Chapter 328: Linlang’s Turn
Early in the morning, Adele woke up in a daze. She involuntarily tightened her embrace around the soft body in her arms, murmuring “Seraph…” and was about to kiss her. But just then, Adele woke up completely and realized that the person nestled in her arms was Xiao Ai, fast asleep.
“…!” That was close! It was a good thing she opened her blurry eyes and took a closer look. Otherwise, she didn’t know how embarrassed she would be. Although Adele knew that Xiao Ai wasn’t her biological daughter, that they weren’t blood-related, which meant that in the future, it was possible… But Xiao Ai was still so young. If Adele could still develop an “interest” in Xiao Ai like this, then she would be too depraved!
The girl’s drowsiness vanished instantly because of this sudden situation. She tiptoed out of bed and walked downstairs to the bathroom, mentally cursing that stupid angel Seraph who always came and went without a trace, without saying goodbye!
“Seraph, I know you can hear me.”
“You’re an idiot, an idiot!”
“Next time, I’ll make your legs so weak that you can’t run away!” Adele’s temper was always direct, and she spoke to the air with great momentum. Regardless of whether Seraph actually saw all this, it was enough for the girl to vent her frustration.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone, Xiao Ai, left on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes. She hugged herself, sniffing the faint scent of Adele on the sheets, her eyes showing a hint of disappointment and regret. Why can the angel sister…but I can’t? I’m so unwilling.
She narrowed her eyes and softly called out “Mama…”, imagining what Adele and Seraph had done last night after she turned around. But for the little girl, it was a completely blank area. If only Mama could teach her… Xiao Ai had a certain confidence that she could learn and do it no worse than anyone else.
After washing up in the bathroom, Adele noticed a message on her phone. The girl curiously lit up the screen and, seeing the familiar nickname “Linlang,” her eyes instantly brightened. It was, of course, her classmate, Tang Linlang, who came from a family of vampire hunters. After going to the vampire territory for the holidays, Adele hadn’t seen her for many days and missed her dearly. As for Tang Linlang, she was even more lonely.
She had finally looked forward to Adele’s return through other means. She even gently gave the girl a day to rest and recover, instead of disturbing her. And after the day ended, in the early morning when Adele should have woken up, she couldn’t wait to send a greeting message.
Tang Linlang’s kindness towards Adele was always like this, subtle and silent. Adele might never notice. But she didn’t need Adele to notice.
Linlang: Good morning, Adele.
Linlang: It’s a bit cold today, stay warm.
Linlang: If you’re free, can we have dinner together tonight?
Linlang: You choose the place, anywhere is fine, or you can come to my house…I’ve been learning to cook recently.
Linlang: I even bought a new apron.
The girl’s messages came one after another, making Adele’s eyes spin. But soon, she stopped, seemingly worried that her excessive enthusiasm would bother Adele. Adele held her phone, her heart warmed. She gently tapped the soft keyboard with her slender fingers to reply to the girl’s messages. It was worth mentioning that Adele was a firm believer in the 26-key keyboard.
Adele: I’m free, of course I’m free!
Adele: Hehe, the food Linlang makes, Linlang~ must be delicious!
Tang Linlang was currently in the kitchen, pouring fresh milk into her glass with one hand and holding her phone in the other, her gaze shifting back and forth. She didn’t want to miss any message from the girl. And her wish came true. When she received Adele’s reply, Tang Linlang’s heart raced, especially seeing the sentence “Linlang~ must be delicious!” The girl’s feelings couldn’t be described with words. Was Adele talking about the food, or something else? But no matter what, Tang Linlang…would let the girl have a good taste.
Ugh, the milk, the milk is overflowing! The girl panicked, but she managed to handle it and then replied to Adele’s message.
Linlang: Then…when should we meet? Every minute and every second of Tang Linlang’s time could belong to Adele. She didn’t have many friends, due to her family’s decline and her identity as a descendant of vampire hunters. Only after meeting Adele did she finally understand what friendship meant. Although now, this friendship had long since evolved into…love that she yearned for day and night.
Adele: At noon, come to my dorm.
Adele: Remember to bring your student ID, otherwise the guard will stop you.
