Chapter 10

Yu Nianyi jolted, then reflexively squeezed her eyes shut. Even her skin twitched on cue, as if she were really drunk. “...Mm... Are we going back...? Who’s holding me?”

She deliberately went limp, letting her weight hang from the two arms supporting her. Beside her, the server’s breathing grew noticeably heavier; that sudden extra burden was clearly a bit much.

“...Ma’am, please be careful,” the server on the right said after catching her breath, her voice soft.

Seeing that she had sold the act well enough, Yu Nianyi let some of her strength return and staggered along with the two of them toward the exit.

Xi Yu never said a word from beginning to end. Yu Nianyi couldn’t see her face, but for some reason she still felt that strange sense of being scrutinized.

After walking for a while, everyone suddenly stopped.

Then came the sound of a door opening; cold wind mixed with moisture slammed straight into her face, rushing in all at once. The wind rustled outside, and faintly, there was even the beep-beep of cars passing by.

“Thank you,” Xi Yu said suddenly.

“Take care, ma’am.” Footsteps receded, and the server beside them seemed to have left.

“Uh, Vice President Xi, let me,” Jiang Chen’s voice suddenly rang out.

Yu Nianyi squinted and looked out, just in time to see Jiang Chen standing in front of her, reaching out to take her over.

Xi Yu let go and draped the white coat over herself, then turned back to glance at Yu Nianyi, who was sneakily peeking. Yu Nianyi rolled her eyes and narrowed them again, pretending to look dazed and unfocused.

“Let’s go,” Xi Yu said, withdrawing her gaze. “Go buy her a glass of juice from next door; let her sober up.”

“Okay.”

Then Yu Nianyi felt herself handed off into another person’s arms; a faint fragrance drifted through the air. It was Xi Yu.

Xi Yu rested a hand lightly but firmly on her back, half-holding her as she guided her down the steps.

Heels clicked in a steady rhythm. People passed by now and then, and the sound of conversation gradually faded away. Xi Yu held her, opened the car door, and helped her inside.

Yu Nianyi looped her arms around Xi Yu’s neck; as she lowered herself into the seat, she naturally tugged Xi Yu down with her.

A few strands of black hair fell from above and, because of the movement, brushed softly against Yu Nianyi’s face. As the distance closed, the strands slid down, grazing Yu Nianyi’s closed lips. Following that was a slightly warm breath in the air.

Yu Nianyi tightened her fingers, keeping her expression perfectly still and suppressing the smile of success tugging at her mouth. She kept her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

The car fell completely quiet. Xi Yu didn’t speak, and she didn’t move.

Cold air kept seeping in through the open car door; the warmth that had lingered there just now gradually dispersed. Yu Nianyi sank into the soft seat and started to feel a little cold.

“Vice President Xi,” Jiang Chen’s voice came from not far away.

“Mm.”

Xi Yu’s voice seemed to brush right against Yu Nianyi’s cheek; Yu Nianyi felt that subtle warmth, and then it quickly vanished.

At the right moment, Yu Nianyi loosened her hand from Xi Yu’s shoulder and slowly let it drop onto the seat back.

Xi Yu stood up, and the door closed.

Through the window, Yu Nianyi watched the two people talking outside.

Xi Yu stood with her back against the car door; Jiang Chen stood to her side, speaking about something.

After about a few minutes, Jiang Chen finally opened the back door, and Xi Yu got in.

Xi Yu glanced at Yu Nianyi, who seemed a little more awake now. “How are you feeling?”

Yu Nianyi rested her head against the headrest and looked at Xi Yu, blinking slowly. “Mm, much better. Just a headache.”

Xi Yu gave a quiet hum and handed over the paper cup in her hand. “Drink some juice.”

Yu Nianyi took it, closing her eyes briefly. “Thank you, Sister Xi Yu.”

“Drive.”

Jiang Chen slid into the driver’s seat and started the car.

No one in the car spoke. Yu Nianyi played along, acting drunk. She held the juice in her hand and took occasional sips.

Xi Yu would occasionally look at her phone, occasionally glance out the window, but she didn’t look Yu Nianyi’s way much.

The bar was farther away from Xiangyang Road, nearly twenty kilometers. Half-asleep and half-awake, Yu Nianyi really did start to feel drowsy.

She had gotten up too early today, and she had gone to bed late yesterday. Now, sitting in the quiet car, filled with a faint fragrance, she only got sleepier the longer she sat there.

In the end, Yu Nianyi simply fell asleep for real.

Today, she absolutely had to trick Xi Yu into coming upstairs.

-

Yu Nianyi slept very soundly on the way. When she woke again, the moving car had already stopped downstairs at her residential complex.

Xi Yu sat beside her, eyes lowered, apparently sending a message to someone.

Jiang Chen was nowhere to be seen; there were only the two of them in the car.

Yu Nianyi changed position and moved her numb neck.

“You’re awake,” Xi Yu said, locking her phone screen and turning to look at her.

Yu Nianyi gave an awkward smile and peered out through the window at the sky, trying to gauge Xi Yu’s expression as she asked, “You weren’t waiting for me to wake up the whole time, were you...?”

“No. We just got here.”

Yu Nianyi laughed it off, only then relaxing. “That’s good. Sorry to trouble you, Sister Xi Yu.”

Xi Yu lowered her eyes to look at her. “Feeling better?”

