Most of the time, Meng Xuelin and her aunt did the talking, while Sheng Muxi answered.
More than half an hour later, Sheng Muxi escorted them downstairs.
On the way back, Sheng Muxi ran into Chai Qianning, who was going downstairs to throw out the trash.
Having clearly taken a shower, Chai Qianning, wearing a soft yellow nightgown, carefully tossed the trash bag into the green bin before standing quietly on the steps, waiting for Sheng Muxi to arrive.
Why do you come down to throw out the trash at night?
"I wanted to run into you." Chai Qianning hugged her arm. "I just came out of the shower and saw you coming down from the window."
A faint scent of shower gel wafted to Sheng Muxi's nose. Her heart stirred slightly, and she raised a playful brow: "You really weren't just waiting by the window to see if I'd come down?"
"Oh dear," Chai Qianning feigned shyness, "Why did you just say it out loud?"
Sheng Muxi turned his head and stared at her face for a few seconds, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Do you think we're moving too fast?
"Um?"
"I gave you a ring one second, and the next second I'm meeting your parents."
Sheng Muxi chuckled: "Didn't you already meet their parents?"
"Where?" Chai Qianning turned her head.
"Didn't I take you to see my uncle last time?"
"That was actually meeting the parents!"
"And Teacher Ni is also like family to me."
"I've met their parents three times already!"
Seeing her exaggeratedly shocked expression, Sheng Muxi lowered her eyes and couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips.
"I'll find some time," Chai Qianning said, pulling her to sit down on a bench in the neighborhood. "I'll also take you to meet my parents."
Chai Qianning planned to find an opportunity to talk to Chai Renbo about this first, and then tell He Xiaoying.
Although her parents are not particularly traditional people, they may not be able to accept the idea of her being with a girl right away.
The night wind, dark and gloomy, seeped into the treetops.
Worried that the other person might be cold since she was only wearing pajamas, Sheng Muxi pulled her back home after they had only been sitting for a short while.
"How about it?"
"What do you mean, how about it?"
Chai Qianning said with a smile, "When I left, was your brother reluctant to part with me?"
Sheng Muxi: "..."
"Have you thought of me?"
".."
"Judging from your expression, you must have succeeded, right?" Chai Qianning smiled brightly. "That means the bribery was successful!"
".."
Sheng Muxi blinked slightly: "Why would you bribe a child?"
“I’m thinking your mother probably won’t agree to you being with me, so of course you have to try your best.” Chai Qianning played with her fingers.
Sheng Muxi lowered her eyes: "It's okay, it doesn't matter if you don't agree, I don't live with my mother anyway."
Once inside the elevator, Chai Qianning hovered her finger over the control panel: "Are we going to your place or mine tonight?"
Sheng Muxi reached over her, pressed the button for the 11th floor, and gestured with her chin: "What are you thinking about? Your sister is still at home."
“Then let’s go to your place.” Chai Qianning didn’t press the button for the 10th floor.
Are you just leaving your sister home alone tonight?
“Yes, sir.” When the elevator reached the ninth floor, Chai Qianning still pressed the button for the tenth floor: “Staying out all night can easily corrupt children.”
Sheng Muxi: "..."
——
Lying on the sofa at home that evening, Chai Qianning played games on her phone with Su Ye and the others.
Chai Shuqing was doing her homework in her room with the door open, and she was sitting at her desk, feeling drowsy.
After struggling with her eyelids for a while, Chai Shuqing decided not to make things difficult for herself. She put down her pen, walked to the living room, and sat down next to Chai Qianning.
Sensing the presence of the person beside her, Chai Qianning didn't even lift her eyes: "Looking won't help, you can't even play games with your hands."
Chai Shuqing yawned: "If I can't play games, can't I at least watch?"
"Go to sleep if you're tired."
"I don't want to go to bed so early."
"I just saw you almost hit your forehead on the table."
"I won't be sleepy if I don't do my homework."
Chai Shuqing turned on the TV, holding the remote control, wanting to choose a movie to watch. After looking around for a while, she couldn't find one she wanted, so she randomly picked a horror movie.
As the game reached a crucial moment, the eerie intro to a movie began to play. Chai Qianning, amidst her busy schedule, glanced up, then lowered her eyelashes again: "Watching a horror movie so late at night, don't you want to go to sleep?"
