“I, that day I was still chatting with Lu Tongtong. We were both reflecting—felt like our relationship faded not just from external stuff, but because neither of us aired our inner unhappiness. We both held it in. What do you think?”
Pei Yue looked at her for a bit. “Mm, probably.”
“Mm.” Bai Kou nodded. “See, Tongtong and I are just in different schools. Even without talking, we had all these issues. If one day one of us gets unhappy and doesn’t say it, wouldn’t problems come even easier?”
Hearing this, Pei Yue’s face showed a smile that made Bai Kou feel quite stifled.
After several seconds, she calmly answered Bai Kou. “What if the communication problem can’t be solved even after saying it?”
“Ah?” Bai Kou blanked.
Pei Yue: “Not saying it, you can play dumb. Say it, and the problem’s right there.”
Bai Kou felt the oppressive atmosphere even through the screen. This seemed like the first time in years they’d hit this state. She finally realized what felt off about Pei Yue—not smiling at her? No, she did smile, but they were fleeting, especially her eyes, no mirth at all.
“Pei Yue, don’t be so pessimistic.” Bai Kou forced a smile.
“I’m just stating facts.” Pei Yue turned her face away and said coolly. “Not pessimistic.”
Bai Kou couldn’t smile anymore either. She lowered her head, sighed softly, one hand dangling to press against the desk edge.
“It’s because I haven’t been able to chat with you long lately, right.” She paused, then said. “Feels like… we weren’t like this before.”
Pei Yue lowered her gaze, didn’t respond.
But in Bai Kou’s eyes, that counted as agreement.
“Mm… actually I…” Bai Kou wanted to say she completely understood Pei Yue’s unhappiness.
“Sorry, Bai Kou.” Pei Yue suddenly spoke up. “Don’t overthink it. I was in a really bad mood today… but it wasn’t all because of you. I… I was just a little upset. You asked me to wait ten minutes, but I ended up waiting over half an hour, so…”
She paused. “Last week was about the same. You said Xiao Xi-jie was busy alone in the kitchen and went to check on her. It took sixteen minutes.”
“Of course, I’m not saying you did anything wrong. I just… feel like we’re too far apart.” Pei Yue sighed. “We’re too far apart, and too many people need you. We have so little time together. You remind me of…”
My mom.
Pei Yue couldn’t voice those last three words.
It was only in that instant that she realized she had projected half of her hurt from being stood up by her family onto Bai Kou.
“…” Seeing Pei Yue’s pained expression, Bai Kou was speechless. “I… sorry…”
In the art studio, a classmate’s “in a bit” or a teacher’s “ten minutes” weren’t all that precise. Perhaps subconsciously, Bai Kou just treated them as synonyms for “hang on a sec.”
She and Pei Yue had weathered the long-distance between Guangzhou and Heyan, endured that initial difficult period of separation…
Everything had settled into stability.
Just like her and her mom, separated across places, sometimes going a week or half a month without a call, but every time they talked, they confirmed they loved each other as deeply as when they lived together.
In Bai Kou’s heart, Pei Yue wasn’t the old Lu Tongtong who once made her fear separation. But because of that, she overlooked how she might have become Pei Yue’s “Lu Tongtong.”
The two fell silent.
Yang Wanxi knocked on Bai Kou’s door from outside. “Bai Dou, Sun Yu is leaving. You seeing her off?”
A voice called from farther away. “No need for her to see me off—”
“Ah, I…” Bai Kou hesitated softly for a second and first looked toward Pei Yue on the video call.
Pei Yue’s expression had returned to normal, a gentle smile on her face. She told Bai Kou, “Someone’s looking for you? Go ahead.”
“It’s Sun Yu-jie leaving.” Bai Kou stood. “She helped me a lot, so—”
“Bai Kou.” Pei Yue’s voice was steady. “Don’t explain to me. I don’t want you turning into like this.”
Bai Kou pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay.”
