Chapter 11: “You Are My Little Baby…”

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And so, Xu Zhiyan’s nightmare began.

She fell ill and was out of school for an entire week. When she finally recovered and returned to kindergarten, she discovered that there was a new classmate—and for some unknown reason, this new classmate kept clinging to her best friend.

Que Wanshu had attended Hualun International School from kindergarten all the way to high school. She had enrolled in the youngest class at age three, and Xu Zhiyan had joined with her. Wei Xun, however, didn’t attend Hualun until he was five. Before that, he was homeschooled with a private early education teacher.

Xu Zhiyan was also a very possessive person. Especially when it came to Que Wanshu—they’d been close friends since they were in their mothers’ wombs and were practically like sisters. Naturally, she didn’t welcome a stinky boy trying to worm his way into their friendship.

Unfortunately, Wei Xun had been pampered by his elders since childhood, and his personality made it worse—he always wanted what he couldn’t have. So, he and Xu Zhiyan often got into arguments over Que Wanshu, to the point that even their teachers were exasperated.

Not to mention poor Que Wanshu, who was always caught in the middle.

Their favorite question to ask her used to be:
“Between Wei Xun and me, who do you like more?”

This deadly question gave Que Wanshu endless headaches. She asked them more than once,
“Aren’t we all classmates? Can’t we just play together?”

But both Wei Xun and Xu Zhiyan would answer:
“No.”

Since neither would back down, the two bickered from the middle class of kindergarten all the way to the senior class, and then continued into elementary school. It wasn’t until third grade, when Wei Xun moved to the U.S. with his parents, that Xu Zhiyan finally got a temporary victory.

She’d never forget the gloomy look on Wei Xun’s face before he left. Xu Zhiyan had practically wanted to light fireworks in celebration. She even declared that the day he left for abroad was the best day of her life.

She thought he’d disappear from her and Yao Yao’s (Que Wanshu’s) life forever. But to her surprise, in their second year of junior high—five years after he had left—Wei Xun returned in full force. Not only did he transfer into Que Wanshu’s class, but he even became her deskmate.

And thus, Xu Zhiyan’s daily battle with the clingy fly that stuck to her best friend began once more.

Now, hearing Que Wanshu recall all this, Xu Zhiyan immediately sat up in bed, grabbed her phone, and questioned the friend lounging on the sofa:
“Speaking of that, you never answered the question! So who do you like more, me or Wei Xun?”

Come to think of it, Que Wanshu had always been the master of neutrality. After all these years of tug-of-war between Xu Zhiyan and Wei Xun, she had never once clearly said who she liked better.

Now Que Wanshu was drunk—completely defenseless. When she heard the question, she instinctively replied:
“You. I like you…”

Xu Zhiyan’s eyes lit up. She pressed on,
“So who’s your little baby, me or Wei Xun?”

Que Wanshu answered:
“You’re my little baby.”

Satisfied, Xu Zhiyan turned away with her phone and started fiddling with something. Que Wanshu just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

The alcohol was starting to kick in. Her head felt heavy, and her consciousness began to drift. Just before the drowsiness completely overtook her, one final thought crossed her mind—

She and Wei Xun had broken up so long ago. And she had dumped him in the most ruthless way possible. Even if she still had feelings for him now… did she really have the right to say anything?

Probably not.

Que Wanshu closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhiyan had no idea what her friend was thinking. She had secretly recorded their little Q&A session and, after doing a bit of editing, sent it to the other party in the conversation.

So, when Wei Xun opened the voice message Xu Zhiyan sent, this is what he heard—

“Who do you like more, me or Wei Xun?”
“You. I like you.”
“So who’s your little baby, me or Wei Xun?”
“You’re my little baby.”

Wei Xun: “………………”

Of course, he instantly recognized the other voice that wasn’t Xu Zhiyan’s.

Damn it. He was going to kill that girl.

He yanked off his headphones, face dark as thunder, and messaged Cao Ying:
“Find out where Xu Zhiyan is. Now.”

Cao Ying, who had just finished showering and was about to start gaming at his computer:
“It’s the middle of the night—what do you want with her??”

Wei Xun let out a cold chuckle, his tone sending chills down the spine:
“I’m going to kill her.”

Cao Ying:
“?????”

