At such close range, with not a single extraneous sound in the room, they could even faintly make out each other’s heartbeats.
Thump… thump.
Even Ye Zhibai, who was as cool as ice, had just tasted the pudding’s flavor. She could hardly suppress her own undependable, slightly quickened breathing.
Ye Zhiyun was even worse off.
Her breathing rhythm right now was like it had an engine revving inside.
Up and down it went!
Oh my gosh!
Yun’er… she was serious this time!
What else could it be?
Ye Zhiyun’s face was flushed a brilliant red.
Strands of black hair stuck to the side of her face, slick with a thin sheen of sweat. She looked both alluring and anxious!
This ambiguous atmosphere made Ye Zhibai feel a suffocation even more intense than the physical choke from earlier.
When had she ever experienced a scene like this!
Ye Zhiyun gripped Ye Zhibai’s wrist tightly. Her usual aloof expression had turned so playfully mischievous in front of Ye Zhibai. The way she deliberately lifted the corner of her mouth just a bit, and the way she kept swallowing, made the mood downright strange!
But… Yun’er showed no sign of taking the next step.
Or rather, a sudden wave of self-reproach appeared on her face.
“Sister,” she said with a heavy exhale, “I know my behavior is despicable. To put it bluntly, I’m worse than a beast.”
“Don’t say that. Beasts aren’t half as pretty as you.”
“?”
Damn this mouth of mine! It always messed up when I got nervous!
Ye Zhiyun slowly released her hold on Ye Zhibai’s wrists.
She hung her head, the exposed half of her face looking somewhat desolate beneath her unblocked black hair.
She let out a self-mocking bitter laugh, then suddenly started pouring her heart out!
“I’ve been waiting all this time for Sister to wake up. Daydreaming endlessly, tossing and turning at night, craving so much. But if I put myself in Sister’s shoes… she’d wake up with no memories, feeling uneasy about everything, and then have to face my rough behavior… she’d definitely be sad and confused, right? So yeah, I’m really worse than a beast.”
Sad?
Ye Zhibai searched her heart. In that earlier situation, had she felt sad?!
Was that a joke!!
She was nervous and confused, sure, but also honored!
Once Ye Zhiyun got started, her sorrow flowed like a river.
Tears even welled up in her eyes, swirling around.
“You know… Sister has never responded to me. Not once. Even when I mustered the courage to sneak in at night, I’ve never crossed that line… because Sister has never, not even once, said it was okay…”
“!”
You actually expected a mute to tell you it was okay?!
You might as well teach a parrot to rap!
Also, Yun’er, you just spilled the beans, didn’t you?
Sneaking in at night—maybe she really hadn’t crossed any lines. According to what Guang Yu had said, it was just kisses and nibbles.
But wasn’t that over the top enough already!
By conventional logic, after spilling all that, Yun’er ought to burst into tears and run out of the room.
Her demeanor was screaming that very script!
However, Ye Zhiyun was never one to follow the playbook.
Ye Zhibai had just finished rubbing her sore wrists and was still catching her breath when suddenly, those wrists were seized again by Ye Zhiyun and pinned back against the bookshelf!
Are you done yet?!
And this time, the sparkle in Ye Zhiyun’s eyes outshone anything from before.
It was resolute, too.
“Even so! I still want to sleep with Sister! Even if it’s selfish, I can’t stand living under the same roof and yet sleeping apart. It’s absolutely unacceptable!”
Making you sleep alone was really too much for you, huh?!
Ye Zhiyun finished her declaration.
But seeing Ye Zhibai remain so calm and unmoved, without any response, even she had to respect her sister’s opinion.
Her voice dripped with disappointment, but she forced a smile anyway.
“Alright… I get it. Good night, Sister. See you tomorrow. I’ll prepare breakfast early. Make sure you go to bed soon, okay? And… don’t drink so many beverages. No staying up late. I… I’ll head back to my room now.”
Her lonely retreating figure couldn’t be captured by mere words like “forlorn.”
And in those brief few seconds.
Ye Zhibai had already steeled her resolve on something.
“Wait.”
“Huh?”
Ye Zhiyun stopped in her tracks. Abruptly!
