As the middle of June approached, the pressure of final examinations descended upon Jiang Yin and her roommates like a landslide. Their dormitory was frequently empty, only regaining a sense of life around 11:30 PM when the library closed for the night.
In addition to her revision at the library, Jiang Yin assisted Tang Yunhe with simple data collection and organization. These tasks were easy to learn and did not consume much of her time.
One day, having finished a full day of study, Jiang Yin returned to the dormitory with a weary body. She was among the first to arrive; only Xu Yao was present, greeting her with a sluggish wave that revealed a shared lack of energy.
After washing up, Jiang Yin went straight to bed. Intending to relax for a moment, she opened her phone to browse the recent news.
The entertainment headlines remained predictable. A paparazzo had posted a teaser claiming they would expose a young star’s romance, sparking a wave of discussion before vanishing into silence.
Staring at the colorful news images, Jiang Yin suddenly drifted into a daze.
She was thinking of Jiang Zhen. Since the last filming session, they had not seen each other for a week, and even their digital communication had been sparse.
Between busy final exam preparations and a demanding schedule of public appearances, opportunities to talk or meet were far too rare.
This realization left Jiang Yin feeling somewhat gloomy. She opened the calendar on her phone to count the days, noting that next Wednesday was the date of the family dinner she had promised Jiang Ling she would attend.
She wondered if she would be able to see her then. As Jiang Yin visualized Jiang Zhen, her mood brightened considerably.
Jiang Yin was not the only one counting the days; Jiang Zhen was doing the same.
Over the past few days, she had thought about sharing interesting things with Jiang Yin, but she hesitated to disturb her knowing that final exams were approaching.
As a sister, Jiang Zhen felt it was essential to close the distance between them, yet she felt strangely timid at times, unable to send even a simple greeting.
She did not know what she was afraid of.
With a long sigh, Jiang Zhen picked up the script on her nightstand to continue studying her character. It was a sweet, lighthearted drama about a hero and heroine who meet and fall in love at university.
In truth, Jiang Zhen preferred more profound scripts. However, because she did not yet have many outstanding works to her name, major directors were not yet willing to collaborate with her. She had to rely on idol dramas to broaden her popularity first.
She flipped through a few pages, made some notes on her interpretation of the character, and then put her pen down dejectedly.
After much deliberation, she finally gathered the courage to pick up her phone and open the messaging app.
11:30 PM was Jiang Yin’s usual bedtime. As she was setting her alarm, a notification popped up at the top of her screen. She had set her messages to hide the sender and content, so she only discovered it was from Jiang Zhen after clicking on it.
Cheese Cat: A-Yin, are you asleep?
Cheese Cat: Well, it is quite late, so I should not disturb you. Whether you are awake or not, please do not feel pressured to reply to me.
Cheese Cat: But I cannot help asking: will you be going home after the summer break begins?
Jiang Yin immediately pulled up the keyboard and began typing a response.
Seeing the “typing” status appear at the top of the screen, Jiang Zhen sat up abruptly in bed.
You Ran: I will be going home.
Cheese Cat: Then will you be staying at school?
Although she could not understand why Jiang Zhen was asking, Jiang Yin answered honestly.
You Ran: I might stay at the school because I need to help my teacher complete some tasks.
Cheese Cat: ! Really? That is wonderful! That means we can see each other often.
Confused, Jiang Yin sent a “Why?” in response.
However, Jiang Zhen remained mysterious, replying only with the word “Secret” before urging her to go to sleep quickly.
With a head full of questions, Jiang Yin turned off her phone and drifted off to sleep.
On the other side, Jiang Zhen was clearly much more excited. She sat hugging her phone and giggling to herself for a long while before finally getting out of bed to return to her desk.
With that brief exchange, she felt energized. She read through a dozen more pages, diligently filling them with her thoughts on the characters and the plot before finally preparing for bed.
After washing up, Jiang Zhen lay flat on her bed and scrolled through the chat history once more. Her heart felt as if it were filled with soft cotton, giving her an indescribable feeling.
She wondered if this was sweetness.
Jiang Zhen was startled by her own conclusion. This was merely an ordinary conversation between sisters; why would she feel this way?
She checked the time: 1:30 AM. It must be a delusion caused by staying up late. Satisfied with this logical explanation, Jiang Zhen put down her phone and fell into a peaceful sleep.
On Saturday, after contacting Jiang Ling, her sister said she would pick her up from school to try on some clothes.
Jiang Yin selected a few important notebooks for her subjects, planning to continue her revision at home.
When Jiang Ling had picked her up previously, she had been driving a black Bentley. Jiang Yin was beginning to recognize car logos now. This time, she arrived in a pink Porsche. To be honest, it looked quite striking parked at the school gate.
As soon as she got into the car, before Jiang Yin could even fasten her seatbelt, Jiang Ling asked impatiently, “Well, Xiao Yin, do you like my new car?”
Jiang Yin nodded vigorously in sincere approval.
“How about I give you one? Do you know how to drive? Do you often have a need for a car? No, you are a student, so you probably do not drive often. I should wait until you graduate before giving you a car.”
