A new year, a fresh start, And new friends.
Su Yun’s life no longer revolved solely around her parents—now, she had someone new by her side.
At 1:32 a.m. on Monday morning, she and Qin Xue returned to Summer End City.
This marked the end of their week-long trip, and the start of a temporary farewell from their parents.
After spending so long in a noisy city, the occasional return to a quiet countryside town really was a refreshing experience.
That is… if the town had been safer.
Su Yun could clearly sense how dangerous it was—crime seemed to be a frequent occurrence. But there was nothing she could do about it.
She could only hope that the local police and citizens stayed strong and vigilant.
Since they arrived close to noon, the group stopped by a restaurant near their apartment to have lunch before heading home.
“Xue, we’ll be leaving this afternoon to go back to work. You two need to look after each other, alright?” Wang Haiyan sat at the table, speaking to the girl across from her with a hint of earnestness in her tone.
“Mm, don’t worry, Auntie,” Qin Xue responded sweetly with a nod.
“If you have time during the next break, you’re welcome to come visit us again. We’d love to have you.” Wang Haiyan still wasn’t ready to part with her. She’d barely eaten anything, spending the entire meal talking to Qin Xue.
“Well… that depends on whether Sister Xiaoyun lets me,” Qin Xue said with a sly smile.
As soon as she spoke, all eyes turned to Su Yun.
Su Yun was sitting quietly, sipping her soup.
The moment she realized the topic had shifted to her, she looked up with a helpless expression.
“Uh… what’s that got to do with me?” She slowly lifted her head.
Both parents had already given the okay—if Qin Xue wanted to visit, what was she supposed to do? Stop her? She wasn’t that bold.
“What do you mean, what’s it got to do with you? Baby girl, how can you talk like that? This is your—”
Wang Haiyan’s brows immediately furrowed, and she began furiously giving her daughter meaningful looks.
It wasn’t easy finding someone this good. What if Su Yun didn’t bring her home during winter break and someone else snatched her away?
Wang Haiyan hadn’t been around these past few days, and now she couldn’t play matchmaker.
What if her clueless daughter lost this opportunity?
That was exactly why she didn’t want to leave just yet.
“What?”
Su Yun, who had noticed her mother’s signals, simply looked away and lowered her head to continue sipping her soup, pretending not to notice.
Sitting across from Wang Haiyan, Qin Xue naturally saw everything, But she kept her expression in check.
It really did seem like Sister Xiaoyun’s mom wanted to marry her daughter off quickly.
If Sister Xiaoyun was willing, she’d definitely be up for that proposal~
Though, it did strike her as a little strange.
Qin Xue found it odd how quickly this family had accepted the idea.
It was two girls, after all—but their acceptance had been as casual as if it were a boy and a girl.
If it were her own mother, this kind of thing would have been impossible.
As expected of the parents who raised someone like Su Yun—kind-hearted and open-minded.
“Sister Xiaoyun’s a bit slow sometimes. She doesn’t catch on right away. Don’t take it personally, Auntie,” Qin Xue said with a smile.
Normally, it should’ve been Wang Haiyan defending her own daughter, but now it was Qin Xue who stepped up for her.
“Yes, yes, you’re right. I shouldn’t take her words to heart.” Wang Haiyan was momentarily stunned by Qin Xue’s response, but then her tight brows finally relaxed.
What a wonderful girl.
Her own daughter was so timid and reserved—she really couldn’t afford to let this one get away.
“Sigh…” She let out a quiet breath, full of worry.
“Don’t sigh, Auntie. I’ll take good care of Sister Xiaoyun, I promise.”
“Good, good… Xue, I’m counting on you.”
“She may seem a little shy, but she’s a good kid. She’d never do anything bad,” Wang Haiyan said warmly.
“Mhm, I know.”
From that point on, Qin Xue and Wang Haiyan continued chatting nonstop.
Meanwhile, Su Yun kept her head down, sipping her soup in silence.
She was annoyed.
Her mom and Qin Xue just went on talking like her opinion didn’t matter—as if she weren’t even there.
And Qin Xue had called her slow.
Hmph. You’re the slow one. Big dumb snowball.
Her mom was completely siding with Qin Xue in front of her. Did they think she didn’t know what “taking care of each other” really meant?
But Qin Xue wasn’t even her real girlfriend. She was probably just playing around—saying these things to tease her. Yet her mom fell for it so easily.
Su Yun grew quiet.
That snowball… She flirted with her every day, and now she was even fooling her parents and relatives.
If one day Qin Xue got bored and left, Su Yun would be the one left to clean up the mess.
Too bad.
She was already angry—and the consequences would be severe.
“If you try to run, I’ll eat you. Rawr!”
“Mm.”
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head. Qin Xue had leaned over from across the chair and tousled her hair.
Su Yun’s bangs fell into her eyes and nearly dipped into her soup.
“Mm! What are you doing?!”
Su Yun furiously reached up to grab the hand on her head and glared at Qin Xue with full force.
“…Qin Xue.”
Seeing her expression, Qin Xue froze for a second—
Then burst out laughing.
“Are you trying to eat me with that look? Pfft…”
“Ugh…!”
Su Yun saw her laughing and fumed silently. Still, she couldn’t be bothered to argue.
“Don’t treat me like a joke. Once I pay back that ten thousand, I won’t owe you anything… Just wait.”
“Baby! Don’t fight with Xue, okay? You two need to get along and study hard together. Let her have her way sometimes.”
“I’ll cover the rent, so just share that room with her. The bed’s big enough. Got it, baby?”
Wang Haiyan, seeing her daughter’s rebellious look, reached over and started pinching her cheeks.
“…”
Her mom had been completely taken in by Qin Xue and was now ganging up on her.
Sigh.
