Wu Yuxuan felt like a melon-farming badger at that moment, scurrying up and down the rows yet somehow unable to get a single bite of melon.
She desperately wanted to follow them and keep eating the melon, but she was terrified of Ji Siming and didn’t dare get close.
All she could do was watch helplessly as the Gu family’s car slowly pulled away into the snow.
Inside the car, Uncle Zhang was on high alert!
He didn’t dare raise the privacy partition, terrified that his young miss would get taken advantage of.
Even though this gentleman didn’t look like a bad guy, his young miss was so gorgeous, after all!
Better safe than sorry.
Sensing Uncle Zhang’s guarded stance, Ji Siming paid it no mind.
His phone buzzed with a notification, and he swiped his finger across the screen.
Ji Yaran (The Debt Collector): “Uncle, where on earth did you go? Didn’t you say you were coming to pick me up? I’m out here freezing like a stray dog!”
Ji Siming: “When did I ever say I was picking you up?”
Ji Yaran (The Debt Collector): “Grandpa said you went out, and he told me you went to [Haven]!”
Ji Siming: “Mn, I went, but not to pick you up.”
Ji Yaran (The Debt Collector): “Then who are you picking up?”
Lowering his gaze to look at the young woman sleeping in his arms, Ji Siming leisurely typed back four characters: “Your little aunt.”
Ji Yaran (The Debt Collector): “?????????”
Holy cow, she knew her uncle had been acting weird lately—he’d even dressed up like a peacock just to go teach a class!
Shocked into silence for a few seconds, Ji Yaran frantically clicked the video call button, desperate to get a look at her little aunt!
Anticipating that she would call, Ji Siming had already powered off his phone the moment he finished sending the text.
And just like that, the entrance of [Haven] gained yet another melon-farming badger frantically scurrying about with no melon to eat.
Yun Qingwu had fallen into a deep slumber, her hand slipping down from around his neck.
While Ji Siming wouldn’t have minded carrying her all the way back inside, the timing wasn’t right; carrying someone up to the house like that out of the blue would be a bit presumptuous.
He had Uncle Zhang pull the car over, adjusted the seat recliner so she could lie down comfortably, tucked her coat neatly around her, draped a blanket over her, and stepped out of the vehicle.
Uncle Zhang offered repeated words of gratitude: “Sir, thank you so much for your help today.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Standing in the wind and snow, Ji Siming watched the Gu family’s car pull away. Moments later, a Cullinan pulled up before him, and he opened the door and climbed inside.
The two cars headed off in opposite directions.
Watching that distant vehicle gradually fade from view, the corners of Ji Siming’s lips curved upward.
Long time no see, Ah Wu.
With the roads slick from snow, Uncle Zhang drove at a careful, slow pace.
By the time they reached home, the alcohol had worn off somewhat, leaving Yun Qingwu feeling a bit more sober.
She rubbed her temples and sat up, her head still feeling a bit muddled.
The blizzard was fierce, so she wrapped the blanket around herself as she got out of the car. After taking a few steps, a series of bizarre memories suddenly flashed through her mind.
The 2D paper-cutout man from her manga had apparently come to life; she seemed to have seen Ah Ming, hugged him, and his waist was ridiculously thin!
Wait, there was no Ah Ming!
It was Ji Siming!!!
Good grief.
What on earth had she gone and done?
Blushing fiercely, Yun Qingwu drifted into the house like a restless spirit.
Lin Lan hurried over at once. “Sweetie, did you drink too much? Why do you look so out of it?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine, just a little dazed from the drinks.”
“Alright then. Here, drink this hangover soup quickly.” Lin Lan hung up her coat and gently brushed a few snowflakes off her hair.
Yun Qingwu’s thoughts instantly snapped back into focus. Ever since she turned of age, the household had permitted her to drink.
Yet, fearing she would feel unwell afterwards, Lin Lan always stayed up to brew a fresh batch of hangover soup at home whenever she went out.
All the maternal warmth she had missed out on during her childhood had been provided by Lin Lan. Though not her biological mother, Lin Lan gave her boundless, unconditional favoritism.
She finished the soup and threw her arms around Lin Lan. “Auntie, thank you for waiting up. Go get some rest now, love you, goodnight!”
“Goodnight, sweetie~” Lin Lan stroked her cheek with a motherly smile before heading upstairs.
