The moon hung high in the night sky, a beauty standing beneath its glow.
First glance, both silent; second glance, sheer fright!
Forget whether it’s good poetry or not.
In any case, it perfectly captured Su Yuqiu’s raw emotions when she unexpectedly whipped her head around—only to find the “beauty” right there in front of her, appearing out of nowhere.
Her mother, Tang Yuzhu, also jumped in shock.
She hadn’t been prepared at all. Hearing Yuqiu’s startled cry, she turned her head to the side.
Oh?! When had a living person drifted over here?!
Instinctively, she dodged sideways, only for another living person to pop up on the other side!
Was this an ambush or what?!
That newcomer was Yun’er, who had climbed the steps a little later from the opposite direction. Yun’er simply hadn’t expected her sister to charge straight up the stairs so decisively, so she arrived a touch behind.
Bathed in moonlight, once Tang Yuzhu made out that they were two young women—and discerned their stunning features and refined auras besides—her initial fear didn’t ease.
No, it spiked even higher!
These two girls were so stunningly beautiful they hardly seemed human. On a night like this, had they really run into ghosts?!
Luckily, adults maintained a certain poise.
Tang Yuzhu had no idea why her daughter had suddenly frozen up and gone quiet, but as a mother, she stepped forward to shield her and fend off any potential threats.
“Um… y-you two young ladies? What… what are you doing here…?”
Tang Yuzhu watched as the silver-haired beauty furrowed her brow.
She held an icy expression, looking utterly impatient.
Impatient? More like furious!
Eek!
They really did have ill intentions!
Not even close.
Ye Zhibai’s frown stemmed purely from her social skills being in the negatives. The words sat on the tip of her tongue, but she had no clue how to get them out.
For starters, greetings required proper address, right?
She guessed this was Little Qiu’s mom, so “Auntie” or “Madam” would be safe—but it was just a guess!
The woman looked so young and well-preserved. What if she was Little Qiu’s older sister, or had no relation at all? Calling her “Auntie” out of the blue would be rude!
That was precisely why Ye Zhibai’s frown deepened—not mere annoyance, but self-reproach at her own pitiful way with words.
But with Yun’er along, did anyone think she’d just stand by twiddling her thumbs?
Naturally not. The instant her sister showed reluctance (or rather, inability) to speak, Yun’er sidestepped to stand beside her.
She clasped her hands neatly in front of her, dipping her head in a slight bow of greeting. Her long black hair swayed gently in the breeze, exuding the refined grace of a great clan.
“Hello. Sorry if we caught you at a bad time and startled you. We mean no harm—this is my sister, and the cute girl over there is her friend, Miss Su Yuqiu, I believe? We were passing by, spotted an acquaintance, and thought we’d say hello.”
Nice one, Yun’er!
A social disaster like me wandering the world? I rely entirely on you!
Lesson learned: unsure of the address? Skip it altogether and just use a polite “you”—no faux pas, totally foolproof.
At those words, Tang Yuzhu clutched the envelope in her hand, momentarily stunned. She glanced at the black-haired girl—and the silver-haired one beside her, whose aura could freeze three feet of ice.
Then she snapped to and hurriedly beckoned her daughter from behind.
“Yuqiu? What’s wrong with this girl, still standing there like a statue? Come say hello. I hear this young lady’s your friend? How come you’ve never mentioned her to me?”
“C-coming!”
Su Loli leaped down from the stone platform where she’d been perched.
Tensed up from her emotions, her body went rigid, nearly sending her tumbling.
Tang Yuzhu and Ye Zhibai both lunged instinctively to steady her, but Little Qiu merely staggered for a second before regaining her balance in a flash.
All in all, lolis had low centers of gravity and solid footing—falls were rare.
She slipped off her oversized headphones and hung them around her neck, then scurried over with quick little steps. Up close, her outfit was her usual cool-kid vibe.
A small white zip-up baseball jacket adorned with swan embroidery, matched with black cropped casual pants and sneakers. The whole look gave off a fresh, lively bounce.
Su Yuqiu still looked like she couldn’t quite believe it. She tilted her head when she reached them, peering intently at Ye Zhibai—as if trying to confirm, amid the shock, that this was the genuine article.
