Su Huan returned to the manor, packed Shen Nian'an's things, and had them sent over.
She didn't go herself.
She knew Shen Xiaoyu didn't want to see her, and besides, she had more important things to do.
Su Huan learned from Tang Tang's manager Peng Shuangyu that Tang Tang and Ning Yu had just been taken in but were immediately bailed out by Xingheng Entertainment's legal department.
However, Tang Tang didn't go back with Ning Yu but was sent to the hospital. It was said that some tests were done to prove she had been drugged, but the test report disappeared as soon as it came out, and Tang Tang was also taken away by Ning Yu's people.
What happened after that, Su Huan didn't know.
The next morning when Su Huan got up, she saw it was already eight o'clock. Unexpectedly, Tang Tang still hadn't come.
She had the kitchen prepare breakfast and sat at the dining table looking at the analysis report sent by the research institute group.
Ever since learning yesterday that Tang Tang was being controlled by the system, they had been very excited. If Tang Tang weren't absent, they would have loved to study her thoroughly.
Tang Tang's future wouldn't be pleasant.
While reading, her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the security guard saying Miss Tang had driven in forcefully, asking how to handle it.
Su Huan was eating the breakfast the servants had brought up. Hearing this, she didn't care much and directly told them to let her in.
Soon after, Tang Tang burst in from outside, her eyes red, looking at her with fierce hatred.
The servants in the house were startled and hurriedly looked at Su Huan.
Su Huan waved her hand, telling them to rest first and not busy themselves here. Hearing this, the others hurriedly put down their work and left, though they cast strange looks at Tang Tang as they departed.
No wonder they reacted this way—Tang Tang's current appearance had no connection whatsoever to the radiant superstar she usually was.
She seemed to have escaped. Her hair was messy like a bird's nest, wearing hastily thrown-on clothes. Su Huan recognized this style as something Ning Yu had worn before. Because the clothes weren't properly arranged, they slipped from her shoulders as Tang Tang moved, revealing skin dotted with purple and blue marks that told of last night's passion and intensity.
Su Huan raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze gradually falling downward. She saw red marks left by binding on her fair wrists, and further down, legs similarly covered with blue-purple marks.
It seemed things were as she had expected. Before the plot ended, Tang Tang would continue to be controlled by the system on her body. No matter what happened in between, the system would resolve it until the plot concluded.
This was somewhat troublesome.
Su Huan picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, calmly eating her breakfast while completely ignoring the furious Tang Tang.
Her attitude made Tang Tang even angrier. She slammed her hand on the table and leaned forward slightly, her already open neckline gaping even wider, clearly showing the reddened and swollen areas inside that had been abused.
Su Huan frowned and turned her head slightly away, avoiding eye contact, and scolded: "Stay away from me."
"Su Huan!" Tang Tang gritted her teeth, her voice squeezed from her throat, hatred churning in her eyes. "Why didn't you help me? You clearly knew that being taken by Ning Yu would force me into the plot. Why didn't you take me away immediately?"
Instead, she left her there to be tormented by Ning Yu!
Thinking of what happened last night, Tang Tang's hatred surged like waves in her chest.
All night! An entire night!
She was like a third party watching herself yield beneath Ning Yu, saying those disgusting words, showing stubborn yet humiliated expressions to please Ning Yu.
Tang Tang clenched her teeth, forcing back the tears that threatened to rise. She glared at Su Huan, saying word by word: "Don't forget! The faster the plot repairs, the sooner Shen Nian'an will die..."
Bang—
The coffee cup flew past Tang Tang's face and smashed on the ground, instantly shattering into pieces. The entire cup of hot coffee splashed on her face. She screamed shrilly, and the areas scalded by the coffee immediately turned red. The temperature-induced pain made Tang Tang continuously suck in cold air.
"Water... water..." She frantically tried to find cold water, but after just a few steps, she was grabbed by her hair and pulled back.
The sudden pain in her scalp made Tang Tang grimace involuntarily. Realizing it was Su Huan's action, she went crazy, struggling with both hands and feet, her sharp voice almost breaking the roof: "Su Huan! You're insane!"
