Chapter 86

The woman’s hair was pinned up neatly, and black-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, giving her an oddly stern, cool air. She was scanning the crowd outside the station, as if looking for someone.

Yu Nianyi quickly stood up, said she’d seen Xi Yu-jie, hung up, and headed straight for Xi Yu.

Xi Yu seemed to sense something in the crowd and looked over sharply. Their eyes met, and then Xi Yu threaded through the people and strode toward her. Jiang Chen, following behind, glanced around and instinctively quickened her pace to keep up.

It wasn’t until Yu Nianyi reached Xi Yu that she steadied her breathing and smiled, holding out the flowers in her arms. “Xi Yu-jie, it’s been a very, very long time.”

Xi Yu’s lips curved too. “It has been a very, very long time.”

She took the flowers and unconsciously said thank you.

Only then did Jiang Chen notice Yu Nianyi. She smiled at her and greeted her.

Yu Nianyi walked beside Xi Yu as they headed out together.

“I found three pretty good restaurants. Their reviews are all excellent; you can take a look on the way in the car,” Yu Nianyi said.

Xi Yu nodded and asked, “What time did you get here?”

Yu Nianyi thought for a moment. “It should’ve been around seven-thirty.”

Xi Yu looked at her face, and her gaze finally settled on the corner of her mouth. “You didn’t eat?”

Yu Nianyi froze. “How did Xi Yu-jie know?”

Xi Yu lifted a hand and pointed to the corner of her own mouth, signaling Yu Nianyi.

A beat too late, Yu Nianyi understood. She hurriedly wiped at the corner of her mouth and gave an awkward laugh.

Maybe it was because they hadn’t seen each other for a few days, or maybe it was because Jiang Chen was there; for some reason, there was an odd distance between the two of them.

Yu Nianyi walked stiffly beside Xi Yu, looking at Xi Yu’s hand hanging at her side, then at her own. After urging herself to do it over and over in her head, she still didn’t dare reach out and take it.

So they walked shoulder to shoulder, in silence, out of the airport.

The car Jiang Chen had called pulled up slowly, but just then Xi Yu’s phone rang. Yu Nianyi looked over instinctively and watched Xi Yu answer.

She opened her phone and started browsing the restaurants they might go to.

One Japanese restaurant was extremely famous in the Jiayang area, with the same reputation and influence as the one Lin Yan had taken her to last time. There was also a Cantonese place that was very suitable, and an Italian restaurant that stood out as especially good too.

Yu Nianyi kept lowering her head to flip through the photos, then lifting it again to look at Xi Yu; she seemed restless and eager, as if she wanted to say something.

Xi Yu had stepped a little farther away. Her lips were pressed tight, and no one knew what she was saying on the other end of the call.

The car drove straight past the station entrance, then went a little farther and waited there for the three of them.

After quite a while, Xi Yu finally hung up and walked back over.

“Sorry; something came up at home and I need to go back.” Xi Yu looked at Yu Nianyi and said softly.

Yu Nianyi froze for several seconds. Her hand dropped reflexively, and the screen that had just been lit went dark in an instant.

Xi Yu paused, then lowered her head slightly. “Nian Nian... I can’t keep you company for this meal. If possible, I’ll make time tomorrow.”

The strange flutter in her heart, the burst of anticipation that had just surged up, vanished in an instant; that sour, bitter feeling welled up again.

Yu Nianyi pressed her lips together and swept her gaze over the crowd around them. Xi Yu stood before her, still holding the pale white bouquet.

“Was it Auntie who called?” Yu Nianyi asked.

Xi Yu nodded. “My mother and father. They want me to go back right now.”

Yu Nianyi asked again, “So urgent?”

Xi Yu gathered the bouquet in her arms, her voice very light. “Sorry.”

Yu Nianyi waved it off and, pretending to be relaxed, shoved her phone into her pocket. “It’s fine, I can understand. Xi Yu-jie is busy with work, after all; Auntie and Uncle must have something urgent. Go back, then.”

“We can eat together anytime.”

Xi Yu lifted her eyes slightly, and their gazes met in midair. Neither of them spoke; even the noise around them seemed to fall away.

Yu Nianyi looked away from Xi Yu’s eyes and lowered her head to glance at her phone. The screen flashed a glimpse of her exquisite makeup and pretty golden curls, then lit up to show 8:50 p.m.

“I’ll have Jiang Chen send you back.” After a moment, Xi Yu said.

Yu Nianyi blinked and looked up again. “Then Xi Yu-jie...”

Xi Yu looked at the cars passing by on the roadside and said casually, “I’ll call another one.”

“If you want to eat something, I can have it delivered to your place.”

Yu Nianyi shook her head. In truth, she didn’t especially want to eat those dishes anymore; she had only been looking forward to them because Xi Yu was back. Now it didn’t matter what she ate.

“Then let Jiang Chen keep you company for dinner,” Xi Yu said again.

Jiang Chen stepped forward. “Nianyi, I’ll take you back.”

Yu Nianyi looked at Xi Yu. At that moment, Xi Yu was hailing a car by the curb; the door opened for a moment, and the two of them looked at each other from a distance before Xi Yu got in.

The jasmine and white rose bouquet Yu Nianyi had just given her was now in Jiang Chen’s hands. Jiang Chen passed it back, and Yu Nianyi took it into her own arms again.

The ride back was badly congested. Yu Nianyi sat in the back seat, staring out the window.

