At noon, Madam Qiao saw the three returning. Although she didn’t expect them to change their minds, she carefully observed their behavior as Tina had suggested.
This wasn’t for verification, but to clearly describe to Qiao’s adoptive father what his daughter was facing.
First to approach Tina was Qiao Ting. When Tina had previously looked for her book, Madam Qiao had noticed Qiao Ting. From the clues she had previously observed, she knew Qiao Ting had taken the book, but due to certain concerns, she hadn’t told Tina.
Now, facing Tina, how would Qiao Ting react?
Madam Qiao observed and noticed that upon seeing Tina, Qiao Ting immediately lowered her head. Her expression didn’t seem guilty, but rather—scared?
Qiao Ting went to one side to do homework, and soon Qiao Yang returned.
Madam Qiao knew that Qiao Yang’s heart was completely occupied by his deskmate, paying no attention to his two younger sisters. Qiao Ting was already used to it, but for a young girl like Tina, being ignored was a significant issue.
Then, Madam Qiao saw Qiao Yang enter the kitchen, pour a cup of hot water, and place it in front of Tina.
“???”
Watching Qiao Yang eagerly ask Tina whether she wanted to cool the water before drinking, Madam Qiao rubbed her eyes.
This level of enthusiasm was almost equal to his attitude toward his deskmate.
Madam Qiao shifted her gaze to the middle-aged woman, expecting her to act according to Madam Qiao’s impression.
It wasn’t that she disliked Tina, but the scene was too different from her impression, making it hard for her to accept.
The middle-aged woman didn’t approach Tina but simply served the dishes from a distance.
Although not matching Madam Qiao’s expectations, her behavior didn’t completely contradict them, so Madam Qiao relaxed slightly.
Just then, she heard Tina’s voice.
“I want Sprite.” Xia Yu closed the book in his hand and said to the middle-aged woman.
Madam Qiao’s eyes widened in disbelief that Tina dared to be so bold. It was already fortunate that the middle-aged woman didn’t scold her, yet Tina still wanted to boss her around!
Madam Qiao immediately stood up to mediate, but the middle-aged woman responded faster.
“Okay.” With that, she put down what she was doing and went to the nearby convenience store.
Hissing in surprise,
Madam Qiao sat down, pondering what was happening.
Within less than five minutes, the middle-aged woman returned, holding three bottles of Sprite—one large, one medium, and one small—for Xia Yu to choose from.
Qiao Yang immediately stepped forward, eagerly asking which bottle Xia Yu wanted to open, while Qiao Ting fetched an empty cup for Xia Yu’s use.
The three exchanged glances, communicating silently.
Coincidence? You’re also being coerced?
Their tacit understanding left Madam Qiao scratching her head repeatedly, unable to figure it out.
Throughout the noon, Madam Qiao followed Xia Yu closely, observing thoroughly. She had to accept the fact that the Qiao family not only didn’t dislike Tina but practically revered her.
Giving up on thinking, Madam Qiao abandoned the idea of reporting to Qiao’s adoptive father.
After this day passed, the next day after returning to his own body, Xia Yu didn’t continue going to Tina’s place. The Qiao family was no longer an issue—he was free.
In the morning, he tossed and turned in bed, thinking about whom he should visit today. An Siyao was seen daily, and Wen Ziying had been visited over the weekend. Only Xu Youxiang and Brown Bear remained.
He finally chose Brown Bear.
It had been quite a while since he last visited Brown Bear. He wondered how the bear was doing lately.
After rescuing Meimei and Awei last time, Brown Bear should now be receiving excellent treatment.
After a moment of darkness, Xia Yu saw Brown Bear’s current environment.
Brown Bear was lying on soft straw, watching clouds in the sky.
He stood up. Around him was the familiar wooden house, containing two large baskets of fruit—probably extra treats given after the Three Tigers incident.
The baskets even had straps for carrying. Xia Yu put one basket in front of him so he could eat while walking.
Other bears would definitely be unable to do this. He marveled at his own cleverness.
After washing his paws in the nearby water vat, Xia Yu grabbed some fruit to eat.
When he slowly walked out the door, the young girl Meimei approached happily, jumping in front of Bear Yu and hugging his back.
Xia Yu patted her back and shared some fruit from his front basket with her.
Xia Yu didn’t know what kind of fruit it was, but it tasted good.
While eating fruit, Meimei took out a clay jar from her bag and handed it to Xia Yu.
Receiving the jar, Xia Yu used his paw to remove the lid and saw what was inside.
It was honey.
Xia Yu had tasted honey at An Siyao’s place before, but this honey wasn’t nearly as tempting as what was in front of him now. An Siyao’s honey couldn’t possibly be bad—it was likely due to his body’s preferences, as Brown Bear particularly loved honey.
Holding the honey jar, Xia Yu looked around for something he could use as a spoon. As a cultured, moral, disciplined, and principled bear, he couldn’t accept eating honey by licking his own paws.
But after searching around, he couldn’t find any suitable utensils.
Seeing Bear Yu’s actions, Meimei was first puzzled, then suddenly remembered that Brown Bear was a germophobic bear who always washed his paws before meals. She understood his dilemma.
She rolled up her sleeve, put her hand into the honey jar, and after a moment, lifted her arm coated in honey toward Xia Yu.
Looking at her fair, delicate arm wrapped in golden honey, Xia Yu fell into contemplation.
Meimei moved her hand closer to him: “Lick it, Bear Bear.”
Am I that kind of bear!
Originally, licking was absolutely out of the question—under no circumstances would he become a licking bear. But since she sincerely offered herself, he might as well be merciful and accommodate her request.
But still, licking was impossible.
Opening his mouth, Xia Yu placed Meimei’s hand inside.
“Jiggle, giggle.” Meimei let out crisp laughter.
However, what happened next was far less pleasant.
Three men dressed in camouflage uniforms suddenly appeared, surrounding Xia Yu, each pointing a gun at him.
“Open your mouth!” The leader shouted nervously.
Seeing these unfamiliar figures, Xia Yu opened his mouth. He calculated how long it would take to deal with them.
Meimei immediately pulled her hand back and ordered them to lower their guns.
“Drop them! Don’t point your guns at Bear Bear!” Meimei stood in front of Xia Yu, blocking the way.
Realizing the scene wasn’t a bear eating a human, the three lowered their weapons. They also sighed in relief. Although there were three of them with three guns, facing a brown bear still made them somewhat nervous.
“Who are you!” Meimei angrily asked.
“Your Highness, we are here to take you back.” The leader replied.
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