Su Huan's eyes were ice-cold. Ignoring her struggles, she slammed her head down on the table with a bang, looking at her pained expression as she slowly leaned down.
"Have I not told you that if I hear such words again, I'll cut out your tongue!" Su Huan's words crawled up Tang Tang's spine like a venomous snake, coiling around her body and making her suddenly stiffen.
After a moment, she nodded, swallowing her humiliation, and said quietly: "I'm sorry, please forgive me this once."
Su Huan looked at her expression and knew Tang Tang wasn't convinced, but it was she who had actively put the leverage in her hands back then. Now all of this was her own doing.
Su Huan released her and sat back in her chair, continuing to eat the breakfast she hadn't finished. Because she had no coffee, it was a bit dry, so she got up and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk.
"We'll go to the research institute later. They've already prepared all the equipment." She drank the cold milk and said indifferently, "The system stayed for a long time this time, so there will be a lot of energy remaining in your body."
As Su Huan spoke, she suddenly remembered what she saw when making eye contact with 'Tang Tang' yesterday. Her hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.
Perhaps she could have the people at the research institute study her eyes—they might discover something.
Tang Tang climbed up from the table. Brown liquid continuously dripped down, wetting her clothes. Her cheeks hurt from the scalding, and she didn't know if blisters had formed.
After this ordeal, she had completely calmed down, standing aside like a puppet, closing her eyes tightly: "I understand."
This was the consequence of her seeking cooperation with a tiger.
Su Huan was indeed not far from madness, and so was she. Let's see who could survive.
After Su Huan finished breakfast, people from the research institute came. They cheerfully took Tang Tang away, having considerately brought her a set of clothes after hearing about yesterday's events from Su Huan.
Upon arriving at the research institute, Su Huan saw Tang Tang strapped to a bed with various equipment attached to her body.
Unlike the equipment Shen Xiaoyu wore when she woke up, the devices on Tang Tang would release electric currents during operation to stimulate the system energy remaining in her body.
Su Huan didn't understand the technical aspects very well and hadn't really comprehended them initially, so she simply let these people do their work.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. She didn't need to interfere—she just needed to receive the research reports afterward.
Su Huan watched as the procedure inside began. The electric current made Tang Tang's entire body tremble uncontrollably, and suppressed wails echoed throughout the research room.
The outside was equipped with soundproofing, so Su Huan couldn't hear anything. She could only see Tang Tang's body shaking from pain.
Su Huan's expression remained unchanged, her eyes clear and bright, showing no emotion.
A distinctive ringtone sounded. Su Huan immediately took out her phone and saw a video call on the screen, a smile appearing on her face.
She no longer looked at the people in the laboratory, turning and walking outside. Only after leaving the research institute's premises did she answer the video call, looking tenderly at Shen Nian'an who appeared on the screen.
"An'an, do you miss Mommy?"
"I miss Mommy." Shen Nian'an's soft voice came from the phone. "Has Mommy eaten?"
"I have. Has Nian'an eaten?"
After receiving an affirmative answer, Su Huan asked again: "How did you sleep last night? Did you have trouble with the unfamiliar bed?"
This was Shen Nian'an's first time leaving her to spend the night at someone else's house, so she was somewhat worried.
"I slept with her last night, no problems with the bed." Shen Nian'an twisted her little body, smugly bragging: "That bad auntie also wanted to sleep with me, but I drove her away."
"Hey! You can't badmouth me!" A hand reached out from behind to pinch her little cheek. Shi Qiubai appeared in the camera with a big smile.
She glanced at the person in the camera and made a sound of surprise, waving hello: "Hello, Senior Su! Out for an early morning walk? No wonder you maintain yourself so well at this age."
The curve of Su Huan's mouth dropped a bit, smiling without warmth: "This is indeed a bit better than yours—at least I don't need injections."
Shi Qiubai's smile disappeared. She silently mouthed a word at the camera: Trash.
Garbage.
Su Huan returned the sentiment.
