Chapter 1: MAMA-01

MAMA-01: One Hundred Thousand a Time.

“Sis, I’m really sorry. We’ve already done several rounds of interviews, and Ms. Jian is still not satisfied.”

“It’s fine. She’s rich. Just keep looking for her.”

“Honestly, finding an actor to play a boyfriend or girlfriend is no big deal. Before this, there was even a kid who commissioned us to find someone to play their mother.”

“But Ms. Jian has appearance requirements, and she needs long-term companionship care. I think finding a cosplayer would be better than coming to us.”

…

Mi Shanxin sat by the window in a cafe, editing a video. Her brain involuntarily took in information it shouldn’t have.

It was winter break, and she had no living allowance. Through a teacher’s introduction, she got a job at a training class, teaching calligraphy to a group of elementary school students.

Because the training class location was quite far from her home, she would arrive early.

This area was a business district with quite a few companies.

The cafe on the first floor of the shopping mall had a high table turnover rate. People talked business, romance—yesterday there were even debt collectors, so dignified that Mi Shanxin felt it was all too formal.

Today, her eyes were truly opened. There were even people looking for actors to be caregivers, and the caregiver had to be good-looking. Just how much extra would that cost?

The girl wore a mask, the ends of her shoulder-length black hair flipping up. Wrapped in a loose hoodie, she looked just like she’d gone out wearing a blanket.

The person in charge at the training institution often reminded Mi Shanxin to pay attention to her attire and sleep schedule. A teacher with no vitality whatsoever made it hard for parents to trust them.

Mi Shanxin couldn’t be bothered. Her teaching fee was only eighty yuan per class anyway, and she hadn’t received a single cent yet. There was even less reason to buy a new set of clothes.

Her friend Li Yin had long advised her to quit, saying either your teacher is taking a cut or you’re being exploited layer by layer as an outsourced worker. After adding up commuting and food costs, you’re still broke.

And then she’d add: That’s not even counting the coffee annual pass I gave you.

It wasn’t that Mi Shanxin couldn’t find other work.

She had chronic neurasthenia. Colds, coughs, and allergies with every seasonal change seemed to have a clock-in task on her body. Living to this age and safely getting into university was already a great auspicious sign.

The neighbors also said it was fortunate the child’s field of study was one that cultivated the mind and character. If she were like their kid, studying medicine, she probably wouldn’t have survived the late-night shifts and would have followed her elders into the grave long ago.

After her grandfather passed away, Mi Shanxin was the only one left at home. Hindered by chronic sleep deprivation and sensitivity to noise, Mi Shanxin applied not to live on campus. She lived alone in the old house with poor lighting.

The neighbors had mostly watched her grow up. Seeing her pitiful state, they occasionally gave her some things, fearful the kid would raise herself to death.

The community committee also called her regularly, giving the young Mi Shanxin the care reserved for elderly people living alone.

Winter and summer breaks were Mi Shanxin’s most financially strapped times.

She had thought about making a living with her looks, like her classmates who streamed online. Unfortunately, the intensity of live streaming was also high. Any work exceeding three hours, and she’d just keel over and faint. She gave up on that.

Things like handing out flyers or exploring restaurants were also physical labor for her. She could very easily faint on the street and then have to pay an ambulance fee.

When she was a minor, these bills were sent to her father, who was far away overseas. His concern was always accompanied by demands, saying not to do it again next time, the family has never shortchanged you.

Of course, Mi Shanxin had grievances, but she didn’t dare curse over the phone.

She needed money for school too. If her father didn’t provide it, she’d have to pay the hefty tuition herself.

Even though enrolling in this major was the dying wish of the deceased old man, her grandfather’s inheritance wouldn’t fall to Mi Shanxin. The meager remaining estate was split evenly between her father and uncle. Her uncle had long settled overseas and only came back once when the old man passed away. He wasn’t interested in the old house, so the domestic property naturally became Mi Shanxin’s father’s.

Unfortunately, Mi Shanxin couldn’t be the grandson. In another aspect, though, she was quite the pushover.

