I Don't Want to Have Little Mushrooms with You - Chapter 29

Chen Ling, standing behind them, immediately stepped forward to defuse the situation, gesturing for the woman to release Song Tai. Her tone was slightly exasperated as she said, “This is my girlfriend, Wang Luo. She heard about your accident and insisted on coming to check on you.”

Wang Luo.

Song Tai recognized the name instantly, having heard Chen Ling mention it countless times.

So, the woman currently hugging her was Chen Ling’s girlfriend?

Song Tai’s mind went blank for a moment. In disbelief, she repeated, “This is your girlfriend?”

Her surprise was understandable.

Long ago, Song Tai had seen a photo of Chen Ling’s girlfriend. In that picture, Wang Luo had only revealed half of her striking profile: a delicate, upturned nose, coolly alluring red lips, and cascading waves of dark brown hair.

That glimpse of her elegant profile left plenty of room for imagination.

Moreover, Chen Ling had always explained that her girlfriend was extremely busy, with little free time, constantly occupied with her career.

But Song Tai had forgotten that static photos often obscure crucial details like temperament and height.

In her mind, Wang Luo had always resembled a younger Song Xuehe, or even the current Chen Ling—a tall, slender, and fiercely independent woman with an aloof demeanor.

Not…

The woman was a head shorter than Song Tai. At the sound of her voice, she immediately lifted her face from Song Tai’s shoulder, revealing a delicate, palm-sized face with a petite, upturned nose and a pair of strikingly clear, sky-blue round eyes that stared intently at Song Tai. She couldn’t help but smile, revealing two pointed canine teeth, and cooed in a sugary voice, “Cai Cai!”

This was a far cry from the harmless, innocent, sweet girl Song Tai had expected.

Song Tai froze, staring blankly at her face, dazed. “Miss Wang?”

It’s not that I mind, but this is so different from what I imagined.

Wang Luo responded with another soft, “Hmm?” and leaned further into Song Tai’s embrace.

Her wavy, curled hair refracted the light with each movement, shimmering brilliantly.

The cloyingly sweet fragrance once again assaulted Song Tai’s nostrils.

A sudden realization struck her. This familiar scent… it was the same bath liquid Chen Ling’s cat, Wangwang, often used.

When Wangwang was a kitten, he was easily startled by strangers, often exhibiting signs of stress. So Song Tai and Chen Ling occasionally bathed him in their bathroom at home.

Song Tai had meticulously chosen this particular bath liquid.

Animals have far more sensitive noses than humans. Overly strong shampoos could make Wangwang uncomfortable. The bath liquid she selected had a subtle, sweet fragrance that was gentle and not overpowering.

The woman’s scent filled Song Tai’s nostrils, like Wangwang’s usual bath gel amplified a hundredfold.

Combined with her identical round eyes and beautiful long hair, Song Tai couldn’t shake the feeling that this was what Wangwang would look like if he ever turned into a human.

Lost in thought, Song Tai didn’t notice Wang Luo’s gaze fixed intently on her lips.

They were already standing close, Wang Luo’s arm still wrapped around Song Tai’s waist.

Suddenly, those blue eyes widened.

Startled by the sudden closeness, Song Tai instinctively pushed Wang Luo away and took a step back, avoiding a direct kiss.

But Wang Luo’s lips still brushed lightly against her cheek, the warm, soft touch instantly snapping Song Tai back to reality. She pushed her away.

Wang Luo, caught off guard by Song Tai’s rejection, stubbornly took another step forward.

Seeing Wang Luo about to close in again, Chen Ling swiftly grabbed her arm, preventing her from crossing the line. “She grew up abroad. She’s just used to it.”

Song Tai’s heart raced as she looked at Wang Luo, who wore a hurt and indignant expression. “Oh, it’s fine,” she stammered.

With her arm restrained, Wang Luo rolled her eyes at Chen Ling behind Song Tai’s back, clearly displeased with the interruption. She tried to shake off Chen Ling’s grip, wanting nothing more than to cuddle with Cai Cai.

Chen Ling cast Wang Luo a cold glance, warning her not to blow their cover. Don’t get so caught up in playing cat that you forget how to act human, she thought.

Wang Luo reluctantly stepped back to Chen Ling’s side, restraining her restless hands. This time, she didn’t pounce on Song Tai.

Qu Lingyue observed the scene with her arms crossed. She had quickly regained her composure; aside from a slight pallor in her lips, there was no visible sign of her earlier distress.

