408: Chapter 408 There's a Chance

Qiao Feifei finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She quickly covered her mouth, suppressing the laughter into a soft cough.

Shen Youqing also kept her head down, her shoulders shaking, and she nearly lost her grip on the teacup in her hand.

Su Yingxue sat to the side, watching this scene, unable to suppress the curve of her lips.

She glanced at Lin Yun from the corner of her eye, then looked at the stiff figure by the window, silently making a mental note.

Bai Ling looked at Ai Wei by the window, then at the people at the table who were struggling to hold back their laughter.

With an innocent face, she asked, "Sister Ai Wei, are you a bit hot? Your ears are completely red."

Ai Wei's tail bristled violently.

"N-no! I'm not hot!"

"Then why have you been standing by the window catching the breeze?"

"...I... I'm getting some air."

"Why do you have to stand with your back to us to get air?"

Bai Ling's questions were innocent yet lethal.

Ai Wei turned around, her entire face as red as a burning fire.

She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again, finally managing to squeeze out, "I... I... the sweet cake is too sweet! It's cloying!"

After saying this, she turned back around, facing the window, even her tail trembling slightly.

The people at the table finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

Laughter poured out like a broken dam.

...

The laughter lasted for quite a while before it slowly subsided.

Ai Wei stood by the window, back to the crowd, the tips of her ears still tinged with a faint pink.

She could feel the gazes behind her, warm and kind, landing gently on her back like feathers.

They were much lighter than the images from last night, yet they still made her feel uncomfortable all over.

She tried to calm herself down, watching the people coming and going on the street outside, her breathing gradually steadying.

Qiao Feifei had recovered from the laughter, wiped away the tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes, and walked to the window with a plate of freshly cut honeydew melon.

"Sister Ai Wei, don't just stand there."

She handed the plate over.

"Try this, it's very sweet."

Ai Wei turned her head to look at her, her gaze lingering on the melon for a moment before moving away.

She hesitated for two seconds, then reached out and took the plate.

"...Thank you."

Qiao Feifei took the opportunity to stand beside her.

Not too close, maintaining a half-step distance, she also looked at the street view outside the window.

"Sister Ai Wei, are you really leaving tomorrow?"

"Mm."

Ai Wei used a bamboo skewer to pick up a piece of melon and put it into her mouth.

She chewed twice, the sweetness spreading across her tongue.

"The scheduled itinerary is for tomorrow."

"Then why not come sit at the Lin house again tonight?"

Qiao Feifei's tone was casual, as if mentioning it in passing.

"Anyway, you don't have anything to do back at the base, why not come chat with us?"

Ai Wei's chewing stopped for a moment.

She turned her head to look at Qiao Feifei, then quickly shifted her gaze away.

"...N-no, I'd better not. I still have to go back and pack my things."

"What is there to pack?"

Shen Youqing didn't know when she had also come over, poking half her head out from the other side of Qiao Feifei.

"Just let the attendants pack it. You've been in the Lingyuan Empire for so many days, and you haven't had a proper look around yet."

"I..."

"Besides, we're planning to have hot pot tonight."

Shen Youqing added with a smile.

"The most authentic kind in Lingyuan City, with a broth made from Spirit Beast bones simmered all day. You probably haven't had it since coming from the Tianlang Empire, right?"

The tip of Ai Wei's tail curled involuntarily.

She really hadn't had it before.

Hot pot.

Spirit Beast bone broth.

Just hearing these words, her stomach let out an uncooperative growl.

The sound was very soft, but exceptionally clear in the quiet private room.

Qiao Feifei's mouth twitched.

Shen Youqing also turned her head away, pretending to look at the clouds outside the window.

Bai Ling shouted from the other side of the table: "Sister Ai Wei! Are you hungry?"

Ai Wei's tail "popped" and bristled.

"No!"

Her voice even changed pitch.

"I'm not hungry! I just... just ate too much sweet cake earlier! A bit of indigestion!"

Bai Ling blinked her eyes, giving a half-understanding "Oh."

Su Yingxue sat beside the main seat, taking in this scene.

She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and exchanged a look of tacit understanding with Qianye beside her.

Qianye also returned a look.

As if to say: It's a sure thing.

Ai Wei ultimately didn't agree to go to the Lin house for hot pot.

She said she had to go back to pack her luggage, said her Revered Master had things to attend to, said next time, definitely next time.

She found a bunch of reasons, each sounding reasonable, but every one of them reeked of guilty nervousness.

The tasting ended.

The group came out of the Tang Ji Sweet Shop and stood by the roadside to say goodbye.

The warm sunlight shone on the stone road, stretching people's shadows a bit long.

Ai Wei stood at the entrance of the Tang Ji Sweet Shop, her hand still clutching the plate of uneaten melon, as if she had forgotten to put it down.

"Then we're off." Shen Youqing waved at her with a smile, "Sister Ai Wei, take care on the road."

"Mm... mm!" Ai Wei nodded.

Qiao Feifei also came over and patted her shoulder.

"Remember to send word before you leave tomorrow, we'll see you off."

"No need to see me off..."

"We must! After all, it's the friendship of having eaten sweet cake together!"

Ai Wei's ears twitched gently, and the corners of her mouth curled into a small arc uncontrollably, but she quickly suppressed it again.

She looked at this group of people before her.

Qiao Feifei smiled brightly.

Shen Youqing waved gently.

Su Yingxue stood behind the crowd, nodding slightly at her.

Bai Ling hopped and skipped, calling out "Goodbye, Sister Ai Wei."

And Lin Yun.

He stood in the middle of the crowd, a gentle smile on his face, nodding at her.

He didn't say any extra words, just looked at her like that, as if saying have a safe journey.

Ai Wei's tail swished gently, out of her control.

She turned around abruptly.

"I'm leaving!"

After saying this, she walked quickly toward the direction of the base, her pace hurried and fast, as if afraid that if she were a step slower, she would change her mind.

After walking a dozen steps, she remembered that the melon plate in her hand hadn't been returned.

She stiffened and looked back.

At the entrance of the Tang Ji Sweet Shop, Qiao Feifei was waving at her, smiling with her eyes curved like crescent moons.

"The plate is yours to keep!"

Ai Wei's face turned red again; she tucked the plate into her arms and ran off without looking back.

The crowd watched her disappear around the street corner before withdrawing their gazes.

Qiao Feifei let out a long sigh of relief and turned to look at Su Yingxue.

"Sister Yingxue, I think there's a chance."

"Mm." Su Yingxue nodded with a smile, "It's obvious now."

Shen Youqing added from the side: "Her tail didn't stop moving the entire afternoon. It was either swishing, trembling, or bristling."

"You're quite observant." Hua Liuli teased her with a smile.

"I'm in this line of work, how can I not pay attention to details?" Shen Youqing answered righteously.

"Don't forget, every single one of those reasons she gave earlier was an excuse."

"Packing luggage, Revered Master having things to attend to, no time—all made up on the spot."

"So, she's not coming tonight, not because she doesn't want to," Lu Shan took up the conversation, "but because she doesn't dare to."

"Right." Shen Youqing nodded, "Not daring to come is much better than not wanting to come."

Bai Ling listened from the side, confused, tilting her head as she asked: "Why is not daring to come better than not wanting to come?"

Shen Youqing rubbed her head.

"Because if she really didn't want to come, then there would be no chance. The fact that she doesn't dare to come means she has a guilty conscience."

"Oh—" Bai Ling dragged out her voice as if suddenly enlightened, "Then Sister Ai Wei has a guilty conscience!"

"Right, a guilty conscience."

The group burst into laughter.