Chapter Fifteen

With a snap.

The lollipop was bitten into pieces, and the rich grape flavor rushed up her gums to her brain. You Congxi subconsciously pressed the screen-off button, and the screen went black. She stared at herself on the screen.

Her nose stung with a needle-like ache. She blinked her dry eyes at the person on the screen, then looked away, turned her phone face down next to her, and hastily grabbed the water glass on the table and took a sip.

What?

Does this person have mind-reading abilities?

She slowly sipped her water, suppressing the emotions that were swirling in her throat, but couldn't help glancing at her phone lying face down out of the corner of her eye.

The tone was off?

Something's wrong; it's just her usual tone of voice.

Is it that obvious...?

You Congxi put down his water cup, the bottom of which tapped lightly on the solid wood table, making a soft sound.

The phone then vibrated.

You Congxi was about to reach for his phone, but stopped halfway through and put his hand back in his pocket.

I don't know how to respond to what he just said, what if he says something else...

What is it?

While swimming in the stream, I felt something fuzzy on my fingertips, tickling me, like the feeling of Shen Yue stroking me today—

stop.

When she came to her senses, she almost wanted to take her head off and turn it upside down to control herself.

She must be crazy; she must have caught it from Shen Yue after talking too much with him today.

You Congxi was taken aback when he took the soft, brush-like object out of his pocket with both hands.

Despite being crumpled in the pocket, it stubbornly remained in its original state.

It was a straw rabbit that Shen Yue gave her.

Realizing what had happened, it felt as if the thing had come to life and bitten her. Startled, You Congxi immediately pulled open the drawer and swept in all the other junk on the table.

She quickly closed the drawer door, then boldly opened her phone and went to WeChat, silently warning herself that Shen Yue had better not send her anything...

[DaiY: Did you cry because you found the essay writing too difficult?]

[DaiY: Hehe, your savior has arrived.]

[DaiY: Why aren't you replying to my messages? Are you too touched?]

You Congxi: "..."

She knew it.

【I am a fish: Get lost.】

[I am a fish: No need.]

Switching to the philosophy group chat, I found that Shen Yue had already been attacked once.

[Rat Poison Cookies: @Group admin, could you please kick out someone from this divisive group?]

【Feeling sleepy? Drink Jia Duo Bao: @Group admin, could you please kick out someone from that divisive group?】

【。：Okay. Please cast your vote.】

[: Members who agree to kick @黛y out of the group chat, please reply with 1]

【。 ：1】

[Rat Poison Cookies: 11]

Feeling sleepy? Drink Jia Duo Bao: 111

[Dai Y: Heaven is jealous of talent. Even if every one of you ostracizes me, my good friend @IamAFish will not aid and abet evil.]

【I am a fish: 11111】

[I am a fish: Sorry I'm late, I didn't check my phone.]

【Dai Y: . 】

【"Daiy" has been removed from the group chat】

Knock knock.

"Come in." You Congxi turned her head, the smile on her face still lingering.

Jing Ling was taken aback when he saw her expression, and lowered his voice: "Can Mom come in?"

You Congxi's relaxed facial muscles tensed up again. She got up and sat on the bed, offering the chair to Jing Ling.

Whether you're allowed in or not, you've already come in anyway.

You Congxi thought expressionlessly.

Jing Ling placed the cut fruit plate on the table, picked up a blueberry with a toothpick and gave it to You Congxi. Watching her put it in her mouth, he rubbed his hands together and smiled.

“Xiaoxi, I told David that we’ll have a baby after you finish your college entrance exam. Don’t worry, Mom will always be your mom. You are my first child, my own flesh and blood, the apple of my eye.”

Her mother still hasn't changed her habit of making mushy declarations of love whenever she feels guilty.

You Congxi was intently chewing on blueberries, staring blankly at a corner of the room.

Her father definitely couldn't say that, because men can't have children.

What did her dad say ten years ago?

Little Creek, don't worry, you are my firstborn child, the flesh and blood I longed for for ten months, the lifeblood of my father.

So, her father has two lives.

Born in the Year of the Snake?

"Cough cough"

You Congxi choked on the fruit he hadn't had time to swallow.

Jing Ling patted her back and complained, "Eat slowly, who's going to take it from you?"

After recovering, You Congxi asked out of the blue, "Mom, what's Dad's zodiac sign?"

Jing Ling paused in patting his back, then slowly withdrew his hand: "Who cares? Maybe it's a weasel."

"......"

The phone on the table rang once, right next to Jing Ling's hand. The screen lit up, and Jing Ling glanced at it as he handed it to You Congxi.

It looks like a girl's name.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered You Yuanming's words and the small note she had found in You Congxi's desk drawer.

After hesitating for a while, Jing Ling glanced at his daughter who was replying to a message with her head down, wanting to speak but not knowing how to start.

This is so worrying!

You Congxi was unaware that her mother was worried about her early romance. As she looked at the dozen or so text messages Shen Yue had sent her begging for forgiveness, the corners of her tightly pressed lips couldn't help but slowly turn up.

Eight minutes ago.

[Dai Y: You Congxi, how could you do this to me??]

[DaiY: Our friendship has just capsized like this???]

[Dai: I hate you!]

Five minutes ago.

[Dai: ...I was wrong.]

[Dai Y: Please, grandma, take me back!]

【Daiy: [Kitten bowing.jpg]】

【黛y: TT】

You Congxi's fingers twitched, asking him if he would dare to do it again next time. While typing, he heard Jing Ling say, "How are things going with your classmates at school?"

