Two o’clock… Three o’clock…
Mu Qingxue checked her Friend List almost every ten minutes. It was already three o’clock, so why hadn’t she logged in yet? Did eating lunch really take two hours?
She wanted to log off and ask, but she was afraid the other girl would find her naggy or annoying.
At 3:10 PM, Mu Qingxue refreshed her Friend List again. Chen Xiaoyan’s ID was still gray.
‘Sigh, I’ll just log off and ask. If I don’t get a clear answer, I’ll keep feeling restless.’
Just as Mu Qingxue was about to close the Friend List interface, a change in an ID’s color caught her attention.
**[Qian Renxue (Online)]**
‘Oh, Yaoyao is on.’
Mu Qingxue: “Yaoyao, what is Xiao Yan doing? She hasn’t logged into the game yet.”
Qian Renxue: “Missy, the great Xiaoyan told me to get online and tell you that she has some business to attend to. She’s taking a leave of absence and won’t be on the game this afternoon.”
Mu Qingxue: “???”
Mu Qingxue: “She needs to take a leave of absence?”
Qian Renxue: “It seems like a relative of hers has arrived.”
‘Yan Bao’s relative?’
Mu Qingxue’s eyes immediately lit up, and she hurried to ask.
Mu Qingxue: “Do you know which relative it is?”
Qian Renxue: “I’m not entirely sure. I only heard that the great Xiaoyan was acting very close with an Auntie. Oh, right, she told me to clean up the first floor for the Auntie to stay for a few days, but in the end, I don’t know why, she decided not to stay there.”
Mu Qingxue: “Yaoyao, the next time someone comes to see Xiao Yan, remember to notify me immediately, do you understand?”
Qian Renxue: “Understood.”
Mu Qingxue: “Alright, I’ll talk to you on Penguin after I log off.”
Afterward, Mu Qingxue called Qiu Xue, who was also in the game, and they exited together. On Penguin, she created a discussion group and added Qiu Xue and Qian Renxue.
Mu Qingxue: “Lingling, send the photo of Xiao Yan’s relative so Yaoyao can identify her. Let’s see which relative came to visit.”
Qiu Xue: “Missy, is this really okay?”
Qian Renxue: “Yeah, Missy, if the Boss finds out, she’ll definitely be angry.”
Mu Qingxue: “Why do you think I created a three-person discussion group? (smiling face) If word gets out, then the two of you are the moles.”
Qiu Xue: “(wiping sweat) My apologies for being blunt.”
Qiu Xue: [File]
Qian Renxue opened the file, took a look, and replied immediately: “It’s the second one.”
Qiu Xue: “Missy, isn’t the second one Chen Xiaoyan’s mother?”
Mu Qingxue fell into deep thought as she looked at their replies, recalling what Chen Xiaoyan had told her in the greenhouse a few days ago.
‘Forget it, Yan Bao. I’ll wait for you to tell me yourself.’
However, even if she didn’t want to pry further, Yan Bao’s relative was effectively her own relative. Since she had come to Qingzhou, how could she not go visit and show her face?
As long as she built up a good impression with Yan Bao’s family, her future path would be very smooth, and her chances would be much greater than theirs.
‘Hehe, that’s the plan.’
Mu Qingxue: “Lingling, book a flight to Qingzhou. Right now.”
Qiu Xue: “Okay, I’ll go book two of the earliest tickets immediately.”
Mu Qingxue: “Lingling, you don’t need to come. Tell Qianqian to come. You stay on the game and prepare for tomorrow’s Guild War.”
Qiu Xue: “Missy, I’m worried (pouting).”
Mu Qingxue: “You’re still worried even with Qianqian there? That’s final.”
Qiu Xue: “Alright then.”
—
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Chen Xiaoyan was accompanying Deng Xiaoxiao through the vegetable market. After spending nearly an hour, they finally walked out carrying several large bags.
“Daughter, Mom is treating you to this meal. Why did you insist on paying?”
Chen Xiaoyan was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and blue denim shorts. Although her clothes were simple, they couldn’t hide her charm. Those snowy-white, long legs shimmered under the sun, capturing everyone’s attention. Along the way, her head-turn rate was nearly 100%.
“Mom, you came all the way to Qingzhou. How could I let you pay?” Chen Xiaoyan pouted and retorted.
Deng Xiaoxiao looked at her helplessly. “Fine, Mom can’t win against you.”
Chen Xiaoyan felt a bit smug. She hadn’t expected her usually forceful mother to have moments where she was speechless.
They hailed a taxi and returned to the apartment complex. Coincidentally, several housewives who were bringing their children home from school were passing by. Seeing Chen Xiaoyan and Deng Xiaoxiao walking into the complex with large bags, they all brought their children over to greet her. They were trying to show their faces and establish a presence in front of this new Landlady.
“Good afternoon, Miss Chen. I’m Wu Qiuyan from unit 605 in the left building. This is my son. Come, Ranran, say hello to the older sister. Good afternoon.”
The child was also very well-behaved. He ran happily to Chen Xiaoyan’s side, hugged her leg, and looked up, saying in a milky voice, “Sister, good afternoon!”
Chen Xiaoyan squatted down and smiled as she patted the child’s head. “Good afternoon, Ranran.”
“Sister, you’re so pretty. Can I marry you when I grow up?”
As soon as those words were spoken, the air went still.
