The van rolled to a gentle stop in front of the villa as the golden hues of late afternoon painted the building in warm, inviting light. When Su Wanyan, Mo Xingxue, and little Mo Yan stepped out, the quietness of the place immediately settled over them. The other guests had not yet returned, leaving the grand villa feeling unusually peaceful and empty.

A spark of pure glee lit up inside Su Wanyan. Finally, I can slack off properly.

She didn’t hesitate. The moment they entered the living room, she headed straight for the large, plush sofa and flopped down onto it with zero grace. Her body sank into the cushions, limbs sprawling lazily as she let out a long, satisfied sigh. The soft fabric embraced her like an old friend, and for the first time that day, she allowed herself to fully relax.

Mo Xingxue chuckled warmly at the sight. She carefully placed Mo Yan’s stroller near the sofa, making sure the baby remained comfortable in her peaceful slumber, before sitting down gracefully near Su Wanyan’s head. "Are you going to take a nap?" she asked, her voice soft and teasing.

Su Wanyan hummed in agreement, eyes still closed. "I would love to." She cracked one eye open and glanced toward the main camera with a mischievous smile. "But I think that would bore our dear viewers, no?"

The barrage reacted instantly.

[THAT’S.. true. Damn.]

[Dang, she read us like a book.]

[Fr.]

[Man, I wish I was a book.]

[Sorry to ask this, but why?]

[So Su Wanyan can spread me open, ehe.]

[YO, CHILL!]

[Y’all, we need to keep things PG here.]

[I get you. And then get, licked by Su Wanyan, right?]

[Ha.. what a dream.]

[Yeah, impossible. Su Wanyan’s married to ME and we already have three children.]

[Upstairs, I hid your phone. Since when did you find it?]

[None of your business, psycho!]

[These two, I swear—y’all need to get married fr.]

As the comments descended into their usual delightful chaos, Su Wanyan sat up properly, stretching her arms above her head. She turned to Mo Xingxue with a light, nostalgic smile. "You know, it’s been a long time since we’ve properly met again, hasn’t it?"

Mo Xingxue nodded, a nostalgic softness entering her expression. "It has been.. ten years?" She tilted her head slightly, as if confirming the number with herself. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Cute, Su Wanyan thought, an unconscious doting smile tugging at her lips. "That long, huh?" She leaned back against the sofa, still gazing at Mo Xingxue. "Then, should we catch up? You know.. make up for all the years we haven’t seen each other."

Besides, she added silently, I need to know more about her if I’m going to help her avoid that tragic fate. A hint of melancholy flashed in her eyes, but she quickly masked it with another easy smile.

Fortunately, Mo Xingxue didn’t seem to notice. She nodded in agreement. After all, while she had seen news, medical journals and entertainment reports about Su Wanyan’s rising success as a pediatrician, she knew almost nothing about her childhood friend’s personal life over the past decade.

Seeing Mo Xingxue’s approval, Su Wanyan’s eyes curved into happy crescents. "Then, I’ll start first." She straightened up on the sofa. "Do you still have my ugly hoodie?"

Mo Xingxue paused, clearly not expecting that question, before bursting into soft laughter. "That’s the question you want to ask?"

Su Wanyan huffed playfully, her smile widening. "Of course! Even though that hoodie was ugly, it protected us from the cold many times!"

Mo Xingxue’s laughter grew brighter, the sound like clear bells ringing through the living room. "Yes, I still have it," she admitted, wiping a tear of joy from the corner of her eye.

Su Wanyan laughed too. "Wow, you really kept it?"

They shared a comfortable laugh, the sound filling the quiet living room like sunlight. Mo Xingxue wiped a small tear of joy from the corner of her eye. "Now it’s my turn."

Su Wanyan sat up even straighter, adopting a mock-serious pose. "Aye aye, sire!" She saluted dramatically, mimicking a pirate’s tone.

Mo Xingxue gently swatted Su Wanyan’s leg, earning an exaggerated, pained expression in return. Su Wanyan turned to the camera with a pitiful look. "Guys, look, she’s abusing me."

In response, Mo Xingxue rolled her eyes playfully. "You’re such a drama queen."

Su Wanyan gasped theatrically. "Me?!"

Mo Xingxue turned to the camera as well. "This is the alpha you’re all simping for?" She looked Su Wanyan up and down with mock judgment.

Su Wanyan let out another dramatic gasp, causing Mo Xingxue to burst into laughter.

The exchange drew laughter from the staff behind the cameras and delighted reactions from the barrage.

[Lol, Su Wanyan is such a good comedian.]

[Fr, I thought she would be the quiet and gentle type.]

[Hey, but you only got one right—she’s gentle, yes. But she sure as hell ain’t quiet.]

[Is this how kids nowadays flirt?]

[Banter-type flirting will always get me!]

[When is it my turn?!]

[When the sky is red and the grass is black.]

