GL My Goddess Best Friend’s Seduction (H) - Chapter 57

That night, I slept deeply, without a single dream. At 7:40 in the morning, I woke up naturally, guided by my biological clock. When I opened my phone, I saw a message from Si Jingnian sent just after six o’clock.

It contained only three words, but they immediately cleared the lingering fog in my mind. My heart floated into a pink, dizzying swirl of emotion.

Si Jingnian: I miss you.

I hugged my phone and grinned as I replied.

Peaceful New Year: Isn’t that a little over the top? It has only been one night.

Si Jingnian: Don’t you miss me?

I was just about to jokingly type “Of course not,” when her next message came through.

Si Jingnian: Tell me the truth.

Peaceful New Year: Hmph. I miss you just a tiny bit.

Si Jingnian: That’s enough.

Si Jingnian: I miss you so much.

My heart fluttered. Without hesitation, I started a video call. She answered right away.

I placed the phone on my pillow, leaning it against the nightstand. Lying on my stomach, I rested my chin in my hands while my legs kicked playfully in the air. My mood could not have been better.

On screen, Si Jingnian wore a cream-colored wool sweater. Her long hair was tied casually in a ponytail. Without makeup, her features looked even softer, more approachable than usual. She seemed to be squatting, since I could see the back of the sofa and the bottom of the television from my angle.

“Are you squatting? What are you doing?”

Si Jingnian tilted the camera to show the marble floor. Two chubby kittens had their backs arched and faces buried in their bowls, munching their cat food with great enthusiasm.

We had brought the two cats back with us. Since my mother was mildly allergic to cat fur, Si Jingnian had taken them home.

I called their names through the camera. Roly-Poly turned around, seemingly searching for the familiar voice. Scrappy-Legs, the disloyal little thing, merely twitched her ears and kept eating.

“Hmph, Scrappy-Legs is so heartless! She didn’t even look back.” I muttered, voicing my complaints to Si Jingnian.

Si Jingnian smiled without saying anything.

“Have they gotten used to your place? Are they scared at all?”

“You are overthinking it. The moment they left the cage, they strutted around like they owned the place. Scrappy-Legs immediately found the sofa leg to scratch and even turned the curtains into a swing.”

The mental image made my head ache. “Did your mom get mad? Did you scold them?”

“She wasn’t angry, and I did not scold them either. I left that for you.”

“Hey now, Si Jingnian, that’s not fair. Scrappy-Legs and Roly-Poly are your cats too. Why should I be the only one responsible for disciplining them?” Even as I said this, I could not help laughing. I sounded like a parent complaining to her partner.

“Yes, yes, you’re right.”

“It’s probably because Roly-Poly and Scrappy-Legs miss Mommy, isn’t it?” Si Jingnian gently petted Roly-Poly on the head as she spoke. Roly-Poly let out a sweet meow at the perfect moment, as if responding to her question.

“Ah, too cute! Mommy’s little babies! Mommy misses you too!” I blew two exaggerated kisses toward the screen. They were simply too adorable.

Si Jingnian suddenly turned the camera back toward herself. “Then does Mommy miss her big baby too?”

She blinked flirtatiously at the camera. It was the first time I had seen her make that kind of expression. It caught me off guard, but somehow, it looked completely natural on her. Maybe it was just because she was so beautiful.

I melted.

Her wink made me feel like I had fallen into a bed made of marshmallows, soft and sweet. Just like her lips.

“Do you miss me?” she asked again, persistent despite my silence.

“Of course I do. I miss you so much!”

Si Jingnian gave me a bright, sweet smile that made my heart flutter all over again.

Just as we were getting lost in our little bubble of affection, my dad knocked on the door and called me to breakfast. I froze for a moment before remembering he was on my side now. That thought calmed me down.

I told him I was coming and ended the call so I could brush my teeth.

When I got to the dining table, only my dad was there. My mom was nowhere in sight. Remembering last night’s conversation, I figured she was not ready to face me just yet.

To test my theory, I asked, “Where’s Mom?”

“She went to buy groceries. Didn’t we say Yiyi and Uncle Jiang are coming for lunch? She left early to shop.”

“Oh… I thought she might be avoiding me because of what I said yesterday.”

“That might be part of it too. Otherwise, she would have taken you with her or not left so early.”

