Su Yun sat in the backseat of her uncle’s small car. The engine started, and soon they were on their way.
Maybe because the burden of the ID change had finally been lifted, the car was lively at first. But after a while, her parents began to relax and dozed off in their seats, leaving only her uncle at the wheel.
Qin Xue wasn't feeling great physically and had originally planned to sleep too, but when she noticed Su Yun staring intently out the window, her curiosity was piqued.
Su Yun gazed quietly at the scenery outside.
Old trees lined the roadside, and the bumpy dirt roads zipped by in a blur, leaving behind streaks of color.
On the way home, she saw rows of two- or three-story houses. Most of them had their doors shut, and it wasn’t clear where the owners had gone. The few people visible were elderly, lounging outside on chairs.
The area felt desolate… but peaceful.
Now that she had a proper, legal identity, Su Yun thought to herself: if she ever had a wife and money in the future, she'd bring her here to live. They’d have children and grow old together in this quiet place.
Of course, that’s only if it was safe.
Without a wife, she could live here alone.
“Sister Xiaoyun, staring out the window like that—what are you thinking about?” a soft voice came from beside her.
“The future,” Su Yun replied calmly, not looking away from the passing view.
“Oh? So Sister Xiaoyun has someone she likes already?”
“Mm.” Still distracted, Su Yun replied without thinking.
“Mm-hmm? Who is it?”
Qin Xue perked up immediately and leaned in close, squeezing her way into Su Yun’s space, pressing against her softly.
“…?”
“No—wait, I said the wrong thing…” Su Yun finally realized her slip-up. She shook her head frantically to correct herself.
“I don’t believe you. Tell me.”
Qin Xue wasn’t buying it. She stared hard at Su Yun, who kept avoiding her gaze.
This made her even more anxious.
If Sister Xiaoyun really liked some guy, she’d lose her mind. She’d hunt him down and wipe him off the face of the earth.
“I’m serious! I was just spacing out, looking outside. I answered without thinking.”
“Oh.”
“Going to sleep now.”
Faced with Su Yun’s explanation, Qin Xue responded with a soft hum and then closed her eyes, like she was sulking. She didn’t say another word.
“…"
Su Yun was helpless.
She really had spoken the truth without meaning to.
Now Qin Xue was clearly upset. Her brows were furrowed—it was obvious she wasn’t really sleeping.
She must be silently cursing me in her heart, Su Yun thought with a sigh.
Su Yun looked at the closed-eyed Qin Xue beside her. She really wanted to pull her into a hug and say, like the lead in a drama:
“Woman, I like you.”
But she was a coward.
She didn’t dare.
She was scared Qin Xue might actually kill her if she said something like that.
Not to mention, the gap between their statuses was huge. Qin Xue’s sister didn’t even allow her to get close to her.
…
The silence continued.
Su Yun turned back to the window, letting her thoughts drift as the scenery rolled by.
After about ten minutes, the ground beneath them became smooth and flat. The bumpy dirt roads were gone—they’d entered a proper town. Tall buildings began to appear in the distance, some over ten stories high.
But even so, there weren’t many shops in sight.
Still staring out the window in a daze, Su Yun suddenly caught sight of a warmly lit building. Behind the large glass window inside was a display of neatly arranged bread and pastries.
A bakery!
“Uncle, stop the car! I want to buy bread,” Su Yun said excitedly, her eyes lighting up.
“Bread? What bread?”
“On the right—right side! We just passed it!”
“Hold on.” Wang Haibin looked toward the right. After they crossed the main road, he turned the car and smoothly parked along the street.
He was exhausted, but when his niece made a request, he couldn't say no.
“We’re here. What do you need bread for?”
“Sister Xue likes it. I want to get her some.”
“Oh really? That’s so sweet.” Though he’d been feeling worn out, Wang Haibin perked up after hearing Su Yun’s reason. He even gave her a thumbs-up.
Su Yun opened the car door to get out, but a hand grabbed her wrist.
“Sister Xiaoyun, where are you going?” she turned to see Qin Xue, eyes wide open—she clearly hadn’t been asleep at all.
“To buy you bread.”
“Oh.” Qin Xue sounded less than thrilled, her tone flat. “I’m coming too.”
“Mm.”
The two walked to the front of the bakery and peered through the glass display.
“Hey beauties, do you like pork floss bread? It’s our newest item today,” a cheerful young woman greeted them warmly from inside. She looked about their age—probably helping out with the family business.
“No, thank you.”
“Do you have cream puffs?” Qin Xue asked when she couldn’t find any in the display.
“Oh, they’re in the fridge over here. How many boxes would you like?”
“…”
Qin Xue picked out a box of cream puffs, and Su Yun chose a few other breads that looked tasty.
Though the pastries looked small, they weren’t cheap. Su Yun winced slightly when she paid.
“Dad, Mom, wake up and eat some bread,” she said after getting back in the car, handing them out to her parents and uncle.
“Sweetheart, how much did all this cost?” Wang Haiyan asked, rousing from a shallow nap. The ride had been too bumpy to sleep well.
“Just a little—like ten yuan or so.” Su Yun held a cream puff and replied casually before taking a bite.
In truth, seven pieces of bread plus the cream puffs had cost over forty yuan.
If she told the truth, her mother would definitely scold her again.
“These are the trendy snacks young people eat nowadays. Tastes pretty good,” Wang Haibin said as he chewed, smiling and chatting with his sister.
“They’re not bad, and the price isn’t bad either. Let’s remember this place. Next time we come back, we can stop by again.” Thanks to Su Yun’s “adjusted” price, Wang Haiyan was in a good mood.
If she’d known it was over forty, she might have felt too guilty to enjoy it—though she probably wouldn’t have spit it out. More likely, she’d save the bread for Su Yun instead.
But Su Yun didn’t need that.
Back home, she used to get tired of eating watermelon all the time. Once, they’d bought a fancy seedless one and she left it untouched, intending to give it to her parents. But in the end, her mother insisted she eat it, and even refused to let her father have any.
Eventually, the watermelon spoiled. But even then, her parents ate it down to the rind, treating it like something precious.
So, sometimes… a little white lie wasn’t a bad thing.
“Mm.” Su Yun sat close beside Qin Xue, the two of them nibbling their cream puffs in comfortable silence.
Even if she couldn’t taste the flavor, the soft, bursting sensation in her mouth was nice.
If what was bursting wasn’t cream—but Sister Xue’s blood…
…it might taste sweet.
“…”
The thought came out of nowhere, and Su Yun froze mid-bite, stunned at her own imagination.
(End of Chapter)