The father who claimed he never shortchanged Mi Shanxin’s living allowance didn’t care about his daughter’s source of income during winter and summer breaks. He believed the child should scrimp and save during the semester for the holidays, or go work part-time like he and his older brother did when they were studying abroad.

If Mi Shanxin said she would die, her father would retort: You didn’t inherit it from me.

The implication was: you should ask your mother about these things.

Ultimately, the man was still holding a grudge. After the divorce, his ex-wife’s new husband was richer than him. He also took schadenfreude in the fact that his ex-wife gave birth to a mentally disturbed child after remarriage.

These words went round and round. Mi Shanxin couldn’t be bothered to listen anymore.

Thankfully, her counselor felt sorry for her. This tutoring job was found for Mi Shanxin by her.

Li Yin said this kind of work was thankless and she’d be better off not doing it.

Mi Shanxin said I have no money. Li Yin couldn’t bring herself to say “I’ll support you” either, so she just held her face in her hands and sighed with Mi Shanxin over video chat.

A while ago, Mi Shanxin started researching how to create an account online. She tried making a “Day in the Life of a Training Teacher” vlog, but it didn’t take off. Monetization was still a distant prospect. It only further proved that praying for wealth at the temple was nothing more than hiking for exercise.

“She said she could increase the pay, didn’t she?” After a long silence at the adjacent table, the short-haired woman asked the woman who seemed like a cross between an agent and an agency intermediary. “Is it that hard to find someone who looks like her? Didn’t Jian Wanji say age wasn’t an issue?”

“Sister Zeng, whether they look alike or not is for Ms. Jian to decide. I’ve brought people for her to see. She either said the eyes were too big, or the skin tone was wrong. Another time she said the mouth shouldn’t gape open either…”

Mi Shanxin stared at her screen to disguise her eavesdropping, thinking: Such a venomous tongue.

“Uh… sorry…” The short-haired woman apologized profusely. “I’ve called her over today. If you really don’t want to take this job, I’ll help out.”

“Just try to understand her too. After all, the person has been sent to the hospice ward. It’s a matter of days now.”

“Yes… I understand completely,” The staff member tapped her phone. “Didn’t she say she’d be here soon just now? She couldn’t have just set out, could she?”

Mi Shanxin thought: Just like Li Yin. Every time she says “I’m heading out,” she’s actually still in bed.

At that moment, out of the corner of her eye, Mi Shanxin glimpsed a woman hurrying past outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

The cafe was on the first floor of the shopping mall. The seat Mi Shanxin usually took faced the outdoor greenery and a secluded little path.

Before, when Mi Shanxin was spacing out here, she’d spotted a couple who thought it was a blind spot secretly getting intimate there.

She admitted she was immoral, curiously stealing a few extra glances. The couple noticed, screamed, and ran away.

Does being in a relationship mean you have to kiss and grope outside?

Mi Shanxin didn’t get it. If you’re going to seek thrills, shouldn’t you follow through like in TV dramas?

The woman passing by was very tall, wearing a long trench coat of excellent cut and texture. The wind blew the collar up, but it didn’t stop Mi Shanxin from catching a glimpse of the pearl-buttoned white shirt underneath. A bright orange silk scarf was quite dazzling.

The trench coat’s hem reached her calves. The pants inside were wide-legged. As she walked, the hem and pant legs swayed, yet it was still hard to ignore her square-toe boots.

Soon, the other party entered the shop. When she passed Mi Shanxin’s seat, Mi Shanxin smelled a strong fragrance.

Passionate yet spicy, just like her mother’s Spanish sunset wedding when she remarried. Mi Shanxin hadn’t attended but had repeatedly watched the wedding video.

This person’s hair color was also like the dusk of Spain, a 70-30 side-parted wavy fringe. Combined with the hair color, her low ponytail looked very much like a real wild horse’s tail.

Her temperament was completely at odds with her attire. The lack of seriousness was almost superficial.

