My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 29

“Hah!” Song Yuehua’s eyes snapped open, her chest still rising and falling gently. A light sheen of cold sweat clung to her temples, and it took quite a while for her racing heart to gradually calm down.

Her gaze fell upon the familiar beige ceiling. The curtains beside her were slightly parted, allowing sunlight to stream through.

She reached out and touched the blanket covering her, then sat up.

“Meow?” Song Xiaomi was trotting past with tiny steps. Pausing at the sight of her peculiar owner, it let out a questioning meow.

Song Yuehua bent down to rub its head, slipped on her slippers, and walked into the living room.

At a glance, she noticed the coffee table had been tidied up neatly. The trash can beside it was fitted with a fresh bag, the old one, stuffed full from yesterday, had long vanished.

“I’m so hungry…” Clutching her stomach, Song Yuehua turned and headed toward the kitchen, hoping to find something in the fridge to fill her belly.

As soon as she pushed the door open, she caught sight of two familiar glasses and the empty cocktail glass resting on the drying rack.

Qingyu had even thought of this.

Song Yuehua couldn’t help but touch her cheek, feeling it grow warm.

She wanted to immediately pull out her phone and thank Bai Qingyu.

But as soon as she opened the chat window, she spotted an unread message sent by Bai Qingyu that morning.

[Bai Qingyu: I’ve put the ingredients for the soup in the rice cooker. Just press the button and wait about 20 minutes to eat. Don’t drink anything cold on an empty stomach.]

Song Yuehua replied: [You’re the best, Senior~]

Bai Qingyu responded instantly: [You’re awake?]

[Song Yuehua: Yeah.]

[Bai Qingyu: You drank last night, is your head bothering you? If you’re feeling dizzy, rest a bit first. No need to rush with the soup.]

Song Yuehua closed her eyes to check. Aside from being a little hungry, her head wasn’t dizzy at all: It’s fine.

[Bai Qingyu: Go eat first. We can talk after you’ve eaten.]

Song Yuehua obediently replied: [Okay! I’ll start cooking right away!]

She hurried over to the rice cooker, pressed the start button, then turned to go wash up in the bathroom.

The aroma wafting from the kitchen made Song Yuehua too impatient to comb her hair. She hastily gathered it into a messy bun and dashed back to the kitchen in her slippers.

The moment she lifted the rice cooker lid, steam billowed out with a whoosh, enveloping her face in a wave of fragrant heat.

Floating in the soup were tender yellow corn segments, bright orange carrot chunks, and her favorite dried shiitake mushrooms. The pork ribs were stewed to tender perfection, their aroma seeping even from the bone marrow, making her mouth water.

Seeing the pot brimming with soup, Song Yuehua felt she couldn’t finish it alone. So, she found some containers, ladled the soup into them, and went to share it with Bai Qingyu.

Knock, knock, knock! she rapped three times, and the door opened almost immediately.

Bai Qingyuan stood behind it.

Though her expression was as usual, Song Yuehua could detect a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

It made Song Yuehua feel unexpectedly honored.

But as Bai Qingyuan recognized her, the joy in her eyes faded slightly. She simply turned and called into the room, “Sis, Sister Yuehua is here to see you.”

Then she stepped aside to let Song Yuehua in.

Carrying the thermal container, Song Yuehua entered and said to Bai Qingyuan, “Have you eaten? Would you like to share some? It’s freshly made and still warm.”

Bai Qingyuan politely declined, “No, thank you. I’ve already had breakfast.”

Hearing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed Song Yuehua’s eyes.

Bai Qingyuan added, “But my sister hasn’t eaten. You can ask her.”

Song Yuehua asked, “Huh? Why didn’t Senior eat with you all?”

Bai Qingyuan said, “My sister mentioned she wasn’t very hungry this morning, but she should be hungry by now.”

Song Yuehua’s eyes lit up.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to my room,” Bai Qingyuan murmured softly, her demeanor tinged with melancholy, like a flower wilted by the sun.

“Oh, okay,” Song Yuehua replied, feeling a bit puzzled. After all, Bai Qingyu had told her that Qin Zhen and Bai Qingyuan were practically inseparable.

Just then, light footsteps came from the direction of the bedroom, and Bai Qingyu emerged.

“Yuehua,” she said, her eyes instantly softening with a gentle smile upon seeing Song Yuehua.

“Senior,” Song Yuehua immediately approached her. “You really went all out with the ingredients. I can’t finish it all by myself, so I came to share it with you.”

Bai Qingyu couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought you’d be really hungry after sobering up, so I added a bit extra.”

At the mention of “alcohol,” the tips of Song Yuehua’s ears instantly turned red. She scratched her head sheepishly, her gaze drifting away.

She hadn’t expected her alcohol tolerance to be so poor, and she hadn’t even had a moment to react.

All Song Yuehua remembered was finishing two bags of chips and a pack of spicy strips, then feeling incredibly thirsty. After taking a sip of the cocktail, she found it surprisingly delicious…

After that… she remembered nothing.

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Finally, she looked up and stared directly at Bai Qingyu. “Senior, did I cause you any trouble yesterday? And also, when did you get back home? You didn’t stay too late at my place, did you?”

Seeing the mix of apology and confusion on Song Yuehua’s face, Bai Qingyu knew she had no recollection of what happened after getting drunk.

Thinking back to the events of the previous night, the corners of her lips curled upward.

But Song Yuehua, already on edge, noticed the smile.

Oh no!

Alcohol has ruined me. Did I make a fool of myself after getting drunk?

Song Yuehua’s eyelashes trembled with anxiety as she worried about her image in Bai Qingyu’s eyes.

“Senior, I’m sorry,” Song Yuehua said, clasping her hands together.

