Volume 1 Chapter 27: Come Play With Me
“No problem, absolutely no problem!” Qin Xiyao picked up her phone and replied almost instantly.
“I see, that’s good then.”
Looking at the video call request from Bai Muxue on her phone, Qin Xiyao instinctively wanted to press accept.
But when her fingertip hovered over the screen, hesitation rose in her heart.
Why is Xiao Xue calling me now? And why did she say typing is inconvenient...?
Could it really be because she dislikes me now?
Were those earlier messages just polite words?
Is this video call the real point?
And since it is a video call...
She bit her lip and looked at the thin nightdress she was wearing, hesitation showing on her pretty face.
Should I dress up properly first?
Would it be bad to video call Xiao Xue while wearing this?
Will she think I’m the kind of girl who is careless and does not care about her image?
The already troubled girl’s mind became even more blank.
But there was no time to put on makeup now...
Qin Xiyao’s eyes moved from the closet to the makeup table, then finally stopped on the blanket on the bed.
No choice!
With confused thoughts, she quickly climbed onto the bed and wrapped her whole body in the blanket.
One layer after another.
She looked like a rice dumpling, with only her small head sticking out.
“Mm... no, this still looks strange somehow...”
Looking at herself in the mirror and hearing the phone ringing again and again, Qin Xiyao became even more nervous.
“Forget it, I’ll just do this! It’s better than letting Xiao Xue think I’m careless!”
In the quiet room, Qin Xiyao could hear her own heartbeat clearly.
As if making up her mind, she took a deep breath and used trembling fingers to accept the video call.
The call connected.
What entered Bai Muxue’s eyes was Qin Xiyao wrapped up like a rice dumpling.
“Pfft!”
Looking at the “dumpling” in front of her, Bai Muxue almost spat out the coffee she had just drunk.
She choked and started coughing hard.
“Ah! Are you okay, Xiao Xue?” Qin Xiyao asked quickly with concern.
“Cough cough... I-I’m fine...”
Bai Muxue waved her hand in panic while grabbing tissues beside her and wiping the corner of her mouth.
Who would understand this?
Late at night, opening a video call and suddenly seeing a dumpling spirit pop out, who would not be shocked?
She patted her slightly flat chest and only calmed down after a while.
“Cough... Xiyao, w-why are you wrapped in a blanket...?”
Qin Xiyao shrank back a little. Her head pulled deeper into the blanket.
“Ahaha... I just took a shower, so I’m a little cold...”
Cold?
Bai Muxue twitched at the corner of her mouth and checked the weather report on her phone.
That’s right.
Today was 34°C.
Is there something wrong with you, or something wrong with me?
But Bai Muxue was too lazy to think deeply about Qin Xiyao’s little thoughts.
She sighed softly, looked at the other girl’s hair, and frowned slightly.
“Why didn’t you dry your hair?”
Hearing Bai Muxue’s slightly scolding tone, Qin Xiyao panicked and did not dare look into her eyes.
“I-It’s fine... it’ll dry naturally later...”
Actually, she had already wiped her hair once.
She just had not used the hair dryer yet.
But for some reason, facing this young-looking girl, Qin Xiyao did not feel like arguing at all.
“How can you just wait for it to dry naturally? You need to dry it properly, or you might get sick.”
Back then, Xingwan used to do the same thing.
After showering, she would not dry her hair or body, and would run straight into her room to blast the air conditioner.
It almost made Bai Muxue’s blood pressure rise.
Remembering that, Bai Muxue’s small face showed slight displeasure.
Her tone sounded serious, but with her youthful appearance, it was hard for anyone to actually feel nervous.
Maybe that is why Xiao Xue likes mature makeup...
But Xiao Xue without makeup is clearly cuter...
“Also, the child disappearance cases have been increasing lately. Xiyao, you need to be careful too...”
Looking at Bai Muxue on the screen, her face lovely and sweet, talking seriously from drying hair properly to staying safe while living alone, Qin Xiyao’s eyes became absent-minded.
She looks so cute...
Yet the way she speaks is so mature.
It really gives people the urge...
...to pull her into their arms and squeeze her cheeks.
Without realizing it, Qin Xiyao pressed the screenshot button several times in a row.
“Xiyao... Xiyao??”
Seeing Qin Xiyao staring at her more and more blankly, Bai Muxue looked down at herself in confusion.
Her dress was worn properly.
The shoulder straps had not slipped down.
