Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 423: Chapter 403: We Go to See the Sea

Lin Jiayou thought about it and agreed as well. After discussing what to say with the three of them, they all went back home happily. Of course, they didn’t forget to call someone to ride back the borrowed motorcycle.

Who knew Lin Xu wouldn’t be surprised at all when he saw Lin Jiayou, given that he had spent a long time looking out in the dark from the balcony.

He simply said, ”You’re back.”

Lin Jiayou, on the other hand, felt a bit embarrassed. After greeting Aunty, he hurried to wash up and take a bath to get rid of the smell of alcohol on him.

Because An Zilan was pregnant, Lin Xu urged her to go to bed. Huang Yueran, hearing that her daughter was staying over, didn’t object at all and went straight home, only instructing them to come downstairs for breakfast in the morning.

Luo Qianqian excitedly entered her brother’s room and took out the familiar set of sheets and quilt covers from her own room to change the bedding of the top bunk in her brother’s room. Lin Xu had already replaced all the bedding in the house with new ones, and no one had stayed in them.

After Luo Qianqian finished tidying up, she didn’t forget to say, ”Let Brother Jiayou sleep on the bottom bunk, okay? He’s had too much to drink, don’t let him fall.”

While bathing, Lin Jiayou suddenly slipped and almost took a fall.

Xu Tianyi nodded. Then Luo Qianqian, He Wenyu, and Xu Tianyi quietly played cards in the living room.

After a while, Lin Jiayou came out and Luo Qianqian turned to go into her brother’s room. She handed a set of fresh pajamas to Xu Tianyi, told him to go ahead and wash up, and then returned to her room with He Wenyu.

When Lin Jiayou returned to his room, he naturally lay down on the lower bunk, not feeling anything wrong, and fell into a deep sleep. When Xu Tianyi finished washing up and returned to the room, he noticed something was up. Was that girl doing this on purpose? Such a familiar pattern, such a familiar cat – it reminded him of the nights he spent in her room. His face went slightly red as he saw the stuffed toys under the quilt and couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Was she treating him like a child?

Listening to the sounds, Luo Qianqian and He Wenyu went to shower without any hesitation—after all, they had grown up together, so what barriers could there be?

The two of them chattered until midnight before they finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Luo Qianqian woke up first and smiled when she saw He Wenyu still in deep sleep. She proceeded to the bathroom to wash up, but was surprised to see that the boy with a mouthful of toothpaste also had bed hair. She burst out, ”You go first, you go first. Lock the door next time, okay?” Then she guiltily closed the door, wondering why she had entered even though she noticed the bathroom light was on. Why had she done such a silly thing?

Soon, Xu Tianyi came out, his hair already as neat as usual.

Luo Qianqian stared and blurted, ”Do you need a hair dryer?” Although it wasn’t dripping wet, from her years of experience washing hair, it was clear to her that it was only half-dried.

Xu Tianyi shook his head.

Luo Qianqian was brushing her teeth and, seeing the strawberry-flavored toothpaste in her cup, mischievously wondered if Xu Tianyi had used it.

Xu Tianyi, having closed the door, leaned against it feeling guilty, his heartbeat racing so fast it felt like it would leap out of his chest. The sweet taste of strawberry in his mouth made his face turn even redder as if he had a fever.

After Luo Qianqian had finished washing up, she obediently went back to her room, and then started considering what to wear for the day. This was essentially her first date, wasn’t it? Luo Qianqian bit on her fingertip, pondering.

He Wenyu woke up pressed under a pile of clothes, opened her eyes, and rubbed them, ”What are you doing?” she asked at the sight of the heap of clothes on the bed.

Hearing He Wenyu’s voice, Luo Qianqian pouted and pulled her up, ”What do you usually wear for a date?”

”A date? You have a date today?” He Wenyu sat up excitedly and then, seeing the bed full of dresses, she was stumped. ”I don’t wear dresses. Normally, it’s all kinds of pants, long pants, shorts, capris, jeans, sweatpants, casual pants, and of course, most often, the school uniform.”

”So, which one looks more... more eye-catching?” Luo Qianqian initially wanted to say more fairy-like, but then thought better of it—how could He Wenyu know about that?

”Bikini...” He Wenyu said without hesitation, but after looking at Luo Qianqian’s figure, she shook her head, ”It wouldn’t be much of a sight on you.”

Luo Qianqian was speechless. She simply took pictures of the few outfits she had chosen and sent them to Qin Nuan for advice. Qin Nuan quickly replied. A pure white dress.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Qianqian started selecting from her underwear with an expression of utmost seriousness. He Wenyu shuddered in the blankets at the sight—it was quite terrifying.

”Are you going?” After Luo Qianqian had picked out her clothes, shoes, and accessories, she asked. ”Wanna bring your boyfriend along?”

”Can I?” He Wenyu knew Luo Qianqian usually didn’t like Zhao Wenxuan, so she asked in surprise.

Luo Qianqian touched her nose and said, ”We’ll do our own things, what’s the problem?”

He Wenyu let out a cheer and started messaging on her phone. Luo Qianqian, having changed into the outfit, did a twirl in front of the mirror and laughed lightly, ”Not too shabby.”

When she stepped out of the bedroom, An Zilan and Lin Xu were staring with surprised eyes widened. Luo Qianqian touched her nose guiltily; it was rare for her to wear light-colored dresses when going out.

