I really like your sand sculpture group friends

Upon seeing her younger sister, Su Mengyao seemed to take a deep breath, straighten her back, and put on that familiar, slightly mischievous smile again, at least outwardly returning to her normal self.

As she said before, she's really not a crybaby.

Even at the finish line, she only lost control of her expression for a moment when she saw Mo Xiangwen.

"I'm sorry, sis." Su Mengyao walked up to Su Mengli, her voice low and slightly nasal: "I didn't get a good ranking."

Su Mengli immediately reached out and took her sister's hand, her voice gentle: "It's okay, participation is what matters. I saw it all sitting here; you really tried your best."

“But…” Su Mengyao pursed her lips, her voice tinged with self-reproach: “If it were you, sister, who ran the race, you might have won first place.”

“There are no ‘ifs’.” Su Mengli shook her head, looking directly at her younger sister, and said very seriously, “I’m injured and can’t participate, and no other classmate can fill in. Mengyao, it’s already great that you stepped up, and no one will say anything to you.”

As she spoke, she squeezed Su Mengyao's hand, trying to reassure her.

Su Mengyao looked up at her sister's serious gaze and remained silent for a few seconds. Then, she slowly revealed a faint smile.

“Yes, you’re right, sister!” As if convincing herself, her tone brightened slightly: “After all, I was ‘appointed in a time of crisis’!”

After saying that, she immediately squatted down, wrapped her sister's arm around her neck and put it on her shoulder, and turned to shout at Mo Xiangwen, "What are you standing there for? Come and help! Didn't we agree to take my sister to the infirmary?"

Mo Xiangwen quickly stepped forward and walked to Su Mengli's other side.

"No...no need," Su Mengli blushed slightly, struggling gently. "My foot injury isn't so bad that I can't walk. I can manage on my own."

"Hey, sis, stop struggling!" Su Mengyao said with a grin, pressing her down. "Give up the resistance!"

Mo Xiangwen still chose to help, but he only supported Su Mengli's uninjured arm to provide a stable support point, thus helping without making Su Mengli feel overly embarrassed.

In the school clinic.

A kind-looking female school doctor, around forty or fifty years old, examined Su Mengli.

To avoid suspicion, Mo Xiangwen made up an excuse to "go out for some fresh air" and slipped outside to find a stone bench to sit on.

About ten minutes later, the door to the infirmary opened.

Seeing Su Mengyao help Su Mengli out, Mo Xiangwen, who was somewhat absent-minded, immediately got up to greet them and went to Su Mengli's side to offer his help.

"I really don't need to be helped anymore, I feel much better."

Su Mengli shook her head, somewhat amused and exasperated, and tried to gently move her right ankle in front of them.

I took a couple of steps, and although I was still a little cautious, I was definitely much more steady than before.

"How is it?" Mo Xiangwen's gaze fell on her bandaged ankle.

"The doctor said the ligaments are a bit strained, and I need to rest for the next few days." Su Mengyao explained softly from the side, "I just had a cold compress and some medicine applied. The doctor said I can go home and rest now."

“Okay, let’s go then.” Mo Xiangwen nodded.

Just then, a white campus sightseeing bus slowly drove along the tree-lined path, and Mo Xiangwen quickly waved it down.

The driver was a middle-aged man who looked relaxed and content. He slowly parked the car next to the three of them.

Mo Xiangwen and Su Mengyao carefully helped Su Mengli into the car, and then they got in themselves.

"Where to?" the driver asked without turning his head.

"Thank you at the school gate," Mo Xiangwen replied.

The car started smoothly, and the shade of the trees and the noisy playground outside the car window gradually receded.

Su Mengyao glanced out the window, then at her sister, and casually started talking about a funny competition that afternoon. Su Mengli responded softly, and the atmosphere between the two was quite relaxed and pleasant.

The car quickly arrived at the school gate.

The three of them got out of the car and walked to where they had parked their car.

As soon as Su Mengyao opened the car door, she slapped her forehead and made a cute gesture, laughing lightly, "Oh dear! I almost forgot! Sis, you're injured! You were supposed to be driving!"

