Guang Yu sat on the floor of Ye Zhibai’s room, angrily gnawing at a piece of osmanthus cake.
Suddenly, she heard a tremendous clattering crash from outside!
“!”
If she borrowed a popular line from the internet lately, it would be… What the hell kinda racket is this?!
But what did that have to do with Little Fox?
Guang Yu happily turned her head back, swinging her little feet, and went right on munching her osmanthus cake.
With Ye Zhiyun out there, no disturbance—no matter how massive—could possibly threaten Ye Zhibai’s safety.
After all, for Ye Zhibai, her greatest danger and threat came from Ye Zhiyun herself.
So there was nothing at all to worry about!
Guang Yu figured that the commotion must have been Ye Zhiyun’s handiwork.
In that case… Ye Zhibai was sure to be tied up with no time for anything else.
Like she’d said earlier—nothing to do but wish her good health.
And so.
Guang Yu’s gaze slowly shifted to the big scallion that had only recently been replanted in the courtyard.
Hee hee.
Happiness came just that easily!
The disturbance really had been Ye Zhiyun’s doing.
After being kissed out of nowhere, Ye Zhiyun showed zero signs of easing up.
Ye Zhibai had already begun gently patting her arm with her palm as a reminder—she couldn’t breathe!
I didn’t get a breath in before you went for it!
Breathing normally wouldn’t have been an issue.
But in this assault, Ye Zhiyun unleashed the techniques she’d picked up from doujinshi!
Namely, sending her tongue into the fray!
Ye Zhibai couldn’t handle the stormy onslaught in her mouth for a moment, failing to catch her breath right away—which left her entirely on the defensive!
Even so, Ye Zhiyun only ramped things up.
Not only did she refuse to let go, she seized Ye Zhibai’s restless wrists and drove the deep kiss all the way home.
She pushed with such force that Ye Zhibai’s body retreated backward step by step!
Until poor Little Zhibai’s waist and back bumped against the cabinet at the far end of the living room—the one cluttered with odds and ends and books—finally halting her backward stumble.
Hearing Yun’er’s rapid breathing from zero inches away, flickers of light danced in Ye Zhibai’s pale purple eyes. Her face seemed expressionless, but in truth, a faint glimmer of tears had been kissed into being—barely perceptible.
Woo…! When have I ever been this passive across two lifetimes?!
Passive wasn’t just a minor setback; for ambushed Ye Zhibai, it was total collapse across the board!
Ye Zhiyun simply dug in with her little thief’s claw-hand on a certain softness, and out came the world’s most exquisite sound—like it could melt three feet of ice.
It was a weak, breathless moan that Ye Zhibai hadn’t managed to hold back from her throat.
Her legs turned to jelly, the bare strength keeping her upright draining away in a rush. By the time she snapped to, Ye Zhibai had already begun sliding down the cabinet’s surface on her back.
She ended up sitting on the floor, seeking support there.
Once seated, Ye Zhibai summoned every shred of reason to set her pen case aside first.
After all, she couldn’t hold onto it anymore.
Even then, Ye Zhiyun had no plans to let her off the hook.
She mirrored Ye Zhibai’s movements, crouching lower so her lips could stay pressed to the one person she craved most in all the world.
Sitting down? No big deal.
But…
Ye Zhibai felt so lightheaded now that she’d even forgotten to keep her head facing forward.
In her carelessness, the back of her head tilted backward.
Thud!
Right into the cabinet!
“Ugh…!”
A muffled grunt of pain escaped Ye Zhibai’s lips.
Crash!!
The three-tier cabinet wasn’t bolted down. It overflowed with books and knickknacks—even some pretty pebbles she’d picked up in the courtyard.
Every last item plummeted straight down toward Ye Zhibai below!
Ye Zhibai was already kissed half senseless, eyes nearly rolling back.
But when she spotted those objects hurtling toward her from midair, a chill shot through her heart.
Oh crap, am I really gonna die young again?!
Not quite.
The instant danger registered, no matter how dazed or thrilled Ye Zhiyun might be, her utmost priority never wavered for a second.
Protecting her sister!
She parted their lips at top speed, straightened up, and crossed her arms overhead—creating a patch of “clear sky” for Ye Zhibai.
Naturally, all those falling objects smacked right into Ye Zhiyun’s arms.
Clang!
Pain flared. Ye Zhiyun squeezed her left eye shut.
Her peerlessly beautiful face twisted in agony.
Ye Zhibai, craning her head up, caught the whole heart-wrenching sight!
