Chapter 39

Yu Nianyi carefully set the glass of water down in front of Xi Yu, then sat on the sofa. Seeing that Xi Yu looked a little distracted, she felt an inexplicable surge of satisfaction.

The preparation had been a little rushed, but at least she’d managed to cater to Xi Yu’s tastes.

“Thank you,” Xi Yu said.

Yu Nianyi curved her lips into a smile. “No need to be so polite, Xi Yu-jie. Try it and see how it tastes?”

Xi Yu nodded, picked up the cup, and took a sip. Her lips moved faintly. She glanced at the tea in the cup, then set it back down.

“Not bad.”

Yu Nianyi lifted her brows and took a sip as well.

The flavor was rather bland, with only a faint sweetness lingering at the tip of her tongue before fading away. On closer taste, it was just hot water that burned her mouth a little.

Yu Nianyi frowned slightly and set the cup on the table.

She glanced at Xi Yu’s calm expression, a little doubtful about what Xi Yu meant by not bad. She didn’t drink tea often, but in her memory it shouldn’t taste like this.

Xi Yu glanced sideways at the thoughtful person beside her, then casually looked away.

“Water at a full boil brings out the fragrance better. With more tea leaves, it tastes better.”

Yu Nianyi blinked and instinctively looked toward Xi Yu, only to be caught off guard by Xi Yu’s eyes, which seemed to have been on her for a long time.

Even the curve of Xi Yu’s brows and eyes wasn’t as relaxed as usual; a faint smile had settled there, carrying a hint of indulgence.

Yu Nianyi’s face instantly went red. She quickly looked away and raised a hand to shield her eyes in mild annoyance.

Putting her hand back down, she stood at once and bent to pick up the two cups. “Xi Yu-jie, wait a moment. I’ll brew it again.”

Xi Yu gave a soft hum and stood too, taking the two cups from Yu Nianyi’s hands. Yu Nianyi froze for a couple of seconds, then heard her say, “Together.”

Yu Nianyi went over and heated the water again. When she turned around, she saw Xi Yu putting the tea leaves into the cup, then sealing the bag and looking up at her.

Yu Nianyi curved her lips and said in a deliberately sweet voice, “Thank you. Xi Yu-jie is amazing.”

Xi Yu stood quietly where she was, backlit by the light, her brows and eyes sunk in shadow as she looked over calmly.

Yu Nianyi leaned against the cabinet with her arms crossed, meeting Xi Yu’s gaze head-on without the slightest concealment.

The electric kettle rumbled continuously, steam rising in little bursts.

Xi Yu walked over and stopped less than half a meter from Yu Nianyi. Yu Nianyi lifted her chin slightly and looked straight into Xi Yu’s eyes.

Xi Yu lowered her head, avoiding Yu Nianyi’s gaze by a fraction, and set the cup on the counter.

The kettle beeped twice in quick succession. She went over, took it down, and poured water into the cup.

“Practice makes perfect.” Xi Yu picked up the two tea cups and walked toward the sofa. Then she glanced back at Yu Nianyi, who was still standing where she was. “If you’re interested, you can come to my place more often in the future. I’ll brew it for you.”

Yu Nianyi drew in a breath, her gaze glued to Xi Yu’s back as she followed her into the living room and watched her sit down gracefully. Her brows and eyes finally curved fully, laughter rippling through her expression.

Xi Yu seemed to be inviting her?

Yu Nianyi pressed her lips together, forcefully holding back the corners of her mouth that kept trying to rise, and followed after her with light, quick steps.

After a while, when the color in the cup had gradually deepened into a rich amber-orange and an inexplicable sweet fragrance drifted through the air, Xi Yu finally said, “Try it.”

Yu Nianyi nodded and held the cup by the handle, taking a gentle sip.

The moment it hit her tongue, the sweetness was completely different from before; rich and fragrant, with a mellow date-like aroma. After she swallowed, the aftertaste still lingered in her mouth.

Yu Nianyi’s eyes lit up instantly, and she unconsciously took another sip.

Leaning back on the sofa, Xi Yu quietly watched Yu Nianyi take her second sip. Her gaze skimmed over Yu Nianyi’s relaxed brows, then fell on her curved lips half-hidden by the cup. Her red lips were vivid, shining with a wet sheen.

Yu Nianyi couldn’t help but sigh and said it was delicious.

From the cage in the corner of the coffee table came the occasional sound of a wheel turning. Xi Yu lowered her head and looked over, just in time to see a little golden hamster running on its wheel with all four paws.

“What’s its name?” Xi Yu asked.

Hearing the sound, Yu Nianyi leaned over to look. The corner of the coffee table blocked part of the view, so she simply braced herself on the sofa and leaned toward Xi Yu’s side; her leg accidentally brushed against Xi Yu’s suit pants.

The little thing was now fully visible. Yu Nianyi’s eyes curved with fondness. “Baby.”

Xi Yu’s eyes stilled for a second; her gaze remained fixed on the hamster in the cage, while Yu Nianyi’s voice seemed to linger in her ears, growing clearer and clearer along with the faint friction between their legs.

“What?” Xi Yu turned her eyes slightly, her gaze landing deeply on Yu Nianyi’s face.

Yu Nianyi gave a puzzled mm and came back to herself. Meeting Xi Yu’s somewhat darkened eyes, she blinked slowly for two seconds, paused, then smiled with her lips closed.

Tilting her head up, she leaned her lips toward Xi Yu’s ear. “I said baby.”

