Let's Do Some Questions - Chapter 50

The snack stalls sold teppanyaki squid, fried tofu, and Orleans grilled wings. Chu Fengqiu ordered one of each, waiting for Song Man to come out.

Ailan saw Song Man coming out and walking towards them. She suddenly spoke again.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell her?”

The moment Ailan said it, she really had that thought – to expose Chu Fengqiu’s dirty intentions in front of Song Man, making Song Man disgusted with her and stay away.

“Suit yourself. If you tell her, I can just pursue her openly.”

Chu Fengqiu said leisurely. Although she had planned to take a gradual approach, if Ailan insisted on making it clear for her, she could change her strategy. But she knew that if she said this, Ailan definitely wouldn’t tell Song Man.

As expected, Ailan frowned upon hearing this.

“Tell me. Why are you so indignant? Is it because I like her, or is it because you feel the same way but don’t dare to say it?”

Chu Fengqiu stood beside Ailan, watching Song Man walk over, and whispered in a voice only they could hear.

Ailan’s face turned a little pale. Chu Fengqiu felt it was pointless to provoke her further and simply walked towards Song Man.

Actually, she didn’t even consider Ailan a rival; Ailan wasn’t on her level.

Song Man walked over, shaking her hands. She had just washed them, but someone was at the hand dryer, and she was too lazy to wait, so she just walked out like that, waiting for the water on her hands to dry naturally.

“Lao Chu, what did you order for me?”

“Tofu, chicken wings, and squid.”

“Alright.”

Just as Song Man was about to go look at the stall, Chu Fengqiu grabbed her hand. She watched as Chu Fengqiu took a cotton handkerchief from her pocket and used it to wipe her hands.

Song Man was stunned. This was way too refined.

Ailan also forgot her sadness, equally shocked by Chu Fengqiu meticulously wiping Song Man’s hands. This person’s skill level was far beyond hers.

After eating, Ailan didn’t follow Song Man any further.

“Man Jie, I’ll go wander around by myself for a bit.”

“Huh? Okay.”

Song Man was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

“Let’s meet at the entrance before the park closes, okay? Call me if anything comes up.”

“Okay.”

Ailan turned and walked away first, afraid she would show something unusual if she faced Song Man again.

She really didn’t want to see the two of them being so affectionate anymore, even though she now knew that Song Man didn’t actually have that kind of feeling for Chu Fengqiu.

Did she really not have that kind of feeling? Ailan asked herself in her heart.

She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want to explore Song Man’s feelings for Chu Fengqiu, she just felt very tired.

Unspeakable, unable to speak, she could only watch silently from the side.

Getting closer was painful, and not getting closer was also difficult, because she knew that her relationship with Song Man would only ever be friends. It wasn’t just that she wasn’t brave enough; Ailan knew when to go all out and when not to waste effort.

Song Man was unaware of Ailan’s melancholy. She pulled Chu Fengqiu along and happily went to play other rides.

She even tried the drop tower. Chu Fengqiu watched from below, her heart pounding.

Song Man even had the presence of mind to smile at Chu Fengqiu, her face full of exhilaration.

“I really love that feeling.”

Song Man sat on a bench, eating an ice cream cone, and said to Chu Fengqiu.

“It’s like putting everything behind you, not having to think about anything.”

Strapping on the harness and leaping down, feeling the rapid descent, like touching death for an instant, her mind went blank, thinking of nothing. After that moment of emptiness passed, she enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing past. Song Man thought it was truly amazing.

“Weren’t you scared?”

Chu Fengqiu asked.

“I was at first, but later I could appreciate the fun of it.”

Just like how Song Man gave up musical instruments to learn Sanda, Song Man practiced Sanda partly because she had seen competitions before and thought it was impressive and cool, and partly to learn how to fight and become a boss.

She wasn’t very old then, having been pampered her whole life, so how could she endure hardship? When she first started practicing, her body was bruised every day. Her dad, her mom, and even Song Qinglan told her not to go anymore, but Song Man felt she quite liked Sanda. It made her feel powerful. If she liked it, she had to do it; no one could stop her from trying.

“Finished eating, let’s go.”

Song Man stuffed the last bit of the ice cream cone into her mouth and wiped the corners of her lips with a tissue.

They wandered around Happy Valley some more and rode the slow-moving small airplanes that spun in mid-air. They happened to run into Deng Wei with his younger sister.

