CHAPTER 10

Waking up in the morning, Hu Anxue found herself in an unfamiliar room again, but this time she wasn't panicked. She quickly remembered the situation from yesterday and where she was. This was Hang Ying's bedroom, but Hang Ying was still not there.

Her phone was nearby, and Hu Anxue glanced at the time. It was already 8 o'clock in the morning, so Hang Ying should have left by now. She usually left early on weekends, probably to go to the inn. So Hu Anxue calmly finished her morning routine and prepared to return to her own bedroom. The room was indeed soundproof, and she only heard the sounds from the kitchen after opening Hang Ying's bedroom door. At this time, was it Auntie cooking? Hu Anxue walked towards the kitchen in confusion.

"Awake? Finished getting ready? Just wait for breakfast, it'll be ready soon."

Having just finished getting ready, Hu Anxue was wide awake. However, the scene before her seemed unreal. Hang Ying was wearing sexy pajamas and a apron, cooking breakfast.

"Oh, okay." Hu Anxue took a moment to respond. She thought she wouldn't see Hang Ying today, but not only did she see her as soon as she woke up, she also got to see this domestic side of her. Her previously desolate mood instantly improved. Instead of leaving, she stood silently at the kitchen door, watching Hang Ying. Hang Ying could actually cook, and she was skilled at it, which was something Hu Anxue hadn't expected.

Breakfast was plentiful, with fried eggs, pan-fried dumplings, hot milk, and vegetable salad. Of course, the dumplings were frozen, but being able to turn them into pan-fried dumplings was already impressive. Hu Anxue's previous breakfasts were usually just store-bought bread and cold milk.

Hang Ying said, "Eat up. After we finish, I'll take you out."

"Where are we going?" Hu Anxue's eyes emitted a brightness that she herself was unaware of.

Hang Ying noticed Hu Anxue's excitement and deliberately teased her, "We're going out to have fun."

"Oh, okay." Hu Anxue lowered her head and desperately tried to conceal the upward curve of her mouth.

Today, Hang Ying deviated from her usual abstinent style and wore a dress, a sexy sleeveless long dress in a retro green color. It looked sophisticated on her. In comparison, Hu Anxue felt like she was dressed too much like a student, with a simple white T-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers, resembling Hang Ying's younger sister.

Although they were indeed quite similar, she was twenty-two years old this year, while Hang Ying was thirty, a seven-year age difference. Besides financial circumstances, age was also a gap between them. Hang Ying probably wouldn't like someone like her. She didn't know anything, didn't understand anything, and hadn't seen anything.

During breakfast, Hu Anxue guessed various possibilities for the place Hang Ying was taking her. She guessed it could be a movie theater, but immediately dismissed the idea. She thought Hang Ying only liked watching movies at home, but it turned out she also liked going out to watch movies, especially animated films.

"Do you like Doraemon?" Hang Ying asked while they were waiting.

"I used to like it when I was a kid." Hu Anxue replied.

Hang Ying smiled and asked, "Don't you like it anymore? Do you think I'm childish?"

Hu Anxue quickly shook her head, "No, I like it now too."

Hang Ying leaned her head on her hand, lazily watching the direction of the ticket gate. "I used to love watching TV when I was a child, but my parents wouldn't allow it. So now I often watch dramas as a form of revenge."

"Let's go, the tickets are checked, we can go in." Hang Ying stood up and casually took Hu Anxue's hand from the table.

Hang Ying used her right hand, which had no nails and was soft all over. As she held Hu Anxue's hand, Hu Anxue felt her heart racing. Hang Ying led her into the theater, walking hand in hand until they reached their seats. Only after sitting down did Hang Ying lift the armrest between them, bringing them closer together. Hang Ying gently wrapped her arm around Hu Anxue's waist, making her even more nervous. They had bought milk tea before entering, and now Hu Anxue's mind was blank. Subconsciously, she held the milk tea and sucked on the straw. The movie had just started, but she had already finished her milk tea. To ease her nervousness, she could only play with the empty cup in both hands.

"Drinking so fast, are you thirsty? Have mine." Hang Ying whispered in Hu Anxue's ear.

Hu Anxue replied, "No, it's okay."

"It's fine, I can't finish it anyways. You drink it." Without giving Hu Anxue a chance to refuse, Hang Ying placed the empty milk tea in Hu Anxue's hand on the floor and then handed her own cup to her.

Hu Anxue looked at the faint lipstick mark on the straw, her mouth curved into a smile, and she slowly opened her mouth. She had ordered full sugar for her milk tea, while Hang Ying had asked for a fruit tea with only five percent sugar. It was lightly sweet, with a hint of fruit flavor and tea fragrance, and it tasted really good.

Perhaps because the movie had been out for a long time, even though it was Sunday and an animated film, there weren't many children in the theater, or even many people in general. Hang Ying and Hu Anxue sat towards the back, surrounded by silence. Hang Ying seemed a bit sleepy, or else why would she lean on Hu Anxue's shoulder? Hu Anxue thought to herself. Hang Ying's warm breath lightly sprayed on her neck, tickling her. Hu Anxue was glad that she was used to sitting up straight, so Hang Ying leaning on her shouldn't be uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Hu Anxue heard a faint sound in her ear, and then Hang Ying's head left her shoulder. Hang Ying had just kissed her neck. Hu Anxue instinctively covered her neck and looked back, luckily, the two people sitting behind them had already left at some point, so no one should have seen it. Hu Anxue turned her head to look at Hang Ying, who was looking at the big screen as if nothing had happened. It seemed like she wasn't the one who just did that.

