Chapter 126: Warmth and the Little Girl

After carefully performing the purification ritual for Xiao Qing, we all stepped into the multi-function bathroom.
We enjoyed a sauna session—something I’d never experienced before.

Even more unprecedented was sitting with Xiao Qing pressed against my left side, Bai Yue on my right, and Mo Qingyan across from us.
The tub wasn’t that large, so we were squeezed tightly together.
This could truly be called paradise.

The atmosphere wasn’t too tense.
As we steamed, we casually chatted about supernatural rumors and knowledge—topics I lacked in, so I listened intently.
It subtly eased much of the awkwardness and shyness.

Mo Qingyan, however, had draped a towel over her stunning figure.
She sat very properly, her cheeks faintly flushed.
It seemed she wasn’t as indifferent as her words suggested.

This experience of chatting with girls suddenly made my nose sting.
I’d never known such warmth before.
At home, there was only the stench of alcohol and my parents’ endless cursing.

At school, I had no friends—not even boys I could talk to, let alone girls.
I’d always been the overlooked outcast in the corner.
Sitting and chatting like this with friends felt like a dream.

After bathing, we dried off together.
Since they hadn’t planned to stay overnight, they had no pajamas.
They had to wear my nightgowns.
Fortunately, when Xiao Qing and I went shopping, we’d bought a few loose ones—enough for everyone.
Bai Yue’s was a bit oversized, but it would do for one night.

Of the four rooms, one was a study, and the master bedroom was now used to enshrine Xia Yubing’s parents.
That left two bedrooms: Mo Qingyan and Bai Yue shared one, while Xiao Qing and I took the other.

I’d already shared a bed with Xiao Qing before, but that was at her house.
This time, it was at mine.

After carrying Xiao Qing to the bed, I felt a wave of exhaustion.
It was very late, and I’d participated in the ritual, expending a lot of vitality.
Managing to stay awake this long suggested my vitality was quite a bit stronger than Xiao Qing’s.

“Good thing tomorrow’s Saturday—no school. I can sleep in.”
I lay down beside Xiao Qing and quickly drifted off.

I slept straight through until past eight the next morning.
Mo Qingyan woke me, standing by the bed and gently shaking me.
As I slowly opened my eyes, I felt like an octopus had wrapped around my entire body.

Only then did I realize Xiao Qing, still asleep, had me in a tight embrace.
Not just her arms—she’d even clamped my legs with hers.

I tried wriggling free but couldn’t escape.
She was holding on so tightly.
I could force my way out, but I didn’t want to wake her.
The ritual last night had drained her greatly—I wanted her to rest more.

“She’s always like this. Nothing to be done about it.”
Mo Qingyan gave a wry smile, then tapped Xiao Qing’s forehead.
Whatever technique she used, Xiao Qing immediately relaxed, and I finally slipped free.

“I have things to do and need to head out first.
Yue’er’s waiting for you in the next room.
Also, remember to get Xiao Qing some meat to replenish her vitality.”
Mo Qingyan said, then turned to leave.

“See you, Senior Sister Mo.”
I replied, but as she walked out of the bedroom, I heard no door opening.
When I stepped into the living room, she was already gone—vanished without a trace.

A chill ran through me.
But in the other bedroom, I saw Bai Yue sitting on the mattress, seemingly asleep.
Xiao Qing lay on her side, arms wrapped around Bai Yue, head nestled against her neck.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Xiao Qing must have mistaken Bai Yue for me.
But Bai Yue’s body was ice-cold—would that feel comfortable?

Shaking my head, I gently closed the door, left the key on the table, and headed out.

Bai Yue was on the bed, staring blankly, lost in thought.
I walked in and asked, “Xiao Yue, what are you doing?”

“Watching that old man. He’s already gone to the park to play chess.”
Bai Yue said, her expression still distant.
I immediately understood—she was spying with her gu insects.

“You… still planning to sneak into his place and eat all that human meat?”
I asked with a dark expression.
She hadn’t given up at all.

“Of course. Selling it as ostrich meat is such a waste.
It should go to the most useful purpose.”
Bai Yue meant feeding it to her gu insects, naturally.

“Fine. I’m going to make breakfast. What do you want?”
I couldn’t persuade her otherwise and asked helplessly.

“Anything. As long as it fills me up.”
Bai Yue replied.
She looked like a gamer obsessed with her screen—zero patience.
A few more words, and she’d probably snap, “It’s your fault—shoo.”

So I went out alone, planning to hit the market for breakfast items, especially something to replenish Xiao Qing’s vitality.

But when the elevator stopped at the seventh floor, the doors opened.
A little girl in a white dress stepped in.
I looked closely—and my heart nearly stopped.
Wasn’t this the girl wandering the stairwell last night?

She looked about eleven or twelve, very cute.
Now, unlike last night, her hair wasn’t disheveled, and her eyes weren’t vacant and unfocused.
If not for the identical dress, I might have thought she was someone else.

“Hm? Such a pretty big sister. Why are you staring at me?
Is there something dirty on Fei’er’s face?”
The girl noticed my gaze and asked curiously.

“N-no, nothing. I just hadn’t seen you before, so I looked a bit longer.”
I said guiltily.
Her vacant stare from last night—seemingly piercing through the gu insect to see me—still haunted my mind.

“Hehe~ This is my first time seeing such a pretty big sister too.
Are you a tenant here?”
The girl asked excitedly.

First time seeing me—that meant she hadn’t noticed me yesterday.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Though she seemed just an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl, the pressure she gave me rivaled that creepy old man selling “ostrich” meat.

“Uh, sort of. What about you?”
I replied vaguely, revealing nothing about myself and turning the question back.

“Fei’er lives here with Mommy and Daddy.
The landlady is the grandma on the tenth floor—she’s so nice, always giving Fei’er candy.”
The girl answered openly, no guard at all.

She had parents, and the landlady was that old grandma.
I vaguely recalled hearing that a certain family owned several floors—and she was very wealthy.

She often gave candy to Fei’er?
Could the girl’s sleepwalking be connected to her?
That old grandma was full of mysteries.
Maybe I should investigate her.

By then, the elevator reached the ground floor.
The girl waved and said, “Big sister, bye! Let’s play together next time.”

“Okay.”
I smiled in agreement.
Such an innocent, adorable girl—completely different from her sleepwalking aura last night.
It seemed something unclean was affecting her.