“Sister Jiayuan?” Fu Chaoying’s voice carried a hint of surprise, her ending tone rising with a touch of irrepressible joy.
Her eyes rippled, shimmering as if filled with starlight.
Ye Jiayuan was dressed in a beige trench coat that accentuated her slender figure. She nodded slightly toward her, a soft light flickering in the depths of her eyes. “Morning.”
Hearing this, Fu Chaoying’s eyes curved into crescents, her tone lighthearted. “When did Sister Jiayuan return to Nanyan?”
“This morning.”
Another red eye flight.
A surge of indescribable emotion welled up in Fu Chaoying’s heart.
Fu Chaohua poked her head out from the dining room at just the right moment, smiling as she said goodbye: “I have things to do at school, so I’m heading out now.”
As she spoke, she even gave Fu Chaoying a little wink, an expression that clearly said, “I get it, I won’t disturb you two.”
Fu Chaoying curled her lips in a helpless smile, waving goodbye mechanically as she watched her sister leave. Only then did she hear Ye Jiayuan speak in a low voice: “I am not the gift.”
Fu Chaoying couldn’t help but curve her lips, blinking at her. “I know.”
Her tone carried a bit of playful teasing.
“Oh?” Ye Jiayuan’s tone rose slightly as she looked at her with interest.
Fu Chaoying’s gaze fell upon her, scanning her dark blue shirt. Seeing her meticulous, upright attire, the smile in her eyes deepened. “You didn’t tie a ribbon on yourself, after all.”
Ye Jiayuan always maintained a calm and self-possessed demeanor; how could she ever think of packaging herself up as a gift?
A faint, almost imperceptible smile reached the corners of Ye Jiayuan’s eyes.
“Have breakfast first. We’ll set out to see your gift in a little while.”
Aunt Wu was grinning from ear to ear as she greeted them warmly, asking, “Miss Jiayuan, would you like to eat a little more as well?”
Ye Jiayuan shook her head politely, stating she had already eaten.
Fu Chaoying finished her breakfast in record time and set off with Ye Jiayuan.
Ye Jiayuan’s assistant, Liu Xin, had been waiting for a long time. Seeing the two of them walking side by side, a smile immediately spread across her face as she greeted them warmly: “Miss Chaoying, please get in the car.”
Fu Chaoying and Ye Jiayuan took their seats in the back row. The moment the car door closed, the cabin fell into instant silence.
The air was permeated with the faint fragrance of magnolia and roses.
Listening to the steady sound of the breathing beside her and being caught in the midst of an unresolved, ambiguous relationship, Fu Chaoying felt more or less uneasy, even if she didn’t show it on her face.
After a moment of silence in the cabin, Ye Jiayuan suddenly spoke softly: “Play some music.”
“What kind of music?”
Liu Xin was somewhat puzzled, glancing at Ye Jiayuan through the rearview mirror. After all, Ye Jiayuan rarely had such requests in the past, she had always preferred quiet and lacked interest in arts like music.
“Soothing piano music,” Ye Jiayuan said tonelessly.
The perfectly timed pure music slowly masked the subtle atmosphere in the car. Fu Chaoying’s eyes curved slightly as she turned her gaze toward the window.
Fu Chaoying didn’t take the initiative to ask what the gift was, but she noticed the route the car was taking was very familiar.
“Are we going to Nan University?” Fu Chaoying turned her head to ask.
Ye Jiayuan gave a slight nod, her gaze falling on her face, which seemed to be glowing. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back.”
Her tone carried a trace of tenderness that was hard to detect.
Fu Chaoying suddenly remembered the conversation at the Ye residence that night. Aunt Chu had accidentally mentioned the graduation ceremony, and Ye Jiayuan had said her schedule was too rushed that day to have a meal with her.
So, she had specifically made time today to take her back to Nan University for a meal?
But it was a bit too early for lunch.
Fu Chaoying was about to ask, but she noticed that the other had already taken out a tablet and was focused on browsing documents, so she swallowed the words that had reached her lips.
Before long, the car slowly drove into the west gate of Nanyan University.
Familiar campus scenery came into view. Every blade of grass and every tree here was all too familiar, yet slightly different from when she was a student.
It had been a long time since Fu Chaoying had returned to her alma mater as well.
The car made several turns before finally coming to a stop in front of the University Student Activity Center.
Ye Jiayuan had tucked away her tablet at some point. She turned her head and said softly, “We’re here.”
Fu Chaoying followed her out of the car and down the stairs to the basement of the Student Activity Center.
Fu Chaoying looked up with some confusion, only to see a metal plaque on the door that read: “Pet Rescue Station.”
Several college students dressed in volunteer uniforms were standing at the door. When they saw Ye Jiayuan, their eyes lit up, and they greeted her in unison: “Hello, Senior Sisters!”
