The Mid-Autumn Festival arrived right on schedule.
Even though Shi Qianyu had said there was no need to bring gifts, Wen Xin had still prepared them out of politeness, setting everything aside well in advance.
Shi Qianyu took the elevator upstairs to pick her up. The moment she stepped through the door, she saw large and small packages piled high on the sofa. Wen Xin poked her head out from the bedroom, a touch embarrassed as she showed off the outfit she was wearing that day.
It was a very formal white dress, meticulously crafted with an excellent cut. There were no superfluous accessories, yet it exuded an air of elegant poise.
She rarely spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with others. In the past, when she had been staying with her uncle and auntie, she had always made a habit of avoiding these holidays. They were family gatherings for them, having nothing to do with her. Even if she had joined in, her uncle and auntie would never have given her a warm welcome.
Later, after starting university, one of her roommates lived too far away to make it home in time. Seeing that Wen Xin wasn’t going back either, she had specially bought some mooncakes and cold dishes for them to share, just to capture a bit of the festive mood.
~~~
That had been Wen Xin’s happiest Mid-Autumn Festival ever. Even though so much time had passed that she could no longer recall the taste of those mooncakes, they must have been delicious. The moon that night had been beautiful too, hanging brightly in the sky like a beacon that chased away all shadows. Wen Xin had lifted her gaze to stare at it, feeling a lightness settle in her heart.
And now, here was this one.
Terrified of embarrassing Shi Qianyu, Wen Xin had begun planning days in advance—what clothes to wear, what to say, what gifts to buy.
She gazed into Shi Qianyu’s eyes and asked tentatively, “A-Yu, does this outfit work for me?”
Wen Xin was a little nervous. Without waiting for a reply, she hurried on. “If it’s not right, I can change. I bought three outfits in total.”
This drew an amused laugh from Shi Qianyu. “It’s perfect,” she assured her.
“Very pretty.” She took a step closer for a better look, then repeated herself to show she truly meant it. “It suits you so well. Sister really knows how to pick them.”
The praise made Wen Xin flush with a mix of shyness and newfound confidence. “Really?”
Shi Qianyu nodded. “Of course.”
Her gaze shifted back to the sofa. “And these are?”
“These are the gifts I prepared for your uncle and auntie,” Wen Xin said. She leaned down onto the sofa and pointed them out one by one. “Scarves, tea, mooncakes… I wasn’t sure what they like, so I just went with what felt right to me.”
“You shouldn’t have spent so much,” Shi Qianyu said.
Wen Xin shook her head. “It wasn’t much.”
That was a fib, and Shi Qianyu knew it. Every item was from a luxury brand, none of them cheap.
But it was a heartfelt gesture, and though Shi Qianyu ached a little at the expense, she was deeply touched. She would accept them and make it up to Wen Xin later.
Lowering her eyes, she brushed a gentle kiss across Wen Xin’s forehead. “Thank you.”
“Ready to head out now?” she asked with a smile. “Let’s go home together.”
Home. The word felt so wonderfully right.
Wen Xin checked her appearance one last time and stood with Shi Qianyu, her heart warm and full. “Yeah, let’s go.”
~~~
The two of them arrived at the Shi Family Old Mansion early.
Mr. Shi wasn’t home at the moment, and Lady Fang had stayed up late painting the night before, so she had slept in and had only just finished breakfast.
Shi Qianyu led Wen Xin inside and set the bags on the tea table. “Mom, we’re back,” she called out.
Wen Xin followed close behind. “Hello, Auntie.”
With that, Lady Fang turned to look.
Wen Xin met her gaze across the space between them. Shi Qianyu had already shown her photos beforehand, but seeing the woman in person made Wen Xin realize she was even more beautiful than the pictures suggested.
She was past her prime, yet showed no signs of age. Her thick, long hair framed fair skin, and she had maintained her figure impeccably, with impeccable taste in clothing to boot.
If not for Shi Qianyu’s earlier “Mom,” Wen Xin might have mistaken her for Shi Qianyu’s older sister.
Before she could dwell on it, Lady Fang rose to her feet.
She smiled warmly, faint lines crinkling at the corners of her eyes in a way that only added to her approachable grace. No hint of distance at all. She came slowly over to Wen Xin and took her hand affectionately. “You’re Wen Xin, right?”
“Yes,” Wen Xin replied quickly.
Lady Fang looked her over from head to toe, then sighed softly with evident pleasure. “You’ve grown so tall. And so pretty.”
Wen Xin didn’t quite catch the implication in her words, but Lady Fang’s palm was warm, her smile gentle. It stirred memories of her own mother in Wen Xin’s mind, along with an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if they had met before.
It was probably just an illusion. A family like Shi Qianyu’s wasn’t one someone like her could ever get close to. Wen Xin said nothing more, simply smiling along with her words.
She was utterly adorable, the kind of girl anyone would take a liking to right away.
“Come sit.” Lady Fang gestured for them to join her on the sofa and signaled the nearby servant to bring tea. Then she turned to chide Shi Qianyu. “Why did you bring home so much stuff again? I told you, just you coming back is enough. No need for all these odds and ends.”
“Like scarves—I already have…”
Shi Qianyu cleared her throat lightly, interrupting her. “These are gifts from Wen Xin.”
“Oh?” Lady Fang paused for a beat, then caught on with a delighted familiarity. “Wenwen picked these out?”
“They’re lovely. How did you know exactly what Auntie likes?” Her demeanor shifted entirely now as she lavished praise without restraint—from the fabric of the scarves to their style. “The black tea is from you too?”
Wen Xin nodded. “Yes.”
Lady Fang said earnestly, “It’s wonderful. I love it.”
