The September sky, though early autumn, still held onto the lingering heat.
In front of the square at Tianbei Train Station South, when an exceptionally beautiful mother and daughter pair appeared among the crowd, they immediately attracted many glances, making people unable to resist looking twice.
Lin Xinyuan followed uneasily beside her mother, feeling a bit uncomfortable inside, but it was still somewhat acceptable.
After all, her summer vacation experiences had been useful to her.
Although she still resisted and disliked this kind of attention, it wasn’t like before, where just a single glance from someone would make her panic.
Perhaps it was also the effect of gradually adapting to her female identity and slowly accepting herself…
“Mom, where exactly are we going? I’ll call a ride.”
Walking to the side of the road designated for taxis, Lin Xinyuan looked at her mother with confusion. She had forgotten to ask about this the whole way.
As she spoke, she took out her phone, but was quickly stopped by her mom.
“No need, someone is coming to pick us up…” Mother Lin just shook her head gently and smiled.
Originally, Qin Nanfeng had wanted to come pick them up, but her mom refused.
Lin Xinyuan also didn’t want to bother her boyfriend; she knew he had been a bit busy lately, so she also refused.
It was just a matter of calling a Didi anyway…
But she hadn’t expected her mom to already have arrangements…
So who could it be? Could it be Ou-jie?
Under the girl’s confused and speculative mood, they didn’t have to wait long. A low-key yet elegant white sedan drove up and slowly stopped in front of them.
As the privacy glass was gradually lowered, a delicate and beautiful face suddenly came into Lin Xinyuan’s view.
“A-Xin, long time no see…”
Xu Ou’s gaze hadn’t shifted since she saw Mother Lin. Her eyes felt inexplicably warm, but she restrained the impulse.
She got out of the car, a glimmer of moisture in her eyes, gazing at the middle-aged woman standing by the roadside.
For a moment, it was as if she saw the young girl from back then. She walked over and took the other’s hand, slightly nervous.
Even though she was three years younger than herself, the feeling she gave was that she was older.
‘I…’ Mother Lin hesitated, initially wanting to withdraw her hand, but held back. Yet, her usually calm gaze became inexplicably ashamed and conflicted. She opened her mouth but ultimately couldn’t say anything. “…Um…”
Xu Ou understood Mother Lin’s feelings, and wasn’t her own heart just as complex?
She didn’t say more, because now wasn’t the right time…
Then, her gaze turned to the girl beside them, revealing a warm smile. “Xiaoyuan, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Apart from the initial surprise, Lin Xinyuan didn’t find it strange. Instead, she felt relieved deep down and was very happy for the two of them. Hearing Xu Ou’s words, she quickly responded, “Ou-jie! Yes…”
Hearing this, Xu Ou’s smile brightened even more. But suddenly, as if she had discovered something, her eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
She felt… that the aura about Lin Xinyuan seemed to have changed…
She couldn’t quite put her finger on the feeling; it was just a strange intuition.
If before, the girl gave the impression of an innocent young girl unaware of the world, now she could detect a faint, elusive… womanliness from her?
Like a young girl who had been tricked into bed…
Xu Ou was quite sure her feeling wasn’t wrong. This kind of intuition had helped her many times before…
But just as she was puzzled, Mother Lin on the other side spoke up. She glanced at her daughter and couldn’t help but lecture, “What ‘jiejie’? You should call her Auntie Ou.”
Mother Lin felt this form of address was somewhat inappropriate. After all, if Xu Ou became ‘jiejie,’ what would Lin Xinyuan call her? Wouldn’t that mess up the generational hierarchy?
As for them knowing each other, Mother Lin wasn’t surprised. When Xu Ou contacted her before, she had also explained about Lin Xinyuan.
Truth be told, she had always had the intention to contact Xu Ou and apologize.
It was her own fault for being so stubborn back then, bringing it upon herself… And this feeling became even stronger after reconciling with her daughter…
But don’t be fooled by her outwardly cool and detached demeanor; she was actually quite similar to Lin Xinyuan, possessing an extremely awkward personality, constantly hesitating, not daring to take the step.
