Bai Jianlian cautiously pushed a door open just a crack, then leaned her head closer, her eyes darting around as she confirmed that no one was in the living room.
Only then did she sneak inside.
Once inside, she softly closed the door behind her and tiptoed into the living room, glancing at the rooms around it.
They were all shut tight, and there was no sound coming from any of them.
There really was no one here.
Now, Bai Jianlian was completely at ease.
She started rummaging through the house, and finally found a bottle of medicine tucked away inside a cabinet in the corner.
She took it along with a cotton swab and returned to her own room.
The whole process felt like she was a thief, terrified of being seen.
Back in her room, after shutting the door, Bai Jianlian double-locked it, unwilling to let anyone barge in without her permission.
Sitting down at the makeup table, she applied the medicine while staring into the mirror.
At first, she hadn’t wanted to come back.
She didn’t want her parents to see her like this—not because she thought they’d pity her, but because losing like this was humiliating.
If they saw her, they would surely wear worried, angry expressions.
And since this matter concerned Su, Bai Jianlian was even more reluctant to drag her parents into it.
Whether Bai Jianlian messed around at school or whatever else she did, the Bai Family Parents rarely interfered.
At most, they gave her gentle advice once or twice.
Of course, that advice never worked—Bai Jianlian would do whatever she wanted regardless.
But there was one bottom line for the Bai Family Parents: relationships between boys and girls.
Once that was involved, Bai Jianlian’s normally indulgent mother transformed into a completely different person.
Bai Jianlian had clashed with her mother over this once before, back in middle school.
She’d made a deal with a boy to attend the same school, and happily told her parents.
But when she received her Notification of Admission, it was for a completely different school than the one she’d applied for…
“She must have been forced. Her family hardly has anyone; she definitely fell into that woman’s trap by accident!”
Bai Jianlian looked at the pitiful girl in the mirror and gritted her teeth.
The thought that Su Yao might be suffering all kinds of terrible things at that woman’s hands grew worse and worse.
Bai Jianlian couldn’t help but want to snatch Su Yao back from Mu Nanqiu.
But she couldn’t beat her!
Where there had only been bruises and swelling on her face before, now the discolored patches had swollen completely, and combined with the smell of the medicine, every breath only fueled Bai Jianlian’s raging anger.
Who could do such a cruel thing? And how had they treated Su Yao?
She didn’t dare to imagine!
Recalling how Su Yao had resisted and dodged her before, and then how obediently she stayed in that woman’s arms, Bai Jianlian’s heart ached.
She barely remembered how she and Su Yao had met—it was a long time ago, so it was normal to forget.
But she remembered clearly how they parted.
Just a few months ago, she wanted to provoke Su Yao, so she stopped her after school, dragged her to a secluded place, and said she wanted to break up.
And then there was nothing more.
Su Yao just said “oh” and walked away.
Bai Jianlian was shocked at the time, thinking, “What does ‘oh’ even mean?”
But she didn’t want to be the one to take the initiative to beg her back, so she just watched Su Yao walk farther and farther away until she disappeared around the corner.
Bai Jianlian thought maybe Su Yao would regret it as she walked, so she waited and waited… but the result was…
Now, Bai Jianlian deeply regretted it.
Her dyed hair was a bit messy.
She lowered her head and rubbed her strands before placing both hands against her forehead.
Her eyes darkened as she muttered to herself.
“I have to snatch her back…”
“Go back and rest well. Remember, if anything happens, you must tell me. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you.”
Su Yao nodded firmly at Mu Nanqiu, ready to get off the car.
She placed her hand on the door handle and pulled, but it wouldn’t open. Mu Nanqiu still hadn’t unlocked the door.
Su Yao turned back to look at her.
At that moment, Mu Nanqiu spoke seriously.
“Your ex-girlfriend…”
!
“I promise there will be no contact at all. I’ll avoid her!”
Su Yao quickly replied, her eyes shining with determination as she looked at Mu Nanqiu, as if saying, “The Commanding Officer’s orders will definitely be carried out.”
Mu Nanqiu nodded in satisfaction.
After unlocking the door, Su Yao got out of the car and waved goodbye.
Mu Nanqiu hadn’t intended to leave so early—she’d even planned to hang out the whole day at first.
But during dinner, she’d gotten a call from home telling her she had to return this afternoon.
It concerned the Mu Family Patriarch.
Even though her parents had loosened their control over her considerably, this was non-negotiable.
Mu Nanqiu thought about whether to bring Su Yao with her.
But the idea was just a fleeting thought.
Bringing Su Yao would be inconvenient, and Su Yao wasn’t suited for that kind of environment.
Mu Nanqiu didn’t intend to let Su Yao meet her family.
If possible, she even wanted to find a place for Su in the Provincial Area, give her some pocket money every month, and occasionally go visit for a few days.
Once she reached her senior year, her schedule would be much freer, so she could often visit—even stay for a month or two.
She had no employment pressure.
Of course, this was just her own plan—one that completely ignored Su Yao’s feelings.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Mu Nanqiu suddenly coughed twice, stopping Su Yao from closing the car door.
The sparkling big eyes looked at Mu Nanqiu, filled with curiosity.
What was that about?
“Yao Yao, did you forget something?”
“?”
“What did I forget?”
Su Yao couldn’t remember for a moment.
She looked at Mu Nanqiu’s delicate face, furrowing her brows in thought.
Seeing that Su Yao still didn’t get it, Mu Nanqiu gave her a hint—tapping her cheek.
Su Yao immediately understood but seemed to misinterpret the meaning and praised Mu Nanqiu for looking beautiful today.
Her mouth twitched.
Mu Nanqiu smiled helplessly, then ordered, a little annoyed.
“Kiss me!”
“Huh? Oh!”
Only then did Su Yao realize, quickly climbed into the car, and leaned close to Mu Nanqiu.
Her thin lips brushed against Mu Nanqiu’s cheek.
The pleasant scent made her reluctant to pull away.
“See you tomorrow, Sister~”
“Mm, see you tomorrow, my good girl.”
Watching Su Yao flee, Mu Nanqiu touched the spot where she’d been kissed, smiling happily.
Being called sister by Beizhi didn’t faze her—it was her biological younger sister, after all.
But being called sister by Su Yao gave her a little thrill.
How strange.