That day, she still chatted with Pei Yue until the very last moment.
Hearing the knock, Bai Kou exited the video and collapsed powerlessly onto the desk.
She closed her eyes.
She felt a warm hand press against the skin of her nape and pinch lightly.
“Yang Kuikui, don’t mess with me. I’m in a bad mood today. Here’s my phone.” Bai Kou didn’t even lift her eyelids and handed it over blindly.
The other took it but said nothing.
“Do you think distance inevitably pulls two people further apart? Is it something we can’t fight? Why, even though Pei Yue and I try so hard, do we still end up like today?”
She paused, then muttered, “And you too… I’ve told you so much already…”
The person behind Bai Kou remained silent.
“Hmph.” Bai Kou slowly opened her eyes. “Pretending to be mute—you—Sis?”
Bai Yuqiao smiled faintly and reached out to ruffle Bai Kou’s hair: 【Come out for fruit.】
After the gesture, Bai Yuqiao lowered her arm and turned to leave, leaving Bai Kou sitting there in a daze.
It took a good while before Bai Kou raised her hand to cover her nape… incredulous.
She left the room. Yang Wanxi was sprawled sideways on the sofa munching an apple. Seeing her, she actually rolled her eyes, sat up, crossed her legs, and kept up the cold face while continuing to eat.
Bai Kou was still in shock from her sister pinching her neck and didn’t bicker with Yang Wanxi. She sat in the middle of the sofa and saw a bowl of peeled pomegranate on the table.
“Sigh, if I had such a great sister, I wouldn’t dare to date early.” Yang Wanxi said sourly beside her.
Bai Kou frowned at Yang Wanxi, thinking she must have taken something, since she’d been fine earlier but now started needling again after she took that call.
“What’re you looking at?” The needler kept needling.
“Tch.” Bai Kou paused a second, then immediately yelled toward the kitchen. “Sis! Yang Kuikui’s cursing me again!”
“This is me cursing you?” Yang Wanxi was speechless, uncrossed her legs, and scooted next to Bai Kou. “Didn’t you date early? You nearly died from staying up every week calling—I’m done with you!”
“That was from consecutive all-nighters without rest, not the calls.” Bai Kou said lowly.
“Oh, calling until four-thirty a.m. was my doing, and passing out the next day was me in the hospital.”
Bai Kou: “…”
“I should discuss with Yuqiao-jie confiscating your phone completely.” Yang Wanxi said. “What’s the point of leaving you two hours?”
“Hey, Yang Wanxi, aren’t you going a bit overboard today? What did I do to you?”
“Overboard? Sun Yu came over and you still had to go in and take that call? Do you even care about your future?”
“How am I not caring? I finished talking with Sun Yu-jie—”
“Enough!” Bai Xiaochu came out from the inner room. “Chattering nonstop late at night! Can’t you two shut it? I finally get a break! Louder than us loading cargo!”
“Sorry…” Bai Kou quieted down and lowered her head to scoop some pomegranate to eat.
After a bit, Bai Yuqiao turned off the kitchen light and came out, carrying two more bowls of pomegranate—one for Bai Xiaochu, one for Yang Wanxi.
After two “thanks,” she smiled, sat beside Bai Kou, and tucked back a loose strand of her hair.
A sweet smile immediately appeared on Bai Kou’s face. She even scooped a spoonful of pomegranate to feed her sister. “Sis, ahh—”
“…” Yang Wanxi watched silently.
She suddenly wondered when Yuqiao-jie would tell Bai Kou about that matter.
“How’s that? Sweet?” Bai Kou’s eyes sparkled as she watched Bai Yuqiao finish it, then she leaned coquettishly against her arm. “Super sweet because I fed it, right?”
Bai Yuqiao nodded with a smile.
“Kou Kou! You brought so many pomegranates!”
After Bai Kou set down the crate, Qiu Miaoran exclaimed in delight. “I said just bring one or two!”
