With the misunderstanding cleared up and the sweet honeymoon phase just beginning, the clinginess between the two of them caused the thick-skinned Yun Xi who refused to leave no matter how much they tried to chase her away to complain that she was stuffed full of relationship drama every single day.
The sun was bright and the spring breeze was warm. After lunch, the three of them were chatting casually in the garden, though in reality, Yun Yongjun wanted some alone time with her lover, only to be constantly harassed by her shameless eldest sister trying to assert her presence.
“Tsk tsk tsk, how pathetic that I have to spend Singles’ Day all by myself this year.” Watching the two of them practically glued together even while sitting, Yun Xi spoke with a sour tone. Seizing the opportunity, she snatched a peeled chestnut from Yun Yongjun’s hand, popped it into her mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed before making a series of faces at the couple.
Giving her a disdainful look, Yun Yongjun unhurriedly picked up another chestnut, peeled it, held it out to Feifei’s lips, and said indifferently, “As if you haven’t spent every previous year alone.”
Having spent the past few days shamelessly hanging around, Yun Xi had fully witnessed her younger sister’s newly unlocked talent for sarcasm. Thus, she wasn’t angered this time; instead, she chuckled cheerfully and tried to snatch another chestnut, only to be blocked midway by Yun Yongjun, who had been on guard all along.
“If Big Sister wants to eat, I’ll give you this one.” Mu Xuefei, sitting in Yun Yongjun’s arms, suddenly spoke up, picking an unpeeled chestnut from the pile and handing it to Yun Xi.
Even though the chestnut wasn’t peeled yet, Yun Xi smiled and took it. “The little beauty is still the best to m—”
“After all, if Junjun peels too many chestnuts, my heart will ache. Besides, this one is much too small.” Before Yun Xi could finish, Mu Xuefei interrupted her with an innocent expression.
Yun Xi felt like she had just taken ten thousand points of critical damage from the couple in front of her! The sharp tongue was one thing, but on top of the sarcasm, they were serving her a mouthful of dog food. She was so annoyed!
Ignoring Yun Xi, who had retreated to a corner to sulk, Mu Xuefei quickly picked up a chestnut, peeled it, and brought it to Yun Yongjun’s lips, gesturing for her to eat it.
“You’re full of mischief.” With a soft smile, Yun Yongjun flicked Mu Xuefei’s brow, opened her mouth to take the chestnut inside, and finally licked the tip of Mu Xuefei’s finger before she could pull it back.
Mu Xuefei froze. She instinctively glanced over at Yun Xi in the corner, and upon seeing that the other wasn’t paying attention, she let out a sigh of relief. The moment she reached for a napkin to wipe her hand, she couldn’t help glaring at Yun Yongjun. Ever since the confession, this person had become increasingly shameless, casually taking advantage of every little opportunity. Sometimes Mu Xuefei wondered if the old Yun Yongjun was just an imposter.
Yun Yongjun wasn’t embarrassed at all. After chewing a few times, she said meaningfully, “This chestnut is very sweet.” As she spoke, her gaze remained glued to the finger Mu Xuefei had just used, making the spot feel instantly scorching hot.
Mu Xuefei instinctively curled her fingertip inward. Catching herself, she reached out to cover the other’s eyes and uncomfortably muttered, “Just eat your chestnut.”
Yun Yongjun didn’t mind having her vision blocked. She simply pulled down the other’s palm, bent down, and kissed the back of her hand, rewarded the next second by Feifei’s blushing face.
“You’re shameless.” Exasperated, Mu Xuefei wiped her hand with a tissue and pinched the other’s waist.
“Hiss.” Yun Yongjun gasped, instantly raising both hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’m shameless, my bad.” With that, she leaned down again and quickly pressed a kiss to Mu Xuefei’s lips.
Mu Xuefei found that whenever she went up against this newly shameless version of Yun Yongjun, she could only retreat step by step. In the end, she could only glare gloomily at the other and decide to ignore her.
