I Really Didn’t Want to Increase My Favorability! - Chapter 224

“Um, I haven’t told my parents yet; I need to go home for dinner.”

As they just stepped out of the villa complex, Bai Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered that her parents must have already prepared their own meal by this time.

“Don’t go! I’ve already booked a private room, Sister Bai. Join us for dinner, and you can invite your parents too.”

Chu Qingchan grabbed Bai Xiaoxiao’s hand, making it difficult for her to refuse. She looked at Xu Lin for help.

“Give them a call first. If your parents have already cooked, then you can eat with us. If they haven’t, bring them along.”

Hearing Xu Lin say this, Bai Xiaoxiao picked up her phone, but Chu Qingchan reached out and held Bai Xiaoxiao’s arm again.

“I’ve never been to your house. Let’s visit your parents first; dinner can wait.”

“Alright, but Miss Chu, please don’t buy anything.”

“I won’t, I won’t. Alright, let’s go.”

Xu Lin glanced at Liu Qinnuan and saw her looking very pitiful. They might not be in a hurry, but she was clearly starving.

“Hang in there.”

“I didn’t have lunch.”

“Why?”

“Because I was on the train. There’s no direct high-speed rail here, so I took a bus all afternoon after arriving at my hometown this morning.”

“You should have come tomorrow. I would have picked you up.”

“I wanted to spend more time with you.”

Hearing this, Ji Yun’s ears perked up, thinking that Liu Qinnuan must have some ulterior motive. No wonder last night, Chu Qingchan told her that Liu Qinnuan was quite a troublesome person. Although not a bad person, she could be considered an enemy.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I didn’t plan to spend more time with you. I have my store and other things to handle tomorrow.”

“Really? Then I guess I’ll be quite bored. I’m not familiar with Linshui.”

“Xu Lin is quite busy. I’ll take you around, Miss Liu.”

Ji Yun interjected, lightly placing a hand on Xu Lin’s arm, showing her stance.

“Sure, thank you, Big Sister Ji Yun.”

“Mhm.”

Although Chu Qingchan had warned that this girl wasn’t just any ordinary person, Ji Yun felt sweet being called ‘Big Sister Ji Yun.’ So this is what it feels like to be called ‘Big Sister.’

They left the villa complex, crossed a small road, and entered a bamboo alley. As darkness fell, a faint stench lingered in the air.

Surrounded by dilapidated walls forming a narrow path, with no streetlights illuminating it, the path extended into the depths like a black hole.

They all turned on their phones’ flashlights. Xu Lin discreetly glanced at Bai Xiaoxiao, worried that she might feel uncomfortable because of the stark contrast between here and the villa area.

But at that moment, Bai Xiaoxiao was walking ahead with her phone, lighting up the bumpy path. She walked with a straight back, showing no sign of insecurity.

She has changed. Standing tall, her neck looks so long—like a swan’s neck.

“What a beautiful neck. I should get her a little accessory. Miss Liu Qinnuan, can we look at some trinkets when we go shopping tomorrow?”

Ji Yun also noticed Bai Xiaoxiao’s neck and thought a nice necklace would suit it.

“Feel free to plan; I’ll just tag along.”

Liu Qinnuan smiled and nodded, but felt quite puzzled. What was the relationship between Chu Qingchan and this Ji Yun? Best friends? Friends? It was clear that Chu Qingchan liked Xu Lin. She felt that back in Jinling.

But they seemed to be very close and didn’t hide their feelings for Xu Lin. Something felt off… What kind of bizarre romantic drama is this?

Maybe tomorrow she should try to get some information while shopping. But why would she need to do that? She didn’t intend to get involved with Xu Lin anyway.

After walking for a few more minutes, they finally saw some light from some households’ door lamps.

At this moment, many families are sitting around small tables and stools, eating and chatting. Some even gather with several families and children, sharing meals and drinks.

Despite the lack of proper drainage causing a slight stench in the air, the uneven roads, the absence of street lights, and even heating, the people living here still maintain their smiles. The joy and warmth of a family dilute the coldness of the air, and the aroma of the food masks the surrounding odor.

“Hey, Xiaoxiao, just got back?”

“Uncle Zhu, just out playing with my friends,” Bai Xiaoxiao replied with a smile.

“Sister Xiaoxiao.”

“Hengyang, no candy for you today.”

“It’s okay, sister, you’re even prettier today.”

“Such a sweet talker.”

“Xiaoxiao, come have a bite!”

“No, Aunt Fang, I’m eating at home.”

Taking a few more steps, almost every household greeted them, reminding Xu Lin of his first visit here.

However, compared to when he had just been reborn, after experiencing so much, he felt mentally and physically exhausted before nightfall. But seeing the light in everyone’s eyes, filled with hope for the future and dreams for life, he felt differently.

Even families struggling to get by, barely managing to have a meal, existed here. How could he, living a relatively good life, claim to be tired?

For the Chu sisters, who had never experienced life from the bottom, this scene was another kind of experience.

They felt the vibrant life and understood what ordinary people’s lives were like, something they had always yearned for in a normal family.

Arriving at Bai Xiaoxiao’s house, the door was open, the courtyard flickered with lights, and the aroma of stir-fried dishes filled the air. Liu Qinnuan couldn’t hold back, quickening her steps towards the inside.

Entering the courtyard, Father Bai sat on a small stool, with a large bowl turned upside down, using the bottom as a table. Next to him was a small stove burning charcoal, warming the air around.

On the bowl’s bottom were three plates: peanuts, cucumber salad, and stir-fried cauliflower.

“I thought you were going out for dinner?”

“Hello, Uncle.” The girls greeted, and Father Bai nodded, feeling nervous looking at the beautiful girls, especially the one who wanted to buy a villa, making him even more tense, unsure how to host them.

“Uncle, they are all senior Bai’s and my friends.”

“Oh, oh, Xiaoxiao, go get a few stools from inside.”

“Okay,” Bai Xiaoxiao walked quickly inside.

“Uncle, we originally planned to take you and Auntie out for dinner, but you’ve already cooked.”

“You guys can go out to eat, we’re fine having our meal at home.”

“Just now, the owner messaged me, saying the flow of customers increased, so he gave our private room to others,” Chu Qingchan suddenly said, frowning as Chu Fengyi added unhappily.

“What’s going on, how can they not reserve the room they promised?”

“They refunded twice the deposit, couldn’t do anything…”

“So where do we go now?”

“Anywhere is fine.”

Liu Qinnuan remarked honestly that she didn’t feel like eating any fancy dishes; she found the cauliflower and cucumbers on the table quite tasty.

Xu Lin, noticing Liu Qinnuan’s intense gaze, felt a bit helpless. “Poor kid must be starving,” he thought.

“Let’s just eat here. I’ll go to the convenience store to buy some more stuff. What do you think, Uncle?”

“Is it alright here?”

“No problem. Watching the moon and having a little drink sounds great.”

“What about you all?”

Xu Lin glanced at the girls behind him, and they all nodded. They had noticed Liu Qinnuan’s clear preference as well.

Honestly, it didn’t matter where they ate, as long as they had a place to sit down and eat together.

“Let Xiaoxiao go buy the stuff; you don’t know the way.”

“I know the way. I’ve been here so many times.”

Xu Lin didn’t believe him. He had been here many times and never got lost. It’s just a few turns!

Without further ado, Xu Lin dashed out and reached the convenience store in two minutes.

He bought some pig head meat, two sausages, a pound of tripe, and some fried snacks.

Then he retraced his steps, but after three minutes, he found himself in a dead end. Xu Lin took out his phone.

“I was sure I took the same route… How the hell did I get lost…”

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