On the other side, inside the door, Xu Ou led the three girls to the sofa in the lounge.
“Everyone, have a seat. You can take off your masks now. If you want some fruit, just take some, Wu.”
Pulling them to sit on the sofa, Xu Ou did not forget to greet them warmly. As she spoke, she was the first to take off her own mask.
Just as it had been the first time the girl met Xu Ou, both Li Tang and Liu Qingyan felt that the woman was very beautiful, appearing to be around 30 years old.
Hearing Xu Ou’s words, they each took off their masks as well.
Xu Ou’s gaze swept casually over the faces of Li Tang and Liu Qingyan.
In her heart, she felt that Lin Xinyuan’s two friends were indeed exceptionally good-looking, but she only offered a smile and did not have much of a reaction beyond that.
This was because all of her attention was on the girl.
While lost in thought, Xu Ou’s gaze turned completely toward Lin Xinyuan, who had just removed her mask.
When those clear and familiar orchid eyes combined with that pretty little face, even though Xu Ou had already prepared herself, her heart could not help but be shocked.
Her expression became slightly dazed.
She had not expected that after only six months, the boyishness originally between the girl’s eyebrows had completely faded away, leaving behind only feminine elegance.
‘Can people really be this similar in this world? Can there really be such a coincidence?’
‘I find it hard to believe…’
Xu Ou became increasingly suspicious and even more certain of her guess, forming a plan in the depths of her heart.
However, with others present now, it was not appropriate to ask about her thoughts directly.
She could only suppress the urgency in her heart and set it aside for the moment.
For the following time, Lin Xinyuan and the others drank tea and chatted with Xu Ou.
However, they mainly talked about amusing stories, snacks, and cosmetics.
Although Lin Xinyuan indeed did not understand much about how girls dressed up and was not very interested — since in her heart, she still preferred novels and anime — she still listened quite seriously out of consideration for her benefactor.
The conversation could be considered pleasant.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, it was approaching 5:30 PM, and it was time for the three of them to return.
After all, they still had things to do in the evening. Besides, it was already late; they had stayed at the mall for over three hours.
“Sister Ou, should we head back first? It’s getting late.”
“Yeah, Sister Ou, let’s talk again next time!”
“Goodbye, Sister Ou!”
Lin Xinyuan checked the time on her phone and exchanged a look with Li Tang before standing up to say goodbye to Xu Ou.
But just as they were preparing to leave, the girl was quickly pulled back by Xu Ou, who had also stood up.
“Wait, the last time Xiaoyuan came here, she forgot something, didn’t she? I remember putting it over by the warehouse. Why don’t you come with me to get it first?”
Xu Ou spoke as if it were a serious matter, leaving Lin Xinyuan stunned.
She thought for a long time but could not remember losing anything during her last visit.
“Uh…” She was about to voice her doubt, but then she saw Xu Ou winking at her.
She finally realized what the other woman meant.
Though she was puzzled, her tone shifted instantly. “It seems so…”
After speaking, Lin Xinyuan looked at the two girls beside her.
“A Tang, Qingyan, wait for me here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
“Alright.”
Li Tang and Liu Qingyan nodded, not sensing anything wrong, and sat back down to wait.
Seeing this, Xu Ou gave them a smiling nod and led the girl away.
Once they opened the door and entered the so-called warehouse, Lin Xinyuan finally could not help but speak up.
“Sister Ou… what is this about?”
She was very confused as to why Xu Ou wanted her to come here.
She did not know what kind of conversation could only be held between the two of them and could not be heard by others.
“Xiaoyuan.”
Xu Ou turned around at this moment, but the warmth on her face had already faded, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.
“Huh? I… I’m here…”
Seeing Xu Ou’s solemn and serious expression, Lin Xinyuan’s heart could not help but tighten.
Xu Ou did not speak immediately. Instead, she carefully studied the girl’s soft and beautiful face once more.
The sense of deja vu in her heart became increasingly obvious.
In a trance, it was as if she were really seeing that person…
A moment later, under the girl’s uneasy expression, she finally spoke. Her gaze was full of nostalgia.
“Xiaoyuan, you really look like a friend of mine…”
Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan was slightly stunned. Her mouth opened and closed, but for a moment, she did not know what to say.
‘Sister Ou… what does she mean? Is she really just telling me this?’
As if she knew what the girl was thinking, Xu Ou’s gaze gradually became distant. “Can Sister Ou ask you something?”
While feeling apprehensive, Lin Xinyuan suddenly heard this request.
She did not know what the other woman wanted to ask, but she eventually nodded.
“It’s fine, Sister Ou. Go ahead and ask…”
Xu Ou did not hesitate further and got straight to the point.
“Your mother… is her surname Tang?”
“Ah, you… how did you know?”
Lin Xinyuan was shocked. her small mouth hung open slightly, her expression filled with confusion.
But before she could think further, the other woman’s next words followed immediately.
“Tang Xin?”
It was a question, but this time, Xu Ou was already about 80% certain in her heart.
There are many accidents or coincidences in the world, but if all these coincidences were pieced together, it would be far too much for it to be just a mishap…
The girl was already so shocked she could not speak. She hesitated, but ultimately, she nodded her head gently.
Xu Ou’s currently calm expression almost crumbled. Her face was full of emotion and complexity.
“I didn’t expect it to really be you…”
She murmured to herself, then hurried forward to grasp the girl’s small hand.
Her tone was more urgent than ever before. “Can you give me your mother’s current phone number?”
Speaking of this, Xu Ou shook her head repeatedly. “No… I should have her come to Tianbei, or I’ll go back… we need to meet once…”
“Sister Ou…”
Looking at the excited Xu Ou, Lin Xinyuan was a little frightened and did not quite know how to react.
Seeing this scene, Xu Ou’s mind cleared, and she gradually calmed her rising emotions.
She felt a bit awkward, but her expression remained steady.
“Sorry… Xiaoyuan, I was too forward. I didn’t explain it to you.”
“Actually, I was an old friend of your mom. Anyway… regardless of anything else, you just need to know that Sister Ou and your mom are good friends…”
When Xu Ou said these words, her tone was extremely serious. There was not a hint of joking; it was as if she were stating a simple fact.
Even though she had just suspected as much, hearing Lin Xinyuan hear it for herself still left her shocked.
She had not expected such a thing… her own mom and Sister Ou were actually friends?
And looking at the other woman’s appearance, they seemed to be close friends who had known each other for many years?
Then why was she asking for a phone number?
Under the girl’s confused and dazed gaze, Xu Ou began to explain the story bit by bit.
It turned out that Xu Ou and Mother Lin had been classmates and friends for many years, from elementary school all the way through high school.
Their friendship could not have been deeper.
But ever since that incident happened before the Gao Kao back then, although Mother Lin was eventually found, she began to reduce contact with her family and even her best friends.
Later on, she even changed her phone number…
Of course, with Xu Ou’s current resources, she could definitely find it if she wanted to.
It was just that because she knew her friend’s personality, it wasn’t just a matter of whether she could get in touch.
Even if they did connect, her friend might not necessarily be willing to meet…