2023

It was hard to call it a confrontation.

After that, they walked side by side down the corridor in silence for several minutes before finally returning to their respective rooms in that quiet.

Chi Xiaoman was dazed and did not give Chen Yue a definite answer.

She felt that Chen Yue had misunderstood her. What kind of person would truly be cruel to herself?

But so many things were not something she could control just because she wanted to.

Just like earlier; seeing public opinion shift, seeing her name appear over and over in the trending searches, analyzing what exactly that post was trying to imply... Chi Xiaoman’s first reaction had, in fact, been a faint sense of relief.

Maybe Chen Yue had never wanted to be a good person. But Chi Xiaoman just could not bear hearing anyone curse her, hearing anyone treat her like a terrible person, hearing anyone disappointed in her and speculate that she had done the worst thing in this world.

As for Chi Xiaoman herself...

These were things that happened to her all the time.

So she truly felt it did not matter.

But because Chen Yue said she did not want her to think of herself that way.

Chi Xiaoman became filled with confusion.

She thought Chen Yue probably wanted her to be as good as she used to be at protecting herself; to become once again that brave Chi Xiaoman who was unafraid of the bad things in this world, who knew no fear or hesitation.

But the Chi Xiaoman she was now did not know how to become that again. If someone could hand her a Courage Manual at this moment, with every step needed to become that person written down clearly inside it, Chi Xiaoman thought she would follow it.

Maybe that would make Chen Yue a little happier for her sake.

Chi Xiaoman placed her hands on her knees and thought quietly.

She sat in the room for a while.

Only then did she notice that her toes still hurt badly. She took off her socks to look; as expected, the swollen wound was a complete mess.

Chi Xiaoman pressed her lips together, washed off the medicine she had casually applied that morning, and prepared to put it on again.

Then there was a knock at the door—

Knock, knock. Knock, knock.

Knock, knock.

Not irritating; patient, measured.

Chi Xiaoman put on her slippers and limped over to open the door.

Chen Yue was standing at the doorway again, lingering there like a cloud.

"Chen Yue?" Chi Xiaoman froze. They had only just separated less than ten minutes ago. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Chen Yue shook her head. Then she looked at her for a moment before taking the initiative to say, "Xiaoman, can I come in?"

Chi Xiaoman came back to herself in a fluster and stepped aside. "Yes."

Chen Yue walked in.

Chi Xiaoman closed the door.

"Sit anywhere you like."

She said that to Chen Yue, then rose lightly onto her toes and went to pour her a glass of water.

When she brought it over, she saw that the side table in front of Chen Yue still held the script and notes she had scattered around earlier, as well as the medicine bag containing cotton swabs and ointment.

Chi Xiaoman gathered everything up in one go and put it behind the sofa she was sitting on.

She pressed her lips together.

"Why did you suddenly come over?"

Chen Yue lowered her head to take a sip of water, then held the cup with both hands and said slowly, "I came to see whether you’d applied your medicine."

Chi Xiaoman blinked. "Didn’t I just put it on?"

Chen Yue said nothing.

Chi Xiaoman pressed her lips together, tucked away the cotton swabs and medicine she had arranged, and curled the toe of her shoe inward. "I was going to apply it again—"

Chen Yue sighed. "Let me do it?"

"What?" Chi Xiaoman did not react at first.

Chen Yue looked at her and said softly, "I’ll help you apply it."

"It’s fine."

Chi Xiaoman refused instinctively, then immediately pressed her lips together in tension.

After all, an inflamed wound did not look very good.

And besides, applying medicine was not something that had to be done by someone else in order for her to heal faster.

"Xiaoman, I’m not worried that you can’t even apply medicine to yourself." Chen Yue lowered her eyes. "I just..."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "also want to treat you a little better."

To be honest, Chi Xiaoman did not know where Chen Yue had ever treated her badly.

But Chen Yue said it like that, in a very quiet voice.

