"Are you saying Grandpa won't be alright?" Ma Yan's mother asked, her voice catching.
Listening to her, Mu Anxiao's brow furrowed slightly.
Ma Yan's mother lowered her gaze. "I don't know. The doctor said he doesn't have much time left, but I'm not sure of the specifics." A flicker of sadness crossed her eyes.
Mu Anxiao's frown deepened.
"Don't judge people by their appearance, you know," Feng Qishi nudged Mu Anxiao's shoulder.
Mu Anxiao shot a sideways glance at him. "She's faking it. She's definitely faking it."
"Actually, that girl Ma Yan, she's not bad," Zhang Yan suddenly said.
"You say she bullied Ma Yan, and now you're saying this, what do you mean?" Mu Anxiao harbored a prejudice against Ma Yan and her mother.
"No, I just heard," Zhang Yan said weakly.
"I don't want to talk to you anymore," Mu Anxiao glared fiercely at Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan pursed his lips and exchanged a look with Feng Qishi. They both then pouted, indicating their helplessness with Mu Anxiao.
Just as Mu Anxiao's gaze locked onto Ma Yan's mother's face again, Ma Yan's voice drifted from the old man's room.
"Grandpa, why did you treat me like that?" Ma Yan stood by the bedside, asking.
The old man's eyes were open, fixed on Ma Yan's accusatory expression. He weakly parted his lips, but no sound came out.
Ma Yan looked at his face. "Grandpa, you're just biased. Is it because she studies better than me? You treat me like this. Fine, I promise you today, I won't give Ma Yan a good look from now on."
The old man's eyes widened.
Seeing her grandfather's state, Ma Yan rushed forward and grabbed Ma Yan's arm. "Don't talk to Grandpa like that." She then bent down and gently stroked the old man's chest. "Grandpa, please rest well. My sister is just joking."
Hearing Ma Yan's voice, the old man nodded, closed his eyes.
Ma Yan stifled her tears, stood up, and pushed Ma Yan out of the room.
At the same time, Ma Yan's mother saw this and stepped forward. "What's wrong?"
Ma Yan lowered her head and remained silent.
Worried her grandfather might hear something, Ma Yan closed the door, turned, and said, "It's nothing. My sister just said a few words to Grandpa."
The people in the living room hadn't heard the words clearly, but Mu Anxiao had. She turned and walked to Ma Yan's mother's side, looked at the head-bowed Ma Yan, and snorted coldly.
Zhang Yan and Feng Qishi watched Mu Anxiao's retreating back and both frowned. Feng Qishi said, "Can I say she's just stirring up trouble?"
"You can," Zhang Yan nodded.
Feng Qishi pouted and turned his head, spotting Hu Yuan entering the room.
"Why is he here?"
Zhang Yan said, "I heard his mother received a lot of help from the old timers. It's only right he comes to take a look."
"Indeed," Feng Qishi nodded.
Then, Hu Yuan's mother stepped forward, looking solemnly at Ma Yan's mother and Ma Yan's mother. "How is the old man?"
Ma Yan's mother turned. "He's lying inside. You should go take a look."
"Alright." Hu Yuan's mother agreed, then looked at Hu Yuan, who was staring at Mu Anxiao. "Yuan Yuan, come with Mom to see Grandpa."
"Okay." Hu Yuan nodded, cast one last glance at Mu Anxiao, then walked around them and entered the room.
Mu Anxiao watched Hu Yuan's retreating back as he entered the room, her eyes darkening. She thought, he must have seen me.
Feng Qishi also noticed Hu Yuan's gaze and quickly stepped forward. "He saw you."
Mu Anxiao turned to look at the tense Feng Qishi. "I noticed."
"You absolutely cannot acknowledge him," Zhang Yan said, coming up behind Feng Qishi.
"I know. If I acknowledge him, everything will be disrupted," Mu Anxiao replied.
"Why can he see you?" Feng Qishi asked.
Mu Anxiao's eyes glazed over slightly. "There's no why."
Seeing Mu Anxiao's perfunctory response, Feng Qishi nodded. "Okay, I won't ask you then."
Mu Anxiao sighed and looked at the changing expression on Ma Yan's mother's face. "Standing here for so long without saying a word is really boring."
"The door's open, what else can they say?" Feng Qishi glanced at the ajar door.
Mu Anxiao glared at Feng Qishi again. "You talk too much."
Feng Qishi let out a soft snort.
Zhang Yan said, "There's nothing for us here anymore. Let's go."
"Mhm," Mu Anxiao nodded, glaring at Ma Yan and her mother. "And I didn't want to see them anyway."
Zhang Yan and Feng Qishi raised their eyebrows in unison.
Leaving that place, the three of them arrived by the roadside.
"I say, why did you bring us to yesterday?" Zhang Yan asked.
Mu Anxiao sighed and turned to fix her gaze on Zhang Yan. "My magic follows your memories. Since you kept thinking about today, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself."
"Alas, this memory is too profound," Zhang Yan sighed.
"Let's not talk about other things. I feel like waiting for someone to die like this is a bit unethical," Feng Qishi said, watching the cars pass by on the road.
Mu Anxiao shot a sideways glance at Feng Qishi. "What can be done? Unless you want me to... change things?"
"I was just saying it casually, don't take it to heart," Feng Qishi said, worried Mu Anxiao might cause trouble.
Mu Anxiao sighed and looked left and right. "I brought money."
"What for?" Zhang Yan asked.
Once, Mu Anxiao had been a beggar on the streets, and she detested that feeling of being homeless.
"I don't want to sleep on the streets," she said softly.
"You don't have an ID, you can't check into an inn," Zhang Yan said flatly.
Mu Anxiao's brow furrowed. "This is so troublesome."
"I have a way," Feng Qishi suddenly said.
"What way?" Mu Anxiao asked.
"You can go ask him," Feng Qishi pointed at Zhang Yan with a grin.
Zhang Yan turned to look at Feng Qishi. "Kid, you're too naive. I'm not the kind of good person who does good deeds."
"Go on," Feng Qishi winked at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked at Zhang Yan. "Will you agree?"
"I don't know," Zhang Yan shook his head.
"Isn't that you? How can you not know?" Feng Qishi arrogantly lifted his chin.
Zhang Yan smiled. "Young man, people are always growing. Your thoughts now are completely different from your future thoughts. What do you know?"
"Big brother, you're this old, talking about growing up," Feng Qishi chuckled naively. "Isn't that a bit funny?"
"A person grows throughout their life, what do you know?" Zhang Yan pointed at Feng Qishi's face.
Feng Qishi bared his teeth and smiled, then looked down at Mu Anxiao. "What are you going to do?"
"I believe he will agree," Mu Anxiao said, lowering her head.