I really like your sand sculpture group friends

This put his mind at ease.

After the three of them chatted for a while, Zhou Xiuqin's voice came from the kitchen: "Dinner's ready, Xiang Wen, come in and take the dishes out."

“Okay,” he responded loudly, and immediately stood up.

Seeing this, Bai Shishi and Yan Nuoya also stood up.

"I want to help too!" Bai Shishi clenched her little fist and said with great determination.

"Let me help too," Yan Nuoya said with a smile.

"No, no, no, there are only a few dishes. You can sit and wait." Mo Xiangwen smiled. "If there are too many people, things will get chaotic."

After spending some time dissuading the two from helping, Mo Xiangwen went into the kitchen.

As soon as I entered, I saw several dishes laid out on the table.

Upon closer inspection, he couldn't help but chuckle.

It seems that knowing he brought two classmates home, tonight's dinner was indeed incredibly lavish.

Beer-braised duck, sauerkraut fish, stir-fried chicken, and even cumin-flavored beef in the pot.

This is just the meat dish; there are also two vegetable dishes and a soup on the side.

He had never received this level of treatment before the college entrance examination.

If he had told his parents he brought two girls home, would his treatment have doubled? So, is he just benefiting from Bai Shishi and Yan Nuoya's fame?

Mo Xiangwen shook his head and carried the dishes out with his father.

Soon, the table was filled with a sumptuous feast.

"Shishi and Nuoya, sit next to me," Mo Xiangwen said, guiding the two to sit beside him.

Zhou Xiuqin glanced at her son but didn't stop him. Instead, she turned to the two of them and warmly greeted them, "Come on in, don't be shy, make yourselves at home."

Mo Chenfeng, like his son, was not a talkative person; he simply served rice and handed out chopsticks in silence.

After eating for a short while, Zhou Xiuqin, seeing that the time was right, couldn't wait to ask questions.

"Are you classmates?" Zhou Xiuqin looked at the two of them, then turned her gaze to Yan Nuoya and asked with a smile.

“Yes.” Yan Nuoya nodded slightly: “Xiang Wen and I are classmates.”

"Is Shishi the same?" She then turned to Bai Shishi.

“Shishi is too,” Mo Xiangwen quickly answered.

If Mom finds out that Shishi isn't a classmate, and that he brought Shishi over to play, it'll take ages to explain everything, it'll be such a hassle.

Anyway, given their good relationship, there's no problem treating them as classmates.

Zhou Xiuqin rolled her eyes at him and jokingly scolded, "I didn't ask you, go eat your food."

Mo Xiangwen grunted twice in dissatisfaction, and then indeed stopped talking.

Since he had said so, Bai Shishi quickly nodded slightly.

No matter who she's facing, she has never hesitated when it comes to taking sides.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiuqin had no choice but to glare at her son again.

Mo Xiangwen smiled, picked up the serving chopsticks, and put a few pieces of food that were relatively far away from Bai Shishi on her plate.

After all, this isn't a restaurant; there aren't any rotating glass plates on the table. Bai Shishi is quite petite, so we need to take care of her.

Seeing that Bai Shishi was enjoying her meal, Mo Xiangwen put another piece of beef into her bowl. Bai Shishi's cheeks were stuffed full, but she still tried her best to chew while mumbling her thanks: "Mmm... thank you so much, Auntie's cooking is very good."

"Really? Eat more if it's delicious," Zhou Xiuqin said with a smile.

Seeing how considerate her son was to Bai Shishi, Zhou Xiuqin couldn't help but exchange a glance with her husband.

She then turned to Yan Nuoya and subtly changed the subject: "Nuoya, what do you all do at school?"

Yan Nuoya put down her chopsticks, gently wiped her mouth with a napkin, and then replied with a faint smile, "Besides attending classes, we spend most of our time making games in the studio."

She'd seen plenty of people playing games, but this was the first time Zhou Xiuqin had ever heard of making games.

She asked with great interest, "So what games did you play?"

Upon hearing the question about death, Mo Xiangwen suddenly coughed violently as if he had choked.

Seeing this, Bai Shishi quickly put down her chopsticks and gently patted Mo Xiangwen's back with her small hand.

"You child, you can't even eat in peace," Zhou Xiuqin complained, but quickly handed him a glass of water. Mo Xiangwen gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, then secretly winked at Yan Nuoya.

No, no!

Yan Nuoya immediately understood, and after thinking for a moment, she said hesitantly, "It's just some school assignments. I'll delete it after I hand it in."