Even if she hadn’t learned about Lin Xinyuan’s incident, she thought she would never have dared to take that step.
Similar personalities, yet vastly different outcomes…
Although such an unscientific thing happened, the girl met the most correct person in her life. This was what Mother Lin felt most grateful for.
At least this way, this irresponsible person of hers could feel a bit more at ease…
But she really wasn’t a qualified person… still needing her own child to help her…
“It’s fine, jiejie is jiejie! Otherwise, you’ll make me sound old, and I’ll be very unhappy!”
Xu Ou blinked, rarely showing a hint of her youthful playfulness.
Mother Lin looked at her friend’s expression, feeling nostalgic yet unavoidably bitter. But then she unconsciously smiled. Just as she was about to say something else, Xu Ou interrupted.
“Alright, alright, hurry up and get in the car! There are so many people here.”
At these words, Lin Xinyuan and Mother Lin finally noticed the various gazes around them.
So, they were pulled by Xu Ou, their luggage placed in the trunk, and they quickly got into the car.
The vehicle soon started and drove out of the crowded road.
On the way, the atmosphere was quite silent at first.
Just as the girl inevitably started feeling a bit awkward, Xu Ou, who was driving from the driver’s seat, finally spoke. She glanced at Mother Lin through the rearview mirror.
“A-Xin, come work at my shop from now on…”
When she reconnected with the other and learned about her recent situation, she had this idea. So, she asked her to quit her job and come to Tianbei City to find her.
Originally, Mother Lin was unwilling. In the end, it was only after she insisted, using the reason of not having seen each other for many years, that her friend agreed.
“No, I’ll find other work…”
Mother Lin shook her head; she didn’t want to trouble Xu Ou.
She quit her job not only to see the other and properly apologize once but also because she had some thoughts about developing here.
After all, in that small town in the third-tier city of Zhannan, even in a large shopping mall, the income was limited; it simply couldn’t be very high.
No matter what her daughter’s future holds or what she thinks… she still wanted to leave a sum of money for Lin Xinyuan, wanted to see her get married… have children… then this life would have no regrets…
That’s why she decided to come up and take a look, to find a job similar to her previous store manager position.
With her years of work experience, finding a position in a smaller shop shouldn’t be too difficult.
But she hadn’t expected the other to bring this up.
Mother Lin knew her good friend was now living a very comfortable and happy life, but she still didn’t want to trouble her.
Seeing her attitude, Xu Ou just smiled and didn’t dwell on the topic further. Instead, she talked about other things to ease the awkwardness.
Anyway, she had ways to make the other stay. After all… she knew that beneath A-Xin’s cool exterior was an extremely soft heart…
If not for that incident… A-Xin would still be the carefree A-Xin…
Unconsciously, they entered the university town, and the vehicle stopped at the gate of Tianbei University.
After dropping the girl off, the two were also about to leave. Since they were both in Tianbei, they could meet anytime later, so there was no need for excessive formalities.
“Mom, Ou-jie, I’m heading to school now!”
Lin Xinyuan’s steps were quite cheerful as she got out of the car directly.
Just thinking about finally being able to see Feng Ge and Li Tang and the others made her very happy.
But this cheerful appearance of the girl, in Mother Lin’s eyes, was something else entirely.
She gazed at the girl, noticing an unconscious hint of charm in her brows and eyes. She already had a rough idea in her heart.
But she didn’t say anything on the spot…
“Bring those two good friends of yours to Ou-jie’s place to play when you have time!”
“Okay…”
Having just watched the white sedan drive away, Lin Xinyuan pulled her suitcase towards the school gate.
But before she could take more than a few steps, just as she was thinking of sending a message to Li Tang, who had already arrived at school, her phone suddenly vibrated.
[Take safety precautions.]
The message was from her mother, who had just left. Just six simple words, yet they caused the girl to freeze instantly.
Wh… what…
Mom found out…
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