Chapter 64

“Oh my, long time no see.” The next second, Xi Yao’s face filled the screen. She leaned in close and studied Yu Nianyi carefully. “You’re still at Sister Ruoyan’s shop? I thought you’d already gone back to your hometown.”

Yu Nianyi leaned back in her chair and idly fiddled with the tools on the table. “I’m not doing anything anyway, so I might as well help out at Sister Ruoyan’s shop. Besides, I can spend a little more time with Xi Yu-jie before the New Year.”

Xi Yao clicked her tongue a couple of times and flopped comfortably onto a soft white bed, one cheek pressed so hard it was almost deformed. “Just say you can’t bear to part with my sister…”

Footsteps sounded through the phone. Xi Yao propped herself up and looked over; the screen happened to catch Luo Yiran from the waist up. She was sitting in front of Xi Yao and lowered her head to greet Yu Nianyi. “Hi.”

Yu Nianyi smiled. “Looks like you two are having a good time.”

Luo Yiran hummed. “It gets really lively here once New Year’s comes around. We get especially busy. We can come play together next time.”

Yu Nianyi thought about it for a moment, then suddenly pictured herself walking along the beach with Xi Yu and nodded at once. “No problem. When Xi Yu-jie has time, let’s go together.”

Xi Yao burst out laughing and fell straight back into Luo Yiran’s arms. She laughed so hard she could barely breathe. Luo Yiran reflexively caught her, looking utterly helpless.

“Not gonna lie, even though it’s been a while, I still can’t really get used to you dating my sister.” Xi Yao leaned on one arm and half sat up, looking carefree and sloppy. “One’s my good friend, the other’s my real older sister. No matter how I look at it, it’s weird.”

She shook her head and muttered, “Back then I didn’t even believe it… But I can’t figure my sister out anyway. As long as you two like each other and are happy, that’s all that matters.”

Yu Nianyi lifted her brows proudly. “Relax, Xi Yu-jie likes me a lot!”

Xi Yao let out an offended-sounding oh and said jokingly, “Who says? Did my sister say that herself? …You saying it doesn’t count.”

Yu Nianyi paused for a few seconds. Her smiling eyes stayed fixed on Xi Yao on the screen, and the brush in her hand stopped moving too. She didn’t say anything.

Luo Yiran coughed lightly, nudged Xi Yao, and suddenly said, “Sister said she probably won’t go back to Jiayang this year.”

Xi Yao went, “Huh?” caught off guard by how fast the topic changed, then nodded along. “Right, right, that’s what I was about to tell you. Help me tell my sister later that I’m not going back for New Year’s; I’m spending it at my girlfriend’s house. Luo Luo’s home isn’t far from here. Yesterday we even met Luo Luo’s parents; Uncle and Auntie were especially kind. I want to stay a little longer.”

Yu Nianyi froze for a couple of seconds, then blurted out, “You still haven’t made up with your parents?”

Xi Yao snorted. “That’s not something you can fix in one or two days with a sentence or two. They never considered me at all; they never think about what I want. There’s no way I can communicate with them like this.”

Luo Yiran spoke next. “Mom and Dad really like Sister, and they specifically asked me to keep Sister here.”

She paused for a couple of seconds before continuing, “If I get the chance, I’d also like to visit Uncle and Auntie.”

A smile tugged at Xi Yao’s lips, and she lay straight down on Luo Yiran’s legs. The camera suddenly started shaking; the image blurred for a few seconds before Luo Yiran steadied the phone in her hand and aimed it back at her own face.

Xi Yao’s voice came through the phone. “I’m telling you now so I don’t have to tell my sister and my parents again later. It’s easier.”

“Sure, but you should still at least say hello.” Yu Nianyi rested her chin in her hand and said casually, “You’ve been away for so long. Maybe Uncle and Auntie, and Xi Yu-jie too, miss you.”

There was a two-second silence on the other end before Xi Yao said, “I get that. Let’s not talk about it for now. After New Year’s, if we have time, Luo Luo and I might even go to Lincheng to visit you; we can pay New Year’s greetings to Auntie.”

Yu Nianyi’s eyes lit up and she smiled immediately. “That’d be great. Tell me in advance when you’re coming, and I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay, okay…"

-

Xi Yu arrived later than usual to pick her up. Yu Nianyi had originally gotten off work at six, but she waited until eight before finally seeing Xi Yu walk over.

“You’re really late today,” Yu Nianyi said as she slowly stood up and walked straight over to Xi Yu. Only when she saw the dessert in Xi Yu’s hand did her eyes brighten a little. A faint sweet fragrance drifted through the air, along with a barely noticeable trace of perfume.

Today Xi Yu was wearing a very fitted, structured beige overcoat. The belt at her waist had been tied casually behind her, and every step carried the neat click of high heels.

“Mm, sorry. I had something to deal with today.” Xi Yu handed over the dessert. “I heard this place is pretty good. It’s not too sweet; it should suit your taste.”

Yu Nianyi took it and subconsciously tightened her grip on the bag. The packaging was elegant and upscale, with simple patterned designs. Through the gap, she could faintly make out the dessert inside, exquisitely shaped and enough to make anyone’s appetite open up at once.

The faint sweetness slowly spread out, carrying a perfume scent that was impossible to ignore. It was hard to describe—rich jasmine and white florals mixed with a light herbal note, like flowers blooming beneath the moon at night, deep and dazzling.

“Xi Yu-jie, did you put on perfume?” Yu Nianyi leaned closer to Xi Yu. Only when she got close did she realize Xi Yu was taller in heels too; standing beside her, Yu Nianyi only just reached the height of Xi Yu’s nose.

