Let's Do Some Questions - Chapter 4

“A fairy? Where?”

Her seven-year-old niece believed it and looked around curiously.

“She’s already gone.”

“Huh?”

Her niece looked back, a little disappointed.

Chu Fengqiu glanced in the direction the girl had disappeared, a smile playing on her lips.

Song Man carried her helmet into the BBQ restaurant and placed it on a chair next to her.

If she left it hanging on the motorcycle outside, someone might just walk off with it. Song Man had lost one that way before.

“Man Jie came on her motorcycle!”

Deng Wei’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t wait to go outside and get a good look at Song Man’s bike.

Among this group of followers, there wasn’t one who didn’t covet Song Man’s motorcycle. Even if they couldn’t ride it, just touching it was good.

“Yeah, did you order?”

“We ordered everything you like. Ailan, grab the beer.”

Deng Wei handed the beer can he was holding to Ailan to give to Song Man. Ailan opened the can and placed it in front of Song Man.

Some of the BBQ was already served. Ailan took the skewers off and put the meat on a plate so Song Man could eat with chopsticks, saving her from getting oil on her hands.

“Girls are really particular, aren’t they?”

Xiao Mao clicked his tongue twice. Eating skewers was all about biting the meat right off the stick, that’s the fun part.

“You talk too much. Eat.”

Ailan shot him a look. Xiao Mao chuckled and raised his drink to Song Man.

“Don’t bother with all that, you should eat too.”

Song Man looked at Ailan, who was preparing food for her, and told her to take care of herself.

Ailan nodded but continued to help Song Man first.

Song Man didn’t force her to eat first. Ailan was just that stubborn; she’d eat when she was done.

Ailan’s full name was Qian Ailan. She wasn’t from Song Man’s school and had already stopped studying. She worked at a hair salon.

When Song Man met her, she was being bullied by a few hoodlums. Even though she couldn’t win, she was still struggling fiercely, showing a tough spirit. Song Man always hated that kind of scum, so she went up and beat the guys up, saving Ailan.

Song Man hadn’t originally planned on taking in followers, but Ailan was determined to stick with her.

Among the group of followers, Ailan’s style was completely different from theirs. Perhaps because she was a girl and more caring, Song Man found it quite agreeable to have her around, and they ended up hanging out together.

“I heard you guys got into a fight this afternoon?”

Ailan asked curiously. The cheerful atmosphere at the table suddenly froze for a moment.

“What’s wrong? Did you lose?”

Ailan sensed something was off and even lowered her voice.

“How could we lose? With Man Jie, how could we possibly lose? Drink up, drink up.”

Deng Wei said, trying to laugh it off and desperately wanting to change the subject.

“Right, right, how could we lose with our Man Jie here?”

Xiao Mao said indistinctly, chewing on his BBQ.

“Then why were you guys acting so weird just now?”

“Ask Deng Wei! Hahahaha, he knows.”

Ailan turned her gaze to Deng Wei, who shook his head.

“Love’s suicide, ask again and be sacrificed!”

Don’t ask anymore, he can’t handle it.

There’s no way he’d say it, absolutely no way he’d say it again in front of Man Jie. Wouldn’t that just be asking to be skinned alive?

Everyone started laughing and joking. Ailan’s gaze fell on Song Man.

The girl’s profile had an impeccable beauty, and even sitting in a place like this, she exuded a feeling that was different from everyone else.

Ailan picked up her beer. The cold liquid poured down her throat, cooling her slightly heated head.

Song Man picked up a piece of tofu with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. The fresh, spicy, and numbing sensation filled her lips and teeth, dispelling the taste of milk. She raised an eyebrow in satisfaction and took a sip of beer.

Deng Wei and Xiao Mao were playing finger-guessing games, and the others were also laughing and joking. The surroundings were noisy, but Song Man watched them banter, feeling completely relaxed.

This was much better than seeing Song Qinglan at home.

Song Man felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she took it out and saw the caller ID, her face darkened.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

She hung up the call. Just as she was about to put her phone back in her pocket, it rang again.

Song Man hung up again, then simply turned off her phone and put it in her pocket.

Ailan noticed her actions but didn’t ask further. It was clear the caller was someone Song Man didn’t like, and if she didn’t like them, there was no need to bring it up.

They ate and drank until eleven before breaking up. Song Man only drank half a bottle of beer and didn’t even blush.

She came on her motorcycle, so she definitely couldn’t drink too much, and she wasn’t very thirsty anyway.

When Song Man put on her helmet and straddled her motorcycle, Deng Wei was practically ready to hug her leg and beg for a ride.

But Deng Wei wasn’t completely out of his mind. If he actually did that, Song Man would definitely kick him aside.

Song Man treasured her motorcycle. She never carried passengers on the back. Sometimes she would lend it to people she knew well, but she would absolutely never let just anyone sit on it.

The guys watched enviously as Song Man rode away, standing there and waving.

“Ah, even the exhaust smells good.”

Xiao Mao sighed with emotion.

“You must be drunk.”

Ailan said teasingly, getting ready to hail a taxi by the roadside.

