“Jie, you—you’re not against it?”
Ever since returning to this point in time, Lin Yu had been thinking about this matter.
If he wanted to avoid contact with those women, the best way was not to meet them at all from the very beginning.
Other than the mother and daughter living next door, all the other women he encountered had been met at Qiongdian Academy. Even his deeper understanding with Mu Liuli had begun there.
Lin Mowei gently stroked her younger brother’s hair, her tone full of gentle understanding.
“Why would I oppose you? Xiao Yu, you’re all grown up now. You have your own thoughts. Whatever you want to do, your big sister will always support you.”
It wasn’t just Lin Yu. Lin Mowei had actually also been considering how to change her brother’s future path, how to keep him from going to Qiongdian Academy and meeting those women.
Now, for some reason, her brother had taken the initiative to mention it. Why would she refuse?
She wished she could move with him right now—not just avoiding Qiongdian Academy, but even Qin Wuyue and Xia Yanran next door, she didn’t want to see them anymore.
“Oh, uh, right, thank you, Jie.”
Always so confident and in control, Lin Yu was truly caught off guard by his sister’s attitude, even stumbling over his words a little.
“Silly child, what are you thanking your sister for?”
Warmth shone on Lin Mowei’s face, but in her heart she couldn’t help but sneer coldly.
Hmph, this time, I’d like to see how you’ll all get close to Xiao Yu!
“Jie, you really need to get up now, or we won’t get dinner at all.”
“Haha, okay.”
Both of them were quite satisfied with the answers they got, but there was someone else whose mood right now was probably not so pleasant.
Mu Qingqing walked along the road home, her mind buzzing.
I’m so stupid, really. Why did I insist on finishing that last bit of work before the holidays?
Couldn’t I have been lazier and put it off until after the break?
If I hadn’t come looking for the Section Chief, I wouldn’t have gone next door, and if I hadn’t gone next door, I wouldn’t have seen Dr. Qin hugging that little boy.
And now look—now I know Dr. Qin’s secret, got warned by her, and that cold-blooded heartless…
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but shiver. She instinctively glanced back at Qin Wuyue’s window. No one was there, but she still felt as if she was being watched by a pair of eyes.
It was like someone was warning her: “If I hear even a rumor about this, you’re dead!”
Being targeted by that woman, Mu Qingqing felt her future was shrouded in gloom.
She even suspected that when she returned to work, she’d get fired just for stepping in with her left foot first.
Then, one night, she’d end up dead in some dark corner, with no one ever knowing what happened!
Lin Yu…
You really are something. The Section Chief has impure feelings for you, and you still managed to win her over. You’re amazing, I give up.
Just now, she’d learned Lin Yu’s identity from Xia Yanran.
All in all, Mu Qingqing was pretty satisfied with her current circumstances. In two words: steady and stable.
She wasn’t a native of Nest City No.3. Both her parents were alive and well, she’d grown up healthy, graduated from Leiya Academy, and was assigned to the Annihilation Division here after awakening her “Star Resonance.”
The job could be dangerous at times, but the salary and benefits were excellent.
It wasn’t like before—nowadays, it was hard for women to find a suitable man. She worked so hard just to save up some money, marry a man she liked, have a child, work until retirement, and keep living steadily like this.
But now, it was all ruined! Everything was ruined!
Mu Qingqing wanted to cry, but a mature woman doesn’t shed tears so easily. The bitterness of adulthood was just like that—it could only be endured.
Arriving at the convenience store, she bought a huge pile of snacks, booze, and drinks.
Normally, she would save half her salary, and the other half was enough for daily expenses.
But today, ha…
She remembered the old saying—who knows which comes first, tomorrow or an accident?
Seize the day!
Under the starlit night, she dragged her weary steps back to her warm, cozy home.
Usually so self-disciplined, tonight she didn’t even bother throwing her clothes into the washing machine—she just tossed them onto the sofa, and carried a bag of stuff into the bedroom wearing only her underwear, without even taking a bath.
“What’s the point of bathing? I don’t even have a man…”
Suddenly, she felt she’d gained some new insight. Maybe growing up was just looking at your former self and spitting out one word—idiot.
She cracked open a cold beer, took a big gulp, and let out a satisfied moan, “Ha… refreshing!”
She turned on her computer and logged into the game.
She wasn’t a gaming addict—playing was just something to do, since gaming was a relatively cheap and healthy way to unwind.
Opening her friends list, she noticed that the friend with the ID “Liuli Sea” was online.
“Hm? She’s on. Early today.”
The two of them had met as net friends back when the game went into open beta, and it had been several years now. All she knew was that the other party was a student, and also in Nest City No.3.
That was enough—net friends didn’t need to know more.
Besides, she felt the other person was socially anxious, and didn’t want to reveal anything else. That was fine by her.
[What are you up to? Want to run a dungeon?]
Mu Qingqing popped a chip into her mouth and waited for a reply.
Soon, the other replied: [Nothing much, sure]
She sent a party invite, and the two entered the dungeon.
It was a relaxing run—neither of them were newbies, so their efficiency was high.
Suddenly, the other person asked a question that made Mu Qingqing raise her eyebrows.
[Qingqing-jie, say, if a guy suddenly starts acting differently from how you remember, what’s the reason?]
Her ID was “Grassland of Green,” and after getting familiar, everyone called her Qingqing-jie.
This question instantly lit the gossip fire in Mu Qingqing’s heart.
Her friend was known in their gaming circle for having zero interest in men.
When she ran into male players, she’d only talk game, not a single word of teasing.
But today… did the sun rise in the west?
She couldn’t resist sharing her single-dog perspective.
[Little Liuli, I think it’s probably because he suddenly realized he likes you]
[???] Three question marks came quickly in response.
[Look, people only change in front of someone when they realize they like them, don’t you think?]
[R-Really?]
[Really, really! Here, let me analyze for you…]
As they cleared the dungeon, Mu Qingqing poured out all her hard-won singlehood theories on love.
As they chatted, she couldn’t help sharing what happened earlier—changing the time, place, and people, and telling it as juicy gossip.
[Well, that guy really is a scumbag] came the net friend’s assessment.
[Yeah, right? Sigh… But speaking of which, the kid’s a little handsome. Too bad he’s a scumbag]
The night grew deeper. In a grand mansion at the southern end of Nest City No.3.
Of hundreds of windows in the mansion, only one glowed faintly.
Mu Liuli, dressed in a light sleep dress, sat in front of the computer, her pale calves swaying.
[That’s it for today, Qingqing-jie, see you!]
[See you]
She didn’t take the gossip her net friend shared to heart—just laughed and let it go.
She shut the computer. The darkened screen reflected her slightly pale face.
“Lin Yu… likes me?”
Her elegant brows knitted slightly. She didn’t think he liked her—maybe she just didn’t pay enough attention to him.
Scenes from earlier in the day flashed through her mind: that delicate face, the slightly thin frame, and the gentle smile he showed Xia Yanran.
“He likes Xia Yanran. How could he possibly like me? They were so close at the cinema.”
She’d noticed the two of them playing around together too.
“Hoo…” She exhaled softly. “Let’s go look at the doll I bought this afternoon.”
The girl’s face held a strange expectation, an odd smile curling at the corner of her lips as she left the room.
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