Yueyi’s words were light, yet every single syllable felt like a pebble, slowly and heavily sinking into the pit of Yan Nianyi’s chest, leaving a dull, stifling ache in their wake.
Yan Nianyi’s lenses became fogged over by the rising steam. Taking off her glasses, she folded them and placed them on the table.
Leaning forward slightly, she tucked a stray strand of hair sliding down her temple behind her ear and asked softly, “Is that alright?”
Yueyi blinked, the hand holding the spoon tightening abruptly for a second before she curved her lips into a faint smile. “Of course it is. After all, you do not have any strength right now, do you?”
Whether it was just her imagination or not, Yueyi seemed to put a heavier emphasis on the word strength compared to the rest of the sentence.
Yan Nianyi didn’t pick up on the thread, quietly lowering her gaze instead.
After the dark red liquid was scooped up, its color looked much lighter. She blew on it gently, sending tiny ripples dancing across the surface of the spoon.
Opening her mouth, she took the spoon inside. The sweet, rich liquid lingered on the tip of her tongue for a few seconds before sliding down her throat straight into her stomach.
“How is the taste?” Yueyi stirred the liquid in the bowl once more, fished out a piece of red jujube cut into smaller segments, and extended the spoon forward.
“Delicious,” Yan Nianyi replied before swallowing the piece of red date off the spoon.
Yueyi was exceptionally patient, feeding the person across from her one spoonful at a time. The liquid in the bowl transitioned from scalding hot to a comfortable warmth, requiring no blowing before it could be consumed.
Once Yan Nianyi finished the very last sip of soup, Yueyi pulled a sheet from the tissue box and handed it over.
Yan Nianyi wiped her mouth, tossed the tissue into the nearby trash can, and pulled out another sheet to clear the lingering fog off her glasses.
“I am going to wash the dishes.” Yueyi stood up and headed toward the kitchen.
“Alright.” Yan Nianyi raised her head to watch her go.
Her dark, deep pupils reflected Yueyi’s retreating figure. The motion of her hand wiping the lenses paused for a split second, as the sensation of being completely seen through grew intensely sharp.
Frowning, she kept her gaze locked unblinkingly on the direction of the kitchen, wondering if she had asked for too much just now and aroused Big Sister’s suspicion.
Using an excuse as far-fetched as lacking physical strength was something she actually managed to pull off.
Pushing her glasses back up, she checked the clean, crystal-clear lenses under the warm yellow light before putting them back on.
The sound of running water and clinking dishware from inside the kitchen gradually began to subside, signaling that Yueyi was almost finished washing and would be coming out soon.
She reined in her expression, curving the corners of her lips into a light smile and habitually using her index finger to push up the bridge of her frames.
“There is an attached bathroom in the master bedroom, you can take a shower in there.” Yueyi walked out of the kitchen, flicking the lingering water droplets off her hands.
Pointing a finger calloused by a thin layer toward a door several meters away, Yueyi continued, “My sister should be inside her own room, she will not come out.”
“What about Big Sister?” Yan Nianyi wasn’t in any rush to shower.
From the moment she had stepped through the front door, she had made a mental note of the layout. This floor plan only featured two bedrooms, which meant if she stayed over tonight, where was she supposed to sleep?
Surely Big Sister wasn’t planning on sharing a room with her younger sister, or worse, sharing a room with her.
At the thought of that second possibility, strange sparks of light flashed deep within Yan Nianyi’s eyes. Turning her head slightly in an instinctive motion to hide her reaction, she picked up the cup on the table with both hands and took small sips of the water that had long since cooled.
“Mhm?” Yueyi didn’t catch her drift. “Are you ready to shower? I can go use my sister’s room later, or I can wait until you finish, either way is fine.”
“No, that is not what I meant,” Yan Nianyi denied.
Her hands holding the water cup began to tremble slightly, threatening to lose their grip at any second. The moisture on her lips made them look even more glossy and flushed.
“I mean, where am I sleeping tonight?” Watching the person draw closer to her, Yan Nianyi’s voice dropped involuntarily.
