“Not in a hurry.” Yan Wei set down her chopsticks and reached out to Jiang Youyi. “Lend me your phone.”
“Huh? What for?” Jiang Youyi, puzzled, took out her phone and placed it in Yan Wei’s palm.
Yan Wei made a shushing gesture at her. Jiang Youyi blinked, her gaze sweeping over the crowd sheltering from the rain, thinking to herself: Is this really necessary?
Ignoring Jiang Youyi’s odd look, Yan Wei quickly dialed a number.
Soon, the call connected, and a soft, gentle voice came from the other end: “Hello, who is this?”
“Sis, it’s me,” Yan Wei replied. “This is my classmate’s phone.”
There was a brief silence on the other end before the voice spoke again, its tone slightly rising: “Weiwei? Aren’t you at school for self-study?” She could hear the sound of rain and the clamor of the crowd.
“No, I skipped it,” Yan Wei said without a hint of shame, her tone relaxed. “Sis, are you still in Fudu?”
“Yes, why? Why did you skip self-study?” Yan Chu laughed, a little surprised that Yan Wei would skip class.
“Nothing much, let’s not talk about that now,” Yan Wei winked at Jiang Youyi while speaking to Yan Chu. “I need a favor.”
Yan Chu replied with two straightforward words: “Go ahead.”
“My classmate and I went out, and we’re stuck at a barbecue stall because of the rain. We finally got out and don’t want to go back to school. Do you have a place where we can stay?” Yan Wei said it all in one breath.
“Oh, hold on,” Yan Chu covered the receiver, and Yan Wei faintly heard some talking.
A moment later, Yan Chu’s voice came through again: “Send me your address. Su Ci and I will come pick you up.”
Su Ci was her sister’s girlfriend.
Yan Wei hung up, sent the address first, then texted Zhou Xiaoxiao, asking her to help request leave from the dorm supervisor, saying she was going to her sister’s place and wouldn’t return to school for the weekend.
“What about your homework?” Jiang Youyi took her phone back, both surprised that Yan Wei had a sister and shocked by her decisive decision not to return to school. She was also taken aback that Yan Wei had settled the evening’s plans without consulting her, leaving her unsure where to even begin complaining.
The model student Yan Wei didn’t seem bothered by the question, casually replying, “I’ll catch up on Sunday. If I can’t finish, I’ll just copy Xiaoxiao’s.”
Jiang Youyi could hardly believe these words came from Yan Wei. She sighed, rubbing her forehead, feeling that her previous understanding of Yan Wei might have been quite off.
While waiting for Yan Chu, Yan Wei and Jiang Youyi shared the remaining skewers. Yan Wei wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth with a tissue and finally remembered to ask Jiang Youyi, “I decided on my own to bring you to my sister’s place. Are you mad?”
Jiang Youyi rolled her eyes. Asking now showed how sincere she was.
“I’m mad,” she said expressionlessly.
Yan Wei let out a startled “ah,” and as she pulled her leg back, she accidentally brushed her shoe against Jiang Youyi’s white sneakers, leaving a gray mark on the edge.
“Sorry…” Yan Wei apologized, looking embarrassed.
Jiang Youyi looked at her with amusement. “Not only did you make me mad, but you also stepped on my shoe on purpose. What do you plan to do about it?”
“It wasn’t on purpose,” Yan Wei argued, though her tone was weak.
Jiang Youyi said, “Oh? So you think you’re in the right?”
Yan Wei raised her hand in surrender, determined to face her fate bravely. “Just tell me what you want me to do!”
“Hmm…” Jiang Youyi had been fierce just moments ago, but now that Yan Wei wasn’t backing down, she found herself at a loss.
She tapped her chopsticks against the edge of her bowl. “Can I not go?” Meeting Yan Wei’s family made her a little nervous.
“You’re not going home either,” Yan Wei tilted her head. “Are you planning to sleep on the streets? My sister doesn’t bite, come on~”
Yan Wei’s unintentionally coquettish tone sent shivers down Jiang Youyi’s spine, and she couldn’t resist. “Fine, fine, I’ll go, okay?”
They waited at the barbecue shop for half an hour. The rain had lightened slightly, and some people, eager to get home, dashed out with bags over their heads, only to be drenched the moment they left the shelter.
A white car pulled up by the roadside, its hazard lights flashing. A few seconds later, Jiang Youyi’s phone rang.
Yan Wei took the call. The caller ID, which had somehow been saved as “Yan Wei’s Sister,” lit up the screen.
“Sis,” Yan Wei couldn’t suppress her smile, her lips curling up involuntarily.
Her slightly uplifted tone carried through the phone to the other end, and Yan Chu chuckled in response. “We’re here. Where are you? You sound so happy.”
“Of course I’m happy to see my sister,” Yan Wei said sweetly, winking at Jiang Youyi. “We’re at Wang’s Barbecue across from the newspaper stand, under the rain shelter.”
“Where did you learn to be such a smooth talker?” Yan Chu teased, her eyes brimming with laughter. “Alright, I see it. I’ll come pick you up.”
When Yan Chu appeared outside the barbecue shop holding an umbrella, she caught the attention of many passersby. Her fashion sense was impeccable, and as a student, she radiated youthful energy. With delicate brows and gentle eyes, her soft smile gave off a warm and gentle vibe.
Yan Wei resembled Yan Chu, though her gaze lacked the gentle softness of her sister’s, instead shining with a brighter intensity. Anyone could tell they were sisters at a glance, but if Yan Wei weren’t wearing her school uniform, it would be hard to tell who was the older and who was the younger.
Jiang Youyi spotted her through the crowd, feeling as if she were seeing Yan Wei a few years older, and for a moment, her mind went blank.
“Sis!” Yan Wei’s cheerful call snapped her back to reality. Before she knew it, Yan Wei had grabbed her wrist and pulled her in front of Yan Chu. “This is my classmate, Jiang Youyi.”
“Hello,” Yan Chu smiled at her. “I’m Weiwei’s sister, Yan Chu.”
“Y-Yan… Sister,” Jiang Youyi’s tongue suddenly felt tied. “Hello.” She couldn’t manage another word.
After uttering those few words, her ears flushed bright red, impossible to hide even with her hair covering them.
She felt like Yan Chu’s kind smile held a hint of something deeper.
On the short walk back to the car, Yan Chu led the way while Yan Wei and Jiang Youyi shared an umbrella behind her. Jiang Youyi didn’t know where to put her hands or feet, and unsurprisingly, earned a round of teasing from Yan Wei. “Why are you so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous,” Jiang Youyi insisted stubbornly.
Yan Wei wanted to laugh but held it back. “Good, don’t be nervous.”
Jiang Youyi kept a straight face and said nothing.
“Hey, you look kind of fierce like that,” Yan Wei nudged Jiang Youyi’s arm with her elbow. “Smile more. You look really pretty when you smile.”
Caught off guard by the compliment, Jiang Youyi’s face flushed red along with her ears.
Yan Wei was about to keep chattering when Jiang Youyi turned around and glared at her: “Shut up already!” Her voice was so quiet it was almost just a look, clearly afraid of being overheard by a certain older sister.
If Yan Chu hadn’t been right in front of them, Yan Wei might have laughed herself breathless—holding back laughter was just too hard.
How could Jiang Youyi be so adorable?