Chapter 35

“Ah! Bai Tongsheng, what are you doing!”

Wen Yuqiu grumbled discontentedly, glaring at the person who had yanked her right off Bai Shuangshuang.

Bai Tongsheng’s face darkened. “So you’re that person, huh.”

She hadn’t forgotten who had planted that kiss on Bai Shuangshuang’s cheek all those years ago.

And now, this girl dared to hug her right in front of Bai Tongsheng’s eyes.

Old grudges and new ones piled up, fueling a surge of jealousy.

Bai Shuangshuang dredged up that memory from the foggy corners of her mind. Marveling at the strange twists of fate, she realized Wen Yuqiu was that little kid from back then. Gently, she stroked the girl’s head. “You’ve grown so much. I thought I’d never run into you again.”

Wen Yuqiu’s eyes sparkled like stars. Up close, she looked even more like a delicate porcelain doll—adorable and utterly endearing.

Bai Tongsheng coldly snatched her hand back. “She hasn’t washed her hair in three days. Don’t touch it.”

Wen Yuqiu let out a wail. “Who said that? I washed it right before heading out this afternoon! Bai Tongsheng! Even if Sis is your girlfriend, you can’t slander me like this!”

Those three possessive words eased the tension in Bai Tongsheng’s expression just a fraction. “She’s acknowledged you now. That’s it, right? Let’s go.”

Wen Yuqiu scooted right up to Bai Shuangshuang’s side. She itched to take her hand but knew the jealous one next to them wouldn’t stand for it, so she held back.

“Sis, let’s walk together?”

Bai Tongsheng forced the words out through gritted teeth. “Wen Yuqiu, aren’t you going home by yourself?”

Wen Yuqiu stuck her tongue out at her. “Changed my mind. I ran into Sis, so of course we’ve got to catch up.”

Bai Shuangshuang felt a little embarrassed at being called “Sis” over and over. Bai Tongsheng had never called her that, not from childhood up to now. Hearing a girl the same age do it felt appropriate, sure, but it still threw her off.

So she suggested softly, “Why don’t you just call me by name, Yuqiu?”

Wen Yuqiu shook her head on instinct, then seemed to think better of it and nodded vigorously. “Sure thing, Shuangshuang!”

Bai Tongsheng’s face turned pitch black. “Wen Yuqiu, believe me when I say I’ll make the headlines tomorrow for murder and dismemberment.”

Wen Yuqiu promptly latched onto Bai Shuangshuang’s hand and shuddered theatrically. “Shuangshuang, Bai Tongsheng is so scary. Do something about her!”

Bai Shuangshuang found Wen Yuqiu’s personality endlessly entertaining and cute, so she actually turned to Bai Tongsheng, just as suggested. “A-Sheng, don’t talk like that.”

Bai Tongsheng shook with fury.

She didn’t utter another word for most of the walk home after that.

Wen Yuqiu, on the other hand, was thrilled. She chattered away without pause, drawing peals of laughter from Bai Shuangshuang time and again.

Every time Bai Shuangshuang laughed, Bai Tongsheng’s grip on her hand tightened just a little more.

“Then I’ll head off this way! Bye, Shuangshuang—I’ll come find you to hang out soon!”

“Okay.”

Bai Shuangshuang watched her bounce away, full of youthful energy and charm. Finally, she seemed like a girl in the full bloom of her teenage years.

As for the one beside her—

Bai Shuangshuang let out a sigh. They happened to be passing a narrow alley. She glanced around, tugged Bai Tongsheng inside, then rose on tiptoe and pressed her lips to the other girl’s beneath the glow of the streetlamp.

Bai Tongsheng swiftly turned the tables, backing her up step by step until her legs gave out. Only Bai Tongsheng’s arms, pulling her close, kept her from collapsing to the ground.

Bai Shuangshuang nipped playfully at the soft, exposed curve of Bai Tongsheng’s shoulder—not hard, just enough to tickle.

“Bai Shuangshuang, next time I won’t be so easy to soothe.”

~~~

Bai Shuangshuang pushed open the door to find several snacks already laid out beside Yu Xichi.

Yu Xichi blinked, tracing her gaze to the duck necks clutched in her own hand. She explained with an awkward smile, “Your uncle picked these up for me when he got back earlier. I forgot to mention it. Want you and Shengsheng to just have them?”

Bai Shuangshuang eyed the generous spread next to her and decided that would have to do.

~~~

Bai Shuangshuang wasn’t at all surprised when she ended up stuffed.

Uncomfortable, she curled into Bai Tongsheng’s arms. Bai Tongsheng’s hand moved in gentle circles over her belly.

“Dare eat that much next time?”

“You’re the one who wouldn’t touch it. It’s so hot out—they’d go bad by tomorrow.”

Bai Tongsheng chuckled. “You think our ancestors invented refrigerators just to look pretty?”

“Well, food always tastes different the next day. Better finish it off tonight.”

Bai Tongsheng shook her head in helpless amusement, letting the argument drop.

“I’m heading out tomorrow. Vacation starts in two weeks.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“How do you know? I never told you.”

She turned the person in her arms around to face her. “Is there anything about you that I don’t know?”

Bai Shuangshuang watched as she leaned in close and said shamelessly, “Kissing helps with digestion. Let’s give it a try.”

