuan a night. Easy money.”

Hearing she could earn so much in a single night made Xia Mucai’s heart stir. It was way faster than handing out flyers.

“All we do is drink?”

“Mm-hmm.” Xu Qin patted her chest. “You’ll be with me. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Wanna come? Just flirt a little and convince them to buy more drinks. That’s all.”

“Okay… okay.”