“...Ah?” Yu Nianyi froze for a few seconds. The half-finished fruit tea in the cup holder suddenly stole her attention; she looked away. “Mm, much better. Just still a little uncomfortable. I feel like throwing up a bit.”

“I understand.”

The car door opened. Yu Nianyi watched Xi Yu walk around the back of the car to the right-side door, pull it open, and extend a long, pale hand. A clean, cool fragrance drifted through the air.

Yu Nianyi stared at that beautiful hand for a moment too long, then reached her own hand out along with it.

Xi Yu suddenly stepped forward. Her hand brushed past Yu Nianyi’s slightly warm palm and settled on her arm, supporting her as she helped her down.

Yu Nianyi: “...”

Why did this scene feel so familiar?

She vaguely remembered the entrance to the mall; to satisfy her own petty revenge, she had done exactly this too.

“Let’s go. I’ll walk you home,” Xi Yu said in an even tone, heels clicking as she accompanied Yu Nianyi into the complex.

Once they reached the stairs, Yu Nianyi naturally couldn’t keep pretending to be that out of it. After a nap, she should have been somewhat clearer-headed, though still uncomfortable.

“Thanks for today, Sister Xi Yu. I was the one who dragged you out for drinks, and in the end I came home drunk myself; you still had to take care of me,” Yu Nianyi said with a smile, taking small steps as she went up. “Next time, let me treat you to dinner. You’ve helped me so much; I should’ve treated you long ago.”

Xi Yu climbed the stairs beside her. In the old-fashioned stairwell, the motion-sensor lights lit up one after another with the sound of her heels. “No need to mind it.”

Yu Nianyi laughed politely for a while, complimented her a few times, then fell quiet and kept walking.

Freshly woken from a dream, Yu Nianyi was also a little worn out; even the way she interacted with people had grown slightly lazy. She no longer bothered to watch Xi Yu’s expression and just climbed step by step.

By the time they reached the fifth floor, Yu Nianyi opened the door.

Xi Yu followed beside her, watching as she sat down to catch her breath. “Since you’re home now, I’ll leave first.”

Yu Nianyi quickly said, “Ah,” and hurriedly got up to stop Xi Yu.

She had taken off her leather jacket; underneath, she wore a fitted dark gray sweater. The neckline dipped low, and her champagne-gold hair looked even paler under the warm light. Strands slipped over her slender neck and curled across her chest.

From above, Xi Yu could clearly see Yu Nianyi’s deliberately lightened eyebrows, the fine shimmer on her eyelids in the light, and her exceptionally bright eyes.

“Sister Xi Yu, I said I’d show you my painting. Since you’re already here, there’s no reason to leave right away,” Yu Nianyi said.

Xi Yu didn’t react much to Yu Nianyi’s somewhat pushy and shameless words; she only nodded and looked elsewhere. “Where is it?”

Yu Nianyi chuckled softly. The half-dead, drained look she’d been putting on just now seemed to vanish in an instant. She led Xi Yu into a small room ahead, switched on the light, and revealed a miniature studio.

After taking a few steps inside, Xi Yu’s gaze landed straight on the wooden easel not far away.

A very familiar painting stood there. Yu Nianyi smiled and stepped beside her own work, tilting her head to ask Xi Yu, “Looks familiar?”

“I like painting scenery sometimes. Across the four seasons, there are always so many breathtaking views that make people want to linger. The paintings in this room are all practice pieces; of course, this one is different.” Yu Nianyi rested a hand proudly on the easel and smiled. “The area around Wang Jie’s restaurant is one of Jiayang’s most distinctive old neighborhoods. It happened to be snowing heavily from above that day, and I thought it was a good spot, so I painted it.”

She deliberately didn’t mention the blurry black figure on the right side of the painting, and she pressed her lips together, watching Xi Yu’s reaction.

Xi Yu stepped closer and examined it quietly. A few minutes later, her gaze landed on the somewhat blurry but eye-catching dark silhouette on the right side of the painting.

The room fell silent. Yu Nianyi looked at Xi Yu; Xi Yu looked at the painting.

After a long while, Xi Yu spoke. “Your observation is very detailed. The thickness of the snow on the eaves, the mud caused by people trampling through the lanes; all of that is very convincing.” She paused, then added, “And beautiful.”

Beautiful.

That word actually came out of Xi Yu’s mouth. Yu Nianyi paused and stared at Xi Yu’s still-flat expression.

“You haven’t finished it yet?” Xi Yu asked, lifting her eyes.

Yu Nianyi nodded and walked straight to Xi Yu’s side, pointing at the painting as she rattled on. “Right. The overall structure is there, but some details still need refining, including the light and shadow on the forms, as well as the spatial relationships.”

“I’ve been working on this for three straight nights. It’ll probably take several more days before it’s completely done.”

Xi Yu turned her head to look at Yu Nianyi. “You often stay up late?”

Yu Nianyi hummed without caring much. “Pretty much. When school lets out and I have nothing to do, I paint. Sometimes time passes and I end up painting until midnight naturally.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Nianyi narrowed her eyes and leaned in with a grin. “Sister Xi Yu, you’ve been looking at it for so long. Haven’t you seen it yet?”

Xi Yu lowered her eyes. Beneath the silver-rimmed glasses, a trace of cold light flashed across her gaze. Yu Nianyi stood in front of the window, her face reflected in the lenses. Her expression was calm as ever, her voice clear and distinct. “Seen what?”