A calico cat lying on a tree near the entrance saw this scene, let out a “Meow,” and wiped its eyes with its paw. It practically couldn’t bear to watch.
Wu Qiuyan pulled her son back with an embarrassed expression, apologizing with a smile, “I’m so sorry, Miss Chen. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Chen Xiaoyan twitched her lips and shook her head with a smile. “It’s fine. He’s just a child.”
“Good afternoon, Miss Chen. I’m Hu Yi from unit 402 in the left building.”
“Miss Chen, I’m Tan Li from unit 205 in the center building.”
Chen Xiaoyan nodded in response to each of them. She basically recognized these older sisters, but they didn’t recognize her. Deng Xiaoxiao stood to the side in deep thought, not interrupting them.
“Sisters, I have some things to do, so I’ll be heading off first. Let’s chat later.”
“Alright, goodbye Miss Chen.”
“Goodbye.”
After much effort, Chen Xiaoyan finally escaped. These women were a bit too enthusiastic. A month ago, they had ignored her, but in the blink of an eye, they had become so warm, talking as if they had known her for over ten years.
‘How incredibly realistic.’
After a moment of sentiment, Chen Xiaoyan returned to Deng Xiaoxiao’s side.
“Mom, sorry for the wait. Let’s go up.”
“Daughter, it seems like those people are trying to flatter you.”
“Not really. My friend is the Landlady of the apartment. They aren’t flattering me, but rather that friend of mine.”
“Is it that little girl who was wearing those strange clothes earlier? I remember the Landlady here was an older woman.”
“Not anymore, Mom. My friend bought the apartment. Yaoyao was sent by that friend to manage it. Also, those aren’t strange clothes; it’s a Maid Uniform,” Chen Xiaoyan explained, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Deng Xiaoxiao was greatly perplexed. She shook her head slightly and muttered to herself, “I’m old. I don’t quite understand you young people.”
“That friend of yours… she must be very rich?”
“Yes, she is indeed very wealthy.”
“Oh… I see.” Deng Xiaoxiao looked troubled. She hesitated for a moment before slowly asking, “Daughter, Mom wants to ask one more thing. Is that friend of yours a man or a woman?”
“She’s a woman, of course.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Deng Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.
‘Good for what?’
Chen Xiaoyan was also left confused by her mother.
“Xiaoyan-jie.”
As soon as they went upstairs, they saw Qian Renxue standing in front of the door.
“Yaoyao, why are you standing outside? Why didn’t you go in?”
“I have something to tell you.” After saying that, Qian Renxue pointedly glanced at Deng Xiaoxiao.
Deng Xiaoxiao’s social intuition wasn’t low either. She immediately understood the girl’s meaning and took the groceries from Chen Xiaoyan’s hands.
“Daughter, you two chat. I’ll go inside and get ready to kill the chicken.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mom.”
“You girl, you’re not allowed to be so polite with your mother from now on.” Deng Xiaoxiao was quite dissatisfied and gave her a glare.
Chen Xiaoyan gave a silly grin. “Hehe, okay, I got it. I promise not to be polite with you in the future.”
“A child worth teaching.”
“Mom, you’re using fancy idioms again.”
“Mom feels like it.”
After Deng Xiaoxiao left, Chen Xiaoyan pulled Qian Renxue toward the stairs.
“Yaoyao, what is it?”
“Xiaoyan-jie, the Missy is coming.”
“Eh?” Chen Xiaoyan was immediately stunned.
Wasn’t Qingxue in the game? Why did she suddenly come to Qingzhou?
“What happened? Why is she coming over?”
“I told the Missy that a relative of yours had arrived. She wanted to come over and say hello.”
Chen Xiaoyan’s mouth twitched.
Good grief, this girl was a total mole. But then again, she was Qingxue’s person to begin with, so reporting back was perfectly normal.
So, how was she supposed to handle this next part? Given the speed of a plane, she would be in Qingzhou in two or three hours at most. It was only 4:30 PM now; she definitely wouldn’t be able to wait until her mother left. It seemed she would have to have a talk with her mom.
Seeing Chen Xiaoyan’s distressed look, Qian Renxue felt uneasy.
“I’m sorry, Xiaoyan-jie, but when the Missy asked, I couldn’t hide it.”
“It’s fine. Didn’t Yaoyao tell me the truth as well? It’s just as well. I bought quite a lot of food just now. It won’t be bad to have Qingxue come over so everyone can eat together,” Chen Xiaoyan said with a strained smile.
Her face was smiling, but her heart was cursing. If she ever got the chance, she would definitely send this girl away. She was practically a human surveillance camera.
“Then I’ll go inside and help the Auntie.” After saying that, Qian Renxue turned to return to 301.
“Don’t!” Chen Xiaoyan immediately pulled her back. “Yaoyao, I’ll handle the help. You go buy a few bottles of Wang Xiaoji and some coconut milk drinks.”
If she let her talk to her mother for even a few sentences, she would definitely be at risk of her secret identity being exposed. For safety first, it was best to send her away.
“Okay.” Qian Renxue didn’t refuse. Mu Qingxue’s orders were for her to take care of Chen Xiaoyan, so naturally, she would buy whatever was requested.
Qian Renxue went back to her room, changed her clothes, and went to the supermarket. Meanwhile, Chen Xiaoyan went to the kitchen to help Deng Xiaoxiao kill the chicken.