Chapter 24: Holding Part 2

Ning Ke nodded, a hint of self-mockery in her tone: “I am. How could I not be.”

Ning Ke moved past her. Unsteady from drink, she almost crumpled to the floor, and Yan Yunzhi hurriedly caught her: “Ning Ke?”

Ning Ke did not straighten up, lying half in the crook of her arm, her voice very soft: “Yan Yunzhi… why did you only come back now.”

But Ning Ke seemed to wake up quickly, struggling to stand from her arm, kicking off her high heels, and climbing the stairs step by step. Her back looked as glamorous as ever, yet somehow lonely.

“Ning Ke?”

“Don’t bother me… tomorrow is your grandpa’s birthday. We need to go there. I know. I know all of it.”

Yan Yunzhi watched Ning Ke’s stubborn, distant back.

In that moment, she suddenly understood.

“Yan Yunzhi… why did you only come back now.”

Ning Ke was not saying that to the her of now. She was saying it to the her who had been gone for so many years.

…

Ning Ke did not sleep well that night.

Whether because she was at the edge of the bed, she initially felt a draft leaking through the blankets—a bit cold. By the latter half of the night, she was no longer cold, but her arm felt heavy, unable to move.

Before the alarm rang, Ning Ke had a bit of awareness.

Something felt off… it seemed her hand was being pressed by someone. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to pull her hand free, but her fingertips touched warm, soft skin. The nerve endings on her fingertips were extremely sensitive—she was fully awake.

She opened her eyes and found herself… hugging Yan Yunzhi in her sleep.

How was this possible? Hadn’t they agreed last night that she would not squeeze her?

Ning Ke did not move. She reached back with her right hand and directly touched empty space… So she was the one who had pressed Yan Yunzhi into the corner, hugging her as she slept…

Or, more accurately, she had squeezed into Yan Yunzhi’s embrace.

This person’s embrace had a faint, bittersweet medicinal scent, yet it was reassuring.

Ning Ke finally understood why she could not pull her hand free.

Her left arm was wrapped around Yan Yunzhi’s slender waist—because it was so thin, her arm wrapped all the way around, her hand resting on the side of the waist pressed against the bed, fingers even slipped under the clothes, touching a hint of warm, smooth skin.

It was not an illusion from a dream.

Ning Ke held her breath, her fingertips frozen, not daring to move again.

She kept the position, not moving.

She realized she was nestled in the crook of Yan Yunzhi’s neck, her chin almost touching… that soft, warm place.

Yan Yunzhi was still fast asleep, her breathing steady, rising and falling.

…She was not wearing a bra.

The thought surfaced, and Ning Ke almost suffocated from her own stupidity.

What woman slept in a bra?

Her thoughts drifted, and she remembered the time she had seen Yan Yunzhi in the shower… But within two seconds, she forced the thought away.

…Was she a pervert?

Ning Ke forcibly reined in her thoughts and let out a soft breath.

Last night she had sworn she would not touch or squeeze her, and now… She did not move immediately, afraid that if she stirred, Yan Yunzhi would wake, and if their eyes met, she would never explain herself.

Ning Ke maintained her original position, slowly inching backward.

But she did not dare touch Yan Yunzhi’s waist, and she carefully moved her face back bit by bit, controlling the distance. If she could just withdraw her hand, she could return to her own spot.

Just then, the 7:30 alarm rang.

Yan Yunzhi reached for her phone and turned it off.

She was awake.

Ning Ke’s heart sank. Without time to think, she instinctively closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Coming fully awake from her early-morning daze, Yan Yunzhi realized who was holding her.

She had slept so deeply last night, she did not know when Ning Ke had wrapped herself around her—a warm, soft body held so tightly.

Yan Yunzhi could not help stroking the top of her head and looking down at her, her breath soft and gentle, scattering down.

Ning Ke kept her eyes shut. Under Yan Yunzhi’s gaze, her dense, slender lashes trembled faintly, like butterfly wings.

She was pretending to be asleep.

