Ye Jiayuan was caught in a full embrace by the enthusiastic Labrador and almost lost her balance. Fu Chaoying’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stepped up to support her. “Sister Jiayuan, are you okay?”
The Labrador’s owner ran over to apologize. “He’s too social, sorry about that.”
Ye Jiayuan waved it off, appearing normal. Once she was steady, Fu Chaoying quietly let go of her arm, but a strange emotion surged within her. At the moment of release, she heard Ye Jiayuan sneeze.
Fu Chaoying’s eyes flashed with concern. “Did you catch a cold, Sister Jiayuan?”
Ye Jiayuan shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Fu Chaohua smiled without saying a word, silently observing. He was now certain there was a “sequel” coming for these two.
Halfway through their walk, a strong wind picked up and clouds gathered. It was going to rain. They headed back. Upon arriving at the Ye house, they learned Ye Yi’an had already left to catch a high-speed train for a shoot.
Fu Chaoying felt no inner turmoil and politely said her goodbyes along with Fu Chaohua.
“Oh, it’s going to be a thunderstorm soon. It’s not safe to drive at night. Stay for the night, just to keep me company,” Chu Yiyun insisted warmly.
Fu Chaohua looked at Fu Chaoying, deferring to her opinion. Fu Chaoying was hesitating until she heard Ye Jiayuan speak softly: “I’m flying to Hong Kong tomorrow morning.”
Fu Chaoying looked up and unexpectedly met her gaze. There seemed to be an unnoticeable hint of a plea to stay in Ye Jiayuan’s eyes, but it was quickly masked by calmness. Fu Chaoying quietly retracted her gaze and somehow agreed to stay.
Chu Yiyun was in high spirits having the youngsters around. she took them to the tea room for evening tea and small talk. They discussed Fu Chaohua’s graduation and naturally pivoted to Nanyan University. All four were alumni.
Fu Chaohua smiled. “The legends of Sister Jiayuan are still circulating at school.” His tone was full of pride.
Ye Jiayuan was the most legendary alumna of her era. Not only did she graduate with honors, but after taking over the family business, she pushed through reforms to transform a family workshop into a listed company. Her investment eye was world-renowned.
Chu Yiyun looked at the girls and suddenly patted Fu Chaoying’s hand. “Wait, I remember, didn’t our Xiao Yuan present an award to you once?”
Fu Chaoying froze. Chu Yiyun pulled out her phone. “I still have the photo here.”
Fu Chaoying looked at the screen as she zoomed in on the graduation photo. It was from Fu Chaoying’s graduation ceremony, she was on stage as an outstanding graduate representative. But she clearly remembered that Ye Jiayuan hadn’t actually presented her the award. They had barely spoken.
When they passed each other on stage, Ye Jiayuan had merely nodded and said: “Keep working hard.”
The tone had been flat and distant, with an unfamiliar formality. After the group photo with the presenters, they went down. They didn’t even have time to chat, let alone have a meal. Perhaps they were already very distant then, maintaining only a surface level politeness for the sake of their families.
Ye Jiayuan looked at the photo and said in a deep voice: “The itinerary was very rushed that day; I didn’t even have time to take Xiao Ying for a meal.”
So that was it.
Fu Chaoying met her gaze and joked: “Everyone was so jealous that I got to take a photo with Senior Ye.”
The joke was well-timed, and everyone laughed. No one knew that back then, Fu Chaoying had been jealous of the girl who actually received the award from Ye Jiayuan. That girl had proudly told them: “Oh, Senior Jiayuan is my girlfriend’s older sister.”
Thinking back, what that girl was actually proud of was that the brilliant Ye Jiayuan was her family acquaintance, a person out of reach. Back then, Fu Chaoying and Ye Jiayuan weren’t that close, and she hadn’t dared to mention the connection for fear of being laughed at for “clinging.”
A bright flash of lightning crossed the window, followed by a roar of thunder. Fu Chaoying was startled, her body trembling slightly, though she quickly regained her composure. She sat quietly on the sofa listening to them talk.
Ye Jiayuan’s gaze moved toward her inconspicuously, appearing like a casual scan but carrying an indescribable focus.
“Is Xiao Ying still afraid of thunder? Do you want to sleep with Auntie tonight?” Chu Yiyun asked with a smile.
As soon as the words were out, Fu Chaoying and Ye Jiayuan shared a silent, knowing look. They both thought of their time in Singapore, those nights of sleeping in the same bed during thunderstorms.
Fu Chaoying’s cheeks flushed unnaturally. She looked away and smiled obediently. “I’m fine, Auntie. I can do it myself.” It was a joke, and Chu Yiyun didn’t push.
The conversation eventually turned to the inevitable topic, marriage and dating. Chu Yiyun began nagging Ye Jiayuan to find a partner. “I don’t even know your sexual orientation. I don’t know which way to go when introducing blind dates to you.”
Ye Jiayuan’s relationship history seemed to be a blank slate, at least, she hadn’t told them anything. In their eyes, she was a rational workaholic.
But Fu Chaoying knew her orientation. After all… Ye Jiayuan had asked her to date just a few hours ago.
Fu Chaoying’s gaze drifted to Ye Jiayuan, who was already looking back. Their eyes met like a faint electric current. Fu Chaoying felt strangely awkward and turned away, only to hear Ye Jiayuan say: “I’ll handle it myself. Don’t worry.”
