My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 47

Song Yuehua stood by the roadside, her gaze fixed on the rear of Bai Qingyu’s car.

Bai Qingyu tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel, suppressing the inexplicable frustration that arose from Song Yuehua’s obliviousness. Leaning her elbow against the car window frame, she raised her wrist slightly and waved at her.

Song Yuehua hurriedly raised her hand in response. She watched Bai Qingyu’s figure through the car window until the wheels rolled over the plane tree leaves by the roadside, emitting a soft rustling sound, and the car slowly began to move.

She instinctively took two steps back, her eyes following the car intently until it turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

“Oh no!” Song Yuehua’s eyes widened suddenly, and she slapped her forehead.

The dress bag was still in the trunk, she had forgotten to take it out!

She frowned in annoyance but then reconsidered: Qingqing would be back in the evening anyway, so she could retrieve it then. No need to make her turn back now.

Song Yuehua climbed the steps and had just pushed open the front door when an orange blur darted to her feet. Song Xiaomi, clutching a cat teaser in his mouth, had been racing around the coffee table. Seeing her return, he immediately dropped the toy and rubbed his head against her ankles.

She bent down to change into slippers and headed to her room to switch into pajamas, which felt far more comfortable than the formal dress she had worn during the day.

What could she do to lift Bai Qingyu’s spirits?

Propping herself up on her elbows, Song Yuehua sat up, her fingers tugging at the hem of her pajamas as her eyes scanned the living room.

Last time, she had bought a pile of pastries from the bakery and insisted on sharing them with Bai Qingyu. While she had only sampled the other varieties symbolically, she had eaten several extra cookies.

A spark of inspiration lit up Song Yuehua’s eyes. She scooped up Song Xiaomi, who had sidled up to her, and headed to the kitchen. “That’s it! I’ll make some snacks for Qingqing! The cookie tutorial I watched last time didn’t seem too difficult.”

To make the almond cookies that Bai Qingyu liked, she first needed to gather all the ingredients.

Standing on her tiptoes, she reached for the glass jar on the top shelf and finally managed to grab the bag labeled “low-gluten flour.” As she tugged it down, her elbow accidentally brushed against the nearby sugar container, causing a cascade of fine white grains to spill across nearly half the countertop.

“Oh dear!” Song Yuehua hurriedly set down the flour and crouched to gather the sugar with her fingers. The granules slipping through her fingers, however, attracted Song Xiaomi. The orange cat leaped onto the counter, extending a paw to bat at the sugar and nearly toppling the small bowl of butter.

She quickly scooped the cat into her arms, her sugar-dusted hand stroking his fur. “No mischief, okay? These are for Qingqing. If they get ruined, I won’t be able to make them.”

After finally managing to collect the sugar into a small bowl, Song Yuehua tied on Bai Qingyu’s floral apron.

She placed the butter in a ceramic bowl to soften it over warm water and pulled out her phone to review the tutorial. “Qingqing doesn’t like things too sweet, so just two spoonfuls of sugar… and some crushed almonds. She mentioned last time that she liked the crispy texture.”

Song Yuehua combined the flour, butter, egg mixture, and crushed almonds in a large bowl, using both hands to knead the dough back and forth. Her strength was limited, and her arms grew sore from the effort, but the dough stubbornly clung to her hands.

Dusting her hands with a bit more flour, she continued kneading until the dough became smooth and elastic. Letting out a long sigh of relief, she divided the dough into small portions and placed them on the cutting board.

She tried shaping them into hearts, pinching and molding the dough with her fingers, but the hearts ended up lopsided, some with tips skewed to one side, others plump like little buns. Song Yuehua smiled at the misshapen hearts and carefully arranged them on the baking tray. “It’s okay if they’re ugly,” she murmured. “As long as they taste good.”

After preheating the oven, she placed the baking tray inside and set the timer for twenty minutes. Pulling up a small stool, she sat beside it, her eyes fixed on the cookies slowly turning golden through the oven door, her nose leaning in to catch the buttery aroma wafting out.

Song Xiaomi crouched at her feet, its tail swaying gently with the oven’s hum, occasionally nudging her pant leg with its head.

