"Hmm hmm!"
"Hmm hmm~"
Tang Qinqin cheerfully hummed an off-key tune as she left the hospital, her whole demeanor radiating newfound liveliness.
Or perhaps even more liveliness than before.
In stark contrast to Tang Qinqin's joy stood her older sister.
Tang Manman seemed distracted, her smile tinged with exhaustion and effort, as if it took considerable energy just to lift the corners of her lips.
As the two reached the hospital entrance, Tang Qinqin—clutching a small bag—suddenly spun around.
Facing the hospital, she stuck out her bottom, pulled down her lower eyelids with her fingers, stuck out her tongue, and wiggled her hips in a playful taunt.
"Bleh bleh bleh~~~"
"Stupid hospital!"
"Good riddance!!!"
After bidding this final farewell to the place that had confined her for nearly three years, Tang Qinqin turned away with a refreshed spirit, her every step exuding an air of liberation.
Beside her, Tang Manman couldn’t help but chuckle at her sister’s childish antics, her smile finally softening into something more genuine.
"Hehe."
Tang Qinqin glanced at her sister’s toothy grin and giggled.
"Sis, you’re finally smiling! You looked so unhappy earlier, I almost thought you didn’t want to come pick me up today."
Tang Manman shook her head with a faint smile and replied softly,
"No, it’s just... lately..."
She paused, her voice dropping even lower.
"I’ve been feeling a bit down."
"Feeling down?"
Tang Qinqin echoed, rolling her eyes in thought. After a moment, she looked up and asked,
"Why? Did Mom yell at you?"
"No."
Tang Manman shook her head.
"Then... is the family short on money again?"
Tang Qinqin’s voice grew cautious this time. She knew how much financial strain her three-year hospitalization had placed on the family, and the topic always filled her with guilt.
"No."
Tang Manman shook her head again. She tried to reach out and pat her sister’s head reassuringly, but her hands were too full of bags to lift that high.
She gave up.
If it wasn’t either of those...
Tang Qinqin—holding just one small bag—rested her free hand on her chin in thought before looking up again.
"Is it because of Lin Yu?"
"That Lin Yu you mentioned before?"
"..."
Tang Manman fell silent instantly. Her smile melted away like snow, and she turned her face slightly away, her voice suddenly weaker.
"No."
Then, abruptly, her tone shifted, laced with flustered irritation.
"Alright, stop asking random questions."
"There’s nothing wrong."
"It’s just..."
"Just..."
"Just some stress from school lately."
"Nothing else."
Tang Manman stumbled over her words.
Beside her, Tang Qinqin—who had observed every flicker of her sister’s reaction—could only sigh inwardly.
Silly sis.
At this point, you might as well have just said yes.
Having drawn her own conclusions, Tang Qinqin decided not to press further.
Clearly, her sister wasn’t going to spill anything.
I’ll ask Mom when we get home.
Or maybe Yu Kai.
And if neither of them tells me...
I’ll go find Lin Yu myself!
The thought made her curious.
What kind of person is Lin Yu, really?
Sis talks about him like he’s perfect, but Yu Kai makes him sound like the worst.
Hmm...
Guess I’ll have to see for myself...
...
The two arrived at the bus stop, lugging their bags.
As the bus approached in the distance, their hopeful expressions quickly soured.
It was the weekend, and the bus was packed to the brim. Peering through the front window, all they could see was a wall of bodies, pressed shoulder-to-shoulder in suffocating closeness.
The sight made their delicate faces scrunch up in dismay.
The bus rolled to a stop.
Both doors slid open, revealing the sea of passengers inside.
Tang Qinqin heaved a dramatic sigh and reached out to take some of her sister’s bags, hoping to lighten the load for the impending squeeze.
"Qinqin."
Tang Manman suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah?"
"What’s up, sis?"
Tang Qinqin blinked in confusion.
"How about we take a taxi instead?"
Tang Manman met her sister’s gaze and winked playfully.
"Huh?"
"Really?!"
Tang Qinqin’s dull eyes instantly sparkled.
"But..."
"Won’t that cost a lot?"
She put on a responsible front, though the excitement in her eyes betrayed her.
Tang Manman, well aware of her sister’s true feelings, chuckled lightly and offered a simple justification.
"It’s fine. Sis has money. Besides, this is the last time we’re leaving this hospital."
"We’re never coming back—one taxi ride won’t hurt."
"Mhm!"
Tang Qinqin nodded eagerly, repeating with glee:
"Last time!"
"Never setting foot in this awful place again!!!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
