“Woohoo!” Ji Zhenshi exclaimed in excitement. She threw open her arms and hooked them around Li Yunli’s waist, pressing her cheek against it as laughter bubbled out of her nonstop. “If you don’t want to bring friends, then just the two of us.”
There weren’t any other important people anyway. You were the most important one to her.
Li Yunli’s emotions were a tangled mix of joy and worry, leaving her thoughts drifting. Caught completely off guard, she fell into Ji Zhenshi’s embrace and froze for a second. Then she patted the hands encircling her waist, signaling for Ji Zhenshi to let go. “There are a lot of people around. Don’t mess around.”
“Oh.” Ji Zhenshi released her with obvious reluctance but clenched her fist in secret to pump herself up.
A trip. She had never gone on one with Li Yunli before. They rarely even ventured out together like this. Mostly, it was just her visiting the coffee shop.
Her heart leaped with anticipation just as her phone rang from her pocket. In high spirits, Ji Zhenshi pulled it out, glanced at the caller ID, and said, “I’m gonna take this call.”
“Mmm.” Li Yunli sat down beside Ji Zhenshi. After all that shopping, she was a bit tired herself. She grabbed Ji Zhenshi’s pinky finger and toyed with it.
“What’s up?” Ji Zhenshi asked. From the corner of her eye, she watched Li Yunli playing with her hand, and a sly smile tugged at her lips.
“Someone’s looking for you. It’s from a music company. They want to learn more about you. Where are you?”
“I’m out. I don’t know any music company. Be careful—it might be a scam.”
“Doesn’t seem like it. He’s dressed a bit flashy, sure, but he’s in his early thirties and talks about their company like he knows it inside out. Probably legit. When are you coming back?”
“I’m busy right now. Have him contact me directly. And don’t just trust people like that. It’s graduation season—tons of scammers out there.”
“Fine. You’re with Yunli Sis, right? Has Ji Genius gone back to being Baby again?”
“None of your business! Get lost!” Ji Zhenshi snapped the phone shut in frustration, then lifted her gaze slightly to the high heels displayed in the shop window. Her eyes locked on them.
She stood up, stepped past Li Yunli, and stopped outside the glass to study them intently for a few seconds.
“Do you like them? We can go in and try them on. You should try wearing heels sometime,” Li Yunli signed to her as she followed.
Aside from the violin, Ji Zhenshi rarely showed such longing for anything else. If she wanted them, Li Yunli could make it happen.
Everyone said Li Yunli gave Ji Zhenshi whatever she wanted. But who knew that Ji Zhenshi never actually asked for things outright? Most of what she got was thanks to Li Yunli’s thoughtful preparations. The most Ji Zhenshi ever demanded were playful little rewards tossed out in jest.
The obedient baby with minimal material desires.
Ji Zhenshi didn’t reply. Instead, she tugged Li Yunli into the store and politely asked the shop assistant, “Hello, could you bring down those heels from the window display for us to try?”
Once the assistant handed over the shoes, Ji Zhenshi turned to Li Yunli. “I don’t like wearing heels. I just think these would suit you perfectly. Sit down first—I’ll help you try them on.”
They were a pair of khaki high heels, about ten centimeters tall, adorned with a stylish bow that matched Li Yunli’s vibe perfectly.
“I don’t need high heels,” Li Yunli signed.
She wore flats to work at the coffee shop. Anything else hurt her feet too much.
But Ji Zhenshi was gazing up at her from a squat, her eyes so pure and sparkling that Li Yunli couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to disappoint her, so in the end, Li Yunli sat down obediently.
“You’ll look gorgeous in them,” Ji Zhenshi said as she reached out to slip them on.
Driven by a selfish impulse, she dropped to one knee and grasped Li Yunli’s ankle.
If my love can’t see the light of day, then at least let me play the lover’s role countless times. Even just for an instant, it’s worth savoring forever.
Li Yunli, I’ve confessed to you endlessly in these little details.
Li Yunli didn’t seem to like such gentle treatment. She placed a hand on Ji Zhenshi’s shoulder and pressed lightly, urging her to look up. “I can do it myself. You don’t need to kneel on the floor.”
With her thick lashes lowered, Ji Zhenshi handled them as carefully as precious treasures.
“It’s fine, Sister A-Yun. Just sit there—it’ll be quick.” Ji Zhenshi kept her head down, ending the exchange. She turned her full attention to those feet.
The dazzlingly pale instep caught her eye. Ji Zhenshi cradled the sole and admired it quietly for two seconds, committing the beautiful shape to memory. It was as if Li Yunli had no flaws—everything about her was perfect.
Ji Zhenshi slipped the heel onto one foot, then focused on the right one. On a whim, she mischievously trailed her fingertip across the sole, tickling her deliberately.
