After all, she had once gone through the situation of liking someone but not daring to say it.
With just a few short words, Bai Yuqiao swept away all of Bai Kou’s worries and regrets from the past eight years.
That afternoon, she squatted on the boardwalk taking in the scenery and watched the two red pandas fight fiercely. All she could think about was, ‘So that’s why Bai Yuqiao acted that way back then, like she didn’t know how to tell me… It all made sense in an instant.’
Moreover, she had probably still liked Pei Yue at the time?
If she were Bai Yuqiao, she would have run away too.
After her understanding shattered and reformed, Bai Kou couldn’t help but recall how coldly she had treated Bai Yuqiao over these years. Putting herself in those shoes, if she had almost spilled her feelings to Yang Wanxi as a child, only for Yang Wanxi to give her the cold shoulder for eight long years…
Thud!
Before she could finish pondering, one of the red pandas crashed into her waist mid-fight.
Then she toppled over from the momentum, blinked, and ended up sitting dumbly on the boardwalk.
“Pfft.”
Where did that laugh come from?
Bai Kou instinctively turned her head and saw the big star still in her Park District uniform stopped below the boardwalk. Someone was talking to her nearby. When their eyes met, the big star drew one hand out from her crossed arms, held back a face full of laughter, and waved at her before calling out loudly.
“Bai Doudou—be careful—how did you even get knocked over by a red panda—”
Hearing this, Bai Kou felt her face heat up. She quickly stood. “How did you all end up here?”
“I—”
Yang Wanxi had just started to speak when a staff member approached and blocked her, clipping a microphone to her collar. Then a stylist came with a fine comb and styling spray, fussing over her hair.
After all the bustling, Bai Kou had come down from the boardwalk and stood beside Yang Wanxi, her gaze fixed on the stylist’s hands arranging the top of Yang Wanxi’s hair.
Tease, hook, hold the curve, spray… How could someone’s hands be so deft? Bai Kou thought.
“Jianjian and the others went to sleep,” Yang Wanxi continued. “So we came to this pavilion first.”
Bai Kou’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She let out an “oh” while pulling it out. It was a message from the factory asking about the pavilion badge collection.
So Bai Kou stood there, frowning in front of Yang Wanxi as her fingers tapped away nonstop.
Yang Wanxi kept her gaze on Bai Kou’s face the whole time. Only when Bai Kou looked up and said, “I have something to do, I’m heading out,” did she nod leisurely, raise two or three fingers, and wave them lightly. “Bye-bye. Watch your step, Bai Doudou. Don’t go falling on your butt again.”
Back when they had been on really good terms, whenever Bai Kou got a minor injury, Yang Wanxi would tease and remind her just like this.
Bai Kou didn’t mind that much. It was just hearing Yang Wanxi suddenly call her “Bai Doudou” over and over that felt weird… though she couldn’t quite say why. Maybe it was the psychological impact from her… sister’s words.
“Got it.” Bai Kou paused for two seconds before smiling and nodding. “Good luck with the shoot too.”
Yang Wanxi watched her and blinked extremely slowly.
Just then, the styling finished, and the people around Yang Wanxi dispersed. The one who had just said “bye-bye” stepped around the tree stump on the ground and walked up to Bai Kou in two or three steps.
She probably wanted to get close to the little animals, because Yang Wanxi had no fragrance on her lately. She smelled faintly neutral, as if she had already blended into the zoo.
“How should I ‘good luck’?” Yang Wanxi’s eyes shone brightly as she stared straight at Bai Kou’s eyes with a smile.
“…” No, really, the strange feeling grew stronger. Bai Kou inexplicably felt awkward. “Uh, just good luck however you usually do?”
“Oh.” Yang Wanxi nodded, her tone carrying even more obvious amusement. “Usually my assistant hugs me and sincerely says good luck. She’s not here today, so who do you think could replace her and give me a hug?”
“You’re really… you’re basically just short of naming me directly.” Bai Kou laughed. She generously spread her arms. “Come on then.”
Yang Wanxi pressed her lips together, clearly holding back a big laugh. She crossed her arms and turned her face away. “Huh? I was going to have a red panda hug me. I never said I wanted you to hug me.”
Bai Kou’s whole body stiffened. Her hands clenched tight. She was so embarrassed she gritted her teeth, dying to punch this punchable Yang Wanxi right then.
Yang Wanxi turned back to see her like this and finally couldn’t hold it in. She laughed so hard her whole body shook.
“Yes, yes, exactly like that. That’s how you looked as a kid when you got mad and cursed me out, hahahahaha.”
“…You.” It took Bai Kou half a day to squeeze out a word from between her teeth.
“Just teasing.” Yang Wanxi switched gears again. She leaned forward, gazing into Bai Kou’s eyes. “Bai Kou, I really need a hug from you, but I don’t want it to be because I begged. So next time, if you’re willing, you could take the initiative and hug me…”
With that, she extended her index finger and gently drew a circle on Bai Kou’s right cheek, then lightly tapped the center.
“Okay?”
Yang Wanxi focused intently on Bai Kou’s eyes.
Dead serious.
Not a hint of laughter.
Crazy, crazy, everything’s gone crazy!
Bai Kou hurried out of the Red Panda Pavilion. What was with today? First Bai Yuqiao, now Yang Wanxi—both suddenly turned into people she didn’t recognize?
And Bai Kou couldn’t even tell Lu Tongtong about this.
