Chapter 120: Hand in Hand at Dusk

Ji Zhenshi held her close like this while they fed the seagulls. With keen interest, she played along with Li Yunli’s response. “It’s not impossible at all, dear fan friend. I’ll do my best to fulfill your requests. Thank you for your support—please keep being my fan from now on.”

“Sweet talker,” Li Yunli replied. She turned to give Ji Zhenshi a sidelong glance and, seeing sweat beading on her forehead, pulled out a tissue to gently wipe it away.

Ji Zhenshi didn’t mind in the slightest. She nuzzled closer, inhaling the fresh fragrance of Li Yunli’s hair. “Next time, just tell me directly. Don’t buy tickets on the sly. I can snag one or two from the organizers, or you could even get in as staff. It’s not worth the expense. Money should be spent wisely—we still need to save up for a house. Once I’ve paid off what I owe Teacher Tang, I can start saving properly. It’ll happen fast. I won’t keep you waiting long.”

They were building a life together, after all. There was no need to splurge like that.

Truth be told, Li Yunli wasn’t even a big fan of music festivals. She’d come purely for Ji Zhenshi’s sake.

Li Yunli chuckled. “Such simple dreams.”

Saving up for a house and a car, then getting married—that was the extent of Ji Zhenshi’s ambitions.

The thought of Ji Zhenshi scrimping on rideshares, pedaling shared bicycles everywhere because she was young and fit, turning into a total penny-pincher all for these humble goals… it made Li Yunli’s heart ache even as she found it endearing.

“I’m saving up. I want to give you a better life,” Ji Zhenshi said with a dopey grin. Unable to resist, she leaned in for another kiss.

Li Yunli shook her head. “I think things are just fine as they are. I prefer a quiet, simple life—that’s truly what my heart desires.”

Ji Zhenshi frowned slightly. “I just feel weighed down by all this debt, scared I’ll drag you into it. Paying it off will put my mind at ease. Anyway, next time you want to come, give me a heads-up ahead of time. Don’t blow money like that. It doesn’t grow on trees.”

“Alright, alright. Xiao Zhen’s right—I’ll do as you say,” Li Yunli conceded with a smile.

After feeding the seagulls a bit longer, the two headed off to eat. The local cuisine skewed too sweet for their tastes, so neither ate much. Ji Zhenshi had stocked up on plenty of snacks for the road instead.

“Eating all this junk food will turn you into an airhead one day—what then?” Li Yunli teased as she drove, glancing over.

Ji Zhenshi really did love her snacks. Ever since she’d moved in, the kitchen cabinets had been stuffed to bursting. If they didn’t live on such a high floor, Li Yunli might have worried about attracting rats.

She’d tossed out quite a few near-expired bags, but there were still loads left.

Ji Zhenshi sat cross-legged in the passenger seat, straw clamped between her teeth as she slurped her milk tea. “Does Sister A-Yun secretly want to see that day?”

“No, I just think you eat way too many snacks.”

“I’m still a kid! What’s so wrong with a few treats?”

Li Yunli had built up an immunity to Ji Zhenshi’s wheedling. “A twenty-three-year-old kid?”

“You’re thirty, Sister A-Yun—it’s normal for you not to crave snacks. But I love them! It’s my one guilty pleasure. Are you really going to take that away from me?” Ji Zhenshi clutched her chest in mock agony.

She was a fine upstanding youth of the modern era—no drinking, no hookups, no extravagant hobbies. Just work, her wife, and now even snacks were under threat?

“Don’t you hit the bars? Aren’t you crazy about KTV? When have I ever taken away your hobbies? I’m just saying eat a little less—not quit entirely. Are you being naughty now?” Li Yunli shot her another glance.

In truth, Ji Zhenshi never went out carousing, and Li Yunli trusted her completely.

She was at that fun-loving age, and Li Yunli wasn’t some control freak. Why cramp her style?

Ji Zhenshi faltered. “I haven’t been to any bars. Whenever I’m free, I come find you. Xiao Xia’s invited me out a bunch of times, and I always bail.”

“Go if you want. If I’m tied up and you’ve got time, hang out with them.”

“But I want to stick to you.”

“Do whatever makes you happy.”

“Awesome. Just half an hour to go—that spot looked stunning in the videos.”

“How stunning?”

“As stunning as you.”

Ji Zhenshi gazed at Li Yunli, who happened to glance her way at the same moment.

