A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 43

The little girl kept waving her hand as she ran over from the hotel entrance hall, rushing toward Xiang Qingnuan and the others with great cheer.

Qin Xuening watched her, feeling that the girl looked somewhat familiar.

“Nuannuan, you guys got here so early!”

Gu Yutong was very happy. Her father was still filming and wouldn’t be able to meet up with her until evening. Seeing a familiar face here undoubtedly made the little girl, who had come alone, feel much more at ease.

“Hello, Sister Tongtong,” Qingnuan responded with a beaming smile.

“Yutong, did you come by yourself?” Seeing her carrying a backpack that looked quite heavy, Qi Jing took the initiative to take it from her.

Qin Xuening’s heart stirred as she finally matched Gu Yutong with the little girl she had seen on TV that day; naturally, the image of her and Qingnuan holding hands also flashed through her mind.

She lowered her eyes to look at her own hand, and her grip gradually loosened. The little girl whose hand she had been holding didn’t seem to notice, as she was still busy talking to her new friend.

Xuening’s gaze dimmed slightly. For some reason, her heart felt a faint, bitter sting.

However, just as she was hesitating whether to let go completely, that small hand suddenly tightened its grip, catching hers once more. The warm sensation transmitted from their joined palms made Xuening startle.

She looked up and saw the little girl before her turning back with a smile. Then, pulling her forward, the girl introduced her to her new friend:

“Hehe, this is Sister Xuening. I mentioned her to you last time.”

“Hello, Sister Xuening!”

Gu Yutong had noticed Qin Xuening earlier and was curious about who this beautiful older sister was. Hearing Qingnuan’s introduction, she immediately offered a greeting.

Xuening looked at her, not particularly wanting to respond, but seeing Qingnuan’s happy expression, she pursed her lips and finally said, “Hello.”

Gu Yutong didn’t think much of it, but Qi Jing’s eyes widened in shock and grievance at the blatant double standard.

Could it be… could this be the legendary ‘friendship between girls’?

At their age, they were actually beginning to develop gender awareness. At school, boys and girls no longer huddled together to play like they did when they were toddlers; instead, they gradually began to form their own camps. Qi Jing felt very sorrowful. So is this why the big sister’s attitude toward me is so cold? Does that mean I can’t play with them anymore in the future?

“Sister Xuening, is your leg hurt?” Gu Yutong asked curiously, seeing Xuening sitting in a wheelchair.

“Mhm, Sister’s leg was hurt before, but it’s much better now.” Xuening remained silent, so Qingnuan answered for her.

She knew Sister Xuening didn’t like to talk, and she knew she didn’t like traveling far, yet Sister had agreed to come out for her sake. While Qingnuan was happy, she also felt a bit guilty. She didn’t want others to think poorly of Sister Xuening just because she was quiet, so she always rushed to answer for her. Anyway, she loved to talk, so it worked out perfectly.

“Oh, does it hurt? Will Sister still be able to walk later?” Gu Yutong’s face showed a look of sympathy.

“Of course! Sister can walk right now, but we’re afraid she’ll get too tired, so we don’t let her get up,” Qingnuan said matter-of-factly.

It was clearly Xiang Nan who complained I walked too slowly… Xuening pouted inwardly, but Qingnuan’s explanation still gave her a sense of comfort, and her expression finally softened a bit.

“Is that so? Then Sister must sit properly and not move around too much,” Gu Yutong said very seriously.

Sensing the genuine concern in her tone, Xuening, no matter how reluctant she was, eventually nodded for Qingnuan’s sake. “Mhm.”

“Yo, Tongtong is here too.” Xiang Nan and Qi Tao walked over after finishing the check-in. “Are you alone? Where’s your daddy?”

“My daddy won’t be here until tonight…” Besides Gu Yutong’s father, the other two families wouldn’t arrive until the early hours of the morning.

Thus, Xiang Nan and Qi Tao, who arrived first, agreed to go out for dinner together after dropping off their luggage.

Xiang Nan led the two girls away first, while Gu Yutong was led by the staff. Qi Tao dragged his luggage along, but after two steps, he noticed his son hadn’t followed. He looked back and saw Qi Jing standing in place, looking utterly dejected.

“Son, what’s wrong?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” The boy sighed, dragging his luggage toward the elevator with a look of feigned depth that made Qi Tao both annoyed and amused. He shook his head and followed his son.

After dinner, Xiang Nan settled the two girls. Before leaving the room, he looked at his daughter and asked one last time, “Nuannuan, are you sure you don’t want to sleep with Daddy?”

“Daddy snores at night.” Qingnuan held her blanket and replied after a moment’s thought.