Ye Jiayuan nodded slightly.
Fu Chaoying was even more confused. Before she could speak, the leading student said with a beaming face, “Seniors, the puppy is inside. Please follow me.”
“Thank you,” Ye Jiayuan said. She was about to step inside when someone gently tugged at her sleeve.
Ye Jiayuan stopped and tilted her head, asking with her eyes: “Yes?”
Fu Chaoying stood on her tiptoes and leaned into her ear, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear: “I… I don’t want to raise a puppy right now.”
A warm breath brushed against Ye Jiayuan’s ear like a feather, bringing a tickling sensation.
Ye Jiayuan’s throat moved slightly. She turned and gently took hold of her wrist. “Don’t worry. Come with me and just have a look first.”
The warmth of her palm traveled through the skin to her heart, carrying a reassuring power. Fu Chaoying’s heart trembled slightly, and she was led inside by that gentle force, following involuntarily.
It wasn’t long before Fu Chaoying’s attention was captured by a group of puppies playing and frolicking. They were of different colors and breeds, but all were lively and adorable.
“These are all stray dogs,” Ye Jiayuan said softly.
Fu Chaoying looked around and fixed her gaze on a tiny Pomeranian. It was wagging its tail, looking exceptionally happy.
More importantly, this puppy looked exactly like her Xing Xing.
Fu Chaoying’s heart skipped a beat. She froze instantly, staring blankly at the little Pomeranian as memories flooded back.
No, this black-furred Pomeranian wasn’t her Xing Xing.
Though they both had a tuft of white fur on their right ear, her Xing Xing had always been steady and rarely showed such a boisterous smile.
“It looks like Xing Xing, doesn’t it?” Ye Jiayuan’s voice sounded in her ear.
Fu Chaoying turned her eyes to look at her, only to crash into those slightly tender eyes.
Since Xing Xing passed away all those years ago, very few people had mentioned it.
Because very few people would remember a puppy that had provided such brief companionship.
Even Fu Chaoying’s own memories of it were fading day by day, yet Ye Jiayuan actually remembered, and had even accurately identified a Pomeranian that looked just like it.
“I remember that after Xing Xing passed away, you never raised another dog. Is it because you’re afraid you can’t give it a complete home?”
Ye Jiayuan remembered that Xing Xing had left shortly after Fu Chaoying’s mother passed away.
She had hit the nail on the head, striking the very soul.
Fu Chaoying was momentarily stunned, her breathing becoming a bit hurried. She just stared blankly into Ye Jiayuan’s eyes, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Ye Jiayuan gazed at her seriously, her look gentle and encouraging. “If you don’t want to raise a puppy, you can choose to sponsor it. There will be dedicated students here to help you take care of it.”
“It will have a home with many companions.”
Ye Jiayuan paused for two seconds, seemingly weighing her words.
Then she continued: “If we… have a future, or if you have another stable partner, you can consider bringing it home at any time.”
The voice in her ear was gentle yet powerful. Every word seemed deeply considered, every detail thought out, she had even accounted for a future where she wasn’t chosen.
At this moment, something in Fu Chaoying’s heart suddenly melted, and a long-hidden decision abruptly became clear.
Fu Chaoying walked over to the little Pomeranian, squatted down, and gently stroked its soft fur.
Turning her head, she realized Ye Jiayuan was standing far off in her original spot, not approaching, just quietly watching her.
Fu Chaoying realized that Ye Jiayuan might not like dogs.
She then suddenly remembered that when they were children, Ye Jiayuan didn’t like her either, thinking she was a little crybaby nuisance and refusing to play with her.
Fu Chaoying suddenly found it amusing. She couldn’t help but curl her lips, looking back at her with a hint of playfulness and expectation in her voice as she asked softly: “Does Sister Jiayuan want to come and pet it?”
Ye Jiayuan was slightly taken aback, then shook her head. “You play, it’s fine.”
Fu Chaoying knew she didn’t like it and didn’t insist. Not long after, she went with the station manager to handle the adoption/sponsorship paperwork.
Ye Jiayuan took her out and asked, “Since it’s rare for you to be back, is there anything special you want to eat?”
Thinking of the various delicacies of her alma mater, Fu Chaoying blinked. “What I want to eat, you might…”
Ye Jiayuan knew what she wanted to say and nodded understandingly, her tone carrying a bit of indulgence: “You decide.”
“The place is very close, let’s walk over.”
The two of them strolled through the campus together. On the way, they encountered several students who recognized Ye Jiayuan, and some who recognized Fu Chaoying as well, as the ex-girlfriend of a female star and one of the successors of Southern school ink wash painting, she naturally had some fame.
