Chapter 28

From ten meters away, several pedestrians had stopped outside a tavern and were peering in without saying a word. Loud shouts came from the inner room; among the onlookers, someone widened their eyes and let out a few startled exclamations, watching with rapt attention.

The already narrow steps were completely blocked now. Car horns blared up and down the street, making the whole place even more irritating.

Yu Nianyi’s pace slowed. Without realizing it, she edged a little closer to Xi Yu.

Bang—

“...I... told you to sing...!”

Smack—

A sharp, ear-splitting sound came from inside the shop. The pedestrians gathered at the entrance quickly stepped back, leaving a wide open space by the door.

Not long after, quite a few men and women spilled out of the shop in a crowd, all of them looking impatient and angry. Some had wet hair plastered to their foreheads, and all of them reeked of alcohol.

Then a red-faced, completely drunk man was dragged out by four or five people. He tilted his head back and glared desperately into the shop, shouting nonstop, “...I said... tell you to sing that song, what part of that don’t you understand...!”

The crowd retreated several more steps, watching as the man was forcibly hauled out.

“...Move, move, move, you’re drunk. Let’s go, hurry up and go...” one of the people supporting him said anxiously.

The man seemed drunk beyond reason, yet his words were startlingly clear. Even from five meters away, Yu Nianyi could hear him perfectly. She only saw him wave a hand, shove away the people helping him, and then, with a clatter, fall straight to the ground.

Quite a few people lifted their phones to record it; the already narrow road instantly grew crowded.

Yu Nianyi frowned slightly and glanced sideways at Xi Yu.

Xi Yu looked around, her gaze sweeping over the area behind them before she slowly looked away.

Police sirens cut through the noise. Before long, police and security guards pushed through the crowd from behind the two of them.

Yu Nianyi edged even closer to Xi Yu, lifted her hand, and neatly caught Xi Yu’s hand hanging at her side. She rubbed her thumb lightly over it, then tightened her grip.

“It’s kind of scary. Sister Xi Yu, don’t be afraid; I’ll protect you.”

Xi Yu lowered her eyes and looked at the hand held tightly in hers for a long moment. Warmth spread from Yu Nianyi’s palm, and Yu Nianyi only held on tighter and tighter, as if they could never be separated.

The drunk man’s shouting and the crowd’s clamor seemed to gradually fade. Police and security, together with three or four burly men, subdued him hand and foot. The drunk man kept panting hard and shouting, with no sign of stopping.

The pedestrians all stared fixedly at the center of the scene. Yu Nianyi didn’t let go of Xi Yu’s hand again; her gaze rested quietly on Xi Yu.

The two of them changed direction and walked straight toward the underground parking lot.

Only after they reached a slightly less crowded area did Yu Nianyi say, “Sorry, Sister Xi Yu. I didn’t scare you, did I?”

“The live singer here is really good. I originally wanted to bring you to listen, but then this happened.”

Yu Nianyi gave an awkward, helpless smile. Her usually nonstop mouth was unusually quiet now.

Xi Yu turned her head and looked at Yu Nianyi’s downcast expression before speaking almost reflexively. “No need to apologize. It’s not your fault.”

“The food was very good; you chose well.”

Yu Nianyi, who had been hanging her head just now, snapped it up at once. Her eyes lit up in an instant, and she curved her brows with a delighted smile. “Really?”

“Mm.”

“Sister Xi Yu isn’t just comforting me, is she?”

Xi Yu didn’t answer. She walked over to the car.

Yu Nianyi stood quietly watching Xi Yu’s back as she took out the key with one hand and, on a whim, let go of the hand they had been holding.

“It’s late. I’ll take you home.”

-

The drive back wasn’t nearly as crowded as the trip there; the whole way was smooth.

“When you have time, Sister Xi Yu, you absolutely have to come to my family’s place and try my mom’s cooking. It’ll definitely suit your taste.” Yu Nianyi leaned a little closer to Xi Yu and said with a grin, “You probably don’t know this yet, but our family runs a small eatery. My mom’s cooking is top-notch; it’s especially delicious.”

Xi Yu nodded, her eyes still on the road. “I’ve heard Xi Yao mention it.”

Yu Nianyi’s cheeks puffed up with a smile. “If you came to our house, my mom would definitely be over the moon.”

Xi Yu glanced at Yu Nianyi and asked instinctively, “Why?”

“Because Sister Xi Yu is beautiful, smart, steady, generous, considerate, and gentle. Who wouldn’t like such a wonderful woman?” Yu Nianyi’s smiling voice filled the car, her eyes shining brilliantly as she looked at Xi Yu.