Then she looked up at her; when she found her eyes, she did not press her at all, only asked patiently, "Can I? Xiaoman."

Chi Xiaoman had no way to refuse again.

She felt like an earthworm patiently hooked out from under a rock, obediently crawling into Chen Yue’s palm.

She handed the medicine bag over.

"Then I’ll go wash it again," Chi Xiaoman said in a small voice.

"Okay."

Chen Yue did not sound the least bit bothered by her fussiness.

Chi Xiaoman went to rinse the wound again.

When she came back,

Chen Yue had already taken out the cotton swabs and medicine and was waiting by the sofa with quiet patience.

Chi Xiaoman limped over and sat down, then brought her knees together a little shyly.

"If it gets inflamed, it’ll look terrible."

"It’s fine." Chen Yue nodded.

She crouched in front of her and slowly rolled up the leg of her pants, saying nothing through the whole process.

Chen Yue’s hands were often cold.

But when she rolled up the pant leg,

her fingertips brushed Chi Xiaoman’s ankle and calf, and they were not cold at all.

On the contrary.

They were warm, soft.

And not too intimate.

Very measured.

If she accidentally touched too much, she would pull back right away.

So Chi Xiaoman knew—she had probably warmed her hands up in advance.

Chi Xiaoman looked at her focused face and sniffled.

Chen Yue dipped a cotton swab in iodine and kept her head down. "Iodine won’t hurt, but it might feel a little cool."

"It’s fine." Chi Xiaoman cooperated and opened the wound for her.

Only when the inflamed, red, slightly swollen wound with a bit of pus was exposed in front of Chen Yue did she, very vexed, draw her foot back a little.

Chen Yue probably noticed.

She paused.

"Xiaoman."

"Mm?" Chi Xiaoman answered.

"It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look good."

Chen Yue spoke slowly.

She kept her head lowered and did not look into Chi Xiaoman’s eyes. "Because this is a wound."

After a pause, her tone was very light. "No one should need your wound to look beautiful."

Chi Xiaoman froze.

"If anyone really asks that of you," Chen Yue said with her lashes lowered, "then don’t listen to them."

Chi Xiaoman did not speak for a long time.

Chen Yue did not say anything more either. She was always a person who did not rush.

Even when the iodine on the cotton swab was almost dry,

she still did not urge Chi Xiaoman on; she only patiently took a fresh swab, dipped it in iodine again, and continued waiting for her.

She kept looking at the wound Chi Xiaoman had decided was ugly and unseemly. Her gaze was quiet, yet accepting.

After a few minutes, Chi Xiaoman tilted her face up a little, afraid tears might fall again.

"Okay."

After a long while, she told Chen Yue, and opened her wound to her once more.

Chen Yue applied the medicine for her.

The cotton swab slowly wiped away the pus on the wound and gently touched the redness and swelling around the sore spot.

She did not watch Chi Xiaoman’s face when she was in pain.

Maybe because she knew very well that if she looked, Chi Xiaoman would smile at her and once again ignore the tiny part of her body that was sending out a cry for help.

After silently applying the medicine for a while,

Chen Yue said slowly, "So do a lot of people ask that of you? Ask you to be pretty even when you’re hurt?"

Chi Xiaoman had not expected Chen Yue to keep asking. She shook her head and said, "I don’t really remember."

Chen Yue’s hands paused.

"Really."

Chi Xiaoman was afraid she would think she was being evasive, so she emphasized, "I really don’t remember much."

"It’s been nine years, after all." Her tone softened. "If I remembered every single thing, I’d be exhausted too."

"And... sometimes—"

Chi Xiaoman put her hands awkwardly on her knees and explained, "I’m just too sensitive."

"Mm." Chen Yue nodded and did not respond to that last sentence. Her voice was very slow. "Not remembering is good too."

From the moment she entered, Chen Yue had not smiled even once. Her expression did not look fierce, and her tone was not severe either. But the whole of her still seemed very unhappy.