With a ding, Song Yuehua slipped on oven mitts and pulled out the baking tray. Golden cookies steamed warmly, almond pieces embedded along the edges, their fragrance filling the kitchen. She picked one up to cool, then took a small bite. The creamy richness of butter blended with the crispness of almonds, the sweetness perfectly balanced. Arranging the cookies on a pale blue ceramic plate, her heart swelled with anticipation.

Footsteps sounded outside. Song Yuehua, who had been leaning against the coffee table, immediately straightened up at the familiar sound, nearly knocking over a nearby coffee cup in her haste. Steadying it quickly, she hurried to the door and pressed her ear against the panel.

The sound of a key turning in the lock was unusually clear, making her heartbeat quicken. As soon as the door cracked open, she poked her head out with a bright smile: “Qingqing! You’re back!”

Bai Qingyu stood at the doorway, sleeves rolled up to her forearms, her brow relaxed. Before even setting down her keys, she reached out to ruffle Song Yuehua’s hair. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all!” Song Yuehua quickly stepped aside to make room. “I made something for you, come see!” She tugged gently at Bai Qingyu’s wrist, leading her toward the living room.

Bai Qingyu’s gaze fell on the pale blue ceramic plate on the coffee table, where golden cookies peeked out. A few clumsily shaped hearts stood out distinctly, unmistakably Song Yuehua’s handiwork.

She knelt down, her fingertips lightly brushing the surface of a cookie. The mingled scents of butter and almonds drifted to her nose, instantly washing away much of her weariness.

“Try this one!” Song Yuehua picked up a heart-shaped cookie and held it to Bai Qingyu’s lips, her eyes sparkling as if awaiting praise. “I used less sugar on purpose and added almond pieces, you said last time you liked them crispy.”

Bai Qingyu accepted the bite, her teeth meeting the almonds with a soft crunch. The buttery flavor melted in her mouth, the sweetness just right, neither cloying nor bland.

As she chewed, she glanced up at Song Yuehua, who was still nervously clutching the hem of her shirt, and couldn’t help but smile. “It’s delicious. Even better than the bakery’s.”

“Really?” Song Yuehua’s eyes lit up instantly. She picked up another cookie and offered it. “Then have more! I saved plenty, tomorrow morning, coffee with cookies will be even better!”

Bai Qingyu took the cookie, her fingers accidentally brushing against Song Yuehua’s lips and picking up a trace of flour, likely left from baking.

She raised her hand and gently wiped it away with her thumb, her touch natural and tender. “You didn’t even notice there was flour on your face.”

Song Yuehua’s cheeks flushed instantly. She hurriedly reached up to touch the corner of her mouth, but Bai Qingyu caught her hand. Settling onto the sofa, Song Yuehua made room as Bai Qingyu sat beside her. Song Xiaomi immediately hopped into the space between them, curling into a small orange ball.

“Did everything go smoothly today?” Song Yuehua asked softly.

Bai Qingyu took another bite of cookie, her voice gentle. “Almost done. Nothing major.” She didn’t mention the dispute with Song Yuelan, instead picking up a cookie and holding it to Song Yuehua’s lips. “You have some too, don’t just watch me eat.”

The warm glow of the floor lamp washed over them, the aroma of cookies lingering in the air, punctuated now and then by Song Xiaomi’s soft purring.

The morning light had just begun to seep through the gap in the curtains into the living room when Song Yuehua tiptoed out, clutching a can of cat treats.

Normally, by this time, Song Xiaomi would have already come bounding over with a “meow,” rubbing affectionately against her ankles.

But today, the cat bed by the coffee table was empty.

“Xiaomi?” Song Yuehua set down the can and crouched by the doorway, calling out twice. It wasn’t until a faint purring sound came from under the sofa that she reached in and pulled out the ginger cat. Instead of struggling to escape as usual, Song Xiaomi lay limply in her arms, ears drooping.

“Why are you so hot?” Panic surged through Song Yuehua as she pressed her fingertips against the cat’s belly, feeling the heat. She hurried to find Bai Qingyu. When Bai Qingyu saw her burst in holding the cat, her brow furrowed slightly before she reached out to take Song Xiaomi. “What’s wrong?”

“She seems to have a fever, her body is burning up, and she won’t eat,” Song Yuehua explained. “I checked, and her temperature is much higher than usual.”