Shen Nian'an's little face was pinched red. She angrily swatted away Shi Qiubai's hand: "Bad auntie! Don't touch me!"
She took the phone and hid to one side, complaining to Su Huan aggrievedly: "Mommy, she keeps bullying me! And she steals my fruit candies!"
"Be reasonable, little girl. It was clearly your mama who wouldn't let you eat them." Shi Qiubai's dissatisfied voice came from off-camera. "Why don't you complain about your mama?"
Shen Nian'an glared at her and snorted coldly: "Go away! I don't want to talk to you."
"I don't want to talk to you~" Shi Qiubai mimicked her words playfully, making Shen Nian'an so angry she grabbed a pillow and threw it at her: "Bad person!"
"Bad person~"
"You!" Shen Nian'an got even angrier, puffing her cheeks and looking pitifully at the camera.
But Su Huan wasn't looking at her. Her gaze fell behind her, where Shen Xiaoyu had appeared in the camera at some point. She glanced toward Shi Qiubai and said reproachfully: "Alright, stop teasing her. Are you going to comfort her if she starts crying?"
"I won't comfort her. Little girl drops golden beans, pick up the golden beans to buy candy." The person off-camera reached out again to pinch the little girl's face.
Shen Nian'an got angry, put down the phone, and rushed over.
The phone camera faced the ceiling. Su Huan couldn't see what was happening over there, only hearing the sounds of Shi Qiubai and Shen Nian'an playing around, along with Shen Xiaoyu's casual attempts to mediate.
Su Huan stopped walking at some point, quietly listening to the sounds from the other side.
A breeze blew past, carrying withered petals that drifted and spun around her feet.
For a moment, she had the illusion that the three people on the screen were the real family, while she was just a thief peeking at others' happiness.
She looked up at the sky. What was going on? It was clearly bright and sunny, yet she felt ice-cold all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
After a long while, the phone was picked up again, and Shen Nian'an appeared in the camera.
She had a smile on her face, looking somewhat proud, like a little cat showing off her achievements to mama cat after winning a battle: "Bad auntie! That's what you get for bullying me!"
She made a face at the side, and without waiting for a response, hurriedly picked up the phone and turned to walk toward the room.
In the background were sounds of Shi Qiubai acting coquettishly and complaining to Shen Xiaoyu: "Sister! Look at her! It hurts so much!"
After the room door closed, all sounds were blocked out.
Shen Nian'an sat on the floor mat, placed the phone in front of her, and happily squinted her eyes: "Mommy, when are you coming over? I miss you so much!"
Su Huan stood under the tree shade looking at her daughter's tender little face on the screen. Under her expectant gaze, she slowly shook her head: "Mommy won't come over. I have some work to handle. You stay there and spend time with Mama. Call me if anything happens."
Shen Nian'an disappointedly made a sound: "Oh, okay then."
Soon she perked up again: "It's okay! With me here, I definitely won't let others get close to her! I'll make sure she comes home with me. Mommy, just wait for my good news!"
"Alright." Su Huan smiled and nodded.
The two chatted for a while longer until Shen Xiaoyu called her, and only then did Shen Nian'an reluctantly hang up.
Shen Nian'an put down the phone. As soon as she came out, she met Shi Qiubai's face: "Done tattling? Did you cry?"
The little girl snorted coldly, raising her head and completely ignoring her.
Seeing this, Shi Qiubai sighed: "Oh my, you really don't want to talk to me? If that's the case, I guess only Sister and I can go to the amusement park."
As she spoke, she deliberately waved her phone in front of Shen Nian'an so she could clearly see the content on the screen—it was a promotional poster for a newly opened amusement park in the city.
Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up. She stood on her tiptoes, tugging at her arm excitedly: "I... I want to go too!"
Shi Qiubai was afraid she might fall, so she crouched down with one hand protectively behind her while handing her the phone with the other so she could see clearly.
"You can just look. I'm very considerate—I know you don't want to talk to me, so you definitely don't want to go out and play with me. You can stay home and guard the house. There will be an auntie coming daily to wash clothes and cook for you, ensuring you won't go hungry! If you get bored, I can take some videos for you to watch."
