Chapter 42: Mom and Dad Are Coming Back?

“I took such good care of Linlin and made her feel so comfortable.”

Linlin was walking home. 

Her steps were much slower than when she had come.

Her legs felt weak.

That uncomfortable “stuck between up and down” sensation in her body was still there. 

Although she had splashed cold water on her face, it hadn’t completely subsided.

It felt like something was blocked inside her, making her feel terribly restless.

She took a deep breath and quickened her pace.

Go home, take a shower, and sleep.

She would be fine tomorrow.

When she reached her front door, she spotted someone standing there from afar.

It was Uncle Chen.

The moment he saw Linlin, he quickly walked over to greet her.

“Young Miss, you’re finally back.”

Linlin nodded.

“Uncle Chen, is the phone ready?”

“It’s ready.” 

Uncle Chen took out a new phone from his pocket and handed it to her. 

“The SIM card has been replaced as well. Please check it.”

Linlin took the phone and turned on the screen.

The interface was completely clean.

She opened the contacts list.

It was empty.

She logged into WeChat.

All the chat history was gone.

“Haah~”

She sighed.

Oh well. 

It wasn’t like there were any important people anyway.

“Young Miss,” Uncle Chen spoke again, his expression slightly hesitant. 

“Mr. and Mrs. called earlier.”

Linlin froze.

Mom and Dad?

“They said… they couldn’t reach you, so they called me.”

Uncle Chen paused for a moment.

“They said they will be coming home tomorrow.”

Linlin’s mind went blank.

Coming home?

Mom and Dad were coming home?

She stood there, taking a long moment to process the information.

In her memory, those two had always been traveling outside.

They had been on their honeymoon for over ten years, traveling all over the world. 

She barely saw them a few times a year.

And now they suddenly wanted to come back?

“What… are they coming back for?” Linlin asked subconsciously.

Uncle Chen glanced at her.

“They’re probably worried about you. After all, they couldn’t contact you.”

Linlin fell silent.

Worried?

Her impression of her “parents” only consisted of those blurry images from her memories.

Vague and distant, as if seen through a layer of fog.

What kind of people were they?

Would they be cold?

Would they be like those rich families on TV who barely paid any attention to their children?

Or would they… actually care a little?

“Young Miss?”

Uncle Chen’s voice pulled her back.

“Ah, I understand.” 

Linlin nodded. 

“Thank you, Uncle Chen.”

Uncle Chen looked at her. 

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn’t.

He simply nodded and turned to leave.

Linlin stood at the door, watching Uncle Chen’s figure disappear into the distance.

Then she lowered her head to look at the new phone in her hand.

Empty contacts. 

Empty WeChat.

There wasn’t even a single person she could ask, “What kind of people are my mom and dad?”

“Haah~”

She sighed again.

Whatever.

When they came back tomorrow, she could just ask them directly.

She would deal with the photo issue then as well.

By the time she pushed open the front door, the sky had already darkened.

The light in the entryway was on. 

A’Li was lying on her shoe. 

The moment it heard the door open, the little fox immediately lifted its head.

Its amber eyes stared at her as its tail wagged twice.

Then the small pink fox jumped down and ran toward her.

Linlin bent down, preparing to pick it up.

But A’Li completely bypassed her hands.

It went straight under her skirt.

“Hey—!”

Linlin let out a startled cry as her face instantly flushed red.

She could feel a small, fluffy creature climbing up along her calf. 

Its tiny claws gently gripped her skin as it continued climbing higher… and higher…

It burrowed all the way to the deepest part under her skirt.

Linlin froze completely in place.

“A’Li! What are you doing! Get out here right now!”

She flailed around trying to grab it, but A’Li had gone too deep. 

She couldn’t reach it at all.

She could only feel the fluffy little head nuzzling around near the top of her thighs, its little nose sniffing inquisitively.

Boom.

It had smelled it.