What the hell is wrong with this guy again?!

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At 7 a.m., Que Wanshu was awakened by her annoying, responsible-worker-style internal alarm clock.

She had fallen asleep on the sofa last night, but woke up in bed—likely moved there by Xu Zhiyan.

She turned her head. Her bestie was still sound asleep, wrapped up in the covers. Wanshu, however, couldn’t fall back asleep, so she got up and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After changing into fresh clothes and seeing that Xu Zhiyan was still asleep, she didn’t wake her. Instead, she quietly left the room and went downstairs for breakfast.

By the time she returned upstairs, it was only about 8 a.m., and Xu Zhiyan was still sleeping. So, Que Wanshu grabbed her sketchbook and portable watercolor set and went outside to paint.

Cloud Mountain in the early morning was cloaked in mist. Layers of fog spilled down the cliffs from the peaks like flowing waves. In the distance, maple leaves dyed with autumn’s hues stood out brightly among the still-green forests, like a vivid splash of color in a watercolor painting.

Que Wanshu found a scenic overlook, sat down on a bench, and zoned out while gazing at the view. After a while, she pulled out her viewfinder to frame the scene, then took out her sketchbook, watercolors, and water brush pen. She skipped the pencil sketch and painted directly with watercolors.

She had loved drawing since she was a child. After graduating high school, she had planned to study illustration in the U.S. Unfortunately, a sudden change in her family circumstances made that impossible. She ended up attending university at home and chose a major completely unrelated to her childhood dream.

Still, the bright side was—drawing was something she could do anytime, anywhere, as long as she wanted to.

By the time she was almost done with her painting of the autumn mountains, Xu Zhiyan had finally woken up. She followed Que Wanshu’s messages to the lookout, just in time to see her putting the final touches on her sketch.

Seeing the rich, vibrant colors that somehow still looked soothing to the eyes, Xu Zhiyan curiously asked,
“Are you gathering material for your new picture book?”

Que Wanshu shook her head and smiled:
“No, just painting for fun.”

Back in college, Que Wanshu had taken a tutoring job. Her student was an 8-year-old girl with autism and delayed speech development. At the time, Que Wanshu was only a sophomore and didn’t have the qualifications to teach therapy sessions, so her role was simply to accompany the girl with her homework and playtime.

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The younger student that Que Wanshu tutored liked drawing, and Que Wanshu happened to be good at it too. To build a closer bond with her student, she often created little illustrated stories to share with her.

One day, the student’s mother saw the drawings. She worked in publishing and was impressed by the charm in Que Wanshu’s work and the engaging storylines. She asked if Que Wanshu would be interested in publishing children’s picture books.

And that’s how Que Wanshu became a children’s picture book author. She has published five books so far. Her artwork is bright and cheerful, and her stories often focus on parent-child relationships and marginalized children, full of warmth and empathy. Because of this, her books are well-loved by both children and parents, and she has gained some fame in the picture book world.

Currently, she’s working on her sixth book, titled Receiving Alien Signals. The story is about an alien who accidentally arrives on Earth and tries to blend in with humans. However, he realizes his hearing is different — he can’t hear human voices clearly, if at all. This causes him great distress until one day, he receives a special alien device that finally allows him to hear and communicate with others.

The theme ties into hearing-impaired communities. The first draft is complete and currently undergoing proofreading and review.

After the watercolor dried, Que Wanshu closed her sketchbook and went with Xu Zhiyan, who had just woken up, to the restaurant for a meal.

After eating, they got a spa and skincare treatment. By the time they finished, they were hungry again, so they asked the staff to bring afternoon tea to the room.

While enjoying the treats and chatting away, it was already almost 3:30 PM. They were about to head to the hotel’s private cinema when Xu Zhiyan suddenly received a call from her fiancé.

He said he had to attend a dinner event that evening and needed a female companion, and asked where she was so he could come pick her up.

Now that the Xu and Zhang families had publicly announced their engagement, they had agreed that whenever one of them needed a partner for an event, the other would accompany them.

But this was far too sudden. Xu Zhiyan had planned to stay at the hot spring resort with Que Wanshu until Sunday. One call from Zhang Luyang completely ruined the plan.

She was furious. Seeing this, Que Wanshu quickly comforted her friend, “I’ll be in Zicheng from now on anyway. You can see me anytime.”

