Volume 1 Chapter 60: Connected by the Thread of Friendship
[—Breaking news. A report has been made to the Special Investigation Department by a citizen. A suspected ‘strange creature’ was seen in the Ginkgo Residential Area on Yushu Street, and several people were injured. According to witnesses, the creature was already eliminated by a magical girl who arrived at the scene. Special Investigation Department staff are now heading to the location. More details are still under investigation…]
“Eh? Even at night, there are still monsters causing trouble?”
Standing by the door with a bag in her hand and scrolling on her phone, Tang Xingwan saw the sudden news notification. A surprised look appeared on her face.
“Wow… when monsters appear, magical girls also have to work overtime… being a hero is not easy…”
With great power comes great responsibility. The young girl nodded seriously, trying to look mature.
Well, anyway, as long as the magical girl solved it, that’s good! Tang Xingwan put her phone back into her pocket and pushed the door open.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, your Xingwan-chan is back with food!”
She stretched her voice on purpose, her tone soft and a little playful, like she was acting cute.
“Oh-hoho, did you miss me, Xiao Xue? I was gone for a full half hour! You did miss me, right? Right?”
“Your… Xingwan-chan?”
Chan? What is that?
Bai Muxue, who had already changed her clothes and was sitting by the bed, frowned slightly, looking confused.
“Ah, sorry sorry! I’m just used to talking like this when I’m alone at home. And I was a bit excited today since Xiao Xue is here. Don’t mind me, don’t mind me.”
Wait! What does she mean, “used to being alone”?
Does that mean when I wasn’t home, she just acted like this? Or is this something she always did whenever I wasn’t around?
For some reason, Bai Muxue suddenly felt… maybe her way of raising this kid was a bit of a failure.
Thinking of that, she felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Noticing that strange look from her, Tang Xingwan’s face turned red. She coughed and returned to a normal voice.
“Here, I picked up your food. You haven’t eaten for a while, right?”
Afraid that Bai Muxue might start thinking in a strange direction again, she quickly changed the topic and handed over the plastic bag.
She had actually thought about cooking something herself. After all, cooking porridge or making food for a sick friend is a classic “romance manga” moment!
But then she remembered her cooking skills…
She clearly still remembered the time she watched cooking videos online, got excited, and insisted on cooking curry for her dad to show off her skills as a daughter.
The result…
Mm… it’s still barely edible…
She would never forget her dad’s expression after taking one bite, like he was crying and laughing at the same time. He forced himself to swallow it, then pushed the plate of strange, mushy food toward her.
“Here, you try it…”
She took a big bite without knowing what was going on… and immediately collapsed onto the table, only waking up after a long time.
By the way, that night, both father and daughter still ended up ordering takeout.
After that, Tang Xingwan never mentioned cooking again. And after her father passed away, she basically lived on takeout every day. The fridge was almost always empty.
Sigh… too painful to think about.
She wiped away imaginary tears and sighed deeply in her heart.
Of course, Bai Muxue had no idea what was going on in her mind. She was already used to this girl’s weird behavior, so she didn’t say anything. She just smiled and took the bag, then sat across from her.
“Okay. Thanks, Xingwan.”
It seemed she had taken her health into account, Tang Xingwan had bought white porridge for her. When Bai Muxue opened the box, a light food smell filled the room.
“So? So? Is it good?”
Seeing Bai Muxue take a few spoonfuls, Tang Xingwan blinked her eyes and rested her chin on her hand, watching her with great expectation.
This taste… it should be porridge from the shop next door. I used to often take Xingwan there for breakfast…
Even though she had eaten this porridge many times before, the taste still felt nostalgic… Bai Muxue nodded at Tang Xingwan and gave a soft smile.
“Mm, it’s very good.”
“Right? Right? I knew Xiao Xue would like it!”
A bright smile appeared on Tang Xingwan’s face. Her shining eyes even curved into two crescent moons, full of joy from being praised.
“If you like it, then eat more! I bought a lot!”
Looking at how happy the girl was, Bai Muxue couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh. This girl was just like before, give her a little praise and she would get so happy she almost “floats into the sky.”
She didn’t say much more. After finishing the porridge carefully, she wiped her mouth, stood up, and gave Tang Xingwan a gentle smile.
“Thank you so much for helping me today. Sorry for disturbing you so late… let’s talk more another day.”
“Eh?” Tang Xingwan froze when she heard this. Only then did she notice Bai Muxue had already picked up her bag. “Xiao Xue… are you leaving?”
“Mm. It’s already late. If I don’t go back, my family will worry.”
Bai Muxue said this without changing her expression, although it was not true at all. Worry? What a joke. For the Bai family’s young lady, not coming home at night was already normal.
I can’t stay any longer… If I keep staying here, in this familiar place, next to this girl… I might really not want to leave anymore.
At that moment, reason beat emotion.
“Then… okay. If Xiao Xue says so…”
Tang Xingwan opened her mouth. She swallowed back the words “there is still a spare room at my house” and instead smiled again at the corner of her eyes.
“Oh right, right! I still don’t have your contact info!”
She quickly took out her phone and showed her QR code.
“Let’s add each other! It’ll be easier to contact you in the future!”
Exchange contact info…
When she heard this, Bai Muxue hesitated for a moment and almost subconsciously wanted to refuse.
For the girl’s safety, she really shouldn’t get too close to her anymore. But…
She looked at the energetic, smiling girl in front of her. That bright face seemed to shine.
She couldn’t say no.
She just couldn’t refuse.
And… if she added Xingwan, she could also see her social circle, right?
Those little secrets Xingwan used to hide from her “old dad.”
After a short pause, Bai Muxue blinked and casually turned on her phone… She hadn’t opened it since she fainted.
As expected, her phone was full of messages from others… especially one from Shen Jingyi, which stood out clearly.
Huh? Miss Shen actually contacted me? Oh right, I didn’t tell her anything yet… I hope she didn’t just stand there waiting.
Bai Muxue sighed and temporarily put it aside, then added Tang Xingwan as a friend.
“Hehe, now that we’ve added each other, the thread of friendship between me and Xiao Xue is officially connected!”
Satisfied, Tang Xingwan looked at the new contact on her phone and gave a thumbs-up, her cute little fang showing slightly.
“Th-this… yeah…”
Not knowing how to respond to such a “chuunibyou-style” comment, Bai Muxue could only give an awkward smile.
“So I guess… I should head back now?”
“Okay~ I’ll see Xiao Xue out~”
Tang Xingwan replied cheerfully.