Ye Zhibai avoided looking straight into the hopeful eyes turned back toward her. Instead, she kept her head down, directing her gaze toward the peacefully sleeping Guang Yu.
Guang Yu… you’re out cold, but lend me some courage!
Those pale purple eyes held no emotion, yet they shimmered beautifully.
Ye Zhibai slowly clasped her hands behind her back—to prevent another grab-and-pin against the bookshelf—before speaking calmly.
“Yun’er, even though I don’t remember the past, you said I’ve never responded to you, right?”
“Yes… Sister’s always brushed me off. Ah! I don’t mean that’s bad. Even so, I’m happy!”
“Mm, what I mean is, I’ve never responded to you. Never agreed to anything. But I’ve also never refused, have I?”
“Huh…”
No agreement… but no refusal either?
It was like a wake-up call shaking her from a dream.
The words echoed in Ye Zhiyun’s mind, the shock probably no less than hearing a parrot drop a rap verse.
Come to think of it… yeah, that was exactly it!
Ye Zhiyun felt her legs trembling.
Her face flushed with eager anticipation as she voiced the hopeful question.
“So what you’re saying, Sister, is…?”
“What I’m saying is, sleeping together… wouldn’t be out of the question. If it’s just…”
“Yay!! Yay!! Sister forever! Forever!!”
Ye Zhibai wasn’t even finished speaking when Ye Zhiyun jumped for joy!
Paying no heed to her status as the Ye Family’s Second Miss, she bounded over like a little kid and fiercely hugged Ye Zhibai’s delicate frame.
Ye Zhibai hadn’t finished her sentence!
Her last bit was meant to be—if it was just sleeping, then no problem.
Would leaving that unsaid cause big trouble?!
Whether it did or not, the initiative was no longer Ye Zhibai’s to control.
With a thrilled voice that trembled with excitement, Ye Zhiyun said, “Sister, just wait a sec!” Then she dashed out of Ye Zhibai’s room like a streak, vanishing from sight.
Uh… what was she doing?
The patter of footsteps echoed back and forth in the hallway twice.
When she returned, Ye Zhiyun clutched her big pink pillow!
She’d brought the pillow… but where was her blanket!
There was only one blanket on Ye Zhibai’s bed!
Needless to say?
Ye Zhiyun tilted her head with a grin—a smile that could melt the stars from the sky.
“Hee hee… this blanket’s plenty big. It’ll cover us both just fine!”
Straight to sharing the quilt, huh?!
Fine.
She had played the cool one and made the promise. Now she had to follow through.
Before climbing into bed, Ye Zhibai even gently tucked a cozy little blanket over the serene Guang Yu.
Sweet dreams, Guang Yu.
Ye Zhiyun turned off all the lights in the room.
Leaving just one small nightlight flickering with a dim glow.
Yun’er had already burrowed into the side of the bed against the wall, beaming as she welcomed Ye Zhibai.
Once Ye Zhibai slipped under the covers too.
She lay on her side, facing away from Ye Zhiyun, silently reciting the digits of pi in her mind.
But… Yun’er’s sunflower scent kept wafting over, disrupting Ye Zhibai’s thoughts. She could never get past the third digit before starting over.
It wasn’t long before Ye Zhibai heard a rustling sound from behind her.
And soon after, she felt herself being embraced from the back.
Tch… this sensation!!
“Yun’er.”
“Hm? What’s up, Sister?”
“Why… did you take off your pajamas to sleep?”
“Hee hee… I actually have a habit of sleeping naked…”
No, no, no. I bet a cup of Guang Yu’s favorite drink—you absolutely don’t!
Her heart pounding wildly, Ye Zhibai closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
She hoped to drift off peacefully as soon as possible.
But.
She didn’t know when it started, but those sneaky little hands from behind began tentatively lifting the hem of Ye Zhibai’s nightgown, sliding along the fabric unchecked.
Ye Zhibai knew then—with a wry smile—that she had been far too naive.
Tonight was destined to be sleepless.
One wondered if Guang Yu, lost in deep slumber, dreamed of a young, green mandarin orange tree, vigorously growing.
