Meng Bai was already in a foul mood, and these words only stoked her anger further. “What’s wrong with her? Isn’t she just a normal person? Did you swallow some gunpowder? Yelling at me the second you walk through the door!”
Meng Xingzhong couldn’t tolerate such backtalk.
“She’s nothing but an old lunatic! I saw her back when I was young—her face is a wrinkled mess. That’s bad enough, but she lashes out at anyone she lays eyes on.” Meng Xingzhong raised his voice another notch. “Name one person in town who hangs around with that lunatic!”
As if he’d ever seen anything. What a load of hot air.
Meng Bai shot back bluntly. “I hang out with her. I like hanging out with her. Got a problem with that?”
“You—” Meng Xingzhong choked on his words, clearly caught off guard by her response. “You little punk! Listen to the garbage coming out of your mouth!”
Meng Bai couldn’t care less about that. Right now, all she wanted to know was who’d fed him this nonsense.
Lin Li? No way—she’d never stoop to that.
That left just one possibility: someone in town had spotted them and blabbed to Meng Xingzhong.
God only knew what twisted version had come out of their mouths.
“You’re the one being ridiculous,” Meng Bai said. “I’ve got enough pressure from studying as it is, and now I come home to your tirade!”
Her studies weren’t really that stressful, she had to admit—there was definitely some venting in her tone.
Meng Xingzhong started to say more, but seemed to realize his own harshness and softened his voice. “Just stay away from that courtyard. It’s no good. If Aunt Zhang hadn’t tipped me off, and something happened to you… well, wouldn’t folks say I failed as a father?”
So it was Aunt Zhang. No surprise there—after Meng Bai had publicly exposed her husband’s cheating last time, the woman was probably nursing a grudge.
Meng Bai could practically hear the venom in her voice.
“You actually believe Aunt Zhang?” she asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Meng Xingzhong retorted. “What are you even doing with her? That old bat’s half-mad already. She could slap you silly one day—or worse, go berserk and slice your ear off!”
Those words left a sour taste in Meng Bai’s mouth. Meng Xingzhong hadn’t even laid eyes on Miao Bai, yet here he was, slandering her with such conviction.
“So, did she hit me or what? Am I not standing here perfectly fine? Aunt Zhang mutters a few words and you come home barking at me—are you even my dad?”
Lin Li couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She emerged from the kitchen to play peacemaker. “That’s enough, you two. Why the yelling? The girl’s fine, isn’t she? The lunatic didn’t lay a finger on her!”
She always took Meng Bai’s side.
Meng Bai seized the opening. “Exactly! I’m right as rain. What are you carrying on about? And for that matter, have you ever seen her eat somebody?”
It made Meng Xingzhong grind his teeth. “What do you know about anything? Am I supposed to wait until disaster strikes before I step in? No more going to see her, end of story!”
Reasoning with him was pointless, so Meng Bai gave up and stormed off to her bedroom. To drive home her displeasure, she slammed the door behind her.
The bang echoed like a final retort to his outburst.
But the moment she stepped inside, she jumped back in shock—her back slamming against the door as she clutched her chest. “What are you doing here!”
Miao Bai arched an eyebrow. “What’s it to you? Why can’t I be here?”
“I thought you left!”
“I walked here to wait for you. Problem?”
Meng Bai had assumed Miao Bai’s sudden disappearance meant she’d gone home. She’d never dreamed she was waiting in her room.
Joy flickered for just a second before anxiety set in. She lowered her voice. “Don’t take anything Dad said to heart. He was just spouting nonsense!”
She braced for Miao Bai to get upset, but instead, the woman didn’t bat an eye. She even let out a soft laugh. “I’m not bothered.”
Miao Bai’s gaze fixed on Meng Bai, that unwavering stare making her squirm.
“Why are you staring at me like that…”
“No reason. Just looking.”
Heat flooded Meng Bai’s cheeks. There was something unspoken in Miao Bai’s eyes—something that teased without revealing itself.
“You’re pretty fierce,” Miao Bai remarked out of the blue.
“Huh?” Meng Bai blinked, utterly lost.
Miao Bai closed the distance in a few steps, stopping about eight inches away. She leaned down slightly, their eyes locking.
In those clear, limpid depths, Meng Bai caught a glimpse of her own reflection.
“Fierce how?” she asked, blinking again to dodge that piercing gaze.