Despite saying this, Shi Qiubai deliberately played a promotional video. There were many activities, several of which interested Shen Nian'an greatly. But thinking that it would be this annoying auntie taking her, she felt conflicted.
Then hearing that she wouldn't be taken along, Shen Nian'an felt wronged. She pushed the phone away and said stubbornly: "It doesn't look fun anyway. You can go without me. I don't want to go!"
She ran toward Shen Xiaoyu, hugging her waist pitifully and burying her face in her embrace.
Shen Xiaoyu felt moisture on her waist and abdomen. She looked at Shi Qiubai with some amusement: "Alright, stop teasing her."
She rubbed Shen Nian'an's hair and pulled her out of her embrace: "Your Aunt Shi was joking with you. How could she possibly not take you along? The amusement park tickets are already bought. Go pack your things and remember to bring clothes. We'll stay there for one night."
Shen Nian'an wiped her face with the back of her hand, keeping her head down so Shi Qiubai couldn't see her tears, saying stuffily: "I don't want to go!"
She didn't want that bad auntie to see her make a fool of herself. It was just an amusement park—she didn't care about it.
But thinking this way, tears kept falling.
She pressed her face against Shen Xiaoyu's leg, burying her face so no one could see her tears.
Her clothes became wet with tears. Shen Xiaoyu frowned with some heartache and quickly comforted her: "No, no, your Aunt Shi was just joking."
Shi Qiubai had originally wanted to continue teasing the little girl, but seeing she was serious, she panicked immediately, crouching beside Shen Xiaoyu and poking her shoulder: "Hey, you..."
Wait, she was really just joking! Who knew the little girl would take it seriously?
Shi Qiubai had never really comforted children before. She had thought that although Shen Nian'an was proud, she could take a joke. Who knew she would directly make the little girl cry like this?
Shi Qiubai looked at Shen Xiaoyu as if asking for help, clasping her hands together and silently saying: Save me, save me!
Otherwise, she'd slap herself awake at midnight: Damn it! Bullying a little child.
Shen Xiaoyu gave her a reassuring look, then reached out to pick up the little girl and place her on her lap, using the tissue Shi Qiubai handed her to wipe the tears from her face: "Alright, don't cry. If your little face gets all tearstained, it won't look pretty."
Shen Nian'an took her tissue and roughly wiped her face: "I wasn't crying!"
Before Shen Xiaoyu could speak, Shi Qiubai chimed in: "Yes, yes, yes, your eyes were just a bit hot, so they're sweating a little."
Hearing her mockery, Shen Nian'an glared at her: "I don't want to talk to you."
Bad auntie!
"Alright, alright, we won't talk to her. From now on, we'll just type on our phones, okay?" Shen Xiaoyu spoke gently, wiping away the tears on her face. "Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?"
As she asked this, Shi Qiubai had already proactively brought over a water cup, then poked Shen Nian'an's shoulder with her finger: "Come on! Don't be angry anymore. Hurry up and pack your things so we can get going. If we go too late, you won't be able to play for very long."
"Besides, I saw in the promotional materials that there are lots of dolls. Whatever you like, I'll buy for you as an apology, okay?" She poked Shen Nian'an's shoulder intermittently.
Shen Nian'an couldn't dodge and felt extremely annoyed.
After drinking water, she immediately jumped down from Shen Xiaoyu's lap, picked up a small toy, and threw it at Shi Qiubai's face.
Shi Qiubai didn't dodge either. She pretended to be knocked down, lying back on the sofa with an "ouch," sticking out her tongue sideways: "I'm dead."
Shen Nian'an pursed her lips: "Such bad acting. No wonder you can't win Best Actress."
Shi Qiubai, who had just sat up suddenly: Rising from her deathbed in shock, the clown turned out to be herself!
Shen Xiaoyu couldn't help but smile, repeatedly saying "children speak without thinking" to comfort Shi Qiubai's nearly broken defenses.
