I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

Aoi, holding a cookie, asked, "Want a cookie?"

"Is this considered work?" Xia Wuzhao asked, frowning.

“It’s a job, too,” Aoi Asahi said to Natsugiri Kai. “Didn’t people in ancient times also have jobs like tasting dishes?”

The girl opened the cookie bag, took out a black and white cookie, and handed it to Xia Wuzhao.

Xia Wuzhao took it and immediately put it in her mouth to eat.

"How is it?" Aoi Asahi asked.

"It has both bitterness and sweetness."

"That's because there's chocolate inside," the girl explained, placing the bag on the table and indicating that Xia Wuzhao could continue eating it.

But Xia Wuzhao simply picked up her umbrella that was placed beside her and said to Asahi Aoi, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going back now."

“There’s something else,” Aoi said, feigning displeasure. “I helped you for an hour at noon. Now you want to leave after only a few minutes. It’s a bit unfair to all my efforts.”

Natsugiri Kai simply looked at Asahi Aoi; "So, what do you want to do?"

"Please help me register the borrowing list." Asahi Aoi stood up from her chair and let Natsugiri Kai sit down.

They also taught him how to use a computer and how to register borrowers.

Sunflower enjoys this time, as if she has returned to the past.

"Oh, so it is here after all."

A new girl arrived at the library; it was Chiharu Tokisaka.

She was holding a sunflower in her hand, and as she walked, she said, "Luckily, I asked some other people, and they said they saw you come here."

Asahi Aoi looked at Tokisaka Chiharu, a little puzzled.

But Chiharu Tokisaka came over and gave the bouquet of sunflowers to Aoi Asahi.

She returned the points card to Xia Wuzhao, saying, "I was supposed to return it to you at noon today, but it rained, so I couldn't."

After another round of pleasantries, Chiharu Tokisaka hurriedly left.

After all, she still has to work hard.

Asahi looked at the sunflower in her hand and said softly, "Is this for me?"

Xia Wuzhao replied, "Probably, it was just a free gift. I told her to do whatever she wanted with it, I didn't expect her to give it to you."

Chapter 163 A Heartfelt Sentiment Hidden in Folded Paper Cranes

The next day, Chiho treated her mother as usual.

Today, Yoshiko appeared unusually quiet and different.

There was no further reprimanding of Chiho, nor any attempt to control her to do anything.

She simply let Chiho go to school alone.

Carrying the bento box, Chiho felt a little uneasy.

She didn't know if she could win Xia Wuzhao's favor.

However, she received another bouquet of flowers yesterday.

"Natsumura seems to be quite satisfied with my approach."

Thinking this, Chiho couldn't help but smile.

While sitting in the car, she looked at the scenery outside.

It's getting hotter and hotter outside, and many people are sweating profusely.

Chiho, sitting in the car, felt fine because the air conditioning was on.

She combed her hair and quietly waited for the moment she would arrive at school.

Mornings without my mother are just too quiet.

Chiho felt a sense of unreality.

She took a deep breath and pulled a perfume bottle about the size of a finger from her pocket.

"It seems like Natsugiri really liked this smell before."

The girl arrived at school excitedly, but after getting off the bus, she couldn't find Xia Wuzhao.

Although she was a little disappointed, she still changed her shoes at the shoe cabinet and went to the literary society.

There was no one in the Literature Club, so Chiho placed the bento box on the table.

He locked the door again, eager to find Xia Wuzhao.

"I am so eager, so desperate to see Xia Wuzhao."

"Because I want to be praised."

"I did what you wanted to see."

"So please praise me more, compliment me more, and say some gentle words to me."

Chiho grew increasingly impatient, and she almost started running.

Her crimson hair swayed slightly.

However, when I arrived at the classroom, I saw Xia Wuzhao chatting with Asahi Aoi.

Like a friend.

"Friend, what a heartbreaking word."

"I am so heartbroken and so unwilling to accept this. I did not make a mistake yesterday."

Chiho stepped forward, tossing her hair.

With an air of nonchalance, he asked Xia Wuzhao, "What are you talking about? You seem so happy?"

“They’re talking about yesterday,” Aoi said. “Yesterday a girl gave me a bag of cookies, and she and Natsugiri were discussing the taste of the cookies.”

Would you like to try some?

"Natsumiri—ah, that's such a friendly way of calling you."

