Chapter 190: A Trip to the Museum.
Chapter 190
"Daddy, Mommy, where are we going?"
"We're going to the museum. There are lots of things you've never seen before!"
Hua Lingzhi blinked her big eyes in anticipation. "Will Qianqian, Gu Luo, and Xiao Yi be going too?"
"Of course!"
"Yay! Then drive faster, Daddy!"
Hua Wuyou smiled and asked playfully, "Lingzhi, Daddy wants to ask you, who do you like the most - Qianqian, Gu Luo, or Xiao Yi?"
Hua Lingzhi tilted her head, contemplated for a moment, then answered, "I like them all."
"Haha..." Xia Miaomiao laughed. "So young, yet she balances the affections so well."
"But I like playing with Qianqian the most!" Hua Lingzhi added.
"Why is that?" Xia Miaomiao asked.
Hua Lingzhi smiled, "Because she's a girl, and she's prettier than the girls in our class. She also protects me, and Gu Luo and Xiao Yi like her too!"
Hua Wuyou and Xia Miaomiao couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.
Indeed, even children are drawn to good looks!
In the blink of an eye, a few years had passed, and the children of the sisters had grown up slowly.
Gu Luo was eight years old, the oldest among them. Qianqian was six, while Hua Lingzhi and Xiao Yi were both over four, with Hua Lingzhi being the youngest, a few months younger than Xiao Yi.
Interestingly, except for Su Mo, the other three sisters had given birth to boys.
One could imagine how popular Qianqian was among these little kids.
Today, the sisters had planned to take their children to the museum together.
Gu Zhi and Sang Li arrived at the museum first, waiting at the entrance. They were snuggled up together, whispering sweet nothings. Even after all these years, their affection for each other remained as strong as ever.
Meanwhile, Gu Luo stood nearby, his face expressionless and cold.
They never expected the once adorable little Luo Luo to grow up to be such a quiet and aloof boy.
But it was not entirely surprising, as his mother Sang Li had a similar personality when she was young. He must have inherited it from her.
At that moment, Su Mo and Bai Yichen arrived as well.
"Here comes Mo Mo."
When Gu Luo saw Qianqian, his previously cold expression seemed to soften a bit.
Qianqian immediately ran over and warmly grabbed Gu Luo's hand. "Gu Luo, when did you guys arrive?"
"Just now," Gu Luo replied, glancing at her bandaged hand. "What happened to your hand?"
"Oh, this? I just got a little scratch while practicing martial arts!" Qianqian lifted her hand to show him.
Gu Luo took out a few cartoon-patterned band-aids from his pocket and handed them to Qianqian. "Here, for you."
"Wow, these are so cute! It's my favorite cartoon!" Qianqian exclaimed, beaming.
Knowing that Qianqian often got scratches from practicing martial arts, Gu Luo had bought these band-aids at school a while ago but hadn't given them to her until now.
This chapter upload first at NovelUsb.Com
"Gu Luo, you're so sweet. Why don't I become your wife in the future? After all, our parents are such good friends, and they say we're childhood sweethearts!" Qianqian said cheerfully.
Gu Luo gave her a sidelong glance. "You say that to Hua Lingzhi and Xiao Yi too."
"Then we can all be together! I love playing with you guys," Qianqian laughed.
Gu Luo didn't bother responding and looked in another direction. "Hua Lingzhi and Xiao Yi are here."
Qianqian followed his gaze to see Hua Lingzhi running over, holding a toy and shouting, "Qianqian, Gu Luo!"
Xiao Yi followed at a slower pace, his demeanor more gentle.
"Big brother, big sister, these are gifts for you!" Hua Lingzhi handed each of them a toy.
The four children began chattering excitedly.
The sisters watched their children, feeling nostalgic.
"Time flies so fast. I can't believe they've all grown up so quickly."
"Qianqian is truly the darling of the group. All the kids adore her!"
Su Mo laughed, "Well, none of you gave birth to a daughter!"
Xiao Han chuckled, "Don't be too happy. What if she gets swept away by a handsome boy in the future?"
Bai Yichen frowned. "Mo Mo, Qianqian is growing up. We should warn her about the dangers of society."
Su Mo laughed, "What are you worried about? She's been surrounded by three handsome boys since childhood. Will her standards be low?"
"If all else fails, my Gu Luo is a pretty good option - they're childhood sweethearts who know each other inside out," Sang Li joked.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"By the way, I've always been curious," Hua Wuyou said suddenly. "You girls are of different ages and have contrasting personalities. How did you become friends?"
The four sisters exchanged glances and smiled.
They were indeed of different ages, making it seem unlikely for them to get along.
