Chapter 75: Found You!

“Found you!”

Zhou Yu’an was the first to rush over, his eyes sparkling. He looked completely different from his usual calm and steady self. He ran up to Luo Xiaoyun, looking her up and down, muttering, “Xiaoyun, you’re simply… simply…”

“Simply what?” Luo Xiaoyun felt a little shy under his gaze.

“Simply a fairy descending to earth!” Zhou Yu’an slapped his thigh. “So beautiful, I almost didn’t recognize you!”

Cheng Fang followed, his eyes full of admiration. He circled around Luo Xiaoyun once, then nodded seriously.

Luo Xiaoyun’s cheeks flushed from all the praise. She was about to speak when Xu Xiangyang leaned in. He tilted his head, eyes wide, his tone exaggerated and affectionate.

“Mom! You’re amazing! Your performance was incredible, and you look even more incredible! I had my phone recording the whole time. I’ve watched the replay three times already. You’re literally a goddess!”

Luo Xiaoyun was drinking water from a bottle. When she heard the word “Mom,” she choked violently, bending over in a fit of coughing. “Cough… cough… cough…” Her face turned red. She pointed at Xu Xiangyang and said in a broken voice, “W-what are you calling me? Who’s your mom!”

Su Muxue quickly reached out and gently patted Luo Xiaoyun’s back, her movements soft and patient. She handed her a tissue, her tone tinged with helpless exasperation. “Drink slowly, don’t rush. Choking is uncomfortable.” She shot a dissatisfied glare at Xu Xiangyang.

Xu Xiangyang wiped the corner of his mouth with an innocent look, grinning. “Didn’t we agree last time? If you dressed as a girl and performed on stage, we’d call you ‘Dad.’ Now that we know you’re a girl, shouldn’t we switch to ‘Mom’?”

Luo Xiaoyun finally caught her breath. Her face darkened. She raised her hand in a “stop” gesture. “Stop, stop, stop! I don’t have a son like you. Don’t call me that!”

Zhou Yu’an covered his mouth, barely holding back his laughter.

“Speaking of which,” he said, his tone turning serious, “Xiaoyun, how’s the injury on your back? We were really scared when we saw you bleeding so much last time.”

Cheng Fang also looked concerned. “Yeah, don’t push yourself.”

Shen Jiaojiao had been watching the fun on the sidelines, grinning. But when she heard “injury,” the smile vanished instantly. She squeezed in front of Luo Xiaoyun and asked nervously, “How did Sister Xiaoyun get hurt? When did it happen? Is it serious?”

Luo Xiaoyun sighed. She briefly recounted how Huang Runqi had ambushed her at the snack street. When she mentioned the iron rod hitting her back, Shen Jiaojiao’s face turned ashen.

“How could anyone hit a girl so hard!” Shen Jiaojiao clenched her fists, her small frame erupting with astonishing anger. “That despicable Huang Runqi! If I ever see him, I’ll beat him till he can’t find his teeth!”

A one-meter-five loli saying such things wasn’t intimidating at all. Instead, it was inexplicably cute.

Ji Haitang helplessly reached out and patted Shen Jiaojiao’s head, her tone gentle yet teasing. “Can’t you be a little more reserved? A girl shouldn’t always talk about ‘fighting and killing.'”

Shen Jiaojiao stuck her tongue out at Ji Haitang, looking unconvinced. “Bleh, bleh, bleh. I just get angry hearing it! Sister Xiaoyun is so cute, and he could still lay a hand on her. It’s too awful!”

“It’s fine,” Luo Xiaoyun said with a smile, waving her hand. “It’s almost healed. I just can’t do any strenuous exercise yet. And…” she paused, “they didn’t know I was a girl back then.”

Shen Jiaojiao puffed out her cheeks. “Still not okay! It’s too much! Hitting people is wrong!”

Luo Xiaoyun thought of something and added, “But I don’t think we’ll see Huang Runqi around anymore.”

Xu Xiangyang asked curiously, “Why?”

“The Huang family seems to have been targeted,” Luo Xiaoyun said. “They’re almost bankrupt overnight. Huang Runqi probably has his hands full and won’t have time to cause trouble.”

