Chapter 31: Cheek

“Honk, honk, honk!”

A car horn blared from somewhere, and Ning Ke snapped upright in an instant.

She let out a quiet breath… What was she thinking?

The horn had startled not just her, but Yan Yunzhi too.

Yan Yunzhi turned her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her voice was a little hoarse from just waking. “What’s wrong?”

Ning Ke stared straight ahead, refusing to look at her. “…Nothing. Let’s get out.”

Yan Yunzhi looked at her profile. “I fell asleep. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Ning Ke said nothing. After she got out, Ning Ke parked the car in the garage.

Back inside, Sister Lu was glad to see them home together. “You’re so late! Come have some soup to warm your stomachs.”

But Ning Ke refused to sit down. “Sister Lu, just bring me a bowl upstairs. I’m heading up.”

Sister Lu: “Not eating with Azhi?”

Yan Yunzhi didn’t ask, but she looked at Ning Ke, a question in her eyes too.

Ning Ke shook her head without explaining, and hurried upstairs with her bag, back to her own room.

She leaned against the door, letting the bag slip from her hand and fall to the floor without bending to pick it up.

Some nameless emotion was swelling like a balloon, growing bigger every day, filling her chest.

Ning Ke raised her hand and slapped her own cheeks hard.

She really needed to… stay away from Yan Yunzhi.

–

The next morning, Ning Ke was woken by her phone.

“Hello,” she glanced at the caller ID and suppressed her sleep-induced irritation. “Uncle, why are you calling so early?”

Ning Hui’s voice was deep. “You went out with Azhi yesterday? How did reporters get photos?”

At that, she was instantly wide awake.

She sat up in bed. “Let me look first.”

Ning Hui said testily, “Don’t drag those underhanded entertainment industry things to the Yan elders.”

Ning Ke hummed and hung up.

Someone had posted photos of her and Yan Yunzhi standing on the street on a forum.

So it hadn’t been her imagination yesterday—there really were entertainment reporters following them, and they’d taken pictures.

Someone had first posted a photo of her and Yan Yunzhi at the antique shop in the afternoon. A single image had been uploaded to the forum, and the forum had gotten lively fast.

“Wait, are those two actually dating?”

“It’s one photo at a shop entrance. Can’t two people run into each other and chat?”

“Why would Ning Ke go to an antique shop for no reason? If you said she was going to a fashion show or buying bags, that I’d believe. Teacher Yan at least looks like a cultured person.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Our Keke is cultured too. Go search her alma mater, Ming University, before you open your mouth.”

“I keep feeling like she’s buying gifts to meet the parents.”

“CP brains are terrifying. Shut up!”

Ning Ke was looking at the photos when Xu Jian’s message popped up: “Want me to handle it?”

She replied, “Hold on,” and went downstairs to change.

In the living room.

Yan Yunzhi was having breakfast. Hearing her footsteps, she said, “Up early today.”

Ning Ke handed her phone over. “Do you mind?”

Yan Yunzhi looked at the photos. “I don’t mind.”

In the past two years, same-sex marriage had been piloted in some cities, and Mingchuan City was one of them. But since it was only a preliminary rollout, the regulatory authorities still kept a fairly tight grip on the entertainment industry. The impact on Ning Ke would probably be greater than on Yan Yunzhi.

Ning Ke: “I’ll have Brother Jian keep an eye on it. I won’t let you get any negative press.”

As if she hadn’t heard the second half of her sentence, Yan Yunzhi stood and poured her a glass of water. “Want to come home with me today?”

Ning Ke: “What for?”

Yan Yunzhi: “My mother is back. She said she wants to see you.”

Ning Ke was taken aback. “…Today?”

Yan Yunzhi looked a little helpless too. “Her plane landed this morning. She only just called me.”

Ning Ke: “Okay. I have no work today.”

She had almost no memory of Yan Yunzhi’s parents. Yan Yunzhi’s father had died very early. Her mother, Ming Shu, ran a jewelry company that had expanded into Western Europe a few years ago and rarely returned to the country. Two years ago, when she and Yan Yunzhi had gotten their marriage certificate, Ming Shu hadn’t come back either.

She’d heard people mention that Yan Yunzhi’s parents had been a family-alliance marriage—no feelings, each going their own way.

She’d met Yan Yunzhi’s mother once, many years ago. She’d followed Yan Yunzhi home, and Ming Shu had teased, “Where did you kidnap this little girl from?”

What had Yan Yunzhi’s answer been at the time?

Ning Ke thought about it, but honestly couldn’t remember.

–

That afternoon, they arrived at the Yan Family Old Manor.

Ning Ke had barely gotten out of the car when she heard a woman’s laughter.

She pushed open the door. Several women were playing cards in the living room. The one on the far right, in a red Chinese-style qipao, was laughing so hard she was trembling. “Sister-in-law, it’s been years and your card skills are still mediocre.”

The Eldest Aunt, Jiang Ru, was always gentle and good-natured. Her smile stiffened a little. “Is that so? Not too bad, I think.”

The Second Aunt, Song Ying, was the type to enjoy watching the world burn. “Not really. Maybe age has slowed your reflexes.”

Jiang Ru’s face went cold, but Ming Shu seemed not to notice. Her gaze landed on the doorway and her eyes lit up. “Azhi, that little Ning girl has grown up so much!”

Before anyone could say a word, Ming Shu enthusiastically grabbed Ning Ke’s hand, looked her up and down, and even pinched her cheek. “Not bad at all. This face—the features have really grown into a great beauty. Still a bit of plumpness to the cheek, though. The texture…”

“Mom,” Yan Yunzhi stepped forward, blocking her with an air of nonchalance. “Let’s sit.”

Ming Shu covered her mouth, a coquettish laugh escaping. “Already getting protective, are we.”

