Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

It was a little after 10 a.m. the next day.

An Linyue and Bella were tidying up their luggage in the parking space in front of the cabin, carrying the things they brought yesterday back to the car one by one.

The trunk was open, and several shopping bags and luggage bags were already neatly stacked inside.

An Linyue put the last small handbag into the back seat, looked around, and found that Xilin was not there.

"Little Bella, where did your queen go?"

After spending the whole day together yesterday, An Linyue has completely gotten used to Bella's special way of addressing Xilin.

Bella was tiptoeing as she pushed her and Sirin's small duffel bags deep into the trunk when she heard An Lin Yue's question. Without turning her head, she replied, "Her Majesty the Queen has gone to pick up the humans."

An Linyue naturally knew that the "human" Bella mentioned referred to Lu Ze, but she couldn't understand why Xilin would go to the lakeside to pick him up.

It's no wonder she was puzzled, because yesterday around noon, Xilin, who had gone fishing at the lake with Lu Ze, returned alone.

When Celine returned, she told her directly, "Big brother had to leave first and will come back to pick up Bella and me tomorrow."

After saying that, he pulled Bella back to the room to play games, leaving her alone on the balcony in a daze.

Now that Lu Ze is back, why doesn't he come directly to the cabin, but instead goes back to the lakeside?

This left An Linyue somewhat confused about the man's logic.

She decided to stop thinking about it and ask Lu Ze directly what happened yesterday that made him abandon his two younger sisters and her, disappearing all night.

They didn't have much stuff, and she and Bella quickly finished packing.

The two got into the car, rolled down the window, and planned to continue waiting for Lu Ze and Xi Lin to return.

An Linyue sat in the driver's seat, her arm resting on the car window. The morning breeze, carrying the coolness of the lake water, brushed against her cheeks. She gazed absently at the winding path by the lake.

A moment later, two figures slowly walked towards the lake.

The two, one big and one small, were Lu Ze and Xi Lin.

Xilin held onto Lu Ze's clothes with one hand, her long, deep purple hair fluttering gently in the morning breeze.

Lu Ze carried a dripping bucket in one hand and a fishing rod and toolbox on his other shoulder, walking with a relaxed gait, seemingly humming a tune.

If I had seen this scene yesterday, I would have thought it was a heartwarming picture of a brother taking his sister fishing and returning home with a full catch.

However, it was time to return home.

Upon seeing Lu Ze, An Lin Yue immediately unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the car door, and quickly walked up to him.

"Luze, where have you been all day?"

Her tone was worried, her brows furrowed slightly, and she looked him up and down to make sure he was not injured or had any other abnormalities.

An Linyue originally thought she would hear Lu Ze's explanation, but he looked at her with a puzzled expression, as if he had heard something completely incomprehensible.

"What do you mean 'all day'? I just went fishing and came back. Look how fat these two big silver carp are."

After saying that, he pushed the bucket forward, revealing two large, silvery-white silver carp inside, their tails slapping as the splashing water shimmered in the sunlight.

"Lu Ze, you must be joking. You've been gone for a whole day now, since yesterday."

An Linyue's voice turned somber; she felt that Lu Ze was just joking around.

It's been almost 24 hours since yesterday noon, and what does it mean to "just went fishing"?

Lu Ze was taken aback, then put down the bucket and fishing gear in his hand, wiped his hands on his pants, and then reached out to touch An Lin Yue's forehead.

The palms were warm, and the movements were so natural, as if confirming something utterly ordinary.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you sick?"

This was the first time An Linyue had been in such close contact with Lu Ze, and her face instantly turned bright red.

She could feel the warmth of his palm and the coolness of the lake water on his fingertips, and her breath hitched up for a few beats in that instant.

"Stop fooling around, we should go back. I only took half a day off, and I have class this afternoon." She took a small step back, her voice losing its feigned indifference.

"It's Sunday today, what class are we having?" Lu Ze withdrew his hand, his expression serious, not at all like he was joking.

"Really, Lu Ze, stop messing around. I already called the counselor." An Lin Yue's tone turned cold again.

She did call the counselor just now and personally asked for leave for herself and Lu Ze.

The counselor also asked her on the phone if she was feeling unwell and told her to get some rest.

She remembers all of these conversations perfectly.

Just then, An Linyue's phone rang.

The caller ID that popped up on the screen startled her slightly; it was her counselor calling.

She glanced at Lu Ze and pressed the answer button.

The counselor's familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, her tone tinged with confusion and helplessness.

"Hello, is this Lin Yue? Are you out of your mind? Today is Sunday, why are you calling me to ask for a day off? I almost went to work at school."

As soon as she finished speaking, An Linyue felt a chill creep up her spine and straight to the top of her head.

Her hand gripping the phone trembled slightly, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but found herself unable to utter a single word.