NOVEL NEXT WORLD 17: Meeting Family
In the park.
A glamorously dressed girl was performing a puppet show.
Though the movements were simple, they were pleasing to the eye.
Ye Xing attentively watched the movements of Lian Hua’s arms and fingers, as well as the plain puppet dancing on the stage, with an appreciative and delighted gaze, displaying proper audience etiquette.
Was it her imagination?
It felt as if Lian Hua’s puppet show today was much more joyful, more likable than what she had seen on the first day.
It was as if the puppet carried the puppeteer’s emotions.
Was this the legendary unity of person and puppet?
It seemed so impressive!
A look of admiration gradually appeared in Ye Xing’s crimson eyes.
Although various aspects of puppet shows touched on her knowledge blind spots, it didn’t prevent her from empathizing with it during the process.
Ye Xing easily grew fond of things. As long as it touched her heart, anything was fine, even those outdated, ancient performances.
“Hehe~”
Lian Hua sensed the admiration in Ye Xing’s gaze, feeling very happy inside, and her hand movements unconsciously became lighter.
[This is great~]
Ye Xing really liked her puppet show performance, seemingly already immersed in it.
For a puppeteer, this was absolutely the best praise and recognition.
This made Lian Hua want to bring Ye Xing home, to let her watch her puppet shows every day. Wouldn’t such days be truly joyful?
A moment later.
An excellent puppet show came to a perfect end, and the stage curtain finally fell.
“Wonderful~” Ye Xing’s face bore an adorable smile as she happily began to applaud.
Clap clap clap——
“It was really great. Lian Hua, your puppet show seems to have improved~ It feels smoother than before.”
“Thank you.”
Lian Hua scratched her head bashfully, increasingly feeling that Ye Xing was truly cute.
She was her first audience, able to derive joy from the performance, and could even be called a kindred spirit.
Isn’t a good friend who can resonate with your interests the best?
“Umm… Ye Xing, would you like to come over to my house tonight?” Lian Hua mustered up the courage to invite Ye Xing.
“Hm?” Ye Xing’s expression froze, almost failing to react.
Was Lian Hua inviting her?
How should she put it?
It was truly a meeting of minds.
Originally, Ye Xing had been worrying about how to deepen their relationship.
After all, to fulfill the wish of “keeping the puppet intact,” she needed to get closer to Lian Hua.
Unexpectedly, Lian Hua had taken the initiative to invite her first.
This suited Ye Xing perfectly.
“Mm~” Ye Xing came to her senses, a smile appearing on her face as she responded to the slightly nervous Lian Hua: “Sure~”
“Phew~” Lian Hua let out a sigh of relief, instantly feeling as if a boulder had been lifted from her heart. A joyful smile then appeared on her face, with faint excitement hidden in her light pink eyes.
It was so good that she hadn’t been rejected!
“Then can you come back with me now?”
“Eh? Now?”
Ye Xing looked at the time in confusion. It seemed like she had only been out for less than half an hour.
“Umm… alright.”
However, the timing wasn’t a big issue, so Ye Xing readily agreed.
At the same time, she felt a bit nervous inside.
After all, this was her first time visiting a friend’s house. It was definitely different from going to Ling Miao’s Night Watcher dormitory.
Going to Lian Hua’s house might mean meeting her family members.
How to communicate with them was a big challenge for someone with social anxiety.
This was like meeting the parents!
It was nerve-wracking no matter how you thought about it.
Then Lian Hua tidied up her puppet box and directly took Ye Xing’s hand to leave.
“Let’s go.”
Ye Xing let Lian Hua lead her, feeling somewhat happy inside.
It was going so smoothly. Maybe she could fulfill her wish soon.
She should try hard to return before the Supernova Star Eclipse arrives. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about too many troubles.
“Mmm mmm mmm mmm…”
Not long after.
Under Lian Hua’s guidance, Ye Xing arrived in front of a villa. It looked very luxurious.
Was this Lian Hua’s home?
“Wow…”
Ye Xing was completely amazed.
She hadn’t expected Lian Hua to be a rich loli.
“Your house is so big.”
“Mm-hmm, so do you want to sleep at my place tonight? We have many spare rooms, or you could sleep with me.”
“Oh…”
Ye Lan was already being used as a hugging pillow by a certain Lanfeng Suyu at the Night Watcher base.
If Ye Xing also became a hugging pillow, it would be too much.
But if it happened, it would be fine. The difference was that Lian Hua was a very cute loli, so no matter how you thought about it, it didn’t seem like a loss.
Maybe she could even reverse the situation and use her as a hugging pillow instead.
Hmm…
So, should she agree or not?
“Umm… We’ll see.”
“Then think it over carefully.”
Lian Hua didn’t insist and directly led Ye Xing inside.
Her father was still working outside, with only a certain stepmother at home. It shouldn’t be a big problem.
Ye Xing took off her shoes at the entrance, revealing her fair calves wrapped in thin white silk stockings. Her round, cute toes wriggled slightly under the white silk, particularly enticing.
She put on the guest slippers and curiously asked, “Lian Hua, is anyone home?”
“Mm… There should be an auntie…”
“Hm?” Ye Xing tilted her head slightly, blinking her eyes, not hearing clearly.
“It’s Father’s lover.”
“I see, it’s your mother.”
“More or less…”
Lian Hua didn’t explain much, her expression just slightly complex, with even her tone losing some cheerfulness.
Upon entering the living room.
Ye Xing quickly saw the mother Lian Hua had mentioned. She was a woman who looked very mature, seemingly only in her twenties.
But for a mother’s identity, she was far too young.
If she really was in her twenties and had a fourteen-year-old daughter like Lian Hua, then this wave might mean a certain father was still serving time in prison.
At this moment, the woman looked over, her eyes slightly puzzled.
“Lian Hua, who is this?”
“She’s my friend,” Lian Hua answered flatly.
Ye Xing immediately greeted her.
“Hello, Auntie.”
She felt Lian Hua’s tone was very indifferent.
This was not normal for a mother-daughter relationship.
“Hm?” This made the uninformed Ye Xing feel somewhat confused.
Could it be that Lian Hua’s family relationships were not harmonious?
However, the woman didn’t mind, as if already accustomed to this attitude, and nodded.
“I see. Well, I hope you two have fun.”
Then Ye Xing was pulled back to the room by Lian Hua.
“Mmm mmm mmm…”
Ye Xing sat cross-legged on the cushion, watching Lian Hua place the puppet box beside the bed, with an expression of having something to say but holding back.
“Um… Lian Hua, is your relationship with your mother not good?”
Although it wasn’t good to inquire about others’ family matters, this might be related to the “wish,” so she still needed to understand.
Lian Hua said, “Actually, that’s not my real mother. My birth mother has already passed away. That’s the lover Father found later.”
“So, you mean she’s your stepmother…?”
No wonder she was so young.
Ye Xing roughly understood.
Lian Hua probably hadn’t quite accepted this new stepmother, which was why she was so cold.
To verify this point, Ye Xing carefully asked.
“Do you dislike her?”
“Mm, I wouldn’t say I dislike her. I just don’t like her, and I feel she doesn’t like me either. So most of the time we just ignore each other. I’m pretty much used to it now.”
Lian Hua didn’t hide her thoughts from Ye Xing, probably feeling she could trust her.
Ye Xing had an “I see” expression.
“Is that so…”