Chapter 66

“What? Bai Yuqiao was just home?”

Bai Kou came out after washing up, blow-drying her hair as she listened to Bai Xiaochu finish speaking, then abruptly turned off the hairdryer and spun around in surprise.

“Why is it all Bai Yuqiao this and Bai Yuqiao that now? You should still call her ‘sister,’ you know.” Bai Xiaochu looked utterly helpless. “She came back not long after you left. She even planned to go pick you up.”

Bai Kou turned back, stared at herself in the mirror for a moment with a bitter face, then immediately lifted her hands to prop up the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile as she turned the hairdryer back on amid the whir of the wind.

“I’m 26. No need to trouble her to pick me up.”

Of course, Bai Xiaochu didn’t hear that sentence and continued, “I told you about her phone getting accidentally smashed a few days ago, right?”

“What happened?” Bai Kou couldn’t hear clearly and turned off the hairdryer again, though she didn’t turn around this time.

“Her phone.” Bai Xiaochu said, “I remember telling you on the day you picked me up. She video-called me using her friend’s phone and said hers was broken, so don’t send WeChat messages to her usual number—call that one instead if there’s anything.”

“Did you?” Bai Kou frowned in thought. “I don’t remember.”

“Look at your memory. Whatever, it’s not important.”

Bai Kou let out a “Mm,” pressed her fingertip on the switch, paused for two seconds, and asked, “So, is the phone fixed now?”

“It is. Oh right, the phone isn’t the point.” With that, Bai Xiaochu quickly stood and walked behind Bai Kou. “Do you know if Yuqiao is dating someone?”

“Wh-what?”

Bai Xiaochu had spoken too quickly that time, and Bai Kou hadn’t reacted at all.

“This is what Auntie Gao and I were guessing too. Though I was pretty surprised that Yuqiao likes girls, with your Auntie Yang going first, I’m okay with it. But Wenlan… well, she’s still got some mixed feelings about it—”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Bai Kou raised a hand to cut off Bai Xiaochu. “What the heck? Dating? Liking girls? When did all this happen?”

Yuqiao was a fierce one too.

Bai Xiaochu explained that she’d always seemed so sensible growing up—orderly, obedient, understanding. From school to work, she never caused any worry. How was it that this woman in her thirties suddenly dropped a bombshell on Wenlan, saying she had a girl she’d liked for many years in Heyan, so she was joining their company’s latest project there?

“Oh right.” Bai Xiaochu suddenly clapped her hands. “It’s that one with Tongtong and them—Jingshan Zoo.”

Bai Kou’s mouth fell slightly open as she quietly listened to Bai Xiaochu’s whole spiel, then couldn’t hold back and let out a genuine “Ah?”

Well then.

Though she and Bai Yuqiao hadn’t been in touch all these years, that didn’t stop her from being shocked that Bai Yuqiao had a “girl she’d liked for many years.”

Everyone said Yang Wanxi was the early romance one, but she was the real early bird… Could Bai Yuqiao be the one who’d hidden it deepest?

“Who is that person? Did Bai Yuqiao tell you?”

Bai Xiaochu “tsked” at Bai Kou. “Be a little more polite, will you? Stop calling your sister by her full name all the time. She didn’t say, so that’s why we’re asking you.”

“Me?” Bai Kou laughed in disbelief and shook her head. “If you don’t know, how would I?”

“You’re sisters, after all.” Bai Xiaochu said, “Your Auntie Gao and I are the elders—we can’t just pry into you kids’ business. Why don’t you ask her when you have time?”

“If it’s not convenient for you, why would it be for me?” Bai Kou unceremoniously turned the hairdryer back on at full blast. “Ask someone else—”

“Someone else? Who else is there besides you—” Bai Xiaochu had to shout over the wind. “Aren’t you worried your sister might get hurt in this situation—”

Bai Kou fell silent.

That night, she lay in bed with her eyes closed, her mind constantly mulling over how to broach the documentary filming with Yang Wanxi.

Jingshan Zoo was right next to Shijing Lake Park. Back in the day, she and the others had loved going to feed the monkeys there.

She still remembered how she’d gotten careless once, and a monkey scratched her index finger, breaking the skin with blood pouring out.

Blood pooled at her fingertip as little Bai Kou stared at it, frozen in place.

Everyone who’d gone with her had scattered by then, and no one noticed the injured Bai Kou. She stared at her bleeding fingertip for a bit, then looked around in bewilderment.

It was Yang Wanxi, who had just finished feeding the rabbits, who stood up and called back to her. The moment their eyes met, Bai Kou felt the pain and burst into loud “wah” cries.