Zhou Xiuqin immediately lost interest. Although she still had a smile on her face, she had clearly given up on asking any further questions.

"I see."

Chapter 186 Should we sleep on the floor or the sofa in the same room?

After dinner, Mo Xiangwen quickly took Bai Shishi and Yan Nuoya to his room to prevent his parents from asking questions in the living room and accidentally asking something they shouldn't.

Since I plan to go straight back to my hometown tomorrow, my original plan to go to the furniture store to buy a bed has been cancelled.

Although there's only one bed in his room back home, there's a small furniture store in the town there, so he can go check it out after the air conditioning and internet are installed.

The bed is the easiest to install. The installer can deliver it to your door in a small pickup truck, and if everything goes smoothly, it might not even take half an hour.

Yan Nuoya, who was following behind him, stopped in her tracks as soon as she entered the room and carefully looked around.

The room was simpler than she had imagined.

A single bed stood against the wall, its light blue quilt neatly folded.

There was a wooden desk and chair that looked quite old by the window. Apart from a computer monitor, a keyboard and mouse, and a desk lamp, there was nothing else on the desk.

Yan Nuoya was slightly taken aback, a subtle sense of familiarity welled up in her heart, as if she had returned to the small single room she used to live in when she rented a place.

Same color scheme, same minimalist style.

She didn't know what Mo Xiangwen was like in the university dormitory, but ever since the two of them moved to Su Mengli's place, she often went to Mo Xiangwen's room to discuss work or other things.

Mo Xiangwen's room over there was also very simple, even lacking a desktop computer compared to this room.

She originally thought that they had just moved in and hadn't had time to buy anything yet.

In retrospect, this minimalist style may simply be a long-standing habit of his.

Mo Xiangwen noticed the faint smile on Yan Nuoya's lips as she looked around the room, and he was immediately puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, Bai Shishi slipped into the room from behind him like a nimble kitten.

She looked around curiously, then turned her head, her scarlet eyes filled with obvious doubt: "Xiao Yi, where are your figurines? I can't see a single one?"

"Figures..." Mo Xiangwen shook his head and said in a relaxed tone, "I don't have any figures I want to buy right now, but I might buy a few later."

"Huh?" Bai Shishi's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth slightly agape: "I thought Xiao Yi's desk would be full of all sorts of cool or cute figurines!"

“How could that be?” Mo Xiangwen smiled and gestured with his arms to the empty desk and room: “As you can see, I don’t have a single one here right now.”

Given his previous family circumstances and personal spending habits, where would he have gotten the extra money to buy figurines?

It was the same before, until he started working and had more money in his pocket, then he started saving up to buy figurines.

However, he didn't want Bai Shishi to talk too much about "money," a topic that was too realistic and specific, lest she start overthinking again.

"I see..." Bai Shishi nodded thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her finger, as if she was seriously considering something.

Suddenly, as if she had made a major decision, she turned around abruptly and came to stand in front of him, almost touching him. Then she looked up at him with bright eyes and said, "Okay, I've decided!"

"Huh? Decide what?" Mo Xiangwen was taken aback by her sudden action.

"When we get back!" Bai Shishi said, "I'll give half of my collection of figurines to Xiao Yi."

Her tone was very serious, and there was absolutely no hint of joking in it.

Mo Xiangwen was slightly taken aback, then chuckled to himself, a warm feeling welling up inside him.

He reached out and gently rubbed her soft little head: "No need. I appreciate your kindness, but it's really not necessary."

"Huh? Why?" Bai Shishi tilted her head in confusion, seemingly not expecting to be rejected.

Mo Xiangwen smiled, removed his hand from her hair, and gently pinched her soft, plump cheek with his fingertips: "Why so many questions? It's something you like to collect, so keep it for yourself."

"Mmm...!" Bai Shishi's cheeks were pinched, and she made a low, protesting whimper like a kitten, trying to express her dissatisfaction.

"What... what the hell..." she mumbled incoherently, trying to pry Mo Xiangwen's wicked hand away.

Mo Xiangwen smiled and let go of her hand, changing the subject before she could speak again: "Alright, you two can make yourselves at home in my room. Feel free to use the computer."

He pointed to the desktop computer on the desk: "I stood Mengyao up yesterday, so you guys should go online early today and play Ark with her. You guys play first, I'm going to help Mom wash the dishes, and I'll come back to you guys after I take a shower."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Nuoya said softly, "I'll go take a shower. You and Shishi go play games." She then prepared to get up.

