Chapter 40: Staying the Night! Su Qinghe—Nuwa’s Showpiece
"Uh..."
Gu Yifan was taken aback. He hadn’t quite heard what Su Qinghe said, so he asked, "What did you just say?"
"..."
Su Qinghe fell silent.
Seeing her quiet again, Gu Yifan found it a little strange.
"Is something wrong?"
he asked.
"No... It’s nothing."
Su Qinghe looked up at him and spoke softly.
"Oh, okay~"
Gu Yifan nodded, pulling out his phone to check the time. "Looks like this snow isn’t going to stop anytime soon. It’s getting late, I have to go, or Ms. Chen will start worrying!"
"Mm~"
Su Qinghe nodded gently.
"Alright then!"
"You should head inside. I’m leaving!"
"See you tomorrow!"
"I... I’ll watch you leave first."
Su Qinghe bit her lip and murmured.
"Uh..."
Gu Yifan froze for a moment at her words. He gave Su Qinghe a complicated look but didn’t say anything more, then turned and walked into the heavy snow.
After walking a few dozen yards, he glanced back and saw Su Qinghe was still standing there, staring blankly in his direction.
Under the dim yellow streetlight, her thin figure looked a little lonely.
An inexplicable pang of sympathy struck Gu Yifan’s heart.
"It’s cold out here, hurry up and go inside!"
He waved and shouted to her.
Su Qinghe didn’t say anything, just gently shook her head.
"Sigh~"
Seeing this, Gu Yifan sighed softly and shook his head in resignation. After a moment’s thought, he turned around and strode quickly back to Su Qinghe.
Su Qinghe looked bewildered when she saw Gu Yifan walk back.
"You... come with me!"
Gu Yifan said.
With that, he took her small hand, and the two of them walked off into the heavy snow together.
"Where... where are we going?"
"Home!"
...
Their voices drifted faintly on the cold wind.
The snow began to fall even harder, already blanketing the ground in a vast sheet of white. In no time, the tracks they left behind vanished without a trace.
...
Cuihu District, Unit 3, Apartment 305.
CLICK~ The door opened.
Gu Yifan shook off the melting snow from his clothes and led Su Qinghe inside.
"Son, you’re back?"
Chen Dongmei, who was watching TV in the living room, called out casually as she heard the door open and turned her head.
"Hm?"
The moment she turned, she paused briefly, and in the next second, her eyes lit up.
"Qinghe, you didn’t go home?"
She hurriedly got up from the sofa, walked over to Su Qinghe, and said with a huge smile.
"Hello, Auntie~"
Su Qinghe said softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
It was hard to tell if it was from the cold or from shyness.
"The snow’s too heavy outside, she couldn’t get back to the school, so I brought her here."
Gu Yifan explained to his mom.
"Oh, I see!"
"No wonder your dad just called to say the snow was too heavy to drive, so he’s staying at his workplace tonight."
Chen Dongmei said with a nod.
"Auntie, I’m sorry to trouble you again."
Su Qinghe said apologetically.
"Oh, hush~"
"You silly girl, it’s no trouble at all! Auntie couldn’t be happier!"
Chen Dongmei feigned a bit of displeasure, taking Su Qinghe’s hand and chiding her gently, "Qinghe, you just relax and stay here tonight!"
Su Qinghe glanced at Gu Yifan first. Seeing him nod, she then replied, "Okay, thank you, Auntie!"
"Silly girl, no need to be so polite!"
"Come on, come over to the sofa and have a cup of hot tea to warm up. I’ll go make your bed in a bit!"
"Hehehe..."
Chen Dongmei led her by the hand toward the living room, her face beaming with a warm smile.
By the living room sofa.
Chen Dongmei chatted with Su Qinghe for a good while longer before finally getting up to prepare a room and new toiletries for her.
Only Gu Yifan and Su Qinghe were left in the living room, sitting in silence.
"Thank you~"
After a moment of silence, Su Qinghe spoke softly.
"Don’t mention it. We’re friends, aren’t we?"
"Just relax and make yourself at home tonight."
Gu Yifan said gently.
"Friends..."
Su Qinghe repeated the word softly to herself.
Just as she was about to say something, she saw Gu Yifan’s mom appear around the corner of the living room, holding a towel, toothbrush, bath towel, and other things.
"Qinghe, I got you a new towel, toothbrush, and all these toiletries. You can just use them in a bit!"
Chen Dongmei said to her.
"Okay... Thank you, Auntie."
Su Qinghe nodded in response.
"But, we don’t have any suitable pajamas. And we can’t go out to buy any with the snow coming down so hard. This is a bit of a problem!"
Chen Dongmei said with a frown.
"Auntie, it’s okay. I’m fine without pajamas."
Su Qinghe said.
"But it’s not comfortable to sleep without changing into pajamas!"
Chen Dongmei said.
"She can wear mine!"
Just then, Gu Yifan, who was standing to the side, spoke up.
Hearing his voice, both Chen Dongmei and Su Qinghe turned to look at him in surprise.
"Um... I have a new set of pajamas I’ve never worn. If Qinghe doesn’t mind, she can wear them!"
Gu Yifan explained.
"A new set!"
"Alright then, Qinghe, you can just make do and wear them for one night!"
Before Su Qinghe could even speak, Chen Dongmei had already made the decision for her!
"O-Okay."
Seeing that Gu Yifan’s mom had already spoken, Su Qinghe, though a little embarrassed, still nodded in agreement.
...
「Half an hour later.」
Su Qinghe emerged from the bathroom wearing Gu Yifan’s new pajamas.
Because of the difference in their height and build, Gu Yifan’s pajamas were a little big on her.
But it actually made her look even more adorable!
Moreover, she had just stepped out of a hot shower. Her delicate, makeup-free face was still slightly flushed, giving her an alluring charm that contrasted with her usual gentle demeanor!
Gu Yifan found his gaze fixed on her, unable to look away!
Adorable, gentle, and alluring... these different qualities coexisted on Su Qinghe without the slightest hint of disharmony!
Smooth, fair skin, exquisitely beautiful features, and that one-in-a-million unique aura.
’This must be what later generations on the internet would call a masterpiece of Nuwa’s craftsmanship,’ he thought to himself.
"Wh-What’s wrong?"
Seeing Gu Yifan staring at her, Su Qinghe’s face turned red as she averted her gaze.
"Ahem~"
Su Qinghe’s voice brought Gu Yifan back to his senses.
Even with his usual thick skin, Gu Yifan couldn’t help but feel his own face flush a little.
"Um... N-Nothing!"
"Er... right, they’re a pretty good fit!"
he said, hastily trying to change the subject.
Su Qinghe: "..."
’A good fit...???’
She looked down at the loose, baggy pajamas on her body, momentarily at a loss for words.
...