Chi Xiaoman thought about it and called her, "Chen Yue."

"Mm? What is it?" Chen Yue’s tone was still patient.

"Do you also think..." Chi Xiaoman hesitated before speaking. "that I’m no good now?"

"That I’m always putting on an act, not sincere enough, timid, and so obsessed with looking pretty, and also not brave enough in front of many things. And that..."

She paused here.

Then she continued in a lighter tone, "it would be better if I could go back to who I was before."

Chen Yue said nothing. She threw away the cotton swab, took out a fresh one, and continued applying the medicine.

Chi Xiaoman looked at the top of her head and smiled, sniffing lightly as she went on.

"Actually, it’s okay if you think that..."

"Who doesn’t like brave, sincere, optimistic, upward-looking people?"

"Who doesn’t like someone who’s always smiling, with no worries and no troubles?"

By then, Chi Xiaoman fell quiet.

Those words already felt like things very, very far away from her. And she probably would never be able to become the Chi Xiaoman Chen Yue hoped for; never return to who she had once been.

"I’d like that too, if it were me." She told Chen Yue, her voice ending very lightly, like a fish swallowed into the sea.

Chen Yue stopped.

She had already finished applying the medicine.

Chi Xiaoman looked down and saw that Chen Yue really was more careful than she had been; not only had she thoroughly cleaned away the pus and applied the cool ointment, she had also kept her from feeling any pain the entire time.

She parted her lips, wanting to say thank you.

But Chen Yue spoke first. "I stayed quiet just now because I wanted to hear you finish."

"But I wasn’t agreeing with what you said." She looked at Chi Xiaoman. "I was feeling sorry for you."

Chi Xiaoman went still.

The medicine was done.

Chen Yue slowly helped her put her shoe back on.

"Maybe you don’t want me to feel sorry for you."

"But I still do."

Chen Yue looked up at her.

"I’m not denying that what you show on the outside is very different from the Chi Xiaoman I used to know."

"At first I wasn’t used to it either; I hoped you wouldn’t be like this."

"Later I thought that actually there was nothing wrong with the way you were. I just wanted to figure out what happened to you that made you become like this."

"Then later, I realized it didn’t seem like that much had happened at all. Maybe people just change; maybe it’s lots and lots of little things that force you to slowly change yourself just to cope."

Chen Yue’s voice gradually softened.

"Maybe that’s also one way you protect yourself."

"So I’ve never been disappointed in you."

"On the contrary, I’m proud of you."

She said to Chi Xiaoman word by word,

"Being sensitive is fine, liking beauty is fine, being timid is fine, being pessimistic is fine, not loving yourself enough is fine; none of that matters."

Chi Xiaoman could not speak at all.

Under the light, Chen Yue looked at her. Her hair was stirred slightly by the breeze, and the curve of her lowered eyelashes resembled a half-moon.

"My hopes are my hopes; my expectations are my expectations; my concern is my concern."

"You never need to change yourself just to meet my hopes or my concern."

"I never asked you to become the old Chi Xiaoman again, the one who would grab a stick and hit a bad person the moment she saw one. Because I know there are too many bad people in your life right now, so you really can’t do that."

"I don’t think you’re bad now either; I don’t think you’re worse than before; I don’t think the way you protect me is bad."

"Maybe I haven’t expressed myself clearly enough in some ways, and made you misunderstand that I’m always comparing you to who you used to be."

"Or maybe what I just said made you think I’m disappointed in you, but don’t think that way, and don’t compare yourself to yourself."

As Chi Xiaoman looked at Chen Yue, who was watching her so intently, she suddenly thought of Chen Yue from a long time ago—

Later, when Chi Xiaoman asked Chen Yue what birthday wish she had made, she found out that in the year Chen Yue made that precious birthday wish, she had remembered the missing-cat notice posted at the entrance of their home; so with her hands clasped together, she had wished that every little cat in the world could spend a warm winter.

