“Mr. Lin, I would like to visit the restroom, but I’m not very familiar with the way. Could I trouble you to take me there?”
Molly spoke softly, her tone polite.
“Of course.”
Lin Lue turned back and rubbed Lin Xue’er’s head.
“Brother will be back in a moment. Wait here for me, okay?”
Lin Xue’er looked up at him and nodded gently.
Watching their retreating figures, she subconsciously raised her small hand, wanting to grab something, wanting to call out to her brother, but in the end… it only fell weakly.
She stood there alone, her small frame looking particularly frail.
Her pearly teeth bit into her cherry-colored lips, the pressure gradually deepening.
‘Brother has been stolen away…’
She couldn’t do anything.
—
Deep in the hallway, where no one would disturb them.
Molly suddenly stopped and turned around.
Her cheeks were flushed red, and she seemed flustered and uneasy.
She clutched her white bag tightly, her voice carrying a hint of apology.
“I… I’m sorry, Lin Lue! I showed you such a rude side of me just now!”
“Rude? You mean making that so-called Miss Lily kneel?”
Molly blushed and nodded vigorously.
“I don’t think it was rude at all.”
“Huh?” Molly blinked.
“It wasn’t… rude?”
Making someone kneel was a very rude thing to do — at least, that was what she had been taught.
“Of course not.”
“But I…” Molly stammered.
Lin Lue could see exactly what she was thinking.
She wasn’t being a hypocrite; she truly felt it was improper.
To put it nicely, Molly was an elegant and gentle Witch who had received a fine education.
To put it bluntly, she was bound by a mountain of rules and conventions.
Girls like her were the easiest to train… cough, he meant, they were the best to provide emotional value for.
As long as she tasted the sensation of throwing those rules under her feet and crushing them, it would create a unique, forbidden thrill.
Like an electric current, it would surge through her every pore.
“I know you wouldn’t normally act like that. You just couldn’t hold back your emotions just then, right?”
“It felt good, didn’t it?”
Molly was slightly stunned.
A flash of confusion crossed her eyes.
‘Did it feel good?’
“You did Xue’er and me a huge favor,” Lin Lue continued softly.
“Indulging yourself once in a while isn’t a bad thing. I can tell you’re repressing a lot of things. If you have secrets buried in your heart with no one to tell, you can talk to me anytime. I’ll keep your secrets safe; they’ll never leave my lips.”
Lin Lue stepped into his persona instantly.
His eyes were clear, and his smile was clean, making Molly daze for a moment.
Molly pursed her lips, a complex mix of emotions flickering in her eyes:
Grievance, exhaustion, and a barely perceptible… relief.
She had only gone out today to clear her head aimlessly, ending up in the Lower District before wandering into this supermarket as if possessed.
And there, she happened to meet him.
The silent bedroom, the back of her wife walking away indifferently, the teardrops on the photo frame… everything from last night kept resurfacing in her mind.
It was like a thorn, piercing her heart with a sharp pain.
The smile of the man before her was like sunlight, making the tension within her begin to loosen.
“Lin Lue, do you have some time after this?”
Molly bit her lip and spoke softly, her gentle voice filled with anticipation.
“I want to… well, chat with you.”
“I still need to look after my sister.”
Lin Lue looked a bit troubled.
“It’s fine, I can join you two,” Molly smiled.
“Your sister is very cute. I like her a lot.”
Lin Lue knew Lin Xue’er’s personality and wanted to decline politely, but he saw Molly take a deep breath as if she had made a grand resolution.
She stepped forward repeatedly, puffing out her chest.
Startled, Lin Lue subconsciously backed up until his back hit the wall.
With nowhere left to retreat, Molly pinned him with one hand against the wall.
She stood on her tiptoes and gazed at him seriously.
Her eyes held a hint of shyness, but she still parted her lips, her voice trembling with the thrill of doing this for the first time.
“You wouldn’t want your sister to find out you’re doing this behind her back, would you?”
Lin Lue: “???”
Lin Lue looked at Molly in shock.
Molly’s face grew even redder, and she covered it with both hands.
“Lin Lue, I just want to… chat together. Is that okay?”
Lin Lue’s mouth twitched.
She was already using threats; how could he refuse?
When someone with a gentle personality was pushed to their limit, they could be terrifying and capable of anything.
It was the easiest path to darkening into a yandere.
Moreover, she was powerful enough to easily pin him against a wall by his neck.
“I understand.”
Seeing Lin Lue relent, Molly’s fingers parted, and a faint light instantly lit up her eyes.
She was overjoyed.
She lowered her hands, wanting to touch him but unsure where.
Only when she felt Lin Lue’s breath on her cheek did she realize they were far too close.
She hurriedly took a step back and took a deep breath.
Her chest heaved as she tidied her messy bangs.
Lifting the hem of her exquisite dress, she gave him a serious lady’s bow.
Her tone was much lighter than before, carrying an irrepressible joy.
“Then I’ll be in your care. Please look after me.”
She suddenly remembered something and took a stack of bills out of her bag.
Originally intending to stuff them into his pocket, she hesitated the moment she reached out.
Summoning her courage, her fingertips trembling slightly, she tucked them into his collar instead.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.
“Some things that happened last night made me very sad, but meeting you and talking a bit has made me feel a little better.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lin Lue smiled, took out the money, and put it away.
“You are my client. You paid, so satisfying you is my duty and honor.”
The old Molly would have hated such words.
But the current her actually liked them.
People change.
Just like her wife, who once said she would love her forever, had started to treat her coldly.
The last bit of awkwardness in Molly’s heart vanished.
Yes, she had paid for this.
A monetary transaction.
No emotions involved.
No betrayal of Yuexue.
Molly suddenly winked playfully and drawled, “Lin Lue, come to think of it, I have a question. Am I your first and only client?”
“Of course.”
Lin Lue didn’t hesitate.
He spoke with a firm, steady smile.
“You are my first and only client.”
The corners of Molly’s lips curled up uncontrollably.
Clearly, she was quite satisfied.
Lin Lue took all of this in, his smile deepening.
He emphasized once more — scamming women for money… cough, providing emotional value to female clients was something he took seriously.
—
“Little sister, these all suit you very well.”
Inside the supermarket, Molly’s fingertips brushed over various small dresses on the rack.
She looked at Lin Xue’er with crescent-shaped eyes.
The minor farce from earlier had calmed down, and the quiet, elegant atmosphere had returned.
The way the staff looked at Lin Lue had completely changed.
Their eyes were a mix of awe, wariness, and blatant envy.
Anyone could see that Molly was a powerful Witch from the Upper District.
And he, this man from the Lower District, had caught her eye.
The previously arrogant Miss Lily had already slinked out through the back door, looking disheveled and pathetic, not even daring to leave a parting remark.
Of course, before leaving, she hadn’t forgotten to drag away the manager — who looked like a dead dog — and clean up the mess.
Lin Xue’er stood there, her small body stiff.
She watched the Witch who kept picking out expensive clothes for her.
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head firmly.
Refusal.
Having struggled alongside her brother in the Lower District, she hadn’t learned any standard high-society etiquette.
Her movements were a bit stiff and clumsy, yet she still worked hard to maintain her dignity and sense of propriety.
She bowed to show her gratitude.
She couldn’t embarrass her brother.
These things were too valuable; she couldn’t accept them, nor should she.
More importantly…
‘Who gave you permission to call me sister?’
They weren’t that close.