She looked at Su Mengli's feet, then at the car: "How about... we leave the car here and take a taxi back?"

"It's not that serious, just a minor injury, I just drove." Su Mengli shook her head: "Besides, I'll need the car this weekend, I can't leave it here."

"How can it not be a problem!" Su Mengyao immediately grabbed her sister's hand, her voice a little anxious: "The doctor just told you to rest! On the way back, you'll be constantly on the gas and brake, how can you rest?"

Mo Xiangwen looked at the two sisters and silently raised his hand: "Miss, I can drive."

"Huh?" Su Mengyao and Su Mengli turned their heads almost simultaneously, looking at him with the exact same surprised expression.

"I had nothing to do during the holiday, so I went to learn something," Mo Xiangwen explained simply, extending his hand to Su Mengli with his palm facing upwards, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Su Mengli looked at her still somewhat uncomfortable right ankle, and then at Mo Xiangwen's calm face.

She didn't say anything more, silently took out her car keys from her pocket, and gently placed them on Mo Xiangwen's outstretched palm.

"Open it carefully," she whispered a word of caution.

"Okay." Mo Xiangwen gripped the keys and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you two young ladies get home safely."

Just as he said, the car drove smoothly back to the apartment.

Mo Xiangwen and Su Mengyao carefully helped Su Mengli out of the car and escorted her upstairs, finally settling her on the soft sofa in the living room.

Just as Su Mengli breathed a sigh of relief, Yan Nuoya came out of her room with a water glass in her hand, seemingly heading to the kitchen to pour water.

Upon seeing Su Mengli on the sofa and the two people surrounding her, she paused, her gaze falling on Su Mengli's bandaged ankle.

"What's wrong?" Yan Nuoya took a few steps closer, her calm voice carrying a hint of concern.

"It's nothing," Su Mengli smiled at her. "I just twisted my ankle."

Yan Nuoya nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on the bandage for a moment.

"Yeah, I almost twisted my ankle a couple of days ago too. If you need any help, just let me know."

After saying that, she didn't ask any more questions, picked up her water glass, turned around and walked towards the kitchen, her figure quickly disappearing behind the door.

We ordered takeout for dinner, and everyone ate quietly.

After dinner, Mo Xiangwen returned to his room, closed the door, and lay flat on the bed.

He took out his phone and began his daily writing session.

However, the feelings and images from the daytime kept replaying in his mind. Running 1500 meters in such hot weather was really not easy. He even thought about giving up countless times along the way. By the time he finished, he was completely exhausted.

It's not easy for Su Mengyao to finish the run.

...And, more importantly, why did Su Mengyao choose to participate in the competition in place of Su Mengli?

The image of her little face, soaked in sweat, flushed red, and filled with exhaustion and grievance, as she crossed the finish line, is especially clear in his mind.

Suddenly, a soft knock sounded on the door, the sound was very soft and hesitant.

"Who is it?" Mo Xiangwen put down his phone and called out.

There was a moment of silence outside the door, then Su Mengyao's voice came through, a little lower than usual: "...It's me, Mengyao."

"Come in, the door's unlocked."

The door was pushed open a crack, and Su Mengyao, wearing cute bunny pajamas, peeked halfway in.

She didn't come all the way in; she just leaned against the door frame, a hint of apology on her face, as if she felt uneasy about bothering him so late.

But what he felt more was the same sense of loss he had just seen on Su Mengyao's face during the day.

Her eyes were also somewhat unfocused, completely unlike her usual energetic self.

This appearance is completely different from the usual Su Mengyao who loves to joke around.

"What's wrong?" Mo Xiangwen sat up and looked at her.

Su Mengyao opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, her gaze lingered on Mo Xiangwen's face for a moment, then quickly fell back down, staring at her glistening toes in silence for a long time.

Her fingers, which were resting on the doorframe, unconsciously clenched. In the end, she simply shook her head, forcing a weak smile at the corners of her mouth: "Never mind... it's nothing. You should get some rest. Goodnight."