They had actually met during a trip. At that time, Xia Miaomiao had just graduated from high school and was on a graduation trip.
At a scenic spot's ticket office, Xia Miaomiao was groped by an old man due to the large crowd.
Being timid, she didn't dare to confront him and tried to distance herself. But the man seemed to notice her meekness and became more emboldened, approaching her and even trying to take photos of her legs with his phone.
Xia Miaomiao was terrified. Suddenly, Su Mo pulled her into an embrace and, without a word, gave the man a fierce kick.
"What a creep, daring to harass a girl right in front of me?"
"Nice kick!" came Xiao Han's voice from the crowd.
The man fell to the ground, and when he tried to retaliate against Su Mo, he proved no match for her strength. Su Mo kicked him to the ground, and he resorted to feigning injury, demanding compensation from Su Mo and Xia Miaomiao.
Bystanders began criticizing Su Mo, until Xia Miaomiao mustered the courage to explain that the man had groped her and tried to take inappropriate photos.
The man refused to admit his wrongdoing, but then Xiao Han stepped forward, confirming that she had witnessed his actions from behind.
As they argued, the police suddenly arrived.
The man tried to flee, but it was too late. However, he still wouldn't admit to harassing Xia Miaomiao.
"Who called the police?" an officer asked.
"I did," Sang Li came forward and showed the video on her phone to the officer.
After viewing the video evidence, the police immediately arrested the man, while the sisters were taken in for statements.
The man was eventually detained for seven days.
Su Mo gave Sang Li a thumbs up. "Thank you, sister. If not for your video, we wouldn't have been able to prove that scumbag's guilt!"
Sang Li smiled, "People like him have already considered the consequences when committing such acts. As long as he denies everything, the police can't do much. So I recorded the evidence as soon as I saw him."
"Wow, you guys are all so amazing!" Xiao Han exclaimed. "Sister, those kicks of yours really won my heart!"
"Thank you so much, sisters," Xia Miaomiao bowed to them, her eyes reddening. "Please allow me to treat you all to a meal."
Su Mo smiled at her. "No need to be so formal. We were just doing the right thing by helping a sister in need. Since we're all here for travel, why don't we form a group together?"
"Sure, I'm in!" Xiao Han agreed.
"Count me in too," Sang Li smiled.
Xia Miaomiao nodded enthusiastically.
And so, the bond between the four sisters began.
...
Inside the museum, the sisters once again stood before the exhibit showcasing ancient books.
The four men couldn't help but be surprised when they saw the ancient book.
"This... isn't it a treasure map? How did it end up here?" Hua Wuyou asked in disbelief.
"This ancient book is what allowed us to travel to your world," Xia Miaomiao explained.
Suddenly, a faint yellow glow emanated from the ancient book, and a small figure appeared above it.
"It's that old man!" Su Mo exclaimed immediately.
"Uncle... Shui?" Gu Zhi asked uncertainly.
"Young Gu, long time no see..." Uncle Shui stroked his beard.
"Is it really you?" Gu Zhi asked, somewhat surprised.
Su Mo hooked her arm around Bai Yichen's, smiling and waving at Uncle Shui, "Old man, thank you for bringing my Bai Yichen back to me! Next time, I'll donate some money to the museum so they can mount you!"
Just then, a few children ran over, interrupting them, "Daddy, Mommy, who are you talking to?"
When everyone looked back at the ancient book, the figure and yellow glow had disappeared.
"Eh? There's a book here, what a strange book," Hua Lingzhi said, peering at it closely.
"Yup, not as good as my picture book!" Qianqian declared.
"As ancient as Mommy's precious medical book," Xiao Yi remarked.
Xiao Han's medical book was a gift from Xiao Zimuo, so it was indeed very old.
Gu Luo leaned in to take a look too and suddenly asked, "Daddy, Mommy, what does this book say?"
Sang Li and Gu Zhi exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
"It speaks of destiny."
The destiny that bound them all together.
- The End -
Finally finished!
I started writing this novel around February of this year. At that time, I had just become pregnant without realizing it until I found out in March.
My husband and I went to the same university. We got to know each other during our senior year and started dating. After graduation, we continued working together, never separating. We accompanied each other for five years before entering the palace of marriage.
However, we had been married for two years without conceiving a child. So when I discovered I was pregnant, I was quite happy.
But the morning sickness was brutal! Wuu wuu wuu.
For the first four months of my pregnancy, I spent most of the time battling morning sickness. I could only write a little when I felt slightly better.
As the readers who have been following my updates from the start know, my updates became irregular and unstable from April onwards.