[Oh, not that that long ig (thanks global warming!)]

[YO, THAT’S DARK!]

As the barrage teased them for "feeding dog food," it was now Mo Xingxue’s turn to ask.

Mo Xingxue’s expression suddenly turned serious, causing Su Wanyan to sit up straighter as well. A bead of nervous sweat trickled down Su Wanyan’s back. Wh—what is she going to ask? I feel scared for some reason....

"Su Wanyan," Mo Xingxue said gravely, "are you still scared of cockroaches?"

Silence fell for a beat. Even the barrage seemed to pause.

"Eh?" Su Wanyan broke it, blinking in confusion.

Mo Xingxue’s serious facade cracked. She burst into laughter again, covering her face with both hands. "You look so stupid right now, haha!"

"Wait—!" Su Wanyan scrambled, cheeks flushing. "I’m not scared of cockroaches anymore! I even catch them now!"

In the original owner’s memories, the original Su Wanyan had indeed been terrified of them. And coincidentally, Su Wanyan is equally terrified of those little, monstrous insects. Su Wanyan sighed internally. Having too many similarities is also a problem.

She turned to the camera with a determined expression, trying to salvage her image. "Everyone, I’m not scared of cockroaches anymore."

The barrage was mercilessly sarcastic.

[Yeah, yeah, we believe you.]

[Yes, such a big and powerful alpha!]

[Definitely not a cowardly alpha who’s scared of cockroaches.]

[Definitely not HER.]

[Yeah, DEFINITELY.]

[Mo Xingxue, stop slandering our big and strong alpha!]

[Yeah! The alpha is not scared of some measley cockroaches!]

[Y’all are so unserious, help.]

A staff member couldn’t hold back and laughed, relaying some of the comments to Su Wanyan. Mo Xingxue laughed even harder. Su Wanyan’s face burned bright red. "Hey, stop laughing, Xuexue!"

She glared playfully at Mo Xingxue before turning back to the camera with renewed dignity. "I’m really not scared of those.. monsters anymore." Her voice trembled slightly on the last word.

Mo Xingxue toppled over laughing. Su Wanyan lunged forward and tickled her sides in retaliation. "Stop! St-stop!" Mo Xingxue gasped between laughs.

Su Wanyan huffed, satisfied, and returned to her seat. She adopted a calm, proper expression again. "Anyway, I’m not scared of them anymore," she declared, as if the previous chaos had never happened.

The barrage continued dripping with playful sarcasm, but Su Wanyan thankfully couldn’t read them, which was probably for the best.

"Stop pretending to be cool," Mo Xingxue teased, still smiling brightly. Then her eyes lit up with mischief as she remembered something. "Yanyan, do you remember when you ate three crayons because you thought I was hiding snacks from you?"

Su Wanyan’s calm demeanor cracked instantly. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," she mumbled, voice small as a mosquito’s.

Mo Xingxue grinned. "If you don’t remember that, then.. remember when you waved back at someone but it turned out they weren’t waving at you?"

Su Wanyan’s cheeks burned. "That’s a canon event for everyone!"

"Uh-huh. Then when you called the teacher ’Mom’—is that a canon event too?" Mo Xingxue asked, laughing so hard tears spilled from her eyes.

Su Wanyan’s expression fully shattered. "Hey!" she shouted, face tomato-red as she lunged to cover Mo Xingxue’s mouth. Mo Xingxue dodged, still giggling.

Annoyed but playful, Su Wanyan fired back. "Remember when you tried contouring and it looked like you got bruised?"

Mo Xingxue’s eyes widened. She tried to cover Su Wanyan’s mouth, but Su Wanyan dodged and hopped to the edge of the sofa. "Then a teacher walked in and asked who beat you up!"

"Su Wanyan!" Mo Xingxue protested, laughing.

"You started it first!" Su Wanyan shot back, still grinning widely.

Mo Xingxue rolled her eyes, but the bright smile never left her face. "Just you wait," she muttered playfully.

The living room filled with bright, unrestrained laughter from both women. The staff behind the cameras couldn’t help smiling, and the barrage flooded with hearts and laughter.

The barrage erupted in chaos.

[HAHAHAHAHA WHAT!]

[Lol, that must’ve been so embarrassing.]

[Fr. Mo Xingxue is so strong, if I were her, I would’ve already committed suicide right then and there.]

[For real, I wonder what excused she made.]

[Probably she said Su Wanyan beat her up.]

[Lol, I need someone to draw animate them in the raised in an abusive household meme.]

[Lol, that’s would be so funny.]

Su Wanyan eventually flopped back onto the sofa, grinning widely. Yes, she thought warmly, watching Mo Xingxue’s bright, carefree laughter. This is how it should be.

Just her laughing like this.. I’ll help you protect this innocence and carefreeness, Su Wanyan vowed silently, tenderness and quiet determination flowing through her gaze.