After Jiang Ling finished her monologue, Jiang Yin answered her questions one by one. “I do not have a use for a car yet, Sister. Furthermore, I do not have a driver’s license and do not know how to drive.”
“Do you want to learn?” Jiang Ling asked expectantly while driving.
Jiang Yin thought for a moment and replied, “Is the summer break long enough to get a license?”
“It might be tight,” Jiang Ling recalled her own experience. “If you pass everything on the first try, two months should be enough. Do you want to learn? I can help you contact a reliable driving school.”
“Then I will trouble you, Sister.” Jiang Yin felt that since her current workload was manageable, obtaining a driver’s license was a necessary step.
“Leave it to me,” Jiang Ling agreed immediately. “By the way, Zhenzhen is also coming back today. It seems she has finished her finals. When do your exams start? I recall that Peking University usually begins its break in early July.”
In contrast, Jiang Zhen’s academic requirements were much lighter. If she passed her midterms, she did not need to take written final exams. She only needed to pass the assessments from her teachers to finish the semester early.
“I finish on July 8,” Jiang Yin said. “Our major has many courses, so we finish quite late.”
Jiang Ling, who had also graduated with a finance degree, sympathized. “That is just how our major is. The schedule is packed regardless of the semester.”
Since Jiang Ling had only graduated a few years ago, she and Jiang Yin had much to discuss regarding their studies and the school. They chatted back and forth throughout the journey, arriving at the Jiang residence before they knew it.
After the family finished dinner together, Jiang Ling called Jiang Zhen and Jiang Yin to her room to try on their clothes.
“The tailor delivered them specifically,” Jiang Ling said, pointing to two outfits hanging on mannequins. “Try them on first. If there are any issues with the sizing, I will have them sent back for alterations.”
Jiang Yin carefully removed her custom-made formal gown from the mannequin and went back to her room to try it on. Jiang Zhen made an excuse that she was still digesting her food and wanted to wait a moment before trying hers. She stayed in Jiang Ling’s room, chatting with her sister while waiting for Jiang Yin.
After ten minutes passed without Jiang Yin’s return, Jiang Zhen volunteered to go to her room to check on her.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yin was struggling with the buttons on her garment. It was not that she was incapable of fastening buttons, but the outfit featured many decorative metal buttons. Each small button had its own corresponding buttonhole, but Jiang Yin could not find them.
There was a knock at the door.
“A-Yin? Are you dressed? Do you need help?” Jiang Zhen’s voice came from outside the door.
Two people working together was better than fumbling alone, so Jiang Yin opened the door with a slight sense of embarrassment.
“Sister Zhenzhen, can you come in and help me?”
“Of course,” Jiang Zhen agreed readily. She entered and closed the door behind her. “Is it difficult to put on? These formal gowns are like that; some of the designs are quite strange.”
Jiang Yin, who was being tormented by the buttons, nodded silently. “There are many buttons on the clothes, Sister. Can you help me fasten the ones in the back?”
Jiang Zhen followed her request and moved behind her to assist.
The garment featured five round buttons designed above the back hem, connected by golden embroidery thread. This added a cold, metallic feel to the pure white suit jacket, making Jiang Yin’s naturally indifferent temperament appear even more distant.
“And here as well, if you please, Sister.” Jiang Yin raised her arms. There were several hidden buttons near the hem at her waist.
Having experienced this before, Jiang Zhen was no longer as surprised to hear Jiang Yin call her “Sister,” but hearing it repeatedly still made her ears feel warm.
She lowered her head and focused on tidying the clothes. When she looked up, she noticed that one of the buttons on the collar of Jiang Yin’s inner shirt was not fastened correctly. She naturally reached out to help.
Faced with this sudden movement, Jiang Yin was confused, but she did not pull away. Instead, she looked down and watched intently as Jiang Zhen adjusted the button for her.
The girl’s gaze was cast downward. Her long, curled eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows on her fair cheeks, fluttering slightly with her movements.
The button at the neck seemed difficult to fasten. Jiang Zhen struggled for a long time but could not get it through. Seeing her frustrated expression, Jiang Yin could not help but curl her lips into a smile.
“Should I try?”
“I can definitely do it!” Jiang Zhen was determined to win against the button. She gritted her teeth and suddenly took a step forward, seemingly trying to get a closer look at what was wrong.
Her sudden proximity caught Jiang Yin by surprise. She instinctively held her breath.
They were too close. At this distance, if Jiang Yin lowered her head, she could even see the faint mole on Jiang Zhen’s face clearly.
As the distance closed, the unknown floral scent from Jiang Zhen’s body filled Jiang Yin’s nose, disturbing her heartbeat and stimulating her senses.
“Phew, finally done! I told you I could handle it!” Jiang Zhen stepped back triumphantly, straightened Jiang Yin’s collar, and examined her appearance.
“Not bad. You look very good; this outfit really suits you.” Jiang Zhen gave her evaluation, failing to notice Jiang Yin’s awkward expression.
“Alright, let us go show our sister. Wait, why is your face so red? Is it too hot in those clothes?”
Jiang Yin turned away silently, walked to the table, and took a sip of water. “Yes, it is a bit hot.”