Chapter 75: Saving the Down-and-Out Female Supporting Character in an Era Novel (3)

Zhao Jiajia wandered aimlessly, couldn’t be bothered with the extra shadow tagging along. She stopped in front of an internet café.

Song Lingshu looked up. The banner read “Dongli Internet Cafe,” with colorful lights strung above it, a few of the small bulbs already burnt out.

Zhao Jiajia had already walked inside. She hurried to follow. The place was a noisy mess. Desktop computers took up most of the table space. Some people were stuck on their games, cursing under their breath as they smacked the back of their monitors, just like hitting an old color TV at home.

By then, Zhao Jiajia had already gotten her card and was walking to a corner to boot up a machine. Song Lingshu went over, sat on the armrest of her chair, and watched her click around the desktop for a long time, not knowing what to play.

Back then, Q.Q hadn’t yet opened up the new world of social networking, music software hadn’t expanded its business, and the games worth playing were pitifully few. Finally, she watched Zhao Jiajia open a movie. It was the tail end of Hong Kong cinema’s golden age, when all kinds of films filled the spiritual void for the younger generation.

Zhao Jiajia didn’t know what to watch either, so she clicked on Young and Dangerous.

“You, you like this, this one?” Song Lingshu asked, looking at her—a proper good girl outfit—and smiled. “I, I like it too.”

Zhao Jiajia had never seen it before. The genre wasn’t her thing, but she’d been feeling irritable lately and wanted something exciting. Hearing that, she got curious. “You’ve seen it?”

“Mm, at Uncle, Uncle Wang’s…”

“Got it. Watched it on Uncle Wang’s TV.” Zhao Jiajia put on her earphones and ignored her.

Seeing her absorbed in the movie, Song Lingshu didn’t bother her. Instead, she turned and walked to the café entrance, scoping out the surrounding shops. Then she checked the snack shelf inside—prices were clearly double the market rate.

She looked at the customers. Mostly trendy students, many who’d sneaked money from home to come here. In this era, the internet was seen as a flood of beasts by parents and teachers, and scenes of people getting dragged out of cafés and beaten were common.

She ran across the street to a convenience store, spent two cents on a pack of instant noodles, then ran back. She observed the customers until she spotted a middle school boy clutching his stomach, reluctant to leave. She walked over slowly.

Zhao Jiajia caught a glimpse of her passing through the opposite aisle, then sneakily tapping the shoulder of a guy sitting diagonally across. She whispered, “Hey, hey handsome, want some, some noodles? I bought too, too many… I’ll sell ‘em cheap.”

The guy glanced at her irritably. “Why are you stuttering?”

“I st-stutter, but it’s not, not contagious. Noodles. Want?” Song Lingshu pointed at the cup noodles in her arms and held up three fingers. “Three, three cents.”

The café sold them for four cents. The guy was starving, too cheap to buy such overpriced stuff. Now seeing her noodles made him even hungrier. Torn, he said, “I’m still playing games.”

“I can, can help you soak them for free.”

“Fine, fine. Soak them first, then I’ll pay.”

“Got, got it.”

Zhao Jiajia watched her bustling around. In just a few minutes, she’d already made money. Surprised, she kept an eye on her movements.

The guy ate the noodles, and the smell began to spread. Everyone around got drooly. The guy told them to buy from the stutter girl—cheap.

So Song Lingshu went back and forth selling noodles. By the time Zhao Jiajia finished watching a chunk of the movie, she’d already earned over a buck.

Just as the ending was about to roll, someone tapped Zhao Jiajia’s shoulder. She was about to turn when a hand pressed down on her head. “Don’t, don’t look back. I’m, I’m gonna make a run for it. You, you, you come out later.”

“…” What was this, Infernal Affairs?

Zhao Jiajia noticed the owner glaring in their direction. He seemed to have spotted someone poaching business. He was whispering with a few guys, pointing at Song Lingshu. The next second, she slipped out like an eel, and the group chased after her.

“So annoying.” Zhao Jiajia looked at the last ten minutes of the plot, shut down the computer in irritation, and strode out.

She didn’t know where the other girl had run to. She scanned the street, and finally, at a corner, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a dark alley.