Chiho thought to herself, but said jokingly, "Cookies? It's not a gift for falling in love, is it?"

Asahi Aoi smiled and said, "It's hardly a love gift. I'm probably not good enough to make a girl fall in love with me."

She returned to her seat and took out the bag of cookies.

Would you like to try some?

She opened the bag and let Chiho try it.

Chiho didn't refuse; she picked up a piece and tasted it.

Support the food with your palm to prevent crumbs from falling onto the desk.

After tasting it carefully for a while, she said, "Ordinary, very ordinary."

“I also think it’s just a normal gift, but it was given to me by someone else after all. It would be too impolite to leave it there uneaten.”

Asahi gave Chiho more to eat and also shared some with Natsugiri Kai.

Chiho watched this scene and felt extremely jealous.

"We were just ordinary friends yesterday, just ordinary classmates yesterday. But now they call each other Xia Wu so affectionately, and even when their fingertips touch, it feels perfectly natural."

"What exactly did Asahi do to push the relationship to this point?"

She couldn't help but look at Xia Wuzhao with resentment, but just as she was about to say something, class had already started.

And so, under the summer sun, it wasn't until noon that Chiho finally managed to strike up a conversation with Natsugiri Kai.

"Lunchtime is time that belongs entirely to me and Natsume. Asahi needs to go to the library to handle things, and even if she doesn't go to the library sometimes, she needs to have lunch with her friends to maintain their relationships."

"I have a complete advantage during this period of time."

"But after school, my advantage completely disappears."

"This is not just my problem, it's my mother's problem."

"If I had completely rejected my mother and allowed myself to control my time after school, perhaps Asahi wouldn't have taken advantage of me."

"But do I really want to completely reject my mother? Isn't what I have now enough?"

She lowered her eyelids as she thought.

"Perhaps, this is why Xia Wuzhao and Asahi Aoi are so close. He wants to force himself in this way, to force himself to completely part ways with his mother."

Chiho couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile.

"But I've already done enough."

She thought for a moment, then looked at Xia Wuzhao beside her: "How is it? Do you think it's alright?"

The bento box contained plenty of delicious vegetables and fish, and the rice looked really good—it was glistening and not hard at all.

It's still soft to eat.

Xia Wuzhao took out the money and said to Chiho, "Consider this as payment for my lunch."

Chiho looked at the money in Natsumi Kai's hand.

She said, "Do you think I'm short of money?"

Xia Wuzhao glanced at Qianhui, then folded the banknote again.

Chiho watched Natsumi's movements, wanting to see what she was going to do.

Xia Wuzhao folded the banknote into a paper crane and handed it to Chiho.

Chiho took the origami crane and said softly, "Now this is the reward for the bento."

"See, you seem to know a lot, don't you?" she said slyly to Xia Wuzhao.

Xia Wuzhao didn't say anything more, she just ate her bento.

Chiho watched Natsumi Kai eat, and she didn't think her own bento was particularly delicious.

But watching Xia Wuzhao eat, she actually felt a sense of happiness.

"What exactly is this kind of happiness?"

Chiho didn't understand either.

I just watched the dappled shadows of the trees outside swaying and the birds chirping away.

Feigning indifference, she smiled slyly at Xia Wuzhao and said, "Have I taken up residence in someone's heart?"

"Aren't you captivated by my image as a virtuous wife and loving mother?"

"Can we be lovers again?"

Just saying those words made Chiho feel a little shy, and she couldn't help but turn her head away.

But then she turned to look at Xia Wuzhao, anticipating his answer.

Xia Wuzhao said, "Probably not yet."

"Oh, I see." Chiho said in a feigned nonchalance, but with a hint of annoyance, "It seems I still need to work harder."

Chapter 164 Sinking Under That Cold Gaze

—Keep up the good work, but how exactly do you do it?

The question simply arose in her mind, and Chiho already knew the answer.

However, she felt that she couldn't do it.

"Mother, oh mother, my mother."

"Perhaps my intelligence comes from you; you've managed to balance hurt and love so well."

"It makes me unable to love you, and also unable to truly hate you."

"Hurt is like a splinter stuck in the flesh, but love heals the wound."

"But the thorn remains forever embedded in the flesh, inflamed and oozing pus, constantly proving its presence."

Chiho thought to herself, then looked at Natsumi Kiri.