Her gaze shifted to Wang Luo, then back to Chen Ling, a knowing, amused smile playing on her lips.

Wang Luo, who had been standing behind Chen Ling, suddenly turned to glare at Qu Lingyue, her eyes blazing with hostility as she bared her teeth in a snarl.

Qu Lingyue dismissed her with a disdainful glance. “Miss Song, I’ll be going now.”

“Qu Lingyue!” Song Tai snapped, turning to look at her with a mix of exasperation and disappointment. Why does she always speak at the wrong times and stay silent when she should speak up?

“You should thank me,” Song Tai said.

Was I just helping a dog? Qu Lingyue wondered.

Feigning sudden realization, Qu Lingyue smiled. “Thank you, Miss Song.”

“Please forgive me for being so shaken earlier. I completely forgot to thank you. You’re not angry, are you?”

“Please don’t be angry with me. I didn’t mean to.”

“But even if you are angry, it’s fine, as long as you don’t dislike me.”

Song Tai: “……”

She might as well have helped a dog.

At least a dog wouldn’t be so annoying when it spoke.

Qu Lingyue had other matters to attend to and left first.

Wang Luo stared at Qu Lingyue’s retreating figure, then suddenly leaned close to Song Tai’s ear and whispered, “That woman is so annoying, Cai Cai. Don’t like her.”

Song Tai was taken aback by this. The sweet, harmless scent from Wang Luo’s hair wafted into her nostrils, a familiar fragrance that felt like Wang Luo was actively sending her a warm, friendly signal.

It was just like Wangwang nudging her for a hug.

She turned to look at Wang Luo.

Wang Luo’s blue eyes stared at her expectantly, practically begging for agreement.

There was no malice in her gaze, only the earnestness of a child tattling to their teacher—endearingly childish. Song Tai couldn’t help but smile and play along, “Yeah, she’s a real pain.”

Wang Luo immediately retorted, “But I’m not!”

Song Tai blinked, confused. “Huh?”

Wang Luo tilted her head, her tone and expression a mix of pride and coyness. “You can like me.”

Song Tai didn’t take her seriously, assuming she was just joking. She humored her, “I like you right now.”

Wang Luo gave her a gentle wink, leaned against her shoulder, and let her long, gray-brown hair brush against Song Tai’s cheek. “I know,” she murmured softly.

Song Tai often held her in her arms, kissing her, stroking her fur, and praising her cuteness. She even bathed her.

Does anyone else get this treatment? she thought smugly, feeling both reserved and proud. Haha.

At that moment, Song Tai found her utterly adorable, like a little kitten.

She and Wang Luo really got along well. Wang Luo’s words and actions radiated a pure innocence, completely unlike the sophisticated, high-IQ “older sister” Song Tai had imagined. This unexpected simplicity quickly lowered her defenses.

They even planned to visit the zoo arm-in-arm, because Wang Luo wanted to see the elephants.

Chen Ling had only intended to introduce the two, but unexpectedly found herself trailing behind them, her expression tinged with resignation.

When she overheard them making plans for a movie, karaoke, and dinner, Chen Ling interrupted their conversation. “Wang Luo has something to do this afternoon,” she said to Song Tai. “I’ll keep you company.”

“I’m free,” Wang Luo protested. “I want to be with Cai Cai…”

Chen Ling suppressed her growing impatience, casting Wang Luo a cold glance.

Wang Luo immediately fell silent, reluctantly changing her tune under Chen Ling’s gaze. “Right, I have work to do. My flight’s this afternoon, so I need to leave now to catch it.”

Song Tai watched their interaction, sensing an odd tension in their dynamic.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something felt off about their dynamic. They didn’t seem like a couple; rather, they resembled a superior and subordinate.

A memory flashed through her mind: the photo she’d accidentally seen on Chen Ling’s phone earlier.

Two hands clasped intimately. The hand on top was undoubtedly Chen Ling’s, while the one beneath, pressed helplessly into the pillow, offered no resistance…

Before meeting Wang Luo, she had imagined Wang Luo as equally assertive. She had assumed the photo captured a playful dynamic between two strong-willed individuals, their clashing personalities inevitably leading to friction in their daily lives.

But now that she had met Wang Luo—with her endearing demeanor and seemingly innocent nature—the photo took on a completely different meaning.

Without the filter of perceived equality, she now recognized the photo’s underlying implication: one person’s intense desire to control the other.

