Chapter 70

The two straps of her dress had slipped down, leaving most of the skin below her collarbones exposed. The hem was bunched high against the tops of her thighs. Lin Baixin’s bare legs were planted on the sofa, and that warm, sticky moisture was still unmistakable, like a tide creeping outward, soaking through and clinging to her.

Her body was burning hot. So was her mind. It was as if she’d been boiled alive on the spot, scorched straight through from flesh to reason.

That slap had landed hard. Yu Min’s face flushed red at once, a bright welt rising quickly there. Even so, she still moved closer, stepping in beside Lin Baixin as if she didn’t feel the pain.

She lifted a hand, as if to pull Lin Baixin, and just started, “I—”

But Lin Baixin wasn’t really waiting for an explanation. She didn’t even have time to care how disheveled she looked. Her reason finally returned; realizing how absurd and over the line the scene was, Lin Baixin dodged away and didn’t let the other girl touch her again.

She straightened in a hurry, got to her feet, and her lips nearly pressed into a tight line. Fear made her heart pound; regret came too late. It had happened. Unlike a TV drama, there was no rewinding it. In her panic, she could only grab a blanket at random and drape it over herself to cover her upper body.

Without waiting for Yu Min’s explanation, Lin Baixin quickly left her behind and returned to her room without daring to linger for even a second.

This time, Yu Min didn’t chase after her. She only watched Lin Baixin walk away, then heard the door slam shut.

A wall separated the two sides. The television was still playing. That door stayed closed until daybreak; the light inside remained on all night.

Yu Min kept watch in the living room. She stayed outside the whole night and never went into the bedroom. The cushions on the sofa had long since been swept to the floor at some point; the water she’d spilled had almost dried and still hadn’t been cleaned up.

The second half of the night dragged on unbearably long. Every minute, every second, was hard to endure.

…

The next day, their return to Kyoto was on a flight just before noon. Zhou Jin had specially taken time to drive them to the airport, mostly because of the matter of bringing Yu Min into the business, and also because he hadn’t seen the two older sisters in too long. He was extremely attentive; just after eight that morning, he was already downstairs at the complex. Thoughtfully, he’d bought breakfast to bring up. When he reached the door, he assumed they were both already up, so he raised a hand and knocked while calling for them.

The atmosphere in the apartment was eerily strange, quiet to the point of being frightening.

The moment Zhou Jin stepped inside, he could feel it. Once he went in, he only saw Yu Min alone. He looked around in confusion and asked, “Where’s my sister? Why isn’t she here? Did she go out?”

“No.” Yu Min’s voice was very low. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, exhaustion written plainly across her face. She glanced toward the bedroom. “She’s still in there. She hasn’t come out.”

“Sleeping?”

“...Mm. Probably.”

If she hadn’t come out, then she must be sleeping. What did she mean, probably?

Zhou Jin grew even more puzzled. Then he turned and noticed that there seemed to be light coming through the crack under the bedroom door, though he wasn’t entirely sure. After all, it was daytime; maybe the curtains just hadn’t been drawn, and it wasn’t necessarily lamp light.

“I brought breakfast for you two. I figured you probably hadn’t gone downstairs yet. You’ve both been worn out these last few days, especially my sister. You’ve had it rough, coming all this way.” Zhou Jin set things down. The spoiled, willful boy from childhood was long gone; he’d grown at an astonishing pace and had somehow turned into a total warm-hearted guy, thoughtful and considerate in everything he did. He lowered his voice on purpose and said to Yu Min, “It’s fine. If my sister’s still asleep, let her sleep a little longer. Sister Minmin, you eat first. If there’s anything you need done, just call me anytime. I’m here to help today, so don’t be polite with me. Have you packed your luggage? If not, you can eat first and I’ll help you pack.”

They hadn’t brought much with them. Their things were all in the suitcases, and most of them still hadn’t been taken out, so there was nothing to pack.

