My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 25

Qin Zhen lowered her head, her voice softer than usual: “I-I just went out to buy some things…”

Bai Qingyuan twirled a pen in her hand, leaning forward slightly. Though she wasn’t staring at Qin Zhen’s back anymore, her gaze held a gentle probing tone. “I wanted to ask you to do the math practice paper together earlier. I knocked on your door several times, but no one answered. I thought you’d gone out to play somewhere.”

“Oh…” Qin Zhen responded, shuffling nervously into the room. Her eyes quickly scanned the sofa before she sidestepped, carefully hiding the insulated cup she was holding behind the sofa back, out of Bai Qingyuan’s line of sight. Her back stiffened, and her voice tightened as she said, “I-I’ll just put these things away first, then I’ll be right there!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she practically dashed into her room, stuffed the insulated cup into the innermost compartment of her closet, and deliberately covered it with a thick coat. Only after making sure it was completely hidden did she let out a sigh of relief, patted her flushed cheeks, and hurried back out.

“What did you buy?” Bai Qingyuan had already closed her workbook, resting her elbows on her knees as she smiled at Qin Zhen. “Why didn’t you ask me to go with you?”

Qin Zhen’s head shot up, her eyes wide as if caught off guard. She quickly began listing items in a rehearsed manner: “I-I bought tomato-flavored chips, and a black pen… um, and some other snacks.” She spoke rapidly, her gaze unconsciously drifting to the floor, avoiding Bai Qingyuan’s eyes.

“That’s all?” Bai Qingyuan raised an eyebrow. “Then why were you gone for almost an hour? I finished half the practice paper before you got back.”

Qin Zhen’s fingers dug into her palms, and she opened her mouth but couldn’t find any words.

“Zhenzhen?” Bai Qingyuan called her name softly when she didn’t respond.

Qin Zhen’s body stiffened before she slowly lifted her head.

…

Song Yuehua cooked a bowl of tomato and egg noodles for dinner. After eating, she curled up on the sofa browsing online shopping sites, her phone screen glowing brightly and making her eyes sparkle.

Song Xiaomi, the cat, frolicked nearby, jumping from the sofa armrest to the coffee table, then stepping on unpacked cardboard boxes before leaping onto the balcony. Its orange figure darted back and forth, tail held high.

Compared to their old small apartment, this new place certainly offered more space for the cat to roam around, and even its “meows” sounded livelier than usual.

After comparing prices across several platforms, Song Yuehua finally settled on a small daisy-patterned rug and two linen curtains that would cover the marks on the old walls.

Once the payment went through, she stared blankly at her phone screen for a moment, her heart fluttering like a restless little rabbit.

Even though she had promised herself to surprise Bai Qingyu, she couldn’t help wanting to blurt out, “I’ve moved in next door!”

Song Yuehua reached out and scooped up Song Xiaomi as the cat passed by, stroking its soft orange fur from head to tail. She didn’t even mind when the little one impatiently kicked its legs and let out a disgruntled “meow.” In the end, biting her lip, she opened the chat window with Bai Qingyu.

[Song Yuehua: Are you free tomorrow?]

After sending the message, Song Yuehua tilted her head and caught sight of her own irrepressible smile reflected in the glass.

[Bai Qingyu: Yes, I’m free.]

[Song Yuehua: Tomorrow, I’ll take you somewhere.]

[Bai Qingyu: Sure! I’ll come to you. You’re always the one coming to see me, it’s too much trouble for you.]

[Song Yuehua: No, no, no.]

[Song Yuehua: That place is really close to your home. I’ll come find you tomorrow!]

[Bai Qingyu: Alright, then how about I wait for you downstairs tomorrow? That way you won’t have to climb up to the sixth floor again.]

[Song Yuehua: Really, it’s no trouble at all! Just wait for me at home, I’ll come up to find you!]

She had already made up her mind: tomorrow, she would go straight upstairs to call for Bai Qingyu and bring her down to the third floor.

[Bai Qingyu: Mm, I’ll listen to you.]

Bai Qingyu placed her phone beside the keyboard, her fingers returning to the keys.

Lines of dense code scrolled across the screen, the rhythmic clacking of the keyboard echoing clearly in the quiet room.

This program was far more complex than the last one. If it ran smoothly, she would earn a decent sum of money.

With money, she wouldn’t have to fear Song Yuelan’s arrogance anymore, finally, she would have the means to stand up to her.

A sudden “knock, knock” interrupted the sound of typing.

“Come in,” Bai Qingyu said without looking up, assuming it was her mother needing help.

Instead, a soft voice came from the doorway: “Sis.”

Only then did Bai Qingyu stop what she was doing and look up at her. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

Bai Qingyuan walked over to the desk, hesitating for a moment before speaking. “Zhenzhen ran into Sister Yuehua at the supermarket today.”

Bai Qingyu’s gaze immediately shifted away from the computer as she turned around. “Go on.”

“Zhenzhen said…” Bai Qingyuan watched her sister’s expression as she spoke slowly, “Sister Yuehua seems to have moved into our neighborhood on the third floor.”