"I'll go! I'll go!" Bai Shishi immediately chimed in, raising her hand high.

Mo Xiangwen looked at the two women and knew that they genuinely wanted to help, but he also knew their personalities.

He shook his head and chuckled, "Alright, alright, I know your personalities well. If you really put my mom alone with you, you'd be under more pressure than I am. Let's just forget about it."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two girls' faces, his voice softening slightly: "I know Nuoya and Shishi are both very good girls, so..."

Mo Xiangwen hesitated for a moment, seemingly choosing his words carefully: "Don't force yourself to do things you're not good at or that will put you under pressure. Whether it's Shishi or Nuoya, just be yourself."

After he finished speaking, he belatedly realized that his words seemed a bit too serious and awkward, and he dared not look closely at the two people's reactions.

"Well, besides, you're guests, how can we make guests wash the dishes?" He quickly made an excuse: "Then I'll go wash the dishes first, you guys go find Mengyao to play games."

After saying that, he turned and fled the room.

When he arrived in the kitchen, his mother, Zhou Xiuqin, had almost finished washing half the dishes. The tap was running, and the sink was filled with foam.

Zhou Xiuqin glanced at him and continued what she was doing: "Why aren't you in your room playing with your classmates? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, what are you saying?" Mo Xiangwen grinned and leaned closer. "Isn't it obvious? I'm just here to help you wash the dishes and show my filial piety."

"Alright, it's just a few bowls. You don't need to come all this way to show your filial piety. I've almost finished washing them." Zhou Xiuqin said with a hint of disdain, but her eyes were smiling.

“Then let me wash the rest,” Mo Xiangwen insisted, rolling up his sleeves. “Mom, you can go and rest, or watch TV.”

Zhou Xiuqin looked at him, then at the few dishes left, thought for a moment, and gave up her seat, handing him the dishcloth: "Okay, it's yours."

Seeing this, Mo Xiangwen quickly went to the sink and took over the washing work.

To his surprise, Zhou Xiuqin did not leave, but leaned against the kitchen counter next to him, watching him wash the dishes and chatting with him.

"How long do Shishi and Nuoya plan to play here?" she asked casually.

"We'll probably play until school starts," Mo Xiangwen replied casually while carefully rinsing the foam off the bowl. "Then we'll go back to school together."

Zhou Xiuqin was very surprised. Didn't this mean she would have to spend the New Year here? Bringing a female classmate home was one thing, but leaving a female classmate at home for the New Year was quite another.

Does this silly boy really know what it means to leave a girl in her hometown for the New Year?

Or do they simply not care?

"Don't they need to go back to their families for the New Year?" Zhou Xiuqin asked, puzzled.

"By the way, about this, Mom," Mo Xiangwen turned his head and said very seriously, "Shishi and Nuoya's situations are rather special. I'm not at liberty to explain the specific reasons to you right now, as it involves their privacy. In short, please don't ask too many questions for now, okay?"

Looking at his serious expression, Zhou Xiuqin remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly understanding something. Finally, she nodded and softened her tone: "Alright, you young people can handle your own affairs. Mom won't ask any more questions."

She sighed softly, a different kind of emotion in her eyes.

There weren't many dishes left to begin with, and Mo Xiangwen was quick and efficient, so he finished washing them and put them in the cupboard.

When he dried his hands and returned to his room, he saw that Yan Nuoya and Bai Shishi had already turned on their computers.

The two were sitting side by side at the desk. Bai Shishi was using his desktop computer, while Yan Nuoya took her laptop out of her backpack and placed it on the table.

The two computer screens and keyboards and mice were placed side by side on the already small desk, making it look extremely crowded. Bai Shishi and Yan Nuoya could not fully extend their elbows when using the keyboards and mice.

There was nothing he could do about it; his desk was small to begin with, and it was only thanks to Yan Nuoya's laptop that he could fit two computers in it.

However, it seems I'll have to buy a new computer desk when I get back to my hometown tomorrow.

Keeping this in mind, Mo Xiangwen didn't disturb the two people playing the game. He took out his clothes and went to take a shower.

When Mo Xiangwen returned to his room after taking a shower, he heard Su Mengyao's clear, slightly complaining voice coming from the computer speakers, interspersed with Bai Shishi and Yan Nuoya's occasional soft laughter.

He quietly walked up behind them and curiously peered at the game screen.