My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 7

Song Yuehua: …

What was the original owner thinking with this contact name?

She stood up from the carpet, took a deep breath, hovered her finger over the screen for two seconds, and finally answered the call.

“Hello?” She had barely uttered the word when a torrent of scolding exploded from the receiver: “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling for so long! Do you know how precious my time is?”

“I was busy.” Song Yuehua clutched her phone and moved closer to the window, thinking to herself: It didn’t ring that long, did it? Why so angry?

“Answer immediately next time you hear it.” Song Yuelan’s tone carried an undeniable command, as if assigning tasks to a subordinate.

“Okay, okay.” Song Yuehua replied dismissively, her fingers unconsciously picking at the tassels of the curtain.

“You…”

“Sis, what’s the matter?” she quickly interrupted, afraid the other would circle back to the “not answering promptly” topic.

“Nothing major.” Song Yuelan paused, her tone softening slightly. “Has Bai Qingyu contacted you these past few days?”

“Yes.” Song Yuehua nodded honestly, her gaze falling on the pile of unfinished cat tree parts in the living room.

“Did you mention me to her?”

“I did, and I even praised you.” Song Yuehua said vaguely.

That should count as praise, right?

“Then invite her out for a meal tomorrow. I’m free tomorrow.” Song Yuelan said as if it were the most natural thing.

“I’ll have to ask if she has time.” Song Yuehua frowned.

“Aren’t you two close? Even if she’s busy, she should make time for you.”

“That’s not how it works.” Song Yuehua felt a bit exasperated. “Friends should accommodate each other, but if one person always has to accommodate, the relationship won’t last.” She paused, deliberately asking in return, “Sis, you’re not planning to have just one meal with her, are you?”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. When the voice returned, it carried a hint of compromise: “Fine. Just tell her it’s something important and see if she’ll come.”

“Got it.”

As if unable to hold back, Song Yuelan asked again: “How long do you think it’ll take for her to be with me?”

Song Yuehua: …

“Sis, don’t rush it.” Her voice softened, as if coaxing a child. “Actually, being in a relationship isn’t necessarily the sweetest part. It’s the time before it’s official that’s the most memorable.”

“Really?” Song Yuelan’s tone held a trace of imperceptible doubt. “But I don’t feel that way.”

“You only realize it later.” Song Yuehua quickly followed up. “I think you and Bai Qingyu are in a pretty ambiguous stage right now.”

“Really?”

“Yes, yes.” Song Yuehua said, “Once you’re actually together, you’ll definitely recall a lot of details.”

“Hmm.”

“So…” Don’t rush it, whatever you do.

Before Song Yuehua could finish her sentence, the call ended with a series of beeps.

She stared at her phone in disbelief for a couple of seconds, then pursed her lips at the screen.

Wow, so you hang up as soon as you get the answer you want?

Looking at the disconnected call, Song Yuehua felt a throbbing pain in her temples at the thought of Song Yuelan’s words: “Invite her out for a meal tomorrow.”

Bai Qingyu had come today to take care of Song Xiaomi at Yu Xian’s request. Now that she could take care of Song Xiaomi herself at least she thought so, would Bai Qingyu still come?

Besides, wasn’t Bai Qingyu working on that mini-program lately? Busy with design during the day and tutoring in the evenings, where would she find the time?

Song Yuehua crouched on the floor, feeling utterly conflicted.

“Meow~ Meow~” Song Xiaomi had somehow sidled up to her leg, rubbing its furry head against her knee while its tiny paws gently tugged at the hem of her pajama pants, as if urging her to hurry.

“Alright, alright, I’ll get it set up for you right away.” Song Yuehua chuckled and picked the cat up.

But the pile of cat tree parts refused to cooperate. Frustrated, Song Yuehua shoved the components into a corner and dusted off her hands. “Forget it. You have plenty of toys already, one less won’t hurt.”

Song Xiaomi dashed around the living room, wagging its tail so vigorously it seemed on the verge of snapping, clearly having forgotten all about the cat tree.

