When Su Mo left home, he could feel multiple pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows—his dear neighbors, of course.
Su Mo wasn’t fazed.
Back in the day, when his cousin from Third Great-Grandpa’s family next door brought his girlfriend home to meet the parents, Su Mo had used “borrowing something” as an excuse to snoop around.
Of course, it was all his mom and her gossipy friends’ idea. Su Mo was just the errand boy.
He still remembered clearly how he had tactfully called her “cousin-in-law,” earning himself a big treat from his cousin afterward.
And now, his cousin’s kids came running out the door…
“Auntie, Auntie, you’re so pretty!” A pair of five-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, circled Su Mo, jumping up and down, their adorable faces beaming with pure joy.
No wonder Mom gave me red envelopes—one big one and a few smaller ones. So this was the plan.
Su Mo wasn’t particularly surprised. He handed each child a red envelope and patted their heads.
Ye Qingyi, however, looked astonished. She had never seen anything like this before. She also pulled out the red envelopes she had prepared earlier and handed them to the kids.
“Thank you, Uncle!” The childish voices awakened her long-dormant inner child, and she couldn’t stop smiling.
This scene repeated itself several times, and Ye Qingyi’s eyes sparkled with genuine delight.
“I didn’t expect it to be this fun.”
“Once we swap back, you can come experience it again under a different identity. It’ll feel completely different.”
Ye Qingyi blinked and turned her head away. “What do you mean by that?”
Su Mo realized he had misspoken and quickly backpedaled. “I-I just meant… friends visiting each other, that’s all. Nothing else.”
“Oh~ So friends just casually visit and hand out red envelopes? Your friends must be really lucky.” Ye Qingyi’s tone was deliberately casual.
“So… will you come?” Su Mo’s voice suddenly turned serious.
“Huh?” Ye Qingyi’s heart skipped a beat. She grabbed a handful of withered grass from the roadside and shredded it absentmindedly. “We’re friends, of course I’ll come… I mean, mostly because your mom’s cooking is amazing, right…”
Watching the grass fragments scatter in the wind, Su Mo’s heart sank.
Damn, what was I just saying?
He clenched his fists, his toes curling inside his shoes so hard he nearly stumbled. “Hahaha, yeah, friends should definitely visit each other more often.”
Ye Qingyi suddenly stopped walking, a trace of resentment flashing in her eyes. “Fine. Go back by yourself. I’m not walking you anymore.”
With that, she turned and left without another word.
Su Mo stared blankly at her retreating figure, completely baffled by her sudden coldness. “Is she still mad about what I said earlier?”
This is my fault. I was too abrupt just now.
Wait, why did I even ask that?
It’s not like I like her or anything… Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Su Mo mentally berated himself for his behavior and vowed never to be so impulsive again.
Yeah. That’s that.
…..
As soon as he returned to the hotel, Xia Qingqing pounced on him with gossipy excitement. “Spill it! Did you go on a date?”
Su Mo feigned shock. “A date? What date? I don’t even know my way around here. I just went to appreciate the charm of ‘Lungnan’—the Jiangnan of the northwest.”
Xia Qingqing gave him a “Yeah, right” look and smirked. “Luo Xiu already told me everything.”
“What did he tell you?”
“Su Mo is from Tianyu City.”
“And?” Su Mo raised an eyebrow.
“Admit it! You went to meet him in secret, didn’t you? That’s why you sneaked off without us!” Xia Qingqing pouted, puffing her cheeks in mock anger. “I knew it! You really don’t love me anymore, you jerk!”
Su Mo licked his lips, thinking, Girls really go all out with their drama—calling each other “beloved” or “concubine,” labeling people as jerks or playboys. Meanwhile, guys just stick to “sworn brothers” and “adopted sons,” all about that father-son betrayal dynamic.
“None of your business where I went.” Su Mo brushed her off and headed to his room. Xia Qingqing tried to follow, but he locked her out.
Almost instantly, his phone was bombarded with messages—all angry yet adorable stickers.
“You’re way too old to be acting like a kid,” Su Mo muttered, shaking his head. If I really had a little sister like her, I’d lose my mind.
He had just changed into slippers and was about to wash his face when a distinct notification tone rang. There was no doubt it was a message from Ye Qingyi. But remembering how she had walked away earlier, Su Mo suddenly decided not to check it.
Serves her right for treating me like that. Let her wait a bit.
Twenty minutes later.
Su Mo suddenly remembered the unread message and opened it, only to find six short words and a blushing emoji:
“It’s not entirely impossible 【shy】”
Su Mo froze.
Holy crap, I’m the worst! How could I ignore Qingyi’s message?!
I should slap myself twice—wait, no, ignoring her is bad enough, but hitting her? No way.
He raised his hand, then lowered it again.
Not because it’d hurt, but because I shouldn’t punish myself by hitting her.
Yeah, that’s the right logic.
With the typing speed of an eighteen-year-old single man, he drafted a long, rambling reply—then meticulously edited it down until only a smug-looking meme remained.
Well, Great Xia culture values brevity. Fewer words, more impact. Better to say nothing at all.
After hitting send, he flopped onto the bed, rolling around excitedly until he accidentally tangled himself up like a burrito.
…..
Meanwhile.
After much hesitation, Ye Qingyi had finally sent those six words. The moment she did, she buried her face in her pillow, kicking her legs in embarrassment.
But after waiting forever—long enough for her emotions to settle—all she got in return was that stupid meme.
???
Su Mo, you deserve to be single for eighteen years. You’ve never even held a girl’s hand, and this is the garbage you send me? Not a single word, and that meme looks just like that crosstalk comedian!
And you took this long to reply? Even if you drew it yourself, it wouldn’t take that much time!
Fuming, she angrily typed: “Go die!”
But she didn’t send it immediately. Instead, she decided to let him stew—a taste of his own medicine.
Let’s see how he likes it.
…..
10 PM.
Su Mo was just about to book his train ticket back to Jingcheng when Ye Qingyi’s message finally arrived:
“Go die!”
Su Mo: “…”
Okay, payback for leaving her on read. I ignored her for thirty minutes; she ignored me for hours. Fair enough.
Since we’re even, I’ll be the bigger person and forgive her.
He sent back a stern-looking meme.
Ye Qingyi: (งᵒ̌皿ᵒ̌)ง⁼³₌₃
Su Mo: 【Whistling】
Ye Qingyi: “Spit it out. I’m busy.”
Su Mo: “Tsk tsk, such language from a lady.”
Ye Qingyi: “Which law says girls can’t swear?”
Su Mo: “Fine, whatever. Real talk—we’re heading back to Jingcheng tomorrow. Wanna go together?”
Ye Qingyi: “Are you begging me?”
Oh-ho, this tsundere act? No way I’m backing down now.
Su Mo sent an aggressively domineering meme:
【What if I am?】