Chapter 98

The New Year's Eve dinner went smoothly enough. The four of them sat around a square table, dishes piled high, with a steaming hotpot at the center. Wisps of white steam rose as Chi Wanzhao looked across at Kong Xiyan, her expression unreadable.

Kong Xiyan lowered her head and continued eating.

Chi Xuan, aware that she had misspoken, tried to make herself as small as possible during the meal, burying her head in her food. She consumed nearly half the dishes until Chi Wanzhao, unable to watch any longer, frowned and asked, "Is it good?"

Chi Xuan answered without looking up, "Delicious."

She paused mid-bite, then glanced awkwardly at Wang Haining. "Not that good, actually."

"I'm just hungry."

Wang Haining smiled at her comment, pressing her lips together. Chi Xuan flushed with embarrassment. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing."

Wang Haining set down her chopsticks slowly. "I just think you and CEO Chi really are sisters."

Chi Xuan didn't understand what she meant, just stared at her with wide, round eyes, then snorted and turned away.

The harmless little squabble at the table dispelled the awkwardness. Wang Haining turned a dish toward Kong Xiyan. "Try it. Your favorite."

Kong Xiyan looked at the crystal dumplings before her—vivid color, thin translucent skins showing the beef filling inside, glossy under the light. She picked one up and bit into it.

A burst of fragrant flavor.

After finishing one, she turned to Wang Haining. "It's very good."

Wang Haining smiled. "Eat more while they're hot."

"They won't taste the same once they cool."

She turned to Chi Wanzhao. "Right, CEO Chi?"

Chi Wanzhao gave a noncommittal hum.

After the meal, firecrackers started going off downstairs. Fireworks were banned in the city center, but out here in the suburbs, everyone was setting them off after dinner.

Kong Xiyan stood by the window, looking down.

Back in Changning, they used to set off firecrackers too, but those were small, boxy ones—usually just three or four. Kong Xiyan always squatted by the door watching Wang Haining run back after lighting them.

"What are you thinking about?" A voice came from behind. Kong Xiyan turned to find Wang Haining standing there.

"Nothing. Just remembering how you used to set off firecrackers in Changning."

"It was funny."

Wang Haining followed her gaze outside, a trace of wistfulness in her voice. "I wonder how the village is doing now."

Kong Xiyan turned and pulled her closer. "Don't worry. It's sure to be fine."

Wang Haining hummed in agreement.

In the kitchen, Chi Wanzhao, who had just finished washing the dishes, clutched a dry dishcloth tightly, her gaze fixed on the two by the window, unblinking.

Chi Xuan, her hands washed, came over to grab the dishcloth. She tried to pull it away, but the harder she tugged, the tighter Chi Wanzhao gripped it. Helpless, she whined, "Second sister..."

Chi Wanzhao snapped out of it and let go.

Seeing the two emerge from the kitchen, Wang Haining smiled and led Kong Xiyan to the sofa, handing her a large black plastic bag tied with a loose knot. Kong Xiyan looked down, curious. "What's this?"

"Fireworks."

"It wouldn't be New Year's Eve without them."

She then handed one to Chi Wanzhao with a smile, and pulled out another bag for Chi Xuan. "Didn't prepare one for you. You'll have to share with me."

Chi Xuan snorted, feigning indifference, but edged closer to her anyway.

The four of them left Yanyan at home and went out.

It was still snowing, though lighter now. A thin layer of white covered the ground, crunching underfoot. Chi Xuan found it delightful, stamping out a trail of footprints.

They stopped at the small square in the neighborhood. It wasn't big, just some simple exercise equipment and leftover firework debris. Quite a few people had already set theirs off. Chi Xuan started toward Chi Wanzhao, but Wang Haining called out, "Where are you going?"

Chi Xuan pouted. "To find Second Sister."

Wang Haining glanced at her. "Your second sister doesn't want to find you."

Chi Xuan: ...

She drew a breath and silently stood beside Wang Haining, sending a resentful look toward her sister and sister-in-law on the other side.

Under her gaze, Chi Wanzhao calmly opened her own bag and helped Kong Xiyan open hers, revealing an assortment of fireworks. Kong Xiyan crouched down, picked through them, and came up with two long sparklers.

Chi Wanzhao lit them for her.

