Shame was one of those slippery, indefinable things.
When you weren’t thinking about it, you felt utterly invincible. After all, a shameless person could stand undefeated in any situation—it was an eternal truth.
But the moment you started to care, and had time to replay your shameful actions, that shame would come rushing in like a raging river, endless and unrelenting!
That was exactly what Little Zhibai was dealing with right now, sitting alone on the edge of the bed, brow furrowed as she carefully reviewed and relished every moment.
Chi Yuliang had stepped out of the room for a bit to help Fang Wenyuan serve the dishes. That brief absence gave Ye Zhibai the space to mull over her recent behavior.
She tentatively raised her trembling hand and touched her face.
Beyond the usual smooth softness and a temperature higher than normal,
there lingered a certain bouncy, milk-scented sensation.
“…”
If it had just been a long-overdue reunion hug with Sister Liang, maybe even a bit of coquettish whining, that would’ve been fine, right?
But no!
This greedy idiot of hers had actually… actually nuzzled and rubbed against Sister Liang’s chest for a full half hour!
How exactly? Well, burying her face in there, twisting around, soaking it up, licking a—wait, no! She hadn’t done that!
More like rubbing back and forth, rolling around, swaying side to side.
Before she knew it, Ye Zhibai had lost herself completely in the moment.
If Sister Liang’s shirt hadn’t been so well-made, her collar buttons probably would’ve been rubbed right off by this pretty face of hers.
Aaaah, but it was so embarrassing either way! She was an adult now! So mature, so capable, so smooth in the world—yet her behavior just now was straight-up like a total baby!
It was over… Her image in Sister Liang’s mind was definitely far from mature now.
But when Sister Liang had left the room earlier, her cheeks were flushed too.
Oh.
She must’ve been feeling secondhand shame for her!
Sorry about that!!
Deep down, though, Ye Zhibai didn’t regret it one bit.
No point in regretting your own actions.
Regret wouldn’t change anything—the softness she’d nestled into couldn’t be undone.
And that softness remembered everything.
As Ye Zhibai kept psyching herself up, just about to rein in the surging shame,
a sly, foxy voice piped up right by her ear.
“Ye Zhibai? How’s it feel right now?”
“So soft and warm… totally healing. It bounces back if you push aside a bit, and it smells amazing. My verdict is best thing in—cough! You’re trying to trick me into saying something stupid, fox. Crawl away.”
“We’re already crawling.”
“…”
Fair enough.
Guang Yu loved the cool feel of the tiles here. She’d crawled right over to Ye Zhibai’s side on all fours.
Her big tail swayed left and right along the floor behind her butt, matching the rhythm of her little feet in those frilly white socks, propelling her forward.
Crawling must’ve felt pretty comfy.
But it sure wasn’t dignified.
It wasn’t even New Year’s yet—why the big formal bow, Guang Yu?
She wasn’t handing out red envelopes!
Such a childish move… So Guang Yu was the real baby here!
Thanks for that.
Guang Yu had no idea she’d unwittingly done Ye Zhibai a huge favor. She pushed up from her knees, her body spotless—no dust anywhere, thanks to Chi Yuliang’s thorough cleaning. The floor tiles gleamed like new.
With a casual flick of her tail that stirred up a refreshing breeze, Guang Yu grinned her usual mischievous grin.
“Hee… We saw it all. You really cried at first when you hugged Chi Yuliang— that sadness hit us right in the heart… so cold and piercing, it almost made us cry too. Just how tragic was your childhood, you poor thing…?”
“Guang Yu…”
“But after the crying, you were just taking advantage of Chi Yuliang, right? Hahaha, so naughty!”
“…! Get lost. That wasn’t taking advantage! I just thought… it was so healing. So soft, warmer than the velvet pillow at home. So I figured, why not stay a little longer?”
“We think that counts as taking advantage, though?”
“Crawl. Even if it was, crawl away.”
“No more crawling, no more—my knees hurt.”
Guang Yu shook her head like a little know-it-all for a moment.
Muttering to herself about “can’t do anything with you” and other nonsense.
At the same time, her little eyes darted toward Ye Zhibai several times.
?
Then, suddenly,
she did something utterly baffling in Ye Zhibai’s eyes.
Her tail drooped, she stood up straight and still,
and opened her arms toward Ye Zhibai.
“There.”
“…What are you doing?”
“Hug time! We felt how sad you were earlier. You’re still craving that spoiling, aren’t you? We… we can fill in for her! After all… caring for humans is part of a deity’s duties! What was it Chi Yuliang said… Oh yeah, come on, let big sis hug you!”
“…”
Three days without a spanking and you’re climbing the walls. Sure, you’re temporarily my cousin, but you don’t actually think you’re my sister, do you?!
Trying to jump ranks in the family tree?
Seeing no response from Ye Zhibai, Guang Yu got all huffed up!
Chi Yuliang’s big-sis aura was so strong—couldn’t she pull it off too?!
“Hey come on…! Hug us already. It’s not like it’ll cost you!”
“Why would I—hey, wait—!” Before Little Zhibai could refuse, Guang Yu lunged forward without another word, pressing her tiny embrace right into the girl sitting on the bed’s edge.
