That evening, sat cross-legged on the hostel's bed, checking the money on her bank account.
It wasn't much. Enough for food, toiletries, and maybe a few months of expenses at most. If she wanted to live far from the people supposed to be her family, if she wanted toearn her independence, she needed income.
Her lips pressed together in thought.School is starting in two days so I can't work full-time.I don't have any particular talent, so I'll need a part-time job first. Something flexible that I can do after school, or on weekends.
She pulled out her phone and began searching the city's job boards: cafés, convenience stores, tutoring. Working in a cafe would be quite tiresome, and other jobs required some kind of experience. She spent two hours looking for something she could do before a posting caught her eye:
"Student job available — Youth activity center looking for temporary assistant. Tasks: supervising children, helping with homework, organizing small activities. Salary: hourly pay, no experience required, must be patient with kids."
Su Meili's heart gave a small, unexpected flutter.
Children.
Her mind flashed back to her own childhood, to the loneliness of being shuttled between households, never truly wanted. She never really had friends in her childhood and didn't kwow how to interact with them. But, this was the best job ad she had seen and even if she did not want to admit it, the thought of helping children — even in a small way — stirred something inside of her.
She clicked on the email adress of the youth center's director and typed a message before she could second-guess herself.
Hello, my name is Su Meili. I am a high school student looking for part-time work. I'd like to apply for the position.
After going out to eat, taking a shower, and doing her skincare for the night, Su Meili took her phone and checked her emails. Surprisingly, a reply from the youth center had already arrived:
Hello Su Meili, thank you for your interest in the position. We would love to meet you in person and get to know you to see. Are you free tomorrow morning for an interview and a visit of the center? Address attached.
Her chest tightened. She didn't know whether to be nervous or relieved, but at least this was a beginning.
The following day, Su Meili arrived at the Youth Center. The building wasn't new, but it was clean and lively. Its walls were painted in soft pastel shades, and children's drawings covered the entrance walls, bright colors fighting against the gray concrete of the neighborhood.
A woman in her forties, with kind eyes and a neatly tied bun, greeted her."You must be Su Meili? I'm Director Chen. Let's take a walk. You can see the place while we talk."
Her face did not change one bit when she saw Su Meili dressing style, and she did not seem to have any kind of opininion about her. That made Su Meili feel less anxious.
As they walked through the halls, children's voices echoed. We could also hear laughter, bickering and the constant sound of tiny feet on the floor.
Director Chen spoke gently."We are not exactly a school. Most of these kids are orphans, or come from very difficult families. We give them a safe place and try our best to take care of them during their time in here. This is mostly about tutoring, keeping the younger ones company, and sometimes helping with small chores."
As they stopped outside a classroom, a group of children was bent over their homework. One little girl with pigtails, no older than six, sat at the back, tugging at something in her palm. Suddenly, she looked up, her large eyes locking onto Meili. She hesitated, then got up and padded over, holding something clutched to her chest.
"Jie-jie…" the little girl whispered, tilting her head back to look at her. "Can you… help me? My pencil's too short, and I can't write anymore…"
She opened her palm to reveal a stub of a pencil, worn down until there was barely anything left to hold.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Meili crouched down in front of the girl. For a moment, she was at a loss—then she pulled out her own pen from her pocket. It wasn't fancy, just a black gel pen she always carried, but it worked fine.
"Here," Meili said, pressing it into the girl's small hand. "Use this instead. It writes better than that stub."
The child's eyes lit up. "Really? You're giving it to me?"
Meili smiled faintly, though her throat felt tight. "I've got more. Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll write neatly."
The little girl nodded fiercely, clutching the pen like a treasure before darting back to her desk.
Something in Meili's chest shifted. It wasn't much—just a pen, just a child—but it had been a long time since someone looked at her with that kind of pure gratitude. For a second, she felt something she hadn't in a long time: warmth and purpose.
Director Chen, who had watched silently, smiled faintly. "I think you're a good fit for the job. Are you interested in it?"
Su Meili nodded firmly. "Yes, I'll take the job."