Ye Zhiyun subtly inserted herself between them, blocking Little Qiu’s ongoing stare.
A couple glances were enough… know when to quit.
Only then did Su Yuqiu seem to accept reality.
Woo… Yezi’s little sister was as intimidating as ever. That presence felt like an unclimbable mountain!
“Yezi… how on earth did you show up here?! What a coincidence! Ah—Mom! Haven’t introduced her yet. This is Yezi, my friend.”
“Ye… Yezi? Last name Ye, first name Zi? What a… unique name! Sounds nice, though.”
“Nah! Yezi’s her online handle. Real name’s Ye Zhibai—we chat online all the time. Remember? The net friend I was gonna meet at Comic-Con last time. That’s her!”
“Oh, oh, gotcha! Hello, Miss Ye, hello! I’ve heard all about you from Yuqiu ages ago. Last time you girls went out, I picked her up but never got to meet you. Nice to finally put a face to the name. Thanks so much for looking after her that day!”
“N-no… it was nothing. You’re too kind.”
Shock flipped to joy in the blink of an eye.
That was Su Yuqiu to a tee.
She hadn’t processed it at first, but now she was fully dialed in. Staring at Yezi, suddenly materialized before her, those cherry-blossom eyes—vast enough for three thousand worlds—sparkled with uncountable lights!
She was ecstatic, plain and simple.
Ecstatic like she hadn’t felt in days.
Ye Zhibai, though, couldn’t fathom why she was so worked up.
“Anyway! Yezi, what brings you here out of nowhere?”
“Passing by… spotted you, came over.”
“Insane coincidence! Hehe… Last time we planned to meet up—face-to-face right at the Comic-Con entrance—and I didn’t even recognize you. Now you pick me out from just a silhouette!”
“Seen once, known forever.”
“Totally get it. Like an invisible boundary—can’t spot it till you’ve crossed once, then bam, one glance and it’s obvious. Right?”
“Invisible…? Oh, that anime. Yeah… kinda.”
“You got it!”
Yun’er folded her arms across her chest.
The tap of her fingers on her elbow matched the subconscious creep of her body closer to her sister.
Sneak closer… sneak closer!
Yun’er senses tingling… danger ahead!
By the time Yun’er had positioned herself discreetly—carefully, undetected—within easy claiming distance.
Ye Zhibai finally spoke up again.
No more small talk, this time.
Straight to the point.
“Um… yeah, super coincidental. But Little Qiu, I didn’t just come to chat.”
“Ah~ Gotcha, gotcha~ You mean those doujinshi we got at Comic-Con… Oh! Whoops~ Can’t talk about that here.”
Bringing up doujinshi now? World-ending catastrophe.
Yezi had her sister here; I had Mom. One wrong word, and poof—game over.
But that wasn’t what Ye Zhibai meant at all.
She glanced back at the hospital behind them. The sky had darkened further since earlier, now pitch black.
“No… I wanted to ask. This late, you at the hospital—feeling sick? I overheard Auntie mention a ‘follow-up.’ The asthma you brought up last time? You said it wasn’t bad, but… is it actually pretty serious?”
“!”
Rustle!
The papers and pill bottles in Little Qiu’s file clattered noisily against each other.
In a near-conditioned reflex, she’d whipped the whole folder behind her back with one hand.
Her grip wasn’t all that firm, but it still crumpled the bag, leaving it creased and quivering.
She took a small step backward.
Just seconds ago, she’d been buzzing with excitement, leaning right in. Now she deflated like a punctured balloon, her smile draining from her face in an instant.
Bad… way too excited. Forgot where we were.
That faint whiff of disinfectant—even from this distance—screamed hospital.
Seeing that reaction only baffled Ye Zhibai more.
“Little Qiu?”
“Ah…! Y-yeah, just a follow-up!”
A sheen of nervous sweat beaded on Su Yuqiu’s forehead. She forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and raised her free hand’s index finger to explain.
“It’s… like this, Yezi. Asthma’s not quite a full-blown disease, but when it hits, it’s no joke. I’m here for a checkup, y’know? To head off any worsening—see if it’s allergies or what. Gotta monitor it right away.”
