“If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll probably stay here. My mom definitely won’t agree to sell the house,” Su Yun said.
“…Sister Xue, let’s take a bath when we get back. We shouldn’t be that unlucky. Those guys might have already fled to another city. After such a big incident, they wouldn’t dare stick around,” Su Yun continued, trying to reassure herself.
“Mhm,” Qin Xue nodded.
Soon, the second bowl of black bean noddles arrived, and Qin Xue began eating again.
To be fair, she hadn’t only eaten one bowl. She’d already finished half of the first one, and this new portion looked much larger—the shop owner had been generous.
When Qin Xue couldn’t finish, Su Yun helped finished off the noodles.
Food shouldn’t be wasted. It wasn’t entirely filling, but the texture was satisfying.
“Go out through the back door,” the shop owner said after they’d finished. She’d turned off the stove and taken off her apron, now looking like any kind, ordinary elderly woman.
The scattered pieces of the broken wooden chair had already been tossed into the large trash bin in the kitchen.
“Thanks,” Su Yun said, instinctively grabbing Qin Xue’s wrist as they headed toward the kitchen.
“If you’re scared, you can stay at my place. It’s just upstairs. I live alone—my son’s working in another city,” the shop owner offered kindly, wanting to look after the two girls.
“You can leave once you feel safer.”
The white-haired girl reminded her a little of her own daughter from years ago.
“No need, thank you, Auntie. Our house is really close. We’ll be there soon, and our parents are waiting for us,” Su Yun politely declined.
“Alright, hurry along then,” the shop owner said with a warm smile, opening the kitchen’s back door for them. The street lay just beyond
They said their goodbyes there.
Su Yun quickened her pace, pulling Qin Xue along toward home.
“I’m so full, Sister Xiaoyun. Slow down…” Qin Xue complained, her body swaying uncomfortably. The fullness in her stomach, combined with a slight ache, made walking difficult.
“Oh, sorry,” Su Yun apologized. Her tense emotions had made her walk a bit too fast.
They continued along the road. It was already 4 p.m., and in another hour or two, the sky would darken quickly.
Originally, Su Yun had planned to take Qin Xue to explore the area. There was a scenic spot near their house with a bridge and a stream, quite beautiful.
But now, it seemed better to head straight home.
Ordinary people might not attract trouble, but the two of them were far too conspicuous.
One with white hair, the other with an eye-catching figure—how could they not draw attention?
Though, to be fair, it wasn’t their fault…
Given how unsafe the area seemed, Su Yun decided Qin Xue should stay home from now on.
If anyone dared to show up at their door causing trouble, Su Yun wouldn’t let them off easily—not after what happened with that creep earlier.
…
“Sister Rou, will you sleep with me tonight too?”
In Summer End City, Qin Yuanyuan was clinging to Xia Rou on the bed, refusing to let her leave.
These past two days, Xia Rou had barely been home except for a short break at noon. The rest of the time, she was either in class or at Qin Yuanyuan’s house, studying or sleeping.
She’d even entrusted her pet cat, Little Orange Cat, to Auntie Liu, their landlord, for care.
“Ugh, why aren’t you saying anything, Sister Rou? Stay with me, please…”
When Xia Rou didn’t respond right away, the little “potato” beside her looked ready to cry.
Qin Yuanyuan’s small head nuzzled against Xia Rou’s hand, making her briefly mistake it for Little Orange Cat rubbing against her.
“…”
“Alright, I’ll stay, Little Sister Yuan. Stop nuzzling—it tickles…” Xia Rou finally gave in.
“Yay! Hehe, I knew Sister Rou was the best!” Qin Yuanyuan, thrilled by the agreement, bounced happily on the bed.
Xia Rou watched the sweet smile spread across her face, and her own heart lifted with a quiet joy.
Happiness really was contagious.
“Little Sister Yuan, is your throat still sore?” Xia Rou asked.