My husband initially wanted me to stop writing, but I felt that since I had already started the novel, I had to finish it properly, no matter how slow the progress.
Due to my irregular updates, some readers may have dropped the book. But I'm still very grateful to those who patiently waited for my updates. Although the book's data was never great, seeing your requests for updates motivated me to keep writing.
Now, about this novel itself.
The personalities of the four female leads were set in stone from the beginning when I outlined the story. Since there were four of them, each had their own strengths and flaws.
This way, each character had room to shine and no one overshadowed the others.
Su Mo is a rich young lady with impressive martial arts skills, which is why she fears neither heaven nor earth. She's outgoing and passionate, easily infecting those around her with her enthusiasm. However, she lacks cunning and often turns to Sang Li for advice when faced with indecision. She likes men but values her sisterhood more.
Sang Li is highly intelligent, skipping grades from a young age. At twenty-five, she had already achieved a successful career. She has experienced more than her fellow sisters, resulting in independent thinking and a knack for considering the long-term consequences. She makes her own decisions without relying on others and knows exactly what she wants, rarely wavering. This personality trait has its pros and cons.
Xia Miaomiao is a gentle, timid girl who avoids trouble. Having been sheltered since childhood, she hadn't experienced the harsh realities of society until the incident with Qin Shi forced her to mature.
Xiao Han is a blunt and straightforward tomboy who pays little attention to her appearance. Her direct personality means she can't hide her thoughts, like when she unintentionally revealed the matter between Bai Yunxin and Li Wenxuan or called people over after discovering Bai Laoye's death. While this garnered criticism, it also facilitated her relationship with Xiao Zimuo since they played the honesty game, leading to smoother progress than the other couples.
Their imperfections provoked some criticism from readers, which I tried to address in the author's note and book reviews. However, most readers understood and were rational.
As for the romance plotlines, having four couples meant they couldn't all be written in a singular manner.
If every couple's relationship was smooth-sailing and filled with sweetness, with everyone playing the honesty game, it would have been too dull.
So Su Mo's relationship line would be relatively more tortured due to Wu Ying's identity issues.
Sang Li's relationship line would also face difficulties due to her personality and tendency to overthink things, making her path with Gu Zhi less than smooth.
These two couples' relationships, introduced earlier, would naturally be more complex. In contrast, Xia Miaomiao and Xiao Han's romance lines were designed to be relatively lighter and sweeter later on.
This was only possible because Su Mo and Sang Li had already laid the groundwork. If Xia Miaomiao or Xiao Han had met their partners immediately after crossing over, they wouldn't have dared reveal their identities right away since they hadn't figured out their situation yet. Only after finding the first treasure map and understanding their circumstances did they feel safe enough to be honest.
Of the four couples, some were sweet, some were tortured, preventing monotony.
Perhaps each reader had their favorite couple.
But as the author, these four couples were equal in my heart, with no favoritism.
The differing levels of smoothness in their relationships were simply dictated by the needs of the plot.
I love all four male leads too, hahaha.
Wu Ying appears cold on the outside but is a bit of a tsundere at heart (only towards Su Mo). Su Mo spoiled him, amplifying his possessive streak. He's a true man of action, remembering every offhand remark Su Mo makes and giving a sense of security.
Gu Zhi seems like an innocent puppy but is actually quite cunning. He's not a pure good guy either, showing no mercy to those he dislikes, as we saw in how he treated Caina's family and the modern Gu family. He only submits to his beloved sister.
Hua Wuyou appears to be a philandering playboy but is actually a kind and warm person, which is why he founded the Wuyou Palace to help those who were abandoned. Having experienced the rain himself, he wants to provide shelter for others, and Xia Miaomiao was his healing.
Xiao Zimuo gives off a graceful, gentlemanly air in his white robes, but as Xiao Han said, he's really just a scholarly rascal, hahaha. He has a bit of a scheming side, seeing through everything, which facilitated his smooth relationship with Xiao Han. He's also the oldest of the four male leads.
With the four female leads each having different personalities and the four male leads equally distinct, there are different tastes to cater to. I can't please every reader, but I did my best.
If you didn't enjoy the book, just quietly drop it. There are thousands of free novels out there - you're bound to find one you like eventually.
As I'm writing this, I'm already over 6 months pregnant. Time really flies! In just over 3 more months, I'll be giving birth to my little one. (But I still haven't decided on a name for my baby, ugh this is such a headache hahaha, choosing a name is really so difficult!)
Finally, I hope all you dear readers will have bright futures ahead, surrounded by the best girl friends, and find your own perfect other half on the journey of life!
Mwah~
Hope we'll meet again in my next book!