It seemed the same now.

She crouched there, looking at Chi Xiaoman without smiling, yet her voice was as warm as a tree still growing stubbornly in winter.

"Because that wouldn’t be fair. In the hard process of growing up, you protected yourself very well."

"I just hope that, like this, you can occasionally tell me about your fear, your unease, and your doubt when you’re willing to. That’s enough."

Chen Yue’s tone remained gentle, as if even if Chi Xiaoman burst into tears after hearing this and could not give her a good response, even if she could not jump up like the old Chi Xiaoman and nod vigorously while saying yes, her voice would still stay this soft.

"Or at least let me apply medicine for you once. Even if the wound isn’t pretty, it doesn’t matter."

"Chi Xiaoman."

The light and shadow flowed quietly.

She called her name and softly caught a tear that slid from Chi Xiaoman’s chin.

"Was I clear?"

-

Chi Xiaoman could not count how many times she had cried in front of Chen Yue. In truth, she did not think of herself as someone who cried very often.

In those nine years, she had encountered many things; some said her voice was too shrill, some said she was a parachute hire who had suddenly popped out to steal someone else’s role, some chased her car, some used camera flashes to force her eyes open, some peeked at her through gaps in the floorboards, and every two or three nights, that nightmare would repeat itself again...

Not once had any of it made her cry.

Before meeting Chen Yue again, the thirty-year-old Chi Xiaoman believed herself strong, not easily hurt, and determined to keep doing what she wanted to do.

But then Chen Yue appeared.

And she made her shed more tears than she had in all nine years alone combined.

Chi Xiaoman did not know why it was like this.

The tears squeezed out of her as if they were bubbles overflowing from inside her body. Completely beyond control.

Chi Xiaoman hurriedly wiped them away with her sleeve.

Chen Yue stood up from the floor, sat down beside her, and took some tissues to wipe her face.

Chi Xiaoman also took tissues and wiped at herself.

The two of them wiped the tears together.

After quite a while,

Chi Xiaoman finally calmed down a little.

She tilted her head back.

Trying to force back the tears still falling from the corners of her eyes, she explained,

"I don’t know why I’m crying."

Chen Yue looked at her and silently handed her the tissues in her hand, saying simply, "You don’t need to explain it to me."

Then, in a coaxing voice, she said, "I know you don’t usually cry much."

Her tone was like she was coaxing a child.

Chi Xiaoman pressed her lips together.

Chen Yue smiled and nodded. "That’s good."

Chi Xiaoman did not react at first; she blinked in confusion.

Chen Yue looked at her tenderly for a long time, then came over and patted her head with her palm.

"Don’t force yourself to smile at me when you feel like crying."

Chi Xiaoman pouted. "Is that what makes it good?"

"Mm, it’s good." Chen Yue answered quickly.

Chi Xiaoman froze instead.

Chen Yue did not continue.

She smiled faintly, took the tissues and wiped her eye for her again. After wiping away the tears, she crumpled the used tissues in her hand and continued to ask, "Do you still want to cry?"

Chi Xiaoman shook her head.

Chen Yue looked at her.

Chi Xiaoman curled her fingers inward.

The next second,

another tear slipped down without her meaning to.

So Chen Yue gently wiped it away again.

Chi Xiaoman blinked blankly.

A tear on her lashes kept falling down.

Chen Yue wiped the tip of her nose for her again.

Then, as if thinking of something, she asked, "Do you want me to wipe your nose for you?"

Chi Xiaoman froze.

A long time passed.

Chen Yue laughed. "Just kidding."

Chi Xiaoman immediately lowered her face, her ears a little red, and she truly felt that Chen Yue’s tone was too much like coaxing a child. After a pause, she said, "Chen Yue, I’m thirty this year."

"So what?"

Chen Yue sounded quite matter-of-fact. "Does being thirty mean you can’t ask someone to help wipe your nose?"

