Chapter 14
Yu Nianyi stared at the tense look on Xi Yao’s face, then slowly shifted her gaze to the phone pressed to Xi Yao’s ear. The call wasn’t on speaker, and Yu Nianyi was sitting too far away to hear what was being said.
“…What?” Xi Yao frowned slightly. Her lips parted, then closed again, as if she didn’t know how to answer. “I—”
She broke off, then looked over at Yu Nianyi, who was leaning lazily to one side. The annoyance on her face disappeared in an instant. She suddenly winked at Yu Nianyi, making her even more confused, and then Xi Yao said, “Okay, got it.”
After that, she hung up right away.
“My weekend plans are ruined,” Xi Yao said, flopping back onto the sofa with obvious displeasure.
“What did Sister Xi Yu say?” Yu Nianyi asked without thinking, bracing one arm in front of Xi Yao.
“She told me to keep my weekend free and go be a third wheel.”
“A third wheel?”
“Yeah. My parents were supposed to push my sister and Chen Shuo to spend time alone. But then my sister told me to come too; I wasn’t even allowed to refuse.”
“Chen Shuo—you should know who he is. He’s the guy you ran into last time, when you saw my sister eating with a man.”
Xi Yao suddenly narrowed her eyes with a smile and looked at Yu Nianyi. “We can’t change the weekend plan. When the time comes, I’ll be with Luo Yiran, and you’ll be with my sister. Perfect chance for you two to develop your feelings.”
Yu Nianyi lifted a brow slightly but said nothing.
Seeing that Yu Nianyi didn’t respond, Xi Yao assumed she had other plans and hurriedly shook her shoulder, saying anxiously, “If you’ve got anything else this weekend, push it aside. Since you like my sister, you have to seize the opportunity. Are you really going to sit there and watch that man be with my sister?”
“Yu-jie! Nianyi-jie! What could be more satisfying than stealing a woman from a man?”
“And it’s my sister we’re talking about!”
Xi Yao’s words were intoxicating, every sentence dripping with provocation.
Yu Nianyi clicked her tongue and glared at her. “Watch your words. If Sister Xi Yu hears that, she won’t be happy.”
“More importantly, I’m serious about her. This isn’t some game.”
Xi Yao, who had been growing more and more excited, suddenly froze. Her eyes darted away, and even her voice dropped. “I got carried away, okay? That’s not what I meant. Anyway, just come.”
The weekend plan was temporarily settled, and the takeaway arrived soon after.
Xi Yao ordered two Japanese meals and also had fresh-cut fruit delivered. The two of them were always perfectly in sync when it came to food, and they finished everything without leaving a single bite.
-
On Friday after class, Song An Ning stopped Yu Nianyi at the entrance to the teaching building and said she wanted to invite her out to dinner.
Yu Nianyi had heard that Song An Ning had broken up with her girlfriend three months ago, and the four-panel photo posts that used to appear in her Moments had recently disappeared. Every so often, Yu Nianyi would check Moments and see photos of the two of them together; lately, though, there had been nothing.
“I’ve noticed the kids nowadays are really interesting. Yesterday I went to class, and one of them asked me how old I was, whether I was dating anyone, and even said she wanted to introduce me to her brother.” Walking beside Yu Nianyi, Song An Ning smiled to herself. “Too bad she meant well but asked the wrong person.”
Song An Ning had recently been assigned to an internship at Dongfang Middle School and had been away from campus for several weeks, only coming back to the dorm at night. But she’d heard the school was fun, with lots of lively, interesting kids.
“Sounds like that kid really likes you,” Yu Nianyi said, smiling along with her.
Song An Ning froze for a couple of seconds, and the smile on her face deepened. “Really? My friends said the same thing. That does sound pretty nice.”
Students moved back and forth along the road, all heading toward the cafeteria. The two of them climbed the stairs, passed through the crowd, and headed for the north gate.
After leaving the north gate, crossing the road, and entering the alley, they reached Xiangyang Community, where Yu Nianyi was renting a place.
“Have you all been busy lately?” Song An Ning asked as they walked, glancing over at Yu Nianyi. “I hardly ever see you at school recently. I thought maybe Teacher Zhang had given you too much work.”
Yu Nianyi said, “It’s okay. The school’s so big; it’s normal if we don’t run into each other.”
“Oh, right. Do you remember that noodle shop on the second floor across from the school?” Song An Ning asked suddenly, her voice rising a little.
“No. Why?”
“It couldn’t stay open; it was expensive and not even good. A self-service hotpot place moved in, and you can grill meat there too. My friend went there; she said it tastes pretty good.” Song An Ning leaned a little closer to Yu Nianyi and smiled. “You definitely haven’t tried it. Let’s go together.”
The two of them exited the gate and stood by the sidewalk. Across the road, the red-light countdown showed there were still sixty seconds left; people bustled around them, and not far away, several cars waited neatly at the zebra crossing.