“Oh…” I replied, disappointed. I had known deep down that she would not accept things overnight. I had just been hoping too much.

“Take your time, Xiaoyu. You need to give her space to process.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll support you.”

“Thanks, Old An.”

“Call me Dad! You make me sound ancient.”

“Okay, Dad. Jingnian wants to visit on the third day of the New Year. Mom won’t stop her, will she?”

“That won’t happen. Even if your mom has reservations, your Aunt Luo Lan and Uncle Si won’t let her say no.”

“Great! Then Dad, you’re in charge of keeping the mood upbeat.”

“Sure.”

Not long after breakfast, my mom returned, carrying several bags of groceries. I reached out to help, but she gave me a glare and handed me the heavy bags without a word.

Even helping earned me a glare. I silently accepted it.

I offered to help with cooking, hoping for a chance to talk with her. Instead, she blocked the kitchen entrance and called my dad in to assist her.

I asked, “Then what should I do?”

She replied, “Do whatever you want.”

Trying to act helpful, I said, “Then I’ll sweep and mop the floor.”

She scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean? You think I didn’t clean it well enough?”

“No, no. Then I’ll go water your plants.”

“Trying to drown them? I already watered them this morning.”

“Then I’ll wipe the tables and arrange the candies and nuts.”

“That’s your dad’s job.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Go stand by the door and enjoy the cold wind.”

Speechless, I forced a smile. “Yes, ma’am. This humble servant will go at once.”

She couldn’t suppress a laugh, but quickly masked it with a serious face.

I grinned quietly to myself.

Of course, I did not really go outside. Instead, I stayed in and tidied the house, throwing away unnecessary items.

A little after eleven, Jiang Yiyi arrived with her husband and parents.

Lunch was mostly pleasant. I made a few jokes, and I noticed my mom stifling her laughter while keeping a straight face. Throughout the meal, she barely gave me any warmth.

Yiyi’s husband was sociable, which helped keep the mood cheerful. That was until Yiyi’s mother asked, “Xiaoyu, have you met any nice boys recently?”

The entire room went quiet. My heart tightened.

My mom’s face turned grim. My dad and Yiyi both looked uncomfortable.

I was unsure how to respond, or whether I even should.

Thankfully, Yiyi stepped in. “She hasn’t been single that long. Mom, why are you already asking and pressuring her? When she finds someone, she’ll let me know.”

“It’s important to be careful. Better to stay single than end up with the wrong man.”

Yiyi’s mom looked embarrassed and tried to argue. “That’s not what I meant… Auntie just thinks…”

“Mom, that’s enough.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s eat. This sweet and sour fish is really tasty,” Yiyi’s husband added, trying to shift the mood.

The atmosphere remained strained. After lunch, Yiyi pulled me into my room while the others stayed in the living room to play cards and chat.

The first thing she asked was, “Do your parents know about you and Si Jingnian?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, no wonder the atmosphere was so awkward. Your mom looked like she belonged in a horror movie.”

“Are they very against it?”

“My dad has sort of accepted it. My mom definitely hasn’t. I think she’s pretending like nothing happened.”

“It has to happen gradually. Older generations are not very open-minded.”

“Yeah. That’s all we can do.” Our conversation didn’t offer any solutions, but we both understood time was necessary.

After sitting in gloomy silence for a while, Yiyi suddenly changed the subject and asked how Si Jingnian was doing. Then she started prying for details, wanting to know everything.

Blushing, I refused to share anything. So she guessed. And every guess was right. “Have you done it in the bathroom? The desk? The floor…?”

Thankfully, that teasing soon ended. While scrolling through her phone, Yiyi suddenly shrieked.

She shoved her screen at me. It was Si Jingnian’s social media.

She did not post often, so Yiyi’s excitement caught me off guard.

I looked. Si Jingnian had posted a photo of Roly-Poly and Scrappy-Legs eating. Next to them was a round-faced figure glowing in the evening light, smiling sweetly.

It was me.

The caption read that she was so glad to have me.

My cheeks turned red instantly. She was way too affectionate.

Yiyi shook me excitedly. “Si Jingnian is showing you off to the world!”

I opened the post, intending to save the photo and take a screenshot.

Then I noticed that Si Jingnian had also changed her profile picture and display name.

Her new profile picture was a photo of me feeding the cats.

Her new name was:

Be Prepared for Danger in Times of Peace