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Chapter 80: Unrequited and Cheap Love
“How did you end up here?”
In an instant, Sumu jumped up from the sofa that had bound her for the whole morning, the darkness in her eyes melting away like snow under the scorching sun.
“Descent Level: 50… 40… 30%”
I remembered, I wasn’t Sumu at all, ah phooey, I wasn’t the high school Sumu.
I am a college student!
Sumu’s distaste made the pink-haired woman, who resembled her, momentarily dim, but her face quickly reclaimed a smile, as if she had long engraved this behavior into her instincts.
“I’m sorry, when I saw the call, it was already afternoon… Sorry, Mom didn’t mean to get back so late. Let’s go home.”
Sumu subtly avoided the woman’s outstretched hand, her gaze flickering with suspicion, as if examining a criminal, carefully scrutinizing the pink-haired woman who was only slightly taller than her.
Suya, her mother who often roamed the house only at night and usually occupied the sofa, now looked like a child who had made a mistake, incessantly apologizing to her and saying all the things she had once never stopped saying in a day.
Her somewhat shabby makeup was now ravaged, making her smile appear bitter even when plastered across her face.
Perhaps she forgot to remove her makeup before lying on the sofa.
But this did not affect her delicate appearance; it merely made her look like a rushed-out model, with a bit of disarray enhancing her overall beauty in some unique ways.
For Sumu, looking at Suya was no different from looking in a mirror, almost indistinguishable from head to toe, with the biggest difference being their figures—Suya, now over thirty, still appeared much more mature.
“Alright, let’s go back first.”
Sumu walked straight out, her gait stiff and odd, not caring whether Suya was following or not, heading toward the school gate on her own.
She didn’t pack her backpack—there was no need to add a burden on herself in the dream.
That was close; she almost sank into the dream.
The moment she saw Suya, a powerful sense of disconnection shattered the gray filter in Sumu’s vision into a million pieces; the things that gradually became clear turned once more into a blur.
That woman, who should never have appeared, intruded into this memory.
Even though she was an important character in soothing this trauma, Sumu felt no joy whatsoever.
She just walked awkwardly, even turning a corner without realizing.
Was it a dream? So the thing I hoped for just happened, but she clearly shouldn’t be here, and certainly not in this state.
She should be lethargic, tipsy, weakly rolling over on the sofa, occasionally greeting me to show she noticed me.
When Sumu was a child, she was afraid to sleep alone, often coming to the sofa to snuggle in Suya’s soft embrace, but later, as her mother returned later and was more and more intoxicated, Sumu never had any intimate contact with her again.
It wasn’t that there were no feelings, but it was definitely not the way a mother and child should interact.
Sumu had once been curious about where Suya went at night, so she had asked and even followed Suya when she dressed up to go out at midnight, but the results were always disappointing.
“I? I went drinking, yes, drinking…”
Little Sumu, who quietly followed Suya out, unfortunately bumped into human traffickers.
But perhaps due to her transparent quality manifesting again, she miraculously got left behind; other kids on the car looked back at her being left behind, but they were all too busy crying to notice her.
Little Sumu had a great memory, and after being taken a distance away, she managed to find her way back home, but from then on, she never dared to go out alone at midnight again, afraid of encountering a similar situation.
She had talked to Suya about this, but Suya merely became agitated for a moment before regaining her calm. This reaction, akin to that of a stranger, left Sumu particularly cold.
“Don’t go out alone at night, remember? It’s dangerous. You don’t need to worry about me; I can take care of myself.”
This was definitely a memory point, but it was also something Sumu didn’t want to touch. Compared to this, the one in language class was practically a teaching level, without any difficulty.
Since then, Sumu had never puzzled over Suya’s issues again.
Why would I seek such a warm embrace devoid of temperature? Even a computer generates heat, and others need a password to use it.
Yet, Suya felt like a presence that could be replaced by a stuffed toy, and even stuffed toys felt cleaner and more comforting than her; at least they didn’t need to be fed.
Many times when Suya was drowsy, it was still Sumu who served her food; only then could she barely eat a few bites.
However, little Sumu definitely couldn’t cook; she only knew how to use the microwave, and all the meals were prepared when Suya was awake, but this also meant that in most cases, Sumu could only eat one warm meal a day.
Correspondingly, as Sumu grew older, she handled the chores that Suya missed, turning their relationship more like two strangers cohabiting.
Now Sumu just hoped they would be well.
You are well, and I am well, that is enough; there is no need to meet again.
Who would have thought that the next meeting would happen in a dream?
“Son… uh, how should I say this, Little Mu, can I call you Little Mu?”
“Both are fine.”
Sumu hesitated for a moment but still faintly agreed.
She wouldn’t intentionally push Suya away, whether in a dream or reality, but she equally wouldn’t approach her actively—she didn’t know how to face this “mother” whose gentleness felt foreign to her.
Although Sumu only saw her as an illusion, every time Suya’s voice sounded, she would instinctively become at a loss.
“Little Mu, what do you like to eat? I’ll make it for you tonight.”
Suya’s awkward way of getting close made Sumu feel extremely uncomfortable. After hearing her words, she couldn’t help but frown.
If she were a beautiful illusion in my heart, she should understand what I like and please me in the gentlest and most thoughtful way.
Why act so realistically? Even in a game, introducing too many real elements would make it tormenting.
“No need, anything is fine.”
Suya’s footsteps paused for an instant after Sumu’s words, then hurriedly rushed to catch up.
“Then how about we take a day off tomorrow? If you’re too tired today…”
Six hundred sixty-six, it was the first time I encountered a mother actively suggesting taking a day off to rest. I have to say, that is quite considerate.
But she made sense; tonight was indeed too tiring, and I wouldn’t go to the eight o’clock class tomorrow.
“Anything is fine.”
From start to finish, Sumu seemed to maintain a nonchalant attitude, but the more she did so, the heavier Suya’s guilt became.
Because Sumu showed no desire for her compensation, as if she were treating the ten bucks picked up off the street.
A bottle of cola? That’s fine. Milk tea? Whatever. Chips? Also good.
Unrequited and cheap.
In the end, Suya couldn’t keep pace with Sumu, only able to slightly lower her head, her footsteps closely following the girl ahead.
Seeing her school uniform stained by fireworks soot made Suya involuntarily feel pity and guilt, wanting to reach out to brush off the dust, yet felt Sumu was too far away.
Less than half a meter apart, but the distance between their hearts was separated by oceans and mountains.
Perhaps this was what they called the most distant distance in the world; what right did I have to make amends after having missed her at the moment she needed me the most?
