Chapter 25: – World 1 [25] Part 1

Want to accompany me until I’m one hundred?

Shang Siyu stared blankly at Jing Ke, letting her hold her hand, pulling her along as she counted out steps.

One, two, three.

The two of them slowly moved away from the vehicle, heading step by step towards their apartment building.

Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four.

The snow seemed to be falling harder, though it still melted quickly upon hitting the ground, only leaving behind damp traces almost true to their original shapes.

Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven.

Just one more corner and they’d be at the building. Shang Siyu found herself silently counting along with Jing Ke in her heart, choosing to believe in that baseless online saying.

Seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight.

The entrance was right before them, the straight-line distance under twenty meters. The streetlight seemed exceptionally harsh.

Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.

Jing Ke controlled her stride size perfectly. Just as they stepped into the building, she counted exactly to one hundred, not one step more, not one step less.

“Little Yu, it was exactly one hundred steps. I can accompany you until you’re one hundred years old.” A brilliant smile appeared on Jing Ke’s face as she stopped.

“Mm, I will try my best to accompany you until you’re one hundred,” Shang Siyu said softly.

Shang Siyu’s naturally cool and refined features seemed to transform completely, like a snowflake melting in a warm palm. They took on a different appearance, looking gentle to the extreme.

And apart from that very first period, Shang Siyu seemed never to have treated Jing Ke coldly. When looking at Jing Ke, her expression usually held a smile.

“Not try your best. Definitely,” Jing Ke, still rigorous even while drunk, corrected Shang Siyu’s phrasing.

“Alright, I will definitely accompany you until one hundred,” Shang Siyu said.

At a moment like this, Shang Siyu didn’t mind telling a little white lie to make Jing Ke happy.

If she could, Shang Siyu also desperately wanted to live to a hundred, to stay with Jing Ke for a very, very long time.

But reality was cruel. Living to a hundred was an incredibly difficult thing for an ordinary person.

“Alright, the elevator’s here. Let’s go home.” Shang Siyu held Jing Ke’s hand tighter than ever, her thoughts wandering a bit more.

If she were to pass away a hundred years from now, where would Jing Ke go?

Would she bind to another person, becoming their transaction partner?

Would Jing Ke treat that other person the way she treated her? Would she become human again?

And, most importantly, if that person also fell in love with Jing Ke, would Jing Ke, upon realizing it, reciprocate those feelings?

They say love should be unique. So, could she perhaps dare to be greedy just this once, asking Jing Ke to be uniquely hers, too?

–

Back home, Jing Ke cupped the mug of warm honey water Shang Siyu had made, warming her hands as she took small, slow sips.

Drunk Jing Ke wasn’t noisy or troublesome. Her IQ just occasionally dropped, or her thoughts jumped erratically, leading to bizarre questions.

“Little Yu, if I had no money, would you still be with me?” Jing Ke suddenly asked out of the blue.

“Of course. I’m not with you for your money.” Shang Siyu replied smoothly. “I value your character. Even if you had nothing, I wouldn’t abandon you.”

Shang Siyu wasn’t just brushing Jing Ke off; she’d answered the exact same question three times already. Practice makes perfect.

“What if I didn’t even have good character anymore? If I did bad things and got caught, would you still like me?” Jing Ke pressed.

Jing Ke usually absorbed too much information and data. When fully sober, she could effectively filter the information, clearing out the useless stuff.

But when not sober, Jing Ke’s information processing system fell into chaos.

Hearing a new question pop up, Shang Siyu thought seriously for a minute. She didn’t give a flippant answer just because Jing Ke wasn’t clear-headed.

“If, before I met you, I knew you had done bad things, I wouldn’t have gotten together with you, let alone signed a contract to become your transaction partner.”

“But if you did something wrong now, or in the future, I would try to help you make amends, and then help you correct your course.”

Shang Siyu spoke slowly. “Only when I’d become completely disappointed in you, would I probably leave.”

Jing Ke blinked, seeming to digest Shang Siyu’s words.

