Yueyi’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled. A drop of oil fell from the chopsticks onto the table surface. Half-rising from her seat, she reached for the tissue box not far away, pulled out a single sheet, and carefully wiped away the oil stain.
“What did you just say?” she asked while tossing the tissue into the trash can.
“Nothing.” Yan Nianyi picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks, placed it in her bowl, and took a guilty sip of juice to cover it up.
Yueyi gave a soft hum. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with what Yan Nianyi had said.
Ever since she first met Yan Nianyi five years ago, this child had liked seeking her out. Over time, that innocent and pure demeanor had caused her to drop much of her guard around Yan Nianyi.
She had also grown accustomed to Yan Nianyi’s occasional slip-ups and didn’t take them to heart.
Most importantly, as the only girl among the younger generation of the Yan family, Yan Nianyi was showered with affection from all sides and had no need to gain anything from her.
She lowered her gaze and slowly savored her meal.
She had been busy with work the entire day, grabbing a casual lunch whenever she could squeeze out the time, so she was actually feeling quite hungry now.
“Big Sister, this boiled spicy pork is your favorite. Have a taste.” Yan Nianyi used serving chopsticks to place a piece into her bowl.
“Thank you.” Yueyi accepted her kind gesture. “Did something happen abroad?”
Yan Nianyi put down her chopsticks, wiped her hands, and put on a pair of disposable gloves matching the tissue box. “Why is Big Sister asking that?”
“Two months ago, you told me you were going abroad to help expand the Yan family’s overseas business. Just two months shouldn’t be enough time,” Yueyi said as she swallowed the food in her mouth.
“Mhm.” Unflustered, Yan Nianyi stood up, moved an entire plate of crayfish right in front of her, picked one at random from the pile of bright red crawfish, and meticulously peeled off the shell and removed the vein.
Yueyi loved eating crayfish.
Only, at this time of year, the meat on the crayfish wasn’t very full.
She placed the peeled crayfish meat into the small plate in front of Yueyi.
“I missed Big Sister,” Yan Nianyi said, half-joking and half-serious.
She continued putting the peeled crayfish into the plate to make it easy for the person beside her to eat.
“How old are you, and you’re still acting so unserious?” Yueyi smiled and shook her head.
“You don’t believe me when I tell the truth. Do you really want me to make up lies to trick you?” Yan Nianyi’s hand movements sped up, and a pile of crayfish shells accumulated in front of her.
Staring unfocused at the fragments of crayfish shells, Yan Nianyi twitched the corner of her lips. “I wasn’t used to the food abroad, so I came back.”
Yueyi nodded in understanding. “When I went abroad on business trips before, I really couldn’t get used to the foreign food either.”
“Big Sister, eat more. I specifically ordered the crayfish.” Unwilling to continue that topic, Yan Nianyi pouted, glanced out of the corner of her eye at the gracefully seated woman beside her, and used the back of her hand to push up her sliding glasses frame.
Yueyi had a small appetite; after finishing a bowl of rice, she was practically full. Glancing at the small mountain of crayfish meat piling up in front of her, she laughingly pressed down on Yan Nianyi’s still-busy hands. “That’s enough, stop peeling.”
“There are only a few left, let me finish them all.” Yan Nianyi didn’t stop.
After peeling the last crayfish, she took off the disposable gloves and casually pulled out two wet wipes to clean the stickiness from between her fingers.
Even though she had worn gloves, she still felt as though she had been stained with oil.
“Big Sister, eat more.” A bright, youthful smile bloomed on Yan Nianyi’s face.
Looking at this worldly-wise yet, to her, still youthful girl, Yueyi curved the corners of her lips. “You should eat too.”
“You can’t possibly peel all of them and not even eat a single one yourself,” Yueyi said with a smile, using her chopsticks to pick up one piece, intending to place it in Yan Nianyi’s bowl.
Just as it was about to cross the rim of the bowl, she realized she had used her personal chopsticks. Her wrist made a lightning-fast pivot, wanting to place the crayfish back into her own bowl instead.
Before she had time to pull back, her wrist was gripped by five delicate fingers. Yan Nianyi lowered her head slightly, and taking the chopsticks she offered, her lips parted and closed, making the piece of meat vanish between them.
Her wrist sank downward.
Unable to resist, Yan Nianyi’s fingertips rubbed and kneaded Yueyi’s wrist for a moment before dropping back down with restraint, curling up to stroke it again as if savoring the lingering memory.
“Delicious,” Yan Nianyi said, her throat bobbing.
The chopsticks were laid at the side of the bowl.
Yueyi didn’t pay attention to this small episode. She picked up a pair of disposable gloves, handed a clean pair to Yan Nianyi at the same time, and said, “I can’t finish this much all by myself, you eat some too.”
Yan Nianyi gave a soft hum, her gaze falling upon the fair back of Yueyi’s hand. Under the illumination of the light, the greenish-purple web of veins was clearly visible, and the fine hairs on the back of her hand were cast a pale yellow by the glow.
The tip of her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth, sliding in a circle around the inside.
Yueyi methodically put on her gloves, making sure all five fingers were positioned properly before starting on the other hand.
In Yan Nianyi’s eyes, this scene was like a slow-motion movie, striking a heavy blow to her visual senses.
