Chapter 62

That summer, many things were quietly set in motion, just like the old tree at the street corner; stripped to bare branches and dead leaves, it slowly, almost imperceptibly, grew lush and green again.

Yu Min still ended up making a trip back to Siping. She went alone, without telling anyone. Before she left, she only let Lin Baixin know where she was going, not even telling her friends back home.

She didn’t go back to reminisce. She went back to quickly deal with that tangled mess of family business that seemed impossible to unravel.

She met Zheng Qing and Yu Shengyu separately. After that, the former family of three formally reunited in Jincheng and sat down for a fairly harmonious reunion dinner at a lavishly decorated hotel.

Zheng Qing and Yu Shengyu had both changed a great deal. This time there were no arguments, no hatred; in fact, they were calmer and more composed than Yu Min herself. The two people who had once torn at each other and wished they could kill one another now looked like old friends reunited, acting out the warm, picture-perfect family scene Yu Min had desperately longed for as a child but no longer wanted to see at all. It was ridiculous and absurd.

The property transfer procedure was fairly simple. Bring your ID card, the original property certificate, and the other required documents to the housing bureau; take a number and wait in line, then sign, stamp your fingerprints, and pay the relevant taxes. The whole process took less than half a day, and because all the materials had been prepared in advance, she could get the new certificate the same day once the formalities were finished.

It was Yu Min’s first time handling this. Before noon that day, she had already received a thick stack of property deeds, folded up and heavy enough to feel like bricks in her arms.

After that, Zheng Qing took her to the bank to open two safe deposit boxes for the deeds, as well as for a few miscellaneous things Zheng Qing had decided the day before to give her as compensation. They were part of the collection Zheng Qing had gathered in her younger years. Now that Zheng Qing had come to terms with things, she no longer had such a strong desire for material possessions, so she was giving some of it to Yu Min in advance.

Yu Min was Zheng Qing’s only daughter. Whatever happened in the future, material things could not be taken into the grave or brought into the world; sooner or later, everything would belong to Yu Min anyway. It made no difference whether it was given early or late.

After leaving the bank, they went from place to place so Yu Min could get familiar with everything one by one. The family’s commercial properties were basically all rented out now, and Yu Min would be the one collecting the rent from now on. Naturally, she needed to know her way around, because in the future she would have to come to Jincheng regularly every year, and all of this would fall under her responsibility.

Once the paperwork was done, they left Jincheng and returned to Kyoto.

Zheng Qing wanted Yu Min to stay two more days, but Yu Min refused. She didn’t want to stay behind and play along with the scene of a loving mother and dutiful daughter.

Of course, these properties were not free. In exchange, when Zheng Qing and the others grew old, Yu Min would have to settle in the same city as them.

The future was still unknown; it could be any year, any day, very far away. Zheng Qing was only in her forties, so it might even be two or three decades from now.

As for which city it would be, that was still uncertain too, though the odds were high that it would be Jincheng. Zheng Qing had bought a villa there this year, and as for Yu Shengyu, all the Yu family’s elders were here. As the son, he would definitely end up coming here in the future; there was no question about it, and he would not go anywhere else.

Zheng Qing wanted to make amends with Yu Min. In her eyes as a mother, she believed she hadn’t had any serious conflict with Yu Min. Over the years, she had considered herself a qualified mother to Yu Min. There were plenty of parents in the world far more unqualified than she was, not to mention that Zheng Qing had now helped Yu Min secure so much property; this was money ordinary people could never earn in several lifetimes.

When two people had nothing to say to each other, half a sentence was already too much. Yu Min couldn’t get along with them, and she had no interest in arguing. She treated their words like wind in her ears, neither refuting them nor listening.

On the way to the airport to see her off, Zheng Qing and Yu Shengyu were still both there. Zheng Qing asked openly, “Are you coming back for New Year’s this year?”

Yu Min looked out at the scenery beyond the car window. “We’ll see. I’ll let you know then.”

“Your dad and I... we’ll both be in Jincheng this year. You have the address. If you come back, then come have the reunion dinner at my place. Tell us ahead of time if you’re coming back, and we’ll pick you up.” Zheng Qing spoke gently, even reaching out to brush the loose strands of hair at Yu Min’s forehead, thoughtful to an almost excessive degree. “Also, after you graduate, if you want to stay in Kyoto, that’s fine too. We won’t force you. Wherever is better for your future, you can choose that side. Either way is fine. But if you really plan to stay long-term, we can buy you another house. I heard from your aunt that you’re living with her adopted daughter now, not in the dorms.”

They seemed to know quite a lot about Lin Baixin. The way Zheng Qing phrased it, over and over, was clearly meant to get Yu Min to move out. Not living in the dorms was one thing, but staying in someone else’s house for a long time was not good; it put too much of a burden on others, and it would also look bad if word got out.

Yu Min gave Zheng Qing a sidelong glance. She knew exactly what she was trying to say and cut straight to the point. “What looks bad? You’re worried people will talk behind your back and say you mistreated me?”