Xi Yu’s expression remained calm, with nothing extra on her face. After a brief silence, she said, “I wore a little.”

“It’s a really special scent. It smells so good.” Yu Nianyi sniffed at her and looked at Xi Yu with wide, intent eyes.

Xi Yu glanced at her from the side; their eyes met for only a second before Xi Yu looked forward again. “You like it?”

“Yeah, I do. It smells really good.” Yu Nianyi nodded without thinking. She instinctively looked around; people were coming and going in the shop, brushing past one another, and it seemed like no one was paying attention to them. She said, “Because it’s on Xi Yu-jie, I like it. Perfume only has special meaning when it’s on someone special.”

Xi Yu raised a brow slightly. Noticing the passageway ahead was getting crowded, she reflexively put an arm around Yu Nianyi’s shoulder and guided her through.

Yu Nianyi followed Xi Yu out of the crowd and happened to see Xu Ruoyan, who had just seen a friend off at the entrance. Xu Ruoyan turned back. “Leaving already?”

Yu Nianyi grinned. “Yeah. Thanks for your hard work, Sister Ruoyan.”

Xu Ruoyan sighed and smiled too. “You’ve worked hard too. Thanks to you, today wasn’t nearly as busy.”

Xi Yu nodded at Xu Ruoyan. “We’re going now.”

Xu Ruoyan hummed, then gave Yu Nianyi a playful wink. The next second, someone called her away again.

Yu Nianyi sighed. “Sister Ruoyan is really busy.”

“Her shop went viral a few times because passersby filmed it; the exposure is very high.” Xi Yu opened the car door and motioned for Yu Nianyi to get in.

Yu Nianyi suddenly understood. “So that’s why. No wonder so many people were holding up phones. They asked me a lot of questions about Sister Ruoyan too, like whether she has a partner and so on…”

Xi Yu got into the driver’s seat and said, “If you’re staying at her shop, you’ll be a bit busier these next few days too.”

Yu Nianyi smiled. “It’s fine. Don’t I still have a personal driver to pick me up and drop me off? That kind of service is way too worth it. What’s a little tiredness compared to that~”

Xi Yu glanced at her, looking a little helpless. “Even if Nian Nian did nothing at all, I could still satisfy you.”

Yu Nianyi leaned back against the seat and blushed at Xi Yu’s words.

The car started and moved smoothly onto the road.

She looked left and right; at the buildings and trees flashing past the window, at the blurred figures of pedestrians by the roadside, at Xi Yu’s serious expression and cool demeanor, then lowered the mirror to look at her own faintly pink face in the warm light. After studying it for a few seconds, she saw the pink peonies lying quietly on the back seat.

Such a gentle color; pink and white clustered suddenly among a mass of green, wrapped in pure white paper with a pale pink bow.

Yu Nianyi was stunned for a few seconds, then looked away. She pushed the mirror back up and smiled at Xi Yu. “Xi Yu-jie bought peonies at some point? I only just noticed them after sitting in the car this long.”

Xi Yu kept her eyes on the road. She glanced at the bouquet in the rearview mirror before looking ahead again. “I didn’t buy them. Chen Shuo gave them.”

The smile on Yu Nianyi’s lips froze instantly. She looked at Xi Yu; seeing that Xi Yu’s expression hadn’t changed, she looked back at the flowers lying peacefully in the back seat.

The flowers were really beautiful; ethereal and gentle. The longer one looked at them, the more their beauty seemed to burn.

“Chen Shuo?” Yu Nianyi said reflexively. “I haven’t heard his name in so long, I almost forgot what he looks like.”

The car stopped steadily at an intersection; the red light still had a long time left.

Yu Nianyi pressed her lips together. Seeing that Xi Yu wasn’t speaking, she asked, “Why would he send Xi Yu-jie flowers? And peonies at that. Were you two together just now?”

Xi Yu’s hand rested on the steering wheel; her calm brows knit slightly. “The company needs some adjustments recently, and it involves the Chen family’s interests. Maybe he heard the news and came over first to probe for information.”

“It’s just a bouquet of flowers; there probably isn’t any special meaning.” Xi Yu turned her head to look in Yu Nianyi’s direction, then unconsciously lifted a hand and brushed Yu Nianyi’s ear. “I just had a meal with him by appointment.”

“I’m not eating dinner tonight. What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you tonight.”

The touch and warmth at her ear were familiar. Xi Yu’s fingers brushed lightly over her earlobe, then over the rim of her ear. The sensation was so clear that Yu Nianyi stared at Xi Yu’s beautiful face, and the quiet in her heart began to stir again, slowly. She suppressed the urge to lean in and rub against Xi Yu’s hand, and pulled back first.

Yu Nianyi lowered her head and looked at the dessert in her arms. “So it was work.”

Xi Yu’s hand paused in midair. She was stunned for a moment, looking at Yu Nianyi’s somewhat dejected expression.

The car fell silent for a few seconds, then the red light ahead suddenly turned green. Xi Yu withdrew her hand, looked forward, and the car started moving again.

“…"

“The Chen family has an important position and influence in the company. Whether it’s Aunt Kang or Chen Shuo, who’s about to inherit the family business, they all have deep ties to the Xi family. At the same time, the elders have been interacting for decades and want to develop an even closer relationship.” Xi Yu said, “In both work and daily life, it’s unavoidable that we’ll have contact with them.”

Xi Yu paused. “That’s how it is for now.”

“But I’m adjusting things.”

Yu Nianyi turned her head and looked out the window.