Bai Lianhua ended up ordering some takeaway because mom Hu didn't cook that night. In fact, she actually grabbed two bottles of red wine, sat looking very decadent in the kitchen and drank until she dropped. By the time her food got there, mom Hu was already sleeping on the couch in the sitting room - she was deliberately led there by Bai Lianhua so that she wouldn't hurt her back or neck when she was sleeping. "It's supposed to be parents taking care of children, not the other way round!"
Dad Hu didn't come back at all either and so the next morning, Bai Lianhua had to cook breakfast and then hurry to school otherwise she would be late for self-study!
This was the worst time for her parents to start a cold war because, in a few months, she would have to sit the high school entrance examination and if she failed, she wouldn't be happy seeing as she worked quite hard.
Hu Pingheng sent her a good morning text and the location for camping and Bai Lianhua was relieved that she didn't have to face her cold house later. It would be a change of pace from the rush of studying! But the system still cautioned her: "You just met this Hu Pingheng. You should be a bit more careful and guarded. None of the people who approached you this entire time had pure motives - all of them had schemes behind them. You never know...it's always good to be guarded."
Bai Lianhua fully agreed with this statement. It was because she thoroughly underestimated Wu Chenren's acting skills that her task almost failed earlier. There was no way she would trip up now that 5% of the task was left.
Once she arrived at the school gate, she had to obediently hand in her phone and then enter her classroom. There wasn't much talking or gossiping because most people realised that the exams were nigh and they hadn't studied. So almost everyone was quickly answering past paper questions, asking smart people for explanations and writing exemplar essays for the teachers to mark.
Bai Lianhua also did this and maintained a studious atmosphere. Even though she was a tasker, she didn't want to influence other people's lives and cause them to fail. She thought that she was very different from other taskers in that she didn't want to be worshipped as a goddess. She knew very well in her heart that she was a human being with flaws and she could make mistakes - the world doesn't need to revolve around her.
Having this realisation, her heart settled and she continued working hard.
The system saw that her intelligence points increased while she was doing the task and was shocked! It immediately sent a report to the higher-ups asking for support because this had never happened before!
As the clock kept ticking, Bai Lianhua became more and more excited and her behaviour infected the people around her.
Her deskmate asked her whether anything good had happened and she replied: "Actually, yes, l met my cousin for the first time and he decided to take me camping in the woods! I've never been camping before so I'm really excited!"
Her friends laughed loudly and one couldn't help but ask:" How have you never been camping? Did you not join the girl scouts when you were younger? Or go climbing mountains with your family?" Bai Lianhua pursed her lips and her eyebrows furrowed. 'Of course, I've never gone and neither has Hu Lianhua. She was stuck in the orphanage and then stuck at her adopted parent's house. No one bothered to take her for a holiday and she was desperately studying so that her parents wouldn't take her back to the orphanage.'
Seeing that Bai Lianhua looked slightly sad, another girl elbowed the one who talked and quickly changed the subject to exams. This got everybody talking and they quickly forgot Bai Lianhua's abnormalities.
Finally, it was the end of school and Bai Lianhua rushed out of the door to find Hu Pingheng waiting for her - a car behind him. In it sat a driver and a bodyguard and both Bai Lianhua and Hu Pingheng sat in the back. The car quickly backed out of the school and rushed to Mount Hushan. This was about two hours away from the main city where Bai Lianhua lived.
"Good to see you again Brother Hu!" Bai Lianhua enthusiastically hugged Hu Pingheng and then continued chattering about school, exams and her parents. Hu Pingheng didn't join the conversation much but he did reply with 'mhm' and 'oh' to show that he was listening.
Bai Lianhua wanted him to speak a little more so she asked about his family.
Hu Pingheng smiled and replied: "Actually, l have a brother who is older than me and of course my mom and my dad. My dad is your mother's younger brother and they grew up together in the main house."
When he mentioned his father, Hu Pingheng's eyes shone brightly in admiration and Bai Lianhua was ever so slightly jealous. "So when can l meet your parents then?"
Hu Pingheng blushed and Bai Lianhua didn't understand why he was acting so strangely: "Why are you blushing? Isn't normal for a cousin to meet her aunt or uncle?" Hu Pingheng laughed slightly: "But you're adopted which means l can technically get married to you, you know? Also, when you asked that question, it made it seem like we were about to get married ahaha."
Bai Lianhua put her hand on her forehead and she shook her head: "Cousins can't get married, don't crack jokes with me. Anyways, how long will this car ride be?"
Hu Pingheng shrugged: "It won't take too long - we will be there soon. Did you want something to snack on in the meantime? I have some cupcakes here!" Bai Lianhua took one and munched on it slowly. It was very sweet and strawberry flavoured. The cupcake itself was small so she finished it in about two to three bites.
She looked at Hu Pingheng again and motioned for him to give her more. This time she ate a chocolate cupcake and since it was dark chocolate, it was slightly bitter. Bai Lianhua hurriedly asked for water and Hu Pingheng laughed at her again. "What? I don't like bitter things. Why should l eat bitter things when l can eat sweet things?" She rummaged in her blazer pocket, pulled out a mint sweet and popped it into her mouth.
The guard then told them that they would be at the bottom of the mountain in about 10 minutes.
Bai Lianhua felt a bit sleepy for some reason and she wanted to lie down. She vaguely heard Hu Pingheng telling her to sleep on his lap and then she fell asleep. Hu Pingheng guided her head to his lap and stroked her hair tenderly.
"It's really a pity!"