We moved to Golden Courtyard

509. It turns out Miss Mei is also afraid of ghosts.

"Pork ribs and rice cakes, would you like some more?"

Mei's voice rang in Xu Qi's ears, startling him back to reality. This made Mei chuckle – "Why are you still daydreaming?"

"It felt amazing when you kissed me first."

Subconsciously, Xu Qi blurted out what was on his mind.

……

"Ahem!" Seeing that Mei's once fair neck was now bright red, Xu Qi scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said.

"Actually, this shop isn't that great; it's all just advertising and gimmicks. If you really want to eat pork rib rice cakes, you have to go to Master Qian's! That's truly exceptional!"

"Oh..." So she was referring to Qianjie... Mei then asked, "What about Mei?"

"She can't do it. This kind of authentic Shanghai cuisine has to have the Shanghai flavor. In this respect, Chef Qian knows more about it."

You're really embarrassing Mei, Mei...

"I'll cook for you next time I have the chance."

"Forehead?"

"If we're talking about skill, I should be much better than your young wife. After all, I have many more years of experience and insights, which she can't match."

For Mei, age is both a disadvantage and an advantage.

"Then I'll look forward to it—but this way, it seems like taking you on a date is just like Mei, where we end up eating, which is not worth it."

Why do you say that?

"My opinion is that it's not as good as eating you guys."

Mei: ? ? ?

Her face flushed red! She released her grip on Xu Qi's arm, slapped his chest, and said angrily, "We!...We haven't reached that point yet! Don't be so frivolous with me!"

"Um... I meant eating the food you guys cook..."

Mei: ...

Mei quietly turned and left. Xu Qi quickly chased after her, took Mei's hand, and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you angry? Don't be like that, I didn't mean it."

Mei glanced at the boy beside her with a hint of resentment and couldn't help but say, "Before, at your house... I dressed up as Mei and got all intimate with you."

But I don't actually want to be with you so quickly... I just find it too hard to suppress my feelings. I'm not a frivolous woman! You have to believe me..."

“Okay…” Xu Qi took Mei’s hands, pulled her in front of him, put away his playful smile, and looked at her seriously.

"I know, it's my fault, because I tend to make risqué jokes."

"But I remember you weren't like this before."

"Huh? Me before?"

"Ahem!" Mei awkwardly turned her head away—she'd let it slip...

"It's nothing, it's... it's Mei who told me. I asked her about your past relationship with you, and she told me everything. You didn't treat her like this before."

That's true.

Because Mei is Xu Qi's first love—and Xu Qi has never been in a relationship before—having a near-perfect lover like Mei puts a lot of pressure on him, so he naturally doesn't dare to be flirtatious.

But... now that I'm more experienced...

"She was lying to you."

Mei's eyes widened instantly—No… I'm lying to myself!? How could I not know what it was like when we were dating? You don't really think Mei told me that, do you?

Oh... Xu Qi should definitely think that way.

"Actually, when I was with Mei, it was often like this too. She was very shy back then, just like you are now. She would blush if you teased her even slightly."

Mei's smile was forced as she listened to Xu Qi's various fabrications.

She was genuinely curious: if Xu Qi knew about her background and then thought about what he had said today, would he feel... like he was going to die?

"But I also apologize. I didn't mean it, nor did I think you were frivolous, and I certainly didn't treat you like Mei. It was my fault. I'm sorry."

Mei glanced at her hands, which were still firmly held by Xu Qi. She wanted to break free, but she didn't have the strength, and... it didn't seem like she particularly wanted to break free.

Xu Qi's hands are very warm.

"It's okay, you don't need to keep apologizing to me... So what's next? Do you have any better plans?"

"Of course!"

As he spoke, Xu Qi pulled out a flyer that had inexplicably appeared in his hand, on which were written four words...

"Long...vine...demon...school..."

The more Mei chanted, the paler her face became, almost like a ghost.

"This...this...isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Hmm?" Xu Qi smiled knowingly, not expecting... that even her fears were the same as Mei's.

Mei is afraid of the dark, but the real reason she's afraid of the dark is—she's afraid of ghosts…

"Isn't it good? I think it's great..." Xu Qi thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "Mei just played with me last time, and the experience was pretty good."

Dr. Mei's brow furrowed slightly.

"She...played with you?"

"Yeah? Although I seemed pretty scared, I still agreed."

Mei took a deep breath—what did I go through in this timeline after Guangcheng?! How could they even agree to this?!

"I go……"

Meanwhile, Mei, who had returned to the Golden Garden and was lounging on the sofa watching TV, suddenly sneezed.