Zhou Yu’an snorted coldly. “Serves him right. People like him will get their comeuppance sooner or later.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Just then, Luo Xiaoyun’s stomach let out an uncooperative growl. She rubbed her belly and smiled sheepishly.

“By the way, have you all eaten?”

Xu Xiangyang shook his head. “No. We spent the whole afternoon with Zhou Yu’an preparing for the arts festival. Rehearsals, makeup, waiting backstage. We’ve been at it till now without even a sip of water.”

Cheng Fang nodded. “Exactly. We were planning to grab something at the cafeteria after it ended, but we came straight to find you.”

Luo Xiaoyun felt a warmth in her heart. She waved her hand grandly. “Come on! Let me treat you to dinner. Consider it my thanks for helping me out last time.”

Cheng Fang quickly waved his hands. “That was nothing. You don’t have to be so polite.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Xu Xiangyang said politely, but his eyes were already gleaming. “But since you offered, we won’t be shy!”

Luo Xiaoyun smiled and took out her phone. She searched for a highly rated upscale restaurant near the school and booked a private room.

The group set off in high spirits toward the school gate.

When they reached the gate, Su Muxue suddenly stopped and called out to someone in the distance. “Sis Ci!”

Everyone followed her gaze. Mu Qingci was standing on the steps at the entrance. Hearing her name, she turned around and saw a crowd approaching. A smile curled at the corners of her lips.

“What a coincidence,” Mu Qingci said as she walked over, scanning the group.

“Did you all go to the arts festival?” Mu Qingci asked.

Su Muxue nodded.

“I went as an audience member,” Mu Qingci said with a smile. “This year’s festival was much more extravagant than previous ones. The stage, lighting, and sound were all very professional. Especially the final double champions, one handsome, one beautiful. Absolutely stunning.”

She paused, searching the crowd with her eyes. “By the way, didn’t Luo Xiaoyun come with you?”

Everyone burst out laughing.

The white-haired girl in the crowd inexplicably blushed. She stepped forward half a step and said in a small voice, “Um… Sis Ci, I’m right here.”

Mu Qingci was stunned.

She looked at the girl before her, with silver-white long hair and a crystal trophy in her hands. Her mouth opened and closed, opened and closed. Finally, she squeezed out a sentence: “Huh? You’re Luo Xiaoyun?”

Luo Xiaoyun nodded, her face red.

Mu Qingci gasped. She circled around Luo Xiaoyun, her eyes full of amazement. “Sister Xiaoyun, you look so beautiful as a girl!”

Luo Xiaoyun was flustered by the praise. She scratched the back of her head. “It’s… it’s okay, I guess…”

Mu Qingci suddenly leaned in, lowering her voice with a hint of playfulness. “If I’d known you were a girl, I wouldn’t have let you share a room with Xiaoxue. How about moving in with me instead?”

Su Muxue’s expression shifted slightly. She stepped forward half a step and said calmly but with a hint of protectiveness: “Sis Ci.”

“I’m just kidding!” Mu Qingci quickly raised her hands in surrender, her eyes crinkling with laughter. “Look how nervous you got.”

Luo Xiaoyun smiled and invited her. “Sis Ci, we’re going to eat. Want to join us?”

“Sure,” Mu Qingci agreed readily. “I haven’t eaten either.”

The group arrived at the restaurant and were led by the waiter to the reserved private room. It was spacious, with a large round table in the center that could seat over a dozen people. The table was covered with a pristine white cloth and set with delicate tableware.

The waiter brought the menu. Luo Xiaoyun took it, flipped through it, and directly handed it to Zhou Yu’an and the others. “Order whatever you like.”

Zhou Yu’an took the menu, opened it, and his expression instantly changed. He lowered his voice and leaned close to Luo Xiaoyun’s ear. “Th-this is way too expensive! One dish costs several hundred…”

Cheng Fang also leaned in for a look and gasped. “Xiaoyun, maybe we should go somewhere else…”

“No need,” Luo Xiaoyun said casually. “Just order whatever you want. I’ll come clean, I’m a rich kid.”