Then Luo Qianqian was dragged into the bedroom by An Zilan, and after asking for the reason, she happily tied her hair into two cute little buns with adorable hair ties. Looking at her short hair in the mirror, Luo Qianqian blinked mysteriously and asked, ”Mom, you don’t object?” It was as if they were alone and she could speak her true feelings.

”Would objecting be of any use?” An Zilan caressed her daughter’s short hair, reminiscing about the long locks of the past.

Luo Qianqian stuck out her tongue; it really didn’t seem to make a difference.

”Mom will stand behind you,” An Zilan said as she gently hugged Luo Qianqian, careful not to exert too much pressure because of her large belly.

Luo Qianqian nodded, smiling coyly.

When Lin Jiayou and Xu Tianyi came out of the bedroom, they were stunned by Luo Qianqian’s beauty. It was surprising to see elegance emanating from a mischievous child who was always hopping and bouncing around like a little monkey.

”Your godmother sent up some Baozi, eat up and then go play,” said Lin Xu to Luo Qianqian.

Obediently nodding, Luo Qianqian ate slowly and delicately like a proper young lady. After finishing, she said, ”Mom, we might come back late tonight and won’t be home for dinner, so don’t wait for us.”

Luo Qianqian was well-mannered; although the Luo family didn’t adhere to strict dining etiquette, Jia Ning had still taken the time to teach her properly for the future.

He Wenyu looked at Luo Qianqian’s small backpack, which held only a mobile phone, a wallet, and a compact digital camera. She held a large straw hat in her hand and then glanced at the small bucket for crabbing she was carrying, feeling somewhat out of place.

Luo Qianqian took the bucket from her, smiled, and said, ”I have to leave a good impression on him so he won’t forget me. If I had to keep this up every day, I’d be exhausted.” And to always pretend to be like this, there was a specific term to describe it—the White Lotus Flower.

”So you’re here to ruin the image?” When He Wenyu heard her friend speak this way, she felt relieved. After all, she hadn’t seen Luo Qianqian like this before: ”Doesn’t that smile tire you out?”

”It’s exhausting; my face is cramping.” It was only breakfast time, and there was still a whole day ahead.

”You’ve put in quite the effort,” chuckled He Wenyu.

Xu Tianyi was aware of Luo Qianqian’s intentions and simply watched the girl with a smile.

Lin Jiayou found himself tagging along with the group of kids, assigned by Lin Xu for reasons unbeknownst to him. He was free anyway and thought a little relaxation wouldn’t hurt.

At the entrance to the residential area, Zhao Wenxuan met up with He Wenyu. After some thought, Luo Qianqian decided to take a taxi. He Wenyu and Zhao Wenxuan would ride together; the three of them would join up.

When they arrived at the beach, Luo Qianqian took out her camera and, giggling, said to Lin Jiayou, ”Brother, help us take some photos.”

Only then did Lin Jiayou realize he had been roped into his sister’s ploy, but he had no complaints. The young faces under the sunlight were full of youthful vitality, and the glances exchanged between them were tender and brimming with unending affection.

Lin Jiayou did a double-take and confirmed that indeed, the looks in their eyes truly conveyed an undeniable fondness.

The shutter clicked away as Lin Jiayou became numb to the process, never having imagined he could take so many photos.

Later, when the two of them posed to take pictures, Lin Jiayou realized he had already taken so many.

When the three went to buy ice cream, Xu Tianyi retrieved the camera and secretly snapped a few photos of that smile as radiant as flowers. Then, the camera’s battery drained, and it shut down.

Sitting on a stone stool, waiting for He Wenyu and the others, Luo Qianqian’s skirt fluttered gently with the breeze. Xu Tianyi, feeling an indescribable emotion, took a picture of this scene with his phone, then put away the device with a nonchalant expression.

Approaching her, Xu Tianyi gently wiped the ice cream off the girl’s face and pointing to two figures approaching, he said, ”They’re coming over.” He then placed the straw hat on Luo Qianqian’s head gently, careful not to mess up her hairstyle.

He Wenyu returned triumphant, a small bucket filled with clams and crabs, cheerfully suggesting grilling them as an extra meal later.

They had a seaside seafood feast at noon, cooking and grilling right by the ocean. The four of them ate a lot, until the sun began to set and calls reminded them of the evening dinner plans, prompting them to hurry away by taxi. Luo Qianqian didn’t let Lin Jiayou and Zhao Wenxuan leave; she had invited so many people that two more wouldn’t make a difference.

He Wenyu was delighted and didn’t notice Zhao Wenxuan’s gaze.

Xu Tianyi, who had been paying attention to Luo Qianqian, didn’t notice either. Luo Qianqian was too busy maintaining her ladylike demeanor; to keep her shoes clean, she hadn’t even walked near the sea. It was Xu Tianyi who indulged her, staying by her side.

Lin Jiayou, who had been at loose ends, certainly noticed Zhao Wenxuan’s gaze. Not to mention that he had been involved in the past incident, which had nearly harmed Luo Qianqian. So, paying a little extra attention now was not amiss.

Zhao Wenxuan had no idea that the man following Luo Qianqian wearing a duckbill cap was his former boss, with whom he had only had a few brief encounters. Even if he had recognized Lin Jiayou, it wouldn’t have changed anything because at that moment, he had no intention of harming Luo Qianqian, as he knew she was his friend’s friend.