Still angry, Xu Zhiyan cursed her fiancé again and said, “Why don’t you stay here until tomorrow? I’ll let the manager know.”

Que Wanshu shook her head and smiled, “No need. It’s not fun alone if you’re not here. I’ll just take a taxi home later.”

Xu Zhiyan felt even more guilty and leaned her head on her bestie’s shoulder, rubbing against it. “Don’t take a cab. Take my car. I’ll send the driver to your place later to get it.”

It was a good plan, and Que Wanshu was about to agree — until she remembered what kind of car Xu Zhiyan drove, and where they were.

“I don’t know how to drive a Ferrari,” Que Wanshu said.

Xu Zhiyan thought she was just nervous and squeezed her hand for reassurance. “Don’t worry, that car practically drives itself. Just go for it.”

Que Wanshu got anxious. “No, that’s not the problem — I really don’t know how to drive a Ferrari.”

“You mean you don’t know how to drive stick? It’s fine, my car can switch to automatic mode. You can do it!”

“No… while that is a problem, it’s not the main one. I seriously can’t!”

“I believe in you!” Xu Zhiyan refused to let her doubt herself. “Go for it. If you damage it, I’ll just buy a new one.”

Seeing her friend’s “it’s no big deal” attitude, Que Wanshu was about to lose her mind. She finally blurted, “That’s not the point — the point is we’re on Yunshan Mountain, sister!!”

“Uh-huh?” Xu Zhiyan blinked, confused. “So what?”

“I don’t know how to drive mountain roads.” Que Wanshu rubbed her forehead. “Especially not down Yunshan’s winding roads in a Ferrari.”

Aside from hot springs and scenic views, Yunshan was also famous for its winding mountain roads. The slope wasn’t steep, and the road surface was smooth, but one particular section — nicknamed Yunshan’s 36 Curves — featured 36 tight turns, drawing countless thrill-seeking drivers looking for a challenge.

Unfortunately, their hotel, Yunshan Guanzhi, was located above those 36 curves — which meant Que Wanshu would have to drive through that infamous section to get down.

She usually drove in the city and had almost no experience on mountain roads. Mountain driving meant sharp turns, downhill slopes, and sometimes even passing other cars on narrow paths — not to mention, she was a bit afraid of heights.

She’d rather walk down Yunshan than drive.

After hearing her concerns, Xu Zhiyan fell silent. In the end, for her bestie’s safety, she decided on a safer option.

“I’ll ask the hotel to have someone drive my car and take you home, and then bring the car back to my place.”

Que Wanshu agreed that it was a much better idea. So they called the manager and carefully picked out a valet who had experience driving Ferraris and navigating mountain roads.

Just then, Zhang Luyang sent a message saying he was almost there. Xu Zhiyan and Que Wanshu went to the entrance to wait for the valet to bring the car.

To their surprise, the hotel’s wide front courtyard had four or five brightly colored supercars parked — Bugatti, McLaren, Lamborghini, and several heavy-duty motorcycles.

At the sight of this lineup, Xu Zhiyan got a bad feeling. She turned to the hotel manager beside her and asked, “Whose cars are those?”

There were plenty of people in Zicheng who drove sports cars, but that many limited-edition models together could only mean a few specific groups.

“They belong to some young masters and ladies from Zicheng,” the manager replied. “They’re here to visit Yunshan and stopped by for afternoon tea.” He recognized a few of them and was about to say more when several well-dressed young people emerged from the hotel lobby, laughing as they headed toward the entrance.

The manager pointed, “That’s them.”

Xu Zhiyan followed his gaze and — sure enough — her bad feeling proved right.

Seeing her strange expression, Que Wanshu turned to look too — and just as she did, someone passed right between her and Xu Zhiyan.

At that very moment, their eyes met.

Que Wanshu froze, staring blankly at the man. He also lowered his gaze to look at her. Their eyes locked at close range.

Two seconds later, the man looked away and continued walking, even brushing past Xu Zhiyan and bumping her on purpose.

She stumbled from the impact. If the hotel manager hadn’t caught her in time, she might’ve fallen to the ground.

Furious, she looked at the man already descending the steps and shouted angrily:

“Wei Xun, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

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