Chapter 70

Xi Yu was wearing a light coffee-colored coat, her hair falling neatly over her shoulders, and a dark gray scarf wrapped around her neck, leaving a faint sliver of skin visible.

The moment their eyes met, Xi Yu started walking toward her. Calm and unhurried, it took her less than a few minutes to reach Yu Nianyi.

Xi Yu lowered her gaze slightly and slowly swept it over Yu Nianyi’s brows and eyes, then over her blond hair. She didn’t speak right away; she just stood there and looked at her quietly for a while.

Yu Nianyi let out a breath without realizing it. Her restless heart started beating again, and she stared at Xi Yu so intently that she was afraid of missing even a second, clinging to her with her eyes.

“...Sister Xi Yu,” Yu Nianyi paused, cleared her throat, and said, “Why did you come over? I thought you were still abroad last night.”

Xi Yu gave a low hum and looked at Yu Nianyi deeply. “I finished my business, so I came back first.”

Yu Nianyi let out an oh and lowered her eyes a little, but the corners of her mouth still lifted uncontrollably.

In her line of sight, Xi Yu’s hands hung at the sides of her coat, pale and slender, resting quietly there. Yu Nianyi rubbed her fingers together and kept staring at her hands.

Xi Yu followed her gaze, which finally settled on her own hands. Her eyes paused; then she heard footsteps not far away and subconsciously looked up toward the area behind Yu Nianyi.

“Nianyi, Auntie asked me to tell you why you’re still outside and not coming in...” Zhang Ning came hurrying out. She instinctively looked at the person standing beside Yu Nianyi, froze, and for a moment forgot what she had been about to say. Then, as if she’d remembered something, she suddenly shouted, “Oh my god!”

The children who had come out after her jumped in fright, then all looked at Zhang Ning strangely before running up to Yu Nianyi.

“...Sister, Sister, why are you standing outside..."

“...Who is this sister? I’ve never seen her before. Is she your friend?”

Zhang Ning hurried over and shooed the children back. “There are too many cars here; go home. Your sister will go back in a bit.”

The children pouted, their heads drooping in disappointment, but they were obedient enough and ran off like the wind.

Only after they were gone did Zhang Ning lean closer to Yu Nianyi, grinning. “You two wouldn’t happen to be what I think, would you?”

Yu Nianyi looked at Xi Yu, then nodded. “This is Sister Xi Yu. I told you about her yesterday.”

Zhang Ning gave an unsurprised oh and smiled without saying anything.

Xi Yu nodded to Zhang Ning. “Hello. I came over all of a sudden, so sorry to intrude.”

Zhang Ning waved her hands in a hurry. “No, no, not at all. We like lively gatherings. Since you’re here, those kids are probably thrilled. They were reluctant to leave just now; they really like pretty sisters...”

Xi Yu nodded, then looked at Yu Nianyi. “I brought some things for Auntie and the kids. I’ll go get them.”

Yu Nianyi was startled. Seeing Xi Yu turn back toward the car, she hurried after her. “You really didn’t have to, Sister Xi Yu. The things you bought last time still haven’t been finished...”

Before she could finish, Xi Yu stopped and turned to look at her. “This is what I should do.”

Yesterday, Yu Nianyi had only been talking to Xi Yu about the local specialties Yu Lan liked to eat, and today Xi Yu had already sent more over. In addition, there were expensive ingredients and fruit, several bottles of wine in especially exquisite packaging, tonic supplements, and a Lego gift set.

It took all three of them carrying things to bring everything upstairs in one trip.

Back home, when Yu Lan saw the woman who had suddenly appeared, she was momentarily taken aback. She glanced at Yu Nianyi, then quickly stood up and went over to greet her.

Xi Yu smiled faintly. “Auntie, Happy New Year.”

Yu Lan exclaimed and quickly went up to Xi Yu, taking her hand and pulling her inside. “Happy New Year, happy New Year! I was just saying how one kid after another kept running downstairs, so it was Xi Yu who came!”

Xi Yu nodded. “I’m sorry. I came to visit in a hurry without contacting you first and disturbed you.”

Yu Lan patted Xi Yu’s hand and pretended to frown. “Don’t be polite. I’m happy as long as you come! I was just telling Nian Nian yesterday to ask you over for dinner at home, and today you’re here. What a coincidence!”

Yu Nianyi set the things down as she followed behind Xi Yu.

Yu Lan glanced at the mountain of things on the table, then smiled. “You child, it’s enough that you came. Why did you bring so much?”

Xi Yu said, “It’s only right.”

Yu Lan was all smiles as she pulled Xi Yu onto the sofa, then asked, “How did you get here? I heard from Nian Nian that you were still abroad. Coming to Lincheng out of the blue must have been exhausting, right?”

Yu Nianyi sat down beside Xi Yu as well and quietly watched her expression. Xi Yu had filmed a video in the middle of the night overseas last night, and it showed she was still in New Zealand. How had she arrived in Lincheng this afternoon? The timing was too tight; she must not have rested at all overnight.

Xi Yu lowered her eyes slightly and curved her lips. Yu Nianyi’s gaze fell on the area under Xi Yu’s eyes. Xi Yu’s skin was very fair, so even the slightest change in color stood out clearly. At first, Yu Nianyi had been too happy to notice properly, but now that she looked again, the skin under Xi Yu’s eyes was shadowed with blue; she looked exhausted.

Yu Nianyi unconsciously moved closer to Xi Yu, resting a hand on Xi Yu’s leg, and immediately felt heartbroken for her.

