Section 280

She did want to.

But she only wanted to get a little closer.

She hadn't thought about doing anything bad at home.

Her little heart thumped rapidly, and her face instantly flushed red.

She looked around.

Her best friend, Xu Hongzhuang, was practicing her Music in the study.

Xu Feiyan was practicing martial arts in the courtyard.

—Safe.

Pursing her lips, Xiao Wanling hesitated for a moment before nodding shamefully.

She picked up the tea set to put on a show.

Together with Xu Hao, she went to the upstairs study.

To get to Xu Hao's study, they had to pass by his daughters' study, which was not far away.

Just as the two of them passed by the daughters' study, Xiao Wanling heard the Music inside stop…

She felt her heart skip a beat.

Please, don't let my best friend come out right now.

As the saying goes—

—what you fear most is bound to happen.

Xiao Wanling and Xu Hao hadn't walked very far.

There was a "click" from the study door.

It was opened from the inside.

Xu Hongzhuang's pleasantly surprised voice rang out.

"Dad, you're back?"

Xiao Wanling froze, her expression shifting through a kaleidoscope of emotions.

Nervousness, fear… and a hidden trace of excitement.

After all, Uncle Xu was her best friend's father.

And she was about to go with him to…

It felt like being caught in the act of seduction.

Just thinking about it made her feel dizzy with excitement.

Fortunately, her back was turned to Xu Hongzhuang.

Otherwise, with Xu Hongzhuang's keen observation skills, she would have definitely noticed that something was off with her best friend.

Xiao Wanling was caught in the thrill of the moment.

Xu Hao, however, calmly turned around and smiled.

"Yes, I'm finished with work. I saw you were practicing, so I didn't want to disturb you."

"How could it be a disturbance? There are still many things I don't understand about the Piano, and I wanted to ask you for guidance, Dad…"

Xu Hongzhuang said it was fine.

Noticing her best friend Xiao Wanling with Xu Hao, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Dad, Wanling, you two are…?"

Xiao Wanling trembled slightly.

She stiffly turned around.

Just as her heart was pounding wildly and she didn't know what to do, Xu Hao spoke up.

"I was going to the study to handle some business. I happened to run into Wanling, who wanted to learn the Tea Ceremony from me, so I had her come along…"

Xiao Wanling's expression returned to normal.

She chimed in.

"Yes, yes! I must learn all of Uncle Xu's Tea Ceremony skills."

Xu Hongzhuang noticed the unnatural look on her best friend's face and felt a bit suspicious.

She felt her best friend was acting a bit strange today.

But she didn't think too much of it and said with a smile,

"Go ahead then. Wanling, make sure to learn well. My dad's Tea Ceremony skills are unparalleled."

"Make some tea for me later, I want to test you…"

Xu Hongzhuang gave her friend some encouragement.

Xiao Wanling immediately promised she would study hard.

Her expression was somewhat strange.

She knew exactly what kind of "learning" this Tea Ceremony lesson with Uncle Xu would entail.

When she brewed tea for her friend later…

…there shouldn't be any strange taste, right?

Bidding farewell to Xu Hongzhuang, the two of them headed to Xu Hao's study.

Stepping inside, Xiao Wanling set down the tea set.

She threw herself into Xu Hao's arms with excitement.

She had almost been discovered by her best friend just now.

She was in desperate need of comfort.

[Ding… Xiao Wanling's emotions are overwhelming her. Emotion Points +888…]

By the time Xiao Wanling finished learning the Tea Ceremony and came out of the study,

it was already close to evening.

The twin daughters, as well as the mistress of the Xu Family, Su Wanqiu, had all returned.

Xiao Wanling also knew about Su Wanqiu's pregnancy.

Facing her, she couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt and shame.

So… she wanted to leave early.

But she was stopped by her best friend, Xu Hongzhuang.

Who insisted that she brew a cup of tea for her to taste, to test how much she had learned.

Xiao Wanling had no choice.

She could only brew tea for her best friend.

By the time her friend finished tasting it, Xu Shiqing and Xu Huayi had already finished cooking dinner.

Now, Xiao Wanling couldn't even find a good excuse to leave.

In the past, she would always head back after having dinner at the Xu Family's home.

If she left today, it would look very strange.

To avoid raising suspicion, Xiao Wanling had no choice but to eat with the Xu Family…

She didn't know if it was just her imagination.

Li Yunshu felt that Uncle Xu's wife, Su Wanqiu, was looking over at her from time to time.

Xiao Wanling felt uneasy in her heart.

She couldn't help but let her mind wander.

Could she have found out about something?

She had clearly taken extra care to tidy herself up when she came out of the study.

She had even put on makeup to cover the blush on her face.

She shouldn't have been found out…

But thinking about it carefully, Xiao Wanling understood.

Her disguise was indeed very good, enough to fool her best friend Xu Hongzhuang and Uncle Xu's other daughters.

They were innocent and inexperienced, so they naturally wouldn't notice anything.

But what kind of person was Su Wanqiu?

She spent every night with Uncle Xu.

She was absolutely highly experienced.