Li Yunli was ticklish. In the next instant, she tried to pull her foot back. Meeting those teasing eyes, her soft expression darkened. She mouthed, “Getting cheeky again, huh?”
Ji Zhenshi had done it on purpose, of course. She loved these childish antics all day long, zeroing in on Li Yunli’s ticklish spot as her weakness.
“Don’t move. Aren’t we trying on shoes? What do you want to say?” Emboldened by Li Yunli’s inability to speak, Ji Zhenshi switched to drawing circles on her ankle.
A tickle spread from Li Yunli’s heart. She pressed her lips into a thin line, digging her nails into Ji Zhenshi’s shoulder. “Ji Zhenshi!”
The two engaged in a silent tussle. Li Yunli couldn’t free her foot and had to endure the deliberate teasing. Shame and anger flushed her eyes as if they might spill over. She trembled slightly, fighting the strange sensation, her knuckles clenched tight.
Ji Zhenshi barely reacted to the pinch on her shoulder. After all, Li Yunli had nails—she’d never really dig in.
From the start, Ji Zhenshi knew she could get away with anything.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ji Zhenshi scooted forward on her knees. What should have been a romantic moment turned into one-sided torment of the speechless Li Yunli, all because of her playful impulse.
Smack!
In the next second, Li Yunli’s hand landed a firm slap—not too light, not too heavy—on Ji Zhenshi’s cheek. That smug, triumphant expression vanished instantly.
Ji Zhenshi’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even the shop assistant nearby couldn’t hold back a laugh. She totally deserved it—self-inflicted.
People really shouldn’t get too cocky. Even the most mild-mannered can bite back when pushed.
Ji Zhenshi’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe she’d just been slapped—and by Li Yunli, who doted on her the most.
Shock lingered in her eyes, refusing to fade. “You hit me?”
Li Yunli, who never even scolded her, had hit her?
Ji Zhenshi couldn’t accept it. Li Yunli didn’t love her anymore.
Li Yunli regretted it the moment her hand connected. She pinched Ji Zhenshi’s cheek. “Stop messing around.”
It didn’t hurt, but Ji Zhenshi’s heart shattered. She flopped onto Li Yunli’s lap and whined, “It hurts so much… Apologize to me.”
Li Yunli cupped her chin, her fingertip brushing her jaw. “Weren’t you the one who started it? How are you the one demanding an apology now? Xiao Zhen, losing your sense of reason?”
Hadn’t Ji Zhenshi been the cheeky one just now?
Still fuming, Ji Zhenshi suddenly opened her mouth and nipped the flesh of Li Yunli’s thigh through the thin fabric. “There. Now we’re even. I don’t need your apology anymore.”
Utterly unreasonable, that’s what Ji Zhenshi was.
The soft flesh grazed her teeth, sending a faint sting through Li Yunli. She let out a muffled hum and pulled away from Ji Zhenshi.
Her reddened eyes fixed on Ji Zhenshi, silent.
Their gazes collided. Li Yunli’s forbearance made Ji Zhenshi vaguely realize she’d gone too far. She reached up to lift the hem of Li Yunli’s skirt.
Li Yunli clamped down on that brazen hand, her eyes glistening. “No more messing around.”
Beneath the thin fabric lingered the heat of the girl’s breath. That fleeting brush of lips against skin through the cloth was more heart-racing than the bite mark stinging her thigh.
Ji Zhenshi composed herself. “Stand up and see if they fit.”
The heels fit Li Yunli’s feet perfectly and looked stunning on her. Ji Zhenshi had great taste.
But the price wasn’t friendly—over two thousand. Despite Ji Zhenshi’s insistence, Li Yunli refused to let her buy them. The cost-benefit just didn’t add up for her.
“You don’t like them?” Ji Zhenshi pressed Li Yunli as they left the store.
Li Yunli shook her head. “Too expensive. No need.”
Ji Zhenshi’s eye for style was spot-on. The heels suited her well, picked out by her. Truth be told, Li Yunli really wanted them.
“If you like them, just buy them. Why no need? There’ll be occasions to wear them,” Ji Zhenshi argued, disagreeing with the notion.
The outfits Li Yunli had bought earlier cost thousands each, and she hadn’t batted an eye. These heels were just over two thousand. Grit your teeth and you could swing it, right?
“Anyway, let’s go eat. There’s a Sichuan restaurant around here—you’ll love the flavors,” Li Yunli said, reaching out a hand to Ji Zhenshi. She didn’t want to dwell on the topic. Ji Zhenshi must be tired too; eating would give them a break.
Their hands clasped naturally. Ji Zhenshi sidled up shoulder to shoulder, her eyes shining with happiness. “Sichuan it is.”
Li Yunli remembered her tastes.
“Did I bite you earlier? Hmm?” Ji Zhenshi sneaked a glance at those slender white legs, but nothing seemed off.
