Chapter 48

Yu Nianyi rubbed her thumb over Xi Yu’s knuckles, then traced the pads of her fingers before sliding across her palm. She repeated the motion over and over with obvious interest. The hand being toyed with stayed still, its owner showing no intention of pulling away.

Even though her head was still warm and her body felt sluggish, it was fun to play with Xi Yu’s hand. Her fingers were long, slender, and fair, with no excess flesh at all. Watching the movie again, Yu Nianyi was finally able to settle down.

She leaned back a little, narrowing her eyes comfortably, still not letting go of Xi Yu’s hand.

Xi Yu watched the film with complete focus, her gaze fixed on the screen from beginning to end. Only when Yu Nianyi seemed about to speak again, ready to ask the same question all over, did Xi Yu suddenly lean forward, take a sip of water, and then turn to look at her.

“...The first time I saw your work.”

Yu Nianyi snapped back to attention at once; her brows lifted and she looked at Xi Yu with a smile. “That early? It’s been so long already. If you hadn’t said anything, I really wouldn’t have noticed.”

Xi Yu looked at her quietly. “It was the second time.”

Yu Nianyi froze. Then she remembered the last time, when she had handed the painting to Xi Yu downstairs and tried to win her favor in silence, only to be turned down.

She huffed and tucked her face into the blanket, the smile on her lips never fading, though her voice took on a deliberately sulky edge. “So Xi Yu-jie was playing hard to get with me?”

Xi Yu looked at her for a while, then seemed to let out a very soft sigh. She pulled the blanket down from the side of Yu Nianyi’s face, exposing it completely.

“I had no reason to do that.”

Yu Nianyi blinked, watching as Xi Yu reached out and lightly touched her cheek with her fingertips, then pressed them to her forehead as if checking her temperature.

She could clearly feel Xi Yu’s calm, weighty gaze on her face. The skin on her forehead was met with a pleasant coolness; Yu Nianyi tilted her head, trying to lean closer.

“It’s not as hot as before.” Xi Yu lowered her eyes, looking at Yu Nianyi’s flushed face. “Keep the air circulating. Don’t stay wrapped up in the blanket.”

Yu Nianyi looked at Xi Yu’s serene face and only belatedly realized she had been about to ask something. By then the thought had already slipped away, so she let it go. Xi Yu’s unique scent still lingered around her cheek, faintly drifting and curling around her lips.

Yu Nianyi instinctively glanced to the side at Xi Yu. Her lips were gently closed; the line of them was smooth and even, and that little mole was tiny and adorable.

The movie was already halfway through, and the living room was especially quiet, broken only occasionally by the protagonist’s dialogue.

“Indeed, as you said,” Xi Yu said softly all of a sudden.

Yu Nianyi gave a small hum and looked over at her.

“A lot of the scenes are extremely precise and professional. The composition is very thoughtful; the contrast of light and shadow, the visual center, the atmosphere of the frame.” Xi Yu said, “It’s a very comfortable viewing experience.”

Yu Nianyi chuckled, tilting her head against the sofa cushion by Xi Yu’s shoulder, then looked up at her with a smile. “So it seems like you really like it, jie.”

Xi Yu nodded, and as if she noticed Yu Nianyi’s unwavering gaze, she turned her head and met her eyes.

Yu Nianyi’s eyes fell on Xi Yu’s lightly curved lips. They were soft in color, and that little mole was bright and endearing.

They looked at each other for a while; then almost on instinct, Yu Nianyi braced a hand on the sofa, straightened up, and leaned her face toward Xi Yu.

A sharp shout suddenly rang out from the screen; the sea roared, accompanied by hurried, uneven breathing.

Yu Nianyi kissed Xi Yu’s cheek, her lips gently rubbing and brushing against it as if she were handling something fragile, using the lightest possible pressure, yet with unmistakable care.

Xi Yu did not move. Her back stiffened slightly, and her eyes locked straight onto Yu Nianyi’s flushed face; she watched the brightness in Yu Nianyi’s brows and eyes, the burning heat in her breath, carrying a strange, alluring warmth.

She pressed her lips together tightly, then loosened them a little, only to press them together again.

Yu Nianyi withdrew with a smile, meeting Xi Yu’s eyes across the short distance between them.

She was not surprised at all by Xi Yu’s habit of staring straight at someone while kissing, as if she had long since grown used to it.

“It’d be bad if I passed my cold to you, jie.” Yu Nianyi bent one knee, laid her face on it, and sighed. “Being sick is really awful.”

Xi Yu watched the dejected look on Yu Nianyi’s face. After observing her quietly for a while, she said, “It’ll get better.”

Yu Nianyi smiled at the still-calm face in front of her, her wildly beating heart growing even more distinct now; it seemed as though only she was in complete disarray. She curved her lips and narrowed her eyes. “It’s not good. If I didn’t have a cold, I could kiss my jie on the mouth.”

Xi Yu’s gaze clearly faltered for a moment; only after a few seconds did she blink. Her eyelashes were curled and pretty, too.

Yu Nianyi stared at her intently, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in her expression.

Xi Yu’s reaction was so understated that it almost gave Yu Nianyi the illusion of innocence, the kind that came from a first taste of intimacy. Spending time like this, one’s subconscious just wanted to take care of her a little more.

Yu Nianyi sighed inwardly, smugly pleased with herself, already planning how to coax Xi Yu into bed, how to make Xi Yu comfortable.

Her nails should be trimmed properly too...

And she should go find Su Yue, whom she hadn’t contacted in ages, and get some of her stock. After that, a more active sex life would be just around the corner.