Shi Qiubai made a "wah" sound and threw herself into Shen Xiaoyu's arms for comfort, wanting to heal her little heart that had been pierced by the little girl.
Shen Nian'an was happy now. She dropped the line "I'm going to pack my things" and ran back to her room with her phone, leaving only Shi Qiubai whimpering for comfort in the living room and Shen Xiaoyu's suppressed laughter and comforting sounds.
Shen Nian'an ran back to her room, quietly closed the door, blocked out the living room sounds, took out her phone, and sat on the floor to send voice messages to Su Huan to tip her off.
Nian'an: Mommy, we're going to the amusement park! It's the recently opened amusement city, and we're even staying there overnight.
She remembered the name of the amusement park and directly searched online for the poster to send to Su Huan.
Nian'an: Mommy, you should hurry over too! I'll wait for you at the amusement city with her!
She hoped Mommy would be more capable then and could take her back, so she wouldn't have to stay with this annoying auntie.
Thinking this, Shen Nian'an looked at the messages again. She didn't know what Mommy was doing over there—she had been waiting for a while without any reply.
She wasn't in a hurry either. She got up to find her little suitcase, then selected clothes to put inside.
Her first time going out to play, Shen Nian'an was very happy, humming an off-tune melody as she stuffed her favorite clothes randomly into the suitcase.
In the living room, Shen Xiaoyu was still comforting the seemingly upset Shi Qiubai.
"The little girl doesn't understand. Don't hold it against her." Shen Xiaoyu smoothed down her disheveled hair, finding the texture quite nice, and patted it again.
Shi Qiubai bit her lip, wiping at nonexistent tears at the corner of her eyes, leaning forward until she was almost in her embrace: "I didn't win Best Actress because I didn't want to? She just knows how to stick knives in my wounds! It must be Su Huan's instigation—how else would little Nian'an know about this?"
She secretly gritted her teeth, green with envy: "Just wait and see. I'll definitely win Best Actress and blind her dog eyes!"
She spoke while getting closer and closer, her body almost touching Shen Xiaoyu's.
Shen Xiaoyu responded while backing away, but there was the sofa armrest beside her. With nowhere to retreat, she could only place her hand on Shi Qiubai's waist. Though she was controlling the distance between them, it looked like she was about to embrace Shi Qiubai.
Feeling this position was somewhat ambiguous, Shen Xiaoyu quietly adjusted her hand direction, changing to using her elbow instead.
[Host, since we haven't determined a method to strategy Shi Qiubai anyway, why don't you try to strategy her?] the system suggested. [Make her fall in love with you, then willingly give up all her plans!]
[No!] Shen Xiaoyu refused without thinking.
[Why?] The system couldn't believe it.
Shen Xiaoyu stammered, unable to say exactly why, but she felt strategizing Shi Qiubai was somehow wrong.
[This might be the fastest way to complete the mission!]
[Anyway, the answer is no.] She thought, [Your mission is to eliminate the corruption value, not to strategy her. What if after successfully strategizing her, she finds out I'm leaving and becomes even more corrupted? This is completely a bad idea!]
[Whether it's a bad idea or not, we'll know after trying.] The system in her head was very excited. [Just take advantage of now—pounce on her! Directly pin her down! I guarantee this corruption value will drop rapidly!]
Shen Xiaoyu pretended not to hear the system's words, responding perfunctorily to Shi Qiubai while pondering what excuse she could use to sit elsewhere without Shi Qiubai noticing.
"Sister, you also think what I said makes a lot of sense, right?"
The sudden question brought Shen Xiaoyu's consciousness back. She looked at Shi Qiubai blankly and asked in confusion: "What?"
"I said Su Huan probably has some issues. Otherwise, how could she raise a child to be like this? She's already five or six years old and has never even been to an amusement park." Shi Qiubai touched her chin, recalling: "Actually, I've seen Nian'an before, but she was much smaller then, not as lively as now. She had to be carried everywhere. And there were always people watching over her—it was hard to even see her once."
