Chương 164: A Morning Interlude and a Place That Must Be Visited

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and gently fell on the floor of Su Yuqing's room, Luo Bingli was gently awakened by the chirping of birds.

She slowly opened her eyes, still a little dazed, feeling languid all over, experiencing a long-lost sense of comfort and peace.

Subconsciously moving her slightly numb arm, she belatedly realized that she had actually— She remained in the same position she had used to fall asleep last night, her arms still tightly wrapped around the petite and warm body beside her.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ying, who had been sandwiched between her and Yu Qing and served as a "pillow" all night, was now sleeping peacefully, her breathing even and steady. Her face, which looked even more exquisite and beautiful in the hazy morning light, carried a rare tranquility and obedience.

Luo Bingli's gaze involuntarily fell on Ji Ying's sleeping face so close to hers. Looking at her slightly pursed pink lips and her slightly twitching little nose, an indescribable sense of satisfaction and happiness welled up in her heart.

To be able to look at her so closely, to feel her even breathing and warm body temperature, to be able to— Holding her like this forever—it feels so good.

Just as she was basking in the afterglow of this happiness, gazing longingly at Jiying's sleeping face, a soft hum, tinged with a hint of languor, suddenly came from the inside of the bed.

Luo Bingli's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately realized that Su Yuqing was about to wake up. A strange sense of guilt instantly welled up in her heart.

Although the atmosphere last night was very good, Yuqing did not seem to show any dissatisfaction because she was too close to Xiaoying, and even took the initiative to join in.

But now it was already the next morning, and I felt a little embarrassed that I had slept so intimately with Xiaoying in front of my friend all night.

She instinctively wanted to quietly pull her arm, which was still draped over Ji Ying's neck, back, and pretend that nothing had happened.

However, her little action was seen by Su Yuqing, who had just opened her sleepy eyes.

"Hmm—Xiao Li, you're awake?" Su Yuqing rubbed her eyes, her voice hoarse and languid, typical of someone who had just woken up.

Her gaze fell on Luo Bingli's arm, which was trying to "retreat" from Ji Ying, and she immediately understood what was going on. A mischievous smile flashed in her eyes.

Luo Bingli's body stiffened abruptly, realizing that her little trick had been discovered. She didn't dare to answer and immediately closed her eyes tightly, trying to pretend to be asleep to get away with it.

Unfortunately, Su Yuqing clearly wouldn't let her succeed so easily.

Su Yuqing propped herself up slightly from the bed, and through the still-sleeping Ji Ying in the middle, she stretched out her slender finger and precisely poked the most ticklish spot on Luo Bingli's waist.

"ah--!"

Caught off guard, Luo Bingli let out a short gasp, her body trembling violently as if electrocuted, her attempt to pretend to be asleep instantly failing.

She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her face showing a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness.

"Good morning, Xiao Li~" Su Yuqing's smile had a distinctly mischievous tone.

Luo Bingli's cheeks instantly turned bright red. She quickly released her grip on Ji Ying's neck and lowered her head even further, feeling guilty, not daring to look into Su Yuqing's eyes.

Su Yuqing's smile deepened as she looked at Luo Bingli's adorable, guilty expression.

She propped herself up, leaned past the shadowy figure, and whispered in Luo Bingli's ear with a hint of teasing, "Little Li, what's wrong? Why is your face so red so early in the morning?"

"Um—" Luo Bingli's eyes darted around unconsciously. She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said in a tone full of apology, "Yuqing—I'm sorry."

"Huh? Why do you need to apologize?" Su Yuqing blinked, feigning ignorance, but her eyes gleamed with a sly light.

"Th-that—that's—me—" Luo Bingli stammered, completely unsure how to express her true feelings.

Just then, Su Yuqing's slightly helpless chuckle rang in her ear: "Alright, alright, Xiao Li, open your eyes and look at me first."

Luo Bingli hesitated for a moment, but still slowly opened her eyes as instructed.

What came into view was Su Yuqing's face with a gentle smile, and her bright eyes that were shining with tolerance and understanding.

There was no dissatisfaction or blame in that gaze, but rather—a warm feeling that made her feel at ease.

Luo Bingli was slightly taken aback.

Su Yuqing gently shook her head and said in a tender tone, "Silly boy, how could I blame you for something like that? We are—best friends."

"And it's so nice to see you're in a better mood."

Instead of all that nonsense, let's work together for our missing predecessors— Let's get justice!

Upon hearing Su Yuqing's words, which were full of understanding and encouragement, Luo Bingli's embarrassment and unease were instantly replaced by immense emotion, and her eyes uncontrollably welled up with tears again.

She was about to say something to express her gratitude and emotion when she saw Su Yuqing's expression suddenly change, her eyes flashing with ill intent as she stared intently at the petite girl who was still fast asleep between the two of them.

Immediately, Su Yuqing stretched out her finger and poked Ji Ying's soft cheek hard without any politeness, saying "fiercely," "Hmph! If you want to blame someone, blame this scoundrel who's always attracting attention. Look how soundly she's sleeping; she definitely has no idea how much trouble she's caused us!"

