Daughter and Liu Xixi

"Really, Sovereign, you still don't trust me."

Liu Xixi sighed with a hint of helplessness, yet her tone carried no real dissatisfaction. Instead, she sounded quite pleased.

At this moment, she behaved like someone feigning reluctance. She was clearly delighted that Su Qing was willing to spend this extra time with her, yet she felt compelled to maintain an air of exasperation.

With a smile, she said, "Once I finish these last few things, I'll go rest..."

"Alright, just think of it as us keeping you company for a little while longer! We don't have anything else to do for the moment anyway."

Su Qing pulled Su Tingtong into her arms. She stroked the girl's head, speaking with a smile.

Although Su Tingtong had grown quite a bit and was now a young lady, she remained incredibly sweet in front of Su Qing. Most of the time, she was like a child, fond of acting spoiled and clinging to her mother.

Thus, as she was held in Su Qing's embrace, she didn't show the slightest bit of reluctance. On the contrary, she seemed to enjoy it immensely.

Even though it looked very much like Su Qing was treating her like a toy, she didn't care at all and was perfectly willing.

As for why Su Qing liked doing this...

Well, it was simply a habit she had formed from frequently holding and playing with Su Tingtong when the girl was little.

Of course, it was also because Su Qing truly did enjoy playing with her this way. She doted on the little girl; if she didn't love her, why would she tease her like this? Why would she be so willing to hold her?

The affection between mother and daughter was mutual.

Naturally, this was purely the bond of mother and daughter. It hadn't changed into anything else, nor would it ever.

"I really can't do anything with you, Sovereign." Liu Xixi sighed helplessly and shook her head. "By the way, according to your usual habits, shouldn't you have gone to the Moon Palace these past few days? Why haven't you gone?"

Although Liu Xixi still had documents to process, it was indeed just the final wrap-up. She hadn't lied to Su Qing about that. These tasks didn't require much mental effort; she only needed to give them a rough check and apply her seal.

Therefore, she could easily handle the remaining work while chatting with Su Qing. In fact, it made the work feel even lighter.

Hearing this, Su Qing scratched Su Tingtong's chin, treating her like a little puppy. This prompted Su Tingtong to swat at her mother's hand, yet she simultaneously tilted her head up slightly to let her mother continue playing with her.

Su Qing shook her head helplessly and said, "It's simple. Because Sister Chang'e has been busy with official business lately, just like us. Naturally, I can't go. Once things settle down in a few days, I'll go find her and play for a day to relax."

"Palace Mistress Chang'e is also busy?" Liu Xixi was slightly stunned. "I thought someone like her wouldn't be as busy as we are, since we have to manage so many affairs in the mortal world."

Liu Xixi didn't know much about Chang'e. She only knew that Chang'e had a good relationship with Su Qing and was known for being very cold and aloof. Beyond that, she knew very little.

After all, the gap in their status was immense, and the possibility of them interacting was nearly zero. Even though she was close to Su Qing, it was impossible for her to know what the real Chang'e was like. Even many senior deities didn't know her true personality.

Unless Liu Xixi's relationship with Su Qing progressed further—unless she became an intimate partner of Su Qing's—she would never know those secrets.

Thus, upon hearing Liu Xixi's words, Su Qing smiled, unable to stifle a laugh. Others might not know the truth about that woman, but Su Qing knew it all too well.

That woman wasn't busy because she had too much to manage. It was purely because she never learned her lesson. She simply made the same common mistakes every single time.

Of course, Su Qing couldn't say this directly to Liu Xixi. If she told others, it would be equivalent to shattering the facade Chang'e had maintained for so many years. That wouldn't do. If she did that, Chang'e would definitely lecture her later.

So, even though Su Qing knew the truth, she couldn't say it. Instead, she had to help maintain the reputation of that forgetful woman in front of others.

Su Qing smiled and said, "Yes, the Moon Palace has many affairs to handle as well... Although it's not as much as we have here, there are always busy periods."

Liu Xixi nodded. "I see... So it's only a few days of busyness? It seems that even so, it's much more leisurely than our side."

"That is true..." Su Qing didn't disagree.

The Moon Palace was indeed a leisurely place—for Su Qing and Chang'e, at least. For the rabbit, Yuer, it wasn't leisurely at all. Was her daily life really any different from Liu Xixi's?

In her heart, Su Qing offered her daily pity for Yuer. Over all these years, who knew how much Yuer had grown?

Su Qing and Liu Xixi continued to chat, and Liu Xixi's movements were swift. Even while distracted, she didn't waste much time. Before long, she had nearly finished the work in her hands. By the time everything was settled, only the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed.

"Alright, it's finally done," Liu Xixi said, stretching her back.

Seeing this, Su Qing rubbed Su Tingtong's cheeks and said, "Since it's done, let's go!"

Su Qing had been waiting here specifically for her; now that she was finished, it was time to leave.

Liu Xixi nodded and began clearing her desk. There wasn't much to tidy, and she finished in a couple of motions. Su Qing was already waiting for her at the door, still holding Su Tingtong's hand.

Seeing her come out, Su Qing gave her a slight smile and said, "Then we'll be going first. You should head home quickly too!"

Su Qing didn't invite her to dinner at her home today. If she did, the little girl she was holding would surely start making trouble again, just like before. So, it was better to skip it. It was just a meal; whether she invited her or not didn't matter much. They spent most of their time together anyway.

Liu Xixi wouldn't feel any dissatisfaction or resentment toward Su Qing over such a small matter, nor would she even be confused by it.