Shen Xiaoyu imagined that scene—a tiny child like a precious cat, kept in a small space, gazing at the birds flying outside, without even the ability to hunt.
She felt somewhat uncomfortable. The system had mentioned this child's living environment, but not in such detail. Seeing how Shen Nian'an was now, she had thought she had lived well before.
Actually, Nian'an did live well, but that was only materially. Spiritually, she was indeed somewhat lacking.
"But who could have thought that in just a few years, that pitiful little girl from back then would grow up to be like this?" Shi Qiubai shook her head with emotion.
Sensitive yet proud, arrogant yet conceited, but more lively than before and more likeable than previously.
Shi Qiubai would never admit she liked this little girl—at most, she was just taking care of her for Sister's sake.
Shi Qiubai sighed wistfully, only then noticing her somewhat ambiguous position with Shen Xiaoyu. Her little face turned red instantly as she hurriedly apologized: "Sorry, Sister, I didn't notice. I'll get up right now."
She was about to climb off her, but her foot stepped on something unknown. She slipped and pressed Shen Xiaoyu back down onto the sofa.
She quickly supported herself with one hand on the sofa back and the other on the coffee table, one leg half-kneeling on the sofa, the other foot on the ground, her entire body suspended in a spread-eagle position above Shen Xiaoyu.
Shen Xiaoyu hadn't expected this movement. She widened her eyes looking at the person suspended above her, and for a moment, their eyes met. Perhaps because of the system's words, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat, then began beating rapidly.
Shi Qiubai stared fixedly at her eyes—dark brown eyes with bright pupils, like twinkling stars in the night sky. She really liked them.
Especially when being watched by her, the gentle and focused gaze made her feel the illusion that she held significant weight in her heart, that no matter what she did, she would be forgiven.
Would she?
Would she really forgive her?
Shi Qiubai lowered her eyes, her gaze moving down from her eyes to rest on her delicate, tempting lips.
Her eyes darkened. In the silence, she slowly lowered her head, gradually approaching Shen Xiaoyu. Her movements were very slow, as if observing Shen Xiaoyu's reaction. If she didn't refuse...
Just as she was about to kiss her completely, Shen Xiaoyu suddenly reacted and pushed the person in front of her away.
Shi Qiubai hadn't expected her movement and was pushed to sit back on the sofa, staring blankly at the person standing beside her.
At this moment, due to her sudden action, Shen Xiaoyu was somewhat flustered, her eyes lacking their usual composure, but her gaze remained clear, showing no trace of unusual emotions.
Shen Xiaoyu turned her head away, avoiding Shi Qiubai's gaze, while the system in her head was exasperated.
[Host! What are you avoiding? Kiss her! You could know whether this method can eliminate her corruption value with just one kiss.]
[Shut up!] She was both angry and embarrassed.
Shen Xiaoyu didn't want to listen to the system going crazy and unilaterally cut off contact with it.
"Sister..." Shi Qiubai whispered softly, her eyes dimming as she murmured: "I'm sorry. I was too forward."
She awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth. What could she say about this?
Don't worry, nothing happened? Or say she was just acting unconsciously and encourage Shi Qiubai to try again?
No matter what she said, it would be strange!
Shen Xiaoyu closed her eyes and dropped the line "I'll go check on Shen Nian'an" before quickly walking into the room, as if something was chasing her.
Behind her, Shi Qiubai quietly watched her retreating figure.
In the room, Shen Nian'an was still packing clothes.
When Shen Xiaoyu came over, she saw a mini clothing mountain. The small suitcase was bearing more than it should reasonably hold, and those clothes were wrinkled and messy, showing no signs of having been organized.
Shen Nian'an was sticking her bottom up, rummaging through the wardrobe, muttering something: "Need to bring this, and this little dress too."
She seemed to have found something and was torn while lying in the wardrobe: "Should I bring pink or purple? I'll bring both!"
Shen Xiaoyu had originally been absent-minded, but seeing this scene, she burst out laughing. Before Shen Nian'an could turn around, she walked over and lifted the little girl out of the wardrobe: "We're only staying there one night, so we just need to bring two sets of clothes to change. We don't need to bring so many."
