In An Qing’s mind, the An Yu who would never give up everything tied to the An family was, at that very moment, sitting comfortably in the car, looking utterly satisfied after a full meal.
The cake shop Cheng Shimumeng had taken her to was delicious.
An Yu just couldn’t figure out why, despite how good the cakes were, Huai Xiang looked like she was in pain.
On the other side of the back seat, Huai Xiang wore a thoroughly miserable expression.
It wasn’t because she couldn’t sit next to An Yu—it was purely because the cost had been too much for her wallet to bear.
She hadn’t gone back on her word. She really had treated An Yu to breakfast.
The good news: although the cakes were genuinely expensive, she had just enough money for two.
The bad news: it was exactly just enough.
Those two incredibly delicious little cakes had completely drained her wallet.
Now she truly had no money left.
And there were still several days until the end of the month!
Huai Xiang glanced gloomily at the balance on her phone.
Seeing that glaring 0.01, she felt like she was about to snap.
Damn you, Cheng Shimumeng! This is all your fault!
Huai Xiang, who could only rage in her heart, shot a fierce glare at Cheng Shimumeng in the front passenger seat.
“Xiangxiang, is something wrong~?”
Unfortunately, the moment Huai Xiang looked over, Cheng Shimumeng suddenly spoke up.
“Eek—no, nothing!”
Startled, Huai Xiang quickly lowered her head, praying Cheng Shimumeng hadn’t noticed the glare.
She didn’t have any money left to get scammed by Cheng Shimumeng again!
“Oh, really?”
Cheng Shimumeng asked deliberately, as if she knew something.
“Y-Yeah.”
“I thought you might be hot. If you’re hot, we can open the window~”
Cheng Shimumeng said kindly.
“But since you’re fine, that’s good~”
“Ah… yeah.”
Huai Xiang nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.
She couldn’t get revenge right now, but once they reached Cheng Shimumeng’s house, she could go back to being the arrogant Huai Xiang!
There were no expenses at her place, after all!
Just you wait, you wicked woman!
Thinking this, the corners of Huai Xiang’s mouth unconsciously curved upward into a somewhat silly smile.
Right beside her, An Yu watched Huai Xiang expressionlessly, unable to understand why she was suddenly grinning.
Oh well. Xiangxiang has always been this weird.
An Yu stopped looking at Huai Xiang and turned to Ning Wanciu beside her.
The air conditioning was on in the car, and it wasn’t that hot.
For some reason, though, Ning Wanciu’s face seemed a little flushed.
Strange.
The three of them were sitting in the back seat.
It wasn’t crowded, but An Yu was leaning against Ning Wanciu.
Because it was comfortable.
She just couldn’t figure out why Ning Wanciu had been blushing so often lately.
If she didn’t understand, she’d ask.
“Ning Wanciu.”
“Ah—yes? What is it?”
Ning Wanciu blinked quickly, looking at An Yu with slight confusion.
Ever since getting in the car, An Yu had been pressed tightly against her.
This gradually made Ning Wanciu feel a little tense—mainly because she was afraid strangers might see how close they were.
But on second thought, it wasn’t a big deal.
With three people in the back, some contact was inevitable.
It was perfectly normal.
It was just that An Yu was leaning far too close!
She was completely unguarded around her.
Ning Wanciu unconsciously felt flustered. Her body stayed tense, her movements growing stiff.
Now An Yu was calling her name again, so she had to face her.
“Your face is really red. Are you okay?”
An Yu asked blankly, her amber eyes filled with pure innocence.
But it was precisely that innocence that made Ning Wanciu feel utterly embarrassed.
“Pfft~”
Before she could answer, a sudden laugh came from Cheng Shimumeng in the front seat.
In that instant, Ning Wanciu’s face grew even redder.
Thankfully, Cheng Shimumeng didn’t keep teasing her, or Ning Wanciu wouldn’t have known what to do.
This was far too awkward.
But clearly, An Yu couldn’t grasp the awkwardness at all.
She looked up at Ning Wanciu and blinked lightly. “It’s even redder now. Are you sick?”
An Yu concluded that Ning Wanciu must be ill after all.
That wouldn’t do. Her big pillow needed to stay healthy and be with her forever.
With those pure eyes, she stared intently into Ning Wanciu’s deep blue ones, showing faint concern.
“N-No, I’m fine. It’s just a little hot…”
Ning Wanciu shook her head, pretending nothing was wrong.
An Yu tilted her head. “Really?”
She was still worried. Unconsciously, she raised her arm and gently touched Ning Wanciu’s cheek.
It really is warm…
Is she really okay?
For a moment, Ning Wanciu blinked in surprise.
She saw a rare look of worry on An Yu’s adorable little face.
Gulp.
Ning Wanciu swallowed involuntarily, her heartbeat gradually speeding up.
An Yu seems to care a lot about my health.
“Ning Wanciu?”
An Yu’s cool voice broke the silence.
“Ah—I’m really fine…!”
Ning Wanciu reacted quickly.
Before her face could get any redder, she turned away and ordered Huai Xiang, “Xiangxiang, it’s hot. Open the window!”
“Huh?”
Huai Xiang clearly hadn’t caught on.
To her, the interaction between Ning Wanciu and An Yu seemed perfectly normal.
“Hurry!”
“Oh, okay!”
Though she didn’t know why Ning Wanciu was in such a rush, Huai Xiang did as told.
She lightly pressed the button, and soon the window opened a crack.
A refreshing breeze blew in from outside. Ning Wanciu instinctively took deep breaths.
Haa… haa.
Soon, she calmed down.
She couldn’t—and didn’t want to—act so strange in front of An Yu.
“See, An Yu? I told you, it’s just because it’s a little hot…”
Ning Wanciu turned back to An Yu and explained softly.
But An Yu didn’t respond. She just stared seriously at her face.
Ning Wanciu:
Seeing no reply, Ning Wanciu gradually grew nervous again, though she wasn’t sure why.
The taller and smaller girls locked eyes in the back seat like that.
After a long moment, An Yu finally nodded slowly.
“Okay. As long as you’re fine.”
She had observed carefully. Ning Wanciu really was okay—it must just be because the car was too warm.
Good. She wanted her big pillow to stay healthy forever.
Still, An Yu quietly noted it in her heart.
Ning Wanciu is afraid of heat.
…
Meanwhile, back at the An family villa.
An Qing sat on the sofa with a cold expression, lost in thought.
She was waiting. She didn’t believe An Yu wouldn’t come home today.
That was An Yu, after all. And besides the An family, where else could she go?
For things to have reached this point… it must be because the sense of crisis she’d given An Yu was still far too weak.
There was only one thing she needed to do now: drive away every single one of An Yu’s companions.