The car slowly came to a stop at a red light; pedestrians crossed the zebra stripes on both sides in an unbroken stream.

Xi Yu turned her head and looked straight into Yu Nianyi’s eyes. Her calm voice carried a trace of confusion. “You seem to know me very well.”

During the time they’d spent together, Xi Yu had smiled very few times; you could count them on one hand. Compared with that, she usually remained that same cool, unsmiling self. But now, the Xi Yu sitting in front of her seemed to have picked up an extra layer of teasing amusement.

The smile in Yu Nianyi’s eyes deepened. Her gaze was sincere and open. “Could it be that Sister Xi Yu really isn’t as I described?”

Xi Yu looked away, rested an arm on the car window, and idly tapped the door panel with her fingertips. She pressed her lips together, unconsciously growing a little more serious. “What Xi Yao says about me should be completely different from what you say.”

Yu Nianyi tugged at the corner of her mouth. In Xi Yao’s mouth, her sister really did sound a little scary.

But even so, Xi Yao still always sided with her sister in practice. It was just that between sisters, with the older one naturally taking the lead, there was always some invisible pressure; over time, it was only natural that Xi Yao would tense up in front of her sister.

“I’ve heard a lot from Xi Yao. She said that when she was little, you always protected her; when she was with you, she felt especially safe. Even when it came to getting into university and choosing a major, you were the only one who supported her.” Yu Nianyi watched Xi Yu’s expression as she continued, “I can tell she’s very grateful.”

Xi Yu rested a hand on the steering wheel. The light ahead turned green, and the car started moving again.

“Mm. Your relationship is deeper than I imagined,” Xi Yu said.

“Yeah; so deep that people always misunderstand us.” Yu Nianyi naturally took up the thread. “When we first started out, quite a few people asked whether we were a couple.”

Xi Yu said nothing. The car drove straight across the road and stopped at the entrance of Xiangyang Community.

“There are some pretty good oil paints in the car. Since you paint often, they’ll come in handy later.” Xi Yu shut off the engine and got out.

Yu Nianyi followed her down, and when she saw the open trunk packed full of very familiar brown wooden boxes, she drew in a breath; once she saw the Old Holland packaging clearly, she understood.

Xi Yu had chosen the brand’s top-tier line, the kind with extremely high color permanence. For students like them, who painted every day all year round, using something like this was truly extravagant.

Yu Nianyi’s eyes practically sparkled. She looked left and right for a long time; these paints would be enough for her to use for a very long time. She curved her lips, then suddenly turned toward Xi Yu and threw herself into her arms.

Her arms settled around Xi Yu’s waist and tightened and tightened.

“Thank you.”

The person being hugged didn’t move at all, standing perfectly still. Xi Yu lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the pale-gold tied-up strands of Yu Nianyi’s hair at the side of her head. The hair was soft and fluffy, lifting faintly in the cold wind and catching a lovely sheen under the dim yellow streetlight.

“I really like them, Sister Xi Yu.”

Xi Yu looked away. Feeling the distinctly defined contact at her waist, the heat of their clothes rubbing together between their pressed bodies, and the unfamiliar breath brushing her neck, she pressed her lips together even more tightly and turned her face aside.

Yu Nianyi hugged her for a very long time. Through the overcoat, her fingers brushed over Xi Yu’s straight back, then slid across her waist before slowly dropping away.

Xi Yu was still standing there with her face turned slightly to the side. Under the faint light, the shadow of her glasses fell across her face, tracing a beautiful curve.

Yu Nianyi tilted her head up, her gaze following the lips close at hand. The little mole there gradually lost its color in the darkness and blended into the pale pink. After a pause, Yu Nianyi smiled. “I was almost tempted just now.”

Xi Yu looked back at her, quietly studying Yu Nianyi’s smiling face.

It was a very familiar line. Yu Nianyi had said it a long time ago; back when the two of them were still rather polite and unfamiliar with each other, it was the sort of flirtatious thing Yu Nianyi could blurt out without thinking.

Now she was saying it again, same words, different place, different time.

Yu Nianyi tugged lightly at Xi Yu’s overcoat, deliberately softening her voice. “What should I do? Time goes by so fast.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

Xi Yu looked down at the overcoat that the other person was lightly pinching. Yu Nianyi’s hand remained outside, the joints faintly reddened, her skin a stark cold white.

“It’s late,” Xi Yu said.

It was already evening. There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road; the cold wind shook the branches until they crackled, the sound echoing around them. Yu Nianyi’s nose was frozen red, her lips bright and alluring in the dark night. She sighed. “But I still want to stay with you.”

Xi Yu was silent for a moment, then said clearly, “Next time.”