What medicine did you take?!
Ye Zhibai couldn’t react in time and got shoved straight into Guang Yu’s chest.
It wasn’t so bad at first.
Huh?!
The moment Ye Zhibai’s head made contact with that mysterious surface,
her mind went blank with a buzz!
What… what was this?
It was like slamming face-first into a smooth, cold rock.
Or like grabbing a prickless cactus that had dried up in the desert.
Ouch. It hurt.
It really freaking hurt!!
But Guang Yu, imitating Chi Yuliang, hugged Ye Zhibai’s head even tighter.
Oblivious to the dying look in Little Zhibai’s eyes.
Help… she was really flat. Really…
“Mmph… So? How’s the deity’s embrace? Warmer than a lump of fat, right?”
“Guang Yu…”
“Yeah?”
“From now on… I’ll try not to beat you up so much. Live happily, okay?”
“Huh?!”
“Oh oh! You must be that mysterious friend Yuliang always mentions! Nice to meet you, finally. Wenyuan! Got drinks for the kids? We gotta treat them right today. We still got any baijiu at home? I’ll pour myself a couple.”
“Drink orange juice with the kids, you. You’ve gotta drive to work this afternoon—aren’t you scared of getting busted?”
“Huh! If I don’t drive, problem solved. I’ll cab it. This is Yuliang’s first time bringing a friend home; no booze on the table would be rude, haha! You kids don’t drink, I’ll handle my own.”
“Dad, drink less. Booze isn’t good for you anyway—might as well skip it. Little Bai, come on over; it’s the thought that counts.”
“Just one glass, one glass! No harm!”
“…”
Ye Zhibai sat at the dining table laden with delicious dishes, watching the scene unfold before her.
This was… a bit unexpected, huh?
Lunchtime had rolled around, and Sister Liang’s dad had come home from work.
Ye Zhibai had figured he’d be reserved like Auntie Fang.
Who knew he’d be so outgoing!
Sister Liang’s father was named Li Mowei. True to his scholarly name, he had a gentle, refined look.
A neatly pressed suit, black-rimmed glasses, average height at five foot nine, a lean build. Only the faint wear of nearing fifty on his face betrayed his age; otherwise, he looked every bit the bookish scholar.
But looks could be deceiving.
The moment he got home, set down his briefcase, and heard there were guests, he immediately showed the bold spirit of the man of the house!
Too bad his drinking got shot down. He didn’t push it and switched to juice instead, apparently without much say in family matters.
He chugged his orange juice in one go, set the glass down with a firm clink, and turned curious eyes to Ye Zhibai, seated beside Chi Yuliang.
“Zhibai, let’s get to know each other properly. You local? Where do you go to school? A pretty girl like you should be famous around here! I know folks in every nook and cranny nearby, but I’ve never seen you. Where’s your place at? If it’s close, come over anytime. Yuliang talks about you every day!”
Haah, honestly, Uncle Li’s hearty way of talking melted away most of Ye Zhibai’s nervousness.
—Though nine times out of ten, that was thanks to Sister Liang quietly holding her hand under the table.
Wuwu, thanks for the courage, Sister Liang! She felt invincible now!
For Li Mowei’s questions, she could just answer honestly. Nothing to hide.
Family background might be a bit intimidating… so she’d stick to the street name.
It was just polite chit-chat anyway.
“Uncle, my home is in the Huangtu Highlands… no, my home is on West City Yanzhi Road. It’s neither too close nor too far from here. But transportation is so convenient these days that, if it’s not a bother, I’ll come visit Sister Chi often.”
Phew, good thing I’d specifically asked Yun’er last time what the street right outside our door was called—just in case. If they’d asked where I lived and I couldn’t even name the street my own house was on, I’d have looked way too clever for my own good.
With her answer finished, Ye Zhibai reached toward the chopsticks in the middle of the table.
But as she looked up, she realized that not only Li Mowei across from her, but even Fang Wenyuan beside him, were both frozen in place. They stared at her with utter disbelief.
Huh?
What’s going on?
Wasn’t that just polite small talk? I answered honestly.
Don’t ask for the house number, though! It wouldn’t do any good—I haven’t memorized it anyway!
Under the table, Chi Yuliang’s hand tightened ever so slightly on hers, like a subtle reminder of something.
But the grip lasted only a moment before she relaxed again, the release seeming to convey—it’s fine, really.
Li Mowei and Fang Wenyuan exchanged a glance.
He swallowed hard and set down the chopsticks he’d just picked up. His earlier hearty posture grew stiff and awkward, and he even sat up a little straighter.
“Zhi… Zhibai, you said you live on Yanzhi Road? The one in West City?”
“Uh… yes, Uncle. Are there lots of Yanzhi Roads in the city? Sorry… I’m not too familiar with the municipal road layout yet.”
“No, no, no… There’s only one Yanzhi Road in the city, but… as far as I know, there’s just one household on all of Yanzhi Road…”
“!”
Holy shit! Yun’er, you told me the street by our house is called Yanzhi Road.
But you didn’t tell me that Yanzhi Road leads straight to our house!