Xi Yu sensed the movement, turned her head, and looked into Yu Nianyi’s eyes. She held her gaze for a long while before looking away and saying, “It’s fine. I could rest on the plane.”

Yu Lan sighed. “Why come so urgently? You could have rested first before coming. Young people need to take better care of themselves...”

As she said this, Yu Lan suddenly looked at Yu Nianyi. “Then let Xi Yu rest at Nian Nian’s place first, and have Nian Nian stay with you inside. Later, when it’s time for dinner, I’ll have Nian Nian call you!”

Yu Nianyi blinked, straightened up instinctively, and looked at Xi Yu beside her.

Xi Yu gave a hum. “Thank you, Auntie. Sorry to trouble you.”

Yu Lan laughed with her. “What trouble? We’re all family; what’s there to trouble anyone? Nian Nian, you don’t need to do anything either; go inside and keep Xi Yu company. The two of you can chat.”

Zhang Ning, who hadn’t said a word the entire time, was stunned for a moment. Whatever she thought of, she instinctively looked at Yu Nianyi, and her expression was downright meaningful.

The children nearby didn’t dare say much either. They had already sensed that Yu Lan seemed to value this new sister very much, so they stayed obediently quiet. Their little eyes were all fixed on the gifts that had been brought over, watching intently.

When Yu Nianyi received Zhang Ning’s inexplicable look, she was standing at the door and unconsciously started thinking back over whether she had tidied her bedroom properly before coming out, whether all her clothes had been put away in the wardrobe, and whether the sweets on the table...

She had only thought for a few seconds when Yu Lan’s voice sounded from behind her again. “Nian Nian, why are you standing at the door blocking the way and not going in? Hurry up and let Xi Yu inside.”

Xi Yu stood beside her, quietly looking at her from the side.

Yu Nianyi took a deep breath, rested her hand on the doorknob, and opened the door.

Her eyes quickly swept around the room, finally settling on the slightly messy bed. She had gone to sleep too late last night and had to get up early this morning, so the blanket on the bed still hadn’t been folded neatly.

Yu Nianyi glanced at Xi Yu, then strode to the side of the bed and pushed the quilt aside with one hand, clearing a large empty space. Smiling, she said to Xi Yu, “Sister Xi Yu, sit down.”

Xi Yu glanced at the red blanket carelessly bunched aside, then nodded and sat down.

They had been apart for a few days; for a moment, neither of them was quite used to it.

Yu Nianyi sat on the bed and actually didn’t know what to ask for a moment. After a pause, she suddenly thought of the car downstairs. “Did Sister Xi Yu go back to Jiayang first, then drive to Lincheng?”

Xi Yu shook her head. Her pale eyes rested on Yu Nianyi’s fair, bright profile and didn’t move away. “No, I took a plane. My car is here.”

Yu Nianyi went, “Oh.” “No wonder you asked me for the home address this morning. So you were already on the way.”

Xi Yu said nothing. She closed her eyes slightly, then opened them again.

It was hard not to think Xi Yu had come specially for her; maybe it was because of some offhand wish she’d made last night, and Xi Yu had booked a flight back on the spot.

Yu Nianyi lowered her eyes and looked down at her fluffy slippers. The two rabbit ears on the toes swayed back and forth with her movement, tangling together, then separating, then tangling again.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Xi Yu asked.

Yu Nianyi came back to herself a little and instinctively turned her head, only to meet Xi Yu’s clear, black-and-white eyes unexpectedly. She looked away. “Nothing. I’ve already seen the relatives I needed to see today.”

Xi Yu gave a hum. Her left hand was pressed steadily against the bed behind Yu Nianyi’s waist as she leaned in slightly.

Yu Nianyi’s body stiffened unconsciously; it felt as if even the air on her right side had started to burn, carrying a searing heat.

She bit her lip lightly and heard Xi Yu ask, “Can I stay with you and sleep for a while?”

Yu Nianyi turned to look at Xi Yu. Xi Yu leaned over and rested her forehead against Yu Nianyi’s. She said, “Just for a while.”

Her warm breath brushed Yu Nianyi’s lips, carrying obvious heat before melting into the air in an instant.

Yu Nianyi frowned, her cheeks puffing up in a sulky, grumpy way. “Coming a day earlier or a day later wouldn’t make any difference. I’m always in Lincheng. Sister Xi Yu should have gotten some proper rest before coming.”

Xi Yu gave a hum. The air was quiet for a moment, then Yu Nianyi heard her very soft voice. “I just felt I should come a little earlier.”

Yu Nianyi froze. Somehow, she thought of the things from before, when she had still been feeling jealous and brooding in her heart. She first gestured for Xi Yu to lie down and handed her a set of her own summer pajamas, then turned to look for a fresh blanket.

A rustling sound rang out. Yu Nianyi rested a hand on the clothes rack, her eyes darting up and down. There was a whole mess of bright colors; she honestly didn’t know where to look.

After a while, the bedroom quieted down again.

“This is fine.” Xi Yu’s voice came from behind her. Yu Nianyi turned around and saw Xi Yu wearing her pale yellow pajamas, the pattern of little ducks faintly visible on her body. Yu Nianyi looked at her for a while and still found it somewhat hard to get used to.

Xi Yu spread out the red blanket Yu Nianyi had casually bunched aside and covered herself with it.

Yu Nianyi had only used that blanket last night; anything covered with it every night would inevitably carry some scent from the body.

Her face reddened. “I’ll find Sister Xi Yu a fresh one. I’ve already used that one.”