They both burst into smiles, cheeks flushing and hearts racing—undeniable signs of their love.

They followed the winding highway up to the mountainside just as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Parking at the side of the road, they were greeted by a breathtaking panorama of radiant sunset hues. The misty dusk bathed everything in a dreamy orange glow, like a phone filter brought to vivid life.

They pushed open the car doors, and a gentle evening breeze swept in, tousling their stray locks.

Even the dying light of the sun carried the scent of freedom.

Here on this serpentine road, they’d found the perfect vantage point. No one else had stopped to savor this fleeting beauty—just the two of them.

Ji Zhenshi extended her hand to Li Yunli, their fingers lacing tightly together. “Sister A-Yun, hand in hand through the twilight, awaiting dawn and dusk together.”

This was exactly why Ji Zhenshi had wanted to bring her here.

Li Yunli gazed at her with fond indulgence. In that moment, Ji Zhenshi was as lovely as the vista before them. She squeezed their joined hands a fraction tighter and murmured softly, “I love you, Good Child.”

Amid the romantic orange haze, pink bubbles seemed to float up around them.

Ji Zhenshi wiggled their clasped hands. “I love you too.”

“I knew you’d like it.” Ji Zhenshi nodded toward the distant sky.

She had a real knack for romance, always eager to share those heart-fluttering moments with her beloved.

Li Yunli nodded, the gorgeous sunset mirrored perfectly in her eyes. “Who wouldn’t? How’d you even find this place?”

“Came here with some other sisters once,” Ji Zhenshi teased.

Li Yunli turned to her with narrowed eyes. “Oh? And just how many other ‘sisters’ do you have?”

Ji Zhenshi pretended to mull it over seriously, then held up one finger. “A whole bunch. Always have.”

“Ji Zhenshi, don’t make me spank you right here in this perfect moment,” Li Yunli warned.

How naughty.

“Kidding!” Ji Zhenshi melted under Li Yunli’s tenderness, chuckling softly as she reached out to pull her into an embrace.

But Li Yunli jabbed a finger into her shoulder, pushing her back a step. No hugs for her.

Go cuddle with those sisters instead.

Ji Zhenshi knew she’d run her mouth too much. Leaning close to her ear, she cooed, “Li Yunli, you’re the sun that never sets in my heart—radiant and full of hope, the light of a new dawn.”

With no one around, Ji Zhenshi grew a touch bolder. She wrapped her arms around Li Yunli’s soft waist and began planting fervent kisses along her collarbone.

Sweet words flowed effortlessly from her lips, and no matter how many times she heard them, Li Yunli always softened.

“I’m no symbol of hope or dawn—I’m your lover.” Li Yunli pressed gentle kisses to her brows and eyes.

She adored the depth of emotion etched into every line of Ji Zhenshi’s face.

Her gaze was always cool and impassive toward others, but when it turned to Li Yunli, it rippled like spring waters, brimming with affection.

Ji Zhenshi had harbored a secret crush for six whole years. How many six-year stretches did one life hold? Especially at just twenty-three.

That thought alone earned her a lifelong get-out-of-jail-free card from Li Yunli—endless indulgence, easy forgiveness even for slip-ups.

Li Yunli cradled Ji Zhenshi’s face in her hands and offered a tender kiss. She nipped at her lower lip, teasing it slowly to draw out waves of pleasure.

Unlike Ji Zhenshi’s fiery passion, Li Yunli was always gentle. Her warm breath painted Ji Zhenshi’s cheeks rosy.

Lifting her gaze, Li Yunli’s eyes gleamed with seduction. “Good Child, you’re always so perfect, always making my heart race. I really can’t live without you.”

“So I’ll be the good girl right by your side.” Ji Zhenshi could feel Li Yunli’s heartbeat thundering sincerely beneath her touch, a testament to love’s profound depth.

You could fake affection, but not this visceral tenderness born of true devotion.

As they nuzzled cheek to cheek in a haze of sweet intimacy, Li Yunli suddenly realized the sunset was mere icing on the cake. What mattered was them—their two hearts, bound in love.

“Then be good and stay right here with me.”

She hoped their love would deepen like the fading twilight, growing ever richer as the night wore on.

The sunset’s glow marked a beautiful curtain call, the end of one tale—but for Li Yunli and Ji Zhenshi, it was only the beginning of their romance.