“Mom doesn’t mean that. We just think, she’s not related to us at all. She’s already helped us so much; if you keep staying there, you’ll only make more trouble for her. You can’t live there forever, can you? She has her own life too. If you keep staying there, it’ll be inconvenient for her to do anything, and you won’t be comfortable either.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

“But what about her? If you stay over there for ten or twenty years, are you going to just never leave?”

Yu Min went quiet. She was too lazy to argue with Zheng Qing, so she let her say whatever she wanted. From then on, she simply shut her mouth and didn’t answer.

Zheng Qing kept rambling on and on. Even though the atmosphere had become tense, she still refused to stop, talking endlessly about how Yu Min should move out as soon as possible; this was something she had to listen to her parents about, and she couldn’t just be willful.

To be fair, it wasn’t entirely Zheng Qing’s fault for meddling. Their relationship really wasn’t at that level. Zheng Qing and the others didn’t know Lin Baixin well and had very little contact with her. In their eyes, Yu Min had lived at Lin Baixin’s place for so long because Lin Baixin was kind and generous and didn’t mind. But Yu Min couldn’t be so thoughtless; once you were staying somewhere, how could you just cling on and refuse to leave?

Zheng Qing chose to be the bad guy all the way through, saying all sorts of reasons and explanations, hoping Yu Min would understand her intentions. She wasn’t insisting that Yu Min absolutely couldn’t live at Lin Baixin’s place; she simply thought this was basic human etiquette.

Thinking she had been thorough, Zheng Qing had even prepared a gift for Yu Min to bring over to Lin Baixin.

It was a rare platinum bag, one of Zheng Qing’s personal favorites; enough to prove she truly was grateful to Lin Baixin, otherwise she would not have been so thoughtful, parting with something she loved as if cutting away flesh.

When they arrived in Kyoto, Lin Baixin was the one who came to pick her up. Only after they got inside did Yu Min take out the bag. Lin Baixin recognized quality goods, but didn’t understand what this was about, and froze on the spot.

“What’s this? You bought it?”

“No. My mom gave it to you.”

“Why would she give me this?”

“As a thank-you gift.”

“A thank-you gift?” Lin Baixin was baffled at first. “I didn’t really do anything for her. Why is she thanking me...” As soon as the words left her mouth, she understood. Lin Baixin broke off, then after a moment of disbelief, let out a laugh. “Put it there. I’ll bring it back next time and return it to her. I can’t accept something this expensive.”

Yu Min didn’t tell her everything that had happened back home. She picked and chose what to say, including the matter of inheriting a bunch of properties from Zheng Qing and the others, which came out of her mouth as merely “handling the property transfer.” She couldn’t even say exactly how many there were; she hadn’t counted them herself, so she couldn’t have explained it.

As for Zheng Qing’s plan to buy her a house, she did mention that much, plainly testing the waters.

“My mom wants me to move out. She says I can’t keep bothering you forever.”

Lin Baixin replied, “It’s not a bother. It’s fine.”

“But other people don’t see it that way.”

“Other people, meaning who?”

“I’m not really sure. I didn’t ask.”

“You care about this?” Lin Baixin frowned. “What other people think isn’t important.”

Yu Min told the truth. “A little.”

Her answer was unexpected. The person directly involved didn’t care, but she did; Lin Baixin stiffened. She hadn’t expected Yu Min to say that, and the disapproval in her eyes deepened.

“But that doesn’t matter,” Lin Baixin said. “They’re not me, and they’re not you. Caring about it is useless.”

Yu Min hummed softly. “I was just saying.”

After that, the platinum bag was returned to Zheng Qing. Lin Baixin called Zheng Qing once. Even though she hadn’t been part of the three-way family conversation, she still understood some of what was going on. She didn’t say much to Zheng Qing, such as assuring her that Yu Min could stay here without any problem; that wasn’t the kind of thing Zheng Qing wanted to hear.

Zheng Qing was still fairly reasonable. In the end, she said, “She can make her own decision. We’ll let her decide. She’s grown up now; really, we shouldn’t be interfering so much.”

That was what she said, but she did not put the matter of buying Yu Min a house on hold in the slightest. Zheng Qing picked out several listings that suited her taste and seemed appropriate for Yu Min living alone, then sent them to Yu Min. Regardless of whether Yu Min currently wanted to move out and live on her own, they would at least find her a place first. If one day Yu Min changed her mind, these listings could still be used as references.

Yu Min turned on do-not-disturb mode for Zheng Qing and told her to call directly if she had anything to say, and to try not to use WeChat; she used the excuse that she didn’t like checking messages and might not reply in time.

Zheng Qing was not very self-aware. Besides the listings, she also sent over two recruiting notices from a top-tier hospital in Jincheng. The positions were quite suitable for Yu Min’s major. If Yu Min planned to return to Jincheng to work in the future, she could actually start looking into it earlier.

- Mom has a few acquaintances; they’re all from the hospital. When you have time and come back here another day, I’ll take you to meet them.

Fed up with Zheng Qing, Yu Min simply avoided opening WeChat for at least two days. Zheng Qing knew she was being annoying, so she didn’t keep pestering her.

