Chapter 113: Survival

He yanked open the car door and crawled into the old yellow vehicle, as if desperately fleeing the biting cold and devouring darkness behind him.

"So cold…"

The white mist from his breath circled the cramped cabin fully before slowly fading away.

He sat hunched on the seat, hugging his knees, trembling all over.

"It's going to snow… Does David still like rolling around in the snow?" A hand reached over from the driver's seat and roughly ruffled the boy's hair.

"Mom! It's freezing…" David pulled his head away, glancing grumpily at Gloria beside him, "And I'm grown up now—I don't build snowmen in the snow anymore!"

"Alright, alright…" Gloria murmured vaguely and pressed a button on the car's air conditioning.

The old car groaned to life, shuddering all over, making those inside feel like they were riding on a battered, rocking boat.

After a full minute, a thin trickle of warmth finally squeezed out from the narrow vent, mixed with a faint moldy stench.

"Should've brought two thick coats if I'd known the parent-teacher meeting would last this long…" Gloria muttered, glancing up at the night sky through the window.

A heavily armed black beast flashed overhead, leaving behind a lingering roar and intensifying gales.

"Is that a MaxTac Floating Car?" David asked after exhaling warm breath onto his palms.

"Looks impressive, but it's almost useless…" Gloria sighed, "MaxTac agents themselves can handle most situations—if they can't, no amount of weaponization on the Floating Car matters…"

"Like a gold-plated taxi?" David thought for a moment and added.

"Pretty much… So why not just use that meaningless budget to raise salaries? At least then we wouldn't be so stressed…"

"Then why is tuition rising so much? It's already the second increase…" David reached over and rubbed his mother's temples, doing what he could to ease her accumulated fatigue.

"I heard from a classmate…" His fingers pressed harder as he recalled fragments of overheard chatter, "It has something to do with Biotechnica?"

"Who knows? It's corporate politics. All I can do is try my hardest to raise you right…"

"Mom, what if tuition goes up again? Arasaka seems to be clashing with some big company in Korea again… What if…" David looked worried.

Is a future with no visible path really worth fighting so hard for?

Gloria frowned, leaning back against the seat, falling silent.

"Look, Sister Heda and her husband are around too—maybe I can just work for their family, run errands or something… At least we're family, and you'd have less burden…"

"Besides… even if I graduate from Arasaka Academy, there's no guarantee I'll get hired by the Company…" David recalled the rumored pre-determined list, his resolve hardening, "Even if I do get in, I'll just be working under someone else's thumb… If I'm going to work for someone anyway, I might as well work for someone I know…"

Gloria didn't answer, only scratched her scalp hard with her fingers.

"We'll see…"

After a long pause, she spoke slowly, her voice hoarse and weak.

"At least… right now, Mom can still hold on…"

"Mom…"

David opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

◎

"Mom, can we find somewhere to get late-night snacks? I'm starving～" Sophia hugged her mother's slender waist, cooing softly.

"Sister Tanya, I'll treat you!" Bonnie clung to Tanya's arm, her voice sweet as honey.

"Alright…" Tanya hesitated, then ultimately dared not argue with the Bentancourt heiress over paying.

"Let's get in the car first—it's cold outside." She pulled the two girls, one tall and one small, into the extended black car.

As soon as they got in, Sophia immediately turned on the heater.

Almost the instant she pressed the button, a rich, fresh warmth flooded the spacious cabin.

Tanya smiled silently, watching her daughter, after turning on the heater in the front seat, rush back to the rear to snuggle up with her friend.

"What do you want to eat?"

She asked gently, adjusting the rearview mirror so she could clearly see the two beautiful girls in the back, avoiding any chance the Bentancourt heiress might feel neglected.

Because she worked in the Arasaka Company Diplomatic Department, she always unconsciously kept up her habit of reading people's moods—perhaps others labeled her as opportunistic, but to Tanya, earning money to support herself and her precious daughter was what truly mattered.

As for face, dignity—before survival, they were nothing but worthless trash.

"Mom, it's fine, no need to be polite to her…" Sophia knew her mother's habits and personality, and playfully rubbed Bonnie's face with both hands, "When she's with me, she's not a heiress…"

"Ah…" Bonnie twisted her face, but couldn't escape her best friend's grasp.

"Hehe, today I'll prove to Mom our true status!" Sophia let out a laugh utterly unbecoming of a beautiful girl, then planted a loud kiss on Bonnie's soft cheek.

Bonnie let out a dramatic shriek, then covered her flushed face with both hands, resigned to her fate like a damsel captured by a villain.

In short, excluding acting and plot, it was a very down-to-earth performance.

Tanya exhaled in relief, her demeanor growing much more relaxed.

"How about steak?"

"I want Hot Pot! That one in Downtown! Last time we got halfway through and got interrupted—so annoying!" Sophia glanced at Bonnie and shouted.

"I'm fine with anything…" Bonnie leaned against Sophia, looking utterly indifferent.

"Don't say 'anything'! Listen to me! Hot Pot tastes best on cold nights!"

"Alright, alright, I'll do whatever you say…" Bonnie couldn't resist her best friend's nagging and nodded repeatedly.

"Hehe… I knew you loved me most—kiss!"

Bonnie sighed deeply, stopped covering her face, and let Sophia smear kisses all over it.

"Report, Mom! Target successfully dealt with! Requesting departure to Hot Pot Restaurant!" Sophia's mood was unusually high; she began performing again, saluting with a clumsy, crooked gesture she'd clearly picked up somewhere.

"Acknowledged!" Tanya nodded seriously, playing along with her daughter's act.

A light press on the accelerator made the extended black luxury car growl softly, smoothly gliding out of the parking spot, brushing past the old yellow vehicle by the roadside, then vanishing into the night in a blink.