Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  The tumble caused both of them to fall like dominoes, one after the other.

  Jiao Ziqing landed with her butt on the floor, but Yu Lili wasn’t as fortunate. She had fallen with the force of her own weight, along with Jiao Ziqing’s.

  She was sent sprawling across the floor. And, the floor was covered in muddy water.

  Many people looked over. When Jiao Ziqing saw what happened, she yelped out in shock, “Lili!” She got up quickly and ran over to help Yu Lili up.

  Nanny Zhang was in shock too. No one had expected something like that to happen. Since her hands were full with the bags of groceries, there was nothing she could do to help.

  Yu Lili faced Jiao Ziqing. However, her eyes weren’t on Jiao Ziqing. She was instead looking behind her.

  The individual who had just given Jiao Ziqing a fright was hiding in the crowd looking over. When he sensed Yu Lili’s eyes on him, he turned and ran away in fear.

  At that moment, Yu Lili clearly saw what the person looked like. He was small in stature, and his clothing was nothing more than rags. No one stood close to him; everyone kept their distance in disdain. From the looks of it, he was a beggar.

  Jiao Ziqing helped Yu Lili up and looked her over. She noticed a huge black stain on her front and asked, “Are you hurt?”


  Yu Lili shook her head and looked back at herself. She saw the mess she was in. With self-deprecating laughter, she commented, “How unlucky I am?”


  Jiao Ziqing didn’t reply. She saw the looks from the bystanders around and pulled Yu Lili closer, remarking, “I’d already fallen! Why did you still come over? Wasn’t that stupid? It ended with the both of us falling. How embarrassing!”


  As she spoke, she pulled Yu Lili along behind her as she walked out.

  Yu Lili turned back to look at the mess that was left behind. All the groceries that had been in her hands were now squashed on the floor. “What a waste.”


  Jiao Ziqing looked at her in annoyance and said, “Just focus on taking care of yourself! Why are you still concerned about that? We’ll just get Nanny Zhang to buy those groceries again later. Let’s hurry back.”


  When Yu Lili turned back, all she saw was the image of Jiao Ziqing’s retreating back.

  The look in her eyes deepened. A frequently oft-repeated phrase came back to her. Jiao Ziqing just possesses a sharp tongue; she means no harm.

  Upon reaching home, Yu Lili told Jiao Ziqing not to interrupt Ou Ming and his father. Instead, she took her personally to Ou Ming’s room for a shower.

  Yu Lili picked out one of his loose shirts to wear and came out to dry her hair. To her immense surprise, when she came out, she saw that Ou Ming had laid out a pink dress for her on the bed.

  The thickness of the material was just right for the current season and climate. But…… pink?

  She didn’t like pink, and Ou Ming knew that. It was likely that this garment hadn’t been laid out by Ou Ming. If that was the case, the only person left who could have done it was Jiao Ziqing.

  The look in Yu Lili’s eyes darkened. She stepped forward and picked up the dress. She draped it across her front to compare the size and looked at the label. The dress was from an expensive brand.

  It couldn’t have been bought at the last minute. Did Jiao Ziqing get this dress ready long ago in preparation for me to wear it at any time? That is such an impossible thought!

  Just as Yu Lili was thinking about it, there was a knock on the door and the door opened.

  Jiao Ziqing took one look at her and coldly said, “You gained a free dress. Change into it quickly. We’re still waiting for you in the kitchen.”


  –


  Author’s note: I just got to Chongqing. I just got off the plane and have been having fun until now.