With Yue Yi out of the house, Yan Nianyi didn’t linger. Before leaving, she placed a box of pastries on the table. “When your sister gets back, don’t forget to make sure she eats these.”
The room fell quiet for a moment. Yue Bai curiously leaned over to peek. Inside the exquisite packaging sat several round pastries, each a different color and perfectly shaped.
“They look so sweet.” A cloying sweetness wafted from the gaps in the box. Yue Bai pulled her head back in discomfort. “But Sis likes sweet things, so she’ll probably love these.”
Sang Wan leaned in close, poking Yue Bai’s head with a finger. “What are you looking at?”
Yue Bai shook her head and tugged Sang Wan down onto the sofa beside her. She leaned against the other woman, her posture so languid that Sang Wan wondered if she was still half-asleep.
“Senior Sister knows so many people,” Yue Bai remarked flatly, idly twirling a loose strand of Sang Wan’s hair. Her warm fingers brushed against Sang Wan’s cheek, sending a tingle through her skin.
Sang Wan chuckled. “I’ve just met them before.”
Come to think of it, she and Yan Nianyi got along pretty well. They even chatted privately sometimes. This time around, she’d even asked Yan Nianyi to help her look into something.
Sang Wan bent her arm and caught that mischievous hand, pulling it down and toying with it between her fingertips.
“By the way, Senior Sister,” Yue Bai said, tilting her head up. “I’m thinking of getting a manicure in a couple days. Want to come with me? I saw Senior Sister Zhou’s post on Moments—it looked really pretty.”
Her fingers were suddenly gripped tight. Yue Bai let out a soft whimper. “Ow, that hurts.”
Sang Wan loosened her hold a bit, her tone turning serious. “No, you can’t.”
“Huh?” Yue Bai blinked in confusion. “Why not? It really did look nice.”
Sang Wan pinched Yue Bai’s neatly trimmed, rounded nails. After a long pause, she forced out a few words from her throat. “You’re not a zodiac match for her. Have you ever seen your Senior Sister Wen with a manicure?”
Yue Bai thought carefully. Senior Sister Wen didn’t even keep her nails long. Back in her senior year of high school, when she’d gone for tutoring sessions, Yue Bai had often seen Wen Mo meticulously filing and clipping her nails with clippers and a file—like a total neat freak.
“Nope,” Yue Bai said, shaking her head.
“Exactly. Steer clear of Senior Sister Zhou’s flashy nonsense. Learn something useful from your Senior Sister Wen instead.” Sang Wan’s words dripped with implication.
Yue Bai didn’t catch the hint. She just nodded.
After a simple dinner, Sang Wan headed home. Yue Bai clung to her reluctantly, rubbing her little face against Sang Wan’s neck over and over.
“Alright, alright. Senior Sister will come see you again next time,” Sang Wan said indulgently, ruffling Yue Bai’s hair. The scent of her shampoo lingered around her.
“Mm…” Yue Bai let go with obvious reluctance.
Once Sang Wan was gone, the house grew completely still. Yue Bai pressed her thumb against the tip of her ring finger, rubbing it slowly.
She settled back onto the sofa, crossing her legs and leaning into the cushions.
Ding-dong. Her phone chimed. Yue Bai tapped to open it.
“Did you go see her yesterday afternoon? Did she mention it?” It was a message from Yue Yi.
“I asked her about it. Senior Sister came over last night.” Yue Bai replied.
“She came over? Did she stay the night?” Yue Yi.
“She stayed the night.” Yue Bai.
There was a two-second pause, then Yue Bai saw a message from Yue Yi that was sent and immediately withdrawn: “You two didn’t get up to anything, did you?”
“…” What kind of phrasing was that? Yue Bai was at a total loss.
“Just finished up. Have you eaten lunch? Sis has some free time this afternoon. Anywhere you want to go? I’ll take you.” Yue Yi.
“I just want to lounge at home…” Yue Bai shifted lazily on the sofa.
“That works too.” Yue Yi.
Half an hour later, the door clicked open from the outside. Yue Bai lifted her eyelids to look. It was Yue Yi.
“Sis.” Yue Bai sat up.
“Mm.” Yue Yi bent down to change her shoes, a plastic bag hooked on her finger.
“Brought you a milk tea. Three parts sugar.” Yue Yi finished changing and handed over the bag.
Yue Bai took it, her pale fingers pointing to the unopened box on the table. “That’s from Big Sis Yan—for you.”
“Yan Nianyi?” Yue Yi frowned and walked over to the table. She glanced down, then retreated to the sofa and asked, “Mm?”
“Yeah.” Yue Bai nodded. “She came around ten-something this morning. But how did she know someone was home? She kept ringing the doorbell every minute.”
Yue Bai grew curious. Judging by Yan Nianyi’s persistence, she must be close with Sis. But Sis was always so busy. Normally, if no one answered after one or two rings, you’d assume the place was empty. So why had Yan Nianyi kept at it?
“She knows the passcode. The door was locked from the inside, so she probably thought I was home.” Yue Yi sat down.
“Oh.” Yue Bai nodded. They really must be close, then.
Yue Yi clearly wasn’t in the mood to dwell on it. She skipped the topic, headed to the bedroom to grab her laptop, and settled on the sofa to work.
“Since we’re not going out, tell Sis about the fun stuff at school.” Yue Yi flipped open the laptop and powered it on.
Yue Bai hummed thoughtfully. “Nothing too fun. You know how lazy I am. No clubs or Student Council for me. I just hang in the dorm when I’m free.”
“Not with Sang Wan?” Yue Yi didn’t buy it.
“Hehe.” Yue Bai grinned sheepishly. “We are together. Sometimes we even sleep together.”
