116: Chapter 115 Returning Home, Lin Qiaoyou's Doubts

After staying in Hainan for over ten days, the days passed as slowly as the tropical breeze, so slow that Su Bai would sometimes forget what date it was.

Sleeping until he woke up naturally every day, sunlight would squeeze through the gaps in the curtains and land on the white bedsheets.

Mu Qing and Song Qian took turns waiting on him.

Today, Song Qian would help him massage his shoulders, and tomorrow, Mu Qing would help him pound his legs.

The two of them were like they had already discussed it; neither fought nor grabbed, coordinating as if they had practiced it many times.

Su Bai lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, watching them walk back and forth in the room, like two flowers blooming in the same pot.

Occasionally, there would be a "There must be a teacher among them," or they would eat some Oreos.

This kind of life was too comfortable, like soaking one's whole body in warm water, making one's bones feel soft, not wanting to get up or move.

However, there was a small interlude in the middle that added a bit of excitement.

That afternoon, the three of them were originally curled up on the sofa in the media room watching a movie, but halfway through, Mu Qing said she was bored and wanted to play games.

She dug out a deck of poker cards from under the coffee table, and the three of them played Fight the Landlord.

Two hours later, they played the King's Game.

Song Qian asked what the King's Game was, and Mu Qing said it was just drawing cards; the person who drew the King could order the other two people to do anything.

Halfway through playing, Mu Qing's phone rang.

The screen lit up, and it read "Her Majesty the Mother."

Mu Qing's original laughter stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.

Then she sat up straight abruptly, the expression on her face changing from laughter to terror,

"It's over, it's over, it's over!" she lowered her voice, "My mom is doing a spot check!"

Song Qian subconsciously moved to the side to make space for Mu Qing.

Su Bai was also stunned, leaning against the sofa, motionless.

Mu Qing took a deep breath, answered the phone, her voice sweet:

"Hello, Mom—"

"Qingqing, where are you?" The voice on the other end of the phone was very loud, exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

"I'm at the hotel, just finished eating, getting ready to sleep."

"Who are you with?"

"A female classmate. Mom, aren't you annoying? You've asked a hundred times already." Mu Qing said this while kicking Su Bai with her foot, signaling him not to make a sound.

The voice on the other end questioned: "Then let your classmate say a word to me."

Mu Qing and Su Bai's gazes fell on Song Qian at the same time.

Song Qian was stunned for a moment and pointed at herself. Mu Qing nodded vigorously, her eyes full of pleading.

Song Qian took a deep breath, leaned toward the phone, her voice suppressed low:

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Qingqing's classmate. We are playing in Hainan together. Please rest assured."

"Oh, oh, Little Song. Where are you staying?"

"We're staying at a hotel, Auntie. It's right by the seaside. The conditions are quite good, please don't worry."

"Has Qingqing caused you any trouble? This child doesn't put my mind at ease at home, and when she goes out, she doesn't know how to take care of herself..."

Mu Qing rolled her eyes from the side and mouthed: "Where am I not putting your mind at ease?"

Song Qian held back her laughter: "No, no, Qingqing is very good at taking care of people. Every day she wakes me up and takes me to eat delicious food."

"That's good, that's good. Please take care of her. Have a good time, Auntie won't disturb you anymore."

The call ended.

Mu Qing let out a long breath and slumped on the sofa like a fish washed ashore,

"That scared me to death..." She patted her chest, "I almost got exposed."

Song Qian returned the phone to her with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth,

"Your mom cares about you quite a bit."

"What kind of care is that?" Mu Qing threw the phone aside, "She's just afraid I'll go out with boys. If she found out I was with you—" She glanced at Su Bai, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Song Qian didn't respond.

The three of them were silent for a while, then Mu Qing suddenly laughed.

"But that was close just now. Fortunately, Sister Qian was here; otherwise, if my mom heard Su Bai's voice, she would have flown over overnight to kill me!"

Su Bai leaned against the sofa, the corners of his mouth slightly raised,

"Is your mom that fierce?"

"You don't understand," Mu Qing rolled her eyes, "In my mom's eyes, all boys are pigs wanting to root up her daughter!"

"Hahahaha!"

Su Bai smiled and said:

"Come on, let's continue. This round, it's my turn to be the King."

The two women were stunned.

If he were the King...

Come to think of it, it's normal for a King to keep pets, right?

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the three of them boarded the plane back to Jingzhou.

Three hours later, the plane landed at Jingzhou International Airport.

Outside the porthole was a gray sky, bare trees, and the tall buildings in the distance crowded together like building blocks.

Compared to the sunshine, beaches, and waves of Hainan, this place felt like another world.

Su Bai took the car keys out of his pocket and pressed them.

In the parking lot, the headlights of a black jade-colored panamera flashed.

"Let's take you home first," Su Bai said to Mu Qing.

Mu Qing nodded and said helplessly,

"I'm really envious that you guys can live together."

Song Qian teased,

"You can come too, but your mom..."

Mu Qing's face fell,

"Alright, Sister Qian, don't say any more."

The three of them didn't talk much along the way.

The car stopped on a street below Mu Qing's apartment building.

To avoid being discovered by Mu Qing's parents, they specifically kept a distance of two hundred meters.

Mu Qing didn't get out of the car immediately.

She sat in the passenger seat, her fingers winding around the seatbelt, her eyes looking at the gray residential building outside the window,

"Well then, I'm leaving?"

"Yeah," Su Bai said.

Mu Qing pushed open the car door, got out, and took her suitcase out of the trunk.

She stood next to the car, looking at the two people inside through the car window.

"Sister Qian, I'll come find you to play later."

Song Qian nodded and responded with a smile: "Okay."

Mu Qing turned and left.

Su Bai started the engine, and the car drove out of the residential area.

Not long after, the car stopped downstairs at Lanyuan Residential Area.

Song Qian looked at the familiar building, feeling an indescribable sensation in her heart.

Having been away for twenty days, when she returned, she was no longer the person she used to be.

Or rather, she no longer belonged to herself.

Su Bai took the suitcase out of the trunk, and the two of them went upstairs.

After opening the door, the house was very lively.

Chu Yi and Chu Xiang were sitting on the sofa, watching TV.

Lin Qiaoyou had just come out of the bathroom and was sitting cross-legged.

The three of them turned their heads at the same time, looking toward the door.

Seeing Su Bai, Chu Yi was the first to react, jumping up from the sofa.

"Sister Qian! You're back!" She rushed over and hugged Song Qian affectionately.

Song Qian was hugged so hard that she stumbled back a step, almost falling.

"I missed you to death!" Chu Yi buried her face in the crook of Song Qian's shoulder, her voice muffled.

Chu Xiang walked over, much more steady than her younger sister, but she also smiled.

"Sister Qian, Happy New Year."

Her gaze shifted from Song Qian to Su Bai, and then from Su Bai back to Song Qian, a flash of curiosity in her eyes.

"Su Bai?"

Chu Yi let go of Song Qian, and seeing Su Bai, she was even more pleasantly surprised, but still said somewhat strangely,

"Huh? How come you came back together?"

Su Bai explained without changing his expression,

"I ran into Sister Qian on the way home, so I just brought her along on the way."

Chu Yi said "Oh," not thinking much of it.

In her understanding, Song Qian and Su Bai had the relationship of a neighbor's older sister and a younger brother staying over; running into each other and coming back together was perfectly normal.

Lin Qiaoyou's eyes, however, held some suspicion.

As a manga artist, she always felt that Song Qian's walking posture was a bit different from before.

Her gaze was also different from before, especially when looking at Su Bai.