Yan Yunzhi gave her a cool look, and Ming Shu, conceding the point, said, “Inside, then.”

Ming Shu was an extrovert. Once they were in the living room, she abandoned the card game entirely, like she’d found an amusing new toy, and lounged on the sofa chatting with Ning Ke.

Ning Ke wasn’t shy either. She’d always liked people with straightforward temperaments, and she got along unexpectedly well with Ming Shu. Ming Shu had zero seniority airs about her—she showed Ning Ke her jewelry designs, and when they got excited, she even promised to send her a whole box.

The sisters-in-law, who had been playing cards nearby, felt a twinge of sourness hearing Ming Shu’s grand claims.

Ming Shu glanced at them, finally toning it down a notch. She leaned in closer to Ning Ke and whispered, “Keke, your industry should have a lot of good-looking people, right? Any young models you can introduce me to?”

Ning Ke nearly bit her tongue. “What?”

Ming Shu smiled brightly. “Young people. Carpe diem, you know?”

“Little Ning,” Yan Yunzhi, noticing Ning Ke’s strange expression, came over. “What’s wrong?”

Ning Ke shook her head. “…Nothing.”

Yan Yunzhi said nothing, but looked at her mother. Ming Shu ignored her, completely disregarding the warning in her eyes, and winked at Ning Ke. “It’s settled, then!”

Ning Ke smiled helplessly. “I make no promises.”

Knowing Ming Shu’s mouth had always run loose, Yan Yunzhi said to Ning Ke, “Tired? Rest in my room for a bit.”

Ning Ke stayed put. “I won’t go into your room without permission. I’ll take a walk around the courtyard.”

“My, why can’t you go into Azhi’s room?” the Second Aunt Song Ying said, holding her grandson and smiling. “Keke, back when you used to come play, you were never shy. You’d trail after Azhi all day, and when evening came, you’d still cling and refuse to leave. Now that you’re married, you’ve become so formal?”

Ning Ke’s smile vanished. “What did you say?”

Song Ying: “You—”

Ming Shu cut in. “Alright, alright, no need to go upstairs. It’s almost dinner. Azhi, take her for a stroll in the garden.”

Ning Ke pressed her lips together and walked out without a word.

Song Ying huffed. “What, did I say something wrong? What’s she doing—showing attitude to her elders?”

Ming Shu’s tone was unhurried. “I think Keke has a refreshingly straightforward personality. I like her.”

Song Ying cursed silently and shut her mouth.

They whiled away the afternoon, and after the big family dinner, Ning Ke and Yan Yunzhi finally headed home.

Because of Song Ying’s comment in the afternoon, Ning Ke was stewing, and she responded to Yan Yunzhi with cold, clipped answers.

Before they left, Ming Shu grabbed her hand and asked, “Does Azhi have someone outside?”

Ning Ke snapped back. “Huh? What?”

Ming Shu let out a pretty laugh. “Look how angry you are—you haven’t spoken to her all afternoon. I thought she was keeping a mistress on the side.”

Ning Ke: “In her frail state…”

Ming Shu winked at her. “What, she can’t satisfy you?”

Ning Ke: “…!”

Even as blunt as she was, she couldn’t handle that kind of teasing from an elder. The more she heard, the more awkward she felt. “No. There’s nothing like that.”

Ming Shu couldn’t help laughing. “No wonder Azhi likes you. You’re fun to tease.”

Ning Ke: “What do you mean, likes me?”

Ming Shu: “Mm?”

But Ning Ke refused to go on.

She saw Yan Yunzhi talking with Grandpa Yan, and before long, her nieces and nephews came over asking for hugs from their aunt.

For an instant, she was thrown back to when she was a teenager, following Yan Yunzhi here, pretending to fall asleep after dinner because she didn’t want to go home.

But… no matter how much she clung to her, the day she got abandoned would still come.

She never wanted to cling to anyone again.

She lowered her head, quirking her lips in self-deprecation. Actually, Song Ying had said the truth.

Which was exactly why she was angry.

Pathetic, ridiculous pride.

On the way back, Ning Ke turned toward the window and refused to talk.

Yan Yunzhi wanted to say something to her, but with the driver Old Tang still in the car, she held off until they got home.

Ning Ke took off her coat and scarf in the living room. “I’m going upstairs.”

“Little Ning,” Yan Yunzhi stopped her, walked over, and looked at her seriously. “Still angry?”

Ning Ke didn’t look at her. “No.”

“Sometimes the Second Aunt says unpleasant things on purpose. Next time you’re upset, just snap back at her. Don’t let it bother you.”

“There won’t be a next time. And besides, my anger is my own business. It has nothing to do with you.”

Ning Ke crossed her arms, radiating displeasure.

If it hadn’t been for Ming Shu, who had just returned, she definitely wouldn’t have let Song Ying off so easily.

“Alright,” Yan Yunzhi laughed, seeing her still sulking. She couldn’t help but reach up and pat her cheek gently with the back of her fingers. “Anger isn’t becoming.”

Ning Ke: “…!”

She stumbled back two steps, staring at Yan Yunzhi with a guarded look.

Without permission, how could she just touch her face?

In the light, Yan Yunzhi looked at her with smiling eyes, as if she’d done nothing at all. She continued, “Don’t be angry, okay?”

Her gaze was warm and soft under the light, and Ning Ke felt unsettled everywhere she looked. The spot on her cheek where she’d been touched felt strange, unnatural. All she could do was choke out, “I’m going upstairs!”

She stomped up the stairs, and halfway up, turned back. Yan Yunzhi was still standing there, still smiling at her, every corner of her eyes and brows filled with gentle joy.

Ning Ke shot her a fierce glare and turned away.

As if, if she stayed a moment longer… she’d be dazzled by that smile.