Achoo! ...What's going on? Is someone thinking of me?

Alicia, who was watching a boring TV series with Mei, yawned.

"It must be Xu Qi, there's no one else but him."

Mei shuddered, clutching her shoulders and saying, "This guy isn't planning on taking me to a haunted house, is he...? He mentioned it once before, and I'm not going to let him have his way!"

……

Huangpu District, a ghost school with long vines.

When Xu Qi brought Mei to the location, Mei was stunned for a moment.

After all, judging from the decorations outside the door alone... it clearly looks like a tea restaurant, not some haunted house.

"Hmm...are you sure this is the place?"

"Are you sure?" Xu Qi's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "That's why I said haunted houses aren't as scary as you think. It's all just you scaring yourself. Besides..."

Xu Qi squeezed Mei's nervous little hand.

"Don't you still have me?"

Glancing at Xu Qi beside him, he certainly gave her a sense of security, but the problem was...

Mei was still somewhat hesitant—her intuition told her that what followed might not be a good experience.

Xu Qi also found it quite amusing.

How could a mature and elegant woman like Dr. Mei be so afraid of haunted houses?

The other person's face was full of reluctance, but because of Xu Qi, they were forcing themselves to stand there and not tremble—how adorable…

Mei took several deep breaths, patted her ample chest, and said to Xu Qi beside her, "I'm ready."

I'm better now...

Xu Qi withdrew his gaze, took Mei's hand, and together they walked into this... Long Vine Ghost School.

However, as soon as I stepped inside, I unexpectedly met a familiar face in the store.

"Huh! Delta?"

Hearing the shouts, the cool pink-haired girl turned around curiously, then her eyes widened in surprise.

"Xu Qi!? What are you doing here... Ah... This is... Mei?"

510. You expect to have a romantic encounter in a haunted house?!

Sure enough, almost everyone who has met Mei will mistake her for Mei at first glance—they look so alike.

Delta quickly noticed that something was wrong.

After all, the Mei in front of me... seems a bit too mature in terms of demeanor.

Xu Qi's girlfriend was still a bit green overall, while this one... is like a ripe peach, so beautiful that you can't help but want to take a bite.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she is every man's dream girl.

Delta quickly added, "Um... who is this?"

Xu Qi and Mei exchanged a glance. After thinking for a moment, Xu Qi explained, "This is Mei's older sister. You can call her... Teacher Mei."

"Oh... Mei's older sister."

After Delta finished muttering to herself, she glanced at the two of them holding hands and their obviously intimate stance... This Teacher Mei wished she could press her whole body against Xu Qi.

Delta's gaze toward Xu Qi instantly filled with disdain.

Men are all perverts!

Xu Qi: ? ? ?

"Sister! Hurry, hurry! The tickets are all bought!"

"Rosalia, you big idiot, stop making such a fuss about the crowdfunding group 456127940."

Just behind Delta, two little girls, about the same age as Gretchen, suddenly rushed out. One was pink and the other was blue. The pink one was lively and active, while the blue one seemed much more aloof.

What they have in common is that they are all very attached to Delta.

And... my sister?

Delta sighed, rubbing his forehead, and turned around to shout, "All of you, behave yourselves!"

He then looked at Xu Qi, his dead fish eyes wide, and waved his hand with a disgusted expression. "What? They're my sisters, is that not allowed?"

The girl with pink hair like me is named Rosalia, and the girl with blue hair is named Lilia… They're only in the second year of junior high school; they're still very young.

Why did you specifically add that sentence in front of me?

At this moment, the two girls clearly noticed who their older sister was chatting with, and ran out to see.

"Wow!" Rosalia exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling, as she rushed over to Xu Qi and Mei. "They're handsome older brothers! And beautiful older sisters!"

Xu Qi greeted him with a smile.

"Hello? My name is Xu Qi, and I'm your sister's colleague."

Rosalia was taken aback, then quickly ran to Delta's side and said, "Sister! Sister! I want him to be my brother-in-law!"

Xu Qi: ?

Without exception, he was beaten up by Delta Bonbon with two punches!

Lilia couldn't resist gloating, "Rosalia's causing trouble again."

With a slight blush on her cheeks, Delta glared at Xu Qi, who was both amused and exasperated. "We'll go in first. If you want to play too... we'll probably be in the same game."

After saying that, he dragged the two girls back into the shop.

……

Mei watched Delta and her group of three leave, pursed her lips slightly, and her eyes filled with a hint of longing and envy.

"What's wrong? You seem engrossed in reading."

"It's nothing, I was just thinking... I wish I could have a child too."

"what?"