"It's all her fault!"

Ji Ying's originally peaceful and beautiful sleeping face was inevitably ruined by Su Yuqing's merciless "finger attack".

She unconsciously furrowed her delicate eyebrows slightly, her small nose wrinkled gently, and she let out a soft hum with a hint of dissatisfaction, as if she were about to wake up from her dream at any moment.

Looking at Ji Ying's adorable expression, clearly somewhat disturbed, and the mischievous grin on her friend's face, Luo Bingli felt a surge of emotion at being understood by her friend, which hadn't completely faded before it was immediately replaced by a strong sense of worry.

She reached out somewhat frantically, trying to stop her friend's obviously ill-intentioned next move.

"Yuqing, stop teasing Xiaoying. She must have been very tired last night. Let her sleep a little longer."

"Oh dear~ Xiao Li, how could you do this? How can this be called teasing?" Su Yuqing, upon hearing Luo Bingli's dissuasion, not only did not restrain herself at all, but instead revealed an even more malicious smile.

She held up her finger and shook it gently, then corrected herself in a serious tone, "I'm clearly using a kind of—" A special way filled with love and care to wake up our lovely little Ying and let her greet a beautiful day.

"Besides, it's more fun to bully Xiaoying like this, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste of her petite and adorable appearance?"

However, despite saying so, she didn't continue her previous actions. Instead, she lay back down and gently hugged Ji Ying. The room fell silent for a moment. Time passed slowly, and it was almost time to get up and wash up. Neither of them moved, seemingly reluctant to leave the time they had spent in bed with Ji Ying, or perhaps waiting for her to wake up. After a while, Ji Ying gradually woke up and let out a few soft groans that were hard to understand. Both of them immediately focused their attention on her.

Just then, a soft knock came from the hallway outside the room.

"Knock knock knock" Immediately afterwards, Su Wanyi's gentle voice rang out: "Yuqing, Xiaoli, are you two awake? Breakfast will be ready soon."

Ji Ying's consciousness was still in a state of chaos. Almost the instant she heard Su Wanyi's voice, as if by conditioned reflex, she subconsciously responded in a slightly hoarse girlish voice with a thick nasal tone: "Um—okay, Mom—I'll get up and wash right away—" The atmosphere in the room froze instantly.

Su Yuqing and Luo Bingli were both completely stunned by Ji Ying's sudden answer, their expressions were incredibly varied.

Hearing a slightly unfamiliar, somewhat hoarse girl's voice coming from inside the room, Su Wanyi was taken aback and asked curiously, "Hmm? Yuqing, was that you just speaking? Your voice sounds different than usual."

Inside the room, Su Yuqing was the first to react. She turned her head sharply and glared fiercely at the culprit who was still half asleep and had no idea how much trouble he had just caused.

She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calm, and then imitated Ji Ying's slightly hoarse and languid voice as she replied, "Ah—it's nothing, Mom. I was the one who spoke just now—I just woke up, my voice is a little hoarse, don't worry!"

At this moment, Ji Ying finally came to her full senses and belatedly realized the enormity of the mess she had made.

She quickly gave Su Yuqing an extremely ingratiating and fawning smile, clasped her hands together, and mouthed "please, please" repeatedly.

Outside the door, after hearing her daughter's answer, Su Wanyi didn't suspect anything further. She just smiled and said, "Okay, then hurry up and come down, don't let the breakfast get cold."

After saying that, she turned and walked downstairs.

After confirming that she had successfully deceived him, Su Yuqing breathed a long sigh of relief and stared intently at Ji Ying, who had lowered his head even further out of guilt. Her gaze naturally fell on the hem of Ji Ying's nightgown, which was slightly disheveled from the previous night's sleeping posture and even a little open, revealing a small patch of her snow-white waist.

Her eyes darted around, and a wicked, extremely dangerous smile appeared on her face.

While loudly responding to Su Wanyi's instructions, she reached out and gently scratched Ji Ying's lower abdomen.

"ah--!!!"

Although Ji Ying had already sensed Su Yuqing's intentions when she saw the malicious smile on her face, she immediately realized that she absolutely could not make a sound, lest she arouse Su Wanyi's suspicion again.

But Su Yuqing's attack this time was too sudden and too precise. Even though she immediately covered her mouth with both hands, she still couldn't help but let out a short and suppressed gasp.

"Hmm? Yuqing, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Su Wanyi, who had already reached the top of the stairs, stopped in her tracks after hearing the exclamation coming from her daughter's room, and asked again with some confusion.

Su Yuqing's smile remained unchanged, and her fingertips continued to scratch Ji Ying's fair and flat abdomen with neither too light nor too heavy pressure.

At the same time, she answered loudly in a nonchalant tone, "It's okay, Mom. Xiaoli just thought she saw a bug and got a fright. She's fine now, right, Xiaoli?"

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable and gestured to Luo Bingli beside her with her eyes to cooperate.

Luo Bingli looked at Ji Ying, who was being held down on the bed by Su Yuqing, his cheeks flushed red, and his eyes even glistening with tears. He was still covering his mouth with his hands, desperately trying not to make a sound.

