After a long stretch of time that lasted until sunset, the lingering rays bathed the entire Ye Group office building in a golden glow. The tea had gone cold several times over.
Ye Qinghe was still recounting “those years” with tears brimming in his eyes, sharing the tale with his daughters.
“Sigh… where was your father up to? Oh, right… I mean, back then, cell phones weren’t as advanced as they are now. After we started dating in secret during our university days, the elders from your grandpa’s generation wouldn’t let me go out on dates with Xiao Qing. Guess what she did? She rode her bike over late at night and called out for me to climb over the courtyard wall! Wuwu… Your mama is truly a legendary woman. The security guard chased after her, yelling curses, but she acted like she couldn’t hear a thing—just laughed and pedaled her bike all around!”
Oh oh.
That took some thick skin… cough, what a spirited woman!
Ye Zhibai fought back the urge to yawn from her growing drowsiness. Amid Old Dad’s endless chatter, she cast a sidelong glance at the slanting sun outside the office window.
It had to be past six in the evening by now.
Old Dad had been spinning tales of his and Mama’s love story for hours, from high noon straight through to sunset.
Guang Yu had the shortest attention span. Despite how touching the stories were, she’d long since leaned against the sofa and dozed off, chasing dreamscapes filled with flying wasabi bottles and osmanthus cakes.
At first, Ye Zhibai had listened with rapt attention.
She wasn’t one for gossip, but hearing how her parents had met, grown close, come to know each other, and fallen in love offered a fresh and intriguing experience.
But…
Even the most captivating story couldn’t withstand being dragged out from the sun at its zenith down past the horizon!
If not for concern for Old Dad’s feelings—seeing how immersed he was in his melancholy—Ye Zhibai probably would’ve slipped away long ago.
Yun’er, on the other hand, didn’t mind at all.
Hee hee, sitting here meant she could stay snuggled up against her big sister the whole time. Back home, her sister would just hole up and sleep as usual, and she’d have to wait until right before dinner to sneak in a hug. From that perspective, sticking around the company a bit longer wasn’t so bad.
“I… I’ll probably never forget Xiao Qing’s black hair under the moonlight that night. Every time I think back on it, I can’t help but sigh at how time flies—and the tears just come.”
Hm?!
Ye Zhibai’s head snapped up. She caught the whiff of gossip winding down—those telltale keywords!
Yes, when the storyteller shifted from narrating the tale to wrapping it up with a summary, it usually meant the story was over.
Of course… there was always the chance the conclusion wasn’t really a conclusion.
It could just be a bridge, a preface to launching into the next installment.
“Anyway, enough about bygone days… no more on that. How about this—your father tells you about what happened after your mother and I took over the company? Back in the day, the Ye Group faced unprecedented troubles…!”
“Ahem, Dad.”
“Hm? What’s up, Zhibai? Want me to pour you another cup of tea? Though I still say you should drink it in moderation. You’ve been at it all afternoon—no flavor left, and it’s not great for the stomach.”
So even you realize it’s been a whole afternoon!
The sun’s clocked out, and you’re still chasing dreams. You’re my father, not some guy chasing the sun endlessly!
Ye Zhibai was already missing her own little patch of land back in her courtyard.
So she decided to bring this whole thing to a close right here.
With measured grace, Ye Zhibai rose to her feet.
Yun’er obediently followed her sister’s lead and stood as well. Now that was sisterly solidarity—a picture of unity.
Under Ye Qinghe’s slightly puzzled gaze, Ye Zhibai politely tried to shake off the clingy little pest plastered to her side. When that didn’t work, she skipped the effort and got straight to the point.
“Here’s the thing, Dad. Your stories were fantastic—enough to make anyone envious.”
“Oh ho… My Zhibai’s using idioms now! Good, good. As long as you girls aren’t bored, you can keep listening while your father tells you about…”
“But hearing great stories can wait. At home, the cat I’ve been raising hasn’t eaten all day—it’s starving to death. I want to head back now and feed it some cat food.”
“Er… but Zhibai, a cat won’t starve to death after just one day without food…”
“I didn’t feed it yesterday either. By the time I left, it was on its last legs—could barely stand.”
“……”
Poor cat, huh.
But no worries—that was a total fabrication. Guang Yu ate better than she did every day.