After a long pause, Jing Ke’s eyes curved into crescents. “Don’t you worry. I won’t regret my choices. Whatever you want to do, I will help you. I will help you achieve all your wishes.”

Jing Ke’s answer seemed a bit nonsensical, but it didn’t stop Shang Siyu from understanding her meaning.

Jing Ke thought differently from her, and thus would act differently.

Even if Shang Siyu did something wrong, even if she had ill intentions, Jing Ke would stand by her side to the very end, rather than getting her to make so-called corrections.

“But, didn’t you think Xue Fan’s actions were despicable?” Shang Siyu asked gently. “If I were like him, doing bad things, would you still help me?”

“Yes, I dislike him very much.” Mentioning that certain person still locked up, Jing Ke frowned and wrinkled her nose with displeasure. “But Little Yu, you’re different. I like you.”

“I looked up data. Many people say that liking is blind, that it makes a person lose reason and thoughtful action.” Jing Ke said seriously. “I am a person now too. So, after falling for you, I will also become blind because of you.”

Shang Siyu was stunned. Was this something Jing Ke would say? The usually more rational her, would she truly become blind because of fondness?

Thump— Thump-Thump—

Shang Siyu felt her heart pounding fiercely, as if it would leap out of her chest the very next second.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Shang Siyu desperately wanted to seize the chance to ask the question plaguing her: she wanted to ask Jing Ke if, after she was gone, Jing Ke would fall for the next trader who could provide her with fortune.

But just as Shang Siyu was about to ask, Jing Ke blinked hard twice and then yawned.

“Little Yu, I’m sleepy. Can we sleep now?” Physiological tears welled up in Jing Ke’s eyes, making her amber eyes look moist, even more like a puppy begging its owner for a head pat than usual.

“Okay, let’s rinse off quickly and sleep.” Shang Siyu didn’t indulge her urge to ask that question. But she followed her heart, reaching out and stroking Jing Ke’s head.

Seeing Shang Siyu’s movement, Jing Ke instinctively lowered her head and replied, “Mm, bath, sleep.”

–

The twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. By this time, most people were preparing to head home for the New Year.

When she woke the next day, Jing Ke looked no different from usual. She showed no embarrassment, nor any hangover symptoms like a headache.

Recalling the somewhat irrational behavior, Shang Siyu felt too embarrassed to bring up last night’s events herself. Seeing Jing Ke show no reaction, she simply followed suit and pretended nothing had happened.

After helping Shang Siyu load the prepared New Year goods into the car, Jing Ke deftly took her usual spot in the driver’s seat, steering the previously purchased SUV toward Mu’an County.

There were still two days until the official holiday started, so the highways weren’t free yet. The traffic was a bit heavier than usual, but luckily it hadn’t become the kind of gridlock that appears the moment you get on the highway.

Having left in the morning, they successfully exited the highway just before four in the afternoon.

Parking the car in one of the few remaining spots, they once again unloaded bags large and small.

Geographically speaking, Mu’an County was slightly further north than River City. So, the moment the car doors opened, both were slapped in the face by the biting cold wind.

Pulling their identical scarves tighter, Jing Ke and Shang Siyu moved faster than usual. After lifting the New Year goods from the trunk, they dashed into the apartment building in quick, tiny steps.

After climbing several flights of stairs in one go, both their breaths were slightly ragged, the sound of their panting echoing clearly in the quiet stairwell.

However, a minute after knocking, no sound came from inside. It was as if no one was home.

“Elementary schools are already on break, how come Auntie isn’t off work yet?” Jing Ke set down the things, freeing a hand to rub her cold nose.

“It’s fine, I have the key.” Shang Siyu lowered her backpack, searching for the key tucked in a zippered compartment. “Maybe the school had some other arrangement and needed her to go in temporarily.”

As Shang Siyu spoke, she unlocked the security door, then the solid wood door inside.

Accompanied by the sound of the lock turning, a muffled cough suddenly reached Jing Ke’s ears.