"Mhm, then I'll head back first! Oh, right—when you have time, Sovereign, could you come to my house for a meal? My mother asked me to tell you that you must grace us with your presence."

As she was about to leave, Liu Xixi suddenly remembered something and spoke to Su Qing. Today, Su Qing hadn't invited her to dinner, but Liu Xixi had invited Su Qing instead.

The attitude of Liu Xixi's family toward Su Qing was very different from Liu Xixi's own. They treated Su Qing far more casually than Liu Xixi did, as if Su Qing weren't some extraordinary deity but merely an ordinary friend—or perhaps just a common superior and friend from Liu Xixi's work. They were respectful, yet they didn't overdo it.

The reason wasn't particularly complex; it was simply because their own status wasn't exactly low. While they weren't higher than Su Qing and couldn't compare to her, they were at least prominent enough to have the courage to interact with her naturally. Therefore, when communicating with Su Qing, there was no need to lower themselves too much. Of course, they weren't arrogant either.

Su Qing didn't dislike their attitude toward her; in fact, she found it quite pleasant. After all, it made communication exceptionally easy. Chatting felt like talking to friends, rather than falling into the stiff atmosphere of a superior speaking to a subordinate. Su Qing didn't like that feeling at all; she found it rather annoying. Thus, she was quite fond of and accustomed to the attitude of Liu Xixi's parents.

Hearing Liu Xixi mention this, Su Qing smiled and nodded. "I'm free most of the time. However, if I go, I certainly won't go alone. I hope your mother won't find it troublesome to prepare so much food because there are too many of us."

These were obviously joking words, not actual concerns. Liu Xixi understood this perfectly and nodded with a smile. "Mother also hopes you'll bring your whole family along. It'll be more lively that way."

Su Qing chuckled and nodded. "Very well. I'll let you know when I'm free, and I'll go with you then."

With a smile on her face, Liu Xixi nodded to Su Qing. "Alright, that sounds perfect. Then I'll be going now... Safe travels to you, Sovereign."

"Hahaha, what 'safe travels'? My residence is right here in this Daoist field. It's only a moment's flight on a cloud." As Su Qing spoke, she took Su Tingtong's hand and stepped onto the Somersault Cloud, heading toward her private chambers.

Seeing Su Qing leave, Liu Xixi naturally turned to head home as well. She didn't dare sneak back to continue working. If Su Qing found out, she would surely get a scolding. So, she left as she was told.

On the other side, in Su Qing's private chambers...

Su Qing lowered the cloud and landed in the courtyard. As always, the moment she landed, the Dragon Girl servant stepped forward. After Su Qing gave a few simple instructions for what she needed, she and Su Tingtong found a place to sit down comfortably.

In her own courtyard, there was no need to maintain any pretense of dignity or worry about etiquette. She sat wherever was most comfortable.

Once they were seated, Su Tingtong leaned her arms on the table and looked at Su Qing. "Mother, are you going to the Moon Palace in a few days?"

Little Su Tingtong was already tired of complaining about the matters between Su Qing and Liu Xixi and had stopped caring so much. After all, even if her mother really wanted to make a move on Sister Liu Xixi, she couldn't stop it. Although she truly didn't want her mother's love to be divided, constantly obstructing her mother might eventually make her mother unhappy. Thus, she rarely made snide remarks anymore, only occasionally teasing her mother on purpose, just like last time.

As for Su Qing going to the Moon Palace, Su Tingtong didn't find it surprising or strange; she was long used to it. Since she was little, Su Qing had gone to the Moon Palace every so often, and even now, she never took Tingtong along. The reason she asked now was simply curiosity about the timing of Su Qing's departure.

Because she wanted to prepare a surprise for Su Qing... she actually needed Su Qing to be away for a short period.

Facing Su Tingtong's question, Su Qing nodded. "That's right. Once the Palace Mistress is done with this busy period, I'll naturally go find her. What is it? Can't bear to be away from your mother again?"

Hearing this, Su Tingtong leaned on the table, looking slightly weary from the exhaustion of handling official business with Su Qing. She curled her lip and said, "I'm not 'unable to bear being away' from you! I'm just asking out of curiosity."

This wasn't a case of Su Tingtong being tsundere; she truly wasn't feeling clingy this time.

Su Qing laughed and nodded. "I see, so it's just curiosity! I thought my little girl was like before, unable to let me go... truly unable to leave my side for a single step."

Su Qing teased her, but in reality, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her being that way.

Su Tingtong smiled and sat up, crossing her arms. "Although I really do hate for Mother to leave me, I'm not so weak that I can't handle a single day... You won't be gone for long, so how could I not bear it? Besides, you're going to see Auntie Chang'e, not someone else. Naturally, I have no objections."

Su Tingtong liked Chang'e very much as well. After all, Chang'e was beautiful and very gentle. Although she occasionally gave off an extremely unreliable vibe, it was undeniable that this made her exceptionally likable. Even children loved her—mainly because Chang'e possessed a unique, childlike quality that made her get along very well with them.

When Su Tingtong was small, she already had a very good relationship with Chang'e. Although they saw each other less often now, their relationship remained excellent. Therefore, she was perfectly happy for Su Qing to see Chang'e. Her only slight dissatisfaction was that Su Qing didn't like taking her along.

Before Su Qing could respond, Su Tingtong paused for a moment and then continued, "In fact, even if you turned Auntie Chang'e into another mother for me, I'd be quite happy about it."