“Hey, Senior Sister Yuqi? Wanna come over to my place today?”
This year’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival had fallen on the same week, so Liang Sheng had bought a huge stack of red bean mooncakes and sesame mooncakes. Those had been her favorites as a kid, but these days she was obsessed with assorted mooncakes and had grabbed a whole box of those too.
Gu Yuqi, of course, wasn’t about to pass up a chance for some close time with her Junior Sister Liang Sheng. She agreed right away.
Liang Sheng leaped to her feet in delight, but as she glanced around her bedroom, panic set in. This… this room was such a disaster. How could she possibly entertain a goddess in a place like this?
With that, Liang Sheng dove into the chaos of her room—which was messier than a pigsty—and started cleaning.
Ding-dong!
Liang Sheng, drenched in sweat, hung up the last piece of clothing and called out hoarsely, “C-Coming!”
She bolted to the door in a flash, forgetting she hadn’t even changed out of her pajamas, that her hair was uncombed and messy, and that her face was smudged with grime from all the tidying. She looked utterly ridiculous.
“Yu-Yuqi Senior Sister, happy holidays!” Liang Sheng fumbled with the door, and there was Gu Yuqi’s soft yet strikingly handsome face.
Ooh~ She was revived. Full health restored!
“Pfft.” Gu Yuqi’s eyes widened as the door opened, and she burst out laughing at the sight.
Liang Sheng blinked in confusion, tilting her head, utterly bewildered as she stared at her.
“Little Flower Cat~” Gu Yuqi reached out and pinched the cheek of Liang Sheng, who was half a head shorter than her. So soft. What a great feel.
Liang Sheng jolted. “Ow!” Senior Sister Yuqi’s hand was so cool… but hey, Senior Sister Yuqi had pinched her cheek! Bliss~ This was prime intimate contact. Pinching cheeks was basically a love language, right? ♡
Wait—what? Little Flower Cat? Liang Sheng suddenly caught on. Oh right, after cleaning the filthy room, she hadn’t washed her face. She must have smeared dirt all over it.
“Waaah! Senior Sister Yuqi, don’t look!” Liang Sheng spun away, covering her face, and squatted down like a shriveled blue mushroom.
Gu Yuqi stifled a laugh at Liang Sheng’s reaction and stepped inside. She bent down to peer at the girl huddled on the floor, then reached out to ruffle her messy hair. “You’re adorable. Super cute. I love it.”
Ah! Liang Sheng’s brain short-circuited on the spot.
Gu Yuqi patted her head again. “Come on inside. It’s chilly out here, and those pajamas are way too thin.” With that, she shut the door.
Liang Sheng’s face burned as she scrambled up and dashed into the bathroom without a backward glance. Gu Yuqi watched her go, sneaking a grin. This junior sister of hers was just too cute!
A moment later, a small head poked out from the bathroom, its owner stammering, “S-Senior Sister, wh-what filling do you, uh… want in your mooncake?” Her cheeks were still flushed; the cold water hadn’t helped a bit.
The sight melted Gu Yuqi’s heart. She raised a hand, coughed into her fist, and said, “A-Anything’s fine.” She’d caught the stutter too.
Liang Sheng bounded out of the bathroom and hopped to the kitchen to grab the mooncakes. Gu Yuqi leaned against the wall, lips curved, watching her silhouette. For some reason, a warm feeling bloomed in her chest. Maybe it was her imagination, but she felt like an old married couple with Liang Sheng.
“Come on, Senior Sister Yuqi, to my room.” Liang Sheng took Gu Yuqi’s hand.
Liang Sheng’s hand was soft and warm. Gu Yuqi froze for a second, her own cheeks tinting pink.
Once inside Liang Sheng’s room, Gu Yuqi took in the tidied space and realized, Ah, so she’d cleaned this morning. This girl really cared about impressing her.
With that thought, Gu Yuqi sat on Liang Sheng’s bed and tugged her arm, pulling her into her lap. She grinned mischievously. “So, Junior Sister Liang Sheng only tidied up this morning, huh~ Was your room usually more like a little pig’s sty?”