After taking a shower in her room, Yun Qingwu felt even more clear-headed.
So what if she was drunk and mistook him for her 2D anime creation and went around hugging him? He hadn’t been drunk—so why hadn’t he pushed her away?
And not only did he not push her away, he actually carried her!
Whatever happened to that unapproachable high-and-cold flower persona?
She plugged her dead phone into the charger, and the moment it booted up, she was greeted by a barrage of unread messages from Wu Yuxuan.
She quickly sent back a message telling her to hold on for a second, then dialed Uncle Zhang’s number. “Uncle Zhang, about… what happened between me and that man earlier…”
Uncle Zhang: “Miss, you were holding onto him with a death grip and refused to let go, which is why he reluctantly gave you a ride. You were still clinging to his neck even after getting into the car.”
“Fortunately, the gentleman is a complete gentleman and didn’t pull any out-of-line stunts.”
Yun Qingwu: “…”
Aish, damn it!
Since when was her tolerance for alcohol this disastrously bad?!
“It’s nothing, Uncle Zhang, goodnight.”
She massaged her throbbing temples. So it turned out she was the one harboring illicit intentions all along.
Alcohol really does ruin everything!
She took a few sips of warm water just as Wu Yuxuan pinged her with another wave of texts.
Xuanxuan: “Babe, what is going on!! What is going on between you and Professor Ji?! [Bao Gong meme]”
Xuanxuan: “Why aren’t you replying? If you don’t text back, I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight!”
Xuanxuan: “Babe, my precious, did you make it home safely?”
Xuanxuan: “It’s been an hour and forty-five minutes, you guys didn’t end up taking the highway out of town, did you?”
…
Yun Qingwu’s lips twitched, genuinely impressed by her best friend’s wild imagination.
Crumpling into her blankets and hugging a plush toy, she typed out a reply: “Home. Just finished my shower.”
Wu Yuxuan: “What on earth is going on between the two of you?”
Yun Qingwu: “To be completely honest, that was only the second time I’ve ever seen him.”
Wu Yuxuan: “On your second meeting you went full [‘Ah Ming, hug~’], and on your second meeting the high-and-cold flower stepped down off his pedestal all on his own without you even chasing him?”
Yun Qingwu: “I was drunk and mistook him for someone else, hence the hug. As for why he carried me… well, let’s just say your girl’s charm is simply irresistible. I treated him like a professor, but he treated me like a goddess, tsk~”
Wu Yuxuan: “…”
Left with a melon that was half-rotten and completely unclear, Wu Yuxuan felt thoroughly unsatisfied.
Yet Yun Qingwu didn’t look like she was lying, so she had no choice but to head to bed with a brain full of unresolved question marks.
Saturday dawned—the day Gu Yi was bringing Zhuang Wan over to the house.
Having overindulged the night before, Yun Qingwu didn’t wake up until well past noon.
She lazily got up and washed up. No matter how she had slept last night, a stubborn tuft of hair on the crown of her head was sticking straight up and refused to be pressed down.
Besides, today wasn’t her arena; she had no desire to steal the spotlight, so she casually threw on an outfit and headed downstairs.
Even though the Gu family was part of Lingcheng’s high society, Lin Lan and Gu Jian had eloped for love back in the day, meaning they never interfered in their children’s romantic lives.
Though Gu Yi had dated in the past, this was his very first time bringing a girl home, so both parents were treating it with great importance.
Yawning as she walked down from the third floor, she spotted Gu Yi and Zhuang Wan sitting together on the living room sofa from afar.
Gu Yi lounged lazily against the cushions, holding his phone in one hand while his other hand held Zhuang Wan’s, resting it on his thigh.
If it were yesterday, seeing this sight would undoubtedly have made her stomach churn.
But now, having undergone desensitization therapy via their kissing video, even if the two of them started making out right in front of her right now, she could happily start clapping for them.
She stood there for a moment before Zhuang Wan suddenly looked up and spotted her.
Yun Qingwu raised a hand in a light, casual wave. “Hello, sister-in-law.”
Zhuang Wan offered a shy, bashful smile. “Hello.”
Noticing her coming down, Lin Lan stood up and reached out to press down the stubborn tuft of hair sticking up on her head. “Sweetie, you drank so much yesterday, does your head hurt?”
“Not at all~” Yun Qingwu picked up an orange from the bowl, peeling it as she comfortably curled up in the corner of the sofa.