Yun Manman pulled Yuan Qing to the back door of the dessert shop and asked curiously yet seriously, "What's going on?"
Although she had long noticed Yin Qian's interest in Yuan Qing, this progress seemed too fast!
When she returned yesterday, she noticed Yuan Qing and Yin Qian were much closer, likely their relationship had developed during her absence from Lili Town.
But they didn't seem to be together yet!?
How did their relationship advance so rapidly overnight!
Yun Manman wondered if she was too conservative, or if beastmen were generally more open-minded.
Seeing the clear doubt in Yun Manman's eyes, Yuan Qing scratched her head and explained, "Well, didn't Yin Qian say he was leaving yesterday?"
Yun Manman nodded, that was correct.
Yuan Qing continued, "So I suggested we have a farewell dinner."
Yun Manman nodded again, hmm, that made sense.
Yuan Qing went on, "We drank some alcohol, I had a bit too much, and Yin Qian took me home."
Yun Manman: "Mm-hmm, and then?"
Yuan Qing's ears twitched, and her tail curled up bashfully behind her: "Then I forcefully took advantage of him."
Yun Manman: "Mm-hmm... Huh??? What??"
Yuan Qing thoughtfully closed Yun Manman's jaw, which was about to hit the floor. Apart from a slightly shy tone, her expression remained calm.
"I was drunk, so I was a bit fuzzy. I think I turned into my beast form midway and dragged him away. I'm not sure why things developed to that point."
"When I woke up in the morning, I found he was gone, probably left very early."
"After thinking it over, since it was my fault, and this bird dumpling was probably his first time, he must have felt awkward, so I sent him a message saying I wanted to compensate him, any amount of money would do, even the latest model of hover car."
"But no matter how many messages I sent, he didn't reply, so I came to the dessert shop hoping to catch him."
Yuan Qing rubbed her chin: "But he's not here either."
Yun Manman was too shocked to speak.
As expected of my sister Qing, always taking charge.
After digesting the information for a while, Yun Manman carefully said, "Um... I don't think it's a good idea to tell Yin Qian you want to compensate him with money or a car."
It wasn't just not good, it was a complete disaster!
It was like... like paying for prostitution.
Yin Qian was such an innocent young man, barely of age, who had finally fallen for a female, only to be forcefully taken advantage of, and then offered payment afterward.
Just imagining it made Yun Manman feel like she was going to burst.
Yuan Qing's eyes widened: "Then should I not compensate him? That doesn't seem right. It's all my fault."
Yun Manman waved her hand, feeling a headache coming on: "It's not that you shouldn't compensate, it's just that what he wants might not be these material things. What he wants might be..."
She suddenly stopped.
Well, she didn't know Yuan Qing's feelings. If she had no feelings for Yin Qian, saying this out loud would only trouble her.
Yun Manman's heart was still with her sister.
Yuan Qing, who had been listening intently, urged anxiously: "What does he want? Tell me quickly."
Yun Manman laughed it off: "I mean, you should ask him yourself what he wants. That's the only way to know."
The leopard cat lady frustratedly pulled out her communicator to check: "You're right, but he's not responding to me..."
Yun Manman was out of ideas. Yin Qian was a soldier, with his skills, avoiding her would be child's play.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
That's right, Yin Qian's skills were excellent, how could he have been easily taken advantage of by Yuan Qing?
He must have been willing, at least to some extent.
It seemed that sister Qing's pursuit might not be as disastrous as imagined.
Two days passed quickly, during which Yuan Qing came to the dessert shop every day to wait for Yin Qian, all ending in failure, of course.
Lu Qi seemed to have noticed something, and while cleaning up the shop today, he said to Yun Manman: "We should return to the capital tomorrow."
"All soldiers must report back by tomorrow."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for Yuan Qing to hear.
She muttered: "So he's going back to the capital..."
The leopard cat lady thought for two seconds and stood up: "Manman, I'm going to the capital with you tomorrow!"
She rushed out of the shop: "I'm going home to pack my things!"
Yuan Qing had always been decisive and efficient. Now, with this unresolved issue with Yin Qian, she felt she couldn't even eat properly.
Yun Manman couldn't hold back her knowing smile.
If nothing else, sister Qing and the younger puppy-like boy made quite an interesting pair.
Though with Yin Qian's wooden face, could he really be called puppy-like?
The next day, Yun Manman, Lu Qi, and Yuan Qing boarded the sky rail together, heading for the capital.
The Yuan family also had a property in the capital, so Yuan Qing didn't need to find a place to stay.
However, Yuan Qing secretly asked Lu Qi about Yin Qian's whereabouts.
Lu Qi initially didn't want to say anything, but under Yun Manman's gaze, he revealed a few places where Yin Qian might go.
"I heard this from Lan Yuxiang. After Yin Qian came of age, he moved to the communal dormitory. I absolutely can't disclose that location."
"But Kingfisher Mansion, the capital's library, and Ika Grand Restaurant are the places their department frequents most."
Yuan Qing recorded the details carefully, and as soon as they got off the sky rail, she said goodbye to Yun Manman and rushed off with her luggage.
Watching her figure disappear, Yun Manman hoped for her success.
After sending Yun Manman to Yunzheng Mansion, Lu Qi also left hurriedly, seeming to have his own business to attend to.
The rain continued to fall from the sky, with no sign of the rainy season ending.
Yun Manman entered the mansion alone, finding it eerily quiet. Even the sports and entertainment room, usually occupied by the big cats, was empty.
She had sent a message to the family group chat in the morning saying "I'll be home this afternoon," and her mother and each of her brothers and sisters had replied, saying they were preparing a big feast to welcome her back.
But now the house seemed deserted.
The butler, Uncle Meng, hurried over, taking Yun Manman's luggage with pleasant surprise: "Oh, Miss Manman is back."
Yun Manman asked puzzledly: "Uncle Meng, where are my mother and the others?"
Uncle Meng shook his head: "They must have had some urgent business. They were still discussing what to have for dinner at noon."
"Would Miss Manman like something to eat first?"
Yun Manman shook her head: "No need, I'm not hungry. I'll go upstairs first."
Passing by the terrace, she found Yan Jiao sitting there, frantically typing away, probably writing?
Come to think of it, Yan Jiao's identity as an online writer was the most unusual in the Yunzheng family, completely unrelated to military affairs.
Yun Manman approached to greet her: "Sister Jiao, I'm back!"
Yan Jiao must have been immersed in her own world, not noticing her approach. She was startled by the call: "Oh... Oh? Manman, you're back!"
She hurriedly closed her screen and stood up from the carpet, running barefoot towards Yun Manman, almost tripping over a stool in her haste.
Yan Jiao opened her arms and hugged Yun Manman tightly: "Oh my, our Manman is back. Let me give you a proper hug, I've missed you so much..."
She wore a loose spaghetti strap dress with a very low neckline, exposing her neck and a large part of her chest. Her full breasts stretched the fabric taut.
Yun Manman was forced to bury her face in Yan Jiao's chest, almost suffocating in the soft, fragrant embrace.
Sister Jiao's figure is too good!
Finally escaping from sister Jiao's embrace and able to breathe freely, Yun Manman took a moment to recover before asking: "Why are you the only one at home, sister Jiao?"
"Where are my mom and brothers?"
Yan Jiao replied: "Seems there was some urgent military matter. They left in quite a hurry."
It was the same with Lu Qi, and now with mom and the others.
It felt like something big was about to happen.
Yun Manman pondered.