Before she could finish speaking, as if afraid she might change her mind, she quickly shrank back and gently closed the door.

With a soft click, the door closed, leaving Mo Xiangwen alone in the room once again.

Mo Xiangwen held his phone, listening to the footsteps outside the door fade into the distance, but his gaze remained fixed on the tightly closed door.

How am I supposed to tell him to say goodnight? He can't sleep at all!

He felt that if this matter wasn't resolved tonight, Su Mengyao's somewhat vulnerable expression would appear before his eyes every time he closed them.

He picked up his phone and turned on the screen; the time showed it was just past midnight.

It was very late at night, and I didn't know if the store was closed.

He stared at the time number for a few seconds, then looked up at the closed door.

The hesitation lingered in my mind for only a moment before being suppressed by the worry that I couldn't let go of.

Mo Xiangwen threw off the covers, got out of bed, and walked to Su Mengyao's door in his slippers.

He raised his hand and tapped the door panel twice lightly with his knuckles.

dong dong.

There was silence for a few seconds, then Su Mengyao's voice came through, muffled, as if coming from under the covers, with a slightly nasal tone: "...Who?"

Mo Xiangwen stood outside the door and answered softly, "It's me, Xiangwen."

A few seconds later, the door opened, and Su Mengyao, wearing bunny pajamas, appeared in front of him.

“…Don’t worry about me.” Su Mengyao lowered her voice and said very softly, as if afraid that her sister would hear: “I’ve already come to terms with it.”

...Really? Mo Xiangwen looked at her slightly reddened eyes. Unlike during the day, she seemed to be showing signs of becoming a crybaby.

"Come on, let's change your clothes and I'll take you out."

"Huh?" Su Mengyao's eyes widened.

Chapter 156 Cute Girl

"...It's so late, why are you suddenly saying you want to go out?"

Su Mengyao muttered softly, "Wait a moment while I change my clothes," and then closed the door.

Unexpectedly, things went smoothly; Su Mengyao agreed without even waiting for his reason.

Mo Xiangwen sat on the sofa playing on his phone for a few minutes when he suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Su Mengyao, who had changed into casual clothes.

She still looked somewhat dejected, her long hair cascading freely down her back, paired with loose casual clothes, giving her a slightly颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a sense of listlessness, decadence, or dejection) air.

"Where are we going?" Su Mengyao asked in a low voice.

"You'll see when we get there," Mo Xiangwen replied casually, then stood up from the sofa. "Let's go first."

"Hey, wait a minute." Su Mengyao put a bunch of keys into his hand: "This is for you."

"Going off so mysteriously without saying where," she sighed softly, complaining in a low voice, "but we can't just walk there, can we?"

...You really can just walk there.

When he had a fever last time, he was going to the supermarket to buy things and noticed that there was a barbecue restaurant nearby. He just glanced at it on the review app and the rating was pretty good.

After all, he wasn't familiar with this place, so he couldn't possibly go to certain old shops in alleys like he did back in his hometown.

"No need." Mo Xiangwen shook his head and tossed the key onto the coffee table, where it made a soft clatter.

"Let's just treat it as a walk."

......

The streets were quite deserted at night, and all around was quiet, with only the streetlights on both sides of the road emitting a dim light.

The two walked out of the residential area side by side. The 24-hour convenience store at the entrance was the only place that was still lit up; all the other shops had already closed.

A night breeze blew by, and when it hit his skin, he could feel a slight chill.

It really feels like autumn has arrived.

It's really strange, though, that it's so hot during the day that I'm sweating all the time.

As evening fell, the air actually felt quite cool, like an autumn night.

Mo Xiangwen glanced at Su Mengyao beside him. She was looking down, casually kicking at the fallen leaves and small pebbles on the ground.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to feel anything.

It shouldn't be cold enough to need a jacket yet, otherwise I'd have to go back, which would have wasted a lot of time.

"Mengyao, I'm not a smart person," Mo Xiangwen said slowly after a moment's hesitation.