My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 43

After telling Bai Qingyu about the matter, she asked, “Do you want me to walk you there?”

Song Yuehua waved her hand. “No need. Since I’m scheduled to work on Saturday and Sunday, I have to ask for leave, and of course, I’d tell you, my boss.”

Bai Qingyu coughed lightly and said seriously, “Then I approve it.”

Seeing Bai Qingyu deliberately put on a stern face in front of her, Song Yuehua couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. She gently poked Bai Qingyu’s arm with her fingertip. “Boss Bai, you approved that way too quickly! Aren’t you afraid I’m just using the leave to slack off?”

Bai Qingyu deliberately cleared her throat and reached out to tuck the stray hairs behind Song Yuehua’s ear. “Slacking off is fine, your assignment is more important. But,” she changed the subject, “where exactly is that café? Is it far from the school?”

“Not far. It’s on the street across from the west gate, the one we passed by last time when we bought milk tea.” Song Yuehua counted on her fingers as she recalled. “It’s only a ten-minute walk, so no need to walk me. I’ve already arranged to go with Guo Feifei.”

Bai Qingyu nodded, turned on the room light, and reminded her, “Remember to eat something before you go out tomorrow. Don’t go on an empty stomach. I’ll steam some shaomai for you in the morning.”

“Got it!” As Song Yuehua was taking off her shoes, Song Xiaomi let out a “meow” and rubbed its head against her ankle. She bent down to pick up the cat, poked its soft belly, and turned to smile at Bai Qingyu. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely take good care of myself. I’ll come find you at the company right after discussing the assignment.”

Bai Qingyu reached out and gently rubbed Song Xiaomi’s head. “No need to rush to the company. If the discussion takes a while, it’s fine if you come later.”

Carrying the cat, Song Yuehua walked toward the living room. “It does matter. If I come late, you’ll just order takeout again for lunch. Last time, the rice noodles you ordered were so clumped together you didn’t even take a bite, I remember that!”

Bai Qingyu chuckled happily, following her into the living room, and said softly, “If anything comes up tomorrow, message me anytime. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

Song Yuehua replied, “Okay.”

…

The next morning, Song Yuehua was woken by the savory aroma of meat wafting from the steamer. Rubbing her eyes, she pushed the door open and saw a basket of freshly steamed shaomai on the kitchen counter.

The wrappers were so thin that the fresh meat filling was visible inside, the pleats at the top neatly pinched, still emitting puffs of steam. Beside them, a small pot of millet congee was simmering gently, tiny bubbles rising to the surface.

“Awake? The shaomai just need a couple more minutes to steam. Go wash up first.” Bai Qingyu was adjusting the steamer with a pair of chopsticks. “I specially bought the ones with fresh meat and bamboo shoots, you said last time you liked the ones with a bit of crunch.”

Song Yuehua nodded and hurried to the bathroom, brushing her teeth faster than usual. By the time she sat down at the dining table, Bai Qingyu had already placed the shaomai on a white porcelain plate and peeled a tea egg to set beside it. “Eat a couple more. You’ll need the brainpower for your assignment discussion, so you don’t get hungry by noon.”

Song Yuehua took a bite of the shaomai. The crunch of the bamboo shoots and the savory flavor of the meat filling spread in her mouth. She nodded vaguely, then took a sip of the warm millet congee, feeling her stomach grow comfortably warm.

“There’s a bit of wind today. I found your light gray scarf, it’s hanging on the hook by the entryway,” Bai Qingyu said.

Song Yuehua looked up and glanced at the entrance before saying, “Alright.”

By the time she hurried to the café with her backpack, Guo Feifei had already arrived and was frowning at her phone. “Lin Xiao just said she’s ‘stuck in traffic,’ but I saw her post a photo ten minutes ago of her brewing coffee at home…”

Song Yuehua’s heart sank. She had barely sat down for two minutes when she saw Lin Xiao stroll in leisurely, holding an iced Americano.

Lin Xiao was dressed more meticulously than in class, her hair neatly combed. After sitting down, she placed her laptop on the table but didn’t open it, taking a sip of her coffee first. “You guys go ahead and chat. I’m a bit tired from the trip here, I need a couple of minutes to catch my breath.”

Those “couple of minutes” stretched into ten. When Song Yuehua slid over the task list she had prepared in advance and pointed to the “Summarize Key Literature” section, saying, “You’re always so precise with the material in class. I’m sure you’ll handle this without any issues,” Lin Xiao immediately frowned.

Her fingers tapped aimlessly on the keyboard. “But summarizing the literature means reading every single word, it’s too time-consuming. I have plans this weekend and can’t afford to spend time on this.”

Guo Feifei couldn’t help but interject, “How about making the PowerPoint slides then? You always explain things so clearly in class, so the layout should be no problem for you.”

“PowerPoint requires adjusting fonts and finding templates, it’s such a hassle,” Lin Xiao waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, my design sense isn’t great. I’m afraid you won’t be satisfied with what I come up with.”

Watching Lin Xiao deflect every single task, Song Yuehua felt both helpless and surprised. How could the enthusiastic student who always raised her hand in class turn into a completely different person outside of it?

She clenched her pen, about to try persuading her again, but when she looked up, the time on her phone showed 11:30 a.m. The sun outside had shifted directly overhead, and the café was gradually filling with lunchtime customers.