The already kissed Bai Shuangshuang thought: Bai Tongsheng, you’re spouting nonsense again!

~~~

“Shuangshuang, where do you girls want to go for fun this summer vacation? How about we take a trip to an ancient town?”

“An ancient town? Sure, this month?”

Yu Xichi swiped across her screen. “Let me check.”

“No need. Shuangshuang and I aren’t going anywhere.”

Yu Xichi frowned. “It’s rare for your dad and me to both have time off, and you’ve just finished the Gaokao. This is practically a once-in-a-century chance—why waste it? Besides, it’s your call if you don’t want to go, but Shuangshuang just said she’d come with me.”

“Since it’s such a rare opportunity, why don’t we be good kids and let you two enjoy some couple’s time alone?”

Yu Xichi opened her mouth to respond, but Bai Bingyang, who had been silent until then, immediately chimed in. “I think Shengsheng’s got the right idea. The girls are all grown up now—it’s normal for them not to want to travel with their parents. Honey, let’s just go by ourselves.”

The woman shot him a glare. “Since when did you and this girl see eye to eye? Fine then—you take her, and I’ll take Shuangshuang.”

“No way.”

“No!”

Bai Tongsheng and Bai Bingyang exchanged a silent glance, sharing a moment of unprecedented harmony as they did the exact same thing.

Each scooped up a girl in a princess carry and headed straight back to their rooms.

It was only after Yu Xichi had been set down on the bed that she snapped back to reality. “Hold on! If I didn’t see wrong just now, Shuangshuang got carried off too?”

“Yeah, she did. What’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem? Your daughter Bai Tongsheng used a princess carry too!”

Bai Bingyang: “…”

“You must’ve seen it wrong.”

“I’m not blind, and I’m not seeing things! No, something feels off. I need to go check.”

Bai Bingyang tried to hold her back. “Check what? Whether Shengsheng princess-carried Shuangshuang? The sisters are close—what’s wrong with that? Besides, our Shengsheng’s got some real strength. Guess she inherited that from me.”

Yu Xichi ignored the foolish man and swatted his hand away. “Don’t hold me back. I’m going to take a look.”

Unable to talk her out of it, Bai Bingyang got out of bed, slipped on his slippers, and followed her out.

Bai Shuangshuang’s door was cracked open a sliver—likely forgotten in the rush when they entered. Yu Xichi usually knocked, but today her anxiety won out, and she pushed right in.

There, she caught sight of the two figures in the room hastily pulling apart.

Bai Tongsheng calmly wiped her mouth. “Don’t you know to knock before coming in?”

Next to her unflappable demeanor, the two at the door—shocked speechless, mouths agape wide enough to swallow eggs—seemed ridiculously over-the-top.

Yu Xichi asked, “Did you hear that sound?”

“W-What?”

“The sound of our house collapsing.”

~~~

Bai Shuangshuang’s hands twisted together anxiously until another hand pressed down on them, steadying her nerves a little.

She didn’t dare look up at the two adults, terrified of what she might see.

The four of them sat on the two sofas in tense silence, no one daring to speak.

Shuangshuang cracked first. “Auntie, Uncle, I’m sorry—it was me who—”

“You’re not in the wrong.”

“You did nothing wrong.”

The two voices rang out in perfect unison. One belonged to Bai Tongsheng; the other drew Shuangshuang’s instinctive gaze upward to its source.

Yu Xichi rubbed her forehead, a headache brewing. “That scene was pretty shocking for me, sure, but Shuangshuang, you didn’t do anything wrong. When you like someone, you like them. Auntie isn’t some rigid old traditionalist—I know a thing or two about feelings like yours.”

Bai Bingyang started to speak. “But I think—”

“Shut it. If you don’t want to hear this, go back to your room.”

“Oh. Shutting up.”

As always, the man held the least authority in the household.

“The next question’s for you, Shuangshuang, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Shuangshuang tensed up as she heard it. “How long?”

Bai Tongsheng had been the calmest of them all from start to finish. She shot back, “What?”

“How long have you two been together?”

“Since the Gaokao ended.”

“You don’t waste time. Had this planned out ages ago, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. What else?”

Yu Xichi’s face darkened. “Bai Tongsheng, fix your attitude. You’re the one under scrutiny here—stop acting like you’re the one interrogating me, alright?”

Without missing a beat, she switched to a look of feigned panic. “Better like this?”

“Mm, just like that. If you tense up a little more, it’ll be even better.”

Bai Tongsheng rolled her eyes.

“You two like this right now—honestly, it’s putting me in a tough spot. Let me think. Shuangshuang, even though this is the only way, I still feel kind of bad about it for you. So you might have to make the sacrifice. Okay?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

Yu Xichi shot her a glare. “Am I asking you right now? Just like your dad—shut your mouth!”

Bai Tongsheng stared right back without backing down, enunciating each word seriously. “Asking me to give up? Impossible.”

Shuangshuang, who had bowed her head again, lifted it to look at Yu Xichi. Her eyes held an apology, but also a spark of resolve.

“Auntie, I really do like A-Sheng. I’m truly sorry, but I can’t give up on her. Sorry.”

Bai Tongsheng took one of her hands and, right in front of the other two, leaned in close to whisper in her ear, “I’m so happy.”

Yu Xichi finally couldn’t stomach the sight of their open display of affection. She rapped sharply on the table. When they looked her way, she rolled her eyes with exaggerated force.

“What the hell are you two talking about? What I mean is—if you want to get married, Shuangshuang’s household registration probably can’t stay under your dad’s name—”

The issue had arisen so suddenly that Yu Xichi hadn’t even had a chance to look into household registration procedures yet. But whatever needed to be done, there had to be a way.

No sooner had she said it than Shuangshuang murmured softly, “But… we haven’t thought about getting married.”

“You haven’t thought about getting married?!”

“Then who do you want to marry?!”

Shuangshuang stared at the people around her, each one more worked up than the last. She shrank back, utterly baffled by how things had taken this turn.