The sky, which had been clear a moment ago, suddenly began to drift with scattered snowflakes, and a faint chill rose in the air. Nearby students were softly calling, “It’s snowing”; their warm breath floated in the air and vanished at once.
Yu Nianyi lifted her usual smile. Snowflakes landed on her bright, clean face beneath her full head of golden hair. “Sure. I’ve been saying I’d treat you to a meal for ages, but I kept getting held up by other things. Today I have to make it up to you. And it’s snowing too; we can warm up a little.”
Song An Ning stared at her for a while. Her eyes were inevitably drawn to that radiant, eye-catching smile beneath Yu Nianyi’s golden hair as snow swirled and fluttered through the air. After a long moment, she smiled and said, “Since you say so, then I won’t be polite.”
At last, the red light in the distance turned green. The people waiting on the sidewalk naturally began crossing the road, while all kinds of vehicles stopped in an orderly line before the crosswalk.
-
Xi Yu leaned back in her seat, her gaze calm as she looked out the window.
At the crosswalk, young students walked across the street in pairs, chatting and laughing. The crowd was dense and noisy; snow drifted through the air and settled in sparse flakes on people’s heads. Amid the white haze, a flash of gold caught her eye.
Xi Yu paused for a few seconds, her gaze following that streak of gold as it moved.
The girl had dyed her hair a pale gold. Her strands moved freely with the snowflakes in the air; the cold wind tossed her hair and deliberately brushed it across her cheeks. Yet she seemed completely unconcerned, laughing brightly and openly as she talked with the short-haired girl beside her.
Xi Yu looked away. Her long, pale fingers rested on the edge of the window as she tapped there slowly and idly.
Jiang Chen, in the driver’s seat, noticed the movement from the back but said nothing, only staring at the red light across the road as it was about to change.
At the entrance of Jiangbei Academy, another group of students came to a stop. The crosswalk, which had just been crowded and bustling, was now empty.
Snow filled the sky; the streetlights that had been clearly visible a moment ago were gradually blurring, and the figures beneath them grew dim.
Jiang Chen released the brake, and the car moved off again.
Xi Yu reached for the latch by the car door and put a little force into it; the tightly shut window cracked open a small gap, and cold air began to seep in in waves.
Jiang Chen slowed the car and watched Xi Yu’s expression through the rearview mirror.
“Hot?” the woman beside her asked, turning to Xi Yu in confusion.
Xi Yu said, “It’s too stuffy.”
Lin Yan gave the car interior a suspicious look. Her eyes met Jiang Chen’s in the front seat before she looked away again, sighing. “Be careful. You’re not wearing much; don’t catch a cold later.”
“Mm.”
“I heard Chen Shuo is trying to arrange meetings with you in front of Uncle and Auntie again?” Lin Yan asked, looking at Xi Yu’s calm face.
Xi Yu pressed her lips together, a subtle crease forming between her brows. “A pathetic trick.”
Lin Yan looked helpless. “But he’s counting on Uncle and Auntie, isn’t he?”
“He’s an old childhood acquaintance, and he’s also the son of Xiaohua Group’s key supplier. You’re still working at Xiaolan Technology, and so many veterans are watching you; sooner or later, there’ll be business with their company. It’s basically unavoidable.”
Xi Yu said nothing, her face turned toward the window.
Lin Yan shifted her legs and changed her sitting position. Her hand reached into her pocket without thinking, and when she found it empty, she pulled it back out in frustration. “This weekend I have to go to Shenzhen on behalf of my parents, so I can’t keep you company.”
“…How about I find a man to block for you?”
“No need.”
“Fair enough. If someone complains later, I’ll be the one taking the hit. So what are you planning to do?”
“Xi Yao will go with me.”
“Your little sister? She’s willing to go?”
“Mm. We already set the time.”
Lin Yan lifted her brows in surprise and sighed. “I thought the two of you sisters would stay like this forever. So you do still have contact after all.”
Xi Yu turned back and glanced at her. “You’re making it sound worse than it is.”
Lin Yan gave a silent laugh and smoothly launched into her old routine, talking nonstop. “It’s you who’s underestimating it. What kind of sisters are the two of you, anyway? If you ask me, you should change that personality of yours. Haven’t you noticed your little sister is getting more and more afraid of you? Even if it’s for work, you’re way too serious.”
“A twenty-year-old girl isn’t going to want to play with someone like you. People like youth, energy, warmth, gentleness—”
Xi Yu raised the window, then looked toward Jiang Chen in the front seat. “Put on some music.”
Lin Yan froze. She knew she’d talked too much. The previously quiet car was suddenly filled with a somewhat intense piano piece. Her face darkened a little; she shot Xi Yu a reproachful look, then said softly, “What you’ve already done is enough. Uncle and Auntie have basically turned a blind eye and agreed to the Xi Yao matter. Sexual orientation isn’t a big deal to begin with; what era is this? Everyone’s all about following their hearts and loving freely.”
“Xi Yao is already twenty. You can’t keep protecting her forever…”