Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 410 - 411: Will You Hate Me?

Chapter 410: Chapter 411: Will You Hate Me?

"Stop messing around. If this is how you want to play, the three of you play. One is a girlfriend, another is a little lover, just play however you want, but count me out," he said.

Miao Xuanxuan immediately glared and firmly rejected the suggestion.

Song Xiaodong, of course, had to immediately state his position, "Yingying, this is just silly nonsense. Absolutely not okay. Why don’t we stick to drawing lots or playing rock paper scissors or something?"

Although this was a lot less fun, it was something Qingqing could accept, and Xiao Yingying could only pout and agree. This angel-like girl had a mischievous soul, which sometimes overwhelmed Song Xiaodong.

But when they really started playing, it was still full of fun. The three girls teamed up to tease Song Xiaodong, then repeatedly made him do one thing after another. Although nothing was inappropriate, they still wore Song Xiaodong out.

Yet, as the three girls teased him, Song Xiaodong rather enjoyed himself. If it were another man, he would probably be over the moon.

As the sun’s heat decreased, the four of them ran out of the tent to play. Then, Song Xiaodong set up another tent. They had planned to camp outdoors, so they were well-prepared with all the necessary equipment.

Then Song Xiaodong went to bring Song Xiaoru back, and they informed Second Uncle about their plans to stay by the river for the night. Although Second Uncle felt it was somewhat impolite, he didn’t try to persuade them otherwise.

After setting up the gas stove they’d brought, Song Xiaodong personally cooked a dish of spicy crayfish, stir-fried frogs, and deep-fried small river fish, which were all part of their afternoon’s catch. These dishes were incredibly delicious.

For people accustomed to city life, being so close to nature felt wonderfully delightful. Miao Qingqing, usually a busy person, now let herself go, and after eating, she lay back on the grass, enjoying the breeze and the scent of the grass.

"Xiaodong, Xiaodong, come quickly, what is this?" Miao Xuanxuan called out loudly to Song Xiaodong.

When Song Xiaodong reached where Miao Xuanxuan and Xiao Yingying were, he saw what looked like a spiky ball in the grass between them and immediately recognized it, laughing, "This is a hedgehog, and it looks quite small too."

"So this is a hedgehog." Xiao Yingying and Miao Xuanxuan were very curious. They had seen such creatures online and seldom noticed them in zoos. Seeing one in person, and one they had found themselves, felt quite different.

"Does it bite?" Xiao Yingying poked the little hedgehog with a thin grass stalk.

"It doesn’t bite, just be careful not to let its spines prick your hand," Song Xiaodong said with a smile.

"Ah, it’s running away." While they spoke, no one touched the little hedgehog, and it uncurled and started scurrying away with its little legs.

But it was running too slowly, and Miao Xuanxuan and Xiao Yingying quickly caught up to it. They had so much fun chasing it, and Miao Qingqing, rarely seeing such creatures, was also drawn in and ran over to join them.

At that moment, Song Xiaoru was sitting on a rock by the riverbank, dipping her bare feet in the water and gently swaying them, watching the ripples spread, seemingly lost in thought.

Song Xiaodong went over and sat next to her, draping an arm over her shoulders, and asked, "Sis, what are you thinking about?"

Song Xiaoru softly said, "Nothing much, just wanting to sit quietly for a bit."

"Sister, don’t lie to me, can’t I see that you have something on your mind?" Song Xiaodong took Song Xiaoru’s hand.

Song Xiaoru looked up to meet Song Xiaodong’s eyes and gave a bitter smile. "Xiaodong, tell me... If one day you found out that I’ve been hiding something from you, deceiving you, would you hate me?"

Song Xiaodong said cheerfully, "What could you possibly hide from me or lie to me about? Even if you get your period, I would know."

Song Xiaoru scolded, "I’m being serious here, you should answer seriously too."

"Well..." Song Xiaodong met Song Xiaoru’s gaze, pondered for a moment, and said seriously, "Sister, even if you were hiding something from me or had deceived me, I believe it must be for my own good. In this world, maybe anyone could harm me, but you... you would definitely not harm me."

"Xiaodong..." Song Xiaoru’s lips quivered, and her eyes reddened a bit.

"Sis, you must have something on your mind that you can’t share with me yet. Then don’t talk about it, and tell me when you think it’s the right time." Song Xiaodong smiled at Song Xiaoru again, his smile incredibly bright and genuine.

Song Xiaoru nodded slightly, then tilted her head to rest on Song Xiaodong’s shoulder, clutching his hand. "The scenery here is really beautiful. When we played here as kids, we never realized how beautiful it was."

"Back then, who had the time to care about the scenery? We were just playing. I still remember how my pants got swept away by the river when I was playing in it as a kid."

Song Xiaoru chuckled and said, "Yeah, you were such a troublemaker back then. You even got a spanking from Dad because of it."

"Back then, you always protected me, and you even got slapped by Dad too."

"Actually, Dad didn’t really hit me; it didn’t hurt at all."

As they talked about their childhood, it felt indescribably warm, and Song Xiaoru had already made a decision that she would tell Song Xiaodong about his origins after a few more days.

In places with mountains, it generally gets dark quite early. By seven o’clock, it was completely dark, and the mosquitoes had started to come out. Song Xiaodong made a fire to ward off the mosquitoes, but it wasn’t very effective, so they decided to retreat into the tent.

Song Xiaodong and Miao Qingqing shared a tent, while the other three stayed in another tent. None of them felt sleepy, and the openings of the tents were facing each other, perfect for chatting. Unnoticed, it was already midnight.

After wishing each other goodnight, they started to get ready for bed. However, once it quieted down, the place suddenly felt eerily scary.

"Brother Dongzi, I need to go to the bathroom, and it’s too dark around here. I’m really scared; could you accompany me?" Xiao Yingying was the first to make the request.

Miao Qingqing immediately said, "I need to go too. Let’s go together."

Even though Miao Qingqing was increasingly finding herself helplessly adapting to having Xiao Yingying around, she still insisted on certain matters, so she didn’t want to give Song Xiaodong and Xiao Yingying a chance.