This ride was gentle, suitable for children, and many people were waiting.

“How was it? Did you have fun?”

Song Man asked the birthday boy, Deng Wei, who nodded.

Deng Lu was still holding a nearly finished cotton candy. After licking it clean, Deng Wei was wiping her mouth with a wet wipe.

“Sometimes I think it’s quite amazing,” Song Man leaned against Chu Fengqiu and looked towards Deng Wei. “Deng Wei, when he’s with me, he’s so rough and careless. Forget wet wipes, he even asks me for tissues. But with his sister, he’s like a completely different person.”

That was truly a tough guy with a tender heart. Deng Wei didn’t even speak loudly in front of the little girl. Whenever he went out with his sister, he always had things like wet wipes and lollipops in his pocket.

“Because of love, I guess.”

Chu Fengqiu replied, gazing gently at Song Man.

Actually, she hadn’t expected that one day she would initiate physical contact with someone, that she would be happy just because of someone’s smile, or that her heart would race because of one of their actions.

Song Man unexpectedly met those eyes, like a deep, dark lake, and her heart skipped a beat. After that moment of blankness disappeared, she turned her head, unable to help but straighten up.

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling at that moment. It was as if the world had suddenly paused for an instant, and looking into Chu Fengqiu’s eyes actually made her feel an unnatural sense of panic, so she shifted her gaze.

Fortunately, the previous group finished the ride at this moment. She followed the crowd to put her things away and then sat down.

Chu Fengqiu sat next to her. These small airplanes had two seats per row, and the safety bar came down to protect both people, with no gap in between.

Chu Fengqiu’s hand was next to Song Man’s. Just as it was about to touch, Song Man pretended to smooth her hair, brushing past that hand.

Once everyone was seated and the staff checked the safety measures, the “airplane” slowly began to move.

It moved and rose at the same time. Although this ride wasn’t thrilling, it was quite comfortable.

Song Man stretched out her fingers, feeling the wind brush past her fingertips, dispelling some of the heat.

Chu Fengqiu’s hand covered Song Man’s hand again. Song Man tilted her head and saw Chu Fengqiu smiling at her.

She smiled back, then turned her head to look outside, afraid of revealing her unease.

Her hand was still held by Chu Fengqiu, and a strange atmosphere suddenly formed between the two of them.

Song Man couldn’t quite describe it; she just felt it was weird, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how it was weird.

After they got off the ride, little Deng Lu started pestering Deng Wei for candy again.

“Lu Lu, you’ve already had one lollipop, one cotton candy, and one ice cream today. You can’t have any more candy, be careful of cavities.”

Deng Wei gently coaxed her with a soft expression, but his tone was firm and brooked no refusal.

Deng Lu drooped her head listlessly, then saw Song Man and ran over with her little legs.

“Two pretty sisters, do you want some candy?”

“Oh, Deng Wei, your little sister is quite clever.”

Song Man was amused by Deng Lu, bent down, and pinched the little girl’s cheek.

“Sister can eat candy, but you can’t, okay?”

Song Man wagged her index finger at Deng Lu.

“Yes, you can, yes, you can,” Deng Lu nodded vigorously. “Pretty sister buys candy for sister, brother buys candy for me.”

Deng Lu pointed at Chu Fengqiu, then at Song Man, then at Deng Wei and herself.

“Why does this sister buy candy for sister, and your brother has to buy candy for you?”

“Pretty sister likes sister, brother likes me, buy candy.”

Deng Lu wasn’t old, but she spoke quite logically and reasonably.

Chu Fengqiu thought this little girl would definitely achieve great things in the future.

“But I won’t get cavities from eating candy, and you will, so you can’t buy candy.”

Song Man felt a little embarrassed hearing the little girl’s words, but immediately treated it as a friendly interaction and continued to argue with the little girl.

Deng Wei was behind them, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He pinched Deng Lu’s little pigtail.

“Lu Lu, did you forget the last time your tooth hurt and you had to go to the doctor? If you eat more, you’ll have to go again.”

“Then Lu Lu won’t eat it.”

Deng Lu immediately shook her head, clearly remembering the fear dominated by the dentist.

Song Man found the little girl quite amusing. She went over and took the little girl’s hand, leading her forward and playing with her.

Chu Fengqiu and Deng Wei followed behind, both with smiles on their faces, practically identical doting parent smiles.

