Chapter 34

Xu Ruoyan?

Yu Nianyi rarely froze for more than a few seconds, confusion flickering across her face. “Sister Ruoyan?”

Xi Yu said nothing. She tilted her head and looked into Yu Nianyi’s eyes.

“Well...” Yu Nianyi paused. The words she’d instinctively been about to say took a sudden turn. “Not that long, really. I met her by chance through a club last year, and only later found out Xi Yao knew her too. We gradually got familiar after that.”

She watched Xi Yu’s expression as she spoke. Xi Yu had crossed her legs, rested her arms on her knees, picked up her water glass, and lowered her eyes to study the cup in her hand as she gave it a light shake.

“I usually go with Xi Yao. It’s only because Xi Yao finished her piece recently and I haven’t finished mine yet that I’ve been going to Sister Ruoyan’s shop to work on it.”

“You like tea?”

“Mm...” Yu Nianyi nodded, looking at Xi Yu’s profile. “Quite a lot.”

“But what I make isn’t for myself. It’s for someone else.”

Xi Yu brought the cup to her lips and took a sip before saying, “For someone else?”

“Is Sister Xi Yu really curious who I’m giving it to?” Yu Nianyi’s eyes were bright, her smile sly.

Xi Yu didn’t answer. She simply stood up and walked toward the water bar.

Yu Nianyi’s gaze followed Xi Yu as she walked over there and back, watching her pour water into Yu Nianyi’s cup at a measured pace before only then pouring some into her own.

Pouring water should have been the most ordinary thing in the world; there was no way to make it look special. And yet Xi Yu, in a shirt and suit pants, moved with such clean, precise ease, her expression calm and composed, that Yu Nianyi felt she somehow made even pouring water look beautiful.

Xi Yu set the kettle down within easy reach, then looked over at Yu Nianyi; her gaze was clear and indifferent. “You seem to like speaking like that.”

Yu Nianyi blinked and slowly looked away. “Do I? I hadn’t noticed.”

“If I say you do, what would you say?” Xi Yu asked suddenly.

Yu Nianyi’s eyes widened a little as she looked at Xi Yu’s unruffled face. After a pause, amusement rippled back into her gaze. “Then I’ll have to think about it.”

Xi Yu raised a brow slightly. She looked at Yu Nianyi quietly for a long while, then reached for the phone on the coffee table and unlocked the screen.

The living room fell quiet for a moment. The two women sat neither too far nor too close on the sofa; the woman with light-gold hair tilted her head, her gaze repeatedly lingering on the woman beside her as she slowly leaned in.

Yu Nianyi planted a hand on the sofa beside Xi Yu’s leg and tipped her body slightly sideways. As if afraid of being overheard, she lifted a hand to shield the side of her face and leaned close to Xi Yu’s ear. “I wanted to show you after I finished it, but I really couldn’t bear to make Sister Xi Yu wait. Everything you saw from the beginning was prepared for Sister Xi Yu~”

“I wanted to cater to your tastes; I wanted to make Sister Xi Yu happy.”

The unfamiliar yet somehow familiar warmth of her breath brushed Xi Yu’s ear and slowly spread to her neck, leaving a tingling itch behind. Xi Yu sat motionless on the sofa, her fingers hovering over the screen, her eyes trembling faintly as she stared at the takeaway page on her phone, which had long since stopped moving.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Nianyi’s gaze naturally fell to Xi Yu’s phone, and she let out a soft sound. “Sister Xi Yu hasn’t eaten yet?”

Xi Yu’s gaze, which had been still for a long time, slowly shifted to Yu Nianyi’s profile, then unconsciously fell to her ear; the bright, eye-catching flush there was particularly sudden, beautiful to the point of being almost unfair. Her gaze lingered for a long time before she pressed her lips together and said, “Mm. Have you?”

Yu Nianyi looked up with a grin, meeting Xi Yu’s eyes. “No. I’ve been at Sister Ruoyan’s shop all afternoon and didn’t even have time to eat. Now that you mention it, I’m hungry too.”

“Want to eat something?”

Yu Nianyi sat up straight and leaned back against the sofa, lightly swinging the tips of her feet. “Anything is fine. If Sister Xi Yu hasn’t decided yet, then how about the Jinghe Restaurant?”

Xi Yu nodded. “Alright.”

The living room fell quiet again. Yu Nianyi stared for a long time at the fuzzy slippers on her feet before quietly letting her gaze drift onto Xi Yu.

Xi Yu didn’t seem to have changed much; she calmly opened the restaurant information and lowered her head to look through the dishes.

Yu Nianyi let out a small breath, feeling the roots of her ears heat up. She had meant to tease Xi Yu a little, so why was she the one getting nervous first?

“I’ve ordered. See if there’s anything else you want.” Xi Yu handed the phone over.

Yu Nianyi snapped back to herself and took Xi Yu’s phone with both hands. She first checked the dishes Xi Yu had ordered, then scrolled up and down a little before handing it back. “Sister Xi Yu ordered so many. These are already enough.”