Although Mi Shanxin wasn’t bad-looking, her train of thought differed from most people. She didn’t like to smile, was shriveled, thin, and small. A pair of dark, deep-set eyes staring at people, she looked just like a little hopping vampire from Chinese horror.

Her nickname was also concocted by someone based on her family background.

Her parents divorced too early and each remarried. Mi Shanxin, who lived with her grandparents, was raised into a little old lady, showing no trace of a child’s vitality or life.

Plus, her body wasn’t suited for running and jumping, so she naturally became the one sitting on the sidelines watching others run and jump. Being isolated seemed only natural. She understood it all and couldn’t be bothered to join in.

“She’s here,” The short-haired woman at the next table seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “You’re late. Hurry up and apologize to Miss Zheng.”

“No need, no need.”

“Sorry, Little Zheng. This is a gift for you.” The woman with the spicy perfume pulled out a chair. Because the movement was too big, she bumped into Mi Shanxin’s chair. She apologized to Mi Shanxin, “Sorry about that.”

The apology even came with a smile. Mi Shanxin couldn’t say if she was sincere. She didn’t speak, just moved to the other side.

Mi Shanxin couldn’t tolerate caffeine or alcohol. Li Yin often teased her that ordering steamed milk every time she went out was a waste. To prove she was properly using her friend’s gift card, Mi Shanxin ordered a Frappuccino even in the dead of winter. But she had to wait for it to melt before drinking, which took a few hours.

Afraid of being jostled by the table next door, she switched to the seat on the other side. Jian Wanji, who received no response to her apology, glanced at her a couple of times.

Little Zheng, who had accepted Jian Wanji’s gift, said nothing more. From her contact with Jian Wanji so far, she knew this woman was generous. She had received gifts the previous times too. This woman was just too good at reading people and giving what they liked. She had just posted a shopping video on her Moments, and the other party had zeroed in on exactly what she wanted.

What else could she say? Of course she would continue to work hard for her, finding a suitable candidate to play her mother.

“Sister Wanji, this time I…”

“Student.” The woman who had just sat down changed seats. Mi Shanxin happened to take off her mask to drink her beverage. The woman sat right in front of her, her gaze quickly sweeping over Mi Shanxin’s face. She asked: “Want to be my mother?”

Zeng Baian, sitting on the side, choked on her coffee. Little Zheng, who had accepted the gift, was so shocked she nearly jumped up.

Mi Shanxin usually had a slow reaction time due to chronic sleep deprivation. Multitasking was hard for her. She was the type who could only stare at the instant noodles while cooking them, unable to play on her phone.

The girl stared blankly at the face right in front of her.

The other’s spicy perfume reminded her of her mother’s remarriage wedding. But this woman didn’t resemble her mother at all. Her features weren’t elegantly delicate. Her eye shape was too alluring. When she smiled, her eyes narrowed into slits, making it hard to miss the beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

She even had a smile-lip surgery. Her way of speaking was even more frivolous than any mother.

The next second, the other party smiled cheerfully and added, “One hundred thousand per session.”

Zeng Baian’s cough of warning fell along with the strawberry Frappuccino.

Cream, jam, and strawberry flavor covered the spicy perfume. The scent of coffee from the air lingered faintly. The girl doing homework diagonally across saw this scene and screamed, raising her phone to record.

After splashing the drink, Mi Shanxin belatedly affirmed her own action: This is sexual harassment.

The other party, in such a sorry state, could still maintain her expression. She let her jacket and shirt soak through, and looking at Mi Shanxin’s gloomy yet undeniably pretty, youthful features, uttered even more frightening words—

“Student, this jacket costs eight thousand yuan.”

————————!!————————

[Small note] The one with a huge age gap. The bottom is definitely the younger one.

Started this on a whim, but I have a stockpile of drafts. No problem updating daily until it’s finished.

[Cute Dog] A top who isn’t into mother complexes but a bottom who wants to be a mother type.

Readers who can’t handle the age gap really don’t need to force themselves!! [Hug Emoji]