“Ha…”
Letting out a tired yawn, An Yu felt a bit helpless. She’d completely lost track of them, so she had no choice but to head home.
Oh well, there weren’t any special events today anyway. She’d just lock the door when she got home—no one could get in.
Time to play with her Smartphone!
The fleeting sense of disappointment came and went quickly. Thinking of her phone, An Yu’s mood brightened again.
She slowly turned around, only to realize someone was standing behind her, startling her into taking a step back.
“Hm?” An Yu looked up warily and saw a head of red hair.
“Let me see who dares to follow… little An Yu?”
Huai Xiang stood with her arms crossed, scrutinizing, but upon realizing it was An Yu, her scrutiny turned to surprise.
“An illusion? The one following us is little An Yu??” Huai Xiang blurted out instinctively.
“Hm?” An Yu tilted her head in confusion.
How did she appear behind her? She was clearly ahead of her just moments ago—could Huai Xiang teleport?
She’d have to teach her that. Walking was so tiring.
“Who’s following us?”
An Yu was still pondering when she heard Cheng Shimumeng’s voice. Turning her head, she saw Cheng Shimumeng and her big pillow approaching, the latter carrying four cups of milk tea.
“Eh? Little An Yu?” Cheng Shimumeng let out a surprised sound, just as shocked as Huai Xiang. Clearly, she hadn’t expected their stalker to be An Yu.
She’d thought it was one of her enemies.
An Yu calmly blinked. So, she’d been spotted long ago. Her tracking skills needed work—hiding behind her backpack wasn’t stealthy enough.
Next time, she’d wear gloves.
Looking at the trio surrounding her, An Yu blinked again.
Hm, suddenly I feel even more tired.
An Yu instinctively glanced at Ning Wanciu. I want to sleep… in my big pillow’s arms.
Seeing the silent An Yu, the trio was at a loss. Often, they had to guess An Yu’s intentions, but that was way too hard!
“Um… An Yu? Why were you following us?” Finally, Ning Wanciu asked directly.
If something wasn’t clear, just ask.
But to her surprise, An Yu just blinked expressionlessly and said nothing.
What was I doing again?
Oh… probably avoiding An Qing?
Anyway, it didn’t matter. That was in the past. Right now, she just wanted to sleep.
Ignoring everyone’s gazes, she walked straight up to Ning Wanciu, gently raised her head, and stared expressionlessly into her eyes.
“What… is it?”
Ning Wanciu grew even more flustered. She still couldn’t easily decipher An Yu’s behavior.
An Yu tilted her head, her small mouth slightly open, eyes half-lidded. Then she raised both hands, signaling for Ning Wanciu to pick her up.
Tired. Too lazy to talk. Hope my big pillow gets it.
But instead of the hug she expected, An Yu felt something cold and smooth placed in her hands.
She looked down instinctively—it was a cup of milk tea?
As An Yu puzzled over it, Ning Wanciu spoke awkwardly, “Milk tea—want to try it? It’s really good.”
Of course, she was just saying that. The shop was new, and she hadn’t tried it herself, but milk tea was rarely bad, so she felt confident saying so.
She gave An Yu the milk tea because she wasn’t sure what An Yu wanted.
Though it looked like An Yu was asking for a hug, if she hugged her and it turned out to be a misunderstanding, Ning Wanciu would be done for.
Her image in An Yu’s eyes would be ruined.
So, this middle-ground option was the safest—unless the milk tea was terrible.
Ning Wanciu watched An Yu nervously.
Fortunately, An Yu didn’t find her actions strange. She carefully examined the milk tea in her hand.
Hm, never had it before. Let’s try it.
With that thought, An Yu didn’t hesitate. She parted her lips, took the straw, and started sipping.
For some reason, the trio watched her drink in silence, as if witnessing a sacred moment.
Only when the milk tea went down did a glimmer of anticipation appear in Ning Wanciu’s eyes.
“Mm, it’s good.”
An Yu nodded calmly. Though her face showed no expression, she was genuinely happy.
Sweet and cool. Tasty.
“Phew… glad you like it.” Ning Wanciu instantly relaxed.
At least she hadn’t lied, right?
An Yu nodded, holding the milk tea and sipping it slowly. There was plenty, enough to last her a while.
But while An Yu was happy, the mystery of why she followed them remained unsolved. Ning Wanciu decided to ask again.
“So, An Yu, why were you following us? Did something happen?” Ning Wanciu felt there had to be a reason, and as someone involved, she wanted to know.
Hearing her voice, An Yu paused her sipping and looked up, silently meeting Ning Wanciu’s gaze.
After the sugar boost, An Yu felt much more awake. She remembered now—she followed them partly because they were the only people she knew, and partly to kill time.
“I…” An Yu started to speak but was suddenly interrupted by Cheng Shimumeng.
“Ah, little An Yu, Wanciu, I just remembered I have something to do. Gotta go!” Cheng Shimumeng said with a smile, not looking like she had anything urgent. “Let’s go, Xiangxiang~”
She turned to leave, dragging a bewildered Huai Xiang along.
“Hey, hey, hey, what’s that? If you’ve got stuff to do, why drag me? I still want to hang out with little An Yu! Hey, Shimumeng!”
Huai Xiang struggled, but Cheng Shimumeng pulled her farther and farther until her voice faded completely.
Left behind, Ning Wanciu stared blankly at the two who’d suddenly run off. Since when did Cheng Shimumeng have something to do? And why take Huai Xiang?
Weren’t they supposed to get milk tea together?
Looking at the three remaining cups of milk tea in her hands, Ning Wanciu grew even more confused.
She instinctively wanted to vent to someone nearby, only to realize the person beside her was a cute little loli.
An Yu raised her head expressionlessly, her amber-like eyes fixed on Ning Wanciu, her delicate face full of confusion.
In an instant, a wave of nervousness flooded Ning Wanciu’s heart.
***
Not far away, Cheng Shimumeng chuckled lightly, ignoring Huai Xiang’s flailing.
Just now, An Yu looked like she had something important to say to Ning Wanciu but was hesitating, probably because she and Huai Xiang were there.
So, Cheng Shimumeng decided to play matchmaker, dragging Huai Xiang away to leave the two alone.
As for Huai Xiang, with her strength, if she really wanted to resist, Cheng Shimumeng wouldn’t have been able to pull her. She was just genuinely caught off guard.