Leaving the center, Su Meili went back to her hostel's room and packed up her luggage before going to school in orer to moved into the dormitory.
When she arrived, she met her assigned roommate. It was a cute girl with shoulder-length hair, round glasses, and expressive eyes. She looked up nervously when she saw Su Meili enter, but still managed to say:
"H–hello. I'm Lin Qian."
Su Meili gave a curt nod. "Su Meili."
For a while, silence hung awkwardly. Lin Qian bit her lip, intimidated by her roommate's aura — the red wolfcut, the piercings, the heavy boots.
They started organizing their stuff in silence when Su Meili caught her struggling with the top bunk ladder, so she wordlessly steadied it for her.
Lin Qian blinked, then laughed nervously. "Thank you..."
Su Meili raised an eyebrow, the corner of her lips tugging ever so slightly. "Am I that scary?"
Lin Qian flushed. "No. It's just that I herad a lot about you. Everyone says you fight a lot, and spend your days playing and smoking. But I guess it's not very true."
"Aaah..."
Lin Qian, now less afraid, started chattering on, explaining that her parents worked in another city and sent her here for better schooling. "They visit me sometimes on weekends. Maybe… if you're free this weekend, you can come eat with us?"
Su Meili blinked, momentarily unsure of what to say.
She only murmured, "We'll see."
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Meanwhile, across town.
Su Wanrou sat prettily on her bed, phone in hand, her voice syrupy sweet as she spoke to Zhao Haoran."I'm not sure what's going on, but I saw Su Meili coming out of the teachers' office today. She looked… strange. I don't know what trouble she's made again, but I thought you should know."
Haoran's jaw tightened on the other side of the line. Later that evening, he told his parents, who exchanged worried looks.
Lin Fanghua had been anxious since the day Su Meili left. She had tried to call her multiple times without success. She called her father to know if she was with him, but the answer was negative. She was so worried that she couldn't eat or sleep.
After hearing what Zhao Haoran said, she stormed to the school the next morning. After a round of questions, she got to know that her daughter had enrolled in the regular class, and that she requested a dormitory room."
Lin Fanghua's face turned pale. Without waiting, she marched straight to the dormitory building.
Su Meili had just finished arranging her desk when the door slammed open.
"Su Meili, stop right there!"
Her mother stood there, breathing heavily, eyes wild with anger. Behind her was Zhao Haoran, his brows furrowed.
"What do you think you're doing?" Lin Fanghua's voice cracked like a whip. "Moving to the dorms without telling me? What are you trying to do this time? Pack your things this instant and come home with me!"
Su Meili didn't even flinch. She folded her arms across her chest. "No."
The single word struck like a stone in water.
Fanghua's face contorted. "No? Do you think you have a choice? I'm your mother, and if I say you're coming, then you're coming!"
Finally, Su Meili's eyes flashed, her voice cold and sharp."Mother? A mother who never takes my defense and only knows to serves me slaps everyday? I don't even know why you want to bring me back this much when my very existence is a source of shame for you. You shoud forget you ever gave birth to me and go look for another daughter to replace me."
The dorm room fell into a deathly silence. Lin Fanghua staggered back as though struck, her lips trembling, unable to find words.
"Meili…" Zhao Haoran stepped forward, his tone heavy with disapproval. "That's too much. No matter what, Aunt Fanghua gave birth to you. You should—"
"Shut up."
The words cut him off like a blade. Su Meili's gaze snapped to him, sharp as ice."You are not my brother, nor my friend or my family. You are nothing to me. So don't put your mouth in my business."
For once, Zhao Haoran was speechless, his pride stung.
Lin Fanghua, tears trembling at the corner of her eyes, finally turned and stumbled out of the room, Haoran following behind with a dark expression.
The door slammed shut, leaving behind an echo that seemed to shake the walls.
Lin Qian, who had witnessed everything from the corner, swallowed hard. She had thought her roommate just looked rebellious externally but was kind inside, but maybe she was wrong? She looked quite unruly just now, talking back to her mother like that.