Chapter 84

Kong Xiyan and Chi Wanzhao ended up missing dinner. They'd lingered in bed too long, and only when Kong Xiyan's stomach growled did she kick Chi Wanzhao to the edge of the bed, refusing to let her come closer.

Chi Wanzhao sat up and, seeing Kong Xiyan about to rise, said, "Don't move. Just wait for me in bed."

Kong Xiyan looked up at her. "I'll go down myself."

Chi Wanzhao smiled. "That works, if you still have the strength."

Kong Xiyan: ...

She glared at Chi Wanzhao, who got out of bed, pulled pajamas from the wardrobe, and slipped them on—her lovely figure hidden beneath the fabric, only a pair of long, fair legs swinging as she moved.

Chi Wanzhao didn't go downstairs right away. Instead, she went to the bathroom first and filled the bathtub. Then she returned to the bedside and threw back the covers.

Before Kong Xiyan could gasp, Chi Wanzhao covered her with a thin blanket, scooped her up in her arms, and carried her horizontally.

The motion was practiced.

And she didn't seem the least bit strained.

Kong Xiyan clicked her tongue. She weighed at least a hundred jin, yet this woman could lift her without a flush or heavy breath, her back perfectly straight.

Chi Wanzhao carried her to the bathroom door with a calm expression, her gaze fixed ahead. "If you keep staring at me like that, you can forget about dinner."

Kong Xiyan quickly averted her eyes, pouting but saying nothing.

The bathtub was already filled with water. Chi Wanzhao lowered her into it, and the water rose over her body, soothing her so much that her pores seemed to open. Kong Xiyan sank deeper, her body quickly covered in white foam.

Seeing how obedient she looked, Chi Wanzhao couldn't help but rub the top of her head, then bent to kiss the little swirl of hair there. Finally, she said, "I'll go make dinner."

"Okay."

Kong Xiyan's soft voice rose from below, and Chi Wanzhao's lips curved into a smile at the sound.

She stood, closed the bathroom door, stripped the bed of its sheets, and replaced them with fresh ones. Then she picked up the used sheets and headed downstairs.

Wang Haining was no longer downstairs. The living room was empty, though two dishes and a soup still sat on the dining table.

Clearly, a long time had passed—they had gone cold.

Chi Wanzhao put the sheets into the washing machine, turned, and walked over to the dining table. She glanced down at the food, pressed her lips together in a small smile, then carried the dishes into the kitchen to reheat. Half an hour later, she carried the food back upstairs.

Kong Xiyan had been so comfortable in the bath that she was nearly asleep. Only when she heard the knock did she get up, rinse off the foam, and wrap herself in a bath towel before stepping out.

Chi Wanzhao set the food down on the table in the room and handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Eat up."

Kong Xiyan looked at her. "What about you?"

Chi Wanzhao's hand moved to the belt of her bathrobe, and with a slight tug, it came undone. "I'll take a bath."

Kong Xiyan said, "I'll wait for you, let's eat together."

Chi Wanzhao glanced at her. "Alright."

As she watched Chi Wanzhao disappear into the bathroom, Kong Xiyan stood up and walked over to the window. It was around midnight now. Outside, only the streetlights gave off a faint glow, and occasionally a car's headlights flashed by—but they were far enough away that no noise reached her.

The cold wind howled against the window, and Kong Xiyan thought she heard a sobbing sound, like someone crying softly.

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders as a scene flashed before her eyes.

It had also been a cold winter night. That time it had snowed, and the road was icy and slippery. They had walked very carefully—yes, they.

She and Guan Xiaoying.

That day, they had just finished the wrap party for a TV drama. Their manager had originally offered to drive them home, but Guan Xiaoying had declined, whispering that she had a surprise for Kong Xiyan.

Kong Xiyan had thought about it the whole way, but she could never figure out what the surprise might be.

Then, just as they neared the apartment, Guan Xiaoying tugged her sleeve and pointed to an empty patch of ground up ahead.

On the open ground, someone had arranged candles in the shape of a heart. It wasn't large, but it was clearly made with effort. Kong Xiyan squinted and saw, standing in the center of the heart, a boy holding a bouquet of flowers. He smiled shyly, his handsome face flushed red.

Standing there, he said to her, "Xiyan, if you agree, I'll come over. If you don't want to, I'll stand right here and wait for you—as long as it takes."

She had been stunned on the spot. She had never imagined that Guan Xiaofan, whom she had only ever considered a friend, would pull something like this.

A confession?

And in such a manner, at that.

Guan Xiaoying kept urging her from the side. "Say yes. Come on, Xiyan, just say yes. Look at how silly he is—he really will wait all night."

"Just say yes."

She had been too shocked to react at the time, and before she could think of what to say, she saw a car racing toward them from not far away. It seemed to swerve due to the icy road, careening straight into the area covered in candles!

She saw the look of panic in Guan Xiaofan's eyes. She saw his body knocked away before he could even cry out. And she saw the bouquet of roses he had thrown aside fall slowly to the ground, stained with blood.

They were even redder now.

Kong Xiyan squeezed her eyes shut, and in her ears she could still hear the piercing screech of brakes, and Guan Xiaoying's scream. She couldn't help but furrow her brows.

Then she felt arms wrap around her from behind. Chi Wanzhao rested her chin on her shoulder, her voice still carrying the dampness from her bath. "What are you thinking about?"