Yan Yunzhi’s lips curved as she noticed the lashes trembling faster and faster. She called her softly: “Ning Ke, time to get up.”

Ning Ke kept her eyes tightly shut, determined to commit to the act.

“Ning Ke,” Yan Yunzhi did not do as she wished. She leaned close to Ning Ke’s ear, her breath falling on the pale shell of her ear, her lowered voice carrying a lazy sensuality. “I know you’re awake.”

When the words faded, Ning Ke slowly opened her eyes, pretending to be groggy: “It’s so early. Why are you so noisy?”

With that, she naturally let go and rolled toward the outer edge of the bed, successfully returning to her spot.

Her tone should be calm and natural, her expression composed.

As long as she could keep up the act, there was no problem.

Yan Yunzhi watched her movements, laughter suppressed in her voice: “Just woke up?”

It was clearly a teasing tone, as if she did not quite believe her, or deliberately trying to embarrass her.

Ning Ke was furious, clutching the blanket corner to her chest.

How could Yan Yunzhi be like this!

Wasn’t she always gentle, considerate, and dignified?

Why had she been acting like she had taken the wrong medicine these past two days? Yesterday in the car, she had said she was holding the magazine upside down, and now this. When something embarrassing happened, should she not just turn a blind eye?

Had Ning Ke offended her or something?

Ning Ke yawned, sat up, and said in a deliberately fierce tone: “Didn’t sleep well. Last night you squeezed me awake. I was annoyed, so I squeezed you back.”

Being fierce was the way—if she was fierce, no one dared say anything to her.

If Yan Yunzhi dared say another word, she would turn against her today!

“Oh…” Yan Yunzhi sat up as well, unsurprised by her answer, nodding as if convinced. “I slept deeply last night. Maybe I squeezed you. Sorry, Little Ning.”

Her voice was a little hoarse from just waking.

That final “Little Ning” was gentle, with a hint of indulgent affection.

Ning Ke: “Forget it. I won’t hold it against you.”

She rubbed her ear hidden in her hair, got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and started walking: “It’s almost time. I’ll step out—you get changed first.”

“No need,” Yan Yunzhi stopped her. “There’s a camera in the yard. Don’t go out.”

“The camera might not even be on,” Ning Ke hesitated. If it was on and she went out in her pajamas, that would indeed be bad.

“It’s fine,” Yan Yunzhi picked up the clothes she would wear today, her voice calm. “We’re both women. Nothing to see anyway.”

Ning Ke: “…”

That was exactly what she had said the day she had walked in on Yan Yunzhi in the shower, was it not?

She sat with her back to Yan Yunzhi: “Right. Nothing to see.”

Yan Yunzhi said nothing more. She was changing.

Behind her came a soft rustling—the sound of fabric brushing against fabric, soon placed on the bed. The sound was faint, yet inexplicably burrowed into Ning Ke’s ears.

Ning Ke could not take it anymore.

Just changing clothes—why was it so slow?

Before she could voice the urge to hurry, Yan Yunzhi said: “I’m done.”

Ning Ke turned around and saw she was wearing the beige wool sweater she had given her before.

That kind of clothing suited her very well—a swan neck, a gentle beige that was soft like water.

She layered it with a smoky gray coat, her usual clean, simple style.

To make moving easy, Ning Ke also dressed simply: a white sweater, black cigarette pants, and brown English-style short boots. Before changing, she made a point of saying: “Don’t look at me.”

There was a mirror next to the wardrobe, reflecting graceful, full body curves—supple and perfectly proportioned.

Ning Ke instinctively glanced at the mirror.

With someone in the room, she always felt strange about it.

Before leaving, she called An Yu.

An Yu was staying in the county town rather than the village, prepared to handle any urgent needs. She woke from bed when the phone rang and immediately got up, promising to finish things today.

Yan Yunzhi patiently waited for Ning Ke to finish her call, and they left together.

The camera operator pointed to the camera: “Morning! Were you cold last night? Slept well?”