Li Yunli’s face had definitely changed back in the store.
Li Yunli’s straight-ahead gaze finally shifted. She gave Ji Zhenshi a lingering look, pausing several seconds before signing slowly, “No.”
Don’t you know whether you did or not?
Li Yunli didn’t call her out. She had no desire to linger on it.
“Really? Then why does Sister A-Yun seem a little mad?” Ji Zhenshi asked skeptically, trying to catch Li Yunli’s eyes. But she failed in the end.
Their main way of communicating required eye contact to read the signs. Avoid that, and the channel closed.
Ji Zhenshi, bags in hand, reached again for Li Yunli’s hand. She always wanted to hold her sister’s hand.
After they sat down at the table, Li Yunli used her phone to order. She carefully selected two dishes and passed it to Ji Zhenshi, signing, “I’m not mad. You’re overthinking it, Xiao Zhen.”
“Really? Yeah, Sister A-Yun’s too magnanimous to get upset over something like that.” Ji Zhenshi raised a skeptical brow, added a drink, and handed the phone back.
As Li Yunli reached for it, Ji Zhenshi playfully yanked it away. With arched brows, she asked an unexpected question. “Sister A-Yun, my mom hasn’t been giving you trouble, has she?”
The sudden shift caught Li Yunli off guard. It was something Ji Zhenshi had wanted to ask, but Li Yunli always dodged it over text.
Face-to-face now, there was no escaping.
Li Yunli’s hand grasped at empty air. She frowned. “Why bring that up out of nowhere?”
Yang Ying had come by, sure—just to mock her a bit and salvage some face for her son.
Li Yunli ignored them, so it was like punching cotton. Yang Ying soon lost interest and stopped coming. Instead, she spread rumors about the coffee shop, but it didn’t amount to much.
Ji Tingjun, on the other hand, had taken the money and never showed up. Probably off spending it, too busy for trouble.
“So she has come by? What did she say?” Ji Zhenshi saw right through her evasion and pressed on.
Dodging meant yes.
Only in moments like these did Ji Zhenshi’s desire to grow stronger surge uncontrollably, her rationality fraying at the edges.
She wanted—oh, how she wanted—to protect Li Yunli around the clock.
Li Yunli gently stroked the back of Ji Zhenshi’s hand on the table, silently soothing the bristling girl. “Nothing much. Just veiled jabs, no names mentioned. It doesn’t matter.”
Li Yunli didn’t care for gossip. She never sought out misery, content in her own quiet world.
Her world was small—small enough that only Ji Zhenshi brought color to it.
“I’m so annoyed. Didn’t I tell you to call me? I’d ‘kindly’ escort them out,” Ji Zhenshi grumbled, not pulling her hand away.
Li Yunli smiled lightly, clearly doubting her. “Would Xiao Zhen really be kind about it?”
Ji Zhenshi wouldn’t. She’d bare her fangs without hesitation.
They locked eyes for two seconds. Ji Zhenshi was speechless, then set the phone down on the table with a thud. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Li Yunli watched the girl’s haughty retreating back, her expression softening tenderly.
In the blink of an eye, she’d really grown up.
If you counted the years, Li Yunli figured she’d practically raised the little rascal herself. Six years ago, Ji Zhenshi was just sixteen—a fresh middle school grad, not yet in high school.
The tiny girl had squeezed onto her single bed with her for three whole years. On sweltering summer nights, even in the heat, she’d flop onto Li Yunli’s chest, mumbling in her sleep. On snowy winter nights, both her hands would shamelessly slip under Li Yunli’s pajamas for warmth.
Li Yunli had made their modest little room cozy, like their private sanctuary. After Ji Zhenshi started college, she’d moved out right after.
The girl who’d once been a full head shorter now towered over her. What could no longer be contained wasn’t just Ji Zhenshi’s growing strength—it was the seed sprouting in Li Yunli’s own heart.
Countless indulgences, undisguisable favoritism. Li Yunli had never realized it might not just be sisterly love.
She’s good to me, so I’m good to her.
That rationale didn’t hold up to scrutiny. Maybe it was a lie altogether.
Li Yunli hadn’t noticed, either, that when she gazed at the girl shining on stage, her eyes held more than admiration and pride—there was affection, too.
She had no friends to confide in, no one to point it out.
Truth was, Li Yunli, you can’t hide it at all.
It was only because Ji Zhenshi looked at her with the exact same intense emotion that her clumsy cover survived. Ji Zhenshi always knew what she wanted—be it a violin or Li Yunli.
Over six full years, Ji Zhenshi’s secret crush left traces through the seasons. Li Yunli saw only dependency, blind to the restraint, blind to her own heart.
The little troublemaker was too radiant, leaving Li Yunli afraid to reach out.
