Chapter 49

The latest message on the phone showed Xi Yu asking whether Yu Nianyi was feeling any better, and whether she had taken her temperature.

Just after Xi Yao and Luo Yiran had left, Xi Yao’s grumbling complaints about taking out the trash were still drifting clearly up from the stairwell, accompanied by Luo Yiran’s gentle, patient coaxing; it was oddly amusing to hear.

Yu Nianyi didn’t rush to call. Instead, she typed to ask Xi Yu whether it was convenient to video chat now.

It seemed to take a few minutes before the other side replied.

[Xi Yu: Yes.]

The moment the video connected, Yu Nianyi saw the entryway of Xi Yu’s home. Warm yellow light was spilling over everything; the phone camera wobbled slightly, then Xi Yu lifted it steadily and looked at her through the screen.

“You look fine. How are you feeling?” Xi Yu asked.

Yu Nianyi grinned, burrowing deeper into the blankets, staring straight at Xi Yu. “I’m completely fine now. Luckily I had you with me; otherwise, being alone would’ve been really hard to get through.”

“It’s okay. Are you going to sleep now?”

Yu Nianyi shook her head, her gaze lingering on Xi Yu’s beautiful, understated features, then on the neat black coat she was wearing.

“You just got back?”

Xi Yu nodded. She was still seated on the black sofa; it seemed she had set the phone on the coffee table. The camera angle shifted from eye level to looking up, so from Yu Nianyi’s angle she could clearly see Xi Yu’s upper body. She watched her tilt her head slightly and slowly take off her coat.

Xi Yu said, “Wait a moment. I’m taking off my coat.”

As she spoke, she slid one sleeve off and casually hung the coat over the back of the sofa. Black and black blended together; Xi Yu held the phone up and lowered her eyes to look at Yu Nianyi.

Yu Nianyi’s lips stayed curved the whole time. Only after Xi Yu looked at her did she clear her throat. “I just told Xi Yao everything. She was really shocked, and once she found out about our relationship, she insisted on having me tell her the whole story from beginning to end.”

Xi Yu gave a soft “mm,” unsurprised. She only said, “She’s always been curious.”

“Have you eaten?”

Yu Nianyi nodded and launched into it. “Xi Yao ordered takeout. Originally Luo Yiran was going to cook at home, but there weren’t quite enough ingredients, and Xi Yao didn’t want her to do it anyway, so in the end we ordered from Wang Jie’s place.”

“Mm. They just left?”

Yu Nianyi smiled. “Yeah.” Then she paused, deliberately cocking an ear to listen to the hallway. Unfortunately, there was nothing to hear anymore. She took her gaze back and looked at Xi Yu on the screen with a wicked little smile. “I had Xi Yao help me take out the trash while she was at it. She complained on the stairs for ages; her voice filled the whole hallway.”

Yu Nianyi laughed again after saying that, her eyes crinkling with obvious delight.

Xi Yu looked at her quietly. The corners of her calm eyes curved slightly too, but she said nothing.

“Though the takeout took a while to arrive. We waited more than an hour before it got here,” Yu Nianyi sighed, then smiled. “Wang Jie’s shop is really booming now. I honestly feel a little thrill, like my hidden treasure has been discovered. There really weren’t this many people before.”

Yu Nianyi reached out one hand and let out a soft breath. After being bundled up under the blankets for so long, she was still a little warm. She switched the phone to her other hand and rested the freed one on top of the quilt.

Xi Yu watched Yu Nianyi stretch out slowly, her posture relaxed and languid, her movements lazy and casual. Her long champagne-gold hair was flattened and tousled, spilling messily across the pillow and blanket.

Yu Nianyi’s pajamas were fairly thin. The neckline wasn’t high, but it still didn’t reveal much; it just made the first button at her collar look looser, and with a few casual movements, it tugged open a little more.

Xi Yu pressed her lips together, her eyes lowering slightly. “Are the windows closed?”

Yu Nianyi blinked, then instinctively looked up at the screen before looking back. “They’re closed. Don’t worry, Xi Yu jie—I checked every one before I lay down.”

“The one you told me to remember, I’ve been keeping it in mind,” she added, leaning closer to the screen and deliberately softening her voice. “I’m very obedient.”

She looked quite proud of herself, her eyes bright and her face full of smiles.

Xi Yu leaned back against the sofa. Her expression relaxed a little as she calmly studied Yu Nianyi on the screen. Her gaze skimmed over Yu Nianyi’s fair, flushed face, then landed on her slightly pink, upturned lips. “Mm. I know.”

“...”

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

Yu Nianyi thought about it, then said, “Sleeping in naturally, then I’m going to Sister Ruoyan’s shop to catch up on the progress with the tea set.”

“And Xi Yu jie?”

“I’ll go take a look at the factory. I’ll pick you up in the evening.”

Yu Nianyi smiled. “Okay; then tomorrow counts as our date, right?”

Xi Yu said nothing, merely meeting Yu Nianyi’s eyes through the screen.

Yu Nianyi gave a confused little “hm?” and looked especially focused.

Xi Yu only curved her lips faintly. Her eyes seemed to be smiling too; the voice that Yu Nianyi remembered as calm and without the slightest ripple was suddenly especially pleasant to hear, tugging at the itch in one’s heart. “Every day can be.”

Yu Nianyi froze for a moment, then laughed. “Okay then; Xi Yu jie, how can you talk like that and make me miss you even more? What am I supposed to do?”

She sighed, hiding the lower half of her face under the blanket, smiling up at the person on the screen. “I really want to see you soon.”

