Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

As the car drove away from the city, the hustle and bustle of the city was left far behind, replaced by an endless expanse of suburban scenery.

A lake as green as jade appeared in the field of vision. The water was crystal clear, and the sunlight shone down, making it sparkle.

The lakeside is a large, flat meadow, the grass not yet turned yellow by autumn, dotted with small white and yellow wildflowers.

Not far away stands a Nordic-style wooden house with a gray pointed roof, natural wood exterior walls, and rattan tables and chairs on the terrace.

An Linyue parked the car steadily in front of the wooden house, unbuckled her seatbelt, turned around, and had a smug smile on her face.

"arrive!"

Celine was the first to push open the car door and jump out. She stood on the grass and took a deep breath.

The air was filled with the scent of lake water, grass, and earth.

Xilin closed her eyes, as if to let this unprecedented tranquility seep into her body through every pore.

Bella followed closely behind, and the first thing she did after getting off the car was to stand behind Celine. Her light blue eyes scanned the surrounding environment, and after confirming that there was no danger, she nodded in satisfaction.

Lu Ze was the last to get off the bus.

He straightened up and stretched, his joints making a few soft cracking sounds. Looking around, he saw the distant mountains reflected in the lake and sighed sincerely.

"This place is really nice."

"Right?" An Linyue took off her sunglasses, casually draped them over her collar, and pointed in the direction of the wooden house. "Let's go inside and put our luggage down first, and then come out and explore at our leisure later."

Lu Ze nodded and called out towards the lake, "Cilin, come and check the room first!"

Xilin was squatting by the lake, reaching out to splash the water. The cool water flowed through her fingers, and a few small, unidentified fish curiously came over to peck at her fingertips.

Hearing Lu Ze's shout, she reluctantly stood up, shook the water droplets off her hands, and pulled Bella towards the cabin.

The interior of the log cabin is in a typical Nordic log style, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the lake view, and a gentle breeze blowing from the lake rustling the white gauze curtains.

The living room features a set of soft fabric sofas and a large dining table that can seat ten people. Although the fireplace is not yet lit, neatly stacked chopped firewood is piled up next to it.

The kitchen is open-plan and fully equipped, with a basket of freshly delivered fruit on the counter.

An Linyue led the three of them to see the rooms. The master bedroom was naturally for her, and the other two guest rooms on the first floor were on either side of the corridor, one for Lu Ze and the other for Xilin and Bella.

Although the room was small, the bedding was clean and soft, and there was a small vase of wildflowers on the windowsill, which meant that someone would come and take care of them regularly.

Lu Ze put down his backpack and casually asked, "Haven't your friends arrived yet?"

An Linyue leaned against the doorframe, her expression natural. "Oh, I just received a message that they all said something came up and they can't come."

"What a coincidence? None of them can come?" Lu Ze turned to look at An Lin Yue, his face full of surprise.

"Yes, it's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

An Linyue shrugged, a helpless smile appearing on her lips.

"So it's just the four of us left. But it's not bad, fewer people means more peace and quiet, and we can do whatever we want."

Lu Ze scratched his head, not thinking much of it. It's perfectly normal to have something come up unexpectedly on the weekend.

He stuffed the last piece of clothing into the closet, turned around and walked out, intending to take a walk around the neighborhood first.

An Linyue stood there, watching his figure disappear at the end of the corridor, the helpless smile on her lips slowly deepening.

She took out her phone, opened the group chat "408 Fairy Pavilion", and swiped her finger across the screen a few times.

The message I sent last night is still in the chat box.

"Sorry ladies, the water pipes at the holiday home are broken, so our camping trip is canceled. We'll reschedule for another day!"

Below this are three "Received" messages and several crying emojis.

She put her phone back in her pocket and followed him briskly.

At this moment, Xilin came out of the room and happened to pass by An Linyue.

She stopped and glanced up at An Linyue, her golden eyes gleaming with wisdom.

An Linyue met her gaze, and her smile froze for a moment.

Xilin said nothing, but simply looked away, walked past her unhurriedly, and quickened her pace to catch up with Lu Ze ahead.

An Linyue stared at the small figure from behind, a sudden unease rising in her heart—could this child have figured something out?

She quickly shook her head, banishing these unnecessary thoughts from her mind.

Even if she figured it out, so what? She didn't do anything shameful.

An Linyue thought this with a straight face and started walking after the two of them.