“Did you hear me, baby?” Wang Haiyan pinched her harder when she didn’t respond.
“I heard, I heard! Let go, it hurts!” Su Yun reluctantly grabbed her mom’s hand, trying to pull it away.
“Pfft…” The laughter from next to her grew even louder.
Su Yun was thoroughly mocked.
Ugh…
She was mad, but didn’t dare say a word.
After they finished eating, her parents followed them to the rental apartment to help clean up.
Seeing this, Qin Xue immediately joined in.
Well… it wasn’t exactly “helping.” It was her own room, after all.
Even though they’d been gone a week, the place hadn’t gotten dirty. There wasn’t much stuff to begin with.
“Su Yun, here—take this money. I know she’s rich, but treat her once in a while. Show her you care.”
While everyone else was out of the bedroom, Su Fulin sat down next to Su Yun and quietly spoke.
Then he transferred ten thousand yuan to her on WeChat.
It wasn’t a huge amount, but considering how Wang Haiyan managed the family’s finances, this ten thousand was likely what he’d saved up all year.
“Eh…” Su Yun stared at the screen in a daze.
This was the first time her dad had given her this much money. Same with her uncle and grandpa before.
“…I see. Thanks, Dad.”
“If anything happens, message me. Even if it’s a fight. Your mom and I argue all the time—I’ve got some experience.” He gave a proud little chuckle.
“Okay…”
They stayed at the apartment for about three hours.
By the time 4 p.m. rolled around, her parents and uncle were finally ready to head off.
“Study hard, okay? Just being pretty isn’t enough. Skill—that’s what really counts.”
Before leaving, her uncle leaned out the car window to look back at them. He’d wanted to say this earlier, but had forgotten.
This time, he made sure Su Yun heard him clearly.
In the past, Wang Haibin had often shared a lot of “motivational” talk with Su Yun, hoping she’d study hard so she could live a better life.
After all, he was currently working at a factory, constantly being pushed down and suffocated by others. It was a bitter, exhausting life.
“Baby, take care, okay?”
“Bye-bye.”
“Auntie, goodbye! I’ll take good care of Sister Xiaoyun!” Qin Xue called excitedly to the people in the car.
The week-long trip had come to an end, and it was time to say goodbye.
Qin Xue watched as the white sedan slowly drove away, and her heart filled with an unexpected wave of reluctance, as if it wasn’t Su Yun’s parents leaving, but her own.
And she didn’t know if she’d ever get to see them again.
Compared to Qin Xue, Su Yun herself didn’t seem to feel much of anything.
After all, in just over two weeks, she’d be back again.
“Whew… I’m so tired. I want to sleep.”
Su Yun yawned groggily and turned to head upstairs to rest.
But just then, someone grabbed her hand from behind.
“Sister Xiaoyun, wait for me! I haven’t even said anything yet—why are you rushing off?” The voice behind her carried a trace of irritation.
“Ah…”
Su Yun blinked and turned around, staring at the curvy girl behind her.
Right… she’d forgotten. Sister Xue was staying with her now. She wasn’t alone anymore.
“I almost forgot,” she murmured.
“Come on, Sister Xiaoyun, let’s go home~” While Su Yun was still in a daze, Qin Xue quickly ran up and wrapped her arms around her face.
From now on, it would be just the two of them.
—
The weather was bright and sunny today—perfect timing for Zhang Deyi’s release from the hospital.
His parents had come to pick him up, and the moment he saw them, he threw his arms around them with joy, But when they asked if he wanted to go home and rest, he declined.
After being stuck in a hospital alone for two or three weeks, he was already on the verge of losing his mind. Going home now would mean being alone again while his parents worked overtime. He couldn’t take it.
After lunch, Zhang Deyi said goodbye to his parents and headed straight for the place he considered home—his dorm room.
“Hmph, ah—Zhang Deyi!”
The moment his roommates saw him, they burst into excitement like they’d seen a ghost.
They kept shouting and immediately surrounded him, touching him here and there—his hands, his legs, his head…
Fortunately, Zhang Deyi managed to block the more private areas in time, or things might’ve gotten messy.
To be fair, they were just joking around. They’d only touched the spots where he’d been injured—just showing their concern.
Zhang Deyi began complaining to his roommates about how boring the hospital had been, and how furious he still was about getting attacked.
After a good round of laughter and chatting, they decided to head out for dinner together that night, to celebrate his discharge.
Once the conversation died down, Zhang Deyi returned to his desk and began cleaning off the layer of dust that had gathered.
But midway through, a thought struck him.
He walked over to Liu Fei and patted his shoulder.
“Deyi? What’s up?”
“Come with me to see Brother Yun tomorrow.”
“Huh?” Liu Fei’s smiling face instantly fell, He looked genuinely stunned.
“Uh, maybe not. You go ahead.”
“…?”
Zhang Deyi blinked in confusion.
“Su Yun’s not even here anymore. What ‘Brother Yun’ are you talking about…” Liu Fei began backing away, one foot already on the stairs. It looked like he was about to flee to the upper bunk.
Over the past few days, his phone had been flooded with true crime stories. And ever since Su Yun had disappeared, he’d barely slept at night.
Su Yun’s bed was right next to his!
Fear had completely taken over Liu Fei’s mind.
The mighty Liu Fei had now turned into “Little Liu,” trembling with anxiety.
“…”
Seeing Liu Fei like this, Zhang Deyi was speechless.
“Brother Yun’s still around. Don’t overthink it.”
“I even sent a message and got a reply.”
He spent the next few minutes explaining everything in detail, until Liu Fei finally agreed to go with him.
After all, two people were better than one. Tomorrow, they’d go together to see Brother Yun—and maybe they’d finally uncover the truth.
Was Brother Yun… really her?
(End of Chapter)