“When you were talking to your dad.” Miao Bai dipped her head a fraction closer, her breath warm against Meng Bai’s ear as she whispered, “I hang out with her. I like hanging out with her. Got a problem with that?”
The imitation was spot-on—tone, inflection, everything.
It left Meng Bai mortified, her ears burning crimson.
“Hey! Quit copying me!”
Miao Bai’s lips curved into a smile. “I just thought you were kinda cute.”
Somehow, those utterly ordinary words took on vivid new life when they passed through Miao Bai’s lips.
Especially “cute”—it sent a thrill through Meng Bai, equal parts shy delight and giddy surprise.
She loved hearing praise from Miao Bai, no matter how simple.
Her spirits soared, but she couldn’t resist pressing. “Cute where, exactly? Vague compliments don’t count. You’re as baffling as Dad.”
Those bright, inexperienced eyes met Miao Bai’s—shy, yet feigning composure as if she weren’t flustered at all.
But the flush on her cheeks gave her away completely.
Miao Bai took it all in, of course. She knew precisely what was going through Meng Bai’s head but had no intention of calling her out. Instead, she played along.
“Your tone was adorable. I couldn’t see your face, but I could picture that stubborn streak when you talked back to your dad—probably with your brows furrowed. Once I pieced it all together in my mind, I just thought it was cute.”
Was that specific enough?
More than enough.
Hearing Miao Bai praise her like that made her heart sing.
Meng Bai pressed her advantage. “If I’m that cute, how about a little reward?”
She felt a twinge of embarrassment even as the words left her mouth. She wasn’t one for wheedling or demanding things.
But with Miao Bai, she was the exception—and she couldn’t explain why.
“What kind of reward?”
“Sleep over tonight.” The words tumbled out unbidden. It was all she wanted: to share a bed. Without Miao Bai there, she’d toss and turn all night.
“Just that?” Miao Bai chuckled. “Seems like a waste.”
Meng Bai’s mind raced. “Fine—make it every night for the next two weeks straight!”
Miao Bai: “…”
This girl and her sleeping fixation.
Miao Bai couldn’t understand why Meng Bai was so obsessed with sleeping together. What exactly about it captivated her?
“Do you like sleeping with me that much?”
“I do!”
Truth be told, Miao Bai quite enjoyed it herself. Being with Meng Bai gave her a sense of time passing.
When night fell and when dawn broke.
When it was time for sweet dreams and when it was time to head to school.
These mundane rhythms felt incredibly precious to her.
Before she met Meng Bai, Miao Bai had no concept of time at all. One day blended into the next, day and night were indistinguishable, all of it blurring into sameness.
“Fine, then. But not for half a month—just tonight. One more time.”
Without a second thought, Meng Bai agreed. “Deal!”
Knock knock.
Meng Xingzhong rapped on the door from outside, hollering at the top of his lungs, “What’s with the locked door? You skipping dinner now?”
“No—” Before Meng Bai could shout back, Miao Bai clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Listen to your dad. Go eat like a good girl.” Miao Bai released her and added, “Skip dinner and you’re sleeping alone tonight.”
Knock knock. Meng Xingzhong pounded a few more times. “Say something!”
“Got it!” Meng Bai called back, her tone dripping with reluctance.
Miao Bai watched her, shaking her head in helpless amusement.
Perhaps it was just teenage rebellion. Meng Bai was gentle with everyone else, but she seemed to relish butting heads with Meng Xingzhong.
“Your dad’s a good man,” Miao Bai murmured softly.
Meng Bai’s brows furrowed into deep creases. “He’s so annoying. Always nagging.”
“Someday you’ll be off at university, and no one will call you for meals. That’s when you’ll stop thinking he’s a nuisance.”
Easier said than done, of course. Meng Bai wasn’t listening, and Miao Bai knew better than to push it.
“Go on and eat.”
Meng Bai started for the door but paused after a couple of steps, whirling back around. “My dad’s not as great as you think! He said he’s seen you before—that you’re super old, covered in wrinkles, like some granny. Called you an old lunatic who wants to beat people up! Said he’d even cut off my ears!”
Miao Bai stared at her without interruption, offering no denial throughout. To Meng Bai’s shock, she even nodded.
“Mm. Your dad’s spot on.”
The response caught her completely off guard. “Liar! You’re not old at all!”
“But he didn’t lie to you.”
“How’s that not a lie? It’s straight-up nonsense.”
Miao Bai’s eyes crinkled in a sly smile. “Not nonsense. But that’s a story for another time.”