Frowning slightly, she looked up at Wang Luo, who seemed oblivious to Chen Ling’s attitude. Wang Luo simply stared at her with bright, eager eyes, trying to find an opportunity to lean in for a hug.

She had never thought of Chen Ling as such a dominant person, but now she suddenly sensed something unsettling about her behavior.

Chen Ling turned her head, her expression instantly shifting from cold calculation to the gentle warmth she usually reserved for Song Tai.

Noticing Song Tai’s gaze, a smile bloomed in her eyes, her lips curving upward with precise control. Her voice softened, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Song Tai averted her gaze. “Nothing.”

After dropping Wang Luo off at the airport, Wang Luo lingered, her eyes fixed on Song Tai, reluctant to move.

Song Tai smiled and hugged her.

Only then did Wang Luo enter the airport. Chen Ling quickly withdrew her gaze and turned to Song Tai, patting her hair. “What’s our Cai Cai daydreaming about? Dinner together tonight?”

It was almost dinner time.

Song Tai stared after Wang Luo’s retreating figure, nodding absently.

Watching Chen Ling and Wang Luo interact, she suddenly had a feeling… Chen Ling’s reluctance to introduce her girlfriend wasn’t just because Wang Luo was busy with work, but for some other reason.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the dynamic between Chen Ling and Wang Luo seemed… unbalanced.

After dinner, Chen Ling offered to drive her home.

“Not here,” Song Tai directed, “I’m going to the other house.”

She hadn’t forgotten Song Xuehe’s message from earlier that morning: she was going home to stay with Song Xuehe tonight.

Chen Ling turned the car around as instructed.

About half an hour later, they arrived at their destination.

The car stopped, but Song Tai didn’t immediately get out. “Send me Wang Luo’s contact information,” she said.

Chen Ling hesitated. “Cai Cai likes her?”

Song Tai deliberately teased, “Don’t you like her? Besides, Wang Luo is so adorable. It’s easy to fall for her.”

Chen Ling didn’t comment, unable to bring herself to praise Wang Luo. “I’ll send it to you later.”

Observing Chen Ling’s expression, Song Tai suddenly asked, “You really like Wang Luo, don’t you?”

Chen Ling smiled, the corners of her lips curving slightly as she gazed warmly into Song Tai’s eyes. Her tone was casual. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing,” Song Tai said, letting out a relieved breath. “I’m getting out now.”

She had found it odd that Chen Ling seemed so indifferent, even a little cold, toward Wang Luo.

But now, Chen Ling’s eyes unconsciously held a hint of a smile—the kind that appears when someone talks about someone they love.

What am I even suspecting? Song Tai thought. Chen Ling and Wang Luo have been together for so long.

She waved goodbye to Chen Ling, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Get home safe. Be careful on the road.”

Chen Ling watched Song Tai enter the residential complex.

The smile faded from Chen Ling’s face as she glanced at the back seat.

In the blind spot, Wangwang lay like a gray-black shadow, his eyes fixed on Song Tai’s retreating figure through the car window.

Oblivious to their gaze, Song Tai effortlessly pushed open the courtyard gate and entered the yard of a two-story detached house. The building’s facade was weathered, showing its age; Song Tai had lived here since she could remember, for at least twenty years.

Song Tai pushed open the front door. The house was eerily quiet, with only the living room lit.

She hadn’t stayed here in a long time. Since marrying Qu Fengling, she had moved out to live with her husband, only occasionally spending a night here over the past three years.

It seemed like months had passed since her last visit.

The house was so quiet, and the upstairs bedroom was dark… Had her mother not returned yet?

She scanned the living room, preparing to go upstairs, when she noticed a light in the kitchen. It must be the housekeeper.

Was she preparing dinner? But it was so late already… Had her mother not eaten yet?

Song Tai stopped her ascent and turned toward the kitchen.

The house remained unchanged from a few months ago. After a cursory glance, she immediately noticed something on the living room coffee table.

The sight froze her in place. She stared in disbelief at the objects so conspicuously displayed:

The black leather collar that Qu Fengyue had worn around her neck, and the lifelike puppy ears that should have been neatly stored in her closet drawer, were now inexplicably laid out on the table.

Her mind went blank. Then she remembered the message Song Xuehe had sent her that morning:

Auntie went to clean your room yesterday and found it too damp, which isn’t good for your health.

Clean your room…

Only now did she realize the hidden meaning behind Song Xuehe’s message.

The sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed behind her. Song Xuehe’s voice called out from behind, “Baby?”

Song Tai’s heart jolted. She whirled around.