Chapter 8: Sharing a Bed Part 2

Ning Ke frowned and couldn’t stop herself from swearing. “Yan Yunzhi, what quack doctor were you seeing before?”

Yan Yunzhi shook her head. “Don’t say that. Ning Ke.”

“Fine, whatever. But you’re staying here. If you go out this late and Uncle and Aunt find out, they’ll blame me.” Ning Ke couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ll go sleep outside.”

Don’t suppress your coughs. Don’t strangle the sound in your throat.

“I’m feeling much better.” Yan Yunzhi couldn’t stop her, so she grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go out.”

Ning Ke went rigid.

She let herself be pulled back down onto the bed.

Snowy Night

Ning Ke hated physical contact more than anything.

Back in school, one of the girls’ favorite activities was going to the bathroom in groups. She found it unbearably boring and never once asked Lin Yun to come along.

It wasn’t exactly germaphobia, but if anyone touched her—especially someone she didn’t know well—she’d want to wash her hands immediately.

Fortunately, Yan Yunzhi’s hand let go quickly.

A woman who was chronically ill: her long, elegant fingers appeared a cold white under the lamplight, and faint blue veins showed on the back of her thin hand.

Ning Ke pressed her lips together.

Fine. In consideration of Yan Yunzhi’s poor health, she wouldn’t hold it against her.

Yan Yunzhi: “If you sleep outside, Uncle and Aunt will scold you tomorrow just the same. The window wasn’t sealed properly. Once it’s shut, it’ll be fine.”

Ning Ke checked the doors and windows, then lay down again. And indeed, as Yan Yunzhi said, she didn’t hear any more coughing.

In the darkness, Yan Yunzhi’s breathing gradually steadied—soft and quiet, just like her.

She was asleep.

But Ning Ke couldn’t find sleep at all.

She raised her left hand and gently touched the spot on her right wrist where she’d been pulled. It bothered her somehow. She rubbed the spot with her thumb.

There was another living person beside her. How Yan Yunzhi had managed to fall asleep, Ning Ke had no idea—she herself was wide awake.

She heard Yan Yunzhi’s breathing.

She could even feel her warmth, her heartbeat.

And a faint, lingering, bitter herbal scent.

It wasn’t purely medicinal—some cool, indefinable fragrance.

After an eternity, she finally grew drowsy.

—

The next morning, Ning Ke woke to winter sunlight.

When she woke, Yan Yunzhi was already dressed in spare clothes left there since just after their wedding—a white sweater, hair loose over her shoulders. Seeing Ning Ke awake, she smiled at her.

Ning Ke, cranky from lack of sleep, said, “What are you looking at?”

Yan Yunzhi: “Watching you finally wake up.”

Ning Ke checked the time. 10 AM.

Uncle and Aunt hated when the younger ones slept in. She’d probably get scolded when she went downstairs.

Yan Yunzhi walked over. “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Ning Ke: “It was fine.”

She’d really fallen asleep very late.

The culprit was standing right there, yet she had the nerve to ask why.

Ning Ke glared at her irritably and demanded, “Do you usually wear perfume?”

The scent wasn’t unpleasant, exactly—it had just lingered around her nose all night, keeping her from sleeping until so late.

“Perfume?” Yan Yunzhi blinked. “I haven’t used any in days.”

Even as she spoke, she walked closer to the bed, then suddenly bent down.

Her straight black hair cascaded down in an instant, the ends brushing Ning Ke’s cheek, a light, fresh fragrance drifting toward her. “Smell again.”

Ning Ke hurriedly turned her head and rubbed her cheek where the hair had touched her, feeling a tickle, her hackles rising. “Can’t smell anything!”

She… she got so close out of nowhere for what?!

Yan Yunzhi looked at her, her eyes tender and bright. “Then when we get home, maybe you’d like to see which of my perfumes it might be?”

Ning Ke: “I’d have to be bored out of my mind.”

She’d always spoken rudely. Yan Yunzhi took no offense. “Alright. Time to get up?”

Ning Ke hummed and got out of bed, turning her back to her as she dressed. “Let’s go home.”

They went downstairs. Ning Hui wasn’t there. Meng Yuejiao tapped Ning Ke’s nose. “If your uncle were still here and saw you sleeping in, he’d definitely scold you.”

Ning Ke hugged her aunt’s arm, half-burying her face in the older woman’s shoulder. “He can scold me—I have you to protect me.”

Meng Yuejiao pinched her cheek. “You’re a grown woman and still acting like a baby in front of your aunt. Azhi, look at her!”

Yan Yunzhi: “She’s lovely this way.”

Ning Ke was a completely different person than when she was around Yan Yunzhi. One moment she was demanding cherries, the next calling out, “Auntie, where’s my neck pillow? This one’s uncomfortable. I want a different one.”

Meng Yuejiao couldn’t handle her, laughing. “Azhi, discipline her!”

Ning Ke shot a sideways glare at Yan Yunzhi, that unreasonable look saying clearly: Try it if you dare.

Yan Yunzhi smiled. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Ning Ke turned her face away and continued chatting with Meng Yuejiao. They waited for Ning Hui to return for lunch, and only after the family ate together did Ning Ke say she had to go.

Meng Yuejiao tried to persuade them to stay, but Ning Ke promised to come back in a few days before she relented. “Fine, go home and enjoy your time as a couple!”

Old Tang, the driver, was waiting outside.