She was such a kind and endearing elder, nothing like Wen Xin’s uncle and auntie. Unbeknownst to herself, Wen Xin began to relax, grateful that she had agreed to come back with Shi Qianyu.
“You’re home so rarely. This time, no matter what, you’re staying for at least two days.” After some light chat, Lady Fang’s attention returned to her daughter. “I’ve had the rooms prepared—two of them, and one for Wenwen too. You can both stay.”
Wen Xin was caught off guard. “Me too…?”
“Don’t worry, everything’s all set. Just move right in.” Lady Fang smiled. Footsteps approached from outside then—relatives dropping off gifts. Wen Xin and Shi Qianyu exchanged a glance, quietly deciding to make themselves scarce.
Shi Qianyu picked up on her wish. Wen Xin had no interest in that sort of empty socializing, so neither of them would join in. They stood together.
She signaled to her mother. “I’ll take Wen Xin for a stroll in the garden.”
Lady Fang nodded and picked up a few oranges from the table, pressing them into Wen Xin’s hands. “Go on.”
The two slipped out the back door, onto the stone path, and into the lovely courtyard.
Wen Xin looked down at the oranges in her hand, reflecting on Lady Fang’s warmth toward her. A sour ache welled up in her chest, mingled with gratitude and joy.
At first, she had been so afraid—afraid of intruding on their family reunion, afraid her personality would rub someone the wrong way, afraid she’d say or do the wrong thing and cause Shi Qianyu unnecessary trouble.
But none of that had happened. This was their first meeting, yet Lady Fang treated her wonderfully, almost like one of the family. She had even invited her to stay for a couple of days. So welcoming—how could she be this welcoming?
“What are you thinking about?” Shi Qianyu noticed her silence right away.
Wen Xin turned to meet her eyes and answered honestly. “Auntie is really wonderful.”
“No wonder A-Yu is so good at taking care of people. She must get it from her.”
She beamed, her praise sincere and heartfelt.
A breeze rustled through, sending a few leaves drifting down from the branches to land in Wen Xin’s hair. Shi Qianyu reached up to brush them away, chuckling softly. “I get it—you’re saying I’m wonderful too.”
Huh?
Wen Xin hesitated, not quite used to Shi Qianyu acting playful like this. After a few seconds, she managed, “W-Well, sort of.”
Shi Qianyu wouldn’t let it go. “What do you mean ‘sort of’?”
“Yes!” Wen Xin amended hastily. “A-Yu is wonderful.”
Only then was Shi Qianyu satisfied, her smile returning in full. “But I’m not like this with everyone. This kindness is reserved for certain people.”
“My mother feels the same. She likes you, that’s why she’s so good to you.”
Wen Xin repeated the words softly. “She… likes me.”
Ever since her parents passed, hardly anyone had said they liked her anymore. And she had only just met Lady Fang—how could she possibly like her already? Wen Xin could scarcely believe it. “Really?”
Shi Qianyu nodded. “Really. She said just looking at your photos made her feel close to you.”
So Lady Fang had sensed it too.
Wen Xin blinked, then confided in Shi Qianyu without thinking. “I felt the same about Auntie. It’s our first meeting, but it seems like we’ve known each other for ages.”
Shi Qianyu caught the nuance in her words and glanced over, expression carefully neutral. “Maybe you really have met before.”
Wen Xin smiled down at her feet. “No way.”
“My memory isn’t the greatest, but I wouldn’t forget someone this wonderful.”
But you did forget.
Shi Qianyu watched her for a long moment, then deliberately drew closer, the two of them slipping together into the depths of the flowers and greenery.
She lightly kissed Wen Xin’s lips, deliberately teasing, “What if? Maybe you really did see me back then, but you were too young and forgot all about it.”
“Make a bolder guess. Maybe you’ve seen me before too.”
Even if it had really happened, it must have been when she was very little.
Wen Xin followed Shi Qianyu’s line of thinking and kept imagining downward. What would Shi Qianyu have been like as a child? The two of them were four years apart—a gap that didn’t feel like much now, but from a kid’s perspective, it would have seemed enormous.
Letting her imagination run free, she joked, “Then I’d have to call A-Yu ‘Sister’.”
Shi Qianyu actually gave it some serious thought. “That sounds pretty nice.”
“You could do it right now.” Her lips curved into a smile as she hooked an arm around Wen Xin’s neck and gazed affectionately into her eyes. “I really want to hear it. Come on, let me hear you say it.”
Too embarrassing. No way was she doing that.
Wen Xin shook her head stubbornly, refusing no matter what. Shi Qianyu refused to let her off easily, silencing her protests with another kiss.
Until a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind them. “Sis, I came to find… wow.”
The “sister” that Wen Xin wouldn’t call, Jiang Jianxue said it for her.
But Shi Qianyu clearly wasn’t thrilled to hear it. She whipped her head around at the sound, meeting Jiang Jianxue’s gaze. After a few seconds of silence, she said, “…Why are you here?”
Jiang Jianxue lowered her eyes and nudged the weeds at her feet with her toe. She had come today with Yan Xi. Her last drama had just wrapped, and her manager had given her two days off. Yan Xi happened to have some rare free time too, so Jiang Jianxue had dragged her along to celebrate the holiday together.
They had come straight to her great-aunt’s house after getting off the plane, without even stopping at their own home first. And now, not only did her cousin not praise her for it, she was getting scolded too.
Well, fair enough—who asked her to barge in on her cousin’s intimate moment? That girl had to be Wen Xin. She had seen her a few times at the birthday party last time and already suspected something was going on between them.
Shi Qianyu saw that she wasn’t answering and pressed, “What did you see?”
Jiang Jianxue shook her head and slapped a hand over her eyes, though she deliberately left two gaps to peek through at Shi Qianyu. “I didn’t see a thing!”
