The gleaming floor of the living room had not been spared. A circle of dainty footprints was etched into it.
The petite prints traced an arc straight to Chi Yuliang’s room.
And the culprit behind this ring of footprints, Ye Zhibai, had already changed into the brand-new pink bunny slippers that Chi Yuliang had prepared for her long ago. She clung to the doorframe of the room, looking utterly aggrieved as she poked half her little head out, secretly observing Sister Liang, who was bustling about in the living room with a mop.
Judging from the resounding clashes of the mop against the floor—treating it like a canvas where the mop danced like a dragon’s snake—Sister Liang was probably still fuming.
She was angry, but not because of the dirty floor.
The real reason lay in the words she kept muttering under her breath, her lecture directed at Ye Zhibai.
“Has Little Bai reflected on it?”
“I… I’ve reflected.”
“Good. Don’t blame Sister for getting mad. Little Bai, what you did earlier was an attitude problem, and a very serious one at that.”
Chi Yuliang paused her mopping, flinging her purple hair back in a strikingly heroic gesture.
She hadn’t been this serious even during her college thesis defense!
“Listen up, Little Bai. Get this logic straight. Maybe a few years ago, right after I was adopted, I wouldn’t have had the right to say this. But now, Sister has been part of this family for many years. My parents are wonderful people—no doubt about it. This is my home. And since it’s my home, it’s absolutely not a place where you need to feel constrained, Little Bai! Tell me, back at the orphanage, did you take off your shoes before coming into my room?”
“Uh… no.”
Not only did she not take off her shoes—what about that time this troublesome kid pounced on her and sent her tumbling into a mud pit?
After being fished out, Dean Grandma had given her a real scolding, but she still acted all cocky.
“That’s right.”
Chi Yuliang pressed her palm against the mop handle and nodded vigorously, sending waves rippling across her chest.
“I’m being willful here, overriding Mom and Dad’s opinions. Little Bai, treat my home like your own, got it?”
“G-Got it.”
“Mm! Good. Then it’s a deal with Sister—no next time~”
Chi Yuliang’s expressions shifted effortlessly. Just a moment ago, she had been pouting in annoyance, but the instant Little Bai acknowledged her “mistake,” a gentle, all-embracing smile bloomed from her heart. She even winked her left eye at Ye Zhibai in approval and encouragement.
Fine, got it, Sister Liang.
Next time I come over, I’ll make sure to leave a few more footprints.
Just kidding.
Seeing that Sister Liang seemed to have calmed down, Ye Zhibai sheepishly retreated fully into the room.
Sister Liang had finished mopping and was about to wrap up lunch prep. She told Ye Zhibai to rest in the room for a bit; she’d come over soon.
After this inexplicable scolding, Ye Zhibai lightly pressed a hand to her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
—And with relief came an inhale.
Along with that breath came the same delightful milky fragrance that clung to Sister Liang, seeping soothingly into her heart.
After all, this was Sister Liang’s room—the safe haven that made Little Zhibai feel utterly at ease!
Lifting her head for a quick scan, Ye Zhibai noted that, aside from Scummy Guang Yu rolling around on the floor using her tail as a cushion, Sister Liang’s room was indeed unlike that of a typical young girl.
The style was far more mature.
No frilly pink walls—just clean, crisp off-white ones, spotless.
Compared to the rooms in the Ye Family’s little villa, this one was much smaller, but that only made it feel more lived-in.
A modestly sized soft bed with neat sky-blue sheets, neatly folded bedding, a bookshelf packed with classic novels, and a desk beneath it holding a laptop.
Nothing else particularly noteworthy.
Well, except for the unopened osmanthus cake on the desk.
Ye Zhibai quietly walked over, grabbed a book, and covered it up—to prevent Guang Yu from spotting it and vacuuming it down in a frenzy.
She then softly closed the door behind her and finally exhaled a long, relaxed breath.
“Whew… Should’ve known better than to take off my shoes. Guang Yu, it’s all your fault for that rotten idea. You made Sister Liang mad, huh.”
“Hey?!” Guang Yu stopped rolling the moment she heard that. “Why don’t you ask your own conscience! You were the one worried about dirtying the floor! I just gave you the idea and even took the lead by landing flat on my butt!”
“Forget the facts. I’m blaming you anyway.”
“……”
The little deity Guang Yu seemed to sense immense malice from humanity.
She sat cross-legged on the clean floor, pondered for a moment, then tilted her head, baring her little tiger teeth in a mischievous grin.
