An Unexpected Side

"It's the administrator. She said the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and if I say that, Xiao Ming will love me even more." Hongdou betrayed Yao Bilian without hesitation.

"This guy really knows how to stir up trouble; I'll remember this grudge!"

Si Ming decided to write it down in his diary to constantly remind himself so he wouldn't forget. Then he reassured him, "I can write several names here, but writing them like this might be annoying. If you mind, we can cross out Yu Shuying's name and put yours first."

Hongdou shook her head and said, "If you do that, Xiao Ying won't be happy. It's better to write my name at the end; it's just a piece of paper anyway."

"Oh—look, what a considerate and kind girl! You are the eternal sun in the sky, your light shining on the entire grassland. Your tears, like stars falling to earth, become gentle rain that nourishes everything. The leaves are reluctant to part with your dewdrops, the little grass stretches out its slender hands in the corner, and even the eaves sing a 'drip-drip' song, composing a beautiful song of a girl."

Si Ming couldn't help but use a Xinjiang accent, and the strange tone made Hongdou giggle.

"I want to hear more. Continue speaking, and it would be best if you sang as you spoke."

Feeling somewhat guilty, Si Ming had no choice but to rack his brains and improvise with his limited writing skills. Although he had published quite a few novels, his strength lay in plot and story, not in writing style. Fortunately, this kind of content did not require high literary talent.

"Oh—beautiful girl, you are the shimmering moon in the night sky, the Jade Rabbit dances in your pure palms, the melodious chimes are your soft whispers, your silver hair is fragrant with Guihua, the dark clouds bring forth your Jingjing tears, which twinkle and turn into a sky full of stars."

The next morning, Si Ming arrived at Liu Qingqing's house as promised and found Xie Xiaomei eating breakfast. She seemed to have not slept well the night before, as she looked sleepy and her head was swaying as if she might collapse at any moment.

"Your hair fell into the bowl," Auntie Liu suddenly reminded her.

"Oh? I'm so sorry!" Xie Xiaomei apologized hastily.

Auntie Liu sighed, "Really... Oh well, we've already finished eating, so it doesn't really matter." With that, she cleared away the dishes and took them to the sink to wash.

Xie Xiaomei hesitated, then said, "That..."

Auntie Liu guessed what she was thinking and waved her hand, saying, "It's alright, you rest. Leave this to the adults."

Si Ming watched from afar and felt that the atmosphere was quite good. Although there was still some distance between them, it no longer felt like two strangers together. It was more like a mother and daughter who had just had a conflict and whose relationship was a bit strained.

He pondered, "It's only been one night. Should I praise Auntie Liu's superb acting skills? But judging from what happened just now, she acted quite naturally, without any sense of deliberate effort. What happened?"

After washing the dishes, Auntie Liu came over and said, "Your hair is so messy. It's really in the way to leave it like this."

Xie Xiaomei hurriedly said, "I'll go tie it up in a bit."

"No need, I'll comb your hair for you. Come over here."

Auntie Liu led Xie Xiaomei to the living room and made her sit on a cushion. She then went around to her back and combed her hair. Xie Xiaomei seemed a little nervous and shy, keeping her head down and letting her do as she pleased, not daring to move.

Bored, Si Ming sat cross-legged on the cushion opposite him to watch Auntie Liu braid her hair. Liu Qingqing, who had transformed into a rabbit, jumped onto his lap and comfortably lay down in the hollow between his legs.

Auntie Liu's movements were clumsy at first, but they quickly became fluent. To be honest, Si Ming was quite surprised. Even though he already knew that Auntie Liu used to be a housewife, the impression of her as a career woman was too deep. Even now, she still exudes that Thunder Rages, Wind Blows temperament, which is very different from how she combs her daughter's hair. It seems very mismatched.

"It's rare to comb someone's hair, so why not braid it? What kind of braid do you want?" Auntie Liu asked.

"... Either is fine," Xie Xiaomei replied softly.

Auntie Liu immediately began to sway her hair, and her movements became increasingly light and agile, her ten fingers soon flying like butterflies.

Xie Xiaomei's tension gradually eased. Although she didn't say it, Si Ming could sense that she seemed to really enjoy having her hair braided.

"Um..." Xie Xiaomei uttered in a barely audible voice.

"Hmm?" Auntie Liu gestured for her to continue.

Why... are you so good to me?

"Well," Auntie Liu glanced at the red rabbit lying on Si Ming's lap and said frankly, "Qingqing initially asked me to take care of you, but last night I realized that you're a lot like Qingqing when she was little. Although she wasn't as shy as you, she was just as quiet, unwilling to communicate with people, and always stayed in a corner... Well, even when she sat in the center of a crowd, no one paid any attention to her. At that time, I was really worried that she would never make any friends in her life, but I was busy earning money to support my family and didn't have time to take care of her, so I could only let her take care of herself..."

Liu Qingqing twitched her long ears, glanced at her mother, but said nothing.

"I've always felt guilty about this, so seeing you now makes me want to make amends. I'm sorry for treating you as a substitute for Qingqing."

Xie Xiaomei shook her head slightly and said, "It's okay, I'd be happy to... So, would an ordinary mother braid her daughter's hair?"

"Isn't that right? At least I think I'm pretty average. If I had to compare, I'd probably be the type who's stricter with my children."

"Oh, I see... That's quite ordinary..."

Si Ming felt that Xie Xiaomei's expression at this moment was very unreal, like doubt, like sadness, but more than anything, it was reassurance.

She lowered her guard against Auntie Liu, her body relaxed and became supple, and she leaned back slightly.

After a while, Auntie Liu finished braiding two thick, long braids and said with satisfaction, "It's done! It seems my skills haven't deteriorated at all. Xiaomei, what do you think?"

"Call..."

Xie Xiaomei had fallen asleep against Auntie Liu's chest, making soft breathing sounds, like a baby lying in a cradle.

"This child."

Auntie Liu's expression softened more than ever before.

Chapter 620 An Unexpected Side

Outside an abandoned factory.

"According to intelligence, the suspect will be conducting an illegal transaction here in a little while. We must catch him red-handed," Si Ming instructed Xie Xiaomei as they embarked on another heroic operation.

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission." Xie Xiaomei nodded vigorously.

"I'm saying, it's your business if you want to play house with girls, why do you have to drag me into it?"