However, how could Yun Yongjun let their precious time together go to waste? Tossing a relatively small chestnut into her own mouth, she chuckled mischievously and kissed Mu Xuefei’s lips. The moment she pried open the other’s teeth, her tongue and the chestnut moved in simultaneously.
Caught completely off guard by the chestnut in her mouth, Mu Xuefei hurriedly bit down on it to avoid choking, forced to endure the other’s teasing while chewing.
When Mu Xuefei finally managed to swallow the chestnut, Yun Yongjun pulled back. At that moment, a silvery thread connected their lips, and the saliva at the corners of their mouths made them look thoroughly intimate.
After tidying them both up, Yun Yongjun put on a serious face again and skillfully changed the subject under Mu Xuefei’s glare: “Director Mo and the others finished filming and sent over the invitations last night, saying they’re holding a wrap party. Are you going?”
“Do I have a choice?” Mu Xuefei rolled her eyes internally. If she didn’t go, by tomorrow there would probably be headlines claiming a certain actress was putting on airs and skipping crew events. Although such rumors seemed unlikely right now, if she became famous later on, incidents like this would definitely be dug up and used as ammunition against her.
Thinking about it for a moment, she suddenly recalled something else. “Why did you suddenly show up right at that moment the other day? I was planning on slipping away quietly.”
Yun Yongjun paused, her expression turning sudden and serious. “I suddenly remembered something.”
“Hm?” Infected by Yun Yongjun’s serious demeanor, Mu Xuefei put on an attentive look.
“I seem to have forgotten to get you an evening gown.” Yun Yongjun said with a look of regret. “Since the party is tomorrow night, and there’s still plenty of time, I’ll go get one for you right now.” With that, she stood up and turned to leave.
“Eh?” Mu Xuefei looked blankly at the retreating back, not even getting the chance to say she didn’t need anything too fancy prepared. It was just a crew celebration—did it really call for an evening gown?
“Tsk, tsk tsk.” Yun Xi, who had somehow wandered over to sit in a chair, shook her head and looked at Mu Xuefei with an expression that said this child is hopeless. How could the person in front of her not even hear her own sister’s clumsy attempt at changing the subject? Was she really that indifferent to the issue, or did she just trust Yongjun completely?
Realizing she could never be on the same wavelength as Yun Xi, Mu Xuefei wisely ignored the other’s gaze. After all, for a solid twenty-four hours a day, Yun Xi’s expressions were bizarre for the better part of it. With that thought, she happily went back to peeling chestnuts.
The celebration party arrived quickly. Director Mo had rented out the entire third floor of a hotel to serve as the banquet hall, so when Mu Xuefei and Yun Yongjun stepped inside, the place was already bustling. Some guests were dancing in each other’s arms, while others stood in small circles chatting.
Since neither she nor Yun Yongjun were the main focus of attention, they quietly slipped away to hang out on the balcony as soon as they entered.
Director Mo, who had just brushed off a few actors trying to exchange pleasantries in hopes of future collaborations, had barely stepped a bit further onto the balcony and failed to even take a sip of wine to soothe his nerves when a heavy slap on the shoulder startled him, nearly causing him to spit out his drink. Spotting the two people behind him, he wore a helpless expression. “Why didn’t you say anything when you came over? What are you doing hiding out here?”
“Just came over to say hi to you.” Noticing others heading their way, Yun Yongjun grabbed Feifei—who was about to step out and greet them—and gave Director Mo a gentle shove forward. “Keep up the pleasantries, we’re retreating first.”
Mu Xuefei, who had barely been pulled back onto the balcony before she could speak: “…”
Director Mo, who had barely regained his footing only to find himself surrounded again: “…” Yun girl, if I don’t get you back for this, I’m changing my last name to match your mother’s!
In the dim shadows of the balcony, untouched by the bright lights, the atmosphere felt remarkably quiet compared to the clinking glasses inside.