Song Yuehua retreated to her bedroom and spent two hours poring over her textbooks until her eyes grew blurry, yet Song Xiaomi never came to bother her.

She cracked the door open and peeked out, the little furball was dozing on the carpet, clutching a rubber mouse.

“Such an ungrateful little thing.” As soon as she said it, Song Yuehua felt a pang of hunger and headed to the kitchen.

By nine in the evening, she was standing in the kitchen boiling water.

While waiting for the water to heat up, she wondered: When should I call Bai Qingyu?

“Meow~”

One advantage of an open-concept kitchen was the clear view into the living room.

Song Xiaomi had woken up and was now crouched beside the pile of cat tree parts, batting at a bell-adorned ball with its paw. It occasionally looked up and let out a soft “meow” in her direction, as if trying to figure out how to assemble the scattered pieces.

“It really does like this one, huh?”

“I’ve got it!” Song Yuehua’s eyes suddenly lit up.

She hastily grabbed her phone and sent a message to Bai Qingyu.

[Song Yuehua: Are you back at school?]

“Gurgle, gurgle.” The water in the pot began to boil vigorously.

Song Yuehua quickly set her phone down and tore open a packet of instant noodles.

Staring at the plain noodle block in the pot, she decided it wasn’t enough.

So, she cracked an egg into the pot and added a sausage.

Still not quite nutritious enough, she thought.

She then tossed in a handful of leafy greens.

What started as a humble packet of noodles had now transformed into a lavish meal.

Once everything was cooked, Song Yuehua carried the bowl to the dining table.

Picking up her phone again, she saw that Bai Qingyu had already replied.

[Bai Qingyu: I’m already home.]

While eating, Song Yuehua typed back: [I bought a cat tree but have no idea how to assemble it. Do you know how?]

As she typed, she stood up and snapped a photo of the chaotic mess in the living room to send to Bai Qingyu.

After half a minute with no response, hunger got the better of her. She set her phone down and slurped up two big mouthfuls of noodles.

“Ring-ring!”

Her phone suddenly buzzed with an incoming video call. With her mouth still full of noodles, Song Yuehua fumbled to answer. Bai Qingyu’s face instantly filled the screen.

Bai Qingyu seemed to have just arrived at her dorm. Her hair was loosely tied, with a few stray strands framing her forehead. Even from the unflattering angle of the phone camera, her clear, gentle eyes shone through, like jade polished by a flowing stream.

In contrast, Song Yuehua felt a bit disheveled.

“Are you eating?” Bai Qingyu asked, smiling at her stuffed cheeks.

“Yeah.” Song Yuehua nodded and hurriedly swallowed the noodles in her mouth.

“Then finish your meal first,” Bai Qingyu’s voice came through the speaker, soft and warm. “Once you’re done, I’ll guide you step-by-step on how to put it together.”

Song Yuehua stared at the screen. Bai Qingyu’s face took up most of the frame, the background slightly blurred, but it was clear she wasn’t indoors, probably downstairs, with the warm glow of a streetlamp casting a hazy halo behind her.

“Didn’t you say you went back to campus, Senior?” Song Yuehua raised her brows slightly, her gaze tinged with confusion as she looked at the screen.

Behind Bai Qingyu, the shadows of the trees swayed gently, and the wind tousled the stray hairs at her temples.

“My roommate is sleeping, so I came out to talk to you.” Bai Qingyu tucked the stray hairs behind her ear, her fingertips glowing faintly white under the streetlight. “She’s a light sleeper, and I didn’t want to disturb her.”

“Oh.” Song Yuehua glanced at the time on her phone, it was only nine o’clock. “Isn’t that a bit too early?”

“She’s always been an early sleeper.” Bai Qingyu’s voice came through the receiver, soft and gentle. “You should finish your meal. No need to rush.”

Song Yuehua propped her phone against the edge of the dining table, thinking she shouldn’t keep Bai Qingyu waiting too long, and hurriedly resumed eating.

The noodles slid down her throat with a slurp, but she accidentally choked.

“Cough, cough, cough!” She covered her chest abruptly, her face flushing bright red.