Xiang Nan, rejected by his daughter, felt a “critical hit” to the heart. Clutching his chest, he walked to the door of the adjoining room. Before leaving, he instructed, “Daddy is right next door. The door is unlocked. If you need anything at night, just call me.”

“Okay! Goodnight, Daddy!”

“Goodnight.” Xiang Nan turned off the light and reluctantly returned to his room to continue mourning the loss of his time sleeping with his daughter.

The two girls’ room fell silent for a while, then the sound of rustling began.

“Sister Xuening, can’t you sleep either?” the girl’s voice rang out.

Qin Xuening opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling, and softly replied, “Mhm.”

A strange environment and unfamiliar scents indeed made it difficult to fall asleep. Qingnuan thought for a bit, then huddled close and leaned over her. “Sister Xuening, are you a bit unhappy today?”

Although the big sister rarely showed it and others found it hard to tell, after being together for so long, Qingnuan could more or less sense her emotional shifts.

“No,” Xuening denied instinctively.

“Sister Xuening…” Qingnuan pouted. “It’s all my fault, forcing you to come out…”

Hearing the girl sound as if she were about to cry, Xuening sighed softly. She reached out and patted her back. “It has nothing to do with you. I wanted to come myself.”

“Why did you suddenly want to come?” Qingnuan’s crying tone faded. She rested her head on Xuening’s chest, listening to her heartbeat and asking curiously.

The image of the two little girls holding hands flashed before Xuening’s eyes. She shook her head slightly, chasing the image away. Then, she murmured, “I just… didn’t want to be home alone…”

“Hehe! While I was gone, did Sister Xuening miss me?” Qingnuan finally remembered that the big sister hadn’t answered her last time.

Xuening paused. Hugging the little girl in her arms, she tried to dodge the subject. “It’s time for sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“But did you miss me or not?”

“Be good. Sleep.”

“Do you miss me or not?”

“…” Xuening, left with no choice by her persistence, finally compromised. With a slight heat in her face, she gave a soft “Mhm.”

“Haha! I knew it!” Having received her answer, Qingnuan was finally satisfied. She closed her eyes and drifted into a dream almost instantly.

In the darkness, Xuening held her little “bundle,” her lips curving upward slightly as she slowly fell asleep as well…

The next day, all five families finally gathered. Under the guidance of the crew, they arrived at the location for this trip—Qiandeng Ancient Town.

Qiandeng was a typical water town in the south of the Yangtze River. The town still preserved many old shops, and the stone slab roads on the ground had a history of over a thousand years. Several arched bridges, their faces eroded by time, spanned the river flowing through the town, adding a classical aura to the place.

Xiang Nan held his daughter, standing on a stone arch bridge with the other guests, gazing at the distant houses. These stilt houses were built along the water, decorating the riverbank in a scattered yet orderly fashion. Several moss-covered fishing boats were moored below, swaying gently with the ripples and making creaking sounds. All of this formed a serene ink-wash painting, causing one to lose themselves in it unconsciously.

Qin Xuening had stood up. It was her first time seeing such scenery; the unique ancient charm of the East fascinated her, and the sound of a guzheng she had once heard seemed to echo in her ears.

Under the watchful eyes of the group, a fishing boat slowly sailed in from a distance. A familiar figure stood at the bow—it was today’s host, Li Rui. The cameras were already trained on him, and everyone’s gaze was fixed on him. He spread his arms and shouted enthusiastically, “Welcome to Qiandeng Ancient Town!”

After this entrance, he scrambled onto the bank with a touch of awkwardness. Amidst the children’s laughter, he came to the arch bridge, gave an introduction to Qiandeng, and then naturally brought the conversation to Qin Xuening.

“As you may have noticed, we have a special guest with us today…” Li Rui introduced Xuening according to the script. Xuening listened with her nerves tight, but she let out a sigh of relief when she heard him only touch upon it lightly without mentioning her parents in detail. She glanced at Xiang Nan beside her, then lowered her head, tightly clutching Qingnuan’s hand.

“Just like the process last time, we will look at the houses first,” Li Rui said. “But we’re going to change the way we look at them today. Does everyone see the lanterns placed in front of you?”

Qingnuan nodded vigorously. She had noticed them early on. There were five lanterns of different shapes on the ground: a white rabbit, a monkey, a tiger, a lotus, and a giant rat. These lanterns were uniquely shaped and exquisitely crafted—a traditional folk handicraft of China.

Li Rui smiled and continued, “For today’s five houses, each will have a lantern hanging in front of the door. The shape will match one of the lanterns before you. Fathers and babies, please pick one of these five lanterns, then take it with you to find the corresponding house. Once everyone has found their residence, we will announce the next mission.”