Lin Miao had barely managed to pacify Li Li before boarding the creaky long-distance bus back to the city. She sat stiffly in her seat, her brows drawn so tightly together she looked like she might develop permanent frown lines.
Brushing Li Li off with vague promises was simply not going to cut it—money was the only solution. Cold, hard cash. Only once she handed Li Li enough to disappear—at least temporarily—could she breathe a little easier.
Whether that woman would return again in the future was another question, but by then, Li Li would have lost any real leverage.
The real problem? Where on earth was she supposed to get the money?
She was already down to her last few bills. Traveling back and forth between the city and the countryside now meant suffering the indignity of the public bus. And when she inevitably ran into someone she knew, she had to paste on a bright smile and pretend she was just "reconnecting with the common folk."