“…”

Even now, recalling that heart-piercing pain from back then made Bai Kou shudder.

She lifted her right hand and silently rubbed her index finger.

Then she reached for her phone, opened the chat with Yang Wanxi for the second time, started typing… Sigh… But…

She deleted all the text in one go.

These past eight years, she’d been busy and so had Yang Wanxi. In the first year, they’d occasionally bicker online about the pros and cons of studying abroad.

Later, once Yang Wanxi suddenly blew up in fame and got swamped, they barely crossed paths even during New Year. It became just like the situation back when Bai Kou and Pei Yue drifted apart—chats dwindled, they stopped meeting, and naturally, they thought of each other less and less.

Buzz.

A message popped up in the blank chat box.

Yang Wanxi: What’s taking you so long to decide what to say?

Bai Kou froze for a moment, then typed back dryly after a bit: Uh, there’s a collaboration. Wondering if you have time?

Yang Wanxi: Too lazy to type. Voice message it is.

They hadn’t spoken in so long that after connecting, the other side stayed completely quiet. Bai Kou fumbled awkwardly for several seconds—it felt harder than starting a convo with a stranger—before finally saying, “Hello? Yang Wanxi?”

“If you’re doing a voice call, skip the greetings.” Yang Wanxi’s voice came through. “Get to the point.”

Bai Kou said “oh,” cleared her throat, and recounted everything Lu Tongtong had told her about the Park District situation and the collaboration details.

“That’s the gist. Of course, it’s just a general direction—they still need to check your schedule. If it works for both sides, the Jingshan Zoo lead will chat details with you all.”

Yang Wanxi went silent for two seconds, then said, “Got it. For the collaboration, have Tongtong contact the Park District and reach out to my agent.”

“Ah.”

Bai Kou faltered, inwardly cursing herself for assuming too much. Of course—Yang Wanxi had an agency. How could they just get a straight answer like that?

Lu Tongtong had come to her in the first place because Yang Wanxi’s agency had already turned down the Park District rep.

Looked like this really wasn’t happening.

Bai Kou sighed slowly, then smiled and replied, “Alright, thanks for today then. Hanging up.”

“Wait.” Yang Wanxi paused. “What do you think?”

“What?”

Yang Wanxi: “What do you think of this collaboration?”

“Me?” Bai Kou smiled. “I don’t know much about this stuff.”

Yang Wanxi: “You don’t need to. Just tell me—would you want me to take it?”

Bai Kou: “……Uh.”

Yang Wanxi: “You came to me because you think I might take it, right?”

Bai Kou: “…” How was she supposed to respond to that? Could she say no?

“Bai Kou.” Yang Wanxi pressed. “Answer me.”

Bai Kou sighed, then honestly replied after a few seconds, “Yeah. I wanted to help Tongtong, didn’t think too deeply…”

“Got it.” Yang Wanxi cut her off. “Have Tongtong send me the materials. I’ll look tomorrow.”

How rare.

After all these years, that night Bai Kou actually dreamed of their childhood. She sat between her two sisters blowing bubbles. Yang Wanxi blocked them away in clear dislike, while Bai Yuqiao raised a finger.

“Honk.”

Her fingertip popped a colorful, dreamy bubble.

The next day, Bai Kou got up early. As an external collaborator, she’d been invited to the zoo for a pre-year mobilization meeting.

She grabbed a bag of cookies from the table, stuffed a box of yogurt from the fridge into her pocket, put on her shoes, and was about to head out.

Beep beep beep.

The electronic lock beeped outside, followed by a “buzz”—unlock failed.

Bai Kou froze, hands on hips as she glared toward the window with an uncomfortable expression.

No need to guess.

The person outside who’d forgotten the password and wasn’t fingerprinted had to be Bai Yuqiao.

As she pressed down on the door handle to open it the second time, the beeping started up again outside.

The door opened.

Bai Kou stood ramrod straight, looking at Bai Yuqiao.

Bai Yuqiao stood ramrod straight too, looking back at Bai Kou, then gave her a smile.

Bai Xiaochu, hearing the noise, yawned as she came out of the bedroom. She took one look at the pair by the door and laughed. “Yuqiao’s back?”

A minute later, Bai Kou was dragged into the kitchen by the hand.

“Perfect timing—you’re going too. Wait for Yuqiao so she doesn’t have to take a cab and bother herself.”

One hand gripped by Bai Xiaochu, Bai Kou stuffed the other into her down jacket in speechless frustration. “She always takes cabs herself. How much trouble is that?”

“Bai Kou!” Bai Xiaochu was genuinely upset now, frowning deeply. “How can you act like this when Yuqiao’s been so good to you since you were little?”