“You wouldn’t understand. I’d be completely satisfied if I could just ride Man Jie’s bike sometime. It’s all because of that kid Er Cheng.”

Xiao Mao grumbled, making Ailan a little curious.

“Who’s Er Cheng?”

“He was one of the guys before. He was already gone by the time you joined us.”

“Gone?”

“Yeah, he pissed Man Jie off. Man Jie hates it when people say yes but do the opposite. He borrowed Man Jie’s bike, and Man Jie said he could borrow it, but not to speed or carry girls. He didn’t listen and took someone on the back. Man Jie was so angry, she just told him to get lost.”

Xiao Mao muttered, looking displeased.

“If he hadn’t pulled a stunt like that, we might still be able to borrow Man Jie’s bike for a ride.”

Ailan wasn’t surprised to hear that. Song Man’s personality was just like that; she hated it when people didn’t do what she told them. She was practically the coolest sister in the universe.

You could say it was a small thing, just carrying a passenger, but you could also say it was a big deal. What’s the point of having followers if they don’t listen?

Song Man didn’t know her followers were still standing there talking about her as she rode her motorcycle home.

The wind passed through her, carrying away some of the summer heat.

Song Man parked her motorcycle in the garage and carefully opened the door to her house, only to find herself facing a three-way interrogation.

“I thought you were asleep. Your mom just came back to check on you and found out you’d run off again.”

Xu Qinglang was putting a face mask on his wife. He looked at Song Man with a face full of helplessness.

“Mama, you’re back.”

Song Man didn’t directly address her dad’s words. Instead, she linked arms with her mom and acted spoiled.

Only then did she seem like a normal seventeen-year-old girl, looking at her mother with the face mask on and speaking affectionately.

“Where did you run off to play this time?”

Song Zici pinched Song Man’s cheek.

“I went out for a late-night snack.”

“Why didn’t you eat at home? Having the staff grill for you is much more hygienic than outside.”

Ms. Song’s full name was Song Zici. At the company, her nicknames were ‘Mistress Annihilation’ and ‘Cold-faced King Yama’. She usually had a stern expression, but she doted on her younger daughter immensely.

“Oh, it’s more fun eating with friends! Mama, you must be tired after a day at work. Let me give you a shoulder rub. Just relax and enjoy it, don’t talk, or your face mask will be wasted.”

Song Man went around behind the sofa and massaged her mother’s back and shoulders.

As she looked up, she saw Song Qinglan standing on the second floor, looking down.

She flashed a smile at Song Qinglan, knowing that Song Qinglan hated it most when she smiled like that.

Although she couldn’t see the subtle changes in the expression on the face upstairs, Song Man knew Song Qinglan’s mood had definitely soured, and she hummed a tune in her heart.

“Why didn’t you answer your sister’s call just now?”

Xu Qinglang asked.

“I knew my sister was definitely calling to tell me to come home, and I was having fun then.”

“You can’t do that next time, okay? What if there was something urgent?”

Xu Qinglang instructed.

“Got it.”

Song Man replied, drawing out her words.

Song Qinglan stood upstairs watching the harmonious scene of the family below, then returned to her room expressionlessly.

Song Man saw Song Qinglan leave and pouted.

Can’t we just get along? Why do we have to hurt each other?

Song Man chatted with her parents for a while before returning to her room. After a bit, there was another knock on her door.

“Come in.”

Song Man thought it would be Song Qinglan coming to say something again, but she saw it was her dad.

“What’s up, Dad?”

“I have something to tell you.”

Xu Qinglang stood there, looking at his seemingly innocent and carefree daughter with some worry.

“Go ahead, I’m listening.”

“Your sister will graduate next year and join the company.”

“Isn’t that great?”

“As for you, put some effort into your studies. While you don’t have to be as outstanding as your sister, at least don’t get into some terrible university later, okay?”

Song Man treated it as her dad entering nagging mode and mentally tuned him out.

Everyone in their circle knew that the Song family’s eldest daughter, Song Qinglan, had been excellent since childhood, a typical ‘child of someone else’s family’, while the second daughter, Song Man, was just a spoiled little delinquent.

Song Man didn’t care; she had her own plans.

“So your mom and I think it’s not good for you to stay in a bad class. We discussed it with the school and arranged for you to move to a good class. The top student in the grade will be your deskmate, so you can try to study hard in your final year.”

Song Man had expected a long lecture in between, but she didn’t expect her dad to jump straight to the conclusion.

“Huh? No way. I’m used to being in my class.”

“We can indulge you in anything else, but not this time. Your mom has already arranged everything. You’re going to Class One tomorrow, got it?”

Xu Qinglang made it clear there was no room for negotiation.

“How could the school possibly agree to that!”

She was practically notorious, wasn’t she?

At Qingcheng No. 1 High, which teacher didn’t know that Song Man skipped classes, got into fights, didn’t do homework, and was the head of the campus group? Class One was for top students; how could they let her mess it up?

“Your mom donated two buildings to the school.”

…Okay, impressive.

There’s nothing that donating one building can’t solve. If there is, donate two.