What would she say?
That the sister I thought just wanted to leave our family actually liked me?
That the friend I knew since childhood—who I even had a crush on—suddenly went off the rails and seems to like me too, hitting me with an obvious straight ball? Oh right, and she’s your current favorite actress.
Crazy? Or am I the crazy one?
A dream?
Bai Kou stopped abruptly and pinched her cheek hard.
Hiss—
It hurt.
At quitting time, Bai Kou thought there was no way she could go home with Bai Yuqiao today.
She needed at least one night alone to calm down.
Bai Kou slumped anxiously into the car seatback and thought for a long while. Hmm, tonight I’ll just say the factory has something, stay out, and let her take a cab home.
She opened the WeChat contact named “Daydream Fish.” Ah, quickly tap the top right, change the note back to “Sister” properly.
Bai Kou: 【Sister, I have to go check at the factory tonight】
Hmm, not quite right. She hadn’t typed those two words in so long that even the input suggestion had become “nodule.” Sending it like this suddenly would seem even weirder?
She adjusted the cursor and deleted “Sister”: 【I have to go check samples at the factory tonight, heading out. Won’t be back tonight.】
Hmm, was that too cold?
Adjust cursor again and delete “heading out. Won’t be back tonight”: 【I have to go check samples at the factory tonight. Time’s tight so I’m driving off first. Be safe going home alone.】
“…Yeah, this should be okay.” Bai Kou bit her lip and muttered at her phone.
Tap tap tap.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her car window from outside.
Bai Kou turned and saw it was “Daydream Fish” herself. Her heart tightened. She instinctively pressed her phone to her leg.
She didn’t know the screen had mis-touched and sent the message automatically. When she rolled down the window, Bai Yuqiao picked up her phone and glanced at it.
“You’re done?” Bai Kou said. “So early today?”
Bai Yuqiao locked her phone, let her arm drop, and nodded quietly at her.
Bai Kou said “oh” and inexplicably nodded too, scratching behind her ear, unsure what to say.
A few seconds later, she remembered and smiled. “Then, uh, get in. I have nothing else. Let’s head straight home?”
Bai Yuqiao neither nodded nor shook her head. After Bai Kou finished speaking, she circled around the front of the car and quickly sat in the passenger seat.
The car was sealed shut, and the familiar scent enveloped Bai Kou at once. Even back when their relationship was at its worst, Bai Kou hadn’t paid much attention to this smell.
Now she twisted to adjust her seatbelt and found that no matter how she breathed, the everyday Shufujia fragrance clung to her firmly.
Psychological effects were truly terrifying. The more you tried not to notice, the more you did…
After thinking that, she buckled up. Before starting the car, Bai Kou habitually glanced at the passenger seat.
“You—” She gestured. “Buckle your seatbelt.” Her tone automatically softened quite a bit.
Bai Yuqiao still didn’t move. She turned her head and looked at her quietly for two seconds: 【You don’t need to mind what I said this morning.】
Bai Kou was stunned. She hadn’t expected her to bring up the morning again at such close range. A sound slowly escaped her lips: “Ah…” as she gathered her words.
Bai Yuqiao smiled. Her usually somewhat cold eyes curved gently, very tender. She continued signing: 【I did like you, but not anymore. You don’t need to overthink it.】
【Don’t feel sorry. Those were my choices, not your fault.】
【I should be the one saying sorry to you.】
Bai Yuqiao worked hard to express herself right in front of her. Bai Kou watched, her lips moving, but she couldn’t get a word in.
Bai Yuqiao: 【I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable because of me. From now on, you don’t need to wait for me after work. In a few days, I’ll move out.】
Bai Kou blurted out quickly: “What? Move out? Why?”
Bai Yuqiao: 【Mom decided to come here. I’ll move in with her.】
Bai Kou’s right hand gripped the hem of her jacket tightly. Words to keep her stayed on the tip of her tongue, but looking into Bai Yuqiao’s eyes, she couldn’t say them.
“Oh… Auntie Gao is coming…”
That evening, Bai Yuqiao didn’t go home with her. She said she had dinner plans with a friend and would head back after.
After smiling and signing “bye-bye” to Bai Kou, she got out without hesitation. Bang. The door shut, and she walked backward.
Bai Kou’s face followed her backward, backward, until she couldn’t crane her neck anymore, then snapped to the left. She really saw Bai Yuqiao get out and head toward the Park District exit on her own.
Buzz buzz.
Only after the figure completely vanished did Bai Kou’s phone light up. She didn’t know what she was thinking. She sighed and picked it up to look.
Sister: 【Okay, you be safe too.】
It rained that night—a heavy spring downpour.
The empty living room was dark, but the adjacent dining table glowed under the light.
Bai Kou sat alone at the table, hunched over, knuckles against her forehead, reviewing, sorting, thinking.
And worrying.
Such a heavy rain, nearing eleven at night—Heyan streets made it hard to catch a cab.
Especially for someone who couldn’t easily take calls.
What if she hadn’t come back after so long and wasn’t familiar with the roads?
What if she knew the roads but the driver called for directions and couldn’t communicate?
Bai Kou thought and thought, over and over.
Snap.
Lights off inside.
Bang.
Door shut.
Bai Kou ran downstairs while calling, and the call connected quickly.
“You didn’t reply to my WeChat messages. Send me your location first, and turn on real-time sharing.”
“I’m coming to pick you up.”
