In an instant, the atmosphere turned icy cold.
The girls stared at each other in silence.
However… even though Ning Wanciu was looking straight at An Qing, she did not let go of An Yu.
An Qing watched coldly as An Yu and Ning Wanciu acted so intimately and naturally together. She had no idea how to describe the feeling in her heart.
In the end, Ning Wanciu was the first to speak.
“An Qing… good evening.”
It was almost dark now, so saying good evening was perfectly fine.
Although An Qing’s gaze looked extremely unfriendly, Ning Wanciu still maintained the proper courtesy.
After all, there was no open conflict between them on the surface.
However, from the very beginning, she had always felt that An Qing was a little strange.
Her attitude toward An Yu did not match what someone of her status should show.
Especially the last time she had seen her at An Yu’s house, An Qing’s behavior had been even harder for Ning Wanciu to understand.
But no matter what, their relationship was only that of ordinary classmates.
At least on the surface.
Hearing Ning Wanciu’s voice, An Qing finally pulled her gaze away from An Yu and looked at the girl speaking to her.
To be honest, although Ning Wanciu’s outfit today was somewhat similar to hers, they were completely different types of people.
Yet in this life, An Yu had chosen this girl who was nothing like her.
Faced with Ning Wanciu’s greeting, An Qing simply gave a faint nod before turning back to An Yu. “Her family is here now, so you don’t need to keep her company anymore. Aren’t you coming home with me?”
Ning Wanciu might be her rival. She might be someone very special to An Yu.
But… none of that mattered. In An Qing’s eyes, there was only room for An Yu.
What she meant was that she understood why An Yu wanted to stay with Ning Dongli.
It was simply because she thought the girl would be scared. But now that Ning Wanciu had arrived, things were different.
It would be fine for them to go home together.
“Hm?”
But faced with An Qing’s question, An Yu only tilted her head.
“No, because I promised.”
A promise was a promise. She had agreed to spend the whole day with Ning Dongli, which naturally included the time after it ended.
“Ah… I… see.”
Watching someone else take An Yu away, An Qing gritted her teeth. Her voice came out slow and strained.
Irritation filled her heart. Today she seemed doomed to watch helplessly…
And she could not stop it.
Even worse, the pair of sisters taking An Yu away both seemed to harbor strange feelings toward her.
“An Yu.”
An Qing gave a slight nod. Her crimson eyes looked utterly cold.
In those crimson depths, only An Yu’s figure should have existed, but that was not the case. Because the two of them were standing too close to An Yu, she could see them even when she did not want to.
Did An Yu really not notice anything? Even now, she still looked so dazed. Could it be that…
“Mm.”
An Yu nodded expressionlessly, as if responding to An Qing.
But there was one thing An Qing had misunderstood. It was not Ning Wanciu clinging to An Yu — it was An Yu who had leaned against her first.
Night had fallen and the weather was a little chilly. Ning Wanciu’s body was warm.
Staying close to her felt comfortable…
Just looking at An Yu like this made An Qing gradually lose control.
This position used to be hers.
Now she had to watch it happen right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do.
Almost instinctively, An Qing reached out toward An Yu.
Unfortunately, Ning Wanciu reacted quickly. She stepped forward slightly, blocking An Yu from view.
At the same time, she and An Yu naturally laced their fingers together right in front of An Qing. An Qing’s movement froze. She looked down and immediately saw their interlocked hands.
Fingers tightly entwined… How intimate.
The girl’s hand trembled unnaturally. An eerie aura radiated from her entire body.
Ning Wanciu did not know how to describe what she felt in that instant.
It sent a chill down her spine.
An Qing had not done anything yet, but she already sensed extreme danger.
But never mind. They should leave first.
Ning Wanciu glanced at Ning Dongli and noticed her secretly watching An Qing with a frightened expression.
At the same time, her body kept pressing closer to An Yu…
Looks like Shimumeng was right. An Yu had saved Ning Dongli, and those feelings had deepened.
No matter how dangerous An Qing might be, Ning Wanciu had to take An Yu home tonight.
Otherwise… Ning Dongli’s state of mind might not hold up.
From the look in Ning Dongli’s eyes, she saw deep dependence.
It was definitely not the kind of look one gave a sister…
Ning Wanciu pulled the two little ones behind her, frowned, and spoke softly:
“An Qing, we’re leaving now. Thank you for keeping my little sister company today. You should head home soon too.”
With that, she took An Yu and Ning Dongli by the hand and turned to leave without hesitation.
Surprisingly, An Qing did not try to stop the three of them. She did not even say a word.
This allowed Ning Wanciu’s tense nerves to relax slightly. She looked at the two girls beside her and shook her head helplessly.
Had she overthought things again this time?
“…”
The girl suddenly lowered her head. Her pupils trembled violently. Almost instinctively, she clutched her chest and took deep breaths.
An Qing… she… had done nothing and could do nothing.
She could only endure. She could only watch helplessly as Ning Wanciu took her An Yu away.
How had things come to this?
What had she originally wanted to do?
Get revenge… settle the score?
None of that mattered anymore… None of it mattered at all.
The moment she watched An Yu choose someone else, everything had stopped mattering!
An Qing tried to take a step, but her feet felt like they were filled with lead. She could not move.
They had left together. What would they do after this?
An Qing did not know, and she did not want to know.
She had wanted to leave… She had wanted to escape.
Because she knew that getting close to An Yu meant she would have to watch this.
She was no longer An Yu’s most important little sister from her previous life, nor was she a friend who could lie beside her at night and talk about anything.
An Yu had other people now, and every single one of them was more important to her than An Qing.
An Qing knew. She really knew. She knew everything.
She knew she meant nothing in An Yu’s heart.
But she still could not endure it. She could not stop herself from thinking about it.
Heh!!
An Yu had taken the initiative to let her stay. An Yu had taken the initiative to get close to her. An Yu had not avoided contact with her at all.
That was why… that was why… that was why she had started to hope, right?
Even though it had only been one afternoon, An Qing had actually felt quite happy.
At least, An Yu’s eyes had still held her in them.
But in this moment…