Rules of the Strange: I Can See Through All the Weird

She put her phone in her pocket and tied her hair into a half-up style in front of the mirror. "Liu Zi."

[Host is here!]

"Tonight you don't need to analyze anyone's favorability rating for me. Just remember if the barbecue restaurant has any discounts."

[...It's not a coupon system.]

"So, will you remember?"

[Note: Let them take notes.]

Seeing Qi Tong get up, looking like she was about to leave.

"Where are you going? Aren't we eating dinner tonight?"

"Shopping, go go go!"

Xu Ning couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Qi Tong is really something; no matter what her emotions are one second, she can change her demeanor the next.

-------

The two shopped in the shopping mall until the afternoon. When they got tired, they went to a coffee shop, ordered a coffee and dessert, and leisurely enjoyed their afternoon tea.

Qi Tong sighed with satisfaction as she ate the exquisite chocolate cupcakes on her plate.

"Shopping makes people happy, and pairing it with a small cake makes it double the happiness."

Xu Ning smiled and put a bite of the lemon-flavored mini cake into her mouth.

To be honest, her name is quite fitting, as she loves everything about lemons.

The two chatted and laughed.

Qi Tong suddenly realized that Xu Ning wasn't the chosen one, which meant she had entered the strange world on her own initiative.

Why did she enter the strange world?

A hint of sadness flashed in Xu Ning's eyes when this was mentioned.

"I came here to resurrect someone."

Qi Tong paused, her hand holding the spoon still. "Who?"

"My adoptive mother."

"I am an orphan. I was adopted by my foster mother when I was three years old. She is a very kind person. She often donates to various welfare homes and visits the children she sponsors."

"She has no family, no marriage, but she has many children. The donations she makes are all for her children."

"When I was little, I was withdrawn and didn't like to talk, so no children played with me. After she adopted me, she hugged me and said that seeing me standing there all alone reminded her of her childhood."

"She also grew up in an orphanage. She has no relatives, and she said that from now on I am her family."

"She was very kind to me. She liked the scent of lemons and named me Xu Ning. Coincidentally, I also like lemons."

"She planted a lemon tree in the yard. When I was eight years old, she picked my first lemon and told me that the lemon tree would always be with me as I grew up."

Qi Tong's spoon rested on the edge of the plate, with a small piece of chocolate cake crumbly at the bottom. She hadn't put anything in her mouth for quite a while.

As she spoke, Xu Ning's eyes reddened as she reminisced.

"My height is carved on that tree trunk; it grew much faster than me."

"Later, when I came of age, she left me forever in an accident."

"I resent God for being so cruel. Why did such a good person have to end his life in pain at such a young age?"

Qi Tong's gaze fell on Xu Ning's slender wrist.

Having no family and no adoptive father means that Xu Ning takes her surname.

She also knew an aunt surnamed Xu who frequently donated to the Ren'ai Welfare Home.

"Is that Xu Yuanyuan?"

Xu Ning suddenly raised her head, her pupils contracting sharply.

Her fingers tightened on the cup, her knuckles turning white, her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Hearing that name again, she couldn't hold back her tears, which welled up in her eyes. She tilted her head back slightly to stop them from falling.

"You know her?"

Xu Ning didn't answer, but her expression said it all.

"Yes...she also donated to the orphanage where I grew up."

No wonder she always felt that Xu Ning gave her a familiar feeling.

Xu Ning's movements, expressions, and temperament all bear a striking resemblance to Aunt Xu Yuanyuan.

Xu Ning opened her mouth, but no sound came out, as if something was blocking her throat.

Qi Tong felt a pang of sadness seeing her like this.

She put down the spoon in her hand and gently took Xu Ning's hand that was gripping the cup.

"Aunt Xu... she's really a wonderful person."

Qi Tong spoke very softly, as if afraid of startling something.

"When I was a child, I lived in Ren'ai Welfare Home. One winter was particularly cold, and the home didn't have enough quilts. She drove over by herself and delivered twenty new quilts, along with hot brown sugar steamed buns and ginger tea."

She said that children's feet get cold in winter, so drinking something warm before bed helps them sleep soundly.

Qi Tong paused, her voice becoming even softer than before.

"That was the first time I ate brown sugar steamed buns. I couldn't bear to finish them all at once, so I broke them into small pieces and ate them one by one."

"By the time I finished eating the steamed bun, it was completely cold, but my hands were still warm."

Xu Ning's tears finally fell, splashing into the coffee cup and creating a small ripple.

"That's just the kind of person she is."

Xu Ning's voice was nasal, but she still managed to force a smile.

"She was always worried about whether others were cold, hungry, or lonely."

Qi Tong nodded and didn't say anything more, but tightened his grip on her hand a little more.

The two remained silent for a while.

Soft music played in the coffee shop, and sunlight slanted in, flowing over the rim of the cup and landing on the back of Xu Ning's hand.

She didn't move, so the light didn't leave either.

After a while, Xu Ning took a deep breath, pulled her hand back to wipe the corner of her eye, and resumed her usual gentle expression.

"I'm sorry you had to see this; I'm not usually like this."

"What are you laughing at?" Qi Tong wrinkled her nose and snorted.

"If you're going to be a stranger, then don't eat the grilled beef tendon tonight; it's my favorite."

Xu Ning chuckled softly, amused by her.

"But to be honest, I've always felt like I've known you for a while now."

Qi Tong poked at the last bit of chocolate cake on the plate with a small fork, her tone casual yet earnest.

"Since you came to this strange world for Aunt Xu, then our fate is truly quite deep."

"So if you encounter anything in this world, remember to call me."

She looked up and winked at Xu Ning.

Xu Ning finally burst out laughing at her unserious behavior.

"Okay, I've got it."

Xu Ning took out her phone and checked the time.

"That's about enough. Let's go and put the stuff at home. If we don't get in line at the barbecue restaurant soon, we might have to eat standing up tonight."

The two paid the bill, carrying their afternoon's spoils, and walked out of the coffee shop chatting and laughing.

The setting sun cast long shadows of them, the two shadows overlapping on the road.

When the wind blows, the shadows don't move, like two trees planted in the same pot.

The journey home was silent, but neither of them felt awkward.