In the early morning, the first rays of sunlight spilled through the window. Yan Nianyi turned onto her side, her eyelids fluttering twice before she slowly drifted awake.
Dazed, she opened her eyes and rubbed her head against the pillow on instinct, then froze as realization hit. She whipped her head around to look at the spot beside her.
It was completely empty, leaving behind only the lingering, faint fragrance of the woman.
“Older Sister.” Yan Nianyi propped herself up. She patted the spot where Yueyi had slept, her muddled mind scrambling to piece together the events of the previous night.
Remembering the kiss right before falling asleep, she brushed the back of her index finger lightly over her lips, then got out of bed and grabbed her phone as she headed toward the bedroom door.
“You are awake.” The door, left slightly ajar, was pushed open from the outside. Yueyi looked at the person standing not far away. “Are you going to wash up? I have already placed your toiletries in the bathroom.”
“Older Sister, you are up so early.” Yan Nianyi glanced at the clock; it was just a little past seven. Since today was Yueyi’s day off, she had assumed the other woman would want to sleep in, but it seemed she was up bright and early anyway.
“I need to go out for a bit later.” Yueyi said concisely. “Breakfast is ready.”
“Alright, I will go wash up right away.” Yan Nianyi.
Yueyi nodded and turned to leave the room.
Yan Nianyi headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Her dried clothes were neatly hung on a temporary rack off to the side. After changing, she made her way out to the living room.
The first thing that caught her eye was the woman’s upright posture.
Yueyi was sitting on one side of the dining table, with two boiled eggs and a glass of milk placed in front of her. Right next to her, a chair was pulled out slightly, and the tabletop held an empty milk carton alongside peeled eggshells.
Someone was sitting right in this seat just a moment ago. Yan Nianyi concluded quickly.
“Is Older Sister not going to wake your younger sister?” Yan Nianyi sat down opposite Yueyi.
“She already ate and left for school.” Yueyi.
“So early. Senior year really is exhausting.” Yan Nianyi picked up an egg and began peeling it.
As the smooth, white boiled egg was revealed, Yan Nianyi leisurely picked out the egg yolk and set it aside on her plate, leaving only the egg white to eat.
Next, she grabbed a milk carton, inserted the straw, and habitually bit down on it a few times until the circular opening was flattened. After taking a sip, she picked up the second egg.
Just like the first one, she only ate the egg white, ruthlessly abandoning the yolk on the plate.
“You do not eat the egg yolks?” Yueyi finished her two eggs with unhurried grace.
“They make you choke.” Yan Nianyi smiled.
She had disliked egg yolks since she was a child and had never grown out of the habit.
“I will drop you off at home first later.” Yueyi said, pulling out a tissue to wipe her mouth.
“Okay.” Yan Nianyi kept the straw between her lips.
After finishing breakfast, Yan Nianyi tidied up the eggshells in front of her, wrapped them neatly in a napkin, and tossed them into the trash can before obediently following behind Yueyi.
Yan Nianyi buckled her seatbelt in the passenger seat, watching the familiar scenery and buildings slip backward past the window.
She unlocked her photo album, her fingertips gliding across the screen. Her public album displayed the pictures taken last night.
She zoomed in to browse through the photos she and Yueyi had taken together.
“Older Sister, this one looks really nice. I am thinking of using it as my lock screen wallpaper.” Yan Nianyi brought up the picture of her and Yueyi holding hands, showing it to the woman while they waited at a red light.
“This one? As long as you like it.” Yueyi glanced briefly at the photo.
Yan Nianyi gazed at Yueyi’s face, her clear pupils brimming with an emotion that was transparent enough to see right through. But a second later, she lowered her gaze back to the screen.
Yueyi’s grip on the steering wheel tightened just a fraction.
With a few brisk taps, Yan Nianyi set the image as her lock screen wallpaper and pressed the power button twice to turn the screen off.
The moment the screen lit up again, it displayed their two pale, intertwined hands.
“We are here.” Yueyi’s soft, warm voice sounded beside her.
Yan Nianyi lifted her head and looked out the window. The Yan family’s grand villa sat nestled behind a fence just ten meters away.