“Hm? Let me try… *cough cough*… Sister Xiaoyun~”
Qin Yuanyuan lowered her voice, mimicking Qin Xue’s tone.
After a day of rest, her throat did feel better. Her imitation was starting to sound convincing.
But speaking still caused a slight pain, so she decided to rest another day. If she pushed herself to study now, she might need even longer to recover.
Why did Qin Yuanyuan practice with “Sister Xiaoyun”? Because it was the phrase she’d heard her sister say most often.
“Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan, is your sister up? It’s time for dinner,” came Qin Yao’s voice from outside the door.
“!” Startled, Qin Yuanyuan dove under the covers and quickly opened her phone.
(QQ voice call request)
Ding.
The call connected.
“Sister, Elder Sister Yao’s calling you for dinner. Just say you’re studying and tell Yuanyuan to bring the food in,” Qin Yuanyuan whispered.
“Got it. Call out when you’re ready,” Qin Xue’s calm voice replied through the phone.
Qin Yuanyuan hurried to her spot, aiming the phone toward the door.
“Alright, Sister, go ahead.”
“I’m still studying. Have Yuanyuan bring the food in,” Qin Xue’s voice came through the phone, sounding eerily lifelike.
Xia Rou, sitting nearby, was a bit surprised but stayed silent.
“You’re studying so hard you don’t even have time to come out for dinner?” Qin Yao asked, sounding skeptical.
“It’s almost finals,” Qin Xue replied promptly.
“Alright, study hard then,” Qin Yao said, not pressing further before leaving.
“Sister Xue, how are you guys doing?” Xia Rou finally spoke up once the situation was resolved.
It had been so long since she’d talked to Qin Xue or Su Yun, and she was starting to miss them.
“We’re fine. Just chilling at home. It’s quiet here,” came a voice through the phone—not Qin Xue’s, but Su Yun’s.
“Where’s my sister? Let her take the phone!” Qin Yuanyuan demanded, lying on the bed with a pout.
“Fine, fine,” Su Yun’s voice sounded exasperated. There was a rustling sound, like she was moving around, before she handed the phone back to Qin Xue.
After that, they chatted about recent events over the phone.
The call lasted about twenty minutes. During that time, Qin Yuanyuan also dashed out to grab their dinner.
After eating, Xia Rou, still at Qin Yuanyuan’s house, continued studying with her, planning to keep at it until 10 p.m.
She’d noticed that, despite Qin Yuanyuan’s ditzy appearance, she was incredibly diligent. She didn’t play on her phone or go out with friends, spending the entire day at home studying.
No wonder people called her a “little study bomb.” She made grad school prep look effortless.
While studying, Xia Rou suddenly needed to use the bathroom and stepped out.
“I need to talk to you about something,” Qin Yao said, blocking Xia Rou’s path as she emerged from the bathroom.
“Huh?”
…
That night, after her parents returned home, Su Yun hurriedly told them about the day’s events.
Their faces were filled with shock, almost disbelief.
“Tomorrow, we’re meeting with Chief Wang. He’s surely handling things like this, right?” Wang Haibin said, a bit uncertain. The incident made him question the local authorities’ competence.
“Just be careful from now on. Don’t go out. Cook at home. We’ll be leaving soon,” Su Fulin said, growing worried for Su Yun and cautioning her.
Her mother had the strongest reaction, erupting into a tirade about leaving immediately or moving to the village.
Of course, most of them thought incidents like this were rare and not a big deal. They’d be gone soon enough.
After talking, Su Yun quickly retreated to her room, waiting for her mother to finish cooking before coming out.
She didn’t want to leave Qin Xue’s side, afraid something might happen.
“Sister Xue, what are you doing?”
But the moment she stepped into the room, Su Yun froze at an unexpected sight.
Qin Xue was holding something white to her nose, sniffing it.
In that split second, Su Yun couldn’t quite make out what it was.
(End of Chapter)