There was nothing dirty near her mouth.
Then why are you making such a strange face?
No matter how strange it is, it’s still better than looking like a dumpling spirit.
“Ah, it’s nothing, nothing... ahaha...”
Qin Xiyao suddenly came back to her senses. Her face instantly turned red.
To hide her embarrassment, she gave a careless smile.
“Forget it. As long as Xiyao is happy...”
Bai Muxue paused slightly, as if thinking, or perhaps hesitating.
After a long while, she slowly spoke.
“Xiyao, I’m really sorry about what happened this morning...”
“But I truly never thought about those things, and I won’t think about them in the future either. Even if this may hurt you, I still need to make it clear.”
She pressed her lips together and said each word carefully:
“I think it would be better if we stay friends for now.”
Qin Xiyao looked at Bai Muxue on the screen. The clear brightness in the other girl’s eyes made her heart tremble a little.
But at this moment, she had not really listened to Bai Muxue’s full meaning.
She only caught a few key words.
Friends. “For now,” be friends.
Friends? That makes sense. Talking about that now may be a little too early. Starting as friends won’t feel too sudden...
There is still a lot of time ahead. There’s no need to rush...
Besides, since Xiao Xue did not hate her, then she no longer needed to hide her feelings so carefully, right?
As if she had figured everything out, the girl speaking to herself slowly relaxed. The tension on her face faded, and her smile became much more natural.
“Mm! Xiao Xue is right! Friends is good!”
“I was saying I really didn’t want to hurt your feelings... huh?”
Bai Muxue, who had still been trying to choose her words carefully so she could explain herself without hurting Qin Xiyao, froze when she saw the bright smile on the other side of the screen.
I-Is that so?
Did she really understand what I meant?
Bai Muxue blinked in confusion. Just as she was about to add something, the screen suddenly moved.
The blanket-wrapped Qin Xiyao quietly disappeared.
In her place was Qin Xiyao wearing a thin nightdress. Her lovely figure could be faintly seen. Her fair legs gently moved, and her damp long hair rested over her shoulders.
“Um... Xiao Xue, does it look strange if I dress like this...?”
Her beautiful face was already red with shyness. The girl lowered her head nervously, feeling her heartbeat pounding out of control.
Ugh...
I clearly decided to slow things down... but I got carried away just now...
Will Xiao Xue be angry?
Qin Xiyao nervously looked back at the phone screen, only to find it completely dark.
Bai Muxue’s face was no longer on the screen.
“......”
The video call was still connected.
Qin Xiyao could even hear Bai Muxue’s breathing and the sound of the car engine vibrating.
But Bai Muxue did not speak again.
“Xiao Xue...?”
Qin Xiyao waited for a very long time.
That strange silence slowly turned into worry and fear, climbing into the girl’s heart.
Just when Qin Xiyao was becoming more and more anxious, Bai Muxue’s calm voice finally came from the phone.
“Ah, it’s nothing. There was a small problem just now. It’s already solved.”
“It’s late now. Xiyao, go sleep first. Good night.”
Before Qin Xiyao could reply, Bai Muxue quickly finished speaking and ended the call.
“What...?”
Qin Xiyao stood there blankly, holding the phone with the finished call screen.
The quiet room was filled with her confusion, but no one could answer her.
On the other side, after confirming the call had ended, Bai Muxue looked out at the silent darkness beyond the car window and frowned slightly.
“Sister Wang, you took the wrong road. This isn’t the way home.”
“...No, I didn’t.”
Sister Wang did not turn around. She seemed fully focused on driving.
“Didn’t I say we were going to have some fun?”
“Have fun? We’re getting farther and farther from the city. We should be going home.”
Bai Muxue repeated herself, silently straightening her back.
At the same time, her small hand quietly grabbed the music box in her pocket.
“I already said... I didn’t take the wrong road...”
The howling wind sounded like whispers and cries.
The dead tree branches swayed in the wind, as if countless invisible hands were waving in the air.
“Come play with me... Young Miss...”
Sister Wang, who had not turned back the whole time, suddenly began laughing wildly. Her whole body shook violently, as if she had lost control of herself.
“I’m so lonely... so lonely...”
Still laughing madly, she suddenly turned her head.
Sharp pale nails pierced through her skin.
The cracks of her smile tore upward all the way to her cheekbones, revealing rows of sharp teeth and bloody red gums.
“Young Miss, come play with me!!!”