Kong Xiyan shook her head. "Nothing."

Chi Wanzhao didn't press further. Instead, she led her to the table and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

By the time Chi Wanzhao had finished bathing, the food had gone cold again, but Kong Xiyan didn't care much. Perhaps because of the memory that had just surfaced, she didn't have much of an appetite. Even though she had been so hungry before that she couldn't bear to speak, now that the food was in front of her, she could barely take a few bites.

Chi Wanzhao watched her for a moment, then asked, "Where did you go today?"

Kong Xiyan set down her chopsticks. "I went to the cemetery."

"To see my father—and an old friend."

She hesitated slightly on the words "old friend," her delicate brows furrowing slightly. Chi Wanzhao quickly caught the change in her expression and asked in a composed tone, "An old friend?"

Kong Xiyan nodded faintly. "You could say that."

Seeing her like this, Chi Wanzhao simply said, "If you don't feel like eating, go ahead and sleep."

Kong Xiyan met her bright eyes, which held tolerance and understanding, and she smiled. "Okay."

By the time Chi Wanzhao had cleaned everything up, Kong Xiyan was already fast asleep.

Perhaps because they had been so active that evening, she slept deeply, her breathing steady.

Chi Wanzhao got into bed and turned off the light, pulling Kong Xiyan into her arms. She buried her face in her hair and breathed in the familiar scent. Before long, the room fell completely silent.

Without Yanyan's purring to fill the space, the whole room felt more peaceful. Chi Wanzhao lay on her side, holding Kong Xiyan, and soon drifted off to sleep as well.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the heavy curtains. Kong Xiyan had slept soundly, without a single dream, and felt fully rested. Her slender wrists emerged from under the blanket, and without opening her eyes, she started to stretch. But as soon as she raised her arms, someone pulled her close, and warmth spread across her chest.

She blinked open her hazy eyes and looked down to see the little swirl of hair on the top of Chi Wanzhao's head.

Seeing that Chi Wanzhao was still asleep, she carefully shifted her body, trying to wriggle free from her embrace. Only after she was out of bed did she turn to look back. Chi Wanzhao's eyes were closed, her lashes long and curled, like butterfly wings about to take flight, trembling slightly. Below them was a straight, elegant nose, and her lips pressed into a firm line even in sleep.

Kong Xiyan stared at those lips for a long while, until Chi Wanzhao's thin lips parted to murmur, "Keep staring and you can come back to bed for a bit more."

Kong Xiyan quickly straightened up, coughed softly, and hurried into the bathroom.

She was muttering something under her breath.

Too far away, Chi Wanzhao couldn't make out the words.

Probably—nothing pleasant.

Chi Wanzhao slowly opened her eyes, in a good mood, and got up as well.

The bathroom was occupied by Kong Xiyan, so Chi Wanzhao sat on the bed for a moment before heading downstairs. Wang Haining was sitting with Yanyan in her arms, watching TV. She was just about to look away when she saw Chi Wanzhao coming down, but then Chi Wanzhao said, "Morning."

She even smiled as she said it.

Wang Haining was taken aback for a few seconds, not quite recovering. It wasn't until Kong Xiyan came downstairs and nudged her that she asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Wang Haining hugged Yanyan and rubbed her, speaking in a low voice. "What did you do to Chi Wanzhao?"

Kong Xiyan: ...

What could she possibly do to her?

It would be a blessing if that woman didn't do anything to her.

Kong Xiyan's cheeks flushed. She took Yanyan from Wang Haining's arms and stood up. "Let's have breakfast."

Wang Haining nodded thoughtfully.

After breakfast, Kong Xiyan asked Wang Haining if she had any plans. She wanted to go to her father's house. She hadn't been back in three years, and she figured the dust there must be thick by now. The New Year was coming soon, and she wanted to clean the place up.

Before Wang Haining could speak, Chi Wanzhao said, "I'll go with you."

Then she looked at Wang Haining.

Wang Haining swallowed the words she had been about to say, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll just wait for you two at home. I haven't rested well these past couple of days; I'm too tired."

Kong Xiyan made an acknowledging sound. "Then stay here and look after Yanyan. We might not make it back for lunch."

After all, she hadn't been there in a long time, and the cleaning would definitely take a while.

Wang Haining glanced at Chi Wanzhao, her expression clearly saying, "I understand."

Kong Xiyan left the apartment under that gaze, and before getting into the car, she couldn't help but ask Chi Wanzhao, "Don't you think Haining has been acting strange?"

Chi Wanzhao nodded and replied, "She certainly knows when to be considerate."

Kong Xiyan: ...

She gave up trying to communicate with Chi Wanzhao.

Her father's house wasn't in the city but in the suburbs, about an hour and a half's drive away. As the New Year approached, the roads were crowded with traffic, and the streets were congested. Sitting in the car, Kong Xiyan hadn't expected the road conditions to be like this. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "Chi Zong, maybe we should go another day."

Chi Wanzhao turned to look at her, her gaze gentle. "Don't you want to go?"

Kong Xiyan raised her eyes and opened her mouth to say, "I do."

Chi Wanzhao studied her profile and pressed her lips together. "I want to go too."

She hadn't been back to see it in years.

That place.

It was where she and Kong Xiyan had first met.