Leaning against the car door together, they waited for nightfall. The sunset vanished in a blink, so fleeting that only their photos could preserve a sliver of it, etching the memory forever.

“Will there be stars tonight?” Ji Zhenshi shifted to sit in the open trunk, tilting her head back to watch the sky blur into obscurity.

The road they’d traveled was fading into the gloom. Without her companion close by, she might have felt a hollow dread creeping in.

Swinging her legs idly, Ji Zhenshi chafed at the oppressive dimness.

Li Yunli leaned on her shoulder. “Summer nights usually bring stars.”

“What about the moon?”

“No idea. But I’ve got my moon right here, every single day.” Li Yunli poked playfully at the tattoo over Ji Zhenshi’s heart.

The touch tickled; Ji Zhenshi shrugged and scooted back.

Li Yunli caught her. “Are you scared?”

“Don’t like it,” Ji Zhenshi admitted plainly.

“Want to do something else instead?” Li Yunli guided her hand downward to that soft, yielding place, coaxing her to tune out the world. “Forget everything for now. We’ll stargaze after.”

Ji Zhenshi caught the innuendo instantly. Out here in the open, with cars potentially passing by at any moment and only the two of them…

Her pulse skyrocketed. She drew a deep breath.

Leaning down for a light kiss, her fingertips soon delved into plush lips, unleashing a trickle of sweet nectar.

Li Yunli had taken the lead, drawing her into this fervor. The heat between them soon eclipsed their surroundings. Her skirt fluttered with each rise and fall, her long legs quivering faintly.

The trunk was too cramped. Ji Zhenshi scooped Li Yunli up and carried her to the back seat.

“So thrilling,” Ji Zhenshi gasped.

Their first time outdoors, with the constant risk of interruption—Li Yunli clamped her lips shut, stifling every sound. Beyond the excitement Ji Zhenshi mentioned, a strange thrill of shame pulsed through her.

She’d indulged too far. Neither had expected a spur-of-the-moment tease to spiral so wildly out of control. Ji Zhenshi was clearly worked up now.

Unwilling to break the spell with words, Li Yunli buried her flushed face in Ji Zhenshi’s discarded jacket, mortified into silence as things grew utterly drenched below her skirt.

Ji Zhenshi raised her head at last, her tongue darting over her lips with lingering relish. She didn’t tease further, instead inhaling the heady, languid scent. “Can we crack a window? It’s getting stuffy.”

She was sweaty and sticky all over.

“No.” Li Yunli pushed herself up with effort, gripping Ji Zhenshi’s shoulder. “It’s night now. Look—the stars are out.”

Ji Zhenshi leaned over to grab wet wipes from the center console. As she cleaned them both up, she peered out the window. “Hold on. Let me get you tidy.”

“Want to put these back on?” Ji Zhenshi grinned mischievously, nudging her knee. The sodden scrap of fabric was long gone.

Li Yunli shot her an exasperated glare. “Backpack’s in the trunk. Fetch it for me.”

She’d come prepared to spend the night, packing spare clothes for both of them.

Inwardly, she schemed: All Ji Zhenshi’s fault. She’d wear Ji Zhenshi’s clean clothes tonight, leaving her to rough it in the sweaty originals. No way was she letting that mess soil her bed.

Oblivious to the plot brewing, Ji Zhenshi propped open the car door with one hand and watched Li Yunli ease herself upright. “It’s really gorgeous. Stars look the same everywhere to me, but tonight’s sky has to be something special.”

Li Yunli glanced out. With the moon risen, the oppressive gloom had lifted.

Leaning weakly against Ji Zhenshi, she caught her breath. “Yeah, special. Think anyone else will come by?”

She couldn’t help worrying. Better safe than sorry.

Ji Zhenshi hooked an arm around her waist. “Places like this? Only for illicit trysts.”

Li Yunli glared up at her. “And we’re having one?”

“You bet, my lord. This humble maiden’s surrendered her virtue to you—you’d better take responsibility,” Ji Zhenshi hammed it up.

The line yanked Li Yunli straight back to that old memory of Ji Zhenshi calling her “Little Mom.”

Already embarrassed enough, now it was unbearable.

She turned her head away, ignoring her.

Such a motormouth.

“If you won’t take responsibility for me, then let me take it for you?”

“Ji Zhenshi! I’m exhausted. No more teasing.”

“Alright, sis. I know your legs are jelly. Come lean on me.”