Chapter 79: Three Rooms, One Night

Ten at night.

The living room had finally fallen quiet. Shen Tinglan had finished cleaning up the dishes and gone back to the guest room.

Hua Mu’ai had tossed and turned in bed for a full half hour. In her stomach, little monsters were fighting as the dark ribs protested. Meanwhile, in her mind, Shen Tinglan’s and Su Wanning’s faces kept overlapping, making her restless and uneasy.

‘So annoying.’

Hua Mu’ai sat up abruptly and threw the pillow in her arms hard against the wall.

‘I can’t stay like this. I’ll go crazy. I should go to the internet cafe and play a couple games to clear my head. And see if Chu Yuyao is online.’

She changed into a T-shirt and shorts and opened the door. The living room lights were off, with only a faint glow from the balcony.

Hua Mu’ai was about to slip out, but from the corner of her eye she caught a figure on the balcony. It was Xia Xingyan. She was squatting on the chair, hugging her knees and staring at the night sky. Her back looked somehow lonely and pitiful.

Hua Mu’ai scratched her head. ‘Ah, I owe this girl.’

She turned and went to the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of chilled orange soda. Walking onto the balcony, she pressed the cold bottle against Xia Xingyan’s cheek.

Xia Xingyan flinched and turned her head sharply.

“Not sleeping in the middle of the night, pretending to be all profound here?”

Hua Mu’ai shoved the soda into her arms, sat down on the chair next to her, popped the tab, and took a big gulp. The carbonation eased the discomfort in her stomach a little.

Xia Xingyan held the bottle, looking down in silence.

“Spit it out.” Hua Mu’ai crossed her legs and swung her foot. “Why did you come back early? Don’t give me that ‘I wasn’t feeling well’ excuse.”

Xia Xingyan unconsciously picked at the plastic label. After a few seconds, she said quietly, “I was afraid that Shen Tinglan would steal you and make you her wife while I was away.”

“Pfft, cough cough cough!” Hua Mu’ai sprayed out the soda. She coughed repeatedly, tears streaming. Eyes wide, her beautiful purple eyes, she stared at the girl as if she were an alien. “You, cough, what kind of garbage is in your head?” she called out while patting her chest. “What can she do to me? I am Tian Lanxing. Is she going to eat me or something?”

‘This girl usually looks like an unapproachable ice queen, but what weird yuri stuff is she watching behind the scenes?’

Xia Xingyan’s voice grew softer, with a hint of grievance. “I don’t know, but I just felt uneasy. On the mountain, every time I closed my eyes, I thought of the way she looked at you. That look was full of possessiveness. The more I thought about it, the more scared I became, so I couldn’t stay still.” A layer of moisture appeared in her cold eyes. “I just wanted to come back and watch you. Even if I do nothing, just looking at you, confirming that she hasn’t taken you away, that’s enough.”

Hua Mu’ai was stunned. She looked at Xia Xingyan’s profile. Without the ice beauty disguise, Xia Xingyan was just a silly girl with an extreme lack of security. She had cast aside the reserve of a rich heiress, gotten herself dirty in the kitchen, and made that terrible food, all for her.

A long silence.

“You idiot.” Hua Mu’ai’s voice softened. “I’m not made of paper. How could I be taken so easily?” Her tone turned serious. “And, do you think I’m stupid? There are many suspicious things about Shen Tinglan. I won’t trust her easily. So put your heart at ease and stop worrying all day.”

Hearing this, Xia Xingyan tilted her head and stared straight at Hua Mu’ai’s face. That look was too direct. The emotions within it were almost tangible. Hua Mu’ai felt uncomfortable under her gaze, and her ears betrayed her by turning red.

“What are you looking at? I won’t agree to your words either.” Hua Mu’ai turned her face away, and to hide her embarrassment, she took another big gulp of soda. Hearing this, Xia Xingyan’s face instantly darkened.

Seeing this, Hua Mu’ai cleared her throat and quickly tried to salvage the situation. “Cough, hey, tomorrow is the weekend. Come with me to the market.”

“Why go to the market?” Xia Xingyan was taken aback.

“Obviously to teach you how to shop for groceries.” Hua Mu’ai rolled her eyes. “Tomorrow I’ll cook myself and teach you how to make edible sweet and sour ribs. Today’s charcoal was terrible, simply murder. It almost took me out. If you ever bring that stuff to the table again, I’ll throw you out the window.”

Xia Xingyan’s hand, which had been tightly gripping the soda bottle, loosened at that moment. Watching the loli captain who clearly cared about her but spoke in the fiercest tone, the ice in her heart melted in an instant. She gave a faint smile, yet it was breathtakingly beautiful. “Mm, I’ll learn well.”

****

One in the morning. The three rooms in the apartment showed three completely different states.

In the left guest room, dim light illuminated Xia Xingyan’s smiling face. She opened her phone’s memo and typed lines: “Next time, add the sugar later, or it will burn. Heat the oil first. Cut the ribs along the bone gaps to let the flavor in.” She checked it several times and only felt satisfied when she confirmed nothing was missing. She closed her eyes, replaying Hua Mu’ai’s awkward but cute image in her mind. Her breathing gradually steadied, and with a sweet smile on her lips, she fell into a deep sleep. It was the most peaceful sleep she had had in a long time.

Through the wall, in the right guest room, Shen Tinglan opened the back of a drawer and pulled out a small box. She carefully opened it. Inside lay a silver ring. The style was very old, just a simple plain band. But if you looked closely, you would find the character “Qing” delicately engraved on the inner wall. She tipped the ring into her palm and rubbed the character over and over. This was the wedding ring that Gu Qing had personally put on her finger when she was Su Wanning. She closed her eyes and pressed the ring to her forehead. The confident facade she wore during the day fell away. Her shoulders trembled slightly. “Qing.” A suppressed murmur escaped her lips as tears slid from the corners of her eyes. This night was destined to be sleepless.

****

In the master bedroom at the end of the hall, Hua Mu’ai stared blankly at the ceiling. The discomfort in her stomach had eased considerably, but the irritability in her heart couldn’t be suppressed no matter what.

“Yuena.” She called out in her mind. After a few seconds, the fairy princess’s lazy voice came through.

“What is it? It’s late and you’re not sleeping. Human kids won’t grow tall if they don’t sleep.”

“Silly, I’m not a kid.” Hua Mu’ai turned over and buried her face in the pillow. “Yuena, I want to ask you something.”

“Mm, what is it? Ask.” Yuena yawned.

“If Wanning didn’t die, is it possible that she could come back to me in another way, like changing her identity and face?”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

I, The Final Boss, Don’t Want To Be The Protagonist’s Mother

DramaFantasy

Read Now →
Not interested