Chapter 114: Just Playing Around

Today had been a long day of traveling—either sitting in a carriage or on the road to one.

Mu Nanqiu lay on the bed, closing her eyes with the intention of resting briefly, but unexpectedly, she fell into a deep sleep.

It wasn’t until a loud call roused her that she slowly woke up.

“Nanqiu, come out for dinner.”

Glancing at the locked door, Mu Nanqiu sighed softly.

Time had passed quickly; the whole day was gone in an instant.

When she woke, it was already late afternoon, almost dinner time.

She had made up for more than two hours of sleep.

With a quiet sigh, she got off the bed, ran her hands through her hair, then pressed her temples.

Since waking up, Mu Nanqiu felt a hazy dizziness in her head, her entire body weary, a kind of indescribable exhaustion.

Naturally, she had no appetite.

She told her mother she didn’t want to eat.

Mu Nanqiu caught the expression on her mother’s face—it was clear her refusal was taken as an act of rebellion.

Mu Nanqiu felt helpless but also couldn’t explain anything.

No matter what excuse she gave, it would be misunderstood.

So she simply said nothing.

With one fewer person at the table, there was more food left over.

Bei Zhi intended to take the extras back to her room, using the excuse of eating more herself, but Mrs. Mu refused.

“No way. You’re an adult; why are you warming your bowl away from the table?”

After being scolded by her mother, Bei Zhi had no choice but to bravely eat at the dining table.

The portions meant for two were all hers, which was a bit much to handle.

Mu Nanqiu sat quietly in the Classroom, staring blankly out the window.

Outside, there was nothing special—just buildings that all looked similar.

Having lived here for so many years, she was completely bored with the view.

More than anything, she watched the sky, though its monotonous color offered little to admire.

When she heard the sound of a door lock turning, Mu Nanqiu turned her head.

Mrs. Mu was already standing by the door.

She glanced at Mu Nanqiu, closed the door firmly, then walked over beside her and said,

“Xiao Qiu, I can overlook other things, but this one—I absolutely can’t.”

“Why?”

“Why? There’s no why!”

Mu Nanqiu chose to remain silent and turned away, her expression making it clear she wouldn’t accept any argument on this matter.

Mrs. Mu recalled Su Yao’s demeanor, and her expression darkened.

“You can play around all you want, but that girl from today—no.”

Those words made her stance very clear.

Mu Nanqiu no longer hoped for any compromise.

Her gaze drifted to the distant window, as if she hadn’t heard the words at all.

“Mom, if you think that way, then there’s nothing to talk about.”

Mrs. Mu wanted to say more but was cut off by Mu Nanqiu’s words.

Neither could understand the other, so there was no need to continue the conversation.

Their brief exchange ended, and Mu Nanqiu, as if having completed a task, returned to her room.

She took out her phone and looked at messages from the account named ‘Oyster Sauce,’ smiling softly.

After returning home, Su Yao still felt uneasy.

If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Mu’s resemblance to Mu Nanqiu, she definitely wouldn’t have agreed to go.

But once home, she felt a sense of calm settle over her.

The lingering unease vanished entirely as she sat on the sofa, her whole body relaxing.

“Phew, I’m really exhausted.”

Collapsing onto the sofa, Su Yao completely relaxed.

Facing Mu Nanqiu’s mother, it was impossible to say she wasn’t tired.

Had Mu Nanqiu not returned, she wouldn’t have known what to do.

With less activity, her body temperature dropped slightly.

Sitting still, Su Yao felt a chill and got up to return to her room, turning on the air conditioner.

After a while, the room warmed up.

She took off her thick coat and changed into comfortable home clothes.

Being alone at home was dull.

After playing around for a bit, Su Yao sent a message to Oyster Sauce on her phone, telling her about today’s experiences.

Of course, she didn’t reveal everything—she fabricated some details, adding a little exaggeration, mixing truth and fiction in her text.

Half a day wasn’t long, but many things had happened.

Summarizing them in a few sentences was a high-level condensation, with some embellishments thrown in.

Even so, Oyster Sauce understood Su Yao’s meaning perfectly.

Su Yao realized no matter what she said, Oyster Sauce always seemed to grasp the essence.

Truly, a kindred spirit!

Feeling understood, Su Yao became bolder in her words.

After all, it was all online, and they didn’t know each other in real life—maybe separated by thousands of miles.

Lying on the bed, legs stretched out, smiling, she typed on her phone.

“Oyster Sauce, you don’t know, at first her mom kind of scared me. I thought something serious was going on, but it was just to call me over for dinner. But eating wasn’t easy either—I barely dared to open my mouth, afraid of leaving a bad impression.”

“I think she and her mom often clash—is that rebellion?”

“I always thought she was a mature, dignified young lady. Didn’t expect her to throw a little tantrum sometimes.”

“This trip gave me an unexpected glimpse of her other side.”

“Oyster Sauce, do you think there’s really a chance between her and me?”

Oyster Sauce replied promptly:

“There is. A very big chance.”

“Thanks.”

Pressing her lips together, Su Yao smiled happily.

Receiving a blessing was a delightful thing.

She lacked confidence in this matter and could only trust Mu Nanqiu.

Glancing at the time, Su Yao put down her phone and closed her eyes.

In a few days, she would return to her hometown.

Although she wasn’t sure if she would find any answers there, it was something she had to do eventually.

That night, she didn’t eat much, just grabbed a little something at home.

Nothing happened, but she didn’t fall asleep until midnight.

The next morning, looking at the calendar, she was shocked at how many days remained.

Waiting idly would be such a waste of time…

Once the holidays began, almost everyone had left school.

The only person Su Yao could find was Luo Yu.

Both of their homes weren’t far from school, so they arranged to meet there.

The school wasn’t closed.

Apart from some special facilities, everything else was open.

Standing on the Playground, Su Yao watched couples acting bolder now that there were fewer people around.

They would leave separately much later.

As she watched with interest, a female voice called from nearby.

“Su Yao, over here!”

Su Yao looked toward the voice’s direction.

Luo Yu, carrying a tennis racket, was walking over.