Chapter 137: Three Women Journeying Together

The table was laden with various soup dumplings and pastries, bearing the distinct hallmarks of southern cuisine.

"Hurry and sit down, the girl made all of this," Grandma said, handing Zhang Mingyang a pair of chopsticks and urging him to try them.

Zhang Mingyang picked up a soup dumpling and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm!"

As he bit into the dumpling, the savory broth burst across his palate; the smooth, elastic wrapper combined with the succulent shrimp flooded his entire sense of taste.

"Delicious!"

Zhang Mingyang stared at Bai Muqing with wide eyes, hardly believing she possessed such culinary skills.

"It's delicious, Grandma. You should have some too."

Seeing that Zhang Mingyang approved of her cooking, Bai Muqing smiled and placed a dumpling into the bowls of both grandparents. "Grandpa, Grandma, you should try one too."

"Good! Good!"

"Mmm! Delicious!"

After tasting the soup dumplings, the grandparents showered them with praise. "We had no idea the girl was such an exceptional cook!"

Zhang Mingyang thoroughly enjoyed his breakfast, genuinely astonished by Bai Muqing's hidden talent.

When the meal was over, Bai Muqing offered to help Grandma clear the table. "No need, my dear," Grandma stopped her. "You go out and have fun with Mingyang. Let him show you around Jinan, see the springs, and climb the mountains."

Hearing Grandma's words, Zhang Mingyang glanced at the clock. "Crap! It's almost eight o'clock."

"Mingyang, take the girl to see our Jinan springs. You can eat out at noon and just come back for dinner tonight."

"Oh!"

There was no escaping it now. Zhang Mingyang cast a sidelong glance at the door, signaling Bai Muqing that it was time to leave.

"Wait a minute! Let me change my clothes."

With that, Bai Muqing hurried into her room and closed the door.

Realizing Bai Muqing was changing again, Zhang Mingyang sat on the sofa and waited. As the clock struck eight, he figured that Xu Zihan and her sister must already be waiting by the residential compound's entrance.

"Grandpa, your grandson sent you a text message."

Sure enough, Xu Yuqing had texted, urging him to hurry out as she was already waiting at the gate.

Reading the message, Zhang Mingyang bounced his leg nervously, wondering how he was going to introduce Bai Muqing when he met them.

"Click!"

The bedroom door opened, and Bai Muqing stepped out. Zhang Mingyang looked up.

"What... Is this an immortal maiden?"

Standing before him was Bai Muqing, her shoulder-length dark hair framing a blue floral long dress, her feet adorned with beige stiletto heels. Most shockingly of all, she was wearing makeup! Bold red lips paired with a delicate base gave her an aura that blended pure innocence with captivating allure.

"Let's go!"

"Let's go?"

Bai Muqing called out several times, but Zhang Mingyang remained completely unresponsive, frozen in place.

Seeing no reaction, Bai Muqing walked up to him and waved a small hand in front of his face. "Zhang Mingyang?" Still no response. Amused by his stunned expression, she let out a soft chuckle. "Zhang Mingyang!" She gave him a gentle push.

"Ah?"

Coming to his senses, Zhang Mingyang wiped away a bead of drool. "Let's! Let's go!"

He quickly opened the door and stepped outside.

In the hallway, Bai Muqing was clearly unaccustomed to wearing high heels, making her way down the stairs with a slightly wobbly, swaying gait.

"Whoa...!"

Suddenly, Bai Muqing missed a step and lurched forward. Acting swiftly, Zhang Mingyang rushed forward and caught her in his arms. For a fraction of a second, he held a warm, fragrant softness against his chest, leaving them both utterly motionless.

This posture was maintained for a long moment before Bai Muqing blushed, came to her senses, pushed Zhang Mingyang away, and slowly walked down with her head bowed.

Meanwhile, Zhang Mingyang stood frozen in place, still savoring the lingering sensation.

"Are we going or not?"

Bai Muqing called up from downstairs, snapping him back to reality. "Coming! Coming!"

