After parting ways with Fāng Qǐ, Xiāo Yǎ drove back home.
However, from the moment she entered the house, she felt the atmosphere was a little strange.
Father Xiao, pretending to be calm, was drinking tea in the living room, while Mother Xiao was looking down at her phone, occasionally glancing up at Xiāo Yǎ, making her feel a bit creeped out.
"Dad, Mom, what's wrong?"
Xiāo Yǎ furrowed her delicate brows slightly, looking at them both with a confused expression.
Mother Xiao glanced at Father Xiao, raised her eyebrows at him, signaling him to speak.
"Ahem, well, daughter, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Are you hungry? I'll have the cook make something."
Father Xiao put down his teacup, looked around evasively.
Xiāo Yǎ was a little baffled. She tilted her head slightly to look at her father and could only nod.
Indeed, she hadn't eaten all day.
"Alright then, you two chat for a bit."
With that, Father Xiao chuckled, ignored Mother Xiao's dagger-like gaze, stood up, and quickly left the living room.
"Daughter, come sit here. Mom has something to ask you."
"Oh, okay."
Xiāo Yǎ obediently nodded and sat down next to Mother Xiao.
"Did you have fun playing with your classmates today?"
Mother Xiao looked at Xiāo Yǎ's cool, composed profile and couldn't help but ask tentatively.
"Huh? Mom, how did you know I went out with classmates today?"
Xiāo Yǎ looked away from the TV news, a look of confusion in her eyes.
"Xiāng Xiāng's mom sent it to me."
With that, Mother Xiao picked up her phone and showed it to Xiāo Yǎ. On the screen was a photo of her walking side-by-side with Fāng Qǐ after they parted.
In the photo, Xiāo Yǎ was just reaching up to adjust her hair, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the person beside her, a gentle smile on her face.
Seeing this photo just now had made Mother Xiao's teeth ache with jealousy. She knew her daughter's personality like the back of her hand; this situation was clearly not ordinary.
Xiāo Yǎ retracted her gaze, looking at herself in the photo, her earlobes warming slightly as she looked away.
"Tell Mom honestly, are you in love?"
However, Mother Xiao wasn't letting her off the hook and pressed on seriously.
"Mom! What are you thinking? I'm really not!"
Xiāo Yǎ sighed helplessly and patiently explained.
"I don't believe you. Then explain this."
Mother Xiao pointed at the phone screen and asked.
"We're just ordinary friends, the very ordinary kind."
"Aren't you always resistant to making friends?"
"And don't you and Dad always hope I'll make friends?"
The logic loop was complete. It seemed there was no fault in saying that.
"Okay, then Mom will change the question. What's this boy's name?"
Mother Xiao pointed at the photo and asked Xiāo Yǎ.
"His name is Fāng Qǐ, he's in the same grade as me, but not the same class."
Xiāo Yǎ glanced at Fāng Qǐ's photo and explained.
"Oh? Then his family is..."
"Mom! We really are just ordinary friends."
Xiāo Yǎ was helpless. She turned to look at Mother Xiao and emphasized again.
"Okay, okay, ordinary friends, ordinary friends."
"I believe you, alright?"
"Phew, that's good. I'm quite tired today. I'm going to take a bath and rest. Mom, you take your time."
"Mm-hmm, go ahead."
Watching Xiāo Yǎ's retreating figure as she went upstairs, Mother Xiao had a thoughtful look on her face.
"The more she emphasizes it, the more problematic it is."
"Hmph, the more you try to cover it up, the more it all smells of lies."
Mother Xiao gave a light laugh, her gentle face holding an expression of seeing through everything.
"Fāng Qǐ, he looks decent enough, but..."
Looking at Fāng Qǐ's lazy expression in the photo, Mother Xiao felt a bit worried.
"I'll have to get to know this child first."
Having made up her mind, she turned off her phone, her eyes sharp as she looked towards the door.
"What are you sneaking around for? Get in here."
Outside the door, Father Xiao poked his head in furtively, a fawning smile on his face.
"Heh heh, darling, I just told the cook to make the steamed white fish you love the most."
Mother Xiao gave him an exasperated look.
"Is that what I'm talking about?"
"You're really something. Asking you to do something, and you're completely unreliable."
"Oh, darling~"
Father Xiao walked behind Mother Xiao and gently began to massage her shoulders.
"Little Ya isn't a child anymore. She's just a bit straightforward, not an idiot. She knows who she can and can't associate with, right?"
"You watched her grow up. You know her best, don't you?"
"You, my dear, are just worried sick."
Father Xiao explained while massaging Mother Xiao's shoulders.
"Are you saying I'm meddling."
Mother Xiao gave him a look, a hint of displeasure in her expression.
"Of course not. I just feel that it's rare for this child to have perked up a bit, and we shouldn't put too much pressure on her."
"If you really want to know, we can just investigate quietly."
"If that doesn't work, why not ask Grandfather? He'll definitely know."
Father Xiao offered a viable solution.
"I'm just afraid Little Ya will be deceived."
Mother Xiao sighed, her eyes full of worry.
"Little Ya is so naive. How could she possibly know how treacherous the outside world is, and how wicked people's hearts can be?"
"Don't worry, my dear. If anyone dares to bully my daughter, I'll chop them up and feed them to the dogs."
Father Xiao promised with a serious expression, a cold glint in his eyes as he spoke.
————
"Achoo!"
As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, Fāng Qǐ couldn't help but sneeze.
He looked at the sun outside, rubbing his nose in confusion.
"What the heck? Why do I always feel like someone's talking bad about me behind my back?"
While drying his damp hair, Fāng Qǐ muttered to himself as he walked towards the living room.
He wasn't going back to the small storage room; there wasn't much left there, and it wouldn't be meaningful to go back.
His only remaining mechanical modification room in Mountain City was now his home's garage.
Both Father Fang and Mother Fang had decent incomes. Fāng Qǐ's family lived in a detached villa with its own garage.
Just as Fāng Qǐ was about to prepare something to eat, there was a knock on the door.
"Coming."
Fāng Qǐ responded and walked towards the front door.
"Click."
The door opened, and before he could even see who it was, a soft, sweet gasp reached his ears.
"Why aren't you wearing any clothes, pervert~"
Sū Qiǎnqiǎn covered her eyes with her hands, her voice soft and sweet, giving the impression of someone easily bullied.
Fāng Qǐ looked at her with dead fish eyes, speechless.
"Before you say that, can you close your fingers? And I'm wearing pants."
Saying that, he lifted the bath towel tied around his waist, and indeed, underneath the towel were beach shorts.
"Tch, if you're wearing pants, why are you still wearing a towel?"
Sū Qiǎnqiǎn pouted, clearly displeased. She then bent down and skillfully slipped under Fāng Qǐ's arm into the house.
Fāng Qǐ couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. This little dwarf's personality really hadn't changed at all.