My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 41

“Let’s order another plate of pork.”” Bai Qingyu said.

Song Yuehua’s eyes lit up, nodding eagerly like a little chick pecking at rice.

These were all her favorite dishes.

Bai Qingyu glanced at Guo Feifei, her tone gentle yet carrying a subtle sense of distance. “I’m more familiar with Yuehua and know what she likes to eat. I’m not sure about your preferences, so if there’s anything you’d like, just let us know. Please don’t be shy, alright?”

Guo Feifei felt there was something slightly off about the remark, but the meaning wasn’t wrong, so she replied, “Sure! Then I’ll have a serving of beef ribs! I heard from classmates that grilled beef ribs with a sprinkle of black pepper are super delicious!”

Bai Qingyu nodded and asked the server to take note, but a faint trace of frustration flickered in her eyes. She had expected Guo Feifei to pick up on something, but instead, the girl seemed completely unfazed, her attention entirely focused on the food.

They ordered a few more dishes. After the server took their menu, the sizzling sounds from the grill and the laughter from the neighboring tables, mingled with the aroma of meat, drifted over. Suddenly, Guo Feifei leaned closer to Song Yuehua, gently nudging her with an elbow.

“By the way, how about we team up for the group project in this morning’s class?”

Song Yuehua also preferred working with someone she knew, so she agreed, “Sure!”

“Then we’ll need two more people,” Guo Feifei said, pulling out her phone. “The teacher said each group needs at least four members.”

Song Yuehua leaned in to look at Guo Feifei’s screen as she scrolled through her friends list for classmates.

Although Guo Feifei, like Song Yuehua, had just transferred to the school, she had already boldly sent friend requests to everyone in the class group chat.

Since they were classmates and might need to communicate for coursework or other matters, most people tended to accept such requests.

Thus, without knowing most of her peers, Guo Feifei had managed to add the entire class on WeChat.

To this, Song Yuehua could only think: Impressive.

Song Yuehua stared at the screen for a few seconds before suddenly pointing at a contact named “Lin Xiao.” “Let’s ask her! During class today, when the teacher called on her, she answered with such clarity. I also noticed her notebook was filled with dense, meticulous notes, she’s definitely responsible. Being in a group with her would make things so much easier.”

“Alright! I’ll message her right now!” Guo Feifei immediately tapped on the profile. “If she agrees, we’ll just need one more. With two reliable people in the group, our assignments will be a breeze!”

Watching Song Yuehua, who was sitting beside her but leaning toward Guo Feifei, Bai Qingyu gritted her teeth.

“Yuehua, there’s an industry collaboration banquet next month. Would you accompany me?” Bai Qingyu suddenly called out to Song Yuehua.

Song Yuehua lifted her gaze from Guo Feifei’s phone, her expression tinged with worry. “What would I need to do at a banquet? I’ve never been to such an event before. What if I say or do something wrong and end up holding you back?” She imagined herself in formal attire, socializing with strangers, and felt a faint sweat forming in her palms.

“It’s not that complicated. You’d just need to stay by my side and help me handle a few conversations,” Bai Qingyu reassured her.

But Song Yuehua still felt uneasy. She shifted closer, leaning her shoulder gently against Bai Qingyu’s arm, her voice soft and slightly pleading. “Could you be more specific? Otherwise, I’ll keep feeling nervous, like I’m going to mess things up.”

*Pork collar – A specific cut of pork, often referred to as “pork collar” or “pork coppa” in English, known for its marbling and tenderness.

Just as Bai Qingyu was about to speak, she saw the server approaching with two plates of pork collar, the tray also holding sliced garlic and green pepper rings.

More dishes were yet to come, one after another, blocking Guo Feifei’s line of sight.

“Just stay by my side,” Bai Qingyu said.

“And then?” Song Yuehua’s ears instantly flushed red. She instinctively shrank back slightly but still pressed on, her eyes sparkling as she stared at her.

Seeing that Guo Feifei was helping the server with the dishes, Bai Qingyu leaned closer to Song Yuehua’s ear, her voice dropping even lower, audible only to the two of them: “And then… protect me.”

As she spoke, a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Song Yuehua’s shoulders trembled involuntarily, as if scalded by the heat. She whipped her head around to look at Bai Qingyu, her eyes wide with surprise: “Huh?”

Bai Qingyu raised an eyebrow, a hint of mischief flashing in her eyes, though her tone feigned a deliberate note of grievance: “We might run into Song Yuelan. If she says something unpleasant, Yuehua, you’ll have to stand up for me.”

She deliberately softened her voice, afraid that Guo Feifei might overhear the name “Song Yuelan” and prompt unnecessary explanations.

Song Yuehua immediately sobered up.

There was still a major problem left unresolved.

She nodded solemnly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely protect you!”

Just then, Guo Feifei, having finished helping the server with the side dishes, turned back. As she looked up, she saw Song Yuehua and Bai Qingyu sitting extremely close, their shoulders almost touching, with Bai Qingyu’s head slightly tilted toward Song Yuehua as if sharing a secret.

Guo Feifei immediately narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing their faces like a detective, her finger subtly tapping her chin.

She asked, “What were you two whispering about just now?”

Song Yuehua abruptly looked up, flustered, and glanced at Bai Qingyu.