Ning Ke gave the production team no face: “Of course not.”

“Not cold,” Yan Yunzhi’s answer differed from hers. “It was fine. Slept well.”

Ning Ke could not help turning to look at her.

Slept well?

The livestream had started too early, and the bullet comments were mostly a few stray CP fans:

“Why are Little Ning’s ears red?”

“Why is she looking at Teacher Yan? If nothing happened last night, I’d rather die than believe it…”

“Oh my god, this woke me straight up. Please, production team, I’ll pay! Show us the replay!”

“What does that look in Little Ning’s eyes mean?”

Meeting Ning Ke’s accusatory gaze, Yan Yunzhi smiled softly: “What’s wrong?”

Ning Ke said crossly: “Nothing.”

She walked ahead, leaving Yan Yunzhi behind.

When the cameras at Building 1 started recording, Yu You and Gu Yao were munching corn.

Ning Ke and Yan Yunzhi arrived early, and Gu Yao greeted them enthusiastically: “Sister Ning Ke, come have breakfast!”

As they spoke, Jiang Lin and Gao Qi from Room 2 arrived too, bickering all the way, not stopping even on camera.

“It really wasn’t me grinding my teeth. I sleep very quietly.”

“Then it definitely wasn’t me snoring. I’ve been married for years and my wife has never said a word.”

“Well… maybe Teacher Qin was too embarrassed to say.”

“Bullshit. I could say you were grinding your teeth last night!”

Qin Pei and Jing Luo from Room 3 arrived: “What’s all the noise so early in the morning?”

Gao Qi saw his wife and complained softly: “Peipei, that kid Jiang Lin is trying to frame me, saying I kept him up.”

Qin Pei could not help laughing: “You are a bit loud. I just never told you.”

Gao Qi: “…”

Jiang Lin burst out laughing, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Qin Pei was laughing so hard she was almost hanging off Jing Luo, making Jing Luo very uncomfortable.

It was almost 9am broadcast time, and the audience grew:

“Hahaha the guests are all so real and cute, not one causing trouble. Wait—the only troublemaker is the production team.”

“Jiang Lin dares to go after Teacher Gao? I’m shocked. And Teacher Qin is so blunt, not sparing her husband at all.”

“Look how uncomfortable Jing Luoluo is, haha.”

“The primary schooler foodie duo is still diligently munching corn. They’re like childhood sweethearts in a drama—so matching!”

Soon, the production team announced the rules: “You’ve been divided into four groups. Please walk through the mountains, collect sounds, and gather the voices you want. Prepare for the concert the night after tomorrow. No format restrictions—free creation earns bonus points. Also, both the on-site and online audiences can vote. The group with the most votes will earn the right to free pairing and free room choice for the next episode!”

At this, Ning Ke’s heart stirred.

If they could secure the first-choice option for the next round, that eliminated the risk of a single bed—but getting first place would not be easy.

The bullet comments analyzed the groups’ strengths:

“From a music creation standpoint, the groups with violinist Yan Yunzhi and singer Jing Luo are almost guaranteed wins.”

“Also consider fan activity. Ning Ke and Yan Yunzhi’s fan numbers and activity can’t match talent-show idols like Jiang Lin and Yu You, or Gu Yao—her sweetheart look has many loyal fans.”

“Teacher Gao and Teacher Qin are famous, but their fans are laid-back middle-aged folks. As for Jing Luo, she’s got plenty of buzz too.”

After announcing the rules, the production team gave the guests a moment to think: “Today and tomorrow are your preparation days. The night after tomorrow is the concert.”

The production team distributed the field-recording microphones and earphones to the four groups: “Now, set out!”

Following the production team’s directions, the four groups headed to four corners of the Miao Village.

This was the largest Miao Village in the Yunnan-Guizhou mountains, densely populated, with wooden buildings scattered about. Along the way, they saw locals in Miao clothing and silver jewelry.

Ning Ke mentioned to Yan Yunzhi that they should first find Grandpa He.