I Start with a Mysterious Island-Chapter 107: The Feeling of Discovering a New Continent
The early morning sun squeezed through the gaps in the curtains, filtering into the dim bedroom.
On the spacious and comfortable queen-sized bed, a slender, curvy figure lay beneath a thin blanket.
"Mm...?" πππ¦β―πΈπ¦ππππ·β―π.πππ
As if sensing someone softly calling her name, Su Yue, dressed in a light silk slip, murmured faintly and slowly opened her drowsy eyes.
Upon waking, Su Yue saw her mother, wearing her own nightgown, standing by her bed.
She rubbed her eyes and mumbled weakly to her mother, "Mom, why did you come in without knocking?"
"I did knock! But you were sleeping like a little pig, not a peep out of you, so I just let myself in." Zheng Qiuyi couldnβt help but smile at her daughterβs adorably groggy state.
"Mom, what are you talking about? Iβm not a little pig." Still half-asleep, Su Yueβs tone was unconsciously whiny and affectionate.
"Hurry and get up! Iβve made breakfast. Go wash up and come eat with me." Zheng Qiuyi smiled at her daughter before turning and leaving the bedroom.
Hearing that her mom had breakfast ready, Su Yue grabbed her phone from the nightstand to check the time, then threw back the covers and got out of bed.
She let out a big yawn, adjusted the strap that had slipped off her shoulder, then stretched her arms wide for a good, long stretch.
......
After Su Yue and her mother finished breakfast, they left the apartment together.
DING-DONG.
The elevator doors opened, and Su Yue and her mother stepped out, coming face-to-face with an older woman who was returning from her morning grocery run.
"Ms. Zhao, good morning!"
"Good morning," Ms. Zhao, who was in her sixties, replied with a smile. Her gaze shifted to Zheng Qiuyi beside Su Yue. Noticing their resemblance, she asked, "Su Yue, is this your older sister?"
"Hello, Iβm Su Yueβs mother." Mistaken for Su Yueβs sister, Zheng Qiuyi was secretly delighted. The corners of her mouth lifted into an elegant smile.
"Huh?" Hearing Zheng Qiuyiβs words, Ms. Zhaoβs face filled with shock. She couldnβt believe that this woman, who looked to be in her early thirties at most and could pass for Su Yueβs sister, was actually her mother.
"Ms. Zhao, my mom and I have to get going. Weβll chat later!" Su Yue took her motherβs hand and quickly walked toward the buildingβs exit.
Still reeling from how young Su Yueβs mother looked, Ms. Zhao came to her senses and watched their two graceful figures retreat, muttering to herself.
"Su Yueβs mother is so young and beautiful! How on earth does she stay that way? Itβs no wonder she has a daughter as pretty as a flower like Su Yue."
...
"Alright, Iβll be heading back then. Since you say you and Lin Li are just ordinary friends, as for Zhang Xiaohao..."
"Mom..." Seeing her mother was about to bring up Zhang Xiaohao again, Su Yue cut her off. "Donβt worry about it. Iβm going to be late for work. I have to go."
With that, Su Yue started her little electric scooter and rode off in the direction of the flower shop.
"This child..." Zheng Qiuyi watched her daughterβs retreating figure and shook her head helplessly. Although her trip to Rongcheng to visit her daughter hadnβt achieved its intended goal, it wasnβt a complete waste either.
At least sheβd learned that her daughter, who had never shown much interest in boys, was frequently inviting a young man over for dinner. To her, this discovery felt like finding a whole new world.
As for that young man named Lin Li, her daughter had vehemently denied everything and refused to share any information about him, despite her repeated questions.
But as they say, no one knows a daughter better than her mother. She could more or less sense that her daughterβs attitude toward this Lin Li was anything but ordinary.
βI have to tell her father about my new discovery when I get back...β Zheng Qiuyi mused. She then crossed the road and walked toward a luxury sedan parked on the opposite side.
The driver saw Zheng Qiuyi approaching, quickly got out of the car, offered a polite greeting, and held the door open for her.
......
The sun, high in the sky, was truly something else today. With unconcealed fervor, it had forcefully raised the temperature a full three degrees higher than yesterday.
The scorching sunlight baked the recently paved road, causing waves of heat to rise from the asphalt. From a distance, the figures of pedestrians were distorted by the shimmering heat.
Due to the high temperatures, it was no time to worry about appearances. Pedestrians, men and women alike, all had their sun umbrellas open.
Having finished her shopping at the market, Xia Qing carried a bag of vegetables in her left hand and held a black sun umbrella in her right, walking briskly toward the apartment complex where she rented.
The weather today was so stiflingly hot that her chest felt tight, making it hard to breathe.
Tiny beads of sweat continuously formed on her smooth forehead, trickling down her fair cheeks and soaking a small patch of her white t-shirt. Thankfully, she wasnβt wearing dark underwear, or it would have been quite embarrassing.
Just before reaching the Pingβan Garden District, Xia Qing passed a convenience store. Remembering she was out of ice cream at home, she stopped and went inside.
"Miss Xia, buying ice cream for your daughter?" The convenience store owner, a middle-aged man, greeted her enthusiastically the moment he saw her, his eyes lighting up. His gaze, however, was a little improper.
"Mhm," Xia Qing responded noncommittally. After the owner rang her up, she paid and immediately left with her ice cream, walking away quickly.
How could Xia Qing not have noticed the store ownerβs improper gaze? But since he hadnβt done anything out of line, there wasnβt much she could say.
Once inside the complex, Xia Qing quickly ducked into the shade of the large trees lining the path.
"Xia Qing."
A familiar voice came from beside her. Xia Qing turned her head and saw it was her next-door neighbor.
"Lin Li, were you just taking out the trash?" Xia Qing inferred, based on the direction he was coming from.
"Yeah. Just got back from the market?" Having just thrown out his trash, Lin Li glanced at the bag in Xia Qingβs hand and smiled.
"I did! And on the way back, I bought some more ice cream." As she spoke, Xia Qing reached into the ice cream bag, pulled out an ice cream bar, and offered it to Lin Li. "Here, Lin Li, have one on me..."
"Thanks. Itβs boiling hot today, and I was just about to go home and have some ice cream anyway!" Lin Li didnβt stand on ceremony. He took the ice cream bar, thanked her, tore open the wrapper, and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
The two then walked and chatted together, heading toward their building.
......
