“Of course. Since I’ve made the trip here, it must be something quite important.”
Ye Zhiyun opened with that line, drawing Chi Yuliang’s full attention.
The entire atmosphere grew weighty in an instant.
Indeed, a personal visit from the Ye Family’s Second Miss was sure to be a major event capable of shaking all of Qihai City.
Before this Ye Family’s Second Miss even spoke…
That was exactly what Chi Yuliang had thought.
After a brief pause, Yun’er’s beautiful eyes shifted. She seemed to be gazing straight ahead, but her line of sight pierced right through Chi Yuliang standing before her, extending into the room behind.
~~~
The cherished one sitting at the dining table, sipping her light tea and scalding her mouth in the process.
“Is my sister… happy today?”
“Eh…?”
“Ahem, I mean.” Ye Zhiyun used her arm to clamp the delivery cap tighter around her waist. She seemed aware that her question came out of nowhere. “What I’m saying is, my sister has been at your place since this morning, right? She… isn’t feeling unwell, is she? Has she been eating properly? I’m really worried she might have had chili sauce for lunch. For some reason, she took an interest in it at home, but she can’t eat too much. She gets inflamed easily, and she never drinks enough water… Uh, Chi Yuliang?”
“Hm? Oh… no, no. Eldest Miss Ye is very sensible. She balances meat and vegetables perfectly and avoids unhealthy foods on her own initiative. I think it’s because you’ve taught her so well at home, Miss Zhiyun. That’s impressive!”
“Hmph hmph, naturally! But let me correct you on one thing—this has little to do with my nagging. It’s mainly because Sister is naturally bright and has such strong self-discipline!”
“Haha, that’s true.”
“Right!”
“……”
The bystander sees more than the person involved. How true that was.
To Lin Zihan, who was listening from the side, things looked entirely different!
That brief silence from Chi Yuliang just now clearly meant Little Bai’er had been scarfing down chili sauce!
Besides, Little Bai’er was the older sister. How could anyone say the younger sister had taught the older one so well at home? If Little Bai’er overheard that, she’d explode at them for disregarding family hierarchy and ethics.
Lin Zihan had been tempted to chime in with a snarky comment… but seeing Chi Yuliang’s gentle demeanor and Ye Zhiyun’s beaming pride, she decided against it.
Forget it.
Speaking up now would just make her the fool. Let them chatter on; she’d keep listening quietly.
Chi Yuliang patiently fielded Ye Zhiyun’s barrage of questions, all of them revolving around Ye Zhibai’s outing that day.
Of course Chi Yuliang was happy to answer thoroughly.
For Little Bai to have such a caring family member—this was precisely the kind of blessing she herself had once prayed for under the starry sky, the one thing she’d longed for but never received.
But for some reason.
As Ye Zhiyun’s questions grew more detailed, Chi Yuliang felt ever more gratified on the surface. Yet deep down, her heart wasn’t as settled as she’d expected… Some indescribable tangle knotted inside her, one even she couldn’t quite unravel.
“Finally, just remind her not to overdo the sweets. Sister never gains weight no matter how much she eats, but too much sugar throws off your nutritional balance anyway. Hmm… I think that’s everything for now. Oh, right—you’ve finished lunch by this point, yeah?”
“Yes, we just wrapped up lunch and were chatting.”
“Got it. We won’t impose any longer, then. The main reason I came was to pass on those reminders. If that’s all, we’ll head downstairs and wait. I’ll come back up later to take my sister home.”
Seeing the no-nonsense Ye Zhiyun turn to leave right after speaking, Chi Yuliang hurriedly called out to her for clarification on the timing.
“Miss Zhiyun, hold on a second…? You mentioned picking her up… but how long exactly?”
“How long?” Ye Zhiyun halted her steps and pondered for a moment. After some visible internal conflict, she raised a single index finger with cool confidence. “Roughly ten minutes. Lunch is over, after all. I figure Sister must miss me… er, miss home by now.”
A blatant lie, Lin Zihan could declare with certainty.
Setting aside whether Little Bai’er missed Ye Zhiyun at all—Ye Zhiyun herself had spent the entire morning fidgeting like she had ants crawling under her skin, pacing back and forth in anxiety.
~~~
She suffered from intermittent separation anxiety, triggered the moment “Sister wasn’t by her side.”
Ten minutes was already a courtesy to Chi Yuliang’s face; otherwise, she’d have demanded to whisk her away right then and there.
Hearing such a pressing timeline, Chi Yuliang felt her nerves tighten.
Ten minutes… way too short.
Never mind that she hadn’t yet sat down alone with Little Bai for a proper chat—to reminisce about old times or dream about the future on a grand scale.
On a purely practical note, she had one vitally important matter she needed to confirm with Little Bai face-to-face.
Ten minutes was far too rushed for any of it.
Fortunately, Chi Yuliang’s sharp mind stayed cool and collected, no matter how urgent the situation.
Just a few seconds after Ye Zhiyun issued the deadline, a spark of realization lit up in Chi Yuliang’s eyes.
She had a plan.
“Miss Zhiyun, could you let Miss Ye stay here a little longer to hang out?”
Ha?
A stampede of wild horses thundered through Ye Zhiyun’s mind.
Come on—not to mention your sheer black-stockinged legs or those generous curves that no loose dress can fully conceal—did she really expect Ye Zhiyun to leave Sister here any longer?!
She’d nearly worried herself to death that morning!
“You wish…! Well, I figured you’d say something like that. But let’s save it for next time. Sister’s visit was so sudden this time, and her health hasn’t been great since she left the hospital. If we can, it’s best to get her home for some proper rest. That way, you and I can both relax, right?”
