By the time they arrived in Tai'an, it was already past two in the morning. The students who hadn't rested well on the plane all looked exhausted. Even those with good physical fitness like Chu Chu, Lux Lyle, and Ruriko Nana were no exception. Aside from Chu Lian and Inori, who still maintained a basic level of alertness, the rest of the group were like wilted vegetables, desperately in need of nourishment and rest.
This time, they once again checked into the Qingping Grand Hotel. After all, this five-star chain, founded by the Zhao family, had already spread throughout Huaxia. It might not be in every single city, but in every provincial capital and well-known tourist spot, the hotel's presence could be found. In a sense, it had become the country's number-one hotel brand.
For ordinary people, being able to stay there was a luxury. After all, not everyone was willing to spend thousands, even tens of thousands, for a single night. Yet, due to Chu Lian's "close" relationship with Zhao Ziming—at least close in the eyes of outsiders, though in truth it was nothing more than a transaction—they were able to enjoy staying in such grand hotels on every trip. Naturally, even if they had complaints, there was no outlet for them.
"So sleepy, mm, Chu Lian, I really want to sleep~" The moment they entered the suite, the first to collapse was Li Xiu'er. She flopped onto the sofa, letting out a soft, incoherent whimper, like a drowsy little cat.
Speaking of cats—Tina was still in her spiritual form. Quickly, Chu Lian lifted her from Chu Chu's chest and set her on Li Xiu'er, letting her help restore Xiu'er's energy.
At some point, that lazy cat had developed a strange ability: whenever she lay on someone, she could subtly alter their body, strengthening their physical attributes and relieving fatigue. Were it not for this, Chu Chu would never have let her sleep nestled against her chest all this time.
"Be good. Take a bath first before sleeping, all right? You don't want to go to bed all sweaty. Otherwise when you wake up tomorrow, you'll be stinky Xiu'er…" Chu Lian knew she was really tired, but to prevent her from dying of embarrassment in the morning, she coaxed her to at least bathe first.
"Mm~ but I'm so tired." Her eyes stayed fixed on Chu Lian, eyelids drooping, looking as if she might fall asleep in the very next second.
"How about this then—should I help you bathe?" Chu Lian, at this point, had already forgotten the rule she'd laid down just a few hours earlier—that baths must be taken one at a time. Without thinking, she blurted it out. Well, don't mention her integrity here. If asked, she would probably just answer: "Rules? Are they edible? And integrity—what is that, some kind of food?" Better to just ignore it…
"No way, let me do it! Big Sis, you should rest properly. Otherwise, if you wear yourself out tomorrow when we're busy, that wouldn't be good." Chu Chu instantly objected. Just a few hours ago, she had already done some things to her big sister that were enough to make anyone blush. Now, hearing that Chu Lian wanted to bathe someone else—when she herself hadn't enjoyed that privilege yet—how could she possibly let cousin Xiu'er have that first time?
Chu Chu's reaction was far too eager, and Chu Lian instantly saw through her. She gave her a sidelong glance and said, "You're worried that Xiu'er will steal my first experience of bathing someone, aren't you? Well, sorry to disappoint, but that was gone long ago. Whenever Inori and I bathe together, we help wash each other's backs. So that 'first time' doesn't exist anymore."
"Eh?! How can that be! Big Sis, all of your firsts should belong to Chu Chu—you can't give them to anyone else!" Upon hearing Chu Lian's words, Chu Chu froze like she'd been turned to stone, wailing like a defeated hound. "Big Sis is so mean, you never give me any of your firsts…"
"Inori, go ahead and get our things organized. I'll help Xiu'er bathe, it won't take long." Seeing that Chu Chu had already been struck down and wouldn't cause more trouble, Chu Lian turned to the quietly watching Inori and spoke. Then she walked over to Li Xiu'er, slipped her arms beneath her slender neck and legs, and lifted her in a princess carry.
Resting quietly in Chu Lian's arms, Li Xiu'er became even calmer. The drowsiness that had left her sluggish a moment ago faded, and she nestled against Chu Lian, a faint, peaceful smile of contentment appearing on her face.
"Big Sis doesn't love me anymore. What's the point of Chu Chu living… Big Sis doesn't love me, Chu Chu doesn't want to live anymore… Big Sis has a new love now. Chu Chu wants to die, don't try to stop me…" Watching helplessly as Chu Lian carried Li Xiu'er into the bathroom, with no way to change the outcome, Chu Chu could only cry pitifully.
On the sofa, Tina stretched lazily, opening her small mouth with a meow~—[Stupid human]—as if mocking Chu Chu for being abandoned.