“It’s okay to eat slowly.” Bai Qingyu’s voice carried a hint of urgency.

“Mm.” Song Yuehua tried to calm her breathing.

Hearing the familiar voice, Song Xiaomi from the living room trotted over to Song Yuehua’s side.

Song Yuehua’s eyes lit up, and she quickly aimed the phone’s camera at the kitten.

“I’ll focus on eating. Senior, could you keep an eye on Xiaomi for me?”

With that, the star of the screen shifted to Xiaomi. The little one stared at Bai Qingyu on the screen for a couple of seconds, blinked her round eyes, then gracefully sat down and began licking her paw, the tip of her tail swaying leisurely as if performing for the person on the other side.

Reassured, Song Yuehua finished her noodles in peace.

“This… this thing, how on earth do I put it together?” Song Yuehua walked over to the pile of parts, her tone sounding like a child tattling about her struggles with assembly.

Bai Qingyu chuckled softly on the other end. “Don’t rush. First, send me a picture of the instructions.”

Song Yuehua quickly picked up the manual, snapped a photo, and sent it over.

“That wooden board with the round hole on your left is the base, the very bottom piece.” Bai Qingyu’s voice came through clearly and patiently. “Start by screwing the four short pillars into the screw holes on the base.”

Song Yuehua crouched down and rummaged for a while before picking up a wooden board. “This one?”

“No, it’s the one behind you, with the anti-slip edges.”

“This one?” She picked up another.

“Not that one either.”

It wasn’t until she picked up the last wooden board that Bai Qingyu laughed and nodded. “Yes, that’s the one.”

Song Yuehua was genuinely afraid Bai Qingyu might be annoyed. She studied Bai Qingyu’s expression carefully and only relaxed when she saw no trace of impatience.

“All done!”

Song Yuehua clapped her hands, picked up Xiaomi, who had been wandering nearby, and placed her in the topmost cubby. “Look, Xiaomi! We built this!”

Xiaomi patted the plush cushion with her paw, then “whooshed” down to the second level, “thumped” back to the first, sharpened her claws on one of the posts, and finally settled at the very top, letting out a “meow” directed at Song Yuehua, her tail standing straight up.

“Hehe, we have great taste.” Song Yuehua leaned closer to the screen, her eyes sparkling.

She and Bai Qingyu had picked out this cat tree together at the pet store that morning.

“As long as Xiaomi likes it.” Bai Qingyu watched the orange cat leaping around on the screen, her eyes curving into a smile. “If there’s nothing else, I should head back now.”

“Wait!” Song Yuehua called out hastily, her fingers unconsciously picking at the cat tree’s plush fabric. “Tomorrow… can you try your best to come over?”

Bai Qingyu’s brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion passing through her eyes. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“It’s not exactly an emergency… just something important.” Song Yuehua’s gaze wavered, and she quickly added, “But if you’re really busy, it’s fine if you can’t make it. It’s truly not that urgent…” Her voice grew increasingly uncertain as she spoke.

Bai Qingyu remained silent, simply watching her through the screen. The streetlight cast faint shadows on her eyelashes.

Under her gaze, Song Yuehua grew more and more flustered, her fingers nervously picking at the velvet cloth until it nearly tore.

Just as she thought Bai Qingyu would refuse,

She suddenly smiled, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. “Since you seem so eager to see me, I’ll come over tomorrow.”

“Really?” Song Yuehua’s eyes lit up, her ears instantly turning red. “Then I’ll pick you up at your school tomorrow!”

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Song Yuehua quickly cleared the dining table and pulled out her phone to message [Song Yuelan: Bai Qingyu said he’s free tomorrow.]

She waited for a while, but there was no response. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, she thought she had dodged a bullet.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Early the next morning, as Song Yuehua rubbed her eyes and got out of bed, she saw two unread messages on her phone, sent in the middle of the night:

[Okay.]

[I’ll pick you up in the morning.]

The next morning, sitting in Song Yuelan’s car, Song Yuehua’s mind was a tangled mess.

How was she going to explain to Bai Qingyu that the “important matter” was actually meeting Song Yuelan?