Chi Xiaoman pressed her lips together and felt it really could not be reasoned through; nor could she really let Chen Yue wipe her nose, so she changed the subject. "Really... it doesn’t matter?"

"Mm, it doesn’t matter." Chen Yue responded.

Even though she did not know what Chi Xiaoman was asking about.

Chi Xiaoman herself did not know what she was asking either.

Maybe she simply wanted to hear a reasonless kind of acceptance.

So she could also have more confidence facing the mess of difficulties ahead.

After thinking for a while,

Chi Xiaoman decided to explain anyway. "Don’t worry, I won’t affect the film shoot."

Her voice was very soft. "No matter what happens later, I’ll... I’ll make sure our film gets made well."

Hearing her try so hard to prove her determination, Chen Yue instead felt sad. But she thought that the brave Chi Xiaoman might not need too much pity. So she decided to praise and support the Chi Xiaoman who dared to show her weakness and hesitation in front of her, yet still dared to resolve to keep doing this well.

So she patted Chi Xiaoman’s head.

And smiled at her.

"Director Xiaoman, you have to protect yourself well."

"Because I’ll always believe you’ll protect our film."

-

This time, Chi Xiaoman understood. Chen Yue’s "you have to protect yourself well" did not mean she truly needed to do anything.

Maybe.

Just like Chen Yue had deliberately come to the room and carefully applied medicine for her once.

She probably hoped Chi Xiaoman would do the same for herself.

That was the kind of person Chen Yue was.

She never only said things; she was always like a guide in front of her, clearly leading her step by step forward.

"Chen Yue."

Before Chen Yue left the room, Chi Xiaoman stopped her.

"Hm?" Chen Yue turned back. A strand of hair had fallen from the half-tied bundle and hung by her cheek.

"Wait a moment," Chi Xiaoman said.

Then she went to the bedroom, took out the two little jars she had prepared, and handed them to Chen Yue.

"A few days ago, my grandma mailed these to me from home. I originally wanted to buy you something better for your birthday, but I felt like you could probably buy anything you wanted, so I decided to give you this instead."

One jar of chestnuts.

Chestnut trees bore more fruit this season. Wang Aimei had picked them herself, packed them into small bags herself, wrapped each one carefully in foam paper she considered precious, and sent them by a courier service she was not very familiar with, to her granddaughter.

One jar of hawthorn cake.

Wang Aimei had bought hawthorn fruit from the auntie in the bed next door, peeled off the flesh herself, mashed it into a paste, added sugar and a little bit of chili, then dried it and cut it into small pieces of hawthorn cake before sending it along as well.

The chestnuts were all large, carefully selected; both the shells and the stubborn inner skins had been peeled away completely. The hawthorn cakes were also cut into large slices, still dusted with a little sugar coating.

"Don’t dislike them," Chi Xiaoman said, passing the two jars over. "They’re actually pretty good."

"I don’t dislike them." Chen Yue said softly.

"Mm, and also." Chi Xiaoman relaxed a little. "You have to eat the chestnuts quickly. Once they’re shelled, you have to finish them today."

"Okay." Chen Yue took them.

She stared at the peeled chestnuts inside for a while, then looked at Chi Xiaoman’s hand.

Chi Xiaoman dodged her gaze.

Chen Yue withdrew her eyes and seemed to be checking on her. "Is your grandmother feeling well lately?"

"Very well," Chi Xiaoman said. "Nothing wrong with her; she eats well, sleeps well, and can still go outside to pick chestnuts."

Chen Yue smiled. "Good."

She was about to leave.

"Chen Yue." Chi Xiaoman stopped her again.

Chen Yue turned back once more.

Chi Xiaoman rubbed her fingers together. "I just wanted to wish you happy birthday again."

"Since I gave you a present, I felt like I still needed to make up the greeting."

Chen Yue laughed. "Okay."