“As for tonight, would it be alright if you temporarily shared a room with me?” Yueyi sat down on the sofa, crossing her legs and resting her chin on the back of her hand as she discussed the arrangement with her.
When she originally purchased the apartment, considering that it would just be her and Yuebai, she had opted for a two-bedroom layout and never imagined she would be bringing anyone else home.
Over the years she had gradually bought other properties of varying sizes in different areas, yet both she and Yuebai still regarded this place as their only true home.
“That is fine.” Yan Nianyi reined in the surge of excitement in her heart alongside the smile threatening to break past her lips, tilting her head up slightly to finish the remaining water in her cup in a single gulp.
“Then I am going to shower first.” Yan Nianyi stood up.
“Mhm.” Yueyi rose right along with her, looking Yan Nianyi up and down. “Is your stomach still hurting?”
Yan Nianyi paused, instinctively pressing a hand against her stomach before letting go two seconds later. “It does not hurt as much anymore. Big Sister’s ginger and jujube soup must have worked its magic.”
“As long as it does not hurt, go take your shower.” Yueyi gave an affirmative hum.
The tip of Yan Nianyi’s tongue swept across her lower teeth. Following close behind Yueyi, she walked toward the master bedroom.
Yueyi twisted the door open, and with a soft click, both the strip lighting running along the perimeter of the room and the exquisite central ceiling fixture flickered to life simultaneously.
The bedroom was spacious. The first things that caught the eye were the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out into the night and a set of desk and chairs arranged neatly by the glass, topped appropriately with a potted green plant.
Just like the living room, the wall opposite the bed also featured a painting, though it was no longer a landscape piece, but rather a simple still-life artwork.
Yan Nianyi couldn’t make head or tail of its artistic merit, knowing only that it looked quite pleasant.
“The bathroom is over here.” Yueyi pushed open a hidden door that blended seamlessly into the wall, completely invisible to anyone not paying attention.
Behind the door lay a connecting walk-in closet and bathroom.
“Those pajamas hanging over there, the ones on the far left have been washed but never worn, you can take and wear any of them. Undergarments are the same, there are clean ones in the small cabinet on the far left.”
Leading her inside, Yueyi gestured toward the small clothing rack with her finger, picking out a long-sleeved shirt and pants set to hand over. She then pulled open the lower drawer, inviting Yan Nianyi to pick out whatever fit her best.
“I am troubling Big Sister yet again.” Yan Nianyi offered a shy, bashful smile.
It had only been a few days since she returned to the country, yet this was already her second time staying over at Yueyi’s place.
“It is nothing.” Yueyi smiled warmly. “Did I not say it before? You are my younger sister, there is no need to be so formal.”
Her eyes were filled with amusement as she urged, “Go take your shower first.”
“Alright, Big Sister.” Yan Nianyi gripped the fabric of the pajamas tightly, the hand hidden underneath applying fierce pressure until the smooth cloth crumpled into wrinkles. Maintaining a sweet smile on her face, she added, “I will be very quick.”
“Mhm.” Yueyi nodded and turned to head out.
Left completely alone inside the empty walk-in closet, the smile on Yan Nianyi’s face slowly stiffened, flattening into a straight, unyielding line.
“Younger sister.” Yan Nianyi bit down hard on her back molars, mockingly repeating the title. “Younger sister.”
Was she still planning to treat her merely as a younger sister?
The warmth in Yan Nianyi’s eyes vanished completely, replaced by an icy chill as she stared fixedly at the door leading out of the master bedroom, her burning gaze seemingly capable of piercing right through the wood.
There is no rush, sooner or later. Yan Nianyi let out a heavy breath and stepped into the bathroom.
Back in the bedroom, Yueyi stood by the window, picking up a custom-made fountain pen from the desk, clicking the cap on and off repeatedly several times.
The night was deep and the moonlight hazy.
“Drunkenness, movies, carsickness, stomachaches.” Yueyi muttered to herself.
The fountain pen in her hand slipped with a soft click, tumbling onto the floor and rolling away.
“Why do you never know how to take better care of yourself?” Yueyi bent down to retrieve the pen.
The interactions she had shared with Yan Nianyi over these past few days since the girl’s return had given her a distinctly different feeling.