Liang Sheng was mortified and flustered, burying her face in Gu Yuqi’s chest. “D-Don’t call me out like that, Senior Sister Yuqi…”
Gu Yuqi melted again and loosened her grip on Liang Sheng’s head. But Liang Sheng refused to budge, shamelessly clinging to her waist as if she hadn’t heard a thing. With a little shove forward, Gu Yuqi—off balance—toppled backward onto the bed with a thud.
Liang Sheng laughed gleefully. Take that—for Senior Sister Yuqi’s earlier teasing!
“Liang Sheng…” Gu Yuqi reached up, brushing aside the hair veiling Liang Sheng’s eyes. Her smile was as bright as sunshine. “Junior Sister Liang Sheng, trying to pin me down?”
Splash! Liang Sheng’s face went beet red. She… she had thought about it, but she didn’t dare! She was too chicken!
“Pfft—haha!” Gu Yuqi dissolved into laughter, wiping tears from her eyes before patting Liang Sheng’s head. “Get off, Little Pig. Let me try those mooncakes you bought.”
Only then did Liang Sheng roll off, covering her burning face as she sulked off to fetch the mooncakes for Gu Yuqi.
“Got any assorted filling?” Gu Yuqi asked.
Liang Sheng nodded eagerly. “Yep!”
She dashed back with the mooncakes.
Gu Yuqi munched on one and asked, “Where’s your family, Junior Sister Liang Sheng?”
Liang Sheng sighed and plopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. “Don’t ask. Some work emergency came up, so they all headed to the office.”
Gu Yuqi pressed her lips together and sighed too. Her parents were the same.
After finishing her last bite, Gu Yuqi wiped her hands and leaned on Liang Sheng’s shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m here with you.”
Warmth bloomed in Liang Sheng’s heart, and she grinned goofily.
“Having you here is the best, Senior Sister Yuqi.”
Gu Yuqi smiled too. Having you is the best, Junior Sister Liang Sheng.
As evening fell, Liang Sheng and Gu Yuqi settled in to watch a horror movie. Liang Sheng was a scaredy-cat but loved the genre anyway. Gu Yuqi, on the other hand, had nerves of steel; she kept nitpicking the film, which made Liang Sheng forget her fear and just crack up instead.
Still, for the sake of some cuddles, Liang Sheng played it up—letting out little squeals of “Eek eek eek!” and burrowing into Gu Yuqi’s arms. Her hands weren’t idle either, clutching at Gu Yuqi’s arm.
By the time the credits rolled, night had fallen outside. Now Liang Sheng truly felt spooked. She huddled trembling in Gu Yuqi’s arms and whispered timidly, “Senior Sister Yuqi… um, could you… maybe not go home tonight?”
Gu Yuqi had no intention of leaving anyway, but Liang Sheng’s pitiful, chicken-hearted look was too tempting to tease.
“Hmm~” She pretended to waver.
Liang Sheng panicked, wrapping her arms around Gu Yuqi’s waist and pouting. “Please, Senior Sister? Sleep over? Pretty please?”
Sleep… together? Gu Yuqi hadn’t expected that. But… it was a great idea.
Gu Yuqi pinched Liang Sheng’s cheek fondly and murmured an indulgent “Mm.”
Liang Sheng finally relaxed with a relieved “Hee hee,” grinning like an idiot for a while.
Late that night.
Gu Yuqi realized she couldn’t sleep.
Liang Sheng lay beside her, back turned, and Gu Yuqi was so nervous she just lay there wide awake.
With a heavy sigh, Gu Yuqi felt utterly frustrated.
At that moment, Liang Sheng suddenly rolled over, hugged her, and mumbled sleepily, “Go to sleep already, Senior Sister.”
Truth be told, Liang Sheng wasn’t asleep either—but she had to fake being woken up, or it’d be too embarrassing.
Gu Yuqi hugged her back, resting her head against Liang Sheng’s. Their breaths mingled.
Whatever her feelings for Liang Sheng were, Gu Yuqi knew one thing: She wanted to spend a lifetime with her.