“Man Jie has a great personality, really great.”

Deng Wei looked at the girl holding his sister’s hand in front and said to Chu Fengqiu.

“I know.”

Chu Fengqiu nodded. She knew how adorable Song Man was, and how warm her heart was beneath her seemingly tough exterior.

She was like the sun, constantly radiating light and attracting others to come closer.

“To be honest, Goddess, I was really surprised that you could become good friends with Man Jie.”

Deng Wei scratched his head, smiling a little foolishly.

“Man Jie has quite a few followers around her. She’s very generous and kind to everyone. I’m with her the most, so I can consider myself the closest to Man Jie in this small circle. That’s why I can see that Man Jie genuinely treats you as a friend. I’m a straightforward person, and I hope you can treat her well too.”

Even though the person in front of him was the Goddess, Deng Wei still felt the need to say what was necessary.

He didn’t quite understand the complicated interpersonal dynamics and scheming between girls, but he hoped that everyone around Song Man would treat her well. Just as he said, Song Man was his Man Jie for a day, and she would be his Man Jie forever.

“Of course, I will treat her well.”

Chu Fengqiu looked at Song Man’s back, her tone meaningful.

Deng Wei felt a little strange for a moment but couldn’t quite place it. He simply ran ahead, covered Deng Lu’s eyes, picked the little girl up, and spun her around. The little girl giggled happily, rubbing against Deng Wei’s neck.

Song Man watched with a hint of envy, then was pulled by the hand by Chu Fengqiu, who also swung their joined hands.

Song Man’s little bit of envy flew away, and she continued to stroll hand-in-hand with Chu Fengqiu.

After a day of fun, everyone gathered before the park closed and left Happy Valley together, discussing where to eat.

“You guys decide. I’m treating today, but don’t rip me off too much, or we’ll all have to stay and wash dishes!”

Deng Wei joked, and everyone laughed and chose a hot pot restaurant.

After eating and drinking for nearly an hour, full and satisfied, everyone went their separate ways.

Ailan slipped away the fastest; Song Man didn’t even have time to say anything to her.

“Why did Ailan seem a bit strange today?”

Song Man mumbled, but didn’t dwell on it. Chu Fengqiu smiled beside her without speaking.

Three days later, Song Man received a message from Ailan saying she was leaving.

“Where are you going?”

“Maybe up north. I’ll work there, far from home. It’ll be good to get away from my parents. I’ll send them money every month and won’t have contact with them.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

Life was ultimately her own. Song Man felt that parents who could sell their daughter to someone they didn’t know weren’t good parents, so it was better to be far away.

Song Man didn’t know how Ailan suddenly had this change of heart, but the outcome was good.

“Man Jie…”

Ailan’s voice suddenly dropped.

“Actually, I’m really going to miss you.”

“Hey, we can still keep in touch later! Communication is so advanced now. When’s your ticket? We can have a send-off for you.”

“I bought it in a hurry, I’m leaving in an hour. No need for a send-off, knowing you care is enough.”

Ailan didn’t dare to see Song Man, afraid that seeing her would collapse the psychological defense she had just built.

She knew that staying here wouldn’t give her the result she wanted, so it was better to be far away and let time and distance dilute that feeling.

“Alright then. When you’re settled, tell me your address. We can meet up and have a meal sometime.”

Song Man felt that Ailan was too withdrawn. Maybe it was because her social circle was too narrow, so she valued everything she had very highly. In fact, if she stepped out of that circle, she would find that the outside world was vast, and there wasn’t anyone irreplaceable among friends.

Ailan’s upbringing environment wasn’t good from a young age, and the influence of her original family on her growth was significant. That’s why Ailan’s personality was prone to dwelling on things and fixating on one matter. Song Man felt it might be because she had helped her a few times when she was in danger, which led Ailan to rely on her heavily.

Song Man thought it was really good that Ailan was now taking the initiative to go out and make her own way. This way, she wouldn’t have that psychological burden of worrying about hurting a friend.

“Okay.”

“Okay. Remember, you have to put your hope in yourself.”

Even though she was younger than Ailan, Song Man still carefully instructed the person on the other end of the phone.

Chu Fengqiu stood beside Song Man, watching, the smile in her eyes deepening.

Meeting Song Man was something Chu Fengqiu felt was incredibly fortunate. The closer she got, the more captivated she became.