Inside the courtyard, Bai Muqing walked ahead with her head down, while Zhang Mingyang trailed behind her like a robot.

Outside the compound gates, Xu Zihan was growing impatient. "Sis, why isn't Zhang Mingyang out yet? Is he not coming?"

"Don't worry, let's wait a little longer."

Xu Yuqing scanned the interior of the complex, searching for Zhang Mingyang's figure. She had gone to great lengths for the sake of her younger sister; arranging this outing with Zhang Mingyang was her way of seeing if the two of them still stood a chance.

"Hey! Look! Zhang Mingyang is here!"

Xu Zihan spotted Zhang Mingyang. "Huh? Wait a minute! Who is that person walking in front of him?"

Xu Yuqing looked over as well, seeing a woman even more beautiful than her sister walking ahead of Zhang Mingyang.

"Who is that? Zihan, do you know her?"

Xu Zihan looked closely at Bai Muqing. "I don't know. I've never seen her before."

Having gradually recovered from the earlier jolt, Zhang Mingyang looked up toward the gate and spotted Xu Zihan and Xu Yuqing standing a few dozen meters away.

"I knew it! Xu Zihan was definitely going to show up!"

He hurried to call out to Bai Muqing ahead of him. "Um, Bai...?"

"You can just call me by my nickname, Qingqing."

"Qingqing?"

Zhang Mingyang felt the words catch in his throat. "Um, Qing... Qing, wait a moment."

Bai Muqing stopped. "What's wrong?"

Looking toward the two figures outside the gate, Zhang Mingyang said, "I forgot to tell you something. Today it won't just be the two of us; two other people are joining us as well."

"Other people?"

Hearing this, Bai Muqing grew cautious. "Who else?"

Zhang Mingyang quickly explained, "A fellow hometown friend I met at the Moon Palace Base, along with her younger sister. Her sister is a classmate of mine at school."

Following Zhang Mingyang's occasional glances toward the entrance, Bai Muqing looked over and saw two women watching them from outside the gates. "Are those the two?"

Zhang Mingyang nodded. "Yes, the one on the left is the older sister, Xu Yuqing, and the one on the right is the younger sister, Xu Zihan."

Seeing Xu Zihan waving from outside the gate, Bai Muqing understood immediately. "No problem, four people is fine."

With that, she lifted her chin and walked proudly toward the gate, prompting Zhang Mingyang to quickly follow.

As the two drew closer, Xu Zihan finally got a clear look at Bai Muqing's appearance. Judging by the interaction between her and Zhang Mingyang just moments ago, Xu Zihan had already concluded that their relationship was far from ordinary.

Seeing Bai Muqing strutting out with her head held high, Xu Zihan matched her posture, squaring her shoulders as she walked forward to meet them.

"Hey!"

Seeing her younger sister rush forward, Xu Yuqing tried to stop her, but then thought that perhaps this would allow her sister to see the gap between them, which might finally prompt her to give up voluntarily.

The four of them finally met at the entrance.

As soon as they converged, Xu Zihan immediately demanded, "Zhang Mingyang, who is this?"

Zhang Mingyang hurriedly made the introductions. "Oh! Sister Xu, let me introduce you. This is my colleague, Bai Muqing."

Then, turning to Bai Muqing, he introduced Xu Yuqing. "This is the hometown friend I told you about, Xu Yuqing, whom I met at the Moon Palace Base."

"Hello!"

The two shook hands and exchanged polite pleasantries.

"Mingyang, and who is this?" Bai Muqing asked, looking at Xu Zihan.

Zhang Mingyang quickly chimed in, "This is my classmate, Xu Zihan."

"Hello, nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

Unlike her greeting with Xu Yuqing, the handshake between these two was entirely different. They scanned each other from head to toe before narrowing their eyes, each exuding an unmistakable look of disdain.

Sensing the atmosphere turn perilous as he watched the two of them, Zhang Mingyang hurriedly stepped in to diffuse the tension.