Fu Chaoying took a spare mask out of her small bag and handed it to her, saying with a hint of helplessness and a soft sigh: “It seems I’ll have to wear a mask when I come back to my alma mater in the future.”
Ye Jiayuan took it but saw that she didn’t take out another one. “Aren’t you wearing one?”
Fu Chaoying had only brought one. She shook her head and teased with a light smile: “You should wear it. Your fame is higher, lest you can’t walk a few steps without someone greeting you with ‘Hello, Senior Sister Ye.'”
There was a slight hint of sourness in those words.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered in Ye Jiayuan’s eyes.
They walked and stopped along the way. Fu Chaoying told her about interesting things from her university days, mentioning how her roommate went through a breakup and several of them drank together, leaving only her, the one who drank fruit juice and didn’t get drunk to be teased by them for a long time.
“Sister Jiayuan, what about when you were in university? Was there anything interesting?”
“I was very busy in university. Besides studying, I was working. I wasn’t very close with my roommates,” Ye Jiayuan said simply.
She didn’t have much time to experience university life.
Fu Chaoying pursed her lips, a pang of heartache welling up in her heart. She immediately slowed her pace and led her to a “hole in the wall” restaurant at the end of the long street. “Is this place okay?”
Ye Jiayuan just gave it a brief glance and walked in without hesitation, seemingly without any hint of disdain.
She was actually quite down to earth.
Fu Chaoying curved her lips and followed her inside, finding a seat by the window before picking up the menu and ordering a few signature dishes.
“Our dorm gatherings were almost always at this place. Basically, every dish here is a hit.”
Ye Jiayuan gave a slight nod and said tonelessly, “Your dorm gathered often?”
Fu Chaoying was silent for a while before saying, “They gathered often.”
Ye Jiayuan gazed into her eyes for a moment but didn’t press further.
Noticing her gaze, Fu Chaoying explained further: “Because I spent a lot of my spare time in the studio, I rarely had time to join their gatherings.”
And in what little other free time she had, she was almost always tied to Ye Yi’an.
Ye Jiayuan gave a light “mm” and didn’t say anything else, seemingly indifferent.
Fu Chaoying quietly changed the subject, talking about the restaurant’s specialty dishes.
The two of them slowly finished the meal.
Regarding the question of their relationship, Ye Jiayuan didn’t bring it up again even though the atmosphere at the rescue station had seemed just right.
Fu Chaoying felt a sense of loss. She tilted her head and asked her: “What are your arrangements for this afternoon?”
Hearing this, Ye Jiayuan looked deeply at her before slowly uttering a few words: “I’ll follow your arrangements.”
She had once again handed the power of choice over to her.
Fu Chaoying blinked and asked tentatively: “Then… go to my place?”
Ye Jiayuan pondered for two seconds before agreeing: “Okay.”
Fu Chaoying pursed her lips. She didn’t know why she wanted to take Ye Jiayuan home.
Before she could think it through, the question had already left her mouth.
And so, she took Ye Jiayuan home.
Aunt Wu was very surprised to see Ye Jiayuan again and hurriedly went to prepare afternoon tea.
However, Fu Chaoying led Ye Jiayuan straight upstairs and opened her bedroom door.
Ye Jiayuan stood at the doorway of the bedroom, watching her slender figure and the fair skin beneath her ponytail.
Ye Jiayuan’s gaze darkened, yet she didn’t step inside. “I’ll wait for you here.”
As if possessed, Fu Chaoying grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.
Ye Jiayuan looked toward her bed, a certain image flashing through her mind, but then she heard her say: “Look.”
Ye Jiayuan looked in the direction she was pointing. Two identical little bears were lying side by side on her bed, carefully tucked under a thin air-conditioning quilt.
Ye Jiayuan suddenly turned her head to look at her, a hint of a smile in her eyes. “You brought this one too.”
It was the bear she had given her on that rainy night.
“So…” Ye Jiayuan gazed into her eyes, slowly leaning closer to her, asking the question she had been holding back: “Are you going to say yes to me?”
Her voice was very soft, yet it carried an irresistible tenderness.
Fu Chaoying’s heart rate suddenly accelerated, but on the surface, she only blinked and asked knowingly: “Say yes to what?”
Ye Jiayuan was momentarily stunned, a flash of helplessness crossing her eyes. “You know what I’m talking about.”
Starting to play riddles.
Fu Chaoying thought that someone as cool and self-possessed as her wouldn’t ask again, but then she heard her follow up in a low voice, asking once more: “Will you be my girlfriend?”
Fu Chaoying’s heart stirred, but she pretended to be nonchalant and took a step closer until their noses almost touched and their breaths mingled.
“I can… but I have conditions.”
The end of Fu Chaoying’s tone rose slightly, carrying a hint of seduction.