Next Time You Come Over

Seeing the extremely serious expression on Taozi's face, Ye Shuang ultimately didn't say anything more—he had no right to decide someone else's future. Perhaps he could offer guidance, but in the end, the days were for others to live.

"Your sisters have all come to Haizhu City?" Ye Shuang decided to change the subject and asked about Taozi's sisters.

"Yes, I'm currently renting a place outside to live with them," Taozi said. "Uncle Ye, would you like to visit?"

Perhaps because of the relationship between Ye Shuang and Fugui, Taozi had started calling Ye Shuang 'Uncle', but hearing it made Ye Shuang want to scratch his head.

Uncle?

First that An Shiyu, and now another person calling me uncle.

"Just call me 'brother' instead; 'uncle' sounds a bit awkward," Ye Shuang said with a smile.

"Okay, Brother Ye," Taozi nodded. Her well-behaved demeanor made Ye Shuang sigh inwardly, wishing An Shiyu could learn from her instead of calling him a 'perverted uncle' all the time.

He asked again, "Are your sisters all enrolled in schools in Haizhu City?"

"Yes, mother helped me arrange everything," Taozi nodded. Although the whole process was troublesome, her mother seemed to have some connections and manpower, quickly resolving all the difficulties.

"That's good too," Ye Shuang said. At the very least, Taozi wouldn't have to worry about living expenses.

As for the situation with her parents, Ye Shuang didn't intend to inquire further. After all, for Taozi, her own parents weren't figures worthy of praise, and some people truly don't deserve to be parents.

At this moment, Bai Yuyou and the others finished washing the dishes and came to sit in the living room. The group chatted casually, which was quite pleasant, and Taozi blended in well with Bai Yuyou and the others.

"This is nice too," Ye Shuang thought, watching the girls chatting and laughing. He turned to glance at Fugui beside him.

"Hmph."

A little after 2 PM, An Shiyu seemed to be getting bored and stood up to leave. "I'm off."

"An Shiyu, wait, let's go shopping together later," Keke said, perhaps still feeling a bit guilty about the earlier water allergy incident.

"What's fun about shopping? Pass~" An Shiyu changed her shoes and left without looking back.

"She's gone," Keke said.

"Yeah," Bai Yuyou also nodded.

"Yuyou, what do you think An Shiyu actually likes? Should I get her a gift to apologize?" Tang Keke muttered. She never imagined someone could actually be allergic to water.

Keke would probably wake up in the middle of the night, slap herself, and say, "I'm the worst."

Although it was fake, Tang Keke likely would never get the chance to know that.

"You could give her some games," Ye Shuang offered with a slight smile. That An Shiyu played all sorts of games in various ways back in the school clinic.

She played a lot of online games too, basically just spending money, getting bored, and quitting.

"Oh, right, that makes sense. I have her account as a friend," Tang Keke thought about buying some games for her.

Bai Yuyou listened curiously beside them. "Games..."

Bai Yuyou had hardly played any games, but her phone had built-in mobile games. One was a small game where you dug dirt with your finger to help a little crocodile take a bath, and another was a tower defense game about protecting a radish from being eaten.

"Yuyou, I'll take you to play games!" Keke suddenly raised her hand. "Such a good computer of yours is wasted just watching videos!"

"Oh?" Bai Yuyou didn't quite understand why a good computer was wasted on videos, but since Tang Keke said so, she didn't argue.

"Well then, I should be heading back too," Aunt Li said with a smile, standing up. "I have some things to take care of later."

"Then I should leave as well," Taozi followed.

"Won't you stay a bit longer?" Ye Shuang asked.

Taozi shook her head. "Brother Ye, I've already overstayed my welcome."

"Alright then," Ye Shuang didn't press further. "Come over to play often in the future."

Hearing this, Taozi showed a bright smile. "Yes, I will!"

After Fugui and Taozi left, Aunt Xian also slowly stood up.

"Then I'll be going back too."

Ye Shuang tried to persuade her to stay as well, but Aunt Xian still shook her head. For her, making progress in her relationship with her daughter today was already something satisfying enough.

Time couldn't mend the rift, but it could fade the scars.

"Aunt Xian, feel free to come over and visit when you have time," Ye Shuang said, seeing Aunt Xian to the elevator.

"I will, after all, my daughter is here," Aunt Xian said, then looked at Ye Shuang very seriously. "I won't pressure you about the engagement now, but I hope to see a result."

Before Ye Shuang could reply, Aunt Xian noticed Bai Yuyou walking over behind him.

"Girl, I'm going back now."

"Mm, goodbye," Bai Yuyou paused, then suddenly said softly, "You can come over next time."

Aunt Xian was stunned for a moment, suddenly turned her head away, and slightly raised her hand as if wiping the corner of her eye, her voice almost squeezed from her throat, "Okay."

As the elevator doors opened, she quickly stepped inside.

After Aunt Xian left, the house seemed to quiet down all at once.

The loneliness and even a sense of solitude that often follow lively gatherings set in, but fortunately, such feelings didn't last long for Ye Shuang. His attention soon shifted to Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke.

The two girls seemed to be about to play games. Although Ye Shuang occasionally played games too, he was curious about what these two would play.

"Let's go upstairs and take a look."

"Okay."

Up on the second floor, the two had already gone into the room. Ye Shuang planned to check on Chen Qin's situation.

"Huh?" He pushed open the guest room door but found Chen Qin wasn't inside.

After thinking for a moment, he walked to Bai Yuyou's room.

Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke were sitting together, fiddling with a game account. Ye Shuang glanced at the empty bed, then, as if realizing something, returned to his own room.

Just as he suspected, Chen Qin was already fast asleep in his bed. Covered by a light blanket, her chest rose and fell gently.

Yi Wan was sleeping on the floor, well-behaved like a guardian beast.

"Sleeping in my room," Ye Shuang couldn't help but murmur.

He then sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her for a moment.

She really must be exhausted, not even waking up when he entered the room.

"Huh?" Ye Shuang seemed to notice something and paused. His gaze fell on a neatly folded stack of clothes to the side. He recognized them; they were the clothes Chen Qin had been wearing earlier.

Chen Qin made an indistinct sound, turning slightly on her side, revealing a smooth shoulder and collarbone.

"This girl..." Seeing half a slime, Ye Shuang couldn't help but cough dryly.