Mom's Phone Call

Speaking of which, Xia Lin had never particularly cared about anyone before... except for her parents. Caring for one's parents is ingrained in many people's bones.

At least, for someone with no blood relation, this was the first time Xia Lin had shown such a caring attitude.

Often, when she had nothing to do, she would wonder what Su Bai was doing, if he had encountered any difficulties, and whether he needed her to step in as a counselor to help coordinate things...

Of course, most of the time, Su Bai didn't cause any trouble.

When he elbowed someone on the basketball court, it was a pure accident.

"Xia, I've been training for so long, it's your turn now," Su Bai said.

"Alright, according to the plan, today is leg day. I'm almost done warming up, so you can spot me for squats."

With that, Xia Lin got up from the yoga mat, stretched her joints a bit, and walked over to the squat rack.

She wasn't just all talk and no action.

With Su Bai protecting her from behind, her sense of security was maxed out.

There was absolutely no need to worry about any accidents.

But then again, the thought of Su Bai behind her, pressing close to her, caused a blush to gradually creep up Xia Lin's neck.

As a result, she barely managed to complete today's training volume.

"Not bad, Xia. I really admire girls who can stick to leg day."

"Haha, it's not that exaggerated. There are plenty of people who stick to working out."

"Because training legs is very tiring and painful. You can't even get out of bed the next day."

"Are you talking about yourself?"

"No, I haven't trained. My muscles just grew out of boredom."

"What the heck, then how do you know what it's like for everyone to train their legs... Actually, it's fine once you get used to it. The route for tomorrow's camping trip isn't dangerous, so it can serve as a nice cool-down."

"Oh, true."

Su Bai figured that Xia Lin must have good natural talent.

Over-training and bodily recovery obviously depended on talent as well.

For Xia Lin to treat a simple mountain hike as aerobic recovery was truly impressive.

Taking a sip of water, Xia Lin regained her composure and invited Su Bai to do some yoga together.

The feeling of being so close yet not quite touching while he spotted her squats had genuinely made Xia Lin a bit addicted.

So she decided to do some post-workout yoga stretching to let Su Bai further experience her charm.

However, just as the two of them were in high spirits, Xia Lin's phone rang. It was a rather special ringtone, different from the one she usually used for regular calls.

Su Bai felt Xia Lin's body give a sudden jolt.

"What's wrong?"

"It's my mom... Shh, don't make a sound."

"Okay."

Although he had actually met Xia Lin's mom before and Su Bai had a pretty good impression of her—and felt that her opinion of him probably wasn't bad either.

But Su Bai could understand Xia Lin's mindset. She was working out with him right now, and her mom calling at this moment was indeed a bit awkward.

"Hello? Mom..." Xia Lin quickly answered, trying her best to make her voice sound natural.

Her mother's elegant, caring, yet slightly nagging voice came from the other end of the line: "Linlin, why aren't you home so late? Where are you? Aren't you taking your students camping tomorrow? Have you packed everything? Don't stay up too late. It's cold in the mountains, so bring an extra coat..."

"I've packed everything. Ugh, I'm not a child anymore, why do you worry so much?" Xia Lin paused and corrected her, "Also, I'm not taking students camping. I'm definitely not going as a counselor, but as Su Bai's friend..."

"Hahaha, got it. Take good care of Xiaobai. He's young, and finding an older girl like you definitely means he wants peace of mind. You can't be like a clueless little girl and make Xiaobai worry about you."

"..."

Xia Lin was speechless for a moment. Do I look like that kind of childish woman?

Why did her mom have so little faith in her?

Besides, even if Su Bai dated someone younger, he wasn't the type to worry. The guy was always a hands-off boss. Just look at the female confidantes around him; which one of them wasn't fighting to serve him?

This kind of thing depended on a man's personality; it really wasn't entirely tied to wealth.

Some rich guys could even make themselves the passive party in a relationship, or even become simps.

Bizarre incidents of rich guys tipping streamers over a million and getting absolutely nothing in return weren't unheard of either.

Xia Lin felt her mom was purely overthinking things.

"I'm out, dealing with something. Everything is packed, Mom, don't worry." As Xia Lin dealt with her, she subconsciously turned her back, as if this could block Su Bai's line of sight.

She could feel his gaze landing on her back, carrying a hint of understanding, and perhaps a faint smile, which made her even more embarrassed.

This younger brother is so bad!

Su Bai was the type of person who loved to smile, but not every smile was well-intentioned. Whenever he wanted to be mischievous, the smile on his face was exceptionally bright, like an autumn peony, so lively it was almost scary.

"Out? Who are you with? It's not safe this late."

"With Su Bai, uh, we're working out together..."

"Haha, I see. Then Mom is relieved. Working out is good. You guys need to keep up this good habit. When I had you, I took the therapist's advice for postpartum recovery and stuck to light strength training. You see, at my age, my body is much better than my old sisters'..."

Mother Xia started rambling about her glorious past deeds again.

Relying on his acute hearing modified by the System, Su Bai heard Mother Xia's words and couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

Auntie looked quite elegant; he didn't expect her to be a fitness veteran as well.

Sure enough, a person's habits had a lot to do with their family upbringing.

Xia Lin patiently listened to her mom's nagging, but Su Bai continued with the yoga, making her very embarrassed.

When the phone call finally ended, Xia Lin felt like her whole body was drained of energy.

"Let me carry you upstairs, Xia. We can take the private elevator here straight to the top floor."

"Hmph..."

Xia Lin indicated she had no objections; she really couldn't have any objections right now.

Returning to the top-floor suite, only a few ambient lights were on in the living room. The lighting was soft, and the dotted lights of cruise ships on the river could be seen outside the window.

This night view really isn't bad.

Su Bai realized that he only learned to appreciate such scenery after his wallet became flush.

"You go take a shower first, little brother..."

"What do you mean I go first? There are clearly two showers in this suite."

"I, I need to rest for a bit."

Xia Lin's eyes flickered.

Just now in the gym, she had really consumed too much stamina.

With Su Bai beside her, the physical exertion required had directly doubled.

Plus, the catalytic reaction caused by her mother's phone call was comparable to the elemental reactions in Genshin Impact.

"Xia, if it's inconvenient for you, I can actually help you..."

"Don't! I'll wash myself!"

Xia Lin stumbled off to take a shower.

This couldn't help but make the corners of Su Bai's lips curl into a smile. This girl really couldn't handle being teased, just like a little girl.

It was fine to leave this innocent side just for him, Su Xiaobai. On the outside, she was still the dignified Xia.

Tonight, Su Bai would show some mercy, after all, they still had to go up the mountain to play tomorrow...