Chapter 855: I did expect...
Wu Mengqi fully leaned on the table, after they had lunch together, laying her upper body flatly -as much as it was possible with her chest - face-down.
"Mengqi, didn't you say you were going to train so that time passed quickly?", Ye Ling chuckled, looking at that jelly-like state of this beauty.
"Uuu~... I didn't get enough 'Wu Long skinship time' before he left... I'm out of energy, I can't move...", Wu Mengqi spoke in a listless voice.
"Hahaha, I thought I heard you say that you were going to surprise him with how much progress you made while he was away", Fen Baihu's eyes filled with mischief as she noted, narrowing her eyes that subtly glowed pink, with a side eye to Wu Mengqi, and making an intrigued smile.
"Ah~ it's fi~ne... I have a week...", Wu Mengqi raised one of her lower arms which somehow remained completely relaxed, without changing the rest of her pose, and began slowly flapping the hand back and forth as if in waving motion, "I'll crunch training starting tomor-... the day after tomorrow~..."
"Pfft, I can see her desperately training on the final day", Luo Mingyu chuckled.
"Definitely", Shen Min nodded.
"Who knows? Maybe she will...", Hua Ziyan tried to make a charitable interpretation, "... use three~... or two final days"
But even she could not picture Wu Mengqi doing anything for the first four to five days, causing a burst of laughter from all around, as even Hua Ziyan's charitable defense could not fight truth.
"Ugh~", Wu Mengqi's hand which was 'waving', if it could be so called, stopped midway, and then dejectedly hung.
"Leave her be, will you? It's the first day, and you're all already talking as if we're several days in", Lian Zhiqiu spoke in a tone of voice not dissimilar to Wu Mengqi, resting her cheek on her hand and leaning to the side, her orange-red eyes looking down even when she spoke up, her other hand elegantly bent, moving a small spoon across the small dessert plate which only had the sweet sauce left, drawing some profound symbol which was on her mind by moving the sauce.
"Uuu~ only Sister Zhiqiu understands me~", Wu Mengqi, feeling support raised moved her head to raise her face only.
"Heh, birds of a feather...", Cao Xiang lightly laughed, causing another bout of laughter from all around.
"You're one to talk, Zhiqiu. Weren't you going to make talismans for Wu Long?", Liang Yuhan puffed a cloud of herbal smoke, leaning back into the comfortable chair with crossed legs, one hand resting on the armrest, the other holding the long smoking pipe with delicate fingers.
"He's got enough to last him a while~", Lian Zhiqiu didn't move her eyes from the plate, continuing to draw the symbol, and spoke in absolutely the same tone throughout, "Besides, as Mengqi said we have time~... I'll make some a bit later"
None of them other than Ye Ling noticed that the look in Fen Baihu's eyes got more and more amused as this conversation progressed, but the former simply wryly smiled and let it go.
"Hmm, I wonder if Sister is doing well~...", meanwhile Gong Cui sighed with a concerned look.
"It should be okay, Darling is with her", Hong Ye spoke up, quite unusually showing support. Or rather, it was unusual she was chiming into the general conversation when Wu Long wasn't around, as she usually was more comfortable in smaller conversations with less participants. Though it was understandable since even this assassin beauty could not help but warm up to Gong Cui. Adding, "Not to mention, Sister Yue's there too, she will help Darling ensure everyone's safe"
"Hehe, thank you~", Gong Cui chuckled, truly grateful, though she didn't specify that what she meant by 'doing well' was using the Femme Fatale look and seducing Wu Long.
"Then Fairy Cai Yin should be doing well too", Song Lingfei smiled. She, on the other hand, did understand what Gong Cui meant, and was using the same meaning, rooting for her friend.
"You should be thinking about helping me while I'm being bullied", Wu Mengqi mumbled.
"Haha, wasn't Sister Zhiqiu's support enough?", Song Lingfei lightly laughed.
"Sister Zhiqiu~...", the pitch of Wu Mengqi's voice slightly rose at the end, and then after a slight pause she continued, "...while I am grateful to her for helping me... her support seems to make it worse in anything..."
"Hah! And what is that supposed to mean?", Lian Zhiqiu's eyes finally left the dessert plate, shooting toward Wu Mengqi as she raised her left eyebrow. Though her hand still continued moving, drawing the intricate symbol with sweet dessert sauce.