Swallowing hard, she stared at those exceptionally strong-looking fingers and tensed her body.
“What are you thinking about?” Yueyi raised her head, meeting the unblinking gaze of the person across from her.
A vibrant brilliance shone through the pitch-black eyes. Wire-rimmed glasses sat straight and proper upon the high bridge of her nose; perhaps because she had pushed them up with the back of her hand earlier, a single drop of oil clung there, reflecting an orange-red tint that stood out conspicuously.
Yueyi removed the glove from her left hand and reminded her, “There’s oil on your frames.”
Without a word of explanation, she reached out to wipe it away, put the glove back on, and then nonchalantly picked up a piece of crayfish meat to pop into her mouth.
“Does Big Sister have plans tonight?” Yan Nianyi asked tentatively. “Can I stay at your place tonight?”
“Tonight?” Yueyi looked slightly surprised. “You just got back. Your uncle and aunt must miss you a lot. Aren’t you going to spend time with them?”
The Yan family’s pampering of Yan Nianyi was something even she had heard whispers of.
To remain so sensible while raised in such an extreme environment of indulgence was truly a rare thing.
This trait was very similar to her younger sister’s. At the mere thought of her own sister, Yueyi’s gaze softened considerably.
However, she did not know that Yan Nianyi’s consideration had always been reserved for just one person alone.
As if she were about to drown in Yueyi’s gentle eyes, Yan Nianyi’s brain turned to mush. Just as words were about to slip past her lips without a filter, reason rushed back before emotion took over.
Her throat caught for a moment as Yan Nianyi said, “They’re busy these past few days, and I get scared being home alone.”
By the end of the sentence, her volume dropped significantly, as if she felt embarrassed.
Yueyi sighed inwardly. Sure enough, she still had the mindset of a child who wanted someone to keep her company.
“But I have some things to do tonight and will be heading back late,” Yueyi gently tried to dissuade her. “Are you sure you want to go to my place tonight?”
“Sure,” Yan Nianyi answered quickly.
“Mhm?” Yueyi let out a soft hum of inquiry.
Realizing she had reacted a bit too intensely, Yan Nianyi added, “I’m meeting up with some friends tonight anyway, so I’ll be getting back late too.”
“That’s fine, then.” Yueyi understood that someone her age, having just returned from abroad, would definitely want to hang out and play with friends for a bit. She offered a parting reminder, “Just don’t stay out too late, and stay safe.”
“Okay,” Yan Nianyi nodded in agreement.
After stepping out of the private dining room, Yueyi drove Yan Nianyi to the gathering spot.
In front of the luxury hotel, Yan Nianyi pushed open the car door sideways, pressed the door-release button with her fingers, and planted her sneakers firmly onto the solid concrete. Bracing herself against the frame of the door, she waved at the woman sitting in the driver’s seat. “Big Sister, see you tonight.”
“See you tonight.” Yueyi curved her lips into a shallow smile, unable to shake her worry as she added one more reminder, “Make sure to be careful. You’re still young, so try not to drink alcohol.”
Yan Nianyi couldn’t help laughing. “Big Sister, I’m already 23 now.”
Yueyi was stunned for a moment. So many years had passed already. She smiled. “That’s still young.”
“Not young anymore,” Yan Nianyi unconsciously began to act spoiled, probing further, “I’m old enough to date now.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Yueyi went along with her words. “Then when you start dating, bring the person over for me to see.”
“Does Big Sister want to vet them for me?” Yan Nianyi bent slightly at the waist, her eyes sparkling brightly behind her glass lenses.
“Naturally.” Yueyi naturally curled her fingers. “You’re my younger sister, after all.”
The hand gripping the car door frame tightened violently, her knuckles turning white and bulging one by one. The fierce passion suddenly erupting in Yan Nianyi’s eyes was blocked by the sunlight reflecting off her lenses.
She stared with infatuation as Yueyi turned her head back to look straight ahead, her exhaled heat still clearly visible in the crisp weather.
“Alright, I’m off. Have fun.” Yueyi glanced at the watch on her wrist.
Yan Nianyi bit down hard on her back molars to suppress the surging current rising within her. She took a step back and pushed the car door shut. “Goodbye, Big Sister.”
The black car slowly started up, merging into the citywide night.
The fanaticism in the depths of Yan Nianyi’s eyes could no longer be contained as it spilled over. Almost word by word, laced with mockery, she muttered, “Sister?”
With a cold chuckle, she crossed her arms, slowly closed her eyes, and whispered under her breath,
“Who wants to be sisters with you.”
“Big Sister.” Yan Nianyi let out a deep sigh.
Another car pulled up in front of her, its flashy color making her frown.
“Sister Yan, get in.” The car window rolled down, revealing a similarly youthful face.
Expressionless, Yan Nianyi pulled open the car door, slumped casually into the back seat with her legs crossed, and leaned back against the headrest, shedding every ounce of the docile obedience she had shown in Yueyi’s car.
“Sister Yan, the whole group is waiting for you.” The young man in the front passenger seat turned around eagerly. “You have no idea how much everyone missed you while you were gone.”
Yan Nianyi remained silent, closing her eyes to rest.
Seeing this, the person in front shrank his head back in discouragement.