Chapter 107: The Choice (3)

Around ten o’clock the next day, Qiu Qiu arrived. Qiao Xi said a quick goodbye to her grandmother and went with her to catch the bus.

They bought their tickets and, with some time before boarding, sat in the waiting hall.

“I called Er Nan last night, thinking he hadn’t left yet, planning to ask if he wanted to come along. But he had already gone back without saying a word,” Qiu Qiu said.

Qiao Xi kept her head down, silent.

Qiu Qiu continued, “You haven’t been home for a month. Now you can really catch up with everyone—they’ve all been missing you.”

Qiao Xi nodded.

“Where should we meet? KTV? Buffet? Or maybe a barbecue outdoors?” Unsure, Qiu Qiu turned to ask, “Qiao Xi, where do you think we should meet everyone?”

“You decide,” Qiao Xi replied.

“What’s wrong? You seem so listless,” Qiu Qiu asked. Although Qiao Xi was usually quiet, she wasn’t usually like this. Could it be because of what happened with Gu Dieyan last night that she hadn’t slept well?

“Nothing,” Qiao Xi said, not elaborating.

Qiu Qiu didn’t press further. Bringing up unhappy things would only make things worse. She hoped that this time back, Gu Shao could convince Qiao Xi to stay, so she wouldn’t have to return to that miserable school again.

When it was time to board, they took their light luggage onto the bus and arrived after more than two hours.

Since Qiao Xi hadn’t been home for a month, she went home first. Qiu Qiu, who returned every week, wasn’t in a hurry and went to meet friends first, also thinking about how to plan tonight. The more lively it was, the better the chance to persuade Qiao Xi to stay.

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Qiao Xi got off at the intersection and walked home, just a few minutes away.

The village was rural, with no tall buildings, only low-rise houses.

Her home was a three-story house, beautifully decorated.

She used her key to open the door and stepped inside.

The house was very quiet, as if no one was home.

Although she had promised her grandmother she would call her father last night, in the end, she didn’t.

She went upstairs to the second floor and entered her room, which looked just as it did when she left a month ago.

After putting down her bag, she went to the bathroom to wash her face.

Feeling a bit thirsty, she went downstairs to the fridge to get a drink.

As she sipped and walked back to the living room, she heard the sound of the door opening.

She looked toward the entrance and saw her aunt coming in, carrying several bags.

Her aunt—her father’s current wife—was someone she had called “Aunt” since childhood. Her father never insisted she call her differently, nor did her aunt.

Seeing Qiao Xi, Zhou Huaiwei paused briefly, then said, “You’re back.”

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“Yeah,” Qiao Xi replied, walking over. “Aunt, let me help you with those.”

“When did you get back?” Zhou Huaiwei asked, handing her the bag in her right hand.

“I just arrived.”

“Just leave them in the kitchen. Does your father know you’re back?”

“I didn’t tell him,” Qiao Xi answered, carrying the bags into the kitchen and putting them down before coming out again.

Zhou Huaiwei was already sitting on the sofa resting. Watching her come out, she said, “You should tell him. He’s so busy with work.”

“I’ll call him later,” Qiao Xi said.

After that, there was nothing more to say. Just like before, after a few simple exchanges, the conversation ran dry. Qiao Xi had been used to this since she was a child.

“I’m going to my room.”

“Go ahead,” Zhou Huaiwei replied without looking up, picking up a magazine nearby to read.

Just as Qiao Xi reached her bedroom door, her phone rang. She went inside and picked it up.

It was Qiu Qiu calling.