Going home for the New Year during the winter break, I encountered a cool school girl on the high-sp

Qin Yao felt a little uneasy, but she still forced herself to remain calm and patted Lin Muxi on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay, don't worry about it. I'll tell you everything in detail when the time comes."

Although she said that, she was secretly worried about how to bring it up with Lin Muxi when the time came.

The two were chatting enthusiastically when Chen Chen walked over carrying a plate of washed fruit.

He said with a gentle smile on his face:

"Here, have some fruit. It's freshly picked from the tree!"

As he spoke, he gently placed the fruit plate on the table, then slowly sat down in the chair next to Lin Muxi, naturally blending in and enjoying this pleasant and leisurely time with them.

Lin Muxi gently leaned forward, picked up a fruit from the plate, and looked up at Chen Chen, her eyes full of curiosity:
"Senior, is this a yellow-skinned fruit?"

Chen Chen nodded slightly and replied:
"That's right, it's wampee. Our wampee isn't fully ripe yet; my aunt just brought it over."

Some of them are quite sour, so if you can't handle sour flavors, don't force yourself.

Upon hearing this, Lin Muxi smiled and put the fruit in her mouth. For a moment, she paused, then her face lit up with surprise, and she excitedly said:

"Wow, it's so sweet, Yao Yao, you have to try some!"

Chen Chen looked puzzled: "Really?"

He remembered that the wampee at his aunt's house was quite sour, so how could it be sweet?
Could it be that Xiaoxi likes sour food?

Could it really be true...?

Without a second thought, Qin Yao reached into the plate, grabbed a yellow-skinned fruit, and put it in her mouth without a second thought.

She took one bite, and her face instantly scrunched up in a frown as she scolded:

"You're lying, it's definitely sour!"

Lin Muxi couldn't help but laugh out loud, and seeing Qin Yao's sour expression, she teased her:

"No, you know I don't eat sour things either."

Chen Chen thought of something and explained with a smile:
"On the same tree, some fruits ripen early and are sweeter, while those ripen late are more sour. You just happened to pick the sweet one. It seems Xiaoxi was just unlucky."

Qin Yao frowned, forced down the sour yellow peel in her mouth, picked up the water glass next to her and took a big gulp, saying irritably:
"What a coincidence! It was sour when I got it. Tell me, did you two conspire to mess with me?"

Lin Muxi quickly grabbed Qin Yao's arm and said coquettishly:

"I really don't have any. Why don't you pick another one and try it? Maybe the next one will be sweet."

Chen Chen chimed in, "Yes, yes, let's pick another one. Maybe the next one will be sweet."

Qin Yao rolled her eyes at them. "Hmph, I'm not falling for it. My mouth is still sore."

Even so, her hand unconsciously reached for the fruit plate again, picking and choosing until she found a slightly darker yellow-skinned fruit. She carefully took a small bite, and her eyes instantly lit up.
"Hey, this one is actually pretty sweet!"

Lin Muxi looked at Qin Yao's changed appearance and couldn't help but laugh:

"Right, there are still sweet fruits, you just have to know how to pick them."

Chen Chen nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right. The first one you picked wasn't yellow enough, so it was a bit sour. The one you picked earlier was a darker color, so it was sweet."

Qin Yao compared the results before and after, and said, "It really is true. It turns out that the fruit from the same tree can be both sour and sweet."

Thinking about something, she felt a little down.

Thinking of something, Chen Chen said:

"Oh right, there's also dried sweet potato. I almost forgot. I'll go get it for you to try." With that, she got up and walked into the house.

As night deepened, the lights in the courtyard shone a warm, dim yellow.

The croaking of frogs came from afar, rising and falling, as if playing a country nocturne.

Looking at the peaceful and beautiful scene before her, Qin Yao felt her worries gradually soothed by the gentle night.

Suddenly, Qin Yao's phone vibrated violently on the table.

She instinctively reached out and picked it up. The moment her gaze fell on the screen, the color drained from her face as if by an invisible force, making her look rather unwell.

Lin Muxi had been paying close attention to her friend's every move and keenly noticed her unusual behavior. Worry and concern immediately surfaced in her eyes as she softly asked:

"What's wrong, Yao Yao? Did something happen?"

Qin Yao paused slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, before forcing herself to remain calm and saying:
"It's okay, don't worry."

Lin Muxi didn't let the topic go easily. She frowned slightly, pointed to her phone, and pressed on:

"If nothing's wrong, why didn't you answer the phone?"

Qin Yao hurriedly put her phone aside, forced a smile, and said:
"It's really not important, answering it would be a waste of time, so I don't want to answer it."

"Speaking of which, this is my first time in Yuecheng. Aren't you planning to take me out to explore and experience the local customs and culture?"

Lin Muxi was full of doubts, but seeing Qin Yao deliberately avoiding the question, she didn't press her for an answer.

She nodded slightly, forcing a smile, and said, "Sure, since you're so interested, let's plan where to go later."

However, Qin Yao's mind was clearly not on the upcoming travel plans. Her gaze kept drifting to the phone placed to the side, and a hint of hesitation was faintly revealed in her eyes.

Lin Muxi saw it all, but remained calm, silently resolving to find out what had happened.

As the two were discussing where to go for fun, Chen Chen and Chen Jianwen came out of the house.

Chen Chen was still holding a plate of dried sweet potatoes. Seeing the two of them, he smiled and asked:

"What are you talking about? It sounds so lively. Are you discussing where to go tonight?"

Just as Lin Muxi was about to respond, Qin Yao suddenly stood up and said:

"I suddenly remembered something, I'll make a call first, you guys continue chatting."

Before anyone could react, she hurriedly walked out of the courtyard.

As Lin Muxi watched Qin Yao's departing figure, her worries grew stronger.

Chen Chen seemed to sense that something was off about the atmosphere, and looked at Lin Muxi, saying softly:
Why does Junior Yao Yao look so rushed?

Lin Muxi shook her head helplessly and said in a low voice:
"I'm not quite sure either. She started acting strangely after her phone rang, and she won't tell me anything when I ask her."

Chen Jianwen frowned slightly, seemingly lost in thought, and said:
"Judging from the girl's appearance, she must have encountered some troubles."

Chen Chen comforted her, "Don't worry, if she doesn't want to talk about it, it means she can handle it herself."

Not long after, Qin Yao came out of the house. Although she tried to remain calm, a closer look revealed a hint of fatigue.

Lin Muxi stepped forward, gently took her arm, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Qin Yao's lips curled up slightly, revealing a seemingly relaxed smile, and she said in a deliberately cheerful tone:

"It's alright. Let's go, we're going to have a blast tonight!" (End of Chapter)