He glanced again at Su Yuqing's sly smile, which seemed to have gotten away with a prank, and the slightly threatening look in her eyes.

Although she felt sympathy and pity for Ji Ying, after a brief hesitation, she still—reluctantly chose to go along with her friend's words.

After all, even Xiaoying herself doesn't want to reveal her existence to her family; she needs help to protect this secret.

So, she replied in a slightly fearful tone, "Yes, Auntie, I think I misread it just now—it's all alright now."

Hearing Luo Bingli say the same thing, Su Wanyi was finally relieved. She smiled and reminded them again, "Then hurry up and come down." Then she went down to the second floor.

Only when the footsteps faded into the distance did Su Yuqing finally stop what she was doing. She looked at the lonely figure on the bed, whose eyes still had glistening tears, and a bright and triumphant smile appeared on her face.

After Su Wanyi left, Ji Ying finally dared to loosen her hands that were tightly covering her mouth. Her previously tense body instantly went limp, and she gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling slightly with her heavy breathing. It took her a while to recover.

Looking at Su Yuqing, who was still watching him with a wicked smile and a leisurely air, Ji Ying could no longer suppress the shame and anger in his heart.

Unable to bear it any longer, she leaped out of bed and delivered a vicious chop to the other person's head: "Su Yiyu Yiqing—!!!"

Seeing Ji Ying rushing towards her so aggressively, Su Yuqing showed no fear whatsoever; instead, she smiled even more happily.

She didn't even try to dodge, letting Ji Ying's seemingly fierce but actually effortless hand strike lightly land on her forehead.

"Ouch, that hurts!" She exaggeratedly rubbed her forehead, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Xiaoying, you're so weak right now, even your hand chop is so weak. But I don't feel any pain at all~"

"you-!!!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ying's anger flared even more, and she retorted loudly, "I've always carefully controlled my strength. When have I ever really hurt you?!"

As she spoke, she raised her right hand again, wanting to repeat the action from before and teach this despicable guy an even deeper lesson.

As a result, the moment Ji Ying reached out again, Su Yuqing precisely grabbed that slender, fair wrist.

The next moment, accompanied by her silvery laughter, Ji Ying was uncontrollably pulled down by a force and fell back onto the soft bed.

All her resistance and struggle seemed so pale and powerless. She could only look in horror at Su Yuqing's increasingly bright and malicious smile, and at the other's sinful hands that were once again reaching towards her lower abdomen.

Just before his senses were about to be completely overwhelmed by that irresistible "itch" again, Ji Ying subconsciously turned his head and cast a pleading look at Luo Bingli by the bedside.

However, this time, what she saw was not the sympathy or concern she had expected.

Although there was still a hint of reluctance on that delicate face, it seemed more like—a kind of eagerness filled with curiosity and anticipation?

No way! Even Xiao Li, you...?!

A long time passed.

With a forced smile, Su Yuqing moved closer to Jiying, who was currently sitting cross-legged on the bed with her arms crossed, her back turned to her in a huff. She carefully coaxed, "Okay, okay, Xiaoying, please forgive me this time. I admit, I did go a little bit too far just now. I sincerely apologize, okay?"

Ji Ying glanced coldly at the girl beside her who was trying to put on a pitiful look out of the corner of her eye, and snorted in annoyance.

She then turned her head to the other side, expressing with her actions her strong desire to "be angry and not want to talk to you."

- Upon seeing this, Su Yuqing's expression immediately became even more "humble" and "sincere".

Upon seeing this, Su Yuqing's expression immediately became even more humble and sincere.

She assured him confidently, "Xiaoying, don't worry! I, Su Yuqing, will absolutely handle your inability to attend class today perfectly! I guarantee that your parents and teachers won't find any clues!"

"So—please give me another chance, okay?"

After hearing Su Yuqing's crucial assurance, Ji Ying's tense expression finally eased slightly.

She slowly turned her head, her face still showing some reluctance, and asked in a tone tinged with obvious doubt, "—Really?"

Seeing that Ji Ying's attitude had finally softened, Su Yuqing immediately seized the opportunity, leaned forward, and eagerly changed the subject, saying, "It really is, really, more real than real gold!"

"By the way, Xiaoying, didn't you say before that the inspector named Xingxian was going to meet with us today?"

Did she specify when and where it happened?

Jiying immediately understood the other party's intention, but she still shook her head slightly, temporarily putting aside the unpleasant "little episodes" from before, and replied calmly, "When Xingxian left last night, she did not clearly tell me the specific time and place of the meeting, she only said that she would contact me within today."

Therefore, the exact time and place—I still don't know.

Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing continued with some curiosity, "So—before Miss Xingxian contacts you, Xiaoying, do you plan to—stay in this room with me? Or—sneak back to your own room?"

Ji Ying shook his head gently again, turning his gaze to the increasingly gloomy sky outside the window, a hint of solemnity flashing in his dark red eyes.

"No----"

"Before meeting Hoshizora—"

"There's a place I must go to first."