"I’m not going to say thank you to you either," she added. Then she said,

"But I really like your birthday present."

Chi Xiaoman nodded quickly.

Chen Yue’s lips curved.

She really did seem to like it; before leaving, she even gave the two little jars a light shake in her hand.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned back and said softly to Chi Xiaoman,

"It’s fine if it isn’t expensive."

It was the same sentence she had said to her the first time they spent Chen Yue’s birthday together.

-

The car crash matter passed just like that.

Public opinion was a vortex that never stopped spinning. New information was thrown into it, churned around, broken into pieces, and then replaced by the next update.

What needed clarifying had already been clarified; what needed reporting to the police had already been reported.

After that, Chi Xiaoman did not bother with it anymore.

There were more worthwhile things on set for her to put her energy into. For example, the fact that they were almost done filming the Beijing portion of the movie; for example, Chen Yue’s birthday on October 19.

That day,

early in the morning,

when Chen Yue arrived on set,

Shen Baozhi led a crowd of people from the crew over, pushing a very tall cake cart. They put a birthday hat on the newly arrived Chen Yue, then a group of them lit the candles and sang her the birthday song in unison.

Chen Yue smiled as she clasped her hands together. Under everyone’s blessings, she closed her eyes and made her birthday wish; then she opened them, blew out the candles, and took the cake knife to painstakingly cut through the huge cake Shen Baozhi had bought.

She divided the cake into small pieces.

Chen Yue took off the birthday hat on her head, lifted a plate with a smile, and took one bite; then she did not eat any more.

Seeing that she did not seem to like cake very much, Shen Baozhi nodded and said,

"Looks like my mommy was right; Teacher Chen Yue, you really don’t like cake."

Chen Yue laughed. "Then why did you still buy it?"

Shen Baozhi sighed. "Everyone’s been working so hard lately, so I figured I’d borrow Teacher Chen Yue’s birthday and buy a cake to celebrate."

After she finished, she added, "Teacher Chen Yue, you don’t mind that I borrowed your name, do you?"

"I don’t mind." Chen Yue shook her head, then said, "And I don’t dislike birthday cake."

Shen Baozhi looked at the cake on her plate with puzzled eyes; she had barely eaten any of it.

Chen Yue smiled, then looked toward Chi Xiaoman, who was standing nearby, watching the shot on the monitor and having a quick discussion with the cinematographer.

Softly, she said,

"I just had some a few days ago."

-

The scenes in the rental apartment were almost finished; in less than a week, they would be moving to Guizhou.

Chi Xiaoman was rushing to check whether any shots had been missed, and also wanted to film as much footage as possible so they would not have to transfer back later.

She frowned and said a few words to the cinematographer.

Chen Yue walked over carrying a plate of cut cake for her. "Director Xiaoman, want to eat my birthday cake?"

Chi Xiaoman hurriedly took it.

She also felt embarrassed that the birthday girl had come specially to look for her, so she explained,

"I just sang you the happy birthday song and came over after I saw you cut the cake."

"I know." Chen Yue nodded.

"That’s good." Chi Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief.

Since she was holding cake, it was hard to say anything else.

So she temporarily parted from the cinematographer and found a quiet place to eat it in small bites.

Chen Yue watched her for a while and said, "Actually, it’s fine if you don’t finish it."

"No." Chi Xiaoman shook her head.

Her attitude was unusually firm.

Chen Yue was a little surprised.

Chi Xiaoman lowered her head and took another bite. A little cream accidentally touched the tip of her nose. She curved her eyes at Chen Yue and smiled. "Birthday cake is something you have to finish if you want the birthday person to receive the fullest blessing."

Chi Xiaoman always had these strange little theories. They were unusual, but somehow sounded surprisingly reasonable.

Chen Yue cooperated and nodded. "Okay."

"But the birthday person themselves doesn’t have to finish it," Chi Xiaoman said again.

"Why not?" Chen Yue asked.