Bai Qingyu gently pressed her fingers against Song Xiaomi’s paw and then felt her throat. “Don’t panic. It might just be an upset stomach from overeating yesterday. I’ll make an appointment at the vet clinic, and we’ll go right now.” She picked up her phone to search for the nearest pet hospital, occasionally glancing up at Song Yuehua to make sure she wasn’t too worried.

On the way to the clinic, Song Yuehua cradled Song Xiaomi in her arms. The ginger cat nestled quietly against her chest, occasionally letting out a weak “meow” that tugged at her heart. As Bai Qingyu drove, she kept glancing at the passenger seat out of the corner of her eye. Seeing Song Yuehua’s tense expression, she freed one hand and gently patted her arm. “It’s nothing serious, just a minor issue. The vet will take care of it.”

When they pushed open the glass door of the pet hospital, a nurse quickly came to greet them. Bai Qingyu followed the vet into the examination room with the cat, while Song Yuehua stood outside, pressing her ear against the glass to listen. Only when she heard the vet say, “It’s just indigestion with a slight fever. We’ll prescribe some medicine, and she’ll be fine,” did she finally relax, her back damp with sweat.

When Bai Qingyu emerged with the medicine, Song Yuehua rushed over. “How is she? The vet said she’s okay, right?”

“Yes, it’s just that we fed her too much canned food yesterday,” Bai Qingyu replied, handing her the medicine box.

On the way home, Bai Qingyu made a detour to the pet store and bought the probiotic canned food that Song Xiaomi usually loved.

That evening, while administering the medicine, Song Yuehua held the cat’s mouth open as Bai Qingyu mixed the powdered medicine into the canned food. After a lengthy struggle between the two humans and the cat, they finally managed to get Song Xiaomi to take her medicine.

The living room was now bathed only in the warm glow of the floor lamp. Song Yuehua leaned back on the sofa, her eyelids growing heavy. In her arms, Song Xiaomi curled into a ginger ball, her breathing as light as a feather. Suddenly, Bai Qingyu’s soft voice broke the silence. “Yuehua.”

“Hmm?” Song Yuehua rubbed her reddened eyes, let out a long yawn, and turned her head. “What is it?”

“Do you remember Yu Xian?” Bai Qingyu’s fingers rested on the arm of the sofa, her gaze fixed on Song Yuehua’s half-closed eyes, not missing the momentary hesitation in her expression.

“Yu Xian?” Song Yuehua’s drowsiness faded significantly.

Yes, that was the person who had messaged her after she crossed over.

She had shown great concern for Song Xiaomi, and it was because of her that she and Bai Qingyu had many opportunities to interact.

But…

As far as Song Yuehua knew, Yu Xian was supposed to know “Song Yuehua,” and judging from the messages she had sent, she was also familiar with “her” personality.

Hearing that she had left the city on some business, Song Yuehua felt a faint sense of relief.

Now that Qingqing suddenly brought up Yu Xian, did Yu Xian say something to her?

Song Yuehua forced herself to remain calm and said, “I know.”

“She just sent me a message.” Bai Qingyu tilted her head to observe Song Yuehua’s expression.

“Oh, really?” Song Yuehua instinctively straightened her posture, her back subtly tensing.

“It’s nothing serious.” Seeing Song Yuehua’s expression, she added, “She misses Song Xiaomi a little and wants us to send her a photo.”

Bai Qingyu thought about the message Yu Xian had sent her, on the surface, it was a request for a photo, but in reality, it was a sign of her unease about Song Yuehua.

“Oh.” Song Yuehua breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t help asking further, “Then… when is she coming back?”

“I don’t know, probably soon.” Bai Qingyu said slowly, “She mentioned that her family member’s condition is gradually improving, and she’ll return once it stabilizes.”

“Oh.” Song Yuehua responded absentmindedly.

Her drowsiness had long vanished. She was afraid, afraid that when Yu Xian returned, she would notice that her speech habits and preferences were different from “the old Song Yuehua,” afraid that she, this “outsider,” would be exposed.

After hesitating for a long time, she gritted her teeth, looked up at Bai Qingyu, and asked nervously, “What if…”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, what if.” Song Yuehua swallowed hard.

Bai Qingyu knew what she was about to say and pretended to be curious as she looked at her.

“What if I, ahem.” Song Yuehua coughed tactically, “were someone else, but my personality and habits were exactly the same as they are now… would you… would you still be friends with me?”