Su Yue was Yu Nianyi’s childhood friend, someone she had played with since they were little. She was a few years older than Yu Nianyi, had worked in all kinds of industries over the years, and after getting divorced, started her own adult products business. At first it was just a trial run, a shot in the dark; unexpectedly, though, it turned out to be very popular in the small county town, and she slowly kept it going from there.

During the period when Yu Nianyi was attending school in Jiayang, she hadn’t been in contact with Su Yue for a very long time.

Xi Yu glanced at Yu Nianyi silently, made no other reaction, and only tucked the blanket securely around her before looking back at the screen.

The movie ended quickly. By the final resolution, Yu Nianyi still felt a little wistful. Xi Yu, however, seemed to have expected it all along and only said that it was the most suitable ending for them.

Yu Nianyi curled her lips, not pressing the matter further. She simply yawned, her eyelids heavy again; blinking sleepily at Xi Yu, she still wore a smile.

Then a phone call came in. Xi Yu glanced at it and said she needed to answer.

She did not get up right away. Still seated on the sofa, her gaze fell on the thin blanket that had slipped loose as Yu Nianyi stretched. She reached over to smooth it out, then covered Yu Nianyi’s legs again.

Xi Yu said nothing unnecessary, only answered in a low voice a few times before hanging up.

“Was that Auntie?” Yu Nianyi asked tentatively.

“Mm.”

“I told her yesterday that I’d be going home for a bit.”

Yu Nianyi nodded; in an instant, she was wide awake. She idly squeezed Xi Yu’s hand and stared at her beautiful fingers.

“I called Xi Yao; she’ll be here soon.” Xi Yu said. “If you want to sleep, I’ll have her go back.”

Yu Nianyi lifted her eyes; now she was thoroughly no longer sleepy. She looked at Xi Yu’s pretty face. “How are you so good to me, Xi Yu-jie? Are you worried that if you leave, I won’t have anyone to take care of me?”

Xi Yu gave a soft hm, raised a hand, and gently blocked Yu Nianyi’s persistent gaze. Her hand finally settled on Yu Nianyi’s forehead. “The fever’s gone down. When you sleep tonight, remember to keep the window shut properly.”

Yu Nianyi obediently nodded, then said, “Then can we make our relationship public?”

“For example, tell Xi Yao and the others..."

Xi Yu paused, her gaze falling on Yu Nianyi’s hand as she fiddled with it. After a moment, she said, “Xi Yao and the others can know.”

Yu Nianyi smiled, instantly imagining Xi Yao’s shocked scream, and found it funny just thinking about it.

Xi Yu stayed a while longer before Xi Yao finally came up the stairs. She had come together with Luo Yiran; ever since the two of them got together, they had been inseparable, close enough to be almost unbelievable.

The moment they entered, they were still fairly composed and steady; but as soon as Xi Yu left, Xi Yao rushed over to Yu Nianyi and asked, “What’s going on? My sister said you had a fever? Is it serious?”

“Why was she at your place? You two—why do I feel like the vibe between you is weird..."

Luo Yiran sat beside Xi Yao and watched Yu Nianyi with full attention as well.

Yu Nianyi laughed happily, threw off the blanket on her body, and said with great satisfaction, “We got together.”

Xi Yao froze for a few seconds, then her mouth slowly opened and her brows furrowed. “...Huh...?”

Luo Yiran’s eyes lit up, and she smiled too.

Yu Nianyi clicked her tongue, a little displeased, and shot Xi Yao a glare. “What’s with that expression? You don’t look like you believe me at all.”

Luo Yiran covered her mouth and laughed. “I believe you, more or less. It’s just that Xi Yu-jie has always seemed pretty intimidating to Sister, so she’s a little slow to react.” After saying that, she added, “Congratulations.”

Yu Nianyi’s brows shot up; her mouth practically stretched to the back of her ears.

Xi Yao wore a hard-to-describe expression. She looked at Yu Nianyi for a while, then at the entryway where Xi Yu had just left, then back at Yu Nianyi. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a single word: “Wow...”

“What exactly haven’t you told me? How did you two end up together so suddenly? This is way too unreal. If you’re together with my sister, how am I supposed to keep hanging out with you in the future...”

Yu Nianyi frowned and pretended to swat at Xi Yao’s shoulder, immediately objecting, “Hey, hey, hey, hold it right there. What kind of thing is that to say? What do you mean, unreal? You should be congratulating your bestie here for finally winning over the older sister; deep feelings, a blissful life!”

Xi Yao clicked her tongue, mulled it over for a while on her own, and in the end said very seriously to Yu Nianyi, “You have to tell us everything that happened between you two.”

Luo Yiran also looked over at Yu Nianyi, wearing the expression of someone all ears.

Yu Nianyi thought about it and picked out the key parts to tell Xi Yao and Luo Yiran. Xi Yao had the biggest reactions throughout; she cried out “ah” from time to time, then leaned back with a very surprised look, vividly expressive.

Luo Yiran, on the other hand, remained very steady, her expression always carrying a faint smile; whenever she saw Xi Yao’s reaction, the smile in her eyes would grow even deeper.

Yu Nianyi talked for a long time, and as she recalled the two of them once more, there was always a smile in her eyes, looking just like someone completely sunk into love.

In her mouth, Xi Yu sounded like a careful, gentle, beautiful, steady, interesting, and irresistibly charming woman.

Xi Yao clicked her tongue at Yu Nianyi for a long time. Yet after Yu Nianyi finished speaking, she found herself unable to say anything at all.