Chapter 79: Good Child, I Really Love You

“Are you able to speak now?” Yang Ying looked at her in surprise.

“Auntie, please don’t go blabbing to my father about this. My business is none of his concern.” Li Yunli had eyes only for the threat posed by Yang Ying, shoving the joy of her recovered voice to the back of her mind.

Yang Ying quickly suppressed her own shock. “Li Yunli, you should think this over carefully. Your father definitely has more ways to handle it than I do, and he certainly won’t discuss it nicely with you. I can guarantee he’ll oppose it even more fiercely than I do and find it even more humiliating.”

“What he’s done is the real shameful, disgraceful thing.” Li Yunli replied, her face darkening.

“That’s a matter between you two. As long as he and I are on the same side, that’s all that matters.” With that, Yang Ying turned and strode away confidently.

….

“Sister A-Yun! Sister A-Yun!”

Ji Zhenshi rushed back to the coffee shop in a flurry, only to find it completely empty of customers, with a “Closed” sign hanging on the door outside.

What happened? Did Sister A-Yun go out?

Ji Zhenshi pulled out her phone and called Li Yunli. The call connected, but no one picked up.

She pressed her ear to the window and listened for a good while, hearing no sounds from inside. Peering through the glass, she saw no one there either.

Tilting her head up toward the upstairs window, Ji Zhenshi gritted her teeth and climbed straight from the first-floor ledge to the second-floor balcony. Leveraging her long legs, she hooked one foot onto the sill and hauled herself up and over with both hands, flipping right into the upstairs room.

“Sister A-Yun? Are you in here?” Ji Zhenshi had clearly heard Li Yunli’s phone ringing upstairs, yet no one answered.

Strange—Li Yunli was the type who never let her phone out of reach.

In a panic, she searched room by room until she pushed open the bathroom door. Her movements froze as she stared in shock at the scene before her.

Li Yunli was draped in a negligee as thin as gossamer, her long hair wet and hanging limply over her shoulders, dripping water from the tips.

The bloody scratch stood out starkly on her pale face. She sat huddled in the corner under the showerhead, fragile as a willow in the wind and utterly pitiable. Her usually sparkling eyes were devoid of any light.

Her head hung low, lashes quivering as she hugged her knees, her slender frame evoking heartache.

Seeing her so vulnerable and helpless made Ji Zhenshi’s chest tighten. “Sister A-Yun? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Ji Zhenshi hurried over with a thick bath towel and only then noticed that Li Yunli must have slipped on her robe without drying off after her shower—now the fabric was soaked in patches from her dripping hair.

“How did this happen? Did my mom come looking for you?” Ji Zhenshi asked with concern.

Without pausing, she stripped off the wet robe, wrapped Li Yunli in the towel, scooped her up in a princess carry by the waist, and set her on the vanity. Now they could look each other in the eye.

Li Yunli was barefoot, her pale legs dangling at Ji Zhenshi’s sides. She bit her nearly bloodless lip; the calm she’d shown in front of Yang Ying was gone, replaced by tear-streaked cheeks of crystalline sorrow.

She raised her gaze stiffly and parted her lips slowly. “Good Child, I really love you.”

Every word and syllable brimmed with deep affection.

She had desperately wanted to share the joy of her throat’s recovery with Ji Zhenshi, but in this moment, all that remained was endless unease.

So only those words could briefly soothe the ache in her heart.

“Huh?” Ji Zhenshi could scarcely believe her ears. She froze in place, speechless, her mouth opening and closing as if she were the mute one now.

Li Yunli’s voice was hoarse and low, far from the smooth fluency of normal speech, her intonation oddly placed.

Yet Ji Zhenshi could sense that, once fully recovered, Li Yunli’s voice would surely be gentle and beautiful.

At last, she had heard Li Yunli speak—and the first words she said to her were such a moving confession of love.

“Sister A-Yun, you can talk? Was that you just now? You’ve recovered?” Ji Zhenshi exclaimed in delight, gripping Li Yunli’s arms, her pupils dilating as every cell in her body cheered.

Sister A-Yun could speak?

And once her voice fully stabilized, it would be just as lovely and gentle as Ji Zhenshi had imagined.

Li Yunli gazed at her with eyes soft as water, leaning lightly against her shoulder. “Xiao Zhen, now I’m a normal person too.”

Xiao Zhen’s shoulder really felt so safe.

Li Yunli slowly closed her eyes. Though she was shivering from the cold, leaning against Ji Zhenshi made her feel warm.

It was scorching, like sunlight, drawing her close and making her never want to leave.

No one could tell whether her words stemmed more from joy or conflict; she simply rested on Ji Zhenshi’s shoulder, drawing in that fleeting warmth.

