Panda Cub – Chapter 45

Remaining silent and withholding information

Upon hearing her request, He Ying’s expression froze, and she carefully observed Jing Dan’s demeanor. She seemed like a cautious little creature extending a tentative paw, ready to retract it at the first sign of rejection.

“Okay,” she responded with a smile.

Upon hearing her agreement, Jing Dan immediately relaxed and even eagerly pulled He Ying to return to their room.

He Ying: “…” What’s with the rush?

She chuckled softly and said, “I want to go back and take a shower first. After I’m done, I’ll come find you, alright?”

However, who knew Jing Dan had misunderstood, and upon hearing He Ying’s words, immediately expressed her willingness to accompany her to take a shower!

Just after saying that, Jing Dan: “…”

He Ying heard her: “…”

The two looked at each other, and ultimately, He Ying was defeated by her gaze, taking Jing Dan back to her own room.

Entering He Ying’s room, the layout was similar to Jing Dan’s. Watching He Ying find her change of clothes and enter the bathroom, and then hearing the sound of water inside, she felt relieved. She quickly went back to her room to get her own pajamas and other things, having decided to take a shower and sleep here with He Ying later!

Later, she heard the sound of water in the bathroom stop, and shortly after, the sound of the door opening. She looked up and met Jing Dan’s gaze, feeling a bit stunned for a moment.

Jing Dan, who had just finished showering, seemed to be enveloped in steam, making her skin blush, like a budding pink lotus flower.

Jing Dan, who was being stared at with such intense eyes: “…”

If she didn’t know that this person never really thought much about anything, she might have wondered what was going on in her mind.

As she watched Jing Dan come out, He Ying started feeling a little despondent. If she went in to take a shower, she wouldn’t be able to see Jing Dan outside!

He Ying looked at her tangled expression, unable to understand what she was doing. She took a towel and wiped her damp long hair, then asked in a soft voice, “What’s wrong with you?”

This person’s behavior tonight was too unusual, and it happened after meeting her mother. She couldn’t help but ponder, wondering if something had happened between the two of them.

Of course, Jing Dan couldn’t tell her. Instead, she took out her phone and placed it in He Ying’s hand, saying, “Can you pass this level for me? I want to continue playing after I finish showering!”

Since she couldn’t see her, she had to find other ways to keep her around!

He Ying: “…”

In the end, Jing Dan went in to take a shower, and He Ying stayed outside, holding Jing Dan’s phone and helping her with the game, finding it a bit amusing.

When Jing Dan came out, she saw that He Ying was indeed still playing the game seriously. She couldn’t help but feel relieved and approached to check her progress, only to find that she was still stuck on the level Jing Dan couldn’t pass.

“…”

He Ying raised her head, calmly handed the phone back to Jing Dan, and lightly coughed, “It’s too late, let’s stop playing and go to sleep.”

As she said this, she couldn’t even look at Jing Dan, getting up to use the hairdryer to dry her hair. Then she lay back on the bed, her expression changing, and her cheeks blushing slightly, but only after turning away from Jing Dan.

She died so many times in that level!

Although she felt a little surprised when she saw it, Jing Dan quickly stopped thinking about it and had no idea what He Ying was really thinking. When she saw He Ying get into bed, she finally felt at ease.

With half a person’s distance between them, Jing Dan lay back, sleeping exceptionally orderly, and gradually drifted off to sleep with her eyes closed.

He Ying, still thinking about her own matters, heard the breathing next to her become clearer and shallower. Then, the person who had been sleeping neatly began to slowly move closer to her, and eventually, hugged her like a hug pillow.

He Ying lightly smiled, a pleasant curve lifting her lips. She was already accustomed to this behavior from Jing Dan after falling asleep. Every time the two of them slept together, no matter how formally Jing Dan lay down before falling asleep, she would always cling to He Ying like an octopus after falling asleep.

As time slipped away and Jing Dan slept deeper, He Ying carefully moved her hand away and then placed her own pillow in Jing Dan’s embrace for her to hold. She then quietly got out of bed and, in a blink, appeared at the door of He Yuan’s room on the second floor.

She gently knocked on the door.

There was no sound from inside, but the space around He Ying momentarily twisted, and when it settled, she was already inside He Yuan’s room.

He Ying was used to this kind of move, so she wasn’t surprised. She entered to find He Yuan sitting on the bay window, staring calmly at the night outside. There was a bottle of wine and two glasses placed beside her.

He Ying walked over, sat across from her, and conscientiously poured wine for both of them from the bottle, without speaking first.