Jing Ke instinctively followed the sound upwards. Standing in the stairwell landing above was a middle-aged man with a large belly.

Meeting Jing Ke’s scrutinizing gaze, the middle-aged man instinctively averted his eyes. Not only did he turn to look out the window, but he also pulled out his phone and fiddled with it.

Jing Ke frowned slightly. Her intuition told her this man was suspicious.

But at that moment, Shang Siyu had already opened the door and was calling Jing Ke in. “Okay, come on in.”

Pressing her lips together, Jing Ke tugged at Shang Siyu’s sleeve, subtly pointing upwards.

Shang Siyu looked over and saw a vaguely familiar back. Lowering her voice, she said, “Probably just a neighbor out for some fresh air.”

Was it? A trace of confusion lingered in Jing Ke’s brow.

But at most, the middle-aged man had just stared at them for a bit. Jing Ke, even if she didn’t fully grasp social nuances, knew she couldn’t just rush up and confront him over that.

–

The New Year goods Jing Ke and Shang Siyu had brought back were mostly dry goods. They just needed to be placed appropriately, no immediate processing required.

Mother Shang usually got off work at 4:20 PM; arriving home, it would be around 5:00 PM.

After putting away the luggage, Shang Siyu glanced at the wall clock in the living room. Seeing there were still twenty minutes until five, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to cook.

Jing Ke mimicked her, putting on a new apron.

“I’ll join you, help you with the prep work.” Ever aware of her own culinary skills, Jing Ke stated.

“Let’s just make a simple stir-fry and a soup. Jing Ke, you wash the greens and mushrooms and chop them. I’ll wash the rice and start the rice cooker first.” Shang Siyu opened the fridge to check the existing ingredients, then took out the needed items and assigned the tasks.

This scene had played out many times in a certain River City kitchen before. Their cooperation was extremely seamless. Shang Siyu only needed a glance, and Jing Ke knew exactly what to hand her.

So, when Mother Shang opened the door and came home, she smelled the aroma of cooking food. Following the scent, she saw her daughter and Jing Ke nestled close together, posture intimate, as if whispering something into each other’s ears.

“Different quantities need correspondingly different seasoning and timing. If you adjust according to proportions, it shouldn’t be a major problem. But the ingredients themselves have subtle differences, so those recipes often use ‘appropriate amount’ as a universal term.”

Shang Siyu leaned close to Jing Ke, passing on her cooking experience. She didn’t expect Jing Ke to truly learn, she just purely enjoyed the process.

Jing Ke carefully memorized every word she said, looking at Shang Siyu with a hint of adoration. “Little Yu, you’re amazing.”

“Not bad.” Shang Siyu couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips.

Cooking was one of the few areas where Shang Siyu was better than Jing Ke, and one of the rare moments in daily life where she could receive such admiration.

Tap-tap—

After putting down her things, Mother Shang gently knocked on the kitchen’s glass sliding door. “How’s dinner coming along? Need any help from me?”

“Hmm? Mom, you’re back?” Shang Siyu turned her head, smiling. “No need, this is the last soup. Mom, just go wash your hands and get ready to eat.”

“Hello, Auntie.” Jing Ke also turned to greet. “The soup will be ready in another three minutes.”

“Okay, then I’ll look forward to tasting your cooking.” Mother Shang’s fine lines at the corners of her eyes crinkled together, her gaze casually sweeping over the two’s slightly open collars, exposed due to the kitchen’s heat.

The faint marks on the side of their necks were very light, but with Shang Siyu and Jing Ke’s fair skin, they were easily spotted upon careful observation.

Having finally found evidence, Mother Shang wasn’t overly surprised. Instead, she felt relieved.

The deep compatibility and tacit understanding between Jing Ke and her daughter in daily life was something Mother Shang had actually noticed the very first time Jing Ke visited.

Mother Shang was open-minded, very clear that finding a life partner was about whether two people could go the distance together, whether their personalities fit, not about the other person’s gender.