Yan Nianyi was in no rush to stand up. To avoid being jostled by the crowd, she and Yueyi waited until the other people filed out of the narrow aisle before getting to their feet.
Yan Nianyi placed both cups into the cup holder and picked up the already emptied cola cup.
She reached for the popcorn bucket, but Yueyi deftly intercepted it. The older woman lifted her hand slightly, signaling that she would carry it herself.
Yan Nianyi did not press the issue.
Positioned one step ahead of Yueyi, she led the way out of the seating area. Once her feet hit the sturdy steps, she glanced back slightly to check if the person behind was keeping up.
“Slow down,” Yueyi said.
“Mm-hmm,” Yan Nianyi hummed in acknowledgement.
Exiting the cinema, they tossed their used items into the trash can by the exit.
“Shall I send you home?” Yueyi pulled out her phone to check the time.
The movie had lasted nearly two hours. At this hour, it was neither too early nor too late, meaning Yan Nianyi could still go hang out elsewhere if she wished.
“Or I can drop you off with your friends.” Yueyi furrowed her brows involuntarily, realizing that this phrasing was off. Yan Nianyi’s friends were currently at a bar, and personally delivering the younger woman to such a place felt instinctively contrary to proper elder behavior.
Thus, she quickly corrected herself. “How about we just go home instead? You had a bit to drink tonight, so you should head back early and rest.”
Yan Nianyi’s expression remained unchanged. She smiled and nodded, wearing the obedient and polite demeanor she always kept in front of Yueyi. “Let us head back early then. My head hurts a little.”
“It hurts?” Yueyi asked with concern. “Why would it start hurting out of nowhere?”
“It must be the alcohol kicking in.” Yan Nianyi bit her lower lip with feigned difficulty. She pressed the back of her hand against her forehead, massaging it in small circles as she put on a pained expression. “My alcohol tolerance is not very good. Because I was with my friends, I was not paying attention and ended up having a couple of extra drinks.”
Her performance was so convincing that Yueyi bought it entirely.
In Yueyi’s impression, Yan Nianyi rarely drank, and whenever she did in front of her, it was never more than half a glass.
“Then I will drive you home right now.” Yueyi gently tightened her grip on the car keys in her palm, the irregular indents pressing faintly into her skin.
“Sorry to trouble you, Sister.” Yan Nianyi lowered her gaze.
“It is nothing. Why are you being so polite with me?” Yueyi smiled offhandedly.
Noticing the slight intoxication carried by Yan Nianyi, she reached out and wrapped a supportive arm around the younger woman’s waist, feeling uneasy about letting her go alone.
Instantly registering the contact against her arm, Yan Nianyi hid a triumphant glint of success deep within her eyes beneath the gold-rimmed glasses.
She let out a soft cough and let her entire body go limp, gently leaning against Yueyi’s shoulder as if boneless, naturally pressing her arm against the older woman’s side.
“Sister, I suddenly feel so uncomfortable,” Yan Nianyi murmured in a raspy voice. “My stomach hurts, my head hurts, and everything is spinning.”
“It is chilly tonight, and walking right out of the theater into the wind must have gotten to you.” Yueyi pressed her lips together. Looking down at the woman who was practically draped over her, a wave of pity flashed quickly through her eyes. “Are you feeling very awful? Rest in the car for a bit once we get there.”
“Okay,” Yan Nianyi nodded.
With her forehead resting against Yueyi’s shoulder, the gesture looked less like discomfort and more like a deliberate act of coquettish spoiledness.
Reaching the car, Yueyi opened the passenger-side door first, carefully guiding the younger woman inside. Just as she rested her hand on the door frame to close it, a cool breeze swept past.
Yueyi paused for a moment. She then opened the rear door, retrieved her suit jacket from the back seat, and draped it over the person sitting in the passenger seat.
“Sister?” Yan Nianyi was paying attention to every single move Yueyi made. She called out softly, ten slender and delicate fingers grasping the corner of the suit jacket. “Are you not going to wear it?”
“You keep it on so you do not catch a cold. I am taking you home now.” Yueyi walked around the bulk of the car to the driver’s side and slid in.
Taking me home. Yan Nianyi narrowed her eyes slightly.
What if she did not want to go home, though?
As the car slowly made a U-turn, Yan Nianyi watched Yueyi pull up the navigation system and punch in the address for the Yan family residence. A flash of hidden endurance crossed her weary features.
“Sister, there seems to be a smell of gasoline in the car. It is making me feel nauseous.” Yan Nianyi pressed the back of her hand against her nose, her brows knitting into a deep frown.
Sheltered by the suit jacket, she pinched her thigh hard. The sudden jolt of sharp pain drained what little color remained in her already pale face.
“Nauseous?” Yueyi rolled down the car windows on all sides.
The car she drove was expensive; logically speaking, no strange odors should have been present, especially since Yan Nianyi was not prone to motion sickness.
Yueyi attributed this reaction entirely to the alcohol kicking in and heightening her senses.
“I will send you to…” Yueyi paused. “Why do not you come sleep at my place for the night?”
She glanced sideways at Yan Nianyi. Comparatively speaking, the Yan residence was much further away.
She had originally intended to drop Yan Nianyi off at a hotel, but seeing her current state caused her heart to soften.
If she left her alone somewhere, what if an accident happened?
“Go to Sister’s house?” Yan Nianyi’s heart skipped a beat.
Her throat tightened. She had never been to Sister’s actual home; the apartment near the Yue Corporation she had visited last time was merely a temporary resting place for Yueyi.
“Mm. Your house is a bit too far. I will go back and brew some honey water for you to help you settle down. Is that alright?” Yueyi turned off the navigation system and adjusted the steering wheel to change her route.
“I am always troubling Sister to take care of me.” Yan Nianyi leaned forward, resting her head against the dashboard in feigned embarrassment.
A faint, blossoming smile spread across her lowered face.
She got to stay with Sister again.
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled smoothly up to the gates of a high-end residential complex.
The license plate scanner at the security booth automatically recognized her car, lifting the barrier to let them in.
This was one of the most exclusive residential areas in the city, home only to the extremely wealthy and influential.
The landscaping within the complex was pristine, with lush greenery everywhere and bright streetlamps illuminating the surroundings clearly.
The car came to a stop. Yan Nianyi stumbled out of the passenger seat, pressing one hand against her chest while bracing her other hand against the car body as she hunched forward.
“What is the matter?” Yueyi hurried over to support her with a worried expression.
“It is nothing.” Yan Nianyi shook her head, her lips drained of color. Leaning heavily on Yueyi, her voice was so soft it was barely audible. “I will be fine once I catch my breath.”
“How can it be this severe? How much did you actually drink?” Yueyi wanted to scold her slightly, but seeing the younger woman in such agony that she lacked the strength to speak, her reprimands dissolved into waves of genuine care. “Can you still walk? Shall I carry you on my back?”
“No need, I will be better in a moment.” Yan Nianyi gritted her teeth. Before getting out of the car, she had purposely pressed her fist against her stomach to look the part, not wanting Yueyi to see any flaws.
A burning fire flared in her stomach, churning violently inside.
“I am carrying you up.” Yueyi frowned.
The night air was growing colder, and lingering out here for too long might cause her to catch a cold on top of everything else.
“No.” Yan Nianyi refused once more, terrified of weighing Yueyi down.
“Get on.” Without leaving room for argument, Yueyi bent down.