“Sister A-Yun, what’s wrong?” Not understanding, Ji Zhenshi simply stepped forward and pulled her tighter into an embrace, patting her shoulder gently.

In that instant, Li Yunli had seemed abandoned by the whole world, stirring an irresistible pang in Ji Zhenshi’s heart.

She truly ached for Sister A-Yun.

Li Yunli nestled softly against Ji Zhenshi’s shoulder, the corners of her eyes reddening. “Good Child, I love you.”

Like a child just learning to speak, every word came out awkward and slow.

No matter how difficult, it didn’t stop Li Yunli from pouring out her love for Ji Zhenshi.

All the “I love you”s she couldn’t say during her mute years—she now wanted to say them all at once.

Sensing something off, Ji Zhenshi vaguely guessed what might have happened but didn’t press. Instead, she went along with it. “I love you too, Sister A-Yun. You know that—I really love you.”

Their hearts beat closest now, locked in mutual love.

Li Yunli, do you love me? Perfect—because I love you too.

Holding Li Yunli’s incredibly soft body, Ji Zhenshi grabbed the hairdryer and began blow-drying her hair while cradling her.

The dryer’s hum was soft, and Ji Zhenshi’s voice rang clear and resolute. “I love you. I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Xiao Zhen.”

“But I love you more, okay?”

“You don’t know—I love you even more.”

“But I’ve been secretly in love with you for six years, Sister A-Yun. You can’t beat that.”

Like kindergarten kids arguing over who loved whom more, though really Ji Zhenshi was playfully coaxing Li Yunli to say it again and again.

Li Yunli happily obliged, speaking like a toddling child learning words. “I love you—love just as much as you love me.”

Suppressing the urge to use sign language, Li Yunli gripped Ji Zhenshi’s shoulders, letting her toy with her long hair in her arms.

…It didn’t feel so cold anymore.

Ji Zhenshi chuckled softly, her fingers threading through Li Yunli’s silky black strands. Glancing at the woman leaning on her shoulder in the mirror, she teased in a gentle voice, “Sister A-Yun, I’m not used to you not using sign language.”

Li Yunli was so fragrant and soft, curling into her arms—it easily stirred one’s protective instincts.

“But Sister A-Yun’s voice is so nice. You have to say you love me lots more from now on, okay?” Ji Zhenshi added.

Setting down the dryer, she smiled and captured Sister A-Yun’s lips in a fleeting kiss, light as a dragonfly skimming water.

Li Yunli lifted her gaze slightly, a blush blooming on her cheeks. She instinctively reached for sign language, but Ji Zhenshi caught her hand.

Their eyes met, both harboring complex emotions.

“Is my voice really nice?” Li Yunli asked her.

Ji Zhenshi arched a brow and leaned in, noses brushing, her starry eyes fixed on Li Yunli’s. “It’s not super smooth yet—after all, you haven’t spoken in over ten years. But don’t doubt yourself, Sister A-Yun. It’s really lovely, just like I imagined: a gentle timbre.”

“…Perfect for lullabies,” Ji Zhenshi added, her eyes flickering with an ambiguity only they could read.

Her encouragement stirred ripples in Li Yunli’s heart, intensifying her desire to speak.

Lacing their fingers together, she asked, “Xiao Zhen, you said people who love each other will end up together. So we’ll go far into the future together, right?”

Neither knew the answer for sure, but sometimes answers didn’t matter.

What mattered was the love shining in her lover’s eyes.

Some things couldn’t lie—like Ji Zhenshi; Li Yunli could see the burning affection in her gaze at a glance.

Ji Zhenshi nodded, her free hand idly toying with the edge of the towel. “Sister A-Yun, how should I answer that? I agonize over it every day—I have no way to prove how much I love you. If only there were brands in this world. I’d let you mark me, so I’d belong to you forever, my heart moving only for you. If I ever wavered even slightly, you’d take my life, okay?”

Li Yunli, want to bet our lives on it?

If one day I stop loving you, I’ll just die. Wouldn’t that prove my resolve?

Ji Zhenshi spoke her profound devotion in a casual tone.

Her eyes shimmering, Li Yunli guided Ji Zhenshi’s hand to the tattoo over her heart. “Don’t you already have one here?”

The moon on Ji Zhenshi’s chest was already Li Yunli’s exclusive mark.

“So, Sister A-Yun, you have to trust me. Can you tell me what happened? Did my mom come back after I left?” Ji Zhenshi pressed Li Yunli’s hand there, letting her feel the heartbeat that raced for her, while patiently inquiring.