Yan Nianyi locked her phone, pushed open the car door, turned around, and waved at Yueyi. “Goodbye, Older Sister.”
“Goodbye.” Yueyi waved back in response.
Once out of the car, Yan Nianyi stepped aside, watching the black Bentley reverse, make a turn, and drive away.
Behind her came the hurried footsteps of the housekeeper.
“Eldest Miss.” The middle-aged housekeeper greeted respectfully.
Yan Nianyi’s expression shifted as the Bentley faded into the distance. “Uncle Li.”
“Eldest Miss, Young Master Yan is in the reception room.” The housekeeper reported. “The Zhou family came over a while ago regarding the incident where Zhou Ming got injured a few days ago.”
“The Zhou family?” Yan Nianyi walked toward the villa’s main entrance with an air of indifference, curving her lips into a mocking smile as if hearing something amusing. “Are they here to demand an explanation?”
“The Zhou family brought a lot of gifts with them. It does not look like they are here to cause trouble.” The housekeeper said, stepping ahead to open the front door.
Yan Nianyi walked past him into the spacious first-floor living room.
“The Zhou family brought all this?” Yan Nianyi sneered at the various unknown items wrapped in exquisite gift boxes piled on the floor. She squatted down halfway, running her fingers back and forth over one of the packages.
She was searching for the opening of the wrapping.
“What a hassle.” Yan Nianyi muttered under her breath. Losing interest, she stood back up. “Did my brother say when he will be done?”
“Not yet, but Young Master Yan and the others have been in the reception room for ten minutes now. It should be over soon.” The housekeeper replied.
Given the Yan family’s standing and status, the Zhou family was far from being on the same level. If it were the Zhou family from the east side of the city, they might have had the qualifications to converse with the Yan family on equal terms.
Sharing the same surname, yet the gap between them was vast.
“Then I will wait here for a moment.” Yan Nianyi glanced toward the direction of the reception room, casually taking a piece of fruit from the bowl Aunt Li had just sliced up. She offered a word of thanks, popped a piece into her mouth with a fork, and chewed slowly.
Just as she forked the third piece of fruit, the sound of leather shoes clicking against the hardwood floor echoed from the hallway connecting to the living room. Yan Nianyi lazily lowered the hand holding the fork.
The sound of metal and glass clinking together masked her footsteps.
“Nianyi.” Yan Ping said, looking at the person sitting on the sofa. “When did you get back?”
“Just now.” Yan Nianyi stood up, sweeping her gaze across the two men following behind Yan Ping, a flash of disgust crossing her eyes.
She walked slowly toward Yan Ping and handed him the glass bowl she had been holding.
Yan Ping took it in a daze, turning his head to look at the young woman still standing nearby.
“Ms. Yan.” The middle-aged man said, forcing a flattering smile.
“President Zhou.” Yan Nianyi chuckled playfully. “I heard you came here because of Zhou Ming’s injury?”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man laughed awkwardly and shoved Zhou Ming forward, who wore an extremely reluctant expression but forced a smile anyway. “Did not Zhou Ming go out to the KTV with Ms. Yan the other day? Who knew my useless son would accidentally trip, hit the table corner, and hurt his forehead? I heard he even scratched Ms. Yan’s hand, so we specifically came to offer our apologies.”
“Apologies? President Zhou is too polite.” Yan Nianyi looked at Zhou Ming with amused interest, her next words directed straight at him. “After all, tripping is an uncontrollable factor. Young Master Zhou should rest up well at home and make sure it does not leave a scar.”
She pulled at the corners of her mouth, though her eyes were filled with absolute coldness. Taking half a step forward, she leaned close to Zhou Ming and spoke in a voice audible only to the two of them: “Watch your words from now on. Making up stories is not a good habit. You hurt your forehead this time, but next time might not be so lucky.”
Zhou Ming shuddered, staring in sheer terror into the girl’s smiling eyes.
Yan Nianyi patted Zhou Ming’s shoulder, tilting her head with a faint smile as she resumed her normal tone: “Get well soon. Once you have recovered, I will invite you out again.”