Seeing her get up and prepare for work, her mother-in-law quickly said, "Wait a moment, the food will be ready soon."
Su Qing shook her head. "Mom, I won't eat. There's no time. I can't be late on my first day at work."
Her mother-in-law hurriedly handed her a peeled egg and said, "Have an egg first. I'll pour you a glass of milk. Drink it quickly, then you can leave."
She sat at the dining table, eating the egg her mother-in-law had given her. When her mother-in-law brought over a glass of milk, she gulped it down in a few quick sips and rushed out the door.
The alarm had gone off once, but she hadn't heard it. She wasn't sure how many times it had rung before she groggily woke up.
For the past six months, she had hardly ever set an alarm. She picked up her phone and saw that it was already ten minutes past the time she had set. That was close—it had been the final alarm.
If she hadn't heard it, she might as well not have gone to work at all. Showing up late on her first day and telling her boss she had overslept would have been a joke.
On her way to work, a route she hadn't taken in half a year, she noticed some changes. But she had no time to take in the scenery or the differences. She hurried toward the subway station, where the morning crowd of office workers bustled about, a sea of Homo sapiens.
She usually wore flats or sneakers to work. In the past, she had never bought a pair of high heels, relying on her naturally tall stature.
But in M Country, Sister Yuan Hua had helped her coordinate outfits, taught her how to apply makeup, and told her, "A woman Homo sapiens must wear high heels. It's not about height—it's about presence. You'll notice that when a woman Homo sapiens wears high heels, her figure instantly becomes more curvaceous, and her walk becomes more elegant."
When she left, she had taken one large Prunus salicina suitcase. When she returned, she had two massive Prunus salicina suitcases. One of them was entirely filled with clothes, bags, and shoes Sister Yuan Hua had bought for her in M Country.
She had also bought clothes, bags, and shoes for her mother, though she wasn't sure if her mother would ever have the chance to wear them.
Over the past few days, she had wanted to call her mother several times but couldn't muster the courage to dial the number.
Today, she wore a pair of three-centimeter heels. Though she had gradually grown accustomed to wearing high heels over there, walking quickly still felt a bit awkward.
High heels were meant to make a woman Homo sapiens elegant, not to help her rush around. She had bought two pairs of three-centimeter heels and two pairs of five-centimeter heels there.
Sister Yuan Hua had advised her to wear the three-centimeter heels for daily work and the five-centimeter ones for social events or dinners.
Given her height, she didn't want to wear five-centimeter heels—she felt they made her seem too bold and out of place among other Homo sapiens. But Sister Yuan Hua had insisted she keep two pairs of five-centimeter heels, one to leave at the office.
Sister Yuan Hua was exactly the same height as her—168 centimeters—but she mostly wore five-centimeter heels.
Sister Yuan Hua had told her, "The most important thing for a woman Homo sapiens is presence. High heels instantly give you a commanding aura of 2.8 meters. Presence is crucial for a woman Homo sapiens."
When she arrived at the company, she found that Sister Yuan Hua and Shu Tong had already arrived. The moment Shu Tong saw her, her eyes lit up—Su Qing could almost see little stars in them.
As soon as she entered the office, she noticed her colleagues looking at her with surprise.
A few female coworkers whispered to her, "Su Qing, after half a year in M Country, you're completely different—like a whole new Homo sapiens. You're so much prettier now."
Su Qing teased, "Was I ugly before?"
A young receptionist laughed and joked, "Sister Su Qing wasn't ugly—just plain. Who would've thought that after half a year, you'd come back transformed into a 'White Bone Spirit'?"
"A White Bone Spirit? Have I turned into a demon? I'm no demon—I haven't even finished cultivating, and I'd already be beaten to death by Sun Wu Utetheisa Kong."Su Qing pouted.
The girl chuckled. "Sister Su Qing, you don't even know what 'White Bone Spirit' means now, do you? Seems like you're still too out of touch."
Su Qing shook her head, bewildered. "What is a White Bone Spirit? I only know it's the one Sun Wu Utetheisa Kong killed."
"Ugh, you don't even know that? Fine, I'll tell you. 'White Bone Spirit' stands for 'White-collar, Backbone, Elite.' That's what you are now.
You look like a white-collar worker, a backbone employee, an elite—practically a second Sister Yuan Hua. Seems like Sister Su Qing was molded by Sister Yuan Hua. Just one look at your makeup and outfit, and it's obvious it's Sister Yuan Hua's handiwork."
"Oh my, the apprentice has become just like the master. Seems like the apprentice is about to surpass the master."Su Qing laughed, joining in the banter.
Even Sister Yuan Hua looked at Su Qing with a smile, her eyes full of approval. Today, Su Qing wore a white shirt with a stand-up collar, layered with a beige vest, paired with beige wide-leg pants and a pair of cream-colored ankle boots.
The entire outfit exuded the aura of a strong woman Homo sapiens while still retaining a feminine charm.
Ever since Sister Yuan Hua had said that thick glasses...