In late April, just as Qiu Xi was preparing to travel abroad with her teacher for an exchange program, Ni Xue arrived in Chongxi City.
"Xiao Xi, Linglong, I'm here!"
Knowing she was coming, Qiu Xi and Hua Linglong met up to pick her up.
"Little Snowball, why are you here now? You didn't even let us know in advance," Hua Linglong said, taking the small suitcase from Ni Xue with a smile and a playful complaint.
"Linglong, it was a last-minute decision. As soon as I set off, I told you guys~" Ni Xue explained with a cheerful grin.
"Alright! Your visit is a great thing, so I won't fuss about it."
"Let's go, we'll take you to Xiao Xi's place first."
"Okay," Ni Xue nodded.
Originally, she had planned to stay in a hotel, but before she could book a room, these two stopped her.
Both of them invited her to their dorm, and in the end, to make meeting up easier, she stayed at Qiu Xi's house.
It was fortunate, really. Their relationships spanning many years meant they had gotten along well with each other's parents. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed, especially with Qiu Xi about to attend an exchange program.
Still, it was good that Hua Linglong was staying at Xiao Xi's house with her during this time; they at least had each other for company.
...
As soon as the three arrived home, they were surrounded by their elders.
"Little Xue, my dear, we only see you during New Year's these past few years. Now that you're finally here, just stay comfortably and keep us old folks company~" Grandma Qiu's smile never faded the moment she saw her granddaughter's two little companions.
She then directly pulled them to sit on the sofa and started chatting with them...
"..."
At this moment, Qiu Xi could only helplessly rest her forehead.
Sometimes, in front of her grandmother, her friends might even be favored over her...
However, Qiu Xi was very happy. This showed that her family recognized her friends and got along so well with them. She couldn't be more content.
"Grandma, why don't you let Little Snowball settle in first, and we'll come down later to chat with you?"
After chatting for a long while, Qiu Xi glanced at the time and had to gently urge them. The three of them had planned to go out for a stroll, and in the evening, they needed to take Little Snowball back to her school.
Since Ni Xue had finally come to Chongxi, her friend Shen Yan naturally had to meet her.
"Alright, I know." Grandma Qiu glanced at the clock not far away and nodded. "Xue, Linglong, you two go and get settled with Xiao Xi, and we'll chat later~"
The two smiled obediently, "Okay, Grandma Qiu~"
"Yes, go on, go on~"
With that, the three of them went upstairs.
"Grandma is really as warm as ever. If I didn't have other plans, I would have stayed downstairs chatting with her all day."
Ni Xue put down her suitcase and said with a smile to the other two.
Qiu Xi nodded, "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time in the coming days~"
And indeed, she would be leaving for the international exchange program in early May and would return in just a few days. During this time, she could chat with her grandmother for a long time.
As for what came after, they planned to wait for her return, then head off to find Tang Tang, spend more than half a month there, and then come back to participate in their defenses.
This way, they would have other time later to go on a graduation trip with their respective roommates.
This was also one of the reasons Ni Xue had returned. After all, they had all looked into it, and their defenses were all scheduled for early June, so this plan worked perfectly.
"Mhm, Xiao Xi, you're right."
"By the way, where are we going later?"
"If you're not tired, we'll go take photos first!"
This was Hua Linglong's idea. She had previously gone to take photoshoots with Qiu Xi, and now that Ni Xue was here, she wanted to go again. However, this time there was an extra person, and they would go to a different location.
When they went to find Tang Tang in Country Y, they planned to take a set of photos there together as a memento.
"That sounds great. I'm not tired at all."
She had brought very little luggage, had people to see her off the whole way, went straight onto the plane, and someone was there to pick her up upon arrival. She had even managed to sleep for a little over an hour.
"Okay!"
"This time, I'll lead the way. I'm really familiar with things here after four years. It will save us a lot of time~" This was what Hua Linglong was most proud of. Over the past four years, using her expertise, she had become very well-acquainted with this photography studio.
Going there again today, acting as a customer, felt like it would be quite good~
"Okay~"
"Then we'll trouble Linglong to lead the way~"
"No trouble at all, let's go directly."
"Mhm."
With that said, the three of them tidied up and set off.
...