She knew the excuse was flimsy, but sorry, her brain wasn’t coming up with a foolproof plan.
If Ye Zhibai couldn’t think of one, there was still Yun’er.
The girl who’d been lost in the gentle bliss of her sister’s embrace since earlier had caught the deeper meaning behind her sister’s words.
Her eyes gradually turned icy.
That chill instantly reached Ye Qinghe, who sat nearby. No surprise there.
The cotton jacket was leaking wind again.
“Old Dad, you said it yourself just now—remember what Mom said about you? She called you ‘great in every way, just not steady enough.’ I won’t debate if that’s accurate or if you made it up, but ‘not steady enough’ fits perfectly. Look at the time—it’s getting so late, and you want to keep going? Even if you’re not tired and don’t need a break, can Big Sis’s body handle it? You have to think about these things. I might not have the standing to say it as your daughter, but when Mama gets back, I’m definitely telling on you.”
“Don’t, Yun’er! Why couldn’t you inherit her good traits—instead you got all her ruthless streak!”
“That’s going in the report too.”
“…!”
Ye Zhibai stared in stunned silence inside.
In just one speech, Yun’er had pinned Old Dad’s rambling perfectly!
Incidentally, it dawned on Ye Zhibai that Old Dad’s standing at home might take another hit once Mama returned.
Ye Qinghe didn’t dare say another word. Under the “threat” from his own flesh and blood, he finally stopped waxing poetic about his dreams.
The seasoned Ye Family Chairman draped his arms over the back of the sofa on both sides. At first, he kept sighing nonstop.
But before long, he suddenly cracked a smile out of nowhere.
Breaking through his naturally stern features and world-weary air, it was the unique blend of relief and steadiness only a father could muster.
“No more, no more… What’s the point of telling so many stories? Zhibai, why don’t you wait for your mama to come back and chat with her yourself? If Xiao Qing really comes back… it’s like a dream. Just one last thing… Zhibai, it’s really great that you made it home from the hospital before she did.”
“Why say it like that…?”
“Because your mama used to dote on you the most.”
Ye Qinghe’s steady face suddenly paled—that was pure aftershock!
“When your mom was home, she treated you like you were made of glass—afraid you’d get bumped or bruised, pampering you endlessly. If she found out you’d been hit by a car, lying in the hospital as a vegetable… she’d turn the house upside down! That’s why I’m relieved… For our family to be together peacefully, safe and sound—that’s the greatest luck there is.”
“Is it…?”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
A gentle ray of sunset light played across Ye Zhibai’s profile, lending even her silver hair a touch of warmth.
The sun itself wasn’t moving; it was the refraction off the office glass, disturbed by Guang Yu’s swaying tail as she slept, that danced the shadows.
Luck, huh.
The very idea that such a thing might truly have come to her made Ye Zhibai’s heart feel just like this sunset.
Warm, slow, and steady.
The warmth was in people’s hearts; the slowness was in the passage of time.
The greatest luck was her waking to find them, their reunion upon her return.
She’d tell them all was well; they’d tell her the wanderer had come home.
Even strangers meeting by chance felt like soul-deep acquaintances, old friends in a foreign land.
Ye Zhibai tilted her head slightly to gaze at Yun’er’s profile. Under the sunset, her face and black hair were just as lovely.
Far more dazzling than the sun.
Yun’er blinked her beautiful eyes at the distant wall, lost in thought, as if pondering some weighty matter.
Ye Zhibai knew.
She must have been grateful for these quiet days too, treasuring all the little strokes of luck that came so rarely.
Not long after.
Yun’er murmured softly to herself.
Ye Zhibai caught every word.
“Yeah… I almost forgot about that. Mama loves clinging to Big Sis… It was fine when we were little—we didn’t know any better, and neither did she. But now… even if Mama still doesn’t know better, we do. Hm… time to lay down some house rules and set up a no-fly zone? Or should we just tell her to tone it down?”
The slanting sun remained the same slanting sun.
But the atmosphere? That had changed completely.
Ye Zhibai ducked her head with a wry smile in her heart.
Yun’er, you…
You’re really…
You’re really something else!!
Look at the nonsense you’re spouting—guarding against friends, cats, even the air. Now you’re guarding against your own mom too?!
How far does your defensive line stretch?!
Should I give you a title? How about “Absolute Defense”?
Too much!