Hang Ying bought two consecutive movies, so they spent a good part of the day in the theater before coming out. The theater was inside a mall, and the restaurant was downstairs, so they had a meal together, ordering a couple's set meal. Watching movies, eating, and shopping. This kind of arrangement might be too ordinary for couples, but for Hu Anxue, today was like a dream come true, and she was extremely happy.

With joy in her heart, Hu Anxue returned home with Hang Ying, thinking about what Hang Ying might want to do with her tonight. However, Hang Ying turned around and went back to the bedroom to change clothes before coming out again.

Hang Ying said, "I'm going out for a bit. You should rest early."

"Are you going to the inn?" Hu Anxue couldn't help but think that when Hang Ying was wearing a suit.

A hint of uneasiness flashed across Hang Ying's face. "Mmm, I'm leaving."

Hu Anxue stood alone in place, feeling a coldness washing over her heart like a bucket of cold water.

Hang Ying could tell that Hu Anxue was unhappy, but she had no choice. Tonight, she had to go to the inn to accompany a guest for tea. It had been arranged a few days ago. She was glad that she never took such bookings in advance, so she had mostly been able to arrange her own schedule these days, which gave her time to go out with Hu Anxue. Moreover, she was a bit conflicted about their relationship and needed some time to sort things out.

The guest tonight was one of Hang Ying's regular customers, two years older than her, surnamed Jia. She was a big boss, and they had gotten along fine before. However, for some reason, Ms. Jia started getting handsy and even tried to force himself on her, even though she clearly stated that she didn't accept such requests. Hang Ying stopped taking her bookings after that, until this time when Ms. Jia offered a significantly higher price to have tea with her. Hang Ying accepted it because there was no reason not to earn the money.

Hang Ying chose the lobby as the location for their tea session, and Ms. Jia agreed. When she arrived, she didn't do anything out of the ordinary, just drank tea and had Hang Ying pour it for her. When the teapot was empty, Hang Ying wanted to refill it, but Ms. Jia grabbed her hand.

"Ying Huan, name your price. I really like you, I want to keep you for myself."

Hang Ying frowned, about to react, but then she saw a familiar figure nearby. She coldly said to Ms. Jia, "Excuse me for a moment."

After Hang Ying left, Sun Xuan finally replied to Hu Anxue's message.

[Xue Xue, please save me. Can you come pick me up from the inn?]

Upon seeing Sun Xuan's message, Hu Anxue became very worried. She immediately called Sun Xuan: "What happened? Is something wrong?"

Sun Xuan's voice came through the phone weakly and breathlessly. "Ah, it's nothing major. It's just that my sisters have drained me completely. I can't handle it anymore, I can't even walk."

Hu Anxue asked, "You've been there since the day before yesterday?"

Sun Xuan replied, "Yeah, I have no choice. Those sisters of mine are too charming."

Hu Anxue asked, "How many did you order?"

Sun Xuan said, "No, I didn't. I didn't order any. I didn't do it all at once. Who can handle that? One per day is already enough for me."

Hu Anxue said, "Wait for me, I'm coming over now."

When Hu Anxue arrived, Sun Xuan was still hunched over the table, drinking tea. She didn't get up when Hu Anxue arrived and just sipped from her cup in small sips. Hu Anxue didn't rush her because she had ulterior motives for this trip. She wanted to see Hang Ying without disturbing her, just steal a glance. Even though she knew that seeing what she would see would make her uncomfortable, she still wanted to see Hang Ying. She had been holding on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that those actions only happened in the rooms, but she didn't expect to actually witness it.

Hang Ying sat in a corner of the lobby, wearing a dark blue suit that exuded elegance and composure. It was a stark contrast to her daytime demeanor. Sitting across from her was a mature woman, and the atmosphere between them seemed cold. The lobby was not small, and Hu Anxue was sitting far away from Hang Ying. However, Hu Anxue could still see clearly, but Hang Ying had her back turned and couldn't see her.

After a while, Hu Anxue saw Hang Ying suddenly stand up with a teapot in her hand. Then, the woman sitting across from her grabbed Hang Ying's wrist. Hu Anxue was too focused on watching and forgot to hide, and their eyes unexpectedly met.

Hu Anxue immediately lowered her head, feeling nervous and thinking to herself that she was caught. She didn't know what to do. She had promised Hang Ying not to come to the inn anymore, but she had been caught so quickly.

"Xiaoxue, didn't I tell you not to come anymore?" Hang Ying quickly walked over to Hu Anxue.

"Sister-in-law, I..." Hang Ying's tone was a bit harsh, and it startled Hu Anxue, who was seeing her like this for the first time.

"Sister-in-law? Xue Xue, what's going on?" Sun Xuan suddenly smelled gossip and finally sat up straight, curious to ask.

"I told you not to call me sister-in-law." Hang Ying said.

Hu Anxue chose to answer Hang Ying first, "I'm sorry, Sister Hang, I just came to have tea with a friend."

"Yes, sister, I can vouch for her. She's just here to have tea with me." Sun Xuan chimed in.

"Come back with me." Hang Ying said.

"But..." Hu Anxue glanced at Sun Xuan.

Sun Xuan immediately waved her hand as if nothing had happened and smiled at Hu Anxue, "Go ahead, I'm fine. I can go home by myself, don't worry."

As Sun Xuan watched Hang Ying and Hu Anxue walk away, she frantically typed in Hu Anxue's chat box: [I knew it, there's definitely more to the story between sister-in-law and little sister!]

[You're so rude! You didn't even tell me that the little sister is you.]

[And, sister-in-law is still working at the inn.]

[Why didn't you tell me earlier? I would have analyzed it for you. Now you're in trouble, right?]

[Your sister-in-law definitely likes you. She got jealous when she saw you at the inn. When you go back, remember to be soft and use your good looks to your advantage. Be coquettish.]

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