People streamed past on the road; suitcase wheels rattled sharply and gratingly, and waves of conversation and laughter drifted over.

No one knew how long they’d been driving when the pedestrians all stopped at once, as if by tacit agreement, and looked up at the sky. The boundless dark night overhead had begun to shed fine white specks of rain mixed with snow.

Before long, it blurred the figures reflected in the glass. Yu Nianyi stared silently out the window, and just then her stomach rumbled again. The sound was a little loud; Yu Nianyi pulled her gaze back and instinctively looked at Jiang Chen beside her.

Jiang Chen wore a faint smile. “Nianyi, I know a pretty good place. Want to go try it?”

Nianyi smiled, thought for a few seconds, then finally nodded.

Jiang Chen really wasn’t a talkative person. Even though she took Yu Nianyi out to eat, she stayed fairly quiet the whole time, only taking care of things for Yu Nianyi very thoughtfully and chatting about a few harmless topics.

After they finished a hurried meal and came back out, Jiang Chen drove her back again.

Yu Nianyi politely thanked her, then went into Xi Yu’s home once more, used facial recognition, and opened the door.

Inside was an endless darkness, quiet just as it had been when she left.

Yu Nianyi took out the flowers, put them into the ceramic vase where Xi Yu had placed the red roses last time, then poured in some water and set it on the coffee table.

She went to the living room, casually washed off her makeup, took a proper shower, and then went to bed.

Eleven p.m.

A very soft click.

Yu Nianyi seemed to hear a blurred sound of the door opening, followed by footsteps; Xi Yu sat down beside her.

The familiar jasmine scent drifted over. Yu Nianyi shifted slightly but didn’t open her eyes.

Xi Yu didn’t speak, only sat quietly by her side.

Then a hand gently patted her head. Yu Nianyi’s nose twitched, and she burrowed deeper into the blankets.

“Sorry.” After a while, Xi Yu said softly.

Yu Nianyi still didn’t open her eyes. She only gave an intermittent “mm,” then after a moment belatedly said, “It’s fine.”

Xi Yu stood up, and soon the bathroom was filled with the sound of running water.

-

The next day, Xi Yu still went to work early, leaving breakfast on the table.

Yu Nianyi sat and rested for a while, then picked up her phone and casually scrolled. Xi Yao’s message popped up soon after.

[Xi Yao: What delicious food did you and my sister go eat yesterday?]

[Photo]

[Xi Yao: This place is really nice. Luo Luo loves it. You two can come next time too. [thumbs up]]

Yu Nianyi opened the photo and looked at it. The lighting had a soft warm tint; Luo Yiran was lowering her head to eat, and the table was full of brightly colored dishes. Even through the screen, the tempting aroma seemed to drift out.

She backed out and replied that Xi Yu-jie had something to do, so they hadn’t eaten yesterday.

Then she turned off the screen and ate breakfast by herself.

After a quick wash-up, Yu Nianyi took a taxi back to Xiangyang Community. Her work was almost finished now, and the most important thing was still the painting.

If things went smoothly, she should be able to finish it completely tonight.

The whole day passed very quickly. Yu Nianyi sat in front of the easel for the entire afternoon, and only when the sky darkened did she put down her brush and let out a long breath.

She subconsciously took a photo, studied it carefully for a while, then suppressed her excitement and sent it to Xi Yu.

[Yu Nianyi: Finally finished! Xi Yu-jie, what do you think?]

At 7:45 p.m., the chat screen was quiet; there was no typing indicator at the top.

Maybe she was still working overtime or at a business dinner.

Yu Nianyi stood up and stretched, walked to the living room, and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She drank several big gulps, then collapsed onto the sofa; her stomach rumbled again.

After thinking for a moment, she opened her phone again and, following the interface Sun Mengyao had shown her before, directly uploaded the finished work online, then opened the chat window with Xi Yu.

[Yu Nianyi: Is Xi Yu-jie off work yet? Are you still going to be very late today?]

Buzz buzz.

[Xi Yu: Very good. It’s striking at a glance; the style is slightly different from before, and it makes people want to keep looking without realizing it.]

[Xi Yu: You’re really amazing.]

The corners of Yu Nianyi’s mouth lifted, and she swung her feet with smug satisfaction.

[Xi Yu: I’ll need a little longer. There’s no dinner engagement today.]

Yu Nianyi’s brows shot up in delight, and she sprang to her feet at once.

[Yu Nianyi: Okay, then let’s eat together. How about we eat at home?]

[Xi Yu: Okay.]

[Yu Nianyi: Then I’ll wait for Xi Yu-jie at home]

[Xi Yu: Okay.]

Yu Nianyi hurriedly got up and put the painting somewhere hidden where the wind could dry it, then changed clothes and immediately took a taxi to the supermarket first. She bought ingredients Xi Yu would like, then came back to Xi Yu’s place with bags in both hands.

Yu Nianyi had bought quite a lot. She first hurriedly cut the meat into chunks and blanched it, then busied herself washing and chopping vegetables.

She could also put the white roses from yesterday on the table, then light a scented candle and set a little romantic mood.

Yu Nianyi laughed to herself; the more she thought about it, the happier she became.

The phone on the bar counter buzzed once. Yu Nianyi poked her head out from the refrigerator and instinctively walked over.

A message flashed across the screen and disappeared in an instant; it was from Xi Yu.

[Xi Yu: Sorry, Nian Nian, something came up at the last minute. Don’t wait for me for dinner.]