Actually, she had prepared gifts for her father, Aunt Li, and Zhao Xiujie too—they’d nearly emptied her little savings.
It was just that because Li Tianbao and his family had arrived, she planned to give them later.
Li Hanting raised an eyebrow. “I get a gift?”
“Yep. Open it when you get home. I need to go upstairs—my dad is watching.”
Looking up, she could see Yin Jianguo on the balcony looking down, along with Zhao Xiujie.
Yin Li felt embarrassed. There wasn’t anything to it—just exchanging gifts—but being watched like that made her feel like she was doing something wrong.
“Alright. Get ready—school starts soon.”
Li Hanting saw them too. He even raised his hand in a little wave before turning and walking out of the courtyard gate.
Only then did Yin Li feel the exhaustion hit her as she went upstairs.
The house wasn’t big, but it was easy enough to arrange. Li Xiaohe would sleep with Yin Li, and Yu Meifeng would sleep with Li Wenyue.
Originally, Li Tianbao was supposed to sleep with Zhao Xiujie, but he absolutely refused, afraid the smell of cigarettes on him would bother Zhao. So he made a bed on the living room floor.
Li Wenyue didn’t say much about it. Her son seemed gentle and refined, but he wasn’t actually easy to get close to. He even had a bit of a cleanliness streak.
That’s why she had been quite surprised when he accepted her marriage to Yin Jianguo so quickly and looked after Yin Li so well.
Zhao Xiujie had always been outstanding—a top student abroad. There was no shortage of girls chasing after him. But Li Wenyue knew very well that his standards were high.
Besides, she wouldn’t allow him to marry just anyone. She still had her own ambitions to fight for. Her son had worked so hard all these years—he couldn’t afford to be careless about marriage. She didn’t want him to end up like her, with an unhappy first marriage leading to a second one.
It’s probably just that Yin Li is likable, Li Wenyue thought, shaking her head to dismiss the strange feeling that had suddenly risen in her heart.
“Xiaohe, sit down. Other than my mom, I’ve never slept with anyone else before. Honestly, sometimes I get a little scared.”
That night, the two girls washed up and sat together on the small bed.
The fan was blowing, there were no mosquitoes, and Yin Li could see Li Xiaohe was uncomfortable, so she spoke to help her relax.
The bed was small but comfortable, with a unique, pleasant scent. Li Xiaohe’s rough hands touched the bedsheet. She was wearing the tank top and shorts Yin Li had prepared for her.
“Okay. I wonder what your aunt gave you as a gift?”
They had originally planned to open Li Wenyue’s gift earlier, but Li Wenyue had quietly told Yin Li to wait until they were back in the room.
This made both girls curious—what gift was so mysterious?
Li Wenyue had gone to Hong City this time and brought Yin Li several bags.
Two of the bags contained new dresses from Hong City—lovely styles. Then there was the last bag.
Yin Li carefully opened it, saw what was inside, and instantly blushed.
Inside were two sets of matching underwear, one black and one white, with lace trim—absolutely beautiful.
Both girls felt shy at the same time. No wonder Li Wenyue hadn’t wanted her to open it in front of everyone.
Who would have thought she’d give Yin Li two such pretty sets of lingerie?
They glanced at each other’s chests, then both silently looked down, their faces red. They tumbled onto the bed giggling, and it was a long while before they finally fell asleep.
Zhao Xiujie lay alone on his back, staring at the ceiling, completely unable to sleep.
He thought back to the day he returned, when he’d seen Yin Li with Li Hanting. Shouldn’t he have realized something then?
That aura of Li Hanting’s—the way he didn’t let anyone get close… the stance of someone facing an intruder.
The truth was, he had prepared for a long time. He had thought so much about this little sister. That was why, as soon as he finished his studies abroad, he hadn’t hesitated to come back.
Because Yin Li was here. The first time he saw her, Zhao Xiujie knew—he wanted her.
But back then, she was still young, and he didn’t have enough say in family matters. His mother was very sensitive about such things, so he never brought it up.
He wanted to take it slow. Once he was fully capable, he would tell his mother that he wanted to marry Yin Li.
But…
Zhao Xiujie’s mind flashed to the way Yin Li looked at Li Hanting—an expression of complete trust, an intimacy that no one else could intrude upon, something she herself hadn’t even realized…
Zhao Xiujie took a deep breath and dared not think further.
He had picked out the gift before returning to the country. He hoped she would use the camera to capture all the things she loved.
Including her most beautiful self.
But this gift had put her in an awkward position. Anyone could see that she didn’t like that camera.
Not nearly as much as when she put on that watch—so joyful, so delighted.
Why was that?
Zhao Xiujie couldn’t figure it out. He lay awake all night, eyes wide open.
Yin Li also slept poorly. For one thing, there was someone else in the bed. The truth was, she had always been afraid of the dark, so there was always a small lamp by her bedside.
But she didn’t turn it on, afraid it might bother Li Xiaohe.
Yin Li felt her body slip out of her control. A powerful force came from behind, and she stumbled, lurching forward.
When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by murky water.
Her body kept sinking. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t float back up.
She could barely breathe. Water rushed into her mouth, into her nose.
She strained to look toward the surface, and there she saw a figure in red, standing perfectly still, as if it had been there for a very long time.
Even though the water was freezing, she somehow felt the person’s gaze piercing through the surface—colder than the water itself.
She thought she might die. She felt utterly hopeless.
She had no strength left. She didn’t want to die. She could only stare blankly at that figure, letting herself sink.
But then the figure suddenly moved. Very fast.
She was saved.
“Wake up, sister! What’s wrong?! Wake up!” Li Xiaohe’s anxious voice came from beside her.
Yin Li opened her eyes and found herself being gently shaken. Li Xiaohe’s face was full of concern.
“I…” The feeling of near-death followed by rescue hadn’t faded. Yin Li’s face was wet with sweat and tears. “I had a nightmare.”
Relieved, Li Xiaohe took a handkerchief and wiped her face. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You should sleep a little more.”
“What about you? Aren’t you going back to sleep?”
Li Xiaohe shook her head. “I can’t sleep anymore. I’m going to go out for a bit.”
It was just her routine, so Yin Li didn’t pry. Besides, she had things on her mind too.
Now, she wouldn’t ignore any dream. It had to be a sign of something.
And besides—she knew how to swim. Quite well, in fact. There was no way she would ever drown.
Yin Li lay back down and started thinking.
Li Xiaohe adjusted the fan to a lower setting and tiptoed out.
The weather was hot, and dawn came early. If she were back in the countryside, she’d already be out cutting pig feed.
In the living room, Li Tianbao was snoring thunderously. She didn’t spare him a glance and walked straight to the bathroom.
As she passed the balcony, she saw Zhao Xiujie leaning against the railing. A cigarette was lit between his fingers, but he wasn’t smoking it.