"Xiao Xi, are you really going to find Nan Hua?"
Song Daiyao and her friends had planned to hang out, but when they heard Qiu Xi's words, they were stunned.
Song Daiyao placed her hands on Qiu Xi's shoulders, staring intently at her.
Qiu Xi raised her eyebrows, looking a bit curious. "What's wrong? Is it not okay?"
Daiyao's tone was a little urgent, and it seemed something was amiss.
"Yeah, Daiyao, why are you so surprised?" Shen Yan and Liang Yunfei, who were focused on drinking their bubble tea, were startled by her reaction.
Her earlier exclamation had been a bit too loud.
"Cough, cough..." Hearing this, Song Daiyao immediately withdrew her hands and quickly sat back down.
"That... that's just that I was too surprised."
After speaking, she started gulping down her bubble tea.
Qiu Xi stared at her for a moment, her gaze finally settling on her face.
"Daiyao, are you... really not hiding anything from me?"
It was strange, truly strange!
"I... what could I possibly be hiding from you!"
"It's you, though. Such a big thing, and you're only telling us now," Song Daiyao retorted loudly.
"..." It seemed she wouldn't be able to pry anything out of her.
Qiu Xi stopped dwelling on it, and instead, the three of them turned to ask her.
"Xiao Xi, Daiyao has a point. Why did you suddenly decide to go find him?"
"Right, didn't you say it was just for a year? He should be back by now, shouldn't he?"
Shen Yan and Liang Yunfei's questions made Qiu Xi shift her focus away from Song Daiyao. She turned and began to explain to the three of them.
"The plan was indeed like that, but his experiments there haven't been completed, so his return date has been postponed."
"No wonder, so that's how it is..."
"Then when did you book your ticket for?"
"Did you tell Nan Hua?"
Qiu Xi nodded and then shook her head. "I've already bought the ticket, but I haven't told Nan Hua yet."
"Is that so? And when is the ticket for? Do you want us to see you off?" Song Daiyao quietly interjected.
Qiu Xi shook her head. "No need, the ticket is for next Monday. I'll just leave from home then."
"Alright."
"Well, don't forget to bring us back gifts from this trip! We'll send you money."
Qiu Xi couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, I won't forget you guys."
"That's good~"
"Come on! Let's keep drinking!"
"Okay~"
The four of them spoke with great spirit. If you didn't see it, you might not have realized they were just a few young girls sitting there with bubble tea and cake.
...
Two days before her departure, Qiu Xi was with Song Daiyao and the others. Since they wouldn't see each other for a while, and it was a rare holiday for all of them, they decided to go out and have some fun again.
"Mom, Dad, I'm going out with Song Daiyao and the others today. I might not be back tonight, so don't wait for me for dinner."
Before leaving, Qiu Xi informed her parents.
This was something they had all planned together. Since they were going to have fun, they might as well enjoy it to the fullest.
"Okay, we know."
"You girls be careful when you're out. Call home immediately if anything happens, understand?"
"Your mother is right. If anything comes up, remember to tell us as soon as you get home."
Although they agreed to let their daughter go out and play, Qiu Xi's parents' nagging nature hadn't changed at all.
"Mom, Dad, I know~"
"I'm leaving now, goodbye Mom and Dad."
"Have fun, enjoy yourselves."
Watching the door close, the couple smiled.
Their daughter had truly grown up!
"Xiao Xi, over here!" As soon as she arrived, Song Daiyao's loud voice made Qiu Xi spot the three of them immediately.
"You three are quite early," Qiu Xi teased with a slight smile.
"Of course!" Song Daiyao nodded proudly.
"After days of not being pestered by teachers, of course, I have to play hard. Otherwise, I'd be letting down this hard-earned holiday."
Who knew that because they were approaching their third year of graduate studies, and having finally gotten through their internships, their graduation theses were now chasing after them.
This kind of freedom was probably something they wouldn't have after this period, so they had to cherish it.
"Daiyao, just say less. Only the three of us have that worry. If you keep talking, we might get discouraged," Shen Yan and Liang Yunfei quickly stopped Song Daiyao's talkative mouth.
"...Right!" Song Daiyao came to her senses and was momentarily speechless towards Qiu Xi.
Who wouldn't feel that way!
Her point was so valid, it already made her a little sad.
"Alright, if you're going to be like this, I'll just go book a room right now and give the three of you tutoring lessons~" Qiu Xi glanced at the three of them with a smile.
"Uh..."
"I don't think that's a bad idea, but not right now!"
"How about tonight? It would definitely be interesting~"
"Okay!"
What Qiu Xi said casually turned into a few minutes of conversation, and the three of them had already set the stage for themselves.
Qiu Xi, "..."
She was just saying it casually...
"Alright!"
"Let's go quickly. If we stand here any longer, we'll become part of the scenery."
Having no choice, Qiu Xi had to interrupt the three who were busy making their own plans.
"Okay!"
"Then let's listen to Xiao Xi. We'll go have fun first, then talk."
"Mm, let's go."
With that, the four of them headed towards a large shopping mall nearby.
Their plan for the day was simply to have fun, so they skipped the usual brand stores they would browse all day and went straight for the entertainment.
"Never mind everything else!"
"This claw machine, I will conquer it today!"
"..."
Shen Yan claimed to be a "claw machine assassin," but in reality... she just kept putting coins into it.
In her opinion, it wasn't a claw machine, but a "coin gobbler."
"Yanyan, how about we come back to this later?" Song Daiyao gently advised.
"Yeah, if we happen to grab a lot all of a sudden, and can't even carry them, it won't be as fun..."
Qiu Xi chimed in with a made-up reason, and Liang Yunfei next to her nodded seriously.
"...Really?" Shen Yan looked at the three of them suspiciously.
"Really!"
"Can't be more real!" The three nodded with solemn faces.
"..."
"Then... how about you guys go play something else, and I'll play here for a bit to get my hands on it?" Shen Yan meekly suggested.
The three, "..."
Failure!
"Xiao Xi, Xiao Feifei, I think we should just let her play here for now?" Song Daiyao whispered, pulling the two of them aside.
It felt like she couldn't be pulled away anymore; her gaze was already fixed on it.
"I think... maybe we should just do that?"
"...Okay!"
After speaking, the three turned to tell Shen Yan.
"Where is she?" Song Daiyao looked around, confused when she couldn't find her.
Qiu Xi lifted her chin. "Stop looking, look over there!"
The two followed her gaze, "..."
Good heavens!
They weren't needed at all!
This "fierce girl feeding coins" didn't require their help...
She was focused on feeding coins, and focused on grabbing, but... she got nothing!
"Alright, we'll go browse for a bit and come back to shop together later."
Based on past experience, unless there was a special accident, this person would stay there without moving.
"Then I'll go first!"
"See you in a bit!"
With that, Song Daiyao ran off by herself.
Liang Yunfei and Qiu Xi exchanged a smile. "How about we play a round first?"
Qiu Xi raised an eyebrow. "Sure!"
It had been a while since she played, and she was indeed feeling an uncontrollable excitement.
"Let's go!"
...