“There’s no need. Just showing face is enough, Director Mo won’t make anything up.” Yun Yongjun leaned against the railing, suddenly turning her head to look at the person beside her, only to find Mu Xuefei gazing out at the moonlight, seemingly lost in thought over someone. Feeling an inexplicable wave of panic, she quickly reached out and grasped the hand resting at the other’s side.
“What’s wrong?” Pulled back to reality by the pressure of the hand in hers, Mu Xuefei tilted her head, looking at her uncomprehendingly.
Before Yun Yongjun could speak, her phone rang in her pocket. She could only look apologetically at Mu Xuefei. “Let me take this call.”
“It’s fine, go ahead.”
Yun Yongjun answered immediately, but the longer she listened, the stranger her expression became, until she finally walked back into the main hall to speak in a low voice.
Though Mu Xuefei was quite curious about what she could be discussing that required walking away from her, seeing that the call wouldn’t end anytime soon, she could only let out a resigned sigh.
“Well, well. I honestly thought you wouldn’t show up.” While she was spacing out, a sarcastic female voice chimed in beside her. “I just don’t get it—by what right do you get Director Mo’s favor? And Sister Yun’s affection?” Thinking back to the intimate sight of the two moments ago, the jealousy in Bai Tiantian’s heart sprouted like wild grass, growing uncontrollably.
Perhaps because she had let go of a lot lately, Mu Xuefei merely glanced indifferently at the other and turned to leave. “Miss Bai, to be honest, I never understood. I only accidentally bumped into you; both sides shared some responsibility. Why on earth do you keep targeting me over such a small matter?”
“A small matter? How is this a small matter?” Something she said seemed to touch a raw nerve. Bai Tiantian instantly flared up, her face twisting into a hideous expression. “By what right did Director Mo cut my scenes to pad yours? By what right does Yun Yongjun act as your personal manager? By what right do you get all of her favor?!”
“Calm down.” Frowning at the suddenly frantic person, Mu Xuefei hadn’t expected the other’s hostility to stem entirely from the expanded scenes. “Even with the extra scenes, it was only a minor part. It doesn’t affect you at all.”
“Doesn’t affect me?” Bai Tiantian’s face distorted further. She lunged forward and grabbed Mu Xuefei’s wrist with a grip so fierce that red marks instantly bloomed across her pale skin. “Do you even know that your extra scenes were begged for by Yun Yongjun?! What makes you so special that she’d make an exception for you? Why would she beg Director Mo to add scenes for you?!”
“What are you doing?” Hearing the voice nearby, Bai Tiantian looked up and saw Yun Yongjun, a flash of joy instantly lighting up her heart. But when she caught the pure disgust and worry in the other’s eyes, her hands and feet turned ice-cold. Glancing back at the target of Yun Yongjun’s concern, she gritted her teeth, her eyes reddened, and she shoved the person in front of her with all her might.
“Crash—” The balcony railing wasn’t particularly high—barely around 1.2 meters, reaching just about to the waist of Mu Xuefei, who was wearing high heels. Caught completely off guard by Bai Tiantian’s words and Yun Yongjun’s sudden shout, she was shoved hard. Already unsteady on her high heels, she tumbled backward right over the edge of the balcony.
“Thud—”
Yun Yongjun sprinted forward, but still failed to grab her in time. Staring down at the patch of blood pooling on the ground below, her hands and feet went ice-cold, her mind went completely blank, and she instinctively scrambled up onto the balcony railing.
“Xuefei? Yongjun? Hurry up and call the police and an ambulance!” Director Mo, realizing what was happening, lunged forward to pull Yun Yongjun back from jumping after her, his voice frantic as he ordered others to call for medical help.
Feifei? Right, Feifei!
As if snapping out of a trance, Yun Yongjun shoved Director Mo aside and bolted toward the stairs leading down.