Xi Yu took it back, set the phone on the coffee table, then switched on the remote. The television in front of them started playing a random program; she rose to her feet. “I’m going to change clothes.”

Yu Nianyi quickly stood too and looked around. “Sister Xi Yu, can I walk around a bit?”

“Yes.”

Xi Yu’s home was simply too clean and orderly. Aside from the food and fruit meant for guests on the coffee table, there was only a dark gray aroma diffuser; nothing else was out of place.

Deeper inside was a small tea room, where quite a few ceramic pots were arranged. Green plants of varying heights were interspersed among them, making the whole space especially pleasing to the eye.

Yu Nianyi didn’t go in; instead, she changed direction and went toward the other rooms.

Her gaze kept flicking to the walls around her. Finally, when she went deeper inside and stood at the doorway of the master bedroom, her eyes locked onto something hanging on the wall.

The bedroom was next to an especially wide terrace, though the terrace door was tightly shut at the moment. A dark gray curtain had been drawn halfway, completely blocking out the light coming in from outside; now and then, a breeze stirred it, causing the curtain to lift lightly before settling back down.

Yu Nianyi stood at the door and faintly felt the chill from outside.

The painting hung in the middle of the wall, now sunk into shadow. Seen from the side, however, it felt different.

From Yu Nianyi’s angle, the building’s outline was no longer very clear. She could only make out, through the faint light, the black figure on the other side; it stood upright and still, with a calm, peaceful bearing.

Her eyes curved with delight, and she stood there giggling for a long time before finally backing out.

She sat back down on the sofa, where the television was now showing the news and the anchor’s voice filled the room. Yu Nianyi’s gaze landed on the screen; she watched seriously, but her mind kept drifting back to the painting she’d just seen on the wall.

In the spacious living room, she bit her lip and smiled again.

Not long after, the news had already finished. Yu Nianyi glanced at the time; it was already seven-thirty, but Xi Yu still didn’t seem to have any intention of coming out.

She looked in the direction Xi Yu had gone, then picked up her phone to scroll aimlessly for a bit before taking a photo of the coffee table and sending it to Xi Yao.

Xi Yao didn’t reply right away. Yu Nianyi turned off her phone, tilted her head back, and flopped completely onto the sofa.

The sound of a message came through all at once; Yu Nianyi quickly sat up, just about to reach for her phone, when she saw a figure emerge from the corner of the hallway.

Black loungewear, a pale and composed face, thick jet-black straight hair.

Yu Nianyi’s attention was instantly drawn over. Xi Yu walked straight toward her and stopped half a meter away.

“Sorry to keep you waiting so long.”

A faint fragrance surged over all at once, quickly spreading through the entire living room. Yu Nianyi stood within it, her heart feeling strangely off-kilter.

She looked at Xi Yu again and again, then watched as Xi Yu passed in front of her and went straight to the coffee table, picked up her phone, and lowered her head to check it.

Yu Nianyi’s gaze lingered quietly on Xi Yu’s face. Her eyelids lowered slightly; her lips were pale, and the traces of redness on her cheek from the alcohol had almost completely faded, returning to her original complexion. She blinked slowly twice, then looked up, accurately meeting Yu Nianyi’s gaze.

Yu Nianyi’s heart gave a little leap. She couldn’t help staring at the pale lips opening and closing in front of her; even the small mole seemed to have lost some color.

“The takeaway’s here.”

Xi Yu strode toward the entryway, opened the door, and brought in the food sitting on the bench outside before walking straight to the dining table and setting it down.

Yu Nianyi went over and helped Xi Yu take the food out.

The restaurant’s insulation was excellent, and the sealed packaging was good too; even after being delivered, everything was still hot to the touch. The two of them took turns placing the dishes on the table; it took a long while before the tableware was finally arranged.

Yu Nianyi sighed. “So many dishes.”

“These are all Jinghe’s new items. Try them; they should all be safe choices.” Xi Yu handed her the chopsticks. “And there’s the Four-Gentlemen Soup from last time. I remember you liked it.”

Yu Nianyi watched as Xi Yu sat back down opposite her. She repeatedly measured the nearly two-meter distance between them, her eyes rolling as she smiled. “I thought if I was having this meal, I’d have to wait until Xi Yao came before I could eat. So it turns out Xi Yao isn’t necessary after all.”

“The two of us can eat together too.”

Xi Yu wiped her hands with a wet tissue, her movements unhurried. She lifted her eyes and glanced at Yu Nianyi, but said nothing.

Yu Nianyi picked up her bowl and plate and stood, walking toward Xi Yu until she reached the chair beside her and sat down with a plop.

Xi Yu’s hand, still wiping hers, paused. She reached out and shifted the utensils aside a little, giving Yu Nianyi more space.

“This dining table is way too big,” Yu Nianyi said to herself. “I like eating right next to someone; Sister Xi Yu won’t mind, will you?”

“No.”

Yu Nianyi smiled. “Sister Xi Yu, you’re so nice.”