Masterful.
She could’ve rested just as well right here, but Ye Zhiyun didn’t breathe a word of that.
Chi Yuliang immediately sensed the airtight deflection, a textbook display of a great clan’s Doctrine of the Mean.
But it was entirely within her expectations.
Her next words struck directly at Ye Zhiyun’s greatest weakness.
Chi Yuliang’s expression turned troubled, laced with boundless regret.
“Is that so… What a shame, then. I was hoping that with more time, I could pick Eldest Miss Ye’s brain on a few things and learn even more from her. Ten minutes really won’t cut it… Okay, got it. In ten minutes, I’ll bring Miss Ye downstairs.”
“…? What do you mean? Pick her brain on what? What kind of learning?”
“Hm? You don’t get it, Miss Zhiyun?
I’ve only spent a short time around Eldest Miss Ye, but her personal magnetism hit me hard. She doesn’t say much usually, but every word is pure life wisdom. Just hearing it makes me feel elevated.”
“I… Of course I get it! How could I not know my own sister’s appeal? You’re catching on… Go on, tell me more?”
“It’s like this—not just her charisma, but her poise and refinement. There’s so much I could stand to learn from Miss Ye there.”
“Exactly, exactly! Sister never took a single etiquette class, but her aura is innately impeccable! What else have you noticed?!”
“Of course. Miss Ye has too many strengths to count off the top of my head. I was thinking that with an extra hour or two, I could soak up more of her insights while we chatted, really broaden my horizons. Such a pity… sigh.”
“……”
Everything Chi Yuliang had said boiled down to a single core message.
—Your sister is incredible.
Ye Zhiyun wavered hard.
Nothing melted her resolve like praise for her sister!
Anyone perceptive enough to spot Sister’s virtues had eyes like freshly fallen snow and a mind of pure clarity—a true sage.
So Sister must have dropped some profound life lessons today… Chi Yuliang looked genuinely touched.
Letting her linger a bit longer would only showcase Sister’s brilliance even more, filling Ye Zhiyun with even greater pride and satisfaction.
Ugh… but she was dying to catch a whiff of Sister’s scent already! A whole morning apart, and withdrawal symptoms were setting in!
In moments like this, she had to channel her clan’s Doctrine of the Mean.
—The art of compromise.
After much deliberation, Ye Zhiyun finally looked up with a sigh and voiced her decision.
“Well… all right. Here’s the deal, Chi Yuliang: Let Sister stay another forty minutes. That ought to suffice, yeah? Learning can’t be forced; plenty of time for chats later.”
“Wonderful! Thank you for understanding, Miss Zhiyun.”
“It’s not about understanding—it’s about giving Sister room to shine. Anyway, that’s settled.”
Without another word of hesitation, Ye Zhiyun glanced at Lin Zihan and strode ahead.
“Lin Zihan, you heard all that, right? Let’s go. Back here in forty minutes. Or stake out the door on your own—that works too.”
“……”
No chance. She’d stick right with her and hitch a ride in the Ye family car—taxis would bleed her dry on the spot!
Zhiyun, though… didn’t it feel like Chi Yuliang’s words were some kind of stopgap tactic?
Better keep that thought to herself.
Chi Yuliang was still standing there. Wild speculation would just make her look petty and suspicious—like a total clown.
Sigh… Women in love were something else. Especially ones whose world revolved around their sister. No matter how clever or unflappable normally, they lost all discernment in moments like these.
Love was terrifying indeed.
Chi Yuliang watched Ye Zhiyun and Lin Zihan, those two “delivery girls,” head down the stairs before she slowly lowered her left hand, which she had been waving politely at them.
Her smile gradually faded, replaced by a shadow of worry.
In the quiet corridor, Chi Yuliang leaned slowly against the door behind her and tilted her head up to gaze at the clean, pristine ceiling overhead.
She took a deep breath, easing the inexplicable tension that gripped her.
Since she had managed to buy herself some time… now she had no choice but to talk to Little Bai about that matter.
—About university. Which school had Little Bai applied to?
No matter which one she picked, it was Little Bai’s freedom, and Chi Yuliang would never interfere.
Or rather… judging from the fact that Little Bai hadn’t answered her question yesterday, Chi Yuliang suspected this was very likely to leave her disappointed.
Chi Yuliang raised both hands to her cheeks and gave her stunningly beautiful face a firm slap on either side.
This wouldn’t do… She couldn’t let negative emotions get the better of her. No matter which university Little Bai had chosen, whether it was in the Capital or not, once she got a clear answer, she had to smile warmly and offer her blessings—wishing her a bright future ahead.
That was what a big sister ought to do!
As she cheered herself on inwardly, Chi Yuliang suddenly felt a gentle push against the door frame she was leaning on.
It wasn’t forceful—just soft and yielding, but persistent.
Chi Yuliang quickly stepped forward to clear the way, and the door swung open easily.
Little Zhibai’s cute little head poked out through the gap. She looked left, then right, her puzzled gaze finally settling on Chi Yuliang.
“Sister Liang…? Why haven’t you come back yet? Where are the delivery people? The package?”
“Hehe… Little Bai, so many questions~ It’s fine, nothing to worry about. Earlier, I thought it was my delivery. I asked all about it, but it turned out to be the wrong door.”
“Oh, I see… Well, come back then?”
“Mm, sure. Oh, by the way, Little Bai… you don’t have anything going on right now, do you? Could you come to my room for a bit? There’s something I want to talk to you about. Just us.”
