The Zongzi Spirit and the Midnight Drive

– No problem at all! Absolutely no problem! – Qin Xiyao picked up her phone and replied almost instantly.

– Oh, in that case, that’s good then. –

Watching the video call request from Bai Muxue flash on her phone, Qin Xiyao instinctively reached to accept it.

Yet, as her fingertip hovered over the screen, a flicker of hesitation stirred within her.

‘Why is Xiaoxue calling me now?’

‘And she said, “typing isn’t convenient…”‘

‘Could it really be that she dislikes me?’

‘Were her earlier words just polite pleasantries?’

‘Is this video call the true purpose?’

Moreover, if it’s a video call…

She pursed her lips, her gaze falling to the thin nightgown she was wearing, a hint of indecision clouding her pretty face.

‘Should I perhaps primp and dress up a bit?’

‘Is it really appropriate to video call Xiaoxue dressed like this?’

‘Will she think I’m the type of girl who’s too casual and doesn’t care about her appearance?’

The already restless girl found her mind utterly blank in that moment.

But there’s no time to put on makeup now…

Qin Xiyao’s gaze swept from her wardrobe to her dressing table, finally settling on the duvet on her bed.

‘There’s no other way!’

Her thoughts still swaying wildly, she quickly scrambled onto the bed, wrapping her entire body in the duvet, layer after layer, until she resembled a zongzi (TL Note: A traditional Chinese sticky rice dumpling, typically wrapped in bamboo leaves), with only her small head peeking out.

‘Ugh, no, this looks really strange…’

Staring at her slightly comical reflection in the mirror, and hearing the persistent ringing, Qin Xiyao’s heart grew increasingly flustered.

‘Never mind, this will have to do! It’s better than Xiaoxue thinking I’m a casual girl, right?’

In the silent room, Qin Xiyao could hear her own heartbeat with startling clarity.

As if steeling her resolve, she took a deep breath, then with trembling fingertips, she accepted the video call.

The video call connected.

What greeted Bai Muxue’s eyes was none other than Qin Xiyao, wrapped up like a zongzi.

– Pfft! –

Upon seeing the “zongzi” before her, the coffee Bai Muxue had just taken a sip of nearly sprayed from her mouth.

Choking, she began to cough violently.

– Hey, hey, are you alright, Xiaoxue? – Qin Xiyao quickly asked, her voice filled with concern.

– Cough, cough, no, I’m fine… –

Bai Muxue, still a little flustered, waved her hand dismissively as she reached for a tissue to wipe her mouth.

‘Who among my friends could understand this?’

‘Seeing a zongzi spirit (TL Note: A playful term implying someone is wrapped up like a zongzi, often used for comedic effect) suddenly pop up in a video call in the middle of the night—whose fault is it if someone gets scared to death?’

She patted her somewhat flat chest, and it took her a good while to recover her composure.

– Cough, cough, wha—Xiyao, why are you wrapped up in a duvet like that…? –

At her words, Qin Xiyao flinched, her head retracting a little further into the covers.

She awkwardly averted her gaze, – Ah haha, I just finished showering, and it’s a bit cold… –

‘Cold?’

Bai Muxue’s lips twitched as she switched out of the call to glance at the weather forecast.

—Indeed, it was 34°C today.

‘Is there something wrong with you, or is there something wrong with me?’

Nevertheless, Bai Muxue couldn’t be bothered to delve into Qin Xiyao’s little thoughts.

She let out a soft sigh, her gaze falling upon the other girl’s hair, a slight frown creasing her brow.

– Why haven’t you dried your hair? –

Hearing the slightly reproving tone in Bai Muxue’s voice, Qin Xiyao’s heart fluttered with panic.

She found herself unable to meet the other girl’s eyes.

– N-nothing, it’s fine, it’ll just air dry later… –

In truth, she had already towel-dried her hair, but hadn’t yet used a hairdryer.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, facing this youthful girl, Qin Xiyao couldn’t muster any desire to argue.

– Letting it air dry won’t do; you really should blow-dry it properly, or you might get sick. –

Tang Xingwan, that girl, used to be the same way.

After showering, she’d run into her room without drying her hair or body, and blast herself with the air conditioner…

It nearly sent my blood pressure soaring.

Past experience caused a slight, displeased frown to appear on Bai Muxue’s small face.

Her tone, though clearly serious, combined with her youthful appearance, made it genuinely difficult to feel nervous.

‘Perhaps that’s why Xiaoxue prefers wearing mature makeup…’

‘But Xiaoxue without makeup is clearly even cuter…’

– Speaking of which, child disappearance cases have been increasing lately, Xiyao, you should be careful… –

Watching Bai Muxue in the video, her face delicate and pretty, as she transitioned from the importance of drying hair to the necessity of being safe when living alone, Qin Xiyao’s gaze grew momentarily unfocused.

She was so incredibly cute, yet her words were so mature; it truly gave one the impulse to… hold her close and squish her into a ball.

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Qin Xiyao pressed the screenshot button on her phone several times in quick succession.

– Xiyao… Xiyao?? –

Seeing Qin Xiyao’s gaze grow increasingly blank, Bai Muxue puzzledly glanced down, surveying herself.