“You’ve got some nerve. Gotta make money off everything?” Zhao Jiajia muttered.

“R-Rich in the midst of danger.”

“Damn it. I missed the ending.”

“Don’t worry. Chen Haonan ends, ends up becoming the b-boss of Causeway Bay.” Song Lingshu spoiled it for her.

“And Little Stutter? Did she end up with Chen Haonan?” Zhao Jiajia clearly cared more about the romance.

“Yeah, they’re to-together. It’s just… forget it. You…” Song Lingshu asked, “You, you like Little Stutter?”

“Yeah.” Zhao Jiajia said. “Gigi Lai is so pretty.”

Song Lingshu smiled. “Then they, they’re together.”

Suddenly Zhao Jiajia covered her mouth. “Shh!”

The owner’s voice sounded outside. The two huddled in the corner, pressed tightly together, listening.

Song Lingshu gradually came back to her senses. She could hear Zhao Jiajia’s breathing clearly—one light, one heavy. The girl was in her teens, her body stretching out like a butterfly taking flight, tender yet bursting with energy. Leaning close to her, it silently lit a fire.

Song Lingshu quietly stepped back. She accidentally stepped on a plastic water bottle on the ground.

The two of them: “…”

“Someone’s in there.” The owner raised a flashlight, shining it into the alley.

“F-f-fuck!”

“Is this really the time to waste on swearing?” Zhao Jiajia snapped. She picked up a wooden stick nearby, suddenly feeling a bit like a gangster herself. A surge of jianghu bravado rose in her chest. “If you’ve got guts, come at me together. What’s with the dicking around? You call yourselves men?”

“Oh, pretty tough, huh.” The owner grabbed a beer bottle, smashed it against the wall next to him. Boom! Glass shards flew everywhere.

Zhao Jiajia froze. Even though she’d been depressed and wanting to die lately, when danger actually came, a survival instinct kicked in.

Then a voice came from behind her. “B-Boss. Hand. Give it to me.”

Zhao Jiajia turned. Song Lingshu had somehow climbed onto the top of the wall and was reaching out a hand.

Zhao Jiajia doubted she could even pull her up without them both falling. But the group was closing in, seemingly entertained, not believing they could scale it.

Either way, it was death. Zhao Jiajia gritted her teeth and grabbed her hand. Then she was yanked up hard. Her legs kicked against the wall, and somehow she tumbled over the top. She dropped down, nearly falling, but someone caught her.

Too close.

She’d never done anything like this.

Zhao Jiajia looked back at the wall, breathing a sigh of relief at escaping death. Then Song Lingshu grabbed her and ran.

“Quick, quick.”

They ran a long way until Zhao Jiajia couldn’t go on. She shook off her hand, propped herself on her knees, panting. “They shouldn’t be chasing us anymore.”

“They’re, they’re not.” Song Lingshu said.

“Then why were you telling me to hurry?”

“Hurry or we’ll, we’ll miss the late-night snack.”

“…”

Song Lingshu rubbed her stomach. She hadn’t eaten dinner before being kicked out. Good thing she’d made some cash. Now she could treat herself to something decent.

“Let’s go. I’ll get you, you a jianbing.” Song Lingshu grandly pulled out a buck and a dime, somehow radiating the aura of a ten-dollar bill.

Zhao Jiajia was speechless. There happened to be a street stall nearby. She walked over and glanced at it. She wasn’t hungry, but she was a little curious about the jianbing.

“Two, two jianbings.” Song Lingshu said.

The owner started spreading the batter. “Anything else? Ham? Shredded potatoes? Shredded carrots?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”

The owner added all the toppings, grinning from ear to ear.

“Can’t, can’t afford it!” Song Lingshu wailed.

Owner: “?”

Zhao Jiajia: “…”

In the end, she overspent. Total: one buck twenty cents. She was short a dime.

Song Lingshu clutched her one buck and ten cents, looking pitifully at Zhao Jiajia. “B-Boss, lend me, me a dime?”

“Do you really have to stutter over filler words too?” Zhao Jiajia couldn’t understand why she even stuttered on interjections.

They ended up eating the jianbing by the roadside. Zhao Jiajia stood in the evening breeze. Her hair and skirt fluttered, making her look especially lovely. The girl was pretty, but the expression she made while eating the jianbing was not.