Truth be told, Ji Zhenshi knew Yang Ying all too well—she knew her mother was capable of such things.

Li Yunli tamped down her inner turmoil and replied warmly, “It doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing does. No matter what your mom says, it won’t shake my determination to be with you. That’s what counts.”

She didn’t mention the coffee Yang Ying had splashed on her or the humiliating words—only the moment her fingertips had felt Ji Zhenshi’s heartbeat, when she’d made up her mind. She had only one choice.

Ji Zhenshi.

So no obstacle was insurmountable. She’d fight for their future, just as steadfastly as Xiao Zhen.

“Your mom must have said a bunch of nasty things, and probably did something too, or you wouldn’t be acting like this. If you won’t tell me, I’ll check the shop’s security footage.” Seeing Li Yunli still reluctant to share details, Ji Zhenshi stopped pressing and prepared to investigate herself.

The way she’d been curled in the corner was hard not to suspect—had her mom struck her again?

So frail and thin, clutching herself tightly.

Why did Yang Ying always target Li Yunli?

She’d never seen someone so spineless, bullying only the soft ones. She’d practically begged to be found, but Yang Ying waited till she was gone to pick on Li Yunli.

How fun was that?

Luckily, Li Yunli stood firmly by her side. Otherwise, following the “plot,” shouldn’t Li Yunli be breaking up with her right now?

The second Ji Zhenshi saw her, she’d dreaded hearing, “Let’s break up.”

She really would go mad.

“Ji Zhenshi.” Li Yunli seized her wrist in time, pulling her back.

Without a word, she offered her own kiss.

Her slightly cool lips pressed on, giving no time to react before a contrasting hot tongue slipped in.

Cupping Ji Zhenshi’s face, Li Yunli nipped her lower lip. “Hold me, okay?”

A kiss sufficient to extinguish all of Ji Zhenshi’s rage.

Truth was, Li Yunli was even better at kissing than Ji Zhenshi had thought.

Now, with her seductive plea for a simple hug, Ji Zhenshi clenched her molars, forcibly reining in her emotions.

She hooked an arm around Li Yunli’s waist and carried her straight from the vanity to the bed.

“Why didn’t you put clothes on me?” Li Yunli’s sense of shame surged; she yanked the blanket to cover herself.

She’d clearly seen Ji Zhenshi deliberately tug off the towel.

Ji Zhenshi leaned over with a smirk. “Because without them, there’s no stopping me.”

With that, she snatched Li Yunli’s phone and headed downstairs, leaving no chance for protests. She went straight to the computer at the counter and pulled up the security footage from after she’d left.

Li Yunli’s kiss couldn’t fool her. She had to know what happened.

At least watching it once would show her what Li Yunli had endured.

It would take Li Yunli time to find and put on clothes. Ji Zhenshi fast-forwarded through their entire conversation at five times speed.

It wasn’t hard to spot—her mom had arrived right after she left.

Such cunning made Ji Zhenshi laugh bitterly in anger.

But when she heard Li Yunli’s first words—”I beg you”—a chill of dread settled on her face. She clenched her fist silently.

So lowly, begging Yang Ying not to make things difficult for them.

Li Yunli hurried down barefoot and, seeing Ji Zhenshi’s red eyes, knew she’d seen it. She rushed over and yanked the power cord, cutting off that “I beg you” between them.

Better if Xiao Zhen didn’t see her so pathetic.

Ji Zhenshi braced her hands on the counter, head bowed low. Even with the screen off, she stared at it blankly, her reflection showing her jaw clenched so hard it trembled.

Li Yunli had known it all along—Ji Zhenshi always had to know everything. That soothing act earlier had been a ruse to trick her.

Li Yunli stood before her, tentatively reaching out to pat her shoulder, calling softly, “Xiao Zhen, are you okay? Really, no need to worry. I’ve figured out how to keep my dad from meddling, so he won’t come bother you. Trust me—as long as you don’t abandon me, we won’t part.”

She paused a beat, then added, “Of course, if you decide otherwise, I’ll respect that.”

Xiao Zhen was free. They both were. Being together was a mutual choice.

Anyone could hear the pain in those last words. Ji Zhenshi kept her head down before finally looking up—with a smile. “If begging her worked, what would I even be doing here?”

She was even mocking herself.

Clearly, she hadn’t registered Li Yunli’s words; her mind was stuck on that “I beg you.”

From the day she’d met her, despite her physical flaw and gentle demeanor that anyone could bully, Li Yunli’s inner toughness had kept her from bowing to anyone—not even overbearing Li Ying could manipulate her.

Yet after over ten years, her first words were “I beg you.” How could Ji Zhenshi swallow that?

Was that really her biological mother?