Ning Ke had work and said goodbye to Yan Yunzhi at the door. “I have another commitment.”

Yan Yunzhi: “Have Old Tang drop you off first.”

Ning Ke said nothing. She got in the car and put on earphones.

When the car stopped at her destination, she said, “I’m off.”

Yan Yunzhi hummed, her voice clear and soft. “Then I’ll go home. Ning Ke.”

Ning Ke was undoing her seatbelt, head down. The word “home” made her pause.

—It sounded like she was saying she’d be waiting at home for her.

The thought was ridiculous. Ning Ke let out a breath and unbuckled, getting out of the car.

—

That afternoon was a commercial shoot.

Besides Ning Ke, there were two little idols from her company: Jiang Lin and Yu You. Both were also on Perfect Partner, so it made sense to bring along her own people.

The shoot ran from 3 PM to 9 PM.

Ning Ke finished early and took an international call on the side. “Tao Zhi? Isn’t it like 3 AM over there?”

Tao Zhi called out, “Oh! Our eldest miss actually remembers my time zone?”

Ning Ke: “Less sarcasm. Speak human.”

Tao Zhi: “Human: I’m coming back in a few days. Will you pick me up at the airport?”

Ning Ke’s lips curved, but her words were cold. “Depends on my schedule. I’m busy making money.”

Tao Zhi: “You money-grubbing woman. How long does picking me up take?”

Xu Jian was signaling her to leave. Ning Ke laughed. “You just met me today or something? Anyway, I just wrapped. Talk later.”

“Why are you so slow?” Xu Jian said as he walked over, seeing her smiling at her phone after hanging up. “Your wife?”

Ning Ke: “Nonsense. It was Tao Zhi.”

Xu Jian knew Tao Zhi was her childhood friend. “Him…”

He fell a step behind her as they walked out, shaking his head privately.

Everyone was gathered at the exit. Someone offered, “Let me treat you all to a late-night meal!”

Ning Ke: “Not going. I’m heading home.”

Someone joked, “Why go home so early? You’re not like the director, with a pretty wife waiting at home, haha!”

It was clearly a joke, but Ning Ke took offense. “I said no. Who says only men can go home early?”

Seeing her flare up, the others backed off. They knew she didn’t like teasing and had a sharp tongue; if they made her come along, it would only turn sour.

Xu Jian quickly smoothed things over. “Fine, let’s skip it. It’s late, and some roads are icy. Better to head home early. We’ll hang out next time.”

Ning Ke got straight in the car.

It was the coldest time of year. Snow came and went, the roads were slick, and she arrived home at exactly 10 PM.

Yan Yunzhi was usually asleep by now, and Sister Lu had returned to the annex. Ning Ke didn’t want to disturb anyone, so she let herself in.

She was taking off her coat at the entrance when she saw Yan Yunzhi sitting by the living room window, her features soft under the night light, watching her.

She must have already showered—a silver silk nightgown, long hair loosely tied behind her ears.

A book lay on the table, along with a half-finished cup of tea.

It looked… like she’d been waiting for her to come home.

Ning Ke walked over, bag in hand. “Not asleep yet?”

Yan Yunzhi: “Too much tea tonight. Can’t sleep.”

Ning Ke raised an eyebrow. “Can’t sleep over tea? You’re like an old lady.”

Yan Yunzhi smiled noncommittally. Her fingertip brushed the cup’s warmth. “Want to try some?”

Ning Ke sat down. “Let me be clear: if it’s bad, I’ll say so. Don’t get upset.”

Yan Yunzhi: “I won’t.”

It was unclear whether she meant “it won’t be bad” or “I won’t get upset.”

While Yan Yunzhi rinsed cups and brewed tea, Ning Ke sat listlessly at the table, chin propped on her hand, tapping her fingers out of rhythm against a cloisonné teacup.

Yan Yunzhi pushed a cup in front of her. “Done.”

Ning Ke took a sip. The tea was warm, with a crisp, sweet coolness—perfect for chasing off the chill of a snowy night.

Yan Yunzhi: “Does it smell familiar?”

Ning Ke realized the fragrance was familiar. “So it was the tea.”

This was the scent that had kept her up all night.

Yan Yunzhi said, “I made it from snow water I collected myself, along with flowers dried from my garden. I’ll give you a tin.”

Ning Ke remembered her figure out in the heavy snow that day. “Why are you giving me things?”

Yan Yunzhi looked at her. “You took care of me last night when I wasn’t feeling well.”

Ning Ke: “…Oh.”

“It’s late,” Yan Yunzhi urged. “Get some rest.”

Ning Ke finished her cup of tea. “Good night, then.”

Yan Yunzhi listened to her footsteps fade and stood as well, just in time to answer a call. “Yanshi, what’s the matter?”

The caller was Lu Yanshi, a former classmate now working as her lawyer.

Lu Yanshi said, “The agreement you asked me to draft is ready. When should I bring it to you?”

“No rush,” Yan Yunzhi thought for a moment. “After the New Year.”

“You said it was important and had to be done before the New Year. What, planning another tour?”

“No, no performances for now. I’m clearing these next few months.”

Lu Yanshi was curious. “A few months? What are you planning to do?”

Yan Yunzhi smiled. “Nothing.”

Snowflakes fell silently.

The glass window reflected a slender silhouette. Looking out at the falling snow, she said in a clear, clean voice: “Keeping my wife company.”