When in doubt, apologize first.

“I really didn’t expect my alcohol tolerance to be this bad. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have touched that cocktail. I must have caused you a lot of trouble, right?”

“Not at all. You were quite well-behaved yesterday,” Bai Qingyu said, her tone softening as she looked at Song Yuehua’s nervous expression. She added, “But you really shouldn’t drink casually when you’re out. What if something dangerous happened?”

“You’re just trying to comfort me, Senior!” Song Yuehua didn’t believe her and slapped her forehead heavily. “Senior, please tell me the truth. What exactly did I do last night? If I don’t know the facts, I’ll be so anxious tonight I might hang myself with noodles!”

This made Bai Qingyu laugh, her eyes crinkling and her shoulders shaking slightly. She reached out and ruffled Song Yuehua’s hair before slowly recounting the events of the previous night, her tone completely free of blame.

“So, did you leave after I fell asleep or after I woke up?” Song Yuehua asked, concerned about this detail.

“Ah,” Bai Qingyu tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said, “I left after you fell asleep.”

“I’m such a sinner!” Song Yuehua lamented.

“Alright, it’s not that serious,” Bai Qingyu interrupted with a laugh, pointing to the thermal container on the coffee table. “Aren’t you hungry? I’ve been hungry for a while now. Let’s have some soup before it gets cold and loses its flavor.”

“Oh right, right! I almost forgot the main thing!” Song Yuehua quickly pulled the thermal container over, crouched down, and opened the lid.

The steam inside immediately billowed out, carrying the aroma of corn and pork ribs, filling the entire room.

Bai Qingyu turned and headed toward the kitchen, not forgetting to glance back and remind her, “Sit down first, be careful, it’s hot. I’ll go get the bowls and utensils.”

Soon, the two of them were sitting side by side on the sofa, each holding a bowl of soup. The steam wafted up to Song Yuehua’s nose, and she couldn’t help but sniff before taking a sip. Only then did she realize she hadn’t seen Qin Zhen and looked up to ask, “Senior, why didn’t Zhenzhen come today? Isn’t she usually following Qingyuan around at this time?”

“They had a fight.”

“A fight?” Song Yuehua was shocked. “How could they fight when they were getting along so well? They’re usually as close as one person.”

“It’s about the gift,” Bai Qingyu said, taking a sip of soup. The steam softened her expression, blurring her brows and eyes. “Zhenzhen wanted to give her a surprise.”

“Oh.” Song Yuehua nodded. “Well, do we need to help?”

“No need,” Bai Qingyu shook her head. “They’ll make up.”

“But…” Song Yuehua frowned, recalling how downcast Bai Qingyuan had looked earlier. “Zhenzhen didn’t come today, and Qingyuan didn’t go looking for her either.”

“Don’t worry, Qingyuan will go to her soon,” Bai Qingyu said calmly.

“Oh! So that’s how it is!” Song Yuehua instantly felt reassured. “By the way, where’s Auntie Bai? I haven’t seen her.”

Bai Qingyu replied, “My mom’s been feeling much better lately. This morning, she said she wanted to go out and get some sun, so she went downstairs for a walk on her own. She even mentioned going to the fruit shop at the entrance of the complex to buy some grapes.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Song Yuehua asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Bai Qingyu said confidently. “Her watch has a system I designed installed. If there’s any problem, I’ll know immediately.”

“Wow,” Song Yuehua marveled. “Is it the same software that Director Li used for Auntie Bai’s surgery?”

“Yes.”

“That’s amazing,” Song Yuehua said. “Wouldn’t it be a loss to sell it?”

“No, we negotiated with the other party,” Bai Qingyu explained. “They gave me some technical shares. If the software is promoted in other hospitals or generates revenue from future upgrades, I’ll get dividends. The more the software earns, the more dividends I receive.”

“Oh my!” Song Yuehua’s jaw nearly dropped, her eyes wide with surprise and delight. “Does that mean we won’t have to worry about money anymore? You’re incredible, Senior!”

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her expression darkened, and her voice lowered. “But… we still have Song Yuelan to deal with. She definitely won’t give up easily.”

Recalling the feeling of being followed yesterday, Song Yuehua quickly warned Bai Qingyu, “When I moved in yesterday, I kept feeling like someone was tailing me. I didn’t get a clear look at who it was, but it definitely wasn’t good! You have to be careful when you go out lately. Song Yuelan is just too persistent!”

Hearing that Song Yuehua felt she was being followed yesterday, Bai Qingyu paused for a moment before nodding.

“Sigh,” Song Yuehua couldn’t help but sigh. “I’m so useless. I wish I could make Song Yuelan stop bothering you on my own.”

“Don’t think about it,” Bai Qingyu comforted her. “There will come a day when we won’t have to fear her anymore.”

“Mm.”

The soup had been finished, and Song Yuehua was about to leave.

Just then, Bai Qingyuan hurried out of her room, having changed into a different outfit.

“Sis, I’m heading out for a bit,” she said, her steps swift as she opened the door and left.

Song Yuehua stared at the closed door, then turned to look at Bai Qingyu, unable to hold back a smile as she gave a thumbs-up.

Bai Qingyu chuckled.

Across the street from the residential complex, at the entrance of an alley, several men in dark jackets and baseball caps were loitering aimlessly, though their eyes occasionally flicked toward the complex’s entrance.

Leaning against the wall, they spoke in hushed tones, their voices tinged with impatience, clearly, they had been stationed there for several days.

Just then, a sharp ringtone erupted from one of the men’s pockets, shattering the alley’s quiet. He quickly fished out his phone, glanced at the screen, and his expression instantly shifted. He strode to the far end of the alley, lowering his voice as he answered, “Hello?”