Xu Xiangyang looked at her skeptically. “Really?”

Luo Xiaoyun said nothing. She silently pulled out her phone, opened the banking app, and showed the screen to Xu Xiangyang.

Xu Xiangyang leaned in, squinting as he counted carefully, muttering under his breath, “Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands…” His voice grew louder and louder until he nearly jumped up. “Dad! Grandpa! Holy crap, th-that’s so much money!”

His gaze at Luo Xiaoyun shifted instantly to one of full-blown admiration. “Holy crap, I never thought a rich kid would be right beside me! Xiaoyun, no, goddess! From now on, I’m sticking with you!”

Luo Xiaoyun rolled her eyes helplessly and put her phone away. “Stop being silly and just order. Pick anything you want. No matter how much it costs, I can afford it.”

Xu Xiangyang perked up immediately. He snatched the menu and said excitedly, “Then I won’t hold back! Waiter!”

The waiter quickly came over and stood respectfully by the table. Xu Xiangyang bent over the menu, his finger darting around. “This, this, and this…”

The waiter took out a pen and paper, jotting down quickly. When Xu Xiangyang paused, he asked politely, “Classmate, is there anything else you need?”

Xu Xiangyang looked up with a completely straight face. “Yes. We don’t want all of these. Give us everything else.”

The waiter was taken aback, a look of surprise on his face. He quickly recovered. “Ah… Of course, classmate. I’ll arrange it immediately.” With that, he took the menu and hurried out.

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at Xu Xiangyang’s exaggerated antics. Shen Jiaojiao giggled. “Xiangyang, you’re going overboard. You ordered so much. There’s no way we can finish it!”

Xu Xiangyang scratched his head, looking unconcerned. “No big deal. We’ll take the leftovers home. Anyway, Goddess Xiaoyun is treating us. It’s free food, so why not?”

Luo Xiaoyun shook her head helplessly and smiled. “As long as you’re happy. Just don’t waste it.”

The dishes arrived quickly. One after another, they covered the entire large round table. Some plates even had to be stacked on top of others.

“Let’s dig in!” Xu Xiangyang was the first to pick up his chopsticks. He grabbed a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth. His eyes widened. “Delicious! This is so good!”

Everyone started eating. The only sounds in the room were the clinking of utensils and satisfied exclamations.

Halfway through the meal, Xu Xiangyang raised his glass. “Come on, let’s toast to Xiaoyun! Congratulations on winning the championship!”

Everyone raised their glasses.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone leaned back in their chairs, patting their full bellies with satisfaction.

Xu Xiangyang let out a burp. “I declare this the best meal of my life.”

Cheng Fang shook his head with a laugh. “Is that all you aspire to?”

“Like you’re any different? You ate half the shrimp platter by yourself.”

“Because it was good!”

The night grew deeper. Luo Xiaoyun went to the front desk to pay the bill, and the group got up and left the restaurant.

Su Muxue and Luo Xiaoyun walked side by side on the way home. The night breeze brushed past them, carrying a hint of coolness.

Luo Xiaoyun held the crystal trophy, looking down at it again and again. The smile at the corner of her mouth couldn’t be suppressed.

“Happy?” Su Muxue asked with a smile.

“Mm,” Luo Xiaoyun nodded vigorously. “Really happy. I thought that after revealing my identity, there would be some distance between Xu Xiangyang and the others. But it looks like I was overthinking.”

Su Muxue reached out and gently took her hand. “True friends won’t change because of who you are. They like you for who you are, not your identity.”

Luo Xiaoyun looked up at her. Moonlight fell on Su Muxue’s face, softening her features.

“Muxue.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

Su Muxue smiled. “What for?”

Luo Xiaoyun thought for a moment and said seriously, “For always being with me. No matter if I’m a boy or a girl, no matter what happens, you’re always there.”

Su Muxue pinched Luo Xiaoyun’s cheek. “Let’s head home. It’s late. You still owe me a favor.”

“Oh, what do you want me to do?”

“Secret. I’ll tell you when we get home.”

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