Yu Min shook her head. She hadn’t slept all night, and with her mind weighed down by something, she didn’t look well. She had no energy to deal with Zhou Jin, so she could only tell him to sit and rest. He’d been tired lately too; he’d put in plenty of effort taking care of Uncle Xiao.

“Wait until Sister Baixin wakes up.”

Inside the room.

Lin Baixin hadn’t slept well either. How could she have slept? She’d heard the movement outside, and her face only looked worse. It was still pale, and her condition was worse than before.

Zhou Jin couldn’t sit still. He took it upon himself to clean up the fallen cushions and the rest in the living room, unable to understand how those things had ended up on the floor. Seeing that Yu Min seemed unwilling to talk to him, he sensibly acted as if he were blind, doing only the work and nothing else, afraid of making the atmosphere even more awkward.

They had to leave more than two hours early to catch the flight. Today was the weekend, and the roads would usually be jammed. Add in waiting to check in and go through security, and two and a half hours still might not be enough; if they hit a major traffic jam, they’d likely miss the plane.

Zhou Jin was more anxious than the two people involved. At eight-thirty, he really couldn’t hold back anymore and knocked on the door to call Lin Baixin out.

If they didn’t get ready now, it would be too late. The later they left, the greater the chance of getting stuck in traffic; the more time they’d waste on the road.

Yu Min didn’t go over to call for her. She waited for Zhou Jin to get Lin Baixin out.

A few minutes later, Lin Baixin did come out, but the air in the apartment felt as if it were about to freeze solid. Clearly all three of them were there, and it wasn’t as if no one was in the room, yet the whole place was quieter than before; you could hear a pin drop.

Even if Zhou Jin were an idiot, even if he were made of wood, he should have noticed by now that something was wrong. It was obvious that something had happened between Yu Min and Lin Baixin, and it was definitely a big deal.

He stole a look at Lin Baixin, then at Yu Min, and forced himself to urge them to head down to the parking garage. He also mentioned that he’d brought some specialties his mother had asked him to bring, along with things Aunt had prepared for the two of them. There was a large bag in the trunk of Zhou Jin’s car, and once they reached the airport, they’d still have to hurry to check it in.

Zhou Jin drove; the two of them sat in the back.

Yu Min didn’t deliberately avoid her. The space in the car was only so big. On the other hand, Lin Baixin didn’t show anything on the surface, but her behavior was obvious. She silently put distance between herself and Yu Min, always leaving two handspans between them. Lin Baixin kept her eyes closed the whole way, as if she were resting.

At first, Zhou Jin had wanted to chat with them on the road and catch up. Given this situation, how could there be any conversation? He didn’t even dare talk too much. Several times he tried to start something, but no one responded, so he wisely shut up and saved himself from being annoying.

When they arrived at the airport, Zhou Jin tugged at Yu Min and asked in a low voice, “My sister... what’s going on between you two?”

Yu Min said flatly, “Nothing.”

“How is this nothing? It’s practically the end of the world. You scared me to death.” Zhou Jin patted his chest. “Did you two have a fight?”

“No.” Yu Min answered, offering no further explanation. There was no need for a third person to know about something like this.

With nothing useful to get out of them, he dropped them off at the airport right on time. Zhou Jin sighed, unable to do anything about it. He couldn’t interfere in the way the two older sisters got along.

The flight took just over two and a half hours. By the time they reached Kyoto, Lin Qi had come to pick them up. Lin Qi was even more perceptive than Zhou Jin; from far away, she’d basically spotted the problem already. Lin Baixin was walking at a distance from Yu Min, and Yu Min was trailing behind with a suitcase. Neither of them greeted her when they saw her. It was Lin Qi who spoke first, frowning as she went straight to the point.

“What’s wrong with you two? Both of you’ve gone mute? Don’t you recognize me anymore?”

Only then did Yu Min respond. “Sister Lin Qi.”

Lin Baixin got into the car first and sat in the front passenger seat this time.

Lin Qi raised a brow, not understanding what kind of act this was. They’d been perfectly fine before leaving, and in just three or four days, they’d ended up like this.