Chi Xiaoman wrinkled her nose. "Because the birthday person is the biggest, of course. They can say whatever they want, and they don’t have to follow so many rules."

"So that’s how it is," Chen Yue said, unable to help laughing.

Chi Xiaoman was made a little shy by her laughter.

She avoided Chen Yue’s gaze and clumsily wiped the cream off the tip of her nose.

Chen Yue’s assistant, Xiao Qi, passed by carrying many gifts. "Teacher Chen Yue, I’ll put all these gifts in the car for you."

"Okay." Chen Yue nodded.

Xiao Qi carried them away.

Chi Xiaoman suddenly laughed out loud. She did not realize that the cream on the tip of her nose had been wiped away and ended up on her cheek instead.

"Why are you laughing all of a sudden?" Chen Yue asked softly. She thought Chi Xiaoman probably did not realize that she now looked like a little cat that had buried its head in a pile of flour.

"Nothing." Chi Xiaoman held back her laughter. "I just thought of how Baozhi said she was going to give you gold."

"I was regretting it at the time too, thinking why hadn’t I thought of that."

"So did she give it to you?" she asked Chen Yue while taking small bites of cake.

"She did." Chen Yue looked at her.

"That’s pretty good then." Chi Xiaoman nodded. "I’ll give gold to other people in the future too."

"Xiaoman." Chen Yue suddenly called her.

Chi Xiaoman looked up. "Mm?"

The weather was excellent that day; the sun was bright and the warmth felt like honey flowing over your eyelids.

Chen Yue looked at her for a while.

As if she had held back for a long time and could not hold back any longer, she reached out to wipe the cream that had been smeared on Chi Xiaoman’s face, and asked,

"Can I ask for another birthday present?"

"Huh?" Chi Xiaoman tightened her fingers.

She did not know whether she was more flustered because of the way Chen Yue was wiping her face, or because Chen Yue was asking her for a birthday present and she had begun to wonder whether her own gift was not enough and felt at a loss.

So she pressed her lips together and asked, "What birthday present do you want? I’ll go buy it."

"No need to buy it." Chen Yue said.

It was as if she had already thought it through.

Her tone was slow. "I want you to help me fulfill three birthday wishes."

Chen Yue rarely reached out to ask for things.

And now, all at once, it was three birthday wishes.

Chi Xiaoman felt surprised, but she also resolved that no matter how difficult these three wishes were, she wanted to help Chen Yue make them come true.

She thought for a moment.

She tidied up the cleanly eaten cake plate, set it down, and answered very seriously,

"Okay."

"What do you need me to do?" she asked Chen Yue.

Chen Yue probably saw how nervous she was and laughed. Her laughter under the sunlight was like very gentle feathers, falling onto Chi Xiaoman’s nose and making it itch.

"Actually, it’s not that hard," Chen Yue said, the corners of her eyes full of amusement. "You don’t need to be so nervous. I’m not going to force you to pluck the moon for me."

Alright.

Chi Xiaoman nodded. "Then what is it?"

The crowd was bustling; the cake gave off a sweet, cloying scent. Chi Xiaoman waited a while but did not hear Chen Yue speak, and felt confused.

Just as she was about to ask,

she heard Chen Yue suddenly call her,

"For my first wish, can I be your rainbow sister?"

Chi Xiaoman froze, her fingers straining hard to stay steady. "Why are you suddenly bringing up something so far back?"

Chen Yue smiled a little and did not answer right away.

In the sunlight,

she lowered her head; her face was lit with such softness, like a breeze, like leaves swaying once.

Her voice was very light, as if she were joking with her, while pointing out a truth Chi Xiaoman had hidden for a very long time,

"Because I want to be the rainbow sister of Rainbow Sister. Is that okay?"

[Author’s Note]

Little Neon’s fiftieth day with a timely update [sunglasses][sunglasses] (Actually, today is very tear-jerking too)