Back to Three Years Old: Crushing Scumbags on a Parenting Reality Show 256

Chapter 256

When did life go off the rails…?

Was it just now, learning about Yan Yan’s rebirth? Or that moment in the baking studio? Or even earlier… when Yan Yan saw her diary?

Or perhaps…

Yan Yan’s gaze, so intense, so serious, it wasn’t a joke.

Wei Maomao’s heart pounded, her face flushed, she looked away, down at her wrist, held tightly by Cheng Tingyan. “You… like me?” she asked, the only possible explanation, yet it felt… presumptuous.

She had always been afraid of being seen as a creep, yet she had just said that.

She wanted to take it back, to explain, to change the subject.

But Cheng Tingyan nodded.

“I like you.” She said, her voice slightly strained, her grip tightening on Maomao’s wrist, then loosening, afraid of hurting her, but she didn’t let go.

Wei Maomao’s heart skipped a beat.

Okay, she didn’t know when life went off the rails, but it definitely had now.

Yan Yan… what was she saying?!

From their past life, to this life, all those years…

Cheng Tingyan had imagined this moment countless times, Little Cookie’s reaction to her confession.

Would it be as she hoped, their feelings mutual, a happy ending? Or would there be hesitation, despite their mutual attraction?

But she hadn’t expected Little Cookie to… not like her.

Not that she was delusional, but… those late-night conversations, their shared understanding, their mutual support, Little Cookie’s unwavering trust and affection, it was natural to interpret it as… love, wasn’t it? And Maomao’s actions in this life, protecting her since she was three…

Who would have thought… it was worship!

No, she couldn’t think about that word, “god,” it made her heart ache.

But what hurt even more was… Maomao’s silence.

She needed a response, any response.

Wait… there was a more important question.

“Do you… like anyone now?” Cheng Tingyan asked, her voice strained.

Even if it was just as a “god,” it still meant she was important to Maomao, she could climb down from that pedestal later. But if she had already missed her chance…

Thankfully, Wei Maomao shook her head.

Cheng Tingyan, relieved, felt a weight lift from her shoulders. It was funny, her concern now wasn’t whether Maomao liked her, but whether she still had a chance.

“Then in our past life…” Cheng Tingyan began carefully, she didn’t think Maomao had liked anyone else during their online friendship, but after she died…

“I mean… after I…”

“Don’t say that.” Wei Maomao interrupted, looking up.

They had talked about death, but never directly. Cheng Tingyan’s words startled her.

Seeing Cheng Tingyan’s surprised expression, Wei Maomao quickly looked down again, feeling guilty. “No,” she said.

No one else, good, Cheng Tingyan thought, but… not her either? A pang of sadness.

While Cheng Tingyan was trying to figure out how to gracefully climb down from that “pedestal,” Wei Maomao felt like she was being poked by invisible needles, not just her feet, but her entire body, even her head and face, a constant, irritating prickling, like a heated electric blanket wrapped around her.

Especially her wrist, held by Cheng Tingyan, it felt like a branding iron, the heat spreading through her body, intensifying the prickling.

Wei Maomao’s heart pounded, she was afraid Cheng Tingyan’s next question would be, “Do you like me?”

She hadn’t thought about it, she truly hadn’t…

Like a rabbit, used to eating grass, suddenly presented with a cake, it wouldn’t even know what to do with it…

“You…” Cheng Tingyan began softly, after a long pause.

Click.

A soft sound interrupted her.

Then she saw Wei Maomao, initially tense and avoiding her gaze, suddenly grab her phone with surprising speed.

Click.

Click.

Two more clicks.

Cheng Tingyan frowned, a sense of foreboding.

“Grandpa wants me to have late-night snacks with him, my parents are asleep, he doesn’t want to eat alone.” Wei Maomao said, showing her the message on her phone, then added softly, “He’s old, I should keep him company.”

Cheng Tingyan: “…“ Just say you want to leave, no need for excuses…

But she had already said what she wanted to say, asked what she wanted to ask.

And the result was…

She didn’t want to let go, not after all these years, but rationally, pushing it further wouldn’t lead to a better outcome.

There was always tomorrow.

But after climbing the mountain, only to find another, even higher peak…

Cheng Tingyan smiled wryly and let go of Wei Maomao’s hand. “Let’s go, I’ll walk you back.”

Wei Maomao: “…“ It was just a few steps.

Hesitating between politely refusing and running away, she chose the latter.

Unlike her hesitant approach earlier, she walked back quickly.

“I’m here…” she said, turning to Cheng Tingyan, who had silently followed her.

Cheng Tingyan took a step closer, closing the distance between them.

It was summer, they had just had an emotionally charged conversation, their body temperatures were high, at this distance, they could feel each other’s warmth, each other’s breath.

Wei Maomao froze, unable to move.

Cheng Tingyan, looking at her, saw the blush quickly spreading from her neck to her cheeks… she reached out, her hand on the secret door, she pushed it open.

“Let’s go.” She said, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Just a god?

Were believers this easily flustered nowadays?

Wei Maomao, her mind blank, entered her room, then, after a few steps, she realized how strange her reaction had been.

What was that?!

They used to share a bed, why was she so flustered just by being close to her?!

Yan Yan must have seen it!

She had just said she saw her as a god, and now this, how disrespectful!

Wei Maomao, her mind screaming, maintained a calm facade, she turned to Cheng Tingyan, who had also entered the room. “I’m going to have snacks with Grandpa, you should go back now.”

“Wait.” Cheng Tingyan said, grabbing her arm. “After you’re done, think about…”

Her words, slow and deliberate, Wei Maomao’s mind racing, her face burning even hotter, she quickly interrupted. “Grandpa and I haven’t seen each other in a while, we’ll talk for a long time… I have to go now.”

She quickly opened the door, slipped out, and slammed it shut before Cheng Tingyan could say anything.

Cheng Tingyan, looking at the closed door, amused, it was the first time Maomao hadn’t invited her to share food.

No more offerings, this believer wasn’t very devout.

Words were less important than actions.

Cheng Tingyan, understanding this, her earlier disappointment fading, she would wait.

She had said enough tonight, Maomao needed time to think.

They were no longer those carefree children, Cheng Tingyan, unable to stay in Maomao’s room now that she was gone, glanced at the closed door and returned to her own room.

As she stepped through the secret door, she suddenly realized something was… different.

She took a step back and looked towards her desk.

Something there, very noticeable.