She said that every time. Chu Yiyun was used to it and finally dropped the subject. When Fu Chaoying looked over again, she saw Ye Jiayuan looking at her with a hint of a smile and a mysterious light in her eyes. It felt like the thrill of a secret affair behind a parent’s back. Her heart raced as she looked away.
The night ended, and Fu Chaoying went to her guest room to shower. The sound of the rain outside was loud. This relaxing atmosphere was perfect for deep thinking.
She thought of a recent dream where she reached out to Ye Jiayuan only to be met with a cold look. Now, in reality, Ye Jiayuan had extended an olive branch, and she was the one who was lost. She smiled at the irony.
After drying her hair and locking the window, she jumped into bed. The hot milk she planned to drink was replaced by thoughts of Ye Jiayuan, leading to insomnia. Eventually, she fell into a shallow sleep, only to be woken by a nightmare and the sound of the storm.
Fu Chaoying got up to get a glass of water. As she opened her door, she heard a gentle voice: “Can’t sleep?”
She thought she was hallucinating until she saw Ye Jiayuan sitting on a sofa at the corner of the hallway near her bedroom.
“I was woken by the thunder. Sister Jiayuan… why are you sitting here at this hour?”
“I happened to have an important document to read,” Ye Jiayuan said, holding up some papers.
Read documents? Why not in the study? And her bedroom is on the other side… why sit outside my door? Fu Chaoying didn’t ask. She went toward the water dispenser, but Ye Jiayuan beat her to it.
“Sister Jiayuan, I can do it myself.”
“It’s fine,” Ye Jiayuan replied firmly. She handed over the water and said softly: “I said I’d give you time to consider. You don’t have to feel pressured. Just treat me as… an ordinary neighbor sister.”
“Even if you refuse me, I will treat you as a younger sister in the future.”
Fu Chaoying took the cup, her eyes curving as she teased: “Is guarding me while I sleep also treating me as a sister?”
Ye Jiayuan turned around and gave a soft “mm,” offering no further explanation. Fu Chaoying’s heart filled with complex emotions. “Sister Jiayuan, you are so good.”
“What time is your flight tomorrow?”
“Ten o’clock.”
Fu Chaoying finished her water and lightly tugged on Ye Jiayuan’s pajama sleeve before saying: “Then go get some rest. Goodnight.”
As she turned to go back, Ye Jiayuan grabbed her wrist. “Wait a moment.”
Ye Jiayuan went to her own bedroom and returned shortly with a plush bear. “This is the one my school gave out the year I graduated.”
The Nanyan University graduation bear. Fu Chaoying had always thought it was something Auntie Chu got from the alumni association, she hadn’t realized it was a gift from Ye Jiayuan.
“I should be able to sleep well tonight then,” Fu Chaoying smiled, holding the bear. She realized that the bear that had accompanied her through many nights had originally belonged to Ye Jiayuan. She felt a warm glow and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, she woke up to a WeChat message: [No need to see me off. I’ve changed my flight to an earlier one. Sleep in.]
Was Ye Jiayuan a mind reader? Or did she just know her that well?
Fu Chaoying replied: [Have you arrived?], then changed it to [Wishing you a safe flight and landing~].
Downstairs, Auntie Chu was complaining. “Is she mad at me? Did I nag her too much? She just left for Hong Kong in the middle of the night without a word!”
Fu Chaoying tried to soothe her: “She probably had an urgent matter. Don’t be angry, Auntie.”
After breakfast, Fu Chaoying drove her cousin back to Nanyan University. Fu Chaohua was full of gossip: “What’s the situation between you and Sister Jiayuan now?”
“Currently… just friends.”
“Currently?” Fu Chaohua smirked. “I heard you two whispering outside the door last night.”
Fu Chaoying’s heart jumped. “What did you hear?”
“I heard… she said she likes you, and you said you like her too?” They both laughed.
Over the next few days, the messages between them were brief. “Good morning,” “Goodnight.” Fu Chaoying tried to keep herself busy. On Friday night, she went for a head spa with her friends.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated repeatedly. It was a series of video messages from Ye Jiayuan.
When she played the first one, Ye Jiayuan’s voice filled the room: “This is the 7th house in the document…”
Fu Chaoying scrambled to mute it as her friends looked over. “That voice sounds familiar… Are you buying a house?”
“No, just a short video I scrolled past,” Fu Chaoying lied, putting on headphones.
The videos showed Ye Jiayuan in various apartments, explaining the details like a professional real estate agent. She had visited every house Fu Chaoying had pointed out in the PDF.
Then, she received a call. She stepped out to answer.
“Xiao Ying, it’s been five days. Have you considered it?”
“Sister Jiayuan, I still haven’t decided.”
She heard a soft laugh. “It seems I haven’t done enough. Do you have time tomorrow?”
Fu Chaoying agreed.
“A gift will arrive at your home tomorrow. Remember to check it. Get some rest.”
Fu Chaoying was nervous. What was the gift?
The next morning, as soon as she went downstairs, she heard a familiar voice. Her heart skipped a beat as she hurried to the stairs, only to run into a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Ye Jiayuan was back in Nanyan.
Could the “gift” she mentioned be herself?