Xi Yu gave a quiet “mm.” Resting one arm on the back of the sofa, she half-covered the corner of her lips with her hand and looked straight at Yu Nianyi through the screen.

After a pause, she glanced at the coat beside her and spoke in a casual tone, as if it were nothing at all: “Sure. Give me thirty minutes.”

Yu Nianyi was completely stunned. She let out a startled “ah” as she watched the person on the screen pick up the coat beside her and start to put it on.

She shot upright in bed and waved frantically. “N-no, Xi Yu jie, it’s so late, and it’s cold outside. What if you catch a cold going out?”

Xi Yu’s movements stopped. Her eyes were calm as they rested on Yu Nianyi.

Yu Nianyi smiled and kept persuading her. “I do really want to see Xi Yu jie too, but it’s honestly very late. You still have work tomorrow; if you came over just because I said so, I’d feel guilty.”

Besides, she’d been a mess all day! She hadn’t even showered! Hair uncombed, face unwashed! It was really not appropriate for Xi Yu to come over at night; it would be too damaging to her image in Xi Yu’s eyes.

And if Xi Yu really did come, Yu Nianyi could hardly guarantee she wouldn’t do something. There was nothing prepared at home at all; it would be far too sudden.

Xi Yu didn’t seem surprised either. She switched from going to staying very naturally, casually setting the coat back down and sitting again.

Only the features lowered slightly by her brows had softened noticeably; the corners of her eyes carried a trace of amused restraint. By the time she looked up again, it had disappeared so naturally.

Yu Nianyi let out a big sigh and flopped back onto the bed, holding the phone up toward Xi Yu. “So Xi Yu jie can say something like ‘I’m leaving’ and ‘I’m staying’ so quickly too? I thought you’d be the type to always have a plan, doing everything in perfect order.”

Xi Yu watched Yu Nianyi’s slight panting and the gentle rise and fall of her chest, then asked casually, “How does that feel?”

Yu Nianyi hummed, turned over, and lay on her stomach, the screen facing straight toward her face. “I like it a lot. I look forward to every side of you, Xi Yu jie; it feels like discovering a new continent.”

After saying that, Yu Nianyi just stared at Xi Yu. Her eyes seemed glued to the phone, refusing to move, reluctant in an especially obvious way.

Xi Yu didn’t react much to Yu Nianyi’s directness. Her expression was delicate, even nearly imperceptible, as if what Yu Nianyi had just said was nothing more than an ordinary little thing that wouldn’t move her at all.

But looking more closely, one could still detect a subtle difference; perhaps it was the slightly tighter line of her lips, perhaps the more direct, heavier look in her eyes, perhaps the faint upward tilt at the corners of her eyes.

Yu Nianyi smiled, feeling full to the brim inside. “Xi Yu jie.”

“Mm.”

“I really like you.”

Xi Yu sat rigidly on the sofa, her eyes slightly stunned; her eyelids moved once. The phone was held high in the air, and the person on the screen was facing her head-on, the two of them staring at each other face to face.

Heat from somewhere seemed to seep out through the phone, scorching and prickling. It slipped into the skin in a dense, numb itch, winding its way through flesh and bone.

Xi Yu let out a soft breath; her lips parted slightly as she stared at Yu Nianyi on the screen.

Yu Nianyi didn’t seem to be asking for any response at all. She kept talking to herself, her eyes bright and shining, her brows and eyes beautiful beyond words.

“The tea set will be finished soon. When you see it, Xi Yu jie, please don’t dislike it. It’s my first time making one; it might not be as professional as Sister Ruoyan’s, but it absolutely, completely carries my feelings for liking you.”

As she said this, Yu Nianyi even laughed, almost deliberately, as if joking, always using Xi Yu as the butt of her teasing.

The tension in Xi Yu’s brows eased. Her gaze never left Yu Nianyi. Going along with her, she said, “I won’t. I saw the rough shape that day; it was very good.”

Yu Nianyi’s mouth curved again. She was genuinely thrilled, her tone intimate and teasing. “Okay then; Xi Yu jie is really good at coaxing people.”

They chatted a while longer. By nearly midnight, Xi Yu was getting ready to shower and sleep, and only then did Yu Nianyi hang up reluctantly.

They’d talked for quite a long time; Xi Yu still had to go wash up, and although Yu Nianyi was a little unwilling, she wasn’t the clingy type. They had only just gotten together, so of course they still needed to leave each other some private space; besides, Xi Yu hadn’t exactly invited her over. She could only generously end the call.

The next morning, Yu Nianyi woke early. That night, sure enough, she dreamed of Xi Yu; in the dream, Xi Yu was completely unlike usual, especially proactive, with waves of breathy sounds that made Yu Nianyi’s face flush bright red.

She sat on the bed for a long time after waking up, her head buzzing chaotically. She recited the Clear Heart Mantra several times before she finally felt a little better.

It was still early, so Yu Nianyi tidied herself up and went to eat breakfast. After she finished, she headed straight for Xu Ruoyan’s shop.

At this point it was already noon. There weren’t many people in the shop, and the staff were eating.

When they saw Yu Nianyi come in, they greeted her warmly. “You’re here. Haven’t seen you in a few days. Have you eaten?”

Yu Nianyi smiled and nodded.

They sighed about how quickly she had eaten, and didn’t say much else. Knowing Yu Nianyi was acquainted with the owner, they directly told her Xu Ruoyan was eating in the back room.

Yu Nianyi thanked them briskly; her steps quickened, and she headed straight for the studio area where she had left last time.