"You damn cat! I let you use my chest as a pillow, and this is how you treat me? Just wait and see if I don't deal with you today!" That one light meow completely redirected Chu Chu's rage. One had to admit, Tina was absolutely qualified to be a tank—no one else could so recklessly and successfully pull aggro like her.
Seeing Chu Chu pounce at her, Tina yawned lazily, and the next second appeared on top of the sofa. Watching Chu Chu fall face-first onto the soft cushions, she let out another light meow—[As foolish as ever].
"Ahh, I'll kill you, Tina! If I don't catch you today, I'll… I'll…" Chu Chu chased after the nimble Tina, shouting threats. Yet when it came time to declare the price she would pay, she hesitated. She opened her mouth several times but couldn't say anything complete. Clearly, even in her fury, she still had enough reason to know that some words shouldn't be spoken carelessly.
But the next instant, Tina let out another meow—[So stupid you can't even finish your words?]—which made Chu Chu instantly forget her restraint. With a furious roar, she shouted: "If I don't catch you today, then the next time Big Sis and I do H, I'll be the bottom!"
Tina, standing atop the flat-screen TV, staggered at that. She hadn't expected Chu Chu's "sacrifice" to be something like that. And judging from her expression, she actually seemed to mean it.
Meow!—[You really are beyond saving, you pervert!]—Tina cried out as she leapt to the curtain rod, glaring down at Chu Chu.
"Calling me a pervert? Think about yourself first! You're just a pervy cat who loves big breasts—how are you any better than me? We're the same, so what right do you have to insult me?!" Chu Chu finally managed a counterattack. She had been regretting earlier why she could even understand the meaning behind Tina's meows—but now, it was Tina herself who had dug the hole.
Of course, Tina was far calmer. Looking down at her with sidelong eyes, she let out a drawn-out meow~.
[How can one gather people's hearts without large breasts? Only big breasts are justice. And I am a princess of the spirit cat clan, an emissary of justice. What's wrong with liking the justice of big breasts? Though you're such an H girl, I suppose you could count too. But in the end, you're nothing more than my pillow. Daring to speak to me like that—are you tired of being a pillow and looking to rebel?]
"You're dead!" The words carried by that meow burned directly into her heart, sending Chu Chu's anger bar to the max. Still, this time she cooled slightly. Even though she still wanted to grab that damned cat and give her a good thrashing, she knew she couldn't catch her this way. She had to think of another plan.
"When will I be able to learn such things too…?" Ever since entering the suite, Inori hadn't moved a single step from her spot. Watching Chu Chu and Tina's antics, she placed her left hand gently over her chest, as though trying to feel her beating heart. Truly… she wanted so much to understand these kinds of emotions.
Since meeting Chu Lian, bit by bit, her emotions had been enriched. From a cold, expressionless girl, she was slowly changing into a normal human girl. Not only did her smiles increase, even her expressions were no longer so blank.
But lost emotions were not easily retrieved. In this, Chu Lian had already done better than anyone else. Yet the time they had spent together was still too short. So while many of Inori's emotions had returned, there were still gaps that couldn't easily be filled.
Of course, this wasn't something that could be rushed. It was something that required a long, long time to change and to mend.
"To let me become my true self again… to become a normal human?" Inori felt the strong, healthy beating of her heart in her chest. Her pink hair fell forward as she lowered her head. "If this is fate, then thank you for letting me meet her."
With a faint smile, Inori walked over and began tidying up the mess Chu Chu and Tina had made while fooling around. Even though it would be messed up again in a moment, she just wanted to do something—no matter what meaning it held.
Seizing an opportunity, Chu Chu finally managed to corner Tina. Spreading her arms, she slowly approached while muttering, "Damn cat, you can't run this time, huh? Heh heh heh… Once I catch you, I'll tie you up, and then eat a whole pile of your favorite foods right in front of you, making you watch while you can't have any!"
But as always, Tina only gave her a disdainful look, turned to the wall, and with a meow dug her claws in and scrambled upward. [Stupid human. Thinking you can catch an agile cat like me? You're dreaming.]
"Arghhh, you damn cat! Stop pretending to be a cat-person! Your true form isn't even a cat, so why act like one? It's so annoying!" Translating Tina's meows in her head, then watching her climb, Chu Chu completely lost it, chasing her around the room yet again.
"So Chu Chu has that much energy, huh?" For the third time, Inori picked up the same items that had been knocked over, only to see the two still fooling around. Realizing there was no point in tidying, she simply sat down on the sofa and watched them, quietly marveling at Chu Chu—who had been utterly exhausted just moments ago, yet was now brimming with energy again.
"I wonder what Lian is doing right now…" Inori lifted her gaze toward the bathroom, her wine-red eyes rippling faintly, like water stirred into waves.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom where they couldn't see, two girls were playfully splashing water at each other…