“…Mom, I just mean we’re both grown up now. She’s her, I’m me. No need to tie us together, right?”

Bai Xiaochu understood Bai Kou on many things, but not this one. “Bai Kou, if you’re still upset all these years because Yuqiao reconnected with her mom, I think on that matter too—”

“Fine, fine, fine.”

Bai Kou could talk to Bai Xiaochu about many things, but not this one anymore. She simply hugged her mom and patted her back. “I’ll wait for her. No more talk, okay?”

Monday morning—late start meant rush hour traffic, total gridlock.

Bai Kou gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed straight ahead, as if there weren’t an extra person in the passenger seat today.

Bai Yuqiao didn’t mind. She stared openly at Bai Kou for a bit, then looked down at the empty center console below the front windshield.

She lowered her gaze and suddenly smiled to herself, thinking, ‘The aromatherapy I gave her—Bai Kou really doesn’t know how to use it.’

After idling with the pack for a while, the car moved forward again.

“Oh, right.” Bai Kou spoke coldly. “Do you know anyone from before at Jingshan Zoo?”

After asking, she glanced at Bai Yuqiao, who happened to be looking back at her—but neither nodded nor shook her head.

She just looked at her.

“It’s not me.” Bai Kou explained. “Mom saw you suddenly coming back to this small place to work and got worried. She’s too embarrassed to ask, so she had me do it.”

With that, she glanced at Bai Yuqiao again.

This time, the other woman wasn’t looking at her. Instead, after hearing the explanation, she smiled while turning to gaze out the window.

Bai Kou immediately gritted her teeth.

This was still the issue between her and Bai Yuqiao. The day after that incident, Bai Yuqiao had acted like nothing happened and kept showing concern for her.

In the weeks, months, and years after, whenever they met, Bai Yuqiao would sit calmly beside Bai Kou just like now, breezy as ever.

It felt like even if Bai Kou ever snapped and bit her hard in a fit of anger, Bai Yuqiao would patiently wait for the skin to break and bleed, wait for Bai Kou to freak out and run first—then either watch calmly or walk over covered in blood to comfort her.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt much.”

In short, it made her seem so mature, like any lingering grudge from Bai Kou over that past triviality meant she wasn’t mature enough.

The car pulled into the Park District, nearing the venue for their meeting. Bai Kou hit the brakes, unlocked all the doors via the center console, and shot Bai Yuqiao a frosty look.

“We’re here. Get out.”

Bai Yuqiao nodded, already opening the door, but then straightened up, turned back, and gestured with her hands: 【You?】

Her eyes held clear concern and amusement. Bai Kou wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen it, but Bai Yuqiao kept staring straight at her after asking.

“I’m going up ahead to park.” Bai Kou had to answer.

“Bang.”

Bai Yuqiao closed the door: 【I’ll go with you.】

The two got out, one in front of the other, heading toward the venue. Bai Kou didn’t want to wait for Bai Yuqiao, didn’t want to show up together in front of everyone, didn’t want the fuss of “Oh, you’re sisters?”

She walked fast.

Faster than she had in a long time.

She even checked the venue glass on her left now and then to confirm she’d put distance between them and Bai Yuqiao.

Luckily.

The person behind walked slowly, showing no intent to catch up.

“Bai Kou! Guess who’s coming today!” Lu Tongtong clutched a few sheets of paper and ran over joyfully the moment she spotted Bai Kou.

Bai Kou: “I know, I know. Shh, don’t tell anyone about my connection to her.”

“Ah?” Lu Tongtong blinked. “Didn’t you say you two aren’t close?”

“I said what I said, but the fact we’ve known each other since we were kids isn’t changing.”

“Oh.” Lu Tongtong nodded. “Alright, that makes sense too. Then I’ll keep it confidential!”

After sitting down, Bai Kou lowered her head and frowned as she flipped through the conference materials Lu Tongtong had brought for a good long while.

“Cough cough, um—” It was not until the microphone sounded in the venue.

Bai Kou looked up.

“…”

The one sitting in front of her, dressed in a light-colored sweater, was Pei Yue.

To her right, having just shaken hands with the Park District leaders and dressed in a long black coat, was Bai Yuqiao, who now walked over with the leaders to take her seat.

“Huh?” Lu Tongtong beside her noticed it too. “Bai Kou, why is Sister Yuqiao here?”

“You.” Bai Kou twitched the corner of her mouth. “Weren’t you just talking about Bai Yuqiao?”

“What I meant was—”

Lu Tongtong pointed at Pei Yue’s back, finishing the second half of her sentence silently. “Her.”