The last rays of the sun gradually faded, and the streetlights lining both sides of the road flicked on automatically.
Mu Wannuo’s car drove smoothly without much jostling along the way.
Ning Chuxue, lying in the back seat, had fallen into a deep sleep.
Her breathing was steady, her body curled up.
Though her silver-white hair had been cut once, it still spread across the seat like a gorgeous lily in bloom.
Ning Chuxue’s face, buried in the strands of hair, resembled the stamen of a lily—delicate and elegant.
After a long day of exhaustion, she had long since run out of energy.
If you leaned in closer, you could even hear the faint snoring caused by overexertion.
Mu Wannuo drove slower than when they came, staying in the right slow lane while cars on the left passed her one by one.
On her phone, several missed call notifications from colleagues remained, but she ignored them all.
Not because she was worried about distracted driving while using her phone, but because she was afraid of waking the sleeping Ning Chuxue.
The drive went without any incidents.
Soon, the quiet car stopped in front of the sky-blue arch.
The sudden halt of the moving vehicle startled Ning Chuxue awake.
She subconsciously rubbed her eyes until they turned red before stopping.
“Little Pitiful, I was just about to wake you. I didn’t expect you to wake up on your own.”
Mu Wannuo, who was about to unbuckle her seatbelt, happened to catch sight of Ning Chuxue waking up in the mirror.
“Are we home?”
Ning Chuxue’s voice was muffled.
She sat up with half-closed eyes and unconsciously opened her mouth to yawn, her pink little tongue pressing against her lower teeth.
As the yawn faded, a few more teardrops glistened at the corners of her eyes, which she had just rubbed.
“Yes. Little Pitiful worked hard all day. When we get in, Sister Wen Ya will cook you something delicious.”
Hearing there was good food, Ning Chuxue instantly perked up.
When they toured the school, they had also visited the cafeteria, but they only ordered some very bland dishes.
Though the cafeteria food wasn’t bad, it always felt like it was missing something compared to Wen Yasheng’s cooking.
If she hadn’t watched Wen Yasheng cook from start to finish before, Ning Chuxue would have really suspected she added something to the food.
Mu Wannuo got out of the car early and opened the back door for Ning Chuxue.
The latter reached out her hand and, with Mu Wannuo’s support, stepped out of the car.
Because she had just woken up, she almost fell the moment her feet hit the ground.
Luckily, Mu Wannuo was quick and firmly steadied Ning Chuxue.
Seeing that nothing had happened, she let out a sigh of relief, her eyes full of concern.
“Be careful, don’t fall.”
“Hehe, my feet didn’t have any strength…”
Ning Chuxue scratched her head and explained sheepishly.
“You have to be more careful from now on. If anything happened to Chuxue, we’d have no face to meet our parents.”
Mu Wannuo gently flicked her forehead with a finger.
The force was very light, not painful.
But Ning Chuxue still played along and covered her forehead.
“Why did you suddenly knock me?”
“Because Chuxue needs to remember this lesson.”
Ning Chuxue turned her head away reluctantly, her face full of grievance as she continued asking,
“And why did you suddenly mention Mom and Dad?”
As she spoke, a complex expression flickered across Mu Wannuo’s face, but Ning Chuxue, who was pouting, didn’t see it.
She was silent for a moment before answering Ning Chuxue’s question.
“Because their last wish before they passed was for us to take good care of you.”
Mentioning those nominal parents, Ning Chuxue didn’t feel much emotional stir.
“Then why did you flick me?”
“I was very gentle.”
Mu Wannuo’s flick had indeed been very light, and Ning Chuxue didn’t know how to refute.
Every evening during bath time, Mu Wannuo always claimed Ning Chuxue couldn’t wash herself properly and insisted on barging in to bathe with her.
Then every bath, Mu Wannuo would get handsy, though it wasn’t really going too far.
She had wanted to use this opportunity to escape the fate of bathing with Mu Wannuo, but it seemed she had completely lost the battle.
‘Forget it, I won’t stoop to her level. A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him. I’ll definitely make a comeback someday!’
Ning Chuxue silently swore in her heart.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go inside first.”
Ning Chuxue gave a light snort and walked toward the courtyard.
“Sharp tongue but a soft heart. Maybe it’d be better to call her Little Cute from now on?”
Mu Wannuo pondered to herself, then responded to Ning Chuxue.
“Little Pitiful, let’s go straight to the back garden. Wen Yasheng is waiting for us there.”
“Are we eating in the garden today?”
Ning Chuxue immediately guessed.
Mu Wannuo nodded, confirming her thought.
“Yay!”
They had dined in the back garden a few times before, and Ning Chuxue still remembered it fondly.
She no longer felt like throwing a tantrum now; she just wanted to reach the destination quickly.
Mu Wannuo held Ning Chuxue’s plush bear in her arms and followed behind her.
Going around the side of the central house, a scene completely different from the front yard appeared before their eyes.
The grass was hung with leftover lanterns, and the tree branches had several banners, each bearing a blessing.
On the path, two long strings of colorful lights formed a line, and the gap between them was just wide enough for Ning Chuxue to walk through, like guide lights.
“Sister Mu Wan, what’s going on today?”
Ning Chuxue frowned and looked back, but Mu Wannuo was no longer behind her.
“That’s strange, where did she go?”
she muttered.
She had been right behind her just now—how did she suddenly disappear?
Ning Chuxue grew more confused, but since there was no turning back, she had no choice but to walk forward between the two lines of colored lights.
She crossed a small bridge, and finally, the lights stopped at a white wooden threshold with no door.
Inside was a garden, with roses, lilies, peonies, and more.
But at this season, only the roses and lilies were in bloom; the rest were still buds.
Even though she was still some distance from the garden, Ning Chuxue could already smell the rich floral fragrance.
“Is it some kind of festival today?”
She walked in, confused, heading toward the small pavilion at the center of the garden.
As she stepped onto the white stone path of the garden, a few butterflies fluttered right in front of her eyes before landing on a nearby rose.
Ning Chuxue could clearly sense that there were more butterflies than usual, and their colors were more varied as well.
She didn’t pay it any mind, unconsciously assuming they were attracted by the flower scent.
Continuing along the path, the pure white small pavilion came into view.
The pavilion offered a broad view, supported by only a few thin, curved pillars that extended from the ground upward, converging at the top to form a small peak.
Vines wound around the pillars, keeping the environment from feeling too monotonous.
Inside the pavilion was a round table, surrounded by a few chairs with backrests.
Wen Yasheng and Mu Wannuo were already seated inside.
Seeing Ning Chuxue approach, they set down their cups of tea and offered their blessings.
“Chuxue, happy start of the school year.”