—Her dress was perfectly in place, her straps hadn’t slipped, and there was nothing messy around her mouth.

‘Why was she making such a strange expression?’

‘No matter how strange, it couldn’t be worse than a zongzi spirit, could it?’

– Eh, it’s nothing, nothing at all, ah haha… –

Qin Xiyao snapped back to reality, her small face flushing crimson.

To mask her embarrassment, she offered a perfunctory laugh.

– Never mind, as long as Xiyao is happy… –

Bai Muxue paused slightly, as if deep in thought, or perhaps hesitating.

After a considerable moment, she finally spoke, her voice soft and measured: – Xiyao, about what happened this morning, I’m truly sorry… –

– However, I genuinely haven’t thought about those things, nor will I in the future. –

– While this might hurt you, Xiyao, I must make myself clear. –

She pressed her lips together, articulating each word distinctly: – It would be better if we remained friends for now. –

Qin Xiyao gazed at Bai Muxue in the video, a tremor passing through her at the sight of those clear, bright eyes.

Yet, at that moment, she hadn’t truly absorbed Bai Muxue’s words, merely picking out a few keywords.

‘Friends.’

‘“For now” friends.’

‘‘Friends?’’

‘‘Indeed, perhaps it’s a little too soon to discuss anything more.’

‘Starting as friends wouldn’t be too abrupt, would it…?’’

‘‘There’s still a very, very long time ahead; there’s absolutely no need to rush things…’’’

‘Besides, since Xiaoxue doesn’t dislike me, then there’s no need for me to be so secretive, is there?’

As if a realization had dawned upon her, the girl, who had been muttering to herself, slowly relaxed her previously tense emotions.

The smile on her pretty face became much more natural.

– Yes! Xiaoxue is right! Friends it is! –

– So I really don’t want to hurt Xiyao’s feelings… huh? –

Bai Muxue, who had been carefully formulating her words, trying to express herself reasonably without hurting Qin Xiyao, couldn’t help but freeze at the sight of that radiant smile on the other side of the video call.

‘Is, is that really what she understood?’

‘Did she truly grasp my meaning?’

Bai Muxue blinked her eyes in bewilderment.

Just as she was about to add something, the camera view blurred, and the Qin Xiyao tightly encased in the duvet quietly vanished.

In her place stood Qin Xiyao, clad in a thin nightgown that subtly revealed her graceful, well-proportioned figure.

Her fair, tender calves, like lotus roots, swayed gently, and her long, damp hair cascaded over her shoulders.

– Um, Xiaoxue, do I look really strange dressed like this…? –

A blush of shyness now colored her beautiful face.

The girl, feeling awkward, lowered her head, sensing even her heartbeat beginning to throbin uncontrollably.

‘Ugh… I had clearly resolved to take things slowly… but I just got carried away in the moment and…’

‘Will Xiaoxue be angry…?’

Qin Xiyao tremulously shifted her gaze back to her phone, only to find the video feed completely dark, Bai Muxue’s face no longer on the screen.

– … –

The video call was still ongoing.

Qin Xiyao could even hear Bai Muxue’s breathing and the faint vibration of a car engine… yet the other party remained silent.

– Xiaoxue…? –

Qin Xiyao waited for a very, very long time.

The unsettling silence transformed into anxiety and fear, slowly creeping into the girl’s heart.

Just as Qin Xiyao’s impatience intensified, she heard Bai Muxue’s flat voice emanate from the phone.

– Ah, ah, it’s nothing, there was just a small issue, but it’s resolved now. –

– It’s getting late, Xiyao, you should go to bed first. –

– Goodnight. –

Without waiting for Qin Xiyao to speak, Bai Muxue, having rattled off her words, quickly ended the call.

– What…? –

Qin Xiyao stood frozen, holding her phone where the call had just ended.

Her confusion permeated the silent room, yet there was no one to provide an answer.

****

Meanwhile, after confirming the video call had ended, Bai Muxue gazed out at the utter stillness beyond the car window, a slight frown creasing her brow.

“Sister Wang, you’ve taken a wrong turn, this isn’t the way home.”

“…I haven’t taken a wrong turn, dear.”

Sister Wang did not turn her head, seemingly engrossed in driving.

“Didn’t you say we were going to play?”

“To play? We’re getting farther and farther from the city now; we should be heading home.”

Bai Muxue repeated herself, silently straightening her back, her small hand already discreetly gripping the music box in her pocket.

“I already said… I haven’t taken a wrong turn, dear…”

The howling wind sounded like both a whisper and a wail.

Withered branches swayed in the breeze, as if countless unseen hands were waving in the air.

“Come play… Young Miss…”

Sister Wang, who had not once looked back, suddenly began to laugh hysterically, her entire body trembling as if beyond her control.

“I’m so lonely… so desolate…”

Still laughing maniacally, she abruptly turned her head.

Ghastly white, sharp fingernails pierced through her skin.

In an instant, the cracks at the corners of her upturned mouth stretched all the way to her cheekbones, revealing a row of sharp teeth and blood-red gums.

“Young Miss, come play with me!!!”