“Hee… Complain all you want, Ye Zhibai. But deep down, you’re pretty happy about getting scolded by Chi Yuliang, aren’t you?”
“Cut it out. Not everyone can learn Yun’er’s fine qualities.”
Getting yelled at and feeling happy? That’d make her a masochist.
And she was certain she wasn’t one.
But Guang Yu’s next words made it almost impossible for Ye Zhibai to deny.
“You’re saying that again! Feel it for yourself! I can sense your subtle mood fluctuations. You’re clearly happy right now!”
“Am I…?”
“Absolutely!”
Maybe… she was, a little.
Not being treated like an outsider by the sisterly figure from her childhood, being told she could treat this place like her own home, no need to hold back.
Even after all these years, that old bond hadn’t been rejected.
Who wouldn’t be happy about something like that?
Noticing Ye Zhibai wasn’t rebutting this time, Guang Yu beamed smugly, hugging her nonexistent chest with both arms as she laughed.
“Pretty great, huh? Having a big sister who cares is pure bliss. Hee, though I’m not really jealous. Up in the Heavenly Realm, I have a big sister who cares for me too!”
“You?”
“Don’t doubt it. Sure, gods are born from chaos, with no family in the human sense. But the Mother Goddess once said she’s my sister. In the Heavenly Realm, I can go to her for anything! She’s a big shot~ Commands absolute authority there. Super impressive!”
“That does sound impressive… Uh, who was it that demoted you to the mortal world, again?”
“The Mother Goddess!”
“……”
What a great sister she was.
Ye Zhibai was just about to pry for more details when, through the slightly ajar door, she suddenly heard the sound of the front door opening from the living room, followed by the rustle of plastic bags.
Then came a woman’s voice, unfamiliar to Ye Zhibai.
“Yuliang? Still cooking? Didn’t you go out to pick up your friend?”
“Ah… Mom.
I’ve already brought Little Bai back. She’s resting in my room. Hey, what’s with all these bags?”
“Your friend is here already?! I need to go say hi… Nah, no need to help. It’s not heavy—just some chicken, duck, fish, snacks, and such. Didn’t know what your friend likes, so I got a bit of everything.”
Ye Zhibai took a moment to process the exchange.
Mom…?
Our mom is back…! No, wait—Auntie!
Sister Liang had just said to treat this like home, and Ye Zhibai hadn’t quite wrapped her head around it yet.
Her mood tensed up instantly.
The biggest hurdle when visiting a friend’s house was greeting the parents.
But here, she had to take the initiative!
Auntie was back, and if she just stayed holed up without going out, it’d be rude if Auntie had to come find her.
But mere seconds after her heart started racing, footsteps approached the room from outside!
It was over.
She was cornered!
Hesitation meant defeat.
Yet when the door was pushed open, the figure at the threshold wasn’t the unfamiliar auntie.
It was Chi Yuliang, beckoning Ye Zhibai over with a subtle hand gesture.
Her whispered reminder was pure music to Ye Zhibai’s ears.
“Come on out, Little Bai~ I told Mom to wait a sec. I’ll take you to say hi.”
“Sister Liang…!”
That was how you melted Little Zhibai’s heart!
Chi Yuliang had always remembered: Little Bai was shy around strangers. Back in the day, she’d hide behind her even when greeting the orphanage teachers—adorably so.
Ahem… no, she’d improved a ton since then, okay!
But with Sister Liang leading the way, Ye Zhibai truly felt a surge of confidence. Maybe this was one of the buffs that came with having a big sister.
By the time they reached the living room and she greeted Fang Wenyuan, Ye Zhibai’s mindset was perfectly smooth.
“Hello, Auntie. Sorry for dropping by unannounced today.”
She’d never given such a refined greeting before!
Fang Wenyuan had her back turned, hanging her small bag on the coat rack.
Hearing her daughter’s friend had arrived, she whipped around to respond.
“Ah, Zhibai, you’re here! Yuliang mentions you all the time. She says you’re a particularly pretty and cute ki—uh?”
“Auntie?”
Fang Wenyuan turned fully, catching sight of Ye Zhibai’s face head-on.
The girl tilted her head in confusion, her silver hair swaying.
It left Fang Wenyuan utterly dumbfounded.
Uh… Yuliang, when you described your friend as “pretty and cute”…
Why didn’t you add “extremely” or “incredibly” in front?
Your description… isn’t rigorous enough, you know?