Then she sat back down as if nothing had happened and looked at Xi Yu with a smile. “That’s its name.”

Xi Yu looked at Yu Nianyi’s teasing expression and raised a brow, but said nothing.

Yu Nianyi propped herself up and leaned over Xi Yu’s legs to look into the cage, then continued, “Does Xi Yu-jie like it? Baby’s very cute. Should I take it out so you two can meet?”

Because of her posture, nearly half of Yu Nianyi’s body was suspended over Xi Yu’s lap. Her long, pale-gold hair slid down her back and draped straight over Xi Yu’s dark gray suit pants, brushing slowly with the movement of her head. A clear, sweet fragrance surged up all at once, impossible to ignore.

With her view completely blocked by Yu Nianyi, Xi Yu turned her head slightly and pressed her lips together.

Yu Nianyi let out an ah, then slowly sat upright, sounding rather regretful. “It’s eaten, slept, slept, played; now it’s gone back to sleep again.”

“When it wakes up, I’ll bring it out for you. Don’t let its small, fluffy appearance fool you; it’s actually very temperamental. If something doesn’t suit it, it’ll throw a tantrum.”

Xi Yu glanced at the baby in the cage, then at Yu Nianyi, who had been chattering away nonstop, before her gaze finally settled on her golden hair.

-

Yu Nianyi’s preparatory work was basically done; all that was left was to arrange a good, comfortable pose for Xi Yu, the kind where she could just sit there.

Being a model wasn’t actually easy either. One had to keep the same posture without moving, sitting for hours at a time. The model teacher the school had hired before had been a middle-aged woman with a stiff back and waist; she couldn’t sit too long and had to get up and move around often.

Yu Nianyi set the easel in front of the window and moved the small portable sofa to the doorway. Xi Yu naturally sat down on it, habitually crossing her legs and folding her hands over her knees.

The light from outside fell directly onto the sofa two meters away. Xi Yu’s expression was calm, showing the stern, proper face people usually associated with her. The warm light fell on the exposed skin and softened some of the pressure she naturally carried.

Xi Yu had very good skin, and her makeup was extremely light. At first glance, there seemed to be no trace of cosmetics on her face at all.

But unlike Yu Nianyi, her features were deep and defined, her eyes long and narrow, her brows slightly raised at the tails with an almost imperceptible curve. They were naturally rather sharp features, yet they gave off an unreasonably dignified air.

Yu Nianyi quietly traced Xi Yu’s features, then walked straight toward her around the easel.

She stopped directly in front of Xi Yu and looked down at her.

Xi Yu followed Yu Nianyi’s movement with her eyes and watched as Yu Nianyi placed a hand on her shirt collar, making as if to undo a button.

Yu Nianyi undid the top black button, then used both hands to adjust Xi Yu’s shirt collar. Through the opening, her clearly defined collarbone was visible, casting a beautiful shadow in the faint light.

Xi Yu did not move, simply watching Yu Nianyi’s actions and letting her do as she pleased.

“Since you’ll be sitting for a long time, this will make you feel less stuffy.” Yu Nianyi curved her eyes, her fingertips hovering in front of Xi Yu’s fair neck. Hidden in her thick curls, they brushed lightly over the warm collarbone as if by accident, then slowly moved upward.

Xi Yu lowered her eyes and looked at her hands crossed over her lap, her fingertips moving idly, utterly quiet.

From the angle Xi Yu couldn’t see, Yu Nianyi’s mouth could no longer be restrained; it nearly stretched all the way to her ears. She looked exactly like some shameless flirt sneaking a little advantage, her expression exceedingly smug.

She lowered her eyes to Xi Yu’s pretty ear, half-hidden by curls, and reached over. Her fingers brushed along Xi Yu’s helix, tucking all the hair by her ear back behind her head and revealing the full side of her face.

Then she even very considerately arranged every strand of hair into place, glancing left and right, occasionally lowering her head to check again, looking quite absorbed as she busied herself for a long while.

“Very professional,” Xi Yu suddenly said. She lifted her chin and looked straight into Yu Nianyi’s smiling eyes. “Are you this hands-on with all your models?”

Yu Nianyi blinked and pressed her upturned lips together, speaking very seriously. “Of course. A model’s posture and expression are extremely important; this is an indispensable step.”

Xi Yu gave a hum and lowered her head again, showing no extra reaction at all; she was very obedient. “All right.”

Seeing Xi Yu so obediently following along, Yu Nianyi’s heart gave an inexplicable shiver. It felt rather strange.

She took two steps back and carefully examined Xi Yu’s condition from top to bottom. Only after she was satisfied did she nod, return to the easel, and first take a photo facing Xi Yu’s direction before picking up her brush to begin outlining Xi Yu’s shape.

Xi Yu’s bearing was excellent. Even sitting in the soft sofa, she gave off an inexplicable elegance and composure, with a kind of rare, unshakable calm.

She was very used to looking straight at people. Her gaze had no aggression, yet just by looking directly at someone, she would make the person under her gaze look away first.

Yu Nianyi stared at the outline on the drawing board, then habitually looked up to observe the woman on the sofa.

She looked at the curve of Xi Yu’s hair.

She looked at the slightly narrow shape of her face.

She looked at her black-and-white eyes.

She looked at her straight nose, with its clear line.

She looked at her lightly colored lips, slightly raised at the corners.

Yu Nianyi lowered her head a little and looked at the woman in the drawing board, whose outline was already beginning to take shape. Then she lowered her brush, the tip landing at the neck as she drew the line of the collar in one stroke.