Shen Nian'an frowned: "But I want to wear all of them. And this isn't that much, is it?"
She looked at the full suitcase—this was only a small part of her wardrobe. After all, she had a whole room of clothes, and what Mommy sent over this time was only a small portion.
Shen Xiaoyu thought for a moment and picked out three outfits from the clothing pile: "Let's just bring these. To avoid having no clothes to change if we get wet playing, we'll take one extra set." With that, she took another outfit from the pile.
"Alright, these are enough."
Shen Nian'an's eyes clearly showed doubt. Just this little bit?
Shen Xiaoyu didn't care what she was thinking and efficiently emptied the suitcase before putting in the clothes she had selected: "Alright, now go pick three pairs of shoes you wear, plus hair accessories and don't forget toiletries."
"I know!" The little girl immediately stood up, crouching on the ground to pick and choose, pulling out three pairs of shoes, then began selecting hair clips and other small accessories.
By the time Shen Nian'an had completely finished packing, an hour had passed. Shi Qiubai, who had been crouching outside, was about to grow grass from waiting. Finally, she saw her come out with her little suitcase.
Shen Xiaoyu followed behind. Seeing Shi Qiubai, she didn't feel as awkward as before but rather much more relaxed.
"Little princess, I've been waiting for you until the flowers withered!" Shi Qiubai lay listlessly on the sofa, looking completely devoid of her earlier gloom. "I'm getting sleepy. Should we just not go?"
"Qiubai!" Shen Xiaoyu called out, then looked at Shen Nian'an, afraid she might cry again.
The grown-up little princess put on sunglasses and walked to Shi Qiubai, elegantly raising her chin with noble coolness: "Then you can stay home and wait for us to come back—"
Shi Qiubai suddenly stood up, picked her up, and quickly headed outside: "Let's go!"
Shen Nian'an was startled and grabbed onto her clothes. Soon the inverted perspective made her excited, and she raised her arms and cheered: "Let's go! Time to play!"
Downstairs, Qiu Ye had been waiting for a long time. After putting the three suitcases in the trunk, she drove away.
Shen Nian'an was very excited about her first trip out to play. She chattered non-stop all the way, finding everything novel, taking photos left and right with her phone, saying she wanted to show Su Huan.
Shi Qiubai pursed her lips: "What's the point of showing her? Let her look it up online herself."
Shen Nian'an glared at her and completely ignored her words, continuing to photograph the scenery outside, even specifically photographing road signs.
She hoped Mommy would understand her meaning and hurry to catch up. She didn't want Mama to keep living with this annoying auntie.
Amidst laughter and joy, they arrived at the amusement city. They reached their destination at exactly one o'clock in the afternoon, and the four went directly to a restaurant in the game city.
The restaurant was reserved in advance by Shi Qiubai. Upon entering, Shen Nian'an's fondness for this place was obvious, but she was quite reserved, holding Shen Xiaoyu's hand while looking around and sizing up the place.
Soon a staff member led them to a private room.
The private room Shi Qiubai had reserved was on the third floor. Standing by the window, they could see several entertainment attractions in the distance.
Shen Nian'an went up to look, then came back down, saying she wanted to see what to play next, but her constant looking around clearly showed she was searching for something.
Shen Xiaoyu just thought she was curious about things in the amusement park and accompanied her nearby, wandering around together. Her phone contained messages from Shi Qiubai telling them to come eat first.
"Nian'an, let's go eat—"
Shen Xiaoyu replied to the message and looked up, only to find Shen Nian'an, who should have been beside her, had disappeared. She immediately panicked and was about to search when she saw Shen Nian'an not far away.
Shen Nian'an was intimately pulling someone's arm and walking toward her, her eyes bright as she pointed at the person and said: "Look who I found!"
Shen Xiaoyu looked up at that person—wearing low-key casual clothes, a hat and mask, revealing only a pair of beautiful, delicate peach blossom eyes.
Who else could it be but Su Huan?