"Oh really? I never expected it! It's such an honor for our Wei to be able to befriend the Miss of the Wanlan Mountain family. Thank you for your kind attention!"
"Oh no, it's actually us who have always been helped by Uesugi Yui. We are very grateful."
I stood at the entrance, watching Uesugi Setsu in her pajamas and Souren Manranyama in formal attire bowing to each other politely.
To be honest, it's just formalities. What does it mean to bring a suitcase? Are they planning to move into the Wanlan Mountain family?
Well, if they want to move, let them. The guest rooms are empty anyway, and with so many people in the house, a couple more tenants won't make a difference, especially since having more girls around is always a good thing.
To say that I'm surprised by this is not entirely true, but it's only a mild surprise. I already predicted that either Souren Manranyama or Bai Yaxin would disappear from the Wanlan Mountain family when the incident ended yesterday.
I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.
And it was Souren Manranyama who failed.
Her attempt at assassination was countered by her own father.
Well, it's impossible for Souren Manranyama, who didn't even respect her father as a father, to seek his favor in this situation.
One side cannot give and the other cannot accept, such a complicated father-daughter relationship.
"Ah, Zhou Zhou, you're awake? This is the Miss of Wanlan Mountain, Souren Manranyama. Wanlan Mountain is the Wanlan Mountain Corporation. Oh!"
Uesugi Setsu noticed me watching from Souren Manranyama's gaze and hurriedly introduced us.
"Hello, my name is Uesugi Zenzo. Nice to meet you."
I didn't need to look at Souren Manranyama's expression to know that she entered based on the friendship she had established with Uesugi Yui before. So, there's no need for Uesugi Setsu to know the relationship between us.
"Nice to meet you."
Souren Manranyama politely bowed to me and put on a performance in front of Uesugi Setsu as if we had just met.
"Zhou Zhou, the Miss of the Cang Lian family will be staying with us for a few days to experience the life of commoners. You should behave well!"
I see, this is the excuse they used. Experiencing the life of commoners is quite appropriate.
"If there is anything I can help with, please feel free to ask, Miss."
"Yes, please feel free to ask for anything, Xiao Cang Lian."
In this way, under Uesugi Setsu's usual friendly greeting, Souren Manranyama settled into the Uesugi house.
Hey, there's no way it can be summed up in just this short dialogue, right? Uesugi Setsu's way of receiving guests is too warm and casual, isn't it?
There's nothing I can do about it. After all, she's the daughter of Wanlan Mountain.
Besides the usual greetings at the entrance, Souren Manranyama handed a thick envelope to Uesugi Setsu.
I didn't need to look, ask, or guess. I understood. It's probably around 500,000 yen.
Like the saying goes, "By nature, milk is the mother and money is the father." This is what it means to be hard currency.
After this not-so-small incident, nothing else happened. Souren Manranyama and Ban went out to handle their own affairs, and the Uesugi family continued with their daily life.
However, something unexpected happened at school.
After finishing lunch in the cafeteria and walking back to the classroom, I was ambushed by Katagiri Mai.
Speaking of Katagiri Mai, she's truly a peculiar girl.
Compared to Uesugi Yui, no, compared to ordinary people, Katagiri Mai's attitude towards others is much colder and more malicious. Whether it's towards someone like me, who is frivolous and detestable, or towards a kind and friendly teacher, she never shows a good expression, let alone a smile.
There is only one person who is an exception, at least from what I know.
That person is Uesugi Yui.
Katagiri Mai only lets her guard down with Uesugi Yui, and she only becomes a normal girl in front of Uesugi Yui.
Why is that?
Admiration?
If I haven't mistaken, I believe what I see is merely respect.
Katagiri Mai respects Uesugi Yui far more than she respects the school teachers.
Why is that?
Katagiri Mai is such a mysterious girl who constantly piques my curiosity.
No wonder "Ziongzong" loves and hates her at the same time.
In this moment, in the corridor, Katagiri Mai stands in front of me, her expression as icy as "Ziongzong" remembers, as if I owe her a lot of money that I haven't paid back in years, or maybe it's like I stole her underwear and ran around with it on my head.
I don't know which one is worse, but it's just a metaphor, I am innocent.
"Is there something you need, Katagiri-san?"
No one on my left or right, no one in front or behind me. I face Katagiri Mai, who looks at me as if I am her mortal enemy, and I don't know why she waited outside the cafeteria to stop me.