Lin Qi was a fair-weather friend who changed sides whenever the wind blew; after hearing about this, she actually sided with Zheng Qing and the others, supporting the decision to buy a house.

“Isn’t that pretty good? That kid had such a hard time before; all of this is what she deserves. It’s just that our Minmin is too proud. If it were me, I’d agree right away. If there’s money, why not take it? After all, those are her parents; she’s never going to be able to completely shake them off in this lifetime. That’s not realistic. Since they want to give it to her now, she should take it. Making money these days is so hard; who knows if those two unreliable ones will change their minds again? Better to take it now than end up with nothing later.”

Lin Baixin didn’t like hearing that. “Don’t jinx it.”

Lin Qi covered her mouth. “Fine, fine, I’ll watch my mouth.”

But Lin Qi couldn’t help herself and had to poke at the sore spot, emphasizing, “Still, seriously, you two really can’t live together forever. There’ll come a day when you separate. It’s only a matter of time before Minmin buys a place and moves out on her own. Don’t get caught up in her business. You should still try to talk her around. Buying a house in Kyoto isn’t as easy as it is back in your hometown. Her family is willing to buy her one, which is a good thing. Don’t get into a standoff over something like this; it’s not worth it.”

Older people were better at weighing the pros and cons; that was just the truth, impossible to dispute.

Lin Baixin didn’t mention this in front of Yu Min. She knew when to stop. Yu Min had her own considerations; she wasn’t some little girl without opinions of her own. She could handle her own life.

Instead, to help Yu Min relax a little and stop getting so tangled up in her own head, Lin Baixin took Yu Min to the swimming pool again when they had time, renting the place for half a day and using swimming to burn off energy and relieve her stress.

When they were tired out, they both collapsed by the poolside, gasping for breath, their chests rising and falling.

Yu Min touched Lin Baixin’s hand; she only touched her, nothing more.

Lin Baixin felt it clearly. For a moment, she even had the illusion that through the contact of their fingertips, she could distinctly feel Yu Min’s fierce heartbeat—one beat, then another... She turned her head to look at Yu Min. Both of them were soaked. Lin Baixin bent one knee, and without quite realizing it, her fingers moved, hooking around Yu Min’s fingertips.

“Feeling better?”

“Mm.”

“Don’t be sad.”

“I won’t. I’m not sad.”

Lin Baixin said plainly, “I’m worried about you.”

Only then did Yu Min turn to look at her too. After a pause, she said quietly, “I know.”

After swimming, they still had to go to a nearby restaurant for French food. Lin Baixin had made the reservation. Since they were out to unwind, naturally the whole day had been planned; it wouldn’t just be swimming and nothing else.

The French food there wasn’t good, and Yu Min didn’t like it. But under the warm, atmosphere-heavy lighting, looking up at Lin Baixin’s gentle face, she stole several furtive glances at her.

Tonight, Lin Baixin was more beautiful than usual. Even without makeup, completely barefaced, she still looked much prettier.

They drank alcohol, finishing two bottles of red wine. Drinking when you had worries could greatly ease all kinds of emotions; Lin Baixin stayed with Yu Min, glass after glass.

On the way back, both of them were a little drunk. By the time they got inside, Yu Min was already a bit unsteady on her feet. Lin Baixin saw her through to the end and took her back to the room first to help her clean up.

Yu Min was muddled from the alcohol. After getting cleaned up, she wouldn’t let Lin Baixin leave. She climbed onto the bed herself, then grabbed Lin Baixin back with one hand and wouldn’t let her get up either.

Lin Baixin had no choice. With Yu Min pressing down on top of her, she couldn’t get up. Yu Min had about the same build as her, and she couldn’t push her off, so she could only pat Yu Min twice at the side of her waist and say gently, “Don’t mess around. Be good.”

Yu Min wouldn’t be good. She wasn’t clear-headed, not taking a single word in. Her face was buried in the crook of Lin Baixin’s neck, and maybe because the alcohol had made her hot, she subconsciously rubbed against Lin Baixin’s body like a little thing clinging on for dear life, refusing to get up no matter what.

When her waist was patted, Yu Min was ticklish. She let out a long, muffled “mm,” then unconsciously grabbed Lin Baixin back, not letting her touch her.

Unable to win against her, Lin Baixin could only give in. If Yu Min wanted to fall onto her, then let her; she could rest a while and recover first.

But the Yu Min on top of her wasn’t nearly so obedient. After a while, Yu Min called her softly; this time she didn’t say “sis.” Drunk out of her mind and no longer caring about age or rank, she called her by both surname and given name:

“Lin Baixin——”

Lin Baixin answered, “What?”

“I feel awful...”

Yu Min sounded muffled and aggrieved. After saying that, when she still didn’t get a response, she really did seem upset, and she nuzzled her twice more. Lin Baixin could only keep patting her back; her lips moved slightly, but for the moment she had no other answer to give.

Perhaps dissatisfied with her reaction, Yu Min complained, then immediately leaned in and bit her.

Lin Baixin didn’t have time to struggle. By the time the pain hit, wetness was already spreading along the side of her neck; it was too late to resist.