Linlang: Are you planning to make lunch yourself, Adele? The girl was looking forward to tasting Adele’s cooking. But after sending this message, Adele’s expression became a bit awkward.
Adele: Ahem, maybe…takeout.
Adele: My cooking skills…let’s just say I don’t have any.
Adele: But I can cook rice! Meaning, wash the rice and use a rice cooker.
Linlang: Then the rice Adele cooks must be fragrant. Tang Linlang didn’t dislike the girl’s lack of life skills and still praised her. Adele scratched her hair on the other end, “Ehehe.”
Adele: Gotta go, I’m making breakfast. Clearly, in Adele’s mind, making breakfast, like frying an egg or cooking noodles, couldn’t be considered cooking.
Linlang: Okay~ Their conversation ended there.
Adele went to the kitchen and started bustling about. At some point, the petite girl with black hair and pink eyes came to the kitchen door. As she leaned against the doorframe and looked into the kitchen, Adele’s graceful figure in the light instantly captured the girl’s full attention.
What a beautiful scene. The rising sun, like snowflakes, shone through the kitchen window, falling on the girl’s hair and shoulders. As the girl wielded the spatula, the light seemed to dance. Anyone would be instinctively attracted to such a girl. If it were a wandering spirit, it would also innocently imitate her appearance when taking form, right?
Of course, Xiao Ai didn’t know what she was. A lonely ghost, or a spirit born in the Blood Secret Realm? Since her birth in the Blood Secret Realm, her consciousness had been vague and blurry, with only the instinct to distinguish between good and evil, and to escape and hide. The vampires who entered the Secret Realm were all bad, especially the True Ancestors. They stole power that didn’t belong to them. But one True Ancestor was an exception. She voluntarily returned the stolen power to the Secret Realm. She was True Ancestor Xina.
During this time, Lady Chen Xi would hold a private memorial service for her. And Xiao Ai vaguely remembered that she was born the moment True Ancestor Xina returned the power. To be precise, she was originally just a formless spirit. But when Xina returned that drop of God’s blood to the Secret Realm, Xiao Ai gained a body, the petite form she had now. She wasn’t the thirteenth drop of God’s blood, but she was born because of that drop of God’s blood.
And at that time, she had never seen Adele, but she took on the exact same appearance as Adele when she was young. No one knew what this meant. Xiao Ai didn’t know either. But when she sensed Adele’s existence from the Secret Realm, she finally found the meaning of her life. To live was for Adele!
Then everything that followed happened. Xiao Ai accidentally became Adele’s daughter. Because she found that the moment she saw Adele, the only sound she could make was “mama,” so she called out. Adele, being careless, readily accepted it.
“Xiao Ai~ what are you peeking at?” Although Adele had noticed the little one’s burning gaze early on, she just hummed a tune casually, not paying much attention. It wasn’t until she finished frying the eggs and was about to put them on a plate, adding soy sauce, that she called out.
“…Looking at…beautiful Mama.” She could already use most everyday language, including the names of all the furniture and appliances in this dorm. Adele and First Snow had taught her these in one day. As they said, nothing was impossible for a willing heart. And Xiao Ai was inherently intelligent.
Adele suspected that even if she gave Xiao Ai a dictionary and let her figure it out on her own, while a day might be too much, in a week or a month, she might actually learn everything in the dictionary.
Adele blushed. She was still the same, easily flattered.
“Not really~ just average beauty, there are many more beautiful than me.”
“Like your Aunt Hermione, Aunt Dorothy…” Adele wanted to be modest, but Xiao Ai didn’t listen, stubbornly murmuring, “Mama is the most beautiful, bad women are not beautiful…”
“Eh, why are they bad women?” Adele asked curiously.
“…” Xiao Ai didn’t answer. But in her heart, she was saying, They steal my Mama, so they are bad women. Although Xiao Ai was unfamiliar with this world and had no common sense, she shouldn’t have a sense of morality. But she cleverly realized that with Adele’s attitude towards her, she shouldn’t express her feelings for her mother. Otherwise, it might create an irreparable rift between them. And because of this, she seemed to be naturally a step behind other girls, those girls who had a close relationship with Mama. But Xiao Ai chose to work hard silently, to catch up with them one day, and subtly make Mama accept her…and accept her care and love.