The sparklers hissed and crackled, throwing off sparks. A smile tugged at the corners of Kong Xiyan's mouth, and Chi Wanzhao finally stepped closer. "Xiyan, did Xuan tell you about my grandmother?"

Kong Xiyan's hand holding the sparkler paused. "Yes."

Chi Wanzhao stood beside her for a moment, then suddenly wrapped her arms around Kong Xiyan from behind, covering the hand that held the sparkler. She said slowly, "Are you angry?"

"That I didn't tell you last time?"

Kong Xiyan pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Chi Wanzhao leaned in close, her breath warm against Kong Xiyan's neck, tickling. After a moment, Kong Xiyan said, "No."

"I'm not angry."

"I can understand why you didn't."

Just as she herself had things she didn't want to share.

Chi Wanzhao kept her arms around her, still holding her hand. The sparkler had nearly burned out, leaving a trail of smoke. Not far away, Chi Xuan was jumping and squealing with joy, sparkler in hand, like a child.

Chi Wanzhao looked back at Kong Xiyan, her voice low. "Understand."

"Xiyan, I told you before—understanding and not minding are two different things."

Kong Xiyan held her breath. "I don't mind..."

"Really not?"

"Not even a little curious why I never told you?"

Kong Xiyan was silent, looking down.

Chi Wanzhao chuckled softly. "Come on. I'll take you somewhere."

She grabbed Kong Xiyan's hand and started to leave. Behind them, Chi Xuan called out, "Second sister, where are you two going?"

She tried to follow, but Wang Haining caught her wrist. Chi Xuan turned, frowning, and yanked her hand away.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Wang Haining said calmly, "Haven't you noticed something?"

Chi Xuan blinked. "What?"

Wang Haining: "Your emotional intelligence is terrifyingly low."

Chi Xuan: ...

Seeing her still standing there dumbfounded, Wang Haining beckoned. "Come here."

Chi Xuan moved over reluctantly.

Wang Haining shoved a handful of sparklers into her hands. "Little kid, go play with your fireworks."

Chi Xuan pouted, muttering, "You're the kid..."

Wang Haining ignored her and turned to glance at the building across the way. A light flicked on in a previously dark stairwell. She smirked and looked away.

Chi Wanzhao led Kong Xiyan straight into a building—not hers, but the one opposite.

Hand in hand, Kong Xiyan looked up. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there," Chi Wanzhao replied without turning back.

Kong Xiyan had no choice but to follow, picking her way carefully behind Chi Wanzhao.

This building was clearly less occupied—only three or four units per floor. Light seeped through the cracks of doors, mingling with loud voices from inside. The stairwell was spotless, and the smell of home-cooked food drifted through the air.

Downstairs, fireworks blazed in a riot of color. Kong Xiyan looked up at Chi Wanzhao's upright back ahead of her and unconsciously tightened her grip on her hand.

Soon they stood at the door of the fifth-floor apartment.

Kong Xiyan watched as Chi Wanzhao retrieved a key from under a flowerpot—an old pot, its plant long dead.

"Come in." Chi Wanzhao opened the door and looked at Kong Xiyan.

It was pitch black inside. The place had been empty for three years, utilities long since cut off. Chi Wanzhao used her phone's flashlight to illuminate the room.

Kong Xiyan found the furnishings still familiar.

She'd been here many times before, always bringing fruit when she came to "bum a meal". Later, when she heard the old lady's relatives had come back, she'd stopped visiting, relieved. But a few months later, her father told her the old lady had passed away. She still remembered that day—she'd come to this door and stood there for a long, long time. There had been sounds from inside, and she'd fled in panic.

Perhaps...

Chi Wanzhao had been in there then.

Chi Wanzhao kept holding her hand, leading her into a room. She pushed open the long-sealed window, and a gust of dusty air rushed in, making Kong Xiyan sneeze several times.

With the window open, the room seemed slightly brighter. Chi Wanzhao placed her phone on the cabinet, then bent down and pulled out thick books from inside.

Curious, Kong Xiyan asked, "What are you doing?"

Chi Wanzhao took out the books, blew off the dust, and opened one.

Only then did Kong Xiyan realize they weren't books, but notebooks wrapped in book covers. On the blank paper, there was a faint human figure, barely discernible in the dim light of the phone's flashlight.

