“Delivery? I didn’t order anything. Mowei, what did you buy?”
“Erguotou.”
“You bought booze again?!”
“One more glass… Erguotou! The winding road of life… hic… has no end!”
“……”
Sorry about this, Zhibai.
Fang Wenyuan felt a deep pang of apology at that moment.
It was Zhibai’s first time visiting, and she had already witnessed this embarrassing display.
Li Mowei not only needed to work on his mental fortitude—his alcohol tolerance was barely two taels. Any more, and he transformed straight into a drunken berserker.
No point heading to the office this afternoon.
Fortunately, his direct boss was right here, making it easy to request time off. Talk about convenient.
Unable to get through to Li Mowei, who was slumped over the table on the verge of passing out, Fang Wenyuan glanced at Chi Yuliang. The look clearly asked if this was her package.
Chi Yuliang shook her head in bewilderment, signaling that she had no clue.
She rarely shopped online. Aside from recently ordering some osmanthus cakes for Little Bai, she hadn’t bought anything else.
As Fang Wenyuan started to rise to answer the door, Chi Yuliang beat her to it, standing up first.
With her here, she certainly couldn’t let Mama go to the trouble of fetching the delivery.
Under the table, Chi Yuliang gently opened her palm. With a hand as warm as fresh snow, she deftly brushed the back of Ye Zhibai’s naturally dangling hand.
This subtle touch was her way of reminding her: Big Sis needed to step away for a moment to check on things, so Little Bai should wait here alone for a bit.
There was no need for that.
Sister Liang, I’m not a little kid anymore. You don’t have to specially let me know just to grab a package!
Well… that was true enough. But in response, Little Zhibai had subtly brushed the back of her hand against Sister Liang’s palm.
Pleased with the reply, Chi Yuliang headed toward the entryway with light, rhythmic steps that carried an unmistakable cheer. Her good mood was impossible to conceal.
“Coming, coming! Which delivery service… uh? Who are you two…?”
She twisted the doorknob and pushed open the brown carved door.
The sight that greeted her made Chi Yuliang furrow her brow in instinctive confusion, mingled with a touch of curiosity.
Today’s delivery person was… a little unusual, to say the least.
Everyone knew that deliveries were all about efficiency—one courier per stop.
—Yet there were two standing on the doorstep.
Delivery jobs typically went to young, sturdy guys with the stamina to haul heavy boxes.
—But these two were unmistakably girls.
And that wasn’t even the oddest part.
The strangest thing—the biggest departure from the norm—was that they weren’t holding any packages at all!
Chi Yuliang was momentarily at a loss for words. She quickly sized up the pair.
Judging by their builds, they were young women around the same height, both a touch shorter than Chi Yuliang. They wore matching SF Express uniforms and oversized safety helmets that shadowed most of their faces.
With a slight dip of the head, the protruding brims hid nearly everything.
Peeking from beneath the edges were strands of hair: one black, one blonde.
The blonde rang no bells.
But the black-haired one… Chi Yuliang couldn’t shake the sense of familiarity, no matter how she looked at her.
Even without seeing her face, that silhouette felt like someone she knew.
Still, she just couldn’t place it right away.
Puzzlement spurred her onward. Chi Yuliang ventured a question.
“You two… delivery? Whose package is it? Got an order number? I think you might have the wrong door.”
Silence.
The pair on the doorstep went suddenly mute, neither uttering a word.
They weren’t unresponsive, though.
The black-haired one nodded at once, confirming she was indeed the courier.
The blonde shook her head honestly, denying it.
—But at the sight of the black-haired girl’s gesture, the blonde switched to nodding!
Their teamwork was seamless, if not downright synchronized.
Chi Yuliang opened her mouth to press further.
Before she could, the black-haired girl pressed down her brim with one hand and sidled sideways. She peered through the narrow gap between Chi Yuliang’s generous curves and the doorframe, aiming straight for the living room.
The eagerness suggested she wanted to ransack the place!
The blonde, naturally, claimed the opposite vantage, straining to see even farther.
A bookshelf jutted out between the dining area and entryway, though. From their spots, without the ideal angle, they couldn’t glimpse each other.
They shifted positions, hunting for the perfect line of sight. But their views were swiftly obstructed by a certain voluptuous barrier.
Two towering, impassable peaks! No chance of seeing beyond.
Of course Chi Yuliang blocked their view.
Strangers craning into her home? Her sense of privacy flared up fiercely.
Especially with Old Dad inside, drunk and rambling nonsense. Family skeletons stayed firmly in the closet.
Chi Yuliang was patient and accommodating as ever, but her tone sharpened considerably.
“Excuse me? What’s the matter?”
Fang Wenyuan’s voice drifted from inside. “Everything okay, Yuliang? Whose delivery is it?”
“Nothing, Mom! It’s mine. I need to sign for it. Go ahead and brew some tea!” “Got it. Take your time.”
With the living room settled, Chi Yuliang turned her focus back.
