"Chiu Chiu~"
Yue grabbed the vibrating phone and cheerfully flew toward Xiao Xiao, who was reclining in a lounge chair.
Xiao Xiao turned his head, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
He opened his palm.
The phone landed steadily in his hand.
"Thank you, Yue."
"Chiu Chiu~"
Yue tilted her head, flapped her wings, and chirped brightly.
"Ying~"
Ying Shao rolled his eyes.
What a fool.
It was an unfamiliar number.
Xiao Xiao was about to ignore it.
Then a guess suddenly crossed his mind.
His hand, already reaching for the phone, paused.
Could it be...
Xiao Xiao answered the call.
"..."
There was no sound from the other end.
But Xiao Xiao could clearly hear the other person's slightly hurried breathing.
Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"Hello."
He spoke.
"..."
Still, no sound came from the other end.
And—
The breathing had stopped, too.
Looking at the disconnected call, Xiao Xiao fell into thought.
"Bzzzz~"
Only a second later, the phone vibrated again.
It was the same number.
Xiao Xiao didn't answer right away.
He waited for the phone to ring for a while before picking up.
"Big Brother, I'm sorry. I accidentally—"
The girl's anxious apology and explanation came through the phone.
"Huan Huan."
Xiao Xiao confidently called her by name.
The phone fell silent again.
He could only hear her trying to steady her breathing.
Xiao Xiao was a little surprised.
He hadn't expected to hear from the girl so soon.
Only three days had passed since they last met.
But...
There was something off about the emotion in the girl's voice.
"...Big Brother..."
The girl finally spoke again.
As she slowed her speech, the hoarseness in her voice became all the more noticeable.
But after calling out to him, she fell