"To help you sleep." Chai Shuqing knelt on the sofa and turned off the living room lights.
Chai Qianning was surrounded by dim light, and after a short while, the red word "failure" on her phone screen became particularly glaring.
She told her teammates she was done playing and then left the game room.
Seeing that she had turned off her phone, Chai Shuqing asked, "Do you want to watch it with me?"
"Hmm." Chai Qianning tossed her phone aside, hugged the pig-shaped pillow to her chest, and then sprawled out on the sofa without any regard for decorum.
The entire movie screening lasted two hours and fifteen minutes, without any major incidents. After the movie, Chai Shuqing said she was hungry, even though she was stuffed. So she cooked a late-night snack for Chai Shuqing.
11:45 p.m.
Chai Qianning planned to go back to her room to sleep. She searched for her phone on the sofa but couldn't find it after a long time.
She finally used Chai Shuqing's phone to call herself, and found the phone under the coffee table by following the ringing sound.
I opened my phone, and messages from the newly added contact popped up.
After staring at the lavender profile picture with the indifferent expression of "indifference to fame and fortune" for a while, she realized that it was Sheng Muxi's mother.
She opened the homepage, made a note, and then carefully read the message.
Sheng Muxi's mother: [Good evening (smile)]
This message was sent an hour and a half ago.
Perhaps seeing that she hadn't replied, the other person sent another message more than fifty minutes ago: "[You're Xixi's friend, Auntie just wanted to ask you if Xixi has a boyfriend?]"
She blinked.
Another cell phone on the table rang.
Chai Qianning glanced down at the corner of her eye; the screen displayed, "Mom's calling."
"It's my phone ringing."
In the blink of an eye, Chai Shuqing slid off the sofa, took a big step over, picked up her phone, and answered the call.
"Hello, Mom."
"I'm not asleep yet."
"I just watched a movie with my sister, and now I'm going to sleep."
"The recovery is...okay, the doctor said it will take another month or so before the bandages can be removed."
".."
Chai Qianning withdrew her gaze, sat sideways on the armrest of the single sofa, and gently tapped her phone case with her fingertips.
She then took a screenshot of the chat and sent it to Sheng Muxi: 【Did your mother ask you something?】
At first, she thought that Meng Xuelin had asked Sheng Muxi but hadn't gotten the answer, so she came to ask her instead.
However, Sheng Muxi sent a few question marks: "No. My mom noticed? Hmm, could it be because she saw the ring I wore all night?"
Chai Qianning typed on the screen: "Maybe, is the ring too flashy?"
Sheng Muxi: [No.]
She felt that the relationship between Sheng Muxi and her mother was quite strange.
Knowing that Sheng Muxi lacked her mother's company during her childhood, she could imagine that Sheng Muxi's relationship with her mother might be distant. But tonight, Meng Xuelin came specifically to deliver something, and the interaction between the mother and daughter was much more natural and harmonious than she had imagined. At least there was no awkward silence or unsure of what to say.
However, when Meng Xuelin discovered the ring on Sheng Muxi's hand, she didn't immediately ask Sheng Muxi about it, but instead asked this person she had only known for less than half a day, which made their relationship seem a bit too formal.
The clock struck zero.
Chai Qianning thought to herself, no wonder Meng Xuelin wanted to add her on WeChat in the elevator; it turned out she just wanted to find out about Sheng Muxi.
She thought for a moment and replied to Meng Xuelin: "Auntie, I think it would be better if you asked Sheng Muxi about this yourself."
After typing that line, she scratched her head, seemingly feeling it wasn't quite right, and then deleted it.
Just as she was struggling with her decision, Sheng Muxi sent her a message: "If you don't know how to reply, then don't reply. I'll explain it to her tomorrow."
Chai Qianning typed: 【Speak nicely, communicate more, don't argue with your mother.】
Sheng Muxi: [I know what I'm doing. You should go to sleep.]
Chai Qianning smiled and said, "Okay, goodnight."
"Sister, Mom is looking for you." Chai Shuqing got up from the sofa and handed her the phone.
Chai Qianning took the phone and nestled into the sofa to chat with He Xiaoying for a while.
He Xiaoying simply gave her some instructions, such as to take good care of her younger sister.
As the call was about to end, Chai Qianning asked one more question: "Mom, when will you be back from your business trip?"
He Xiaoying: "What's up?"