She was genuinely curious what these two were after.
The girls on the doorstep were gesturing wildly now, but their signals baffled each other. Communication stalled completely. The black-haired one stomped in frustration, looking ready to lash out.
No help for it. Unable to connect, the black-haired girl conceded.
Lowering her voice, she murmured to Chi Yuliang, “Chi Yuliang, if you can, let’s talk outside.”
With that, she spun on her heel with casual flair and stepped back from the threshold—without waiting for approval.
As she withdrew, she didn’t forget to deliver a hearty smack to the blonde’s back, her cue to follow suit!
Judging by the blonde’s startled yelp—like a cat smacking into a wall—that palm carried a hint of personal score-settling.
Chi Yuliang gave a wry smile and followed them out without a second thought.
She even pulled the door shut behind her.
Ha… but now that you’ve spoken, I know exactly who you are.
—Ye Family’s Second Miss.
Chi Yuliang’s memory was sharp. She’d crossed paths with Little Bai’s new family member—her sister—a few times before. They hadn’t exchanged many words, but that voice stuck with her.
Sure enough, once the door clicked shut, the black-haired girl raised her hands and unfastened her helmet strap. With a swift, somewhat clumsy motion, she whisked off the heavy hat.
Lustrous black hair tumbled free in a dreamy cascade. Had Chi Yuliang not anticipated it, even she might have been awed by this true Eldest Miss’s commanding presence.
Ye Zhiyun swept the flowing locks aside with her left hand, eyes closed as she composed herself. An aloof, unapproachable aura enveloped her effortlessly.
The blonde wasted no time either, doffing her helmet.
She exuded the same refined poise.
Chi Yuliang simply hadn’t met her before.
Lin Zihan clutched the helmet to her chest and let out a helpless chuckle.
“Hahaha, Zhiyun, I told you this wouldn’t fly. If you’re posing as delivery, at least grab a fake box! Showing up empty-handed? Instant giveaway!”
“Hindsight’s twenty-twenty. Funny how someone was just insisting a quick peek inside would count as victory. Well… at least Sis didn’t notice us. Not a total flop.” Ye Zhiyun shot her a disdainful glance before turning to Chi Yuliang. “Chi Yuliang, don’t complain about this. It’s tit for tat—for both our sakes. You understand, right?”
“Tit for… oh! Yeah, I get it. Second Miss Ye, spot on. And hey… you actually remember that?”
“Of course. Everything about my sister, I commit to memory. You’re her friend, so drop the formalities. Full name’s fine.”
“Got it.”
Huh?
What were they on about?
Lin Zihan felt like she’d befriended Little Bai’er way too late—clearly behind on all the lore!
And she wasn’t wrong. Ye Zhiyun was referring to an earlier escapade.
Yun’er still remembered the time Chi Yuliang had snuck over to the villa to see her sister.
Sneaking was one thing, but she’d gone so far as to don a delivery uniform and pose as a food courier.
Yun’er had watched the whole affair through her binoculars!
Chi Yuliang had started it, so Yun’er fired right back!
If you play delivery girl, I’ll up the ante as courier—delivering from farther away!
Who could’ve guessed Ye Family’s Second Miss was so nonchalant in some respects, yet stubbornly meticulous in others?
Chi Yuliang clasped her hands politely in front of her.
“I understand the point of the uniform now, Miss Zhiyun. And may I ask who this is?”
“I’m Little Bai’er’s fri—!”
“Who she is isn’t important. Just some shameless tagalong nuisance. Not worth mentioning.”
“Wuu… Zhiyun, have a heart—look at the Buddha if not the monk! Let me finish my intro! I’m Lin Zihan, Little Bai’er’s best friend. Nice to meet you, big sis~ Take good care of me from now on!”
“Close friend…? Ah, I see. Miss Zihan, I’m Chi Yuliang, a friend who only recently got to know Miss Zhibai. Nice to meet you.”
“No need to stand on ceremony! We’re all friends here!”
“……”
Ye Zhiyun’s sidelong glance grew colder as she saw through everything.
She couldn’t even be bothered to call out this shameless Lin Zihan.
Since Chi Yuliang was also her sister’s friend, Lin Zihan had deliberately called herself a “close friend” during her introduction.
The difference in weight between a close friend and a mere friend went without saying.
What a scheming heart!
Even Chi Yuliang could feel the faint pressure emanating from Second Miss Ye.
But no matter how patient she was, she couldn’t put off the main issue any longer.
She had been out “getting the package” for too long already. Her parents would start to wonder.
Besides… today was a rare day when Little Bai had come over to visit. It was the perfect time to enjoy some afternoon tea with her and reminisce about old times.
Chi Yuliang had no intention of letting these precious moments slip away.
Not even for Little Bai’s new family.
Pfft… Chi Yuliang realized she might be acting a bit inexplicably selfish.
“Haah… So, Miss Zhiyun,” she said, “did you come all this way for something urgent?”