“…”
Yue Yi’s gaze shifted from the screen to Yue Bai’s face. Her phoenix eyes fixed unblinkingly on her sister, her smiling lips pressing into a straight line at those words. She snapped the laptop shut.
Yue Yi turned fully toward Yue Bai. “You two have slept together?”
“Yeah.” Yue Bai said it like it was the most natural thing. “We hang out when we’re free. Senior Sister got an apartment in the Teachers’ Apartments. I’ll move in with her next semester.”
Yue Yi took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to go find Sang Wan right then. “You haven’t done anything, have you?”
“…” Yue Bai couldn’t respond to that. She glanced away, her mind flashing to their kisses. A flush slowly crept up her ears.
“…” Yue Yi took it for shyness. The last of her composure cracked. She held back as long as she could, but couldn’t.
She tossed out, “I’ve got something to handle,” and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut.
Yue Bai stared in bewilderment at her sister’s hurried retreat, assuming something must have come up at work. Without a second thought, she messaged Sang Wan.
“Senior Sister, you home yet?” Yue Bai.
“Just got in.” Sang Wan, who had stepped onto the balcony to bask in the sun and update Yue Bai on her plans, replied.
“Good.” Yue Bai. Followed by a kissy face.
Sang Wan smiled faintly and opened her notes app. She changed the number nine to ten.
“Yue Bai owes me ten little kisses.”
A melodic ringtone chimed. Sang Wan, who had just set her phone down, picked it up again. She glanced at the caller ID and answered. “President Yue.”
“Sang Wan, how old is Little Bai? And you’re already making a move on her?” The anger Yue Yi had held back in front of Yue Bai came pouring out.
Sang Wan paused, her mind racing. It didn’t take long to piece it together—Little Bai must not have explained clearly, leading to a misunderstanding.
She arched an eyebrow, her smile unwavering. “President Yue, I’m dating Little Bai. It’s impossible to have zero physical contact, right?”
She emphasized “physical contact” with her tone.
“Even more impossible to just sit there like a saint when she’s throwing herself at me. I can’t exactly stay completely still.” Sang Wan curled her fingers playfully, tapping them on the table with wicked amusement.
“You…”
“Or what?” Sang Wan cut in just in time, adding, “Are you saying couples can’t even kiss and cuddle?”
She had no desire to provoke Yue Yi and cause trouble for herself and Yue Bai.
“That’s it?” Yue Yi asked skeptically.
“That’s it.” Sang Wan sighed helplessly. She wanted to do more, but Little Bai just wasn’t picking up on her hints.
“Fine.” Yue Yi hung up.
Sang Wan wasn’t wrong after all. With how innocent her little sister seemed, it was unlikely they’d gone further.
Yue Yi composed herself and emerged from the bedroom, settling back on the sofa.
“All done?” Yue Bai paused her short video scrolling.
“Yeah, pretty much.” Yue Yi nodded. She opened her laptop again and pulled up a file. “Little Bai, you’re twenty-one this year, right?”
“Yeah.” Her birthday had just passed.
“Who pursued who first—you or Sang Wan?” Yue Yi asked curiously.
“I…” Yue Bai mumbled softly. “I confessed to Senior Sister.”
Yue Yi’s typing stopped. She suddenly felt like she didn’t know Yue Bai as well as she thought. She’d even been worried that, with Yue Bai’s personality, her sister would come to her with all sorts of relationship questions.
But now? Not only did her sister like girls, she took the initiative to confess.
“Sigh.” Yue Yi let out a long breath, her emotions a tangled mix.
“Sis?” Yue Bai looked up at the sigh, peering at Yue Yi. She recognized every character on the screen, but strung together, it made her head spin.
“The prize cabbage got raided by a pig.” Yue Yi muttered.
Yue Bai smiled and scooted closer. “Sis, even though I’m dating now, I’m still your little sister.”
“What a shame for Sang Wan—so talented, and this happens.” Yue Yi drawled the second half.
“…” Yue Bai laughed awkwardly. So Senior Sister was the cabbage, and she was the pig.
After hanging out at home for over two hours, Yue Yi got a call. She hugged Yue Bai apologetically. “Little Bai, Sis has to head out for something. I might not be back until New Year’s Eve. Be good at home by yourself. If you’re bored, just have Sang Wan keep you company.”
“Got it. Safe travels.” Yue Bai stuck out her tongue. It was the holidays—how could she possibly drag Senior Sister over every day?
“I’m heading out. Make sure to lock the door and don’t open it for any strangers,” Yue Yi instructed.
“…Okay,” Yue Bai replied.
Still not entirely reassured, Yue Yi gave a couple more reminders. Before stepping out the door, her gaze swept over the pastry box on the table. After a moment’s hesitation, she walked forward and picked it up to take with her.
Yue Bai yawned and went to lie down on the bed.
She opened QQ, and the class group created by the Counselor showed two unread messages. Yue Bai tapped them open casually.
“Please download the software we’ll need for next semester on your own. It’s been shared via Netdisk,” read the message from the software teacher.
Right below it was a string of URLs.
Yue Bai clicked one casually, and the page redirected.
The system lagged.
Annoyed, Yue Bai copied the link and opened the Netdisk share directly.
She dragged herself out of bed reluctantly, fished out her laptop, and clicked download.
“Download speed 10KB per second?” Yue Bai glanced at the half-gig file package, then at the accelerator pack listed above it for five yuan.
“Not a chance you’re getting a single cent from me,” she huffed. She rarely used Netdisk herself, but someone else did all the time.
Delighted, she messaged Sang Wan: “Senior Sister, do you have a Netdisk membership? Can I borrow it to download something?”
“Sure, the password is YB0105 followed by a period,” Sang Wan replied.
Yue Bai stared at the password—made from the initials of her own name plus her birthday—and a dense sweetness welled up in the core of her heart.
