Wang Man stared blankly out the window.
She could sense that An Yu seemed somehow different from how she usually was at home.
Unconsciously, the corners of her mouth lifted, and all the worry on her face transformed into relief.
No wonder she couldn’t feel any sadness from Young Miss An Yu.
So that’s how it was.
Wang Man smiled and shook her head, no longer looking at the scene outside.
Instead, she returned to her usual duties.
As for whether An Yu would go hungry… there was probably no need to worry.
…
Outside the An Family Villa, An Yu hugged Ning Wanciu with an expressionless face.
Not taking an afternoon nap with Ning Wanciu yesterday had felt just as painful as not taking one with her.
So, a hug now would do.
Besides, it was a bit cold in the morning, and Ning Wanciu’s embrace was warm.
Mm, that’s all it was.
An Yu kept her cold face as she expressionlessly nuzzled closer.
She was actually pretty surprised.
No one had said they’d come pick her up, yet the moment she stepped out, she saw the three of them.
Her little head buried in Ning Wanciu’s chest, the corners of her lips curved up into a tiny arc.
She felt… a little happy.
“An Yu?”
Ning Wanciu helplessly patted An Yu’s head.
“Alright, alright, shall we get going?”
At those words, An Yu pulled away from Ning Wanciu’s embrace and looked up, staring into her deep blue eyes.
“An Yu?”
Ignoring Ning Wanciu’s puzzled tone, An Yu simply reached out her hand slowly.
“Ah… really.”
Ning Wanciu shook her head with a smile, then took An Yu’s small hand in hers.
“Is this okay now?”
An Yu nodded lightly. “Mm.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Mm.”
Ning Wanciu and An Yu held hands naturally, the morning chill unable to touch An Yu at all.
She only felt warmth spreading through her entire body.
Just holding hands, and it had this effect.
As expected of the big pillow she’d chosen—it was perfect.
“By the way, An Yu, have you eaten breakfast?”
“No.”
“Mm, then let’s go eat first…”
The two were holding hands and about to leave when they were stopped.
Ning Wanciu blinked in confusion.
“Hm?”
Cheng Shimumeng stood behind them, covering her mouth as she snickered, while Huai Xiang had her hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks as she glared at the pair.
“Hey, hey, hey! There are two more people here!”
They’d clearly come to pick up An Yu as a group of three—how come only Ning Wanciu got the hugs and hand-holding?
What about hers—cough—what about hers and Cheng Shimumeng’s?!
Were they just being completely ignored?!
“Alright, stop messing around, Xiangxiang.”
Ning Wanciu looked at Huai Xiang with some exasperation, unsure what she was fussing about this time.
“W-What? This is so unfair! Look, why is An Yu only close with you, Wanciu?!”
Huai Xiang pointed at An Yu.
Her face showed little expression, but she was holding Ning Wanciu’s hand without letting go, completely naturally.
If An Yu had spoken up, Huai Xiang wouldn’t have had a comeback, but since it was Ning Wanciu talking, Huai Xiang had plenty to say.
“Waaah, what did you even do? Save the planet in your past life or something?!”
They were all trying to be friends with An Yu together—how come Ning Wanciu was the special one?
“My hand is still empty!” Huai Xiang huffed, showing off her empty little hand.
An Yu was so cute—she wanted to hold hands too!
Speaking of which, where was her teammate?
How come she was the only one fighting for rights here while her teammate was just idling?!
Huai Xiang turned back and immediately spotted Cheng Shimumeng snickering.
Oh, great—she was out here struggling for the both of them, and her teammate was secretly laughing from the sidelines!
Once they got to Cheng Shimumeng’s house, she was going to get revenge in that fighting game.
As for other methods… better not think about it.
She couldn’t beat a bad woman at her own game.
So for now, Huai Xiang could only bare her teeth at Cheng Shimumeng without getting too cocky.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, but she had to keep it bottled up.
Huai Xiang turned away from her lousy teammate—and just then, she saw An Yu reaching out toward her.
Her hand was taken by An Yu. Huai Xiang blinked instinctively, clearly not expecting things to turn out this way.
“Good girl, Xiangxiang.”
With one gesture and one sentence, An Yu tamed the red-haired beast once more.
Mm, she really did have talent for this.
An Yu thought to herself silently.
“Eh… Eh? Eh??!”
Feeling the soft touch in her hand, a faint blush appeared on Huai Xiang’s face.
She really hadn’t expected An Yu to actually do it. She’d just been messing around—it would’ve passed in a moment.
But now that her wish had come true, she felt shy.
Huai Xiang gripped An Yu’s hand back, not letting go. Opportunities like this were rare—usually, only Ning Wanciu could touch An Yu so easily.
“Is that better? Can we go now?” Ning Wanciu narrowed her eyes helplessly.
The once-lively Huai Xiang now seemed a little stiff all over.
…
“M-Mm! L-Let’s go!” Huai Xiang stammered.
“Mm.”
An Yu nodded.
She held Huai Xiang with one hand and Ning Wanciu with the other, the two of them flanking her like loyal guardians.
The three walked past Cheng Shimumeng, leaving her stunned.
“Let’s go, Shimumeng.”
Seeing Cheng Shimumeng spacing out, Ning Wanciu kindly reminded her.
Cheng Shimumeng:
She stayed silent, but her brows gradually furrowed.
This isn’t right, is it?
How did it suddenly turn out like this?
Watching Huai Xiang get what she wanted, Cheng Shimumeng froze, a faint irritation rising in her chest.
She’d originally planned to watch Huai Xiang make a fool of herself from the side, but she never imagined Huai Xiang would actually succeed.
Now it was Cheng Shimumeng who couldn’t accept it.
How had it gone from her laughing at Huai Xiang to her being the one left alone?
A short distance away, Huai Xiang held An Yu’s small hand, a satisfied smile on her face.
Earlier, it had just been the suddenness of it—An Yu’s surprise attack—that made her shy…
Now, though?
Huai Xiang’s smile didn’t change, but it looked a bit smug.
She glanced back at Cheng Shimumeng and, as expected, saw her completely bewildered expression.
Haha, serves you right!
Huai Xiang stuck her tongue out at Cheng Shimumeng mockingly.
That’s what you get for liking to watch the show and not helping!
Now, sure, there was no share in the failure for her—but there was also no share in the success!
Hmph!
Huai Xiang felt endlessly triumphant inside, but in front of An Yu, she restrained herself perfectly.
Mostly because she didn’t want to scare the little angel.
“Little An Yu, little An Yu—what do you want to eat later? My treat!”
Knowing An Yu hadn’t eaten breakfast, Huai Xiang decided to splurge and treat her to a good meal.
It was the perfect way to repay the favor of teaming up against Cheng Shimumeng!
Even though An Yu hadn’t targeted Cheng Shimumeng on purpose, she’d unintentionally helped Huai Xiang a lot.
An Yu blinked expressionlessly. “Mm…”
An Yu naturally started thinking about it. Come to think of it, she never had to decide what to eat every day—this was her first time considering it.
“Something sweet.” If she didn’t know what to have, sweets it was.
Sweets were always a safe choice.
The three walked along hand in hand, filled with cheerful chatter and laughter, while Cheng Shimumeng followed behind with a speechless expression.