Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

After the meal, Celine was intently scooping out the caramel crisps from the bottom of her parfait cup with a small spoon.

She scraped the cream off the cup clean, but there was still a ring of white cream stuck to the corner of her mouth.

Bella sat next to her, having already finished her parfait. She sat upright with her hands on her knees and her back ramrod straight, like a little guard.

An Linyue gently stirred the black tea in her cup with a teaspoon, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two girls.

Her movements were graceful and natural, as effortless as breathing.

After a moment of silence, she spoke casually, her tone as relaxed as if she were talking about the weather.

"Does Lu Ze spoil you like this at home too?"

Celine didn't even look up, her little spoon still scraping the caramel crisps, answering as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Yes. He listens to everything I say."

"Really?" An Linyue rested her chin on her hand, her eyelashes curling upwards, her smile filled with curiosity.

"Has he ever disobeyed you?"

Xilin paused for a moment, the small spoon hovering above the rim of the cup, as if she was thinking seriously.

She then reluctantly uttered a few words, as if she had been forced to admit to something dishonorable.

"He won't let me play games."

An Linyue chuckled, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

"He's doing it for your own good." The tone naturally carried a hint of siding with him.

Then she turned to Bella, softening her voice.

"Bella, what about you? How much time do you spend with Lu Ze? What does he usually do at home?"

Bella raised her eyelids and glanced at her, her pale blue eyes expressionless, then lowered her eyelids again, staring intently at the back of her hand resting on her knee, ignoring An Lin Yue.

An Linyue smiled, not paying any attention, and casually threw out a new question to Xilin.

"Is Lu Ze a boring person at home? Will he have trouble making friends?" she asked casually, as if she were worried about her classmate's social skills.

Xilin scooped up a large strawberry from Lu Ze's parfait and put it in her mouth. She chewed it with her cheeks puffed out before slowly opening her mouth.

"I don't know."

She genuinely didn't know; Lu Ze spent his days either in class or at home, and she had never paid any attention to his social life at school.

"I see..." An Linyue drawled out the last syllable, turning her gaze to Lu Ze.

There was a smile in those eyes, but Lu Ze couldn't quite tell what was hidden beneath that smile.

Then, changing the subject, An Linyue asked Xilin in the exact same tone as before.

"Does your brother have a girlfriend? Or rather—do any pretty older sisters come to visit him often?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment when the question was posed.

Lu Ze's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air, Bella's eyelashes twitched, and even Xilin stopped scooping parfaits with her little spoon.

"Why are you asking this?" Xilin raised her eyes, her gaze filled with undisguised wariness.

An Linyue smiled and waved her hand, her tone as relaxed as if she were making a harmless joke.

"Oh, we were just chatting. Your brother is so handsome, I've never seen him get close to any girls at school, I was just curious."

Her eyes were open and her expression natural, but her fingers unconsciously circled the rim of the cup a little longer.

Xilin remained silent for several seconds, her golden eyes fixed on An Linyue's face, as if trying to determine whether she was lying.

She then lowered her head, her voice even softer than before.

No. He doesn't have a girlfriend.

"Didn't any pretty older women come looking for him?" An Linyue pressed, still in that nonchalant tone.

"no."

After saying that, Xilin shook her head.

An Linyue nodded thoughtfully, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and concealed the meaningful smile on her lips.

She got the answer she wanted.

Lu Ze, who was listening nearby, felt very uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject.

"Alright, alright, stop talking about me. An Linyue, aren't you preparing for that design competition? How's it going?"

An Linyue accepted the offer he made, put down her teacup, and began to chat with him about the competition with a smile.