Although she couldn’t search the room, Xia Mengxi, who was sitting on the carpet, didn’t waste time waiting for Lin Xue’er to arrive.
Instead, she used her position as the center point and scanned the room’s layout in a 360-degree rotation.
After this thorough inspection, several noteworthy spots caught her attention.
For example… the bed adorned with plush toys larger than her own body, the strikingly eye-catching plush toy display cabinet, the bookshelf with miscellaneous items piled on the bottom shelf, and the desk that seemed to hold what might be a diary.
The uncertainty about the last item stemmed from the fact that during her previous captivity, Xia Mengxi had seen Lin Xue’er’s writings.
Well… it wasn’t exactly a diary, just psychological musings from her darker side.
But it did indicate that Lin Xue’er might have the habit of keeping a diary.
To maximize efficiency in the shortest time possible, Xia Mengxi mentally prioritized the suspicious spots she’d observed.
Just as she finalized her action plan, a familiar voice sounded from outside the door.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Xiao Xi.”
Turning toward the voice, she saw Lin Xue’er entering the room carrying a tray.
Noticing this, Xia Mengxi wanted to help, but before she could fully stand up, Lin Xue’er had already reached the low table in front of her.
“Xue’er, what delicious treats did you make?”
“These are osmanthus cakes I made myself. Here, Xiao Xi, try my handiwork.”
Osmanthus cakes… It wasn’t as if she’d never had them before.
During her captivity, she’d already sampled the full range of Lin Xue’er’s culinary skills—so much so that her cooking had literally captured Xia Mengxi’s stomach.
But when she took a small bite now, she noticed something odd about the flavor.
Curious, she voiced her question to Lin Xue’er.
“Xue’er, this osmanthus cake tastes really mild… Did you forget to add sugar?”
“I used less sugar because I was thinking about your health.”
“…..”
Truly, this was Lin Xue’er at her best! Gentle, considerate, meticulous, and thoughtful.
Indeed, spending time with Lin Xue’er in her normal state was truly a blessing.
The so-called feeling of being moved didn’t always require grand gestures-Lin Xue’er’s small, considerate actions right now were proof enough.
It was precisely because of this that Xia Mengxi could treat the normal Lin Xue’er differently from her darker counterpart.
Otherwise, if Lin Xue’er’s personality hadn’t been so inherently warm, she definitely wouldn’t have been able to remain this calm around her today.
“By the way, Xiao Xi, what did you want to play?”
“Huh?”
Lin Xue’er’s question froze Xia Mengxi mid-action.
When she’d initially suggested coming over, her sole focus had been gathering information about Lin Xue’er.
As for what they’d actually do at her house-she honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead!
But quick thinking saved her.
With an embarrassed expression, she said, “Xue’er, you know it’s been so long since I last visited your place, so I didn’t really plan what we’d do after arriving.”
“Is that so… That’s okay, Xiao Xi. You don’t need a specific reason to come over. Since we don’t have plans, let’s just enjoy these sweets and some juice for now.”
Xia Mengxi silently scoffed in her heart at Lin Xue’er’s words: she really only went to Lin Xue’er’s house when she had something specific to do.
After all, her frail body had endured a full day of classes and was already exhausted.
If not for wanting to quickly gather information about the other girl, she would have been at home preparing for a bath and then bed by now-not pointlessly visiting Lin Xue’er’s place.
But should she really maintain this atmosphere until the right moment arrived?
It wasn’t impossible.
During the time she had been imprisoned by Lin Xue’er, she had grown accustomed to this kind of interaction.
However, the person before her now wasn’t the “blackened” version of Lin Xue’er.
She thought she could find something to engage with— not only to pass the agonizing time but perhaps also to glean more information about Lin Xue’er.
After a moment of thought, Xia Mengxi lifted her gaze from the low table and idly scanned the room’s layout.
Then, when her eyes landed on the lower part of the bookshelf, she deliberately feigned surprise, stood up, and walked over for a closer look.
“Huh? Isn’t this a board?”
She brushed the dust off a rectangular wooden slab, noticing evenly spaced lines carved into it.
She then unfolded the slab, revealing a complete board before her.
Next, beside where the board had been placed, she found two small wooden containers-one holding black stones and the other white stones.
It was a Go set.
“Xue’er! How about we play Gomoku instead?”
Though she didn’t know how to play Go, Xia Mengxi was familiar with other games.
She turned around, meeting Lin Xue’er’s gaze with expectant eyes.
“…Mm, sure.”
Something was off.
Xia Mengxi could clearly see Lin Xue’er’s hesitation at her invitation.
Moreover, the response had been somewhat perfunctory.
Her intuition told her there must be some story between Lin Xue’er and this Go set.
Did Lin Xue’er dislike playing?
After all, the board was covered in dust, suggesting she hadn’t touched it in a long time.
But… if she disliked it, why would she have bought it in the first place?
Unless… she hadn’t acquired it willingly?
Recalling her earlier speculations about Lin Xue’er’s family environment-based on the assumption that one or both of her parents had obsessive cleanliness-could it be that they had wanted to cultivate Lin Xue’er into a well-rounded talent, forcing her to learn Go against her will?
Hmm…That was highly possible.
After all, if parents were picky, they might also be strict with their children, pushing them to learn all sorts of things.
That would make perfect sense.
But then Xia Mengxi reconsidered.
If that were truly the case, Lin Xue’er’s parents would never have allowed this Go set to gather dust…
It seemed she needed to probe further.
To test her theory, Xia Mengxi deliberately lost the next game and then looked at Lin Xue’er with a pout.
“Ah! Xue’er, you’re so good at this! It’s like you’ve been playing for years—you’re totally bullying me!”
“Not at all. You know I’ve never learned to play. Winning was just… luck.”
Lin Xue’er was led by her words to realize one thing—she had never formally studied chess, which meant her assumption was flawed.
What kind of story, then, lay between the other party and the game of Go?
Xia Mengxi was eager to uncover the truth, but unfortunately, she couldn’t think of a good way to do so.
For now, she had no choice but to set the matter aside.