"Ding dong—"
A knocking sound came from the door.
Xu Yan looked through the peephole at the door and saw a tall, sexy, and fiery red-haired woman standing outside.
"Nannan, your friend seems to have arrived."
"I know, Mom, you can open the door first."
As Xu An spoke, she retracted the last treadmill into her space and ran out of the room.
As soon as she reached the living room, she saw Zhou Haimei standing obediently in front of Xu Yan, accepting her scrutiny.
For some reason, seeing Zhou Haimei's docile and well-behaved demeanor made Xu An want to laugh.
Perhaps it was because she was used to Zhou Haimei's unrestrained and flamboyant appearance, but the current Zhou Haimei was surprisingly cute.
"Nannan, you really didn't lie to me, this girl is so beautiful!"
Xu Yan turned back to look at Xu An, her eyes full of admiration. It had to be said that Zhou Haimei had conquered Xu An's mother with her looks alone.
Xu An could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
This made Zhou Haimei even more flustered, not knowing where to put her hands.
Because today they were going to practice shooting moving targets and needed to ride horses, Zhou Haimei had specifically changed into riding attire.
A red sleeveless vest was layered with a lace-up jacket, and below it was a pair of elastic tight pants, paired with black ankle boots. Her fiery red hair made her as dazzling as the sun.
"Mom, please stop complimenting Mei-jie, or she'll get shy." Seeing Zhou Haimei's awkwardness, Xu An stepped forward, took Zhou Haimei's hand, and said, "The meal will be ready soon, you can sit down for a while."
Xu Yan also smiled, "Then Auntie will call you Xiao Mei from now on."
Zhou Haimei, abandoning her usual overbearing demeanor, nodded obediently and said, "Okay."
Xu Yan found Zhou Haimei more and more attractive and was about to say a few more words when she heard the sound of boiling water from the kitchen.
"Oh dear, my pot." Xu Yan said, hurrying to the kitchen to busy herself.
Seeing Xu Yan leave, Zhou Haimei finally breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you laughing at! You didn't help me just now, I was almost scared to death."
"Mei-jie, I feel like you're meeting your parents for the first time, hahahaha, you're killing me. I never knew you had such a cute side."
Zhou Haimei's playful jab was met with an elbow nudge from Xu An, which lightly hit Xu An's chest.
Xu An deliberately clutched her chest to tease Zhou Haimei, "It hurts so much."
"No way, I didn't use any force! Xiao An, you're just teasing me!"
Zhou Haimei had actually been a little worried, but within three seconds, Xu An couldn't hold it in and sat directly on the sofa, bursting into laughter.
The two of them laughed heartily on the sofa.
Xu Yan, busy in the kitchen, listened to the laughter from the living room. She hadn't heard her daughter's laughter for a long time. Read novels.
As they had gone through everything, Xu An had always been frowning, with a look of worry on her face. She often said funny things just to make her daughter a little happier.
But most of the time, Xu An would just give a perfunctory smile. She knew that their safe arrival here was all thanks to her daughter's protection.
Now, seeing Xu An making friends and smiling genuinely, Xu Yan was filled with relief.
Humans have never been creatures who can live in isolation; humans need to form connections and relationships with their own kind.
Her decision to go out to work wasn't entirely because she was bored and wanted to do something.
She had also concealed some things when her daughter asked her.
Xu Yan didn't want Xu An to be constantly doting on her. If she stayed at home, Xu An, for fear of her being bored, would never leave her alone.
She used to think that this mode of interaction was not problematic, but the half-month separation when the lighthouse landed last time had made Xu Yan understand many things.
They were both independent individuals and should have their own ways of living.
Not only her daughter but she also needed to find a way to stand on her own and survive on the lighthouse, rather than forever relying on her daughter and being a "useless person" with peace of mind.
......
Zhou Haimei: "Stop messing around, I want to talk to you about something serious. Did you browse the forum yesterday?" As soon as she said it, she remembered that she had forgotten to ask Xu An if she had a smart brain.
"By the way, do you have a smart brain? If not, I'll give you a set."
Xu An nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, why?"
"Have you seen the trending post on the forum yesterday? That man who came to see you yesterday, I saw his photo on it. I inquired about him, and that person is likely from the Agricultural Science Institute. You should stay away from him."
Xu An was surprised to hear that Zhou Haimei had completely dug up He Ci's identity in just one night.
"He and I... have a general relationship. You saw it yesterday." Xu An thought for a long time before finding a way to describe her relationship with He Ci.
"Agricultural Science Institute..." Zhou Haimei hesitated to speak, "Anyway, you should stay away from those people. Those people are all not normal in the head, they're crazy."
Xu An could tell that Zhou Haimei might have had some connection with this Agricultural Science Institute, and there were probably some unpleasant things that happened between them. However, seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Xu An didn't press further.
"I know. I saw it yesterday too. That plant was very strange, and the man's death was also very bizarre. We'll just wait for the official announcement."
Xu An deliberately concealed the fact that she had spoken with He Ci on the phone. It wasn't because she didn't trust Zhou Haimei and didn't tell her about it, but because He Ci had instructed that the information could not be leaked yet.
"What's the use of an announcement? That person died so miserably, and it was still by..." Zhou Haimei stopped halfway, realizing she had misspoke, and immediately ceased speaking.
She turned her head and looked at Xu An apologetically, "Xiao An, it's not that I don't want to tell you. We still have a confidentiality clause, but this news should be released soon, and then you'll know."
"In short, you should stay away from that He Ci."
Xu An guessed that Zhou Haimei had told her before that she also held a nominal position in the official military, but she hadn't said what she specifically did.
However, Xu An now realized that Zhou Haimei's identity was probably not as simple as she claimed. Seeing her hesitant look, combined with her own mention of a confidentiality agreement,
Xu An was almost certain that Zhou Haimei definitely knew about this mutated plant, and perhaps Zhou Haimei knew even more than she did.
......
Before the two of them could think for too long, Xu Yan's voice came from the kitchen.
"Come and eat! Nannan, Xiao Mei, come and eat!"
Hearing her mother calling her Xiao Mei repeatedly, Xu An couldn't help but laugh again. "Hahahaha... Xiao Mei~ Come and eat~"
In this warm and harmonious atmosphere, Zhou Haimei's face quietly flushed red.