Song Lingshu squatted carelessly at her feet. Zhao Jiajia took a step to the side, and she shuffled over too.

Zhao Jiajia looked up at the sky, feeling like she was dealing with a serious problem. More than how to die gracefully, she wanted to know how to shake this shadow.

They went back very late. Only a few families in the building still had lights on. The first floor was dark.

Song Lingshu’s parents didn’t worry about her being out late at night—they probably wished she’d go even farther.

The second floor, however, was lit. Zhao Jiajia’s mother was waiting at the door. Seeing her, she called out in a low voice, “Jiajia, come home now.”

Zhao Jiajia silently rolled her eyes and trudged upstairs.

“B-Boss, good night.” Song Lingshu waved, then went into her own room. The old wooden door creaked. She locked it and lay down on the shabby bed.

The foot of the bed was cluttered with stuff—no room to even turn over. The room smelled moldy. She even heard a mouse squeaking. Scared, she sat up, scratched her head in irritation, and decided not to sleep.

She slipped on her slippers and stepped out. The moonlight was bright. She turned and went up to the top floor to gaze at the moon on the rooftop.

But someone else was there. She saw a figure standing silently in the moonlight, back against the wall, head bowed. Her hair covered most of her face. In her hand was a lit cigarette—a red dot stark in the dark. She didn’t look up even after hearing the footsteps.

“B-Boss.” Song Lingshu called.

Zhao Jiajia finally looked up. She took a drag, squinted slightly, and blew out a puff of smoke without saying a word.

“Why aren’t, aren’t you asleep?” Song Lingshu walked over and stood next to her.

Zhao Jiajia gave a cold laugh. Slowly, she said, “You know what that woman just said to me?”

“What?”

“She asked me why I was out messing around with that stutter girl.” Zhao Jiajia curled her lips, but there was no humor in her eyes. “I thought she’d at least ask first where I was going in the middle of the night.”

Song Lingshu said, “Don’t, don’t mind her. She’s, she’s an idiot.”

Zhao Jiajia laughed once, took another drag, then turned her head and blew a cloud of smoke at her face. “She doesn’t want me hanging out with you. I’m gonna do it anyway. I’m your boss. Deal with it.”

Song Lingshu grinned. She reached out and snatched the cigarette from her. “Don’t smoke, smoke this. It’s, it’s bad for you.”

“It’s a good thing.” Zhao Jiajia was mischievous. She handed her one. “Want to try?”

Song Lingshu looked at the cigarette with hesitation. Just as Zhao Jiajia was about to lose patience and take it back, she suddenly took it.

“Lend, lend me a light.” Song Lingshu said.

Zhao Jiajia raised an eyebrow. Amused, she pulled out a lighter. “You’re actually going to try it? This isn’t fun…”

Before she could finish, the other girl suddenly leaned in. The cigarette dangled from her lips, and she touched it to Zhao Jiajia’s. The tobacco slowly lit. Then she straightened back up.

Zhao Jiajia stared blankly as she expertly pinched the cigarette between her fingers and even blew a smoke ring. Surprised, she said, “How do you know how to do that? When did you learn?”

“What about, about you?” Song Lingshu asked.

“Lately.”

“Because life, life’s hard?”

Zhao Jiajia didn’t deny it.

“Funny, funny thing. Me too. But lat-later… I quit.” Song Lingshu flicked the ash. “Because it, it didn’t help. Hard times can’t be, be run from. You gotta, gotta face them.”

Zhao Jiajia was surprised to hear that from her. But thinking about her home situation—so much worse than her own—she’d faced family abuse and the world’s mockery since childhood and still gotten through it, hadn’t she?

“I underestimated you.” Zhao Jiajia smiled, stubbed out her cigarette. “I take back what I said earlier. I’m not your boss because of that woman. Now, I want to be your boss because I want to.”

“Thanks, thanks. I knew, knew you were a good person!” Song Lingshu also put out her cigarette. “B-Boss, there’s something I, I want to tell, tell you.”

“What?”

“When we jumped over the, the wall just now… your, your pink panties showed, showed again.”

Zhao Jiajia: “…”

So damn annoying. This boss thing? Whoever wants it can have it!