“That’s good,” You Congxi replied without looking up.

[Dai Y: I definitely won't dare again! Next time you tell me to go east, I'll never go west; if you tell me to beat a dog, I'll never chase a chicken!]

"Do you have a crush on any boys at school? Or are any boys pursuing you?"

You Congxi's lips stiffened.

"...No, why do you ask that?"

Jing Ling shoved the entire fruit platter into You Congxi's hands, secretly observing her expression: "Just asking. My daughter is so beautiful, there must be boys falling for her in her school uniform."

You Congxi's face darkened: "Mom."

"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore," Jingling coaxed her. "Mom is just worried about you getting hurt. Girls are different from boys; they can easily get hurt."

It's quite easy to get injured, especially the head.

You Congxi forked a piece of mango and put it in his mouth, his temples throbbing slightly.

“I didn’t date anyone early, and no one pursued me.” You Congxi handed the fruit plate back to Jing Ling, got up to see him off, and said, “You should also go to sleep early, after all, you’re getting on in years. Good night.”

"Hey, you brat," Jing Ling said, being pushed forward by her while holding the fruit platter. "What a waste of your pretty face, your mouth is so nasty."

"Hmm." You Congxi leaned against the door frame and lazily said goodbye to her elderly mother: "Suigen. You can go lie in bed and reflect on your actions. Bye-bye."

After saying that, he quickly closed and locked the door before Jing Ling could start the battle.

"......"

You Congxi opened her phone and pulled Shen Yue back into the group chat. Without looking at what they were talking about, she threw her phone on the bed and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

Water flowed from the showerhead onto her head, and in an instant, steam rose and mist swirled around her. You Congxi thought of Jing Ling, then David, then You Yuanming, and finally remembered Jing Ling's hesitant suspicion that she was in a relationship too early.

She turned off the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and almost laughed.

She wouldn't dare make any promises to Jingling about other things, but when it came to puppy love, her mother could rest assured. She would never be in a puppy love relationship; she didn't have that kind of inclination.

She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to fall in love with someone.

After drying her hair, You Congxi casually slipped on a loose nightgown, picked up her phone, and sat down at her desk to do her homework.

Although the number of subjects decreased after entering the second year of high school, the workload actually increased significantly. Just one weekend's homework resulted in a huge stack of test papers.

You Congxi is a student who possesses both talent and hard work. From the first day of school, the first thing she did after getting home was to do her homework, and only after that would she do anything else. Jing Ling and You Yuanming never put any effort into her studies.

But to say she's very hardworking wouldn't be accurate; she just has good study habits, a solid foundation, and is down-to-earth and not impetuous.

Before entering the third year of junior high school, she would basically not do any extra practice problems after finishing her homework. Like her peers, she preferred to spend the rest of her time scrolling through her phone, listening to music, or daydreaming and thinking about random things.

Sometimes, when she's in the mood, she'll sketch a few lines, and Qu Qi will enthusiastically praise her stick figures, saying they're like the Picasso of our time.

I pulled out a piece of scratch paper to work on my math test when my phone on the table vibrated.

You Congxi ignored him and continued working on his problems.

But the phone started vibrating wildly on the table like it was having a seizure, and it thrashed about on the ground like a dying fish. When You Congxi looked up, disturbed by the noise, the phone had already moved forward quite a distance, as if haunted.

You Congxi: "..."

It's best to prevent her from finding out who's spamming the screen.

Open WeChat, and you'll find the Philosophy Group with over 99 members.

"......"

She glanced at the time; it had been less than an hour since she last joined the group chat. Had these four people used all twenty fingers?

Scrolling up a bit, it's clear that Qu Qi and Shen Yue are the main force, He Qi is a fence-sitter and a straight man, and Yin Zixuan is a robot.

She wanted to ask that question again—

Are there any normal people left in this group?

【@All members, it's settled then. We'll meet at the City Bookstore in Wanyue City at 10:00 AM tomorrow.】

?

What do you mean, "it's all settled"?

What activity?

【Daiy patted me on the shoulder and said I'm a fish】

[DaiY: Please reply to this message as soon as you see it~]

You Congxi took the picture back expressionlessly.

[I am a fish: I didn't see it.]

Seeing You Congxi emerge, the others also became active.

[Rat Poison Cookies: What were you doing? You didn't send a single message.]

【Are you doing your homework?】

[When you're sleepy, drink Jia Duo Bao: How did you manage to bring Shen Yue back? Did he go and harass you?]

You Congxi paused in his drinking, put down the cup, and abruptly changed the subject.

[I am a fish: I didn't check my phone just now, what activities are there tomorrow?]

[Feeling sleepy? Drink Jia Duo Bao: Today, our Chinese teacher assigned a group creative project, and we've decided to meet up tomorrow to finish it.]

You Congxi racked his brains and remembered that his Chinese teacher had mentioned it briefly in class.

For some reason, she gets sleepy as soon as she starts Chinese class. Her eyelids start drooping as soon as the teacher steps into the classroom.

【I am a fish: OK】

She considered her plans for tomorrow and the amount of homework she had to do over the weekend, and decided to work late into the night tonight.

The screen, which was about to go dark, suddenly lit up.

You Congxi lowered his eyes.

[DaiY: @IamAFish Bring your Chinese test paper, I'll go over the composition with you tomorrow.]