Bai Qingyu’s expression froze for a few seconds. “I see.”

“Then I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll go do my homework.” Seeing no further reaction from her sister, Bai Qingyuan turned to leave.

“Mm.” Bai Qingyu nodded, watching her sister close the door before leaning back in her chair again.

…

The next morning, Song Yuehua woke up even earlier than her alarm. Barefoot, she tidied up the room once more, even shifting Song Xiaomi’s cat tree to ensure it was visible from the doorway.

After finishing, she changed into a light pink sweatshirt, smoothed down the stray hairs in front of the mirror, and finally pocketed her keys before heading out.

Standing outside Bai Qingyu’s sixth-floor apartment, she instinctively tugged at the hem of her sweatshirt, her fingers brushing against the keychain in her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked. Three “knock, knock, knocks” later, the door opened.

Bai Qingyu was wearing a light gray knitted sweater, her hair casually tied back to reveal a smooth forehead. Song Yuehua’s eyes instantly lit up. “Are you all ready?”

“Ready,” Bai Qingyu replied.

“Then let’s go quickly!”

Song Yuehua immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her out. As they descended the stairs, she deliberately slowed her pace, occasionally glancing at Bai Qingyu’s face, hoping to see a surprised expression when they reached the third floor.

But as they turned into the third-floor hallway, Bai Qingyu simply followed along, her expression unchanged, her gaze still calm.

The corners of Song Yuehua’s mouth drooped slightly, and her grip loosened a little, feeling somewhat dejected. Had she not realized this was the third floor? Or did she think there was nothing special about it?

But then she thought, once Bai Qingyu saw the inside of the apartment, she was sure to be pleasantly surprised!

Song Yuehua tightened her grip on Bai Qingyu’s hand again, leading her to the door of her rented apartment. She pulled the keys from her pocket, jingling them in front of Bai Qingyu like a treasured offering. “Look!” Then, with two clicks, she inserted them into the lock, gave a gentle push, and the door swung open.

“Ding, ding, ding!” Song Yuehua hopped in front of Bai Qingyu, spreading her arms wide as her skirt swayed gently. Her eyes sparkled as she waited for Bai Qingyu’s reaction. “I’ve moved in here!”

Bai Qingyu lifted the corners of her lips and said, “Congratulations.”

But this reaction was far too “calm” nothing like the “Wow, how did you end up moving here?” that Song Yuehua had imagined.

Instantly flustered, Song Yuehua scratched her cheek, her gaze drifting away. She asked softly, “Do… do you want to come in and take a look? I spent a long time tidying up inside…”

Seeing her slight disappointment, Bai Qingyu nodded and followed her into the room.

Song Yuehua quickly scurried to the kitchen, pulled a light blue striped cup bought just the day before from the cabinet, filled it with warm water, and handed it over. “Here, have some water. This is new; I thought you’d like it.”

Bai Qingyu took the cup and smiled. “New? It’s quite nice.”

“Mm-hmm!” Song Yuehua nodded, about to say, “I picked it especially in your favorite color,” when Bai Qingyu asked again, “Did you buy it at the supermarket with Qin Zhen?”

Song Yuehua realized then that Bai Qingyu had already gotten all the details out of Qin Zhen, not just about her moving in, but probably even the birthday gift she’d bought for Bai Qingyu had been revealed ahead of time.

Song Yuehua obediently nodded.

“When did you decide to move here?” Bai Qingyu asked.

Song Yuehua answered meekly, “The day I brought Auntie back. On my way out, I saw the rental notice on the bulletin board. After checking it out later, I decided to rent it.”

Bai Qingyu gave an “Mm” and said nothing more.

Watching her calm expression, Song Yuehua grew a little anxious. She leaned in closer, softening her voice. “Are you upset about this? I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I just wanted to wait until everything was ready to give you a special surprise…”

“Yuehua,” Bai Qingyu interrupted, her tone more serious than before, her eyes fixed directly on Song Yuehua. “I don’t like surprises, and I don’t like shocks. Any ‘unexpected’ events that go beyond my expectations, I’m just not used to them.”

Listening, Song Yuehua blushed at the tips of her ears like a child who’d done something wrong. “Th-then, I won’t do this again! From now on, no matter what, I’ll tell you everything early and definitely won’t keep anything from you!”

Bai Qingyu lifted her gaze, taking in Song Yuehua’s submissive, slightly aggrieved expression, her soft hair resting on her shoulders, her eyes still holding a trace of lingering unease, like a little creature afraid of being scolded.

“You don’t need to be so nervous,” she said.

Seeing Bai Qingyu’s tone soften, Song Yuehua leaned in again, her body tilting forward slightly, her eyes full of sincerity. “Is there anything else I’ve done that made you uncomfortable? Tell me, and I’ll change it!”

Bai Qingyu looked into her bright, shining eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, then gently shook her head. “There’s nothing else.”

Song Yuehua was the best person she had ever met.