Poison

Lin Yu returned to the trio, looking rather dejected and lost in thought.

After a moment's consideration, he turned his head to look back in the direction where Xia Muzhu had disappeared.

In the end, he did nothing, only letting out a soft sigh before turning back to the three of them and saying,

"Let's go."

"Time to eat."

Just as the group was about to set off, an excited call rang out from the crowd.

"Brother Lin Yu!"

Hearing this, Lin Yu's heart tightened, and he felt on the verge of collapse.

Oh, heavens!

I'm begging you!

No more!

Any more and we'll have enough for a mahjong table!

Following the voice, Lin Yu saw a lovely figure squeeze through the crowd, happily waving a greeting in their direction.

It was Su Yuyao.

Her outfit was simple: a white blouse with a colorful floral pattern printed on the chest, paired with blue wide-leg shorts.

A very ordinary style, yet on her, it looked fashionable and beautiful, like a model on a magazine cover.

Her features were exquisite and flawless, her skin so pale under the sun it seemed to glow. Below her shorts, her long legs were slender and fair. Though her thighs lacked the uniquely rounded beauty of a mature woman, they were still like a work of art.

One could even say that this kind of youthful, delicate slenderness was exactly what some people spent their whole lives seeking!

She wasn't tall, even half a head shorter than Tang Manman. Her body, only just stepping into adolescence, hadn't developed much yet, like an unopened flower bud—fresh and tender.

At this age, her feminine charm was just beginning to show, yet her body hadn't shed its youthful delicacy.

For some people,

it was poison.

Of course.

Lin Yu, who was already overwhelmed by several women, had no room for such messy thoughts.

His mind was full of Xia Muzhu, Tang Manman, and occasionally the troublemaker Qing Mo popping up...

Su Yuyao trotted over to Lin Yu's side. He ignored her, but she wasn't discouraged. She then turned a sweet, smiling face to greet Qing Mo.

"Sister Qing Mo!"

Qing Mo treated Su Yuyao quite differently.

Because of that past incident, she was very gentle with this granddaughter of her savior, even able to offer a smile when facing her.

This was an extremely rare occurrence!

Lin Yu had hardly seen her smile at all!

"Su Yuyao?"

"What are you doing here?"

Qing Mo was tall and slender, standing more than a head taller than Su Yuyao. She effortlessly reached out to pat Su Yuyao's head, then let her hand slide down to gently pinch the girl's slightly chubby cheek. The gentle smile on her face was like that of a kind, amiable older sister next door.

"I'm visiting my aunt's house."

Su Yuyao answered truthfully.

After saying that, she stole a glance at Lin Yu, then quickly looked back at Qing Mo and asked,

"Sister Qing Mo, what are you and Brother Lin Yu doing here?"

"We're about to go get something to eat."

Qing Mo replied casually.

"Eat?"

"Where are you going?"

"Can I come?"

"I haven't eaten either!"

Su Yuyao's eyes lit up, firing off questions one after another.

Hearing this, Lin Yu's brow furrowed. Finally distracted from the agonizing indecision in his mind, he glared at the little nuisance Su Yuyao and said fiercely,

"Eat what?"

"Have you even finished your homework?"

"Go find a place and do your homework!"

"Stop wandering around!"

Unjustly scolded, Su Yuyao pouted her little mouth. Her large, moist eyes stared unblinkingly at Lin Yu, as if tears were about to fall the next second. Her aggrieved expression was enough to make anyone's heart ache.

Qing Mo couldn't stand seeing Su Yuyao bullied like this. Even though it was Lin Yu doing it, she stepped forward disapprovingly.

"Why are you so harsh with a child?"

Then, she rubbed Su Yuyao's little head again, comforting her:

"It's fine."

"You can come if you want."

"Don't listen to him."

"You..."

Lin Yu still wanted to say something to change Qing Mo's mind, but she fixed him with a cold stare, shutting him up with one sentence.

"You bring two along and I had no objection."

"I can't bring one?"

Lin Yu's voice caught in his throat. Looking at Qing Mo, who seemed to be protecting Su Yuyao like a mother hen, he truly had no way to voice his bitterness.

What do you mean 'I bring two, you bring one'?

In a way, it's that I don't want to bring a third...

Seeing Qing Mo's insistence, Lin Yu didn't want to argue with her and decided to let Su Yuyao come along.

It was just a meal, after all.

Looking at the four girls before him, Lin Yu felt a faint headache coming on.

The four of them together gave off a dangerous feeling, like a bomb.

But thankfully, the fuse that could ignite them wasn't here.

Thinking of Xia Muzhu, Lin Yu's gaze darkened.

She trusted him so much...

He should too...

At this thought, he glanced at Tang Manman, who was standing dazedly beside Gu Yue, so tired her eyelids were fighting to stay open. Another wave of dull, uncontrollable pain surged in his heart.

Sigh!

What's done is done.

Let's eat first.

Whatever needs to be dealt with can wait until after the meal.

After getting into the car with Qing Mo and the others, Lin Yu looked around and felt more and more that something was off.

Qing Mo's car this time was an extended luxury model. Given the enormous space inside, it could probably seat over ten people without feeling crowded.

She must have known something in advance, right?

Otherwise, for just the two of them, there was no reason for her to get such a big car!

Thinking this, Lin Yu turned his gaze to Qing Mo. She was chatting with Su Yuyao beside her, a gentle, faint smile on her face. Lin Yu briefly wondered if she'd been possessed by something nice.

Turning to look the other way, this time Lin Yu's eyes widened at a scene he never imagined he'd see.

The little airhead Tang Manman was already asleep. He didn't know how she managed it, but she had ended up sleeping with her head on Gu Yue's lap.

The corner of her mouth glistened, as if with drool, and some had even dripped onto Gu Yue's black dress.

Lin Yu then looked at Gu Yue. Gu Yue showed no sign of disgust. She sat demurely, not even playing with her phone, as if hoping Tang Manman could sleep more comfortably.

She always felt she owed her something in her heart.

Lin Yu gave Gu Yue a relieved smile. Gu Yue responded with a slight, pursed-lipped smile of her own. Then, Lin Yu returned his gaze to Tang Manman's face.

Because she was lying sideways on Gu Yue's lap, the flesh of her cheek was squished, making it look chubby. Her pink lips were slightly parted unconsciously, making her look a bit like a little piglet—strangely adorable.

A faint smile touched Lin Yu's lips, but it was quickly suppressed by the worry knitting his brow.

Recalling the scene of Xia Muzhu smiling and waving as she left,

Lin Yu felt that all of this needed to end.