“Can you take the milk out of the refrigerator and pour it into glasses?”
“Mm…okay.” Xiao Ai volunteered. She opened the refrigerator, stood on tiptoe, and took out the milk carton with her small hands. Then she took two transparent glasses from the cupboard and placed them on the counter, which was only slightly lower than herself. She struggled to open the cap and carefully poured two glasses of milk. Finally, she didn’t put the milk back in the refrigerator, but turned to Adele and asked, “Mama, should I add milk to Sister First Snow’s bowl too?”
“Eh~ you actually care about First Snow? Sure, go ahead~!” Adele’s expression bloomed like a flower, showing surprise and joy. Nothing was more comforting than a well-behaved and polite child. And the “bowl” Xiao Ai mentioned was the water bowl used by First Snow in her cat form, upstairs in Adele’s bedroom.
After getting permission, Xiao Ai padded upstairs, added milk to First Snow’s bowl, and added a bowl of cat food. Then she left the bedroom, returned to the kitchen, and put the milk back in the refrigerator.
Adele also brought the toast, golden fried eggs, and two glasses of milk from the kitchen to the dining room.
“Xiao Ai, come and have breakfast.”
“What kind of jam do you like, strawberry or blueberry?”
“Strawberry, meow.”
“Pfft, why are you imitating Sister First Snow?”
“That privilege belongs to Mama, meow!” Adele was really something. She had never seen a “Mama” competing with a child for the right to act cute. But she quickly waved her hand and said with a smile, “Just kidding, Xiao Ai is so cute when she meows, meow again!”
Hearing this, Xiao Ai’s eyes lit up. The next moment, she clenched her small hands into fists, raised them to her cheeks, and imitated First Snow’s voice, “Meow meow~”
Adele covered her nose. She felt her HP instantly drop to zero! Was this the power of a soft and cute little loli!? Crap…if this goes on…I might fall for Xiao Ai! And Xiao Ai looked almost exactly like her younger self. Rounding up, she was falling for her childhood self! This is so messed up, even a pervert would find it perverted!
A faint smile, like a fox’s, appeared on Xiao Ai’s lips. It seemed she had sensed her mother’s current feelings through mind-reading. But she didn’t continue to act cute or do anything unnecessary. Too much sweetness would eventually be noticed and disliked.
Adele blushed slightly, picked up a slice of toast, and spread a layer of strawberry jam on it with a small spoon before handing it to Xiao Ai. The bread was ordinary sliced bread, but because it was freshly toasted, it was soft and fluffy, emitting a warm fragrance. Coupled with the sweetness of the strawberry jam, Xiao Ai ate it with relish. And in front of her, there was also a perfectly golden fried egg waiting for her. The fried egg didn’t need salt, just a little soy sauce after it was cooked was enough.
The mother and daughter’s breakfast passed by simply and unpretentiously. When they returned to the bedroom, they found a little kitty in the corner, who had come without notice, licking the milk in her bowl, “Lick, lick, lick~”.
Adele came to First Snow’s side, squatted down, and gently petted her.
“Meow~” First Snow turned around and meowed cutely at her, milk stains on her white whiskers, looking adorable.
The rest of the day was no different from usual. First Snow and Xiao Ai played games, and Adele played on her computer, checking if the game console she ordered yesterday had arrived. It was like a different world version of the Switch. The girl bought three at once, just enough for First Snow and Xiao Ai to play online together, or to play party games when there were more people. After all, with Adele’s current dorm conditions, there probably wasn’t enough space for multiple computers. But the room Sharon had lived in could also be used. Adele just needed to ask Sharon.
Adele acted very generously, showing off in front of First Snow and Xiao Ai. But no one knew that she was actually spending Celeste and Tang Linlang’s money! As for whose money specifically, Adele had too many cards now, she didn’t know, anyway, they all had a lot of money…
Just like that, the holiday leisurely passed until noon. With the sound of a crisp doorbell, Adele’s eyes lit up. She knew who it was, Linlang! The next moment, the girl ran downstairs in her socks, forgetting to put on her slippers. She didn’t forget to turn around and say to the stunned First Snow and Xiao Ai, “I’m going to get a friend!”
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