This child seemed to have grown even more attached to her.
True to her word, Yan Nianyi washed up with incredible speed. Barely ten minutes later, the bathroom door was pushed open.
“Big Sister, I am done.” Yan Nianyi hadn’t washed her hair. With a bright smile, she walked into the bedroom and obediently took a seat on the side armchair.
“Mhm, good.” Yueyi glanced up at her. “Get to bed first, sleep if you are tired.”
“Good.” Yan Nianyi gave an exceptionally obedient reply.
Seeing that she didn’t move right away, Yueyi didn’t think much of it and headed into the bathroom to wash up herself.
Yan Nianyi stared at the large bed large enough to comfortably fit two people, the knuckles connecting her hands to her fingers tensing up rigidly.
Stepping toward the bed with slow, measured paces, she lowered her gaze and let her palm drift back and forth across the soft mattress.
The tactile sensation of the mattress felt so real, so overwhelmingly real that it made her wonder if everything she was perceiving right now was merely a dream she had been trapped in for years.
Only after actually climbing onto the bed did that sense of unreality finally begin to fade.
Stealing a cautious glance toward the closed bathroom door, Yan Nianyi rolled across the mattress in a completely uninhibited display of childish delight, letting her overwhelming joy bubble right to the surface.
To a certain extent, the distance between her and Big Sister had shrunk once again.
Fearing that Yueyi might suddenly walk out and catch her acting so unhinged, Yan Nianyi reined in her emotions after a brief moment of celebration, obediently pulling the covers up over herself. Leaving her upper body exposed, she leaned back against the plush headboard behind her.
Her phone buzzed with an endless stream of chat notifications.
Tapping it open, she found it was filled with messages from her close friends who knew her true feelings, inquiring about how things went, with Shao Yihan and Zhou Qingyan leading the pack in hyperactivity.
“Nianyi, how did it go? What kind of movie did you and Director Yue watch?” Zhou Qingyan.
“Why haven’t you replied yet? Did you get too overwhelmed watching?” Shao Yihan.
“I literally created such a golden opportunity for you, did you actually seize it?” Shao Yihan.
Yan Nianyi rapidly scanned through the entire conversation. Her finger hovered over the typing bar, ready to hammer out a response, but she hesitated for a moment and ended up deleting what she had typed.
Instead, she tapped the image icon below, selected a photo of their holding hands taken inside the car along with a picture from the cinema, and sent them over one by one.
Seconds later, the chat group that had finally quieted down erupted into absolute chaos.
“!!! Yan Nianyi, did you actually win Director Yue over?” Shao Yihan. Followed by a panicked meme sticker.
“Color me impressed, that was fast. Tell us what happened.” Zhou Qingyan.
“Did you actually chase down Director Yue? Congrats.” Sang Wan.
“Congratulations.” Wen Mo.
Yan Nianyi tapped her index finger against the edge of her phone screen, watching the endless cascade of messages roll in for a moment before she resumed typing.
“Not successful yet, those were just staged photos.” Yan Nianyi, honestly.
Silence fell over the chat group once again, followed closely by Yan Nianyi watching the topmost messages get retracted one by one.
“……” Yan Nianyi.
“Good luck.” Shao Yihan.
“Good luck.” The rest of them chimed in with identical follow-up messages.
Yan Nianyi bit her lower lip, just about to exit the chat interface when she spotted a fresh message from Shao Yihan.
“I am dying of laughter, why is Nianyi so funny, intentionally getting Director Yue to pose for staged photos with her. The road to winning your wife is long indeed.” Shao Yihan.
Realizing she had sent it to the wrong chat, the author of the message quickly retracted it, adding a frantic good-luck sticker to cover her tracks.
“I saw that. You might as well start looking for a nice plot of land to bury yourself.” Yan Nianyi dropped a cold-smirk sticker before exiting the application.
Setting her phone aside, she fell into deep thought. Shao Yihan’s comment wasn’t entirely wrong.
She genuinely had no idea how much longer it would take for her to successfully win Big Sister over.
Or rather, once Big Sister finally discovered her true intentions, would she even accept her?