Suddenly, she thought of Bai Qingyu.

If she’s too busy with work, has she forgotten to eat lunch again?

Song Yuehua pulled out her phone under the table and typed quickly: [Qingqing, don’t order takeout! Go to that little restaurant near your office for a bowl of hot noodles, or grab a stir-fry at the place near the subway. Don’t wait until the afternoon and forget again!]

Afraid Bai Qingyu might not take it seriously, she added: [I’ll call later to check!]

Just as she tucked her phone back into her pocket, she heard Lin Xiao speak with a hint of pride in her tone, though her words were evasive: “Oh, I was just casually talking in class. If you want me to handle this outside of class, I really can’t guarantee I’ll do it well.”

Song Yuehua took a deep breath, suppressing her impatience, and softened her tone. “How about this: you take charge of organizing the images in the materials? We’ll send you all the screenshots and charts from the literature we need, and you just have to label each one. It doesn’t require much brainpower.”

This was the easiest task by far. Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. “Well… alright, I can handle that.”

Song Yuehua breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled out her notebook to jot down each person’s tasks, setting a time for everyone to check their progress online on Sunday evening.

By the time everything was settled, the sun outside had already begun to set.

“Let’s wrap up today’s discussion here. Everyone can head home now,” Guo Feifei said.

Lin Xiao stood up, stuffed her laptop into her bag, and replied dismissively, “Sure, I’ll have the images sorted by Sunday. Just send the files to my WeChat by then.”

With that, Lin Xiao picked up her bag and headed straight for the door.

Guo Feifei rolled her eyes as she watched the retreating figure, then leaned close to Song Yuehua and whispered, “She seemed so reliable in class, how come she’s this careless outside of it? She said the task would take half an hour, but honestly, I’ll be surprised if she even remembers it by Sunday!”

Song Yuehua sighed as well. “What can we do? At least we’ve set the task for now. Let’s not be in the same group as her next time.”

Guo Feifei nodded in agreement.

After packing her things, she glanced at Song Yuehua, who still looked upset, and said, “Stop overthinking it! Let’s go get some spicy hot pot. I saw on the menu they’ve added cheesy rice cakes, we’ve got to try them!”

Song Yuehua followed Guo Feifei toward the door. “Alright, let’s grab a couple extra skewers then. I’ve been craving them for days after seeing people eat them online.”

The two walked side by side along the sidewalk, the afternoon sun warming them pleasantly.

They entered the spicy hot pot shop and ordered a tomato-based broth, adding two skewers of cheesy rice cakes, a handful of baby bok choy, and several fish balls.

Once the broth began to boil, the rice cakes soaked up the sweet and tangy soup, stretching into delicate white strands when picked up with chopsticks. Guo Feifei took a bite and nodded enthusiastically. “These rice cakes are so chewy, totally worth the trip!”

Song Yuehua tried one too. The warm, cheesy aroma of the rice cakes lifted her spirits, easing much of the frustration she’d felt about the group assignment. Before long, they had cleared their bowls.

After paying the bill, they stood outside the shop, ready to part ways.

Guo Feifei swung her backpack strap over her shoulder. “I’ll go home and draft the report outline first so we can save time when we check in online on Sunday. Be careful on your way to the office.”

Song Yuehua nodded. “Don’t stay up too late. If you run into any issues while organizing the materials, just message me anytime.”

With that, they said their goodbyes. Guo Feifei turned toward the bus stop, while Song Yuehua headed in the direction of the subway.

[Surprise check, have you eaten yet?]

Bai Qingyu immediately sent her a photo.

It was a bowl of beef noodles.

Song Yuehua replied: [Just ate?]

Bai Qingyu: [Took it before eating.]

Bai Qingyu: [How did the discussion go?]

Song Yuehua: [Don’t even ask. It’s hard to explain in a few words. I’ll tell you when I get to the office.]

Bai Qingyu: [I’m outside right now, it’ll take me about ten minutes to get back.]

Song Yuehua: [I just got to the subway, so I’ll probably be about five minutes later than you.]

After sending the message, she turned and headed toward the subway security checkpoint.

She rode three stops, then stepped out of the subway exit. The afternoon sun slanted across her face, warm and lazy. The leaves of the plane trees rustled in the wind, casting dappled light on the pavement, while the air carried the buttery scent of freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery.

Song Yuehua strolled leisurely, occasionally glancing at the small shops around her. Whenever something caught her eye, she made a mental note to invite Bai Qingyu to visit together later.

Just as she reached the entrance of a narrow alley, her peripheral vision caught a familiar figure standing there. Song Yuehua’s steps halted abruptly, her heart skipping a beat.

The light beige trench coat, the waist-length hair cascading over her shoulders, the straight posture, it was exactly like Bai Qingyu.

What is Qingqing doing in such an out-of-the-way place? Song Yuehua wondered, puzzled.

She leaned forward for a closer look and noticed a middle-aged man standing opposite Bai Qingyu. He wore a worn-out jacket, his back slightly hunched, yet he held his neck stiffly, adopting a condescending posture as he spoke loudly to her.

Bai Qingyu didn’t speak, just stood there with his hands in his pockets.

The man was infuriated by his indifferent attitude and instinctively raised his hand to strike.

Song Yuehua’s heart leaped into her throat. Without a second thought, she immediately rushed over.