“Eat them slowly.” Bai Kou smiled. “My good friend went back to her hometown with her mom. I asked her to mail some from there—extra sweet.”
Jin crouched down, opened the cardboard box, and took a plump red fruit from the foam. “Mm, heavy.”
“This one’s gotta be over a jin.” Bai Kou said. “If you’re worried about not finishing them, share with your classmates!”
Who could have thought.
Over the next week.
Every class’s homework included a pomegranate.
After the class change, Bai Kou’s homework scores finally improved—from tier 6 leaping to tier 3. Though still short of the top, she was plenty satisfied with the progress.
Along with her grade and mindset shift, she no longer pulled crazy all-nighters like before.
After class at nine-thirty every night, she stuck to painting only until midnight.
Leaving school, either her sister waited or Yang Kuikui did—sometimes both.
They crossed the street together, went home for fruit, chatted idly. By twelve-thirty at the latest, the two sisters shooed her back to her room and forced the lights off for rest.
Then every Saturday or weekend, Sun Yu would come to their home for a few hours alone with her.
From daily mental prep to exam tips, occasionally mixed with Central Academy of Fine Arts anecdotes… Bai Kou once felt it too troublesome and apologetic, but later learned her sister had hired Sun Yu-jie as a tutor—part friendship, but paid at market rate.
November 23rd. Confirmation at the Joint Entrance Exam site the next day.
Bai Kou grew a bit restless, cradling a bowl of kiwi Yang Wanxi had portioned for her, pacing the living room and occasionally glancing at the night view outside.
Yang Wanxi simply went to the window and opened it for her—
Whoosh—
A gust of cold wind brought instant clarity.
“Sigh.” Bai Kou sighed inexplicably. “Why no snow this year? The trees are all bare.”
Yang Wanxi leaned on the frame and side-eyed her. “Wanna see snow?”
“…No.” Bai Kou shook her head. “Just feeling sentimental.”
Yang Wanxi’s lips curved silently. She “bang” shut the window, draped an arm around Bai Kou’s shoulders, and pulled her inside. “Eat up. We’re chatting together tonight.”
“We?”
“Yeah, and Yuqiao-jie too. I cleared it with her.”
The room’s light was on the dimmest setting.
The three lay side by side on the bed like when they were kids, Yang Wanxi’s phone at the headboard playing Aurora.
Yang Wanxi gazed at the ceiling, humming softly. “The sky smiles, my world sparkles in color—”
“Pfft.” Bai Kou in the middle suddenly laughed outright.
Yang Wanxi cut off instantly, turned to glare, and reached to pinch her.
“Eee!” Bai Kou panicked and squirmed toward Bai Yuqiao. “Sis sis!” Nearly flattening onto her completely.
“Why’re you listening to such upbeat songs lately?” After settling back, Bai Kou turned to ask Yang Wanxi. “Didn’t you used to share all those sappy ones?”
Yang Wanxi: “…What sappy ones?”
“You know, Words Unspoken, Courage, The First Time I Loved… Mm.” Bai Kou’s mouth was covered.
Yang Wanxi: “Never replied once but memorized my playlist, huh?”
“Mmph, mmph mmph.” Bai Kou laughed.
They fell asleep before they knew it.
Bai Kou hugged Bai Yuqiao’s waist, forehead against the outside of her arm, using her as a body pillow.
Yang Wanxi opened her eyes and stared at Bai Kou’s nape for a bit, sighing soundlessly. She carefully reached out to lightly stroke Bai Kou’s ear—
“…”
“…”
Bai Yuqiao was taller than Bai Kou and lay positioned higher. She suddenly opened her eyes, looked past the top of Bai Kou’s head, and met Yang Wanxi’s gaze calmly.
Yang Wanxi’s hand froze midair, heart pounding “thump thump thump.” She could only switch gestures immediately.
“Mm…”
Bai Kou mumbled groggily, covering her ear. “What… who’s tugging me…”