On pure instinct, she started to rise, ready to check the spot on Yun’er’s arm.
But before she could, Yun’er swooped down, wrapping her in a hug. Her slightly trembling hands stroked the back of Ye Zhibai’s head where it had smacked the cabinet.
“Sister, you hit your head! Does it hurt…? I’m sorry… I… I’m such an…!”
Her voice broke on a sob, flooding Ye Zhibai with endless emotions.
Yun’er—so resilient—had teared up several times already tonight. Now her eyes brimmed with mist.
The sight hit Ye Zhibai like a thunderbolt.
In her last life… flung by a car, bleeding out on the pavement, vision fading… all she’d seen was everyone keeping their distance, unwilling to come near.
Totally understandable. Folks hated blood, hated that kind of gruesome scene, didn’t want any part of it—Ye Zhibai got that.
But…
She’d been terrified.
Desperate for anyone to say something, to promise everything would be alright.
Instead, all she’d felt was the cold asphalt, utterly devoid of warmth.
All she’d heard were bystanders’ echoes and empty chatter—maybe a curse or two at the drunk driver, at best.
The final moments of that life’s end… dying alone in the hospital, cold to the last.
Not one person cared to hear even her faintest cry.
No one… bothered to ask if she hurt.
And yet now? All for a little bump on the head?
The girl right in front of her…
Yun’er had actually asked if it hurt…?
Ye Zhibai stared blankly into her little sister’s worried eyes—the ones that held nothing but her own reflection, this lifetime.
One glance spanned a thousand years.
No need for ages.
This moment was all that mattered.
Seeing her sister’s expression shift so suddenly, Ye Zhiyun could only think… she was freaking out.
Total panic!
Her sister—the one who’d teared up only once, back at the crematorium—now had tears welling in her eyes!
This was bad… really bad!
That bump must’ve hurt like hell!
Now Yun’er clutched Ye Zhibai even tighter.
The usually unflappable girl completely forgot where she’d left her phone, patting frantically at the debris-strewn floor.
“What do I do… Sister, hang on, does it hurt bad?! I’ll call the Medical Maid Corps right now! I’ll just… Mmph…?!”
Payback.
A cascade of silver hair, soft as angel feathers, swept before Ye Zhiyun’s face.
Earlier, Yun’er had claimed Ye Zhibai’s lips without a word.
Now…
In the midst of Yun’er’s panic, Ye Zhibai surged forward out of nowhere and kissed her right back!
One good turn deserves another—even steven.
Unlike Yun’er’s tenacious lock, though, Ye Zhibai’s kiss was the lightest dragonfly skim over water, parting at once.
Yet that fleeting touch outshone any prolonged tangle.
It said more than words ever could.
Ye Zhibai had never been great with words, so this kiss laid it all bare.
Stunned by the sudden stolen peck, Yun’er touched her lips with a finger, mumbling dazed little sounds.
She looked like a kid hit with a surprise candy—thrilled beyond belief, yet hardly daring to trust it!
Sister… she kissed me first!
Before she could fully process that honey-sweet brush.
Ye Zhibai pushed herself up on legs gone wobbly as pudding, then tugged back the cuff of Yun’er’s 7/8-sleeve tee to inspect the spot where the falling junk had struck her arm.
That was Ye Zhibai’s real concern right now.
The sight made her heart ache.
A glaring red patch marred the tender skin of Yun’er’s arms—all of it from taking the hits for her.
Gently, Ye Zhibai adjusted the sleeve cuff, making sure the fabric wouldn’t rub against that delicate, pained skin.
“Yun’er… call the Medical Maid Corps… get some ice on it.”
“Woo… Sister! No ice needed! Really, no ice! Just hold me and I’m good!”
“!”
Yun’er wasn’t kidding.
Amid the litter on the floor, she let out a little whimper and hugged Ye Zhibai once more.
This embrace was tighter and warmer than any before!
Ye Zhibai hugged her back, her arms looping softly around the treasured girl before her.
Nestled close, chests pressed together, they relied on each other’s warmth. They ended up sitting duck-legged on the floor, face-to-face.
As if to set Ye Zhibai’s mind at ease…
Yun’er didn’t strike this time. Under her watchful gaze, she leaned in for a kiss.
Ye Zhibai didn’t pull away. She simply closed her eyes and met that happiness head-on.
Just like the one Ye Zhibai had given—a dragonfly’s kiss.
Smiling, Ye Zhiyun wiped the tear from the corner of her eye. The arm pain was nothing compared to the boundless joy surging through her now!
