The Third Trial, Am I the Key

It was approaching midnight.

Lin Yu returned to the apartment.

Coincidentally,

as he entered, he ran into the returning "duo" in the lobby on the first floor!

"Aunt Ruxue, Maomao!"

"Have you been out playing until now?"

"Hahaha, looks like you had... a great time?"

Lin Yu cast a meaningful, inquiring look at Maomao.

Seeing Maomao smile and nod, Lin Yu felt a wave of relief in his heart.

Ever since giving advice for the amusement park,

Lin Yu hadn't continued to participate in their activities for the rest of the day.

After all,

this was a rare chance for the two of them to be alone together.

He couldn't keep butting in and ruining their fun.

The reason he knew everything was fine as soon as he saw them upon returning

was because he saw...

Aunt Ruxue's "disheveled" appearance!

Lin Yu returned just in time to see Aunt Ruxue, having taken off her baseball cap,

with messy hair, and flushed red cheeks and neck,

gulping down ice water at the dining table on the first floor.

And this was under the condition of a less hot afternoon with a light drizzle.

If it had been a full day of scorching heat, Aunt Ruxue would probably have suffered heatstroke by now!

Although Maomao's appearance wasn't much better, with her hair sweaty and clumped together,

it was still a far cry from Aunt Ruxue's state.

Aunt Ruxue had been presenting herself as a sophisticated, high-powered businesswoman these past few days.

Seeing her like this actually added a touch of down-to-earth, mortal charm, making her seem more approachable.

"Xiao Yu, coming back so late, were you out on a date with a girl?"

Du Ruxue put down her water glass, deliberately teasing him with a hint of annoyance.

How could she not read the look in Lin Yu's eyes?

Many of the activities Maomao had arranged today were things Maomao herself had never experienced.

Maomao isn't a local, so how could she know Pingchuan so intimately?

Naturally, someone must have been coaching her from behind the scenes!

And who could that someone be?

Lin Yu's questioning upon returning made the answer obvious.

You little rascal!

He actually arranged so many physically demanding activities for her!

She considered herself somewhat of an older homebody, with very little daily activity.

Today had definitely exceeded her usual exercise quota!

Lin Yu didn't take Aunt Ruxue's teasing to heart at all.

She's flustered, she's flustered!

A simple little poke managed to bait out her big reaction.

Seems like Maomao's adrenaline was running pretty high all day today!

The restaurant door opened.

Chen Qimeng came into the lobby carrying two bowls of chilled mung bean soup.

"Xiao Xue, have a bowl quickly, to cool down and relieve the heat."

"Looking at how red your face is, you mustn't get heatstroke!"

"This bowl is for Maomao..."

"Xiao Yu, there's more in the kitchen, wait for me a moment."

Seeing that Aunt Qimeng was about to head back into the kitchen,

Lin Yu hurried forward to stop her, saying,

"Aunt Qimeng, I don't need any."

"I had plenty of cold things outside, I'm very cool, not hot at all."

Chen Qimeng looked Lin Yu over; he really didn't look anything like the other two.

Maomao: "Thank you, Aunt Qimeng."

Du Ruxue: "Gulp gulp... gulp gulp..."

Seeing Aunt Ruxue in this state was truly a rare sight!

Lin Yu was a bit reluctant to go upstairs, wanting to see more of her utterly exhausted appearance.

Moreover,

there was still one important matter that hadn't reached its conclusion.

This made Lin Yu even more unwilling to go to sleep so early.

Lin Yu glanced at Maomao, who was holding a bowl and drinking soup, and gave her a "you know what I mean" look.

Maomao quickly caught on and temporarily set the bowl down.

Then,

she walked over to Aunt Ruxue and asked earnestly and straightforwardly:

"Aunt Ruxue, does my test task for today count as completed?"

Du Ruxue downed the mung bean soup in one go, as if she hadn't had enough of a drink.

She handed the bowl back to Chen Qimeng, clasped her hands together, and begged for another bowl.

Only then did she turn to face Maomao and said:

"We had a pretty good time playing today, I'm satisfied."

"If you can manage and arrange your own daily itinerary when you're out on your own, it means you have a preliminary ability to survive."

[Ding!]

[A brilliant move. The Holy Son's assistance to the outer sect disciple has made her especially grateful!]

[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]

Hearing Aunt Ruxue say this, Maomao was overjoyed.

At the same time,

she also knew that being able to successfully complete today's test was largely due to Lin Yu's behind-the-scenes help.

This success belonged to both her and Lin Yu...

Snapping back to reality,

Maomao quickly pressed further:

"Aunt Ruxue, aren't there three test tasks?"

"Will the third task also be told to me temporarily at 8 AM tomorrow?"

If it was still this kind of sudden method, Maomao felt she wouldn't have a solid grasp on things.

Since it was the final hurdle,

it was sure to be much more difficult than the first two.

If she could know the content of the test in advance, Maomao could also make some preparations.

Unexpectedly,

as soon as these words were spoken, Du Ruxue's gaze actually fell upon Lin Yu.

Lin Yu: "???"

What does Aunt Ruxue's look mean?

It sent a chill down Lin Yu's spine.

He had a feeling she was up to no good!

Could she be looking for an opportunity to get back at him?

He had only laughed at her a little, was she really that petty?

Du Ruxue spoke up:

"The third test task, I can tell you right now."

"However..."

"This time, we need Xiao Yu's help. It depends on whether he's willing or not."

Lin Yu's expression turned serious: "..."

Today she had specifically emphasized testing Maomao's ability to live independently.

But now she was explicitly naming Lin Yu, saying she needed his help?

Wasn't that contradictory!

Something unusual was definitely afoot.

What exactly was Aunt Ruxue plotting? They would only find out by listening further.

"Aunt Ruxue, Maomao and I are friends."

"I also hope she can stay, you know that."

"If I can help Maomao, I would naturally be more than willing."

"I wonder... what kind of help are you referring to, Aunt Ruxue?"

Lin Yu quickly stated his position to put Maomao's mind at ease first.

Du Ruxue continued:

"To be precise, it's not really about having you help directly."

"Rather, I want you to agree to one thing..."

Immediately after,

Du Ruxue's gaze fell upon Maomao again:

"Tomorrow, for Xiao Yu's birthday party, I want you to be the host!"

"How to arrange the entire event, how to emcee and transition, when it starts, when to be seated, what to do during which segment..."

"Everything will be left to you to control the stage!"

Maomao's eyes widened: "!!!"

Lin Yu's eyes were even wider than hers: "???"

What? What's going on? Stirring up trouble?

What is this, a host challenge?!