He Yuan’s gaze shifted from the window to He Ying’s face, which bore a resemblance to her own by six parts, but the other four parts filled her with deep hatred.

“Why aren’t you sleeping in your own room?”

He Ying lowered her eyes, picked up a glass of wine, and handed it to He Yuan, saying softly, “There are many things in my room that I don’t want her to see right now.”

He Yuan took the glass of wine, only giving a slight smile without much warmth.

He Ying took a sip of her wine and asked, “What did you talk about back then?”

He Yuan shifted her gaze back to the window and said in a subdued tone, “Didn’t you ask me to help her out?”

He Ying: “…”

“I’ve looked into it and figured out the problem,” He Yuan took a sip of her wine, looking even more weary. She leaned back against the wall, and in a lighter voice, remarked, “Quite a handful, this kid.”

He Ying lowered her eyes and slightly curved her lips in response. With a hint of amusement in her voice, she asked, “So, what’s the specific issue? Can it be resolved?”

He Yuan’s gaze rested on He Ying, revealing the same complexity as when she looked at Jing Dan. “Do you remember when I told you that there’s an extra soul on your body?”

“Heh?” He Ying raised her eyes, having a premonition, and sure enough, as He Yuan continued speaking, it became clear…

“It’s hers.” He Yuan said.

He Ying was completely stunned, staring blankly at He Yuan. Even though she had already guessed, she still found this answer unbelievable. “But, but we… earlier…”

“You should know for yourself why this situation has occurred.”

He Ying fell silent. Of course, she knew, but even knowing, she still found it difficult to believe.

She had already known Jing Dan in their past life? And Jing Dan was willing to let her soul reside in her own body.

After a long silence, she asked, “Can we return the soul to her?”

He Yuan shook her head. “Unless the owner of the soul is willing, no one can extract the soul.”

He Ying remained silent.

He Yuan didn’t pay attention to what she was thinking and continued, “In a few days, it will be that person’s death anniversary. Remember to pay your respects.”

He Ying: “…I know.”

Every time she came back, she always couldn’t help but remind her of this.

Upon hearing He Ying’s answer, she finally showed a sincere smile.

However, He Ying felt suffocated. From childhood to adulthood, she hadn’t received much favor from her. The only time she could get a smile from her was when she went to trample on that person’s grave, and then she would smile at her.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to think about it anymore, and asked, “Since we can’t return the soul to her, but we also can’t let her continue like this, is there any other way?”

“There is,” He Yuan said with half-closed eyes, a tired tone in her voice. “The reason she easily returns to her original form when she’s near you is because her soul on your body hasn’t been nourished enough. When she approaches you, her soul unconsciously expends some of its energy to nourish the strand of her soul on your body.”

And the result is obvious – without enough soul power support, she can only be forced to return to her original form to recuperate.

He Ying smiled lightly. So, in other words, Jing Dan’s soul on her body had been mistreated by her. And indeed, it was mistreated. In the past, not knowing whose soul it was, she had never been willing to spare any extra attention to take care of it.

“So, the solution is for me to nourish this strand of soul. As long as it receives enough nourishment, it won’t have to draw soul power from Jing Dan anymore, right?”

He Yuan nodded. “That’s the idea.”

He Ying’s furrowed her eyebrows slightly relaxed, but soon she asked with some worry, “But even without me, she would still uncontrollably revert to her original form. Is there a solution to this?”

At the words, He Yuan looked up at her and suddenly asked, “You care about her a lot, have you fallen in love with her?”

He Ying was caught off guard by this sudden question, not because of the question itself, but because of the fact that she was asking this question, would she actually care about her feelings?

She lowered her head, and after a long silence, she nodded gently.

In fact, she herself didn’t know at what point her feelings for Jing Dan had changed. But when she became aware of it, she just wanted to be as good to her as possible, and if possible, she could even like herself.

He Yuan casually said, “Bring her to my place tomorrow.”

At the words, He Ying’s eyes lit up, knowing that she had agreed in essence, and couldn’t help but show a sincere smile, saying, “Thank you, Mom.”

Afterward, she accompanied He Yuan for a while, drinking some wine. When it was about time, she got up to leave.

“Why don’t you tell her that you already know her identity?” He Yuan asked from behind.

He Ying smiled lightly, thinking of the person sleeping soundly downstairs, her expression carrying some delight.

“Since she wants to keep it a secret, I’ll play along with her.”

The author has something to say:

If I haven’t updated by tomorrow at 12 o’clock noon, then it will be later in the day. Being a woman is great, but there’s one thing that’s too painful! (Pained expression)