“Did you take the wrong medicine? Treating me like air?” Lin Qi was deliberately sharp, determined to goad Lin Baixin. “Get in the back. That seat is my man’s special spot. Why are you crowding the front with me instead of sitting with Minmin? You’re a grown woman; why are you still having a cold war with a kid?”

Lin Baixin didn’t fall for it. Provoking her was useless. She gave no response at all, only saying softly, “We’re heading back. Let’s go.”

Lin Qi shot a look backward, signaling Yu Min to fend for herself. Lin Baixin looked serious; she couldn’t help. There was nothing to be done.

The red mark on Yu Min’s face was gone by daylight. It had faded. Lin Baixin hadn’t hit with everything she had; she’d still left some strength in reserve. Yu Min’s gaze stayed fixed behind Lin Baixin’s back. It wasn’t only Lin Baixin who could feel it; even Lin Qi beside her sensed it too.

She didn’t even need to feel it. One turn of her head was enough to see. Yu Min made no attempt to hide it; she stared straight at her. The depth and complexity in that gaze were so intense that even Lin Qi’s heart gave a jolt. She found it uncomfortable; the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her intuition told her she was far too much of an extra and shouldn’t have come on this trip.

Just as clueless as Zhou Jin, Lin Qi purposely kept talking to fill the silence. She’d meant to liven things up a little, but it was all for nothing. The two mute ones were each more silent than the other, and neither of them answered her.

Once they got back to the complex, Lin Qi became more anxious than the people involved. She grabbed Lin Baixin just as she was about to go inside and, without any tact at all, demanded an explanation from her. Then she turned and ordered Yu Min, “Minmin, go inside. Stay in there; your sister and I need to talk.”

Yu Min ignored her and stood rooted to the spot, not moving a single step.

It was Lin Baixin who broke the awkwardness. She told Yu Min, “Go in first.”

Yu Min didn’t want to go in, but she still listened and returned to the apartment, leaving the space to the two of them.

“Say it. What happened? Did you two eat firecrackers? You have to explain this today. Give me an answer. If you don’t say anything, I’m not leaving. I’ll wait until you’re willing to talk.” Lin Qi became a rogue, convinced something more terrifying than the sky falling had happened. She knew she probably shouldn’t meddle, but she still insisted on getting involved.

Lin Baixin naturally refused to tell her the truth. Some things absolutely could not be said. She brushed it off. “I’ll tell you in a couple of days. Let me calm down first. I’m not in the mood right now.”

They stayed deadlocked for a very long time. In the end, it was Lin Qi who gave up. She couldn’t outstubborn Lin Baixin. Lin Baixin was just a mule; no one could beat her in stubbornness, and forcing her was even more impossible.

After that, Lin Qi didn’t follow them in. She was sensible enough to give them space to handle things privately. Before leaving, she patted Lin Baixin on the shoulder, still uneasy. “Um... don’t go too far, okay? Take it easy. The way you look right now is honestly scary. If there’s anything, talk it through properly; don’t be so cruel.”

Lin Baixin didn’t answer and went inside. Yu Min was waiting there, waiting for her to come in. It was time for them to face last night head-on.

Step by step, Lin Baixin walked over and sat opposite Yu Min.

She looked at Yu Min, but Yu Min wasn’t looking at her. Head lowered, she refused to meet her eyes.

They were silent with each other, each wordless in their own way.

It felt as though a century had passed before Lin Baixin finally made up her mind and gave her answer.

“What happened last night... let’s just pretend it never happened.”

Yu Min still didn’t lift her head; she answered without a sound.

After a two-second pause, Lin Baixin continued, “I have a business trip tomorrow. I’ll be gone for about a week. When I come back, I hope you...” Halfway through, she took a breath before finishing, “By then, you’ll have found a place and moved out. We should both calm down—”

“You’re trying to drive me away?” Yu Min cut in abruptly, her voice low. She couldn’t take it anymore; only then did she lift her eyelids and look straight at her.