Bai Qingyu remained composed. She picked up a small sausage with her chopsticks and placed it at the edge of the grill, deftly tilting her hand to avoid the splattering oil. Her tone was casual: “Nothing much, just some work-related talk.” She then turned to Guo Feifei, “Let’s start grilling. Weren’t you just saying you were hungry? We have classes this afternoon, so let’s not waste time.”

Sure enough, Guo Feifei’s attention was immediately captured by “hungry” and “classes.” She patted her stomach and sighed, “Exactly! I overslept and skipped breakfast this morning. My stomach’s been growling ever since.”

“Then eat more later. If it’s not enough, we can order more,” Song Yuehua quickly chimed in, steering the conversation away and secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Bai Qingyu’s gaze remained fixed on the grill. She occasionally flipped the meat with her chopsticks, timing it perfectly, grilling until the edges were slightly charred before promptly transferring it to the small plate in front of Song Yuehua.

Seeing that the beef belly was cooked, Song Yuehua also picked up a piece and placed it on Bai Qingyu’s plate.

Guo Feifei, however, was too preoccupied to notice any of this. She busied herself on the other side of the grill, grilling and eating, her words muffled by the meat in her mouth: “These beef short ribs are so delicious! I should’ve ordered more!”

She was so focused on her own grilling and eating that she completely missed the subtle exchanges between the two across from her.

It wasn’t until she reached for a small sausage to try that she looked down and realized all the sausages left on the grill were still raw. The cooked ones were nowhere to be found, they were all piled up on Song Yuehua’s plate.

Guo Feifei scratched her head, wondering, Was Song Yuehua just that quick?

After finishing the meal, Guo Feifei leaned back contentedly in her chair, rubbing her round belly, her eyes narrowed into slits. “We’re so lucky! This place is cheap, delicious, and they give generous portions of meat. We should definitely come back!”

“Yeah,” Song Yuehua replied, looking equally satisfied.

“But my grilling skills are terrible. I burned a few pieces of beef belly earlier, such a waste,” Guo Feifei reflected on their barbecue experience.

“Hmm.” Only then did Song Yuehua realize she hadn’t eaten many burnt pieces herself. Normally, she struggled with controlling the heat while grilling, so why had today gone so smoothly?

She glanced down at her empty plate and suddenly understood, she had spent most of the time eating the meat from her plate without grilling much herself. And every time her plate was nearly empty, perfectly grilled meat would magically appear on it.

Who had been placing it there? The answer was obvious. Song Yuehua discreetly glanced at Bai Qingyu and met her gentle gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Bai Qingyu smiled warmly at her.

Song Yuehua inwardly scolded herself. She had been so focused on eating that she’d forgotten to “curry favor” with Bai Qingyu.

She consoled herself, it was fine. Grilling wasn’t her strong suit; she could find another opportunity.

They had slowly made their way out from the crowded south gate in the morning, but the building they needed to go to in the afternoon was near the west gate. Bai Qingyu turned the car toward the west gate intersection.

“Isn’t this the building where the Computer Science department usually holds classes?” Song Yuehua remarked familiarly.

“Yeah,” Guo Feifei said. “I’ve had fewer chances to come here since changing majors.”

“I rarely go to the south gate either,” Bai Qingyu added.

“We’re all busy. Who would go out of their way to visit places they don’t have classes or that aren’t on their route?” Song Yuehua shrugged. Suddenly, she leaned forward and pointed at the crowd clogging the road ahead. “Qingqing, you can drop us off here. It’s too crowded up ahead, driving in would take forever. It’ll only take us two or three minutes to walk.”

Guo Feifei quickly nodded in agreement, glancing at her watch. “Right! We still have fifteen minutes before class. Walking is more than enough. Driving would just slow us down.”

Seeing their insistence and the gridlocked traffic ahead, Bai Qingyu had no choice but to slow down and pull over to the curb.

“Message me if anything comes up,” Bai Qingyu said to Song Yuehua.

“Got it!” Song Yuehua pushed the car door open, turned back, and waved with a bright smile. “You should head back to the company soon too. Don’t overwork yourself!”

Guo Feifei waved as well.

Sitting in the car, Bai Qingyu watched Song Yuehua and Guo Feifei walk side by side into the crowd, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.

She took a deep breath, turned on her signal, and slowly made a U-turn, heading back toward the campus gate.

As the car stopped in front of the barrier, waiting for clearance, Bai Qingyu’s gaze inadvertently fell on the sidewalk beside her.

A middle-aged man in a faded gray jacket stood with his back to her, slightly hunched, blocking a female student’s path while saying something she couldn’t make out.

Bai Qingyu’s brow furrowed sharply, the man’s silhouette looked familiar.

At the thought of him, a fierce determination rose in her eyes.

The barrier slowly lifted. Bai Qingyu suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stepped on the accelerator, and the black car gradually drove out of the school gate, soon merging into the stream of vehicles on the road.

Just as the man who had failed to get any answers turned around, he caught a glimpse of the receding black car. He narrowed his eyes and watched for a moment, a flicker of envy flashing in his gaze.

If he could get money from Bai Qingyu, he would buy a car like that too.

No… he would buy one even better than that!

Recalling the look Bai Qingyu had given him when leaving, the man shuddered, but then he thought of the money he could obtain once the task was accomplished…

He pulled out his worn-out phone and sent a message to a contact.