“Another story! Just how many secrets does that Old Courtyard hold?!”
“Plenty.”
Meng Bai stomped her foot in frustration. “Then tell me! Now!”
“I won’t.” Miao Bai’s lips curved upward, her gaze languid and teasing as she dangled the bait. “Eat your dinner properly, and when you come back, I’ll tell you a story.”
First Zhou An had strung her along all afternoon, and now Miao Bai was doing the same. What was with these women and their infuriating habits?
Still, it was awfully tempting.
“Ugh, you’re the worst!”
At that moment, Lin Li knocked gently on the door, her voice far milder. “Come on out for dinner. Don’t stay mad at your dad—he’s just like that.”
“Coming!” Meng Bai yelled toward the door. She shot Miao Bai one last glance. “I eat fast!”
“Fifteen minutes,” Miao Bai decreed. “At least.”
“You!”
Helpless against her, Meng Bai turned and opened the door.
In that instant, light from the hallway flooded in. Lin Li stood right there in the doorway, but Miao Bai had vanished from view.
Meng Bai glanced at her mother, then peered back into the room. “Mom? What are you looking at?”
Lin Li craned her neck for a peek inside and sighed appreciatively. “Nothing much. Your room just smells amazing. Really nice.”
“Oh, uh, maybe the osmanthus blossoms outside are blooming?” Heart pounding with a twinge of guilt, Meng Bai hurried out and pulled the door shut behind her.
Lin Li chuckled. “Must be. Puts me in such a good mood.”
In the main hall, Meng Xingzhong glanced their way, stubbed out his cigarette, and toned down his earlier sternness. He pointed to the soup on the table. “Eat up quick. Saved the best meat for you.”
That was Meng Xingzhong through and through—a classic Chinese father, not one for flowery words, but with a heart of gold.
The ribs floating in the soup were the meatiest, most tender cuts.
A sudden pang of emotion welled up in Meng Bai. Their family might not have much, but her parents had always loved her dearly, never letting her go without.
Compared to Zhou An, she was beyond blessed.
Her voice softened. “You two should eat more. I can’t finish it all.”
Meng Xingzhong tilted his chin upward with a grin. “We’re stuffed. You eat plenty—gotta keep your strength up.”
With that, he rose and ambled into the kitchen, as if fetching something.
Lin Li’s eyes twinkled with a smile. “See? All bark, no bite.”
Meng Bai settled down to sip her soup. From the kitchen came the sound of scrubbing.
Moments later, the faint jingle of a chain.
The next second, Meng Xingzhong emerged, wheeling a shiny white-and-red mountain bike.
“Here you go—your birthday present.”
“Huh?” Meng Bai’s bowl sloshed in her grip. It was all so sudden; she’d nearly forgotten that she’d mentioned wanting a new bike just last week. “You actually got it?”
“Your birthday’s tomorrow. When else was I gonna give it to you?”
He parked the bike in front of her. “Color’s decent, I think. What do you say—do you like it?”
A broad smile lit his face, crinkling the lines around his eyes more than usual.
Lin Li chimed in. “We picked it out this afternoon. The seller said we can swap the color tomorrow if it’s not to your taste.”
Like it? How could she not?
The wheels gleamed like new, the chain sparkling with every subtle shift.
It was all thanks to her infuriating father and his backbreaking labor. Infuriating indeed—so much so that tears pricked at Meng Bai’s eyes.
“Looks great. Was it expensive?”
“Nah, went with a budget one.” Meng Xingzhong patted the seat. “If you like it, give it a feel. Take it for a spin if it seems good.”
Meng Bai set her bowl aside, stepped over, and gave the pedals a turn. The chain whirred with a satisfying, crisp ring.
She felt an irresistible urge to hop on and ride it out right away.
Glancing up, she saw Meng Xingzhong watching her with a smile.
What grudge could anyone hold against their own father? All of Meng Bai’s earlier displeasure vanished in a puff of smoke. Grinning, she said, “You sure know how to pick ’em, Old Meng.”
A faint blush crept across Meng Xingzhong’s dark cheeks, as though the praise had left him a bit bashful, but he still shot back, “You bet. Has your dad ever picked anything that wasn’t top-notch?”
“Thanks, Mom and Dad—I love it.” Meng Bai kicked down the stand, her feet twitching with impatience. “I can’t wait any longer. I’ve got to take it for a spin or I’ll go crazy.”