Chi Wanzhao gathered the thick notebooks into her arms and looked up at Kong Xiyan. "Let's go home and look at them."

Kong Xiyan, puzzled, still followed Chi Wanzhao out.

It wasn't until they were downstairs that realization hit her. She stopped, "The picture you just showed me... the person in it... Is that me?"

Chi Wanzhao paused, palms sweating. "Yes."

Kong Xiyan stepped back. "So you already knew me?"

"No... You already liked me?"

Chi Wanzhao saw her movement, pupils constricting. She still clutched the thick notebooks, fingers pressing into the covers, hard to the touch.

"Yes."

Kong Xiyan took a breath. "Since school?"

Chi Wanzhao hummed in assent and briefly explained how she used to come and care for her grandmother. Kong Xiyan lowered her gaze, "Give me the notebooks."

Three or four black notebooks, surprisingly heavy.

Kong Xiyan took them from her hands and hugged them to her chest. She glanced over at a bench now covered in snow. "Sit for a while?"

Chi Wanzhao: "Sure."

They brushed the snow off the bench and sat down.

Kong Xiyan ran her fingers over the notebook covers, and with the flashlight on Chi Wanzhao's phone, she opened the first one. Page after page of yellowed paper, each one bearing her likeness—

Her younger self.

Laughing, melancholic, in a hurry, faintly smiling.

Every kind of expression, drawn so vividly, each page annotated with a date.

As Kong Xiyan looked at the pages, scenes flashed before her eyes—memories she had kept, and others she had forgotten. Chi Wanzhao had captured them all in this way.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Kong Xiyan kept her head down. At some point, her eyes reddened and her voice grew hoarse.

Chi Wanzhao heard the shift in her tone but stayed where she was, her heart wrenching as if squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain draining the color from her face and making it hard to breathe.

"I was afraid." She spoke honestly. "This feeling was too strong. I was afraid it would scare you off."

Not every crush blooms, and not every deep affection is reciprocated. The deeper the love, the more careful you tread when approaching that person—afraid she'd feel burdened and pull away, or worse, settle out of gratitude and being moved.

Hiding it was a torment. Tormenting her every moment.

Chi Wanzhao's expression was grave, like a prisoner about to face execution. And the judgment was entirely Kong Xiyan's.

Kong Xiyan's fingers traced the yellowed pages. Her likeness was distinct on the coarse paper, and a few sketches showed her standing with a yellow cat.

That was Queen...

The cold wind blew, sending snowflakes swirling around them. Kong Xiyan finished one entire notebook before lifting her head, her neck stiff. She tilted to meet Chi Wanzhao's deep, shimmering eyes.

She closed the notebook and gave a gentle smile.

Chi Wanzhao's clenched heart suddenly loosened, color returning to her face. She looked at Kong Xiyan. "Do you still mind?"

Kong Xiyan pretended to think. "Yes."

"Mind that you didn't tell me sooner."

Chi Wanzhao's emotions roller-coastered with each word, but years of a stoic face kept her expression neutral. Kong Xiyan looked at her profile. "But just now I thought—if you had told me when we first met..."

"We probably wouldn't be here like this."

Back then, Chi Wanzhao was a stranger to her. She couldn't bear such intense affection. It would have frightened her. Made her retreat.

Not like now, where her heart felt light and warm.

Chi Wanzhao breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Kong Xiyan's profile, the streetlamp casting a glow that made her features even more refined—this face she had sketched countless times, and now could finally touch.

Her expression reverent, her fingers slowly reached for Kong Xiyan's cheek. The touch was cool, making Kong Xiyan shiver.

Chi Wanzhao leaned in, closing her eyes. Kong Xiyan's sharp inhale broke the silence. "It's too cold. Let's go back."

Chi Wanzhao: ...

Kong Xiyan moved to stand, but Chi Wanzhao pulled her down onto her lap, turning her head and capturing her lips before she could gasp, kissing her hard, pressing and exploring with lingering sweetness.

A thud. The notebooks in Kong Xiyan's arms tumbled to the ground, scattering snow that the wind swept up around them.

Kong Xiyan blinked, meeting Chi Wanzhao's closed eyes and trembling lashes. She cupped Chi Wanzhao's face in both hands...

and deepened the kiss.