"Well~... you know~...", Wu Mengqi's spoke in a highly expressive tone, quckly adding, "I did say I was thankful to you... it's just... it's just that everyone knows if it's someone's behavior you endorse that person is lazying around"
"Excuse me!", Lian Zhiqiu exclaimed amid laughter.
"Hahaha, finally someone other than me and Sister Ling has it in them to say that to your face", Liang Yuhan spoke while laughing the loudest, slightly leaning forward from laughing out of her relaxed reclined pose.
"I think in this case it's not really bravery, but simply... Mengqi being Mengqi, hahahaha", Bi Rui laughed, wiping away tears that came out from laughter from the corners of her eyes.
Yu Huan next to her was desperately trying to hold back laughing loudly, silently shaking from laughter with her hand bent to cover her mouth and closing her eyes.
"S-Sister Ling~... ah, wrong person...", Wu Mengqi turned to receive support from somewhere else, belatedly realizing seeking it from Ye Ling was going in the opposite direction from optimal.
Her eyes went to the side, obviously seeking someone more supportive, turned to Feng Yi, and then shaking her head which caused the latter to exclaim "What is that supposed to mean?!", moved further and fell on Wei Lan, "S-sister Lan! I am being bullied here"
"M-Me?", Wei Lan widened her eyes. She certainly had a more elder sister feel to her, which would embrace people with all of their flaws, but it wasn't to the extent she would be jumping in like a defender.
"But Sister Mengqi", Xue Bing spoke in her usual flat tone of voice, causing Wu Mengqi to have goozebumps as she felt a certain premonition whenever this icy beauty spoke, "You are being lazy"
"...", a silence hung in the air for a second, and then even more explosive laughter filled the dining hall of the inn.
Yu Huan's face turned red as she covered her face with both hands, hysterical laughter breaking through that barrier as her whole body shook.
Ye Ling, Nie Xiwang and Sui Luxiao shook their heads with more subtle smiles, sitting next to each other, while the one at the center of all this, Xue Bing was sitting with a deadpan expression.
"I-it's okay... I support you S-Sister Mengqi", suddenly, a gentle voice filled with kindness shocked all the beauties, turning toward Shen Min whose voice was almost unrecognizable in this warm and shy tone.
""Pfft"", Hua Ziyan and Luo Mingyu both covered their mouths, turning to the sides, away from Shen Min sitting between them, bending forward in uncontrollable laughter.
The others then suddenly noticed the color of her eyes was a normal light brown instead of her usual heterochromia, and smiles crept on their faces.
"S-Sister Min! Y-You...! Th-this...!", Wu Mengqi stood up, filled with exasperation, pointing toward Shen Min.
The latter's eyes then changed color, becoming hetero-chromatic again, as she shrugged, "What? I thought you wanted a genuinely supportive voice... I can't do it with my memories intact"
Cao Mei began slowly sliding off her chair, as her Mother covered her face with a palm.
"Hmph, should've picked me to seek support", Feng Yi smirked, crossing her arms as if to say 'it's too late to change your mind now'
"And you would've said she's not just being lazy with a straight face?", Bi Rui chuckled, causing Feng Yi to slightly jolt with unease at imagining that. The former knew that the latter was just paying back for that obvious 'pass' face that Wu Mengqi made when turning from Ye Ling to Wei Lan.
"Alright, alright...", Wu Mengqi made an 'everybody calm down' move with both hands while still standing, her face filling with resolve, as if she made a big decision that required a lot of her, "...I'll start from tomorrow morning"
"Ahahaha.... I can't", Yu Huan began waving one hand from side to side, as if saying 'don't look at me', while covering her mouth with the other and turning to the side in her chair, almost running away from this whole scene.
"W-what?! Tomorrow's like... super fast! I-it's tomorrow!", Wu Mengqi tried to still turn the tide, but the beauties around were too busy laughing to hear her excuses.
"D-don't give up! You can do~ it~!", Gong Cui put both hands near her mouth to shout support that only made others even more hysterical.
"Heh, I did expect it would be harder on me than on you, but it looks like you had a great time instead", and then a voice almost none of them were expecting resounded from the entrance to the room.
"H-Honey!!!"