Just like a mother worried about checking if her child is hurt, Su Yuening gently lifted Xiaoxi’s collar, exposing a faint mark.
“Xiaoxi, what happened here?” Su Yuening’s tone was full of concern. “Did you really just start dating? Isn’t this a bit too fast?”
Xiao Keke almost burst out laughing, barely managing to swallow her food in time.
Oh, Sis, Sis, if you two are going to put on a show, at least go all the way! What’s the harm in holding back for just one night?
Sitting beside them, Ye Xinglan lowered her head, guiltily focusing on her food… If she’d known, she would have gone easier with Xiaoxi last night.
She didn’t expect to get caught over something like this!
But—but this wasn’t really her fault, right? It was all because Xiaoxi was too seductive last time… Ahem, anyone would’ve found it hard to resist.
Xiaoxi instinctively shrank her neck in fear, but quickly recovered and waved her hand nonchalantly.
“Ugh, Mom, you’re overthinking. This is just a mosquito bite from last night. There are a lot of mosquitoes in our new apartment, right, Xinglan?”
Ye Xinglan nodded. She did have similar mosquito bites herself, though they were in places not convenient to show others.
Honestly, she just liked the feeling of gently biting Xiaoxi’s neck.
That way, she could clearly hear Xiaoxi’s increasingly rapid breathing, and, through that thin layer of skin, feel the thumping of her pulse with her tongue… It kind of felt like being a vampire.
Ah? Come to think of it, she really was like a mosquito then, wasn’t she?
“But it’s winter now. Where would the mosquitoes come from?”
“Well…”
Only then did Xiaoxi realize that her usual excuse wouldn’t work this time.
Before she could think of another one, Su Yuening had already launched the next round of questioning.
She took Xiaoxi’s hand and rubbed it gently, speaking softly, “And I remember the last time we ran into each other at the mall, you and Xinglan were both wearing rings on your right Nameless Fingers—those were Couple Rings, weren’t they?”
“If you really only started dating the day before coming back to North Blossom City, there wouldn’t have been time to buy Couple Rings, right?”
“Of course, that’s just a guess, not proof. But why is it that today, when you two came home, neither of you were wearing them? It’s almost as if… you’re deliberately pretending you only just got together and aren’t that close yet.”
Xiaoxi started to sweat.
She really had told Ye Xinglan not to wear the Couple Rings today to make their act more convincing, but she didn’t expect her mom to be this observant!
“Xiaoxi—” Su Yuening said with a smile, “when exactly did you and Xinglan start dating?”
At that moment, Xiaoxi was staring down at her meal, chewing as slowly as possible to buy herself time to think.
The most important thing was to look calm… Quick, come up with something!
“Xinglan, what do you think? Did you and our Xiaoxi really just get together?”
“Eh? Um… Y-yes!”
Suddenly called out, Ye Xinglan got a bit tongue-tied. Why did it feel like Su Yuening knew so much about relationships?
She’d even noticed that detail about them both wearing rings on their Nameless Fingers last time!
It’s over—
Xiaoxi’s heart filled with despair. Sure enough, Su Yuening didn’t press further; she just looked at Xiaoxi with a trace of displeasure at the corners of her mouth.
“Mom, I was wrong…”
Xiaoxi gave up trying to argue. All her forced calm earlier had been for nothing; as a rich young lady, her ability to lie under pressure really wasn’t great.
She’d known this since she was little—her mom could always see right through her at this level.
That’s why, after awakening as the Eternal Star, Xiaoxi had trained herself to stay completely calm when making things up.
That’s how she hadn’t exposed her identity until now.
Su Yuening patted Xiaoxi on the head. “Setting everything else aside, how could I not know the difference between a mosquito bite and a hickey? Besides, think about it—I’ve been married to your mom for so many years, and our relationship’s always been close. Honestly…”
Ye Xinglan was shocked. Whoa, so that’s how it is! So Mom really learned from experience, huh!
“So, when did you and Xinglan get together?”
“A f-few months ago, during summer, I guess.”
“Eh—so it’s already been that long? Looks like you two really do get along well. That’s wonderful~”
Though Su Yuening’s words were playful, there was a mysterious, chilling undertone to her smiling expression.
Now we’re done for… Ye Xinglan glanced at Xiaoxi, worried.
But surprisingly, Su Yuening didn’t blow up at the table.
The atmosphere stayed relaxed and cheerful… Strange, Xiaoxi said her mom was scary when she got mad.
“Mom isn’t the type to scold us at the table,” Xiao Keke leaned over and whispered in Ye Xinglan’s ear.
“She also doesn’t like scolding people in public. But after the meal, who knows? Just gotta wish Sis good luck.”
Sure enough, Xiaoxi ended up chewing her food so slowly that she nearly developed a new habit.
But eventually, the meal came to an end, and, as expected, the moment she finished, Su Yuening instantly appeared behind her—just like the Red Hood Ghost.
“Let’s go, Xiaoxi. Come to my room and chat for a bit, okay?”
Ye Xinglan grew nervous, standing up instinctively. After all, she’d lied together with Xiaoxi. Didn’t that make her an accomplice?
“Don’t be so nervous, Xinglan. This doesn’t really concern you. Xiaoxi just pulled you into lying with her, didn’t she?”
Ignoring Xiaoxi’s desperate gaze, Ye Xinglan thought to herself… Huh, maybe Mom is actually pretty nice.
“Alright, Keke, you take Xinglan and play outside for a while. Mom’s going to have a little chat with your sister about her tiny problems with hiding her relationship and telling lies~”
Watching as Su Yuening hauled Xiaoxi into the room by the back of her collar like a mother hen carrying a chick, the two of them silently prayed for Xiaoxi.
Before long, Xiaoxi’s genuine pleas for forgiveness could be faintly heard from within the room.
“Mom, I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean it. I was just so busy lately, I forgot to tell you.”
“Oh, I see. Our Xiaoxi’s really grown up now, huh? Got herself a good job, found a beautiful girlfriend, and now she’s forgotten all about Mom?”
“No, no, Mom, that’s not what I meant!”
“I know I was wrong! Mom, I really know I was wrong!”
Now Xiaoxi was full of regret, truly regretting it—how could she have forgotten to tell her mom something as important as getting a girlfriend?
As Xiaoxi’s pleas for mercy drifted out from the room, Xiao Keke calmly hooked her arm around Ye Xinglan’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Sis Xinglan. Let’s go sit in my room for a bit. I’ll show you my collection of Eternal Star merchandise.”
Ye Xinglan: “?”
Actually, she felt like eavesdropping a little longer would have been pretty nice, too.