It resembled her memory, yet it was not quite the same.
Because people grow and change, after all.
Chi Yuliang had been hailed as a “little beauty” by the adults at the orphanage ever since she was small.
By the time she headed to the Capital for university, she had already earned the title of campus beauty at Qihai No.1 Middle School for that year.
Now that was what you called beautiful from a young age right into adulthood!
Seeing her from afar once more after four years had passed, Sister Liang had fully matured into the “big sister” archetype that Ye Zhibai understood so well.
Her height topped a bit over five-foot-seven, with deep purple hair spilling straight down to her waist and pitch-black eyes that were profoundly endless.
Even from a distance, Ye Zhibai could never forget that gentle face of Sister Liang’s—one glance was enough to fill anyone with warmth.
Today, she had appeared here dressed in a plain white long gown, utterly free of any patterns or embellishments.
A sense of mourning arose spontaneously.
But had she really changed that much?
Ye Zhibai did not think so. She was still the same Sister Liang from her memories.
And yet, Ye Zhibai was shocked all the same!
The overall changes were minor.
It was just that one particular spot—the localized transformation there was downright staggering!
Ye Zhibai’s outwardly serene gaze shifted to follow Chi Yuliang’s chest, even as colossal waves churned wildly within her heart.
Sister Liang… she had truly grown up! (In the most literal sense.)
Cough, cough… Ye Zhibai did not know much about women’s bust measurements.
But she could compare. If Yun’er was a C cup, then Sister Liang had to be a D!
Even back at the orphanage, she had developed faster than other girls her age.
Sure enough—was this the explosive growth of a true late bloomer?
What a marvel to behold.
Truly…!
Ye Zhibai had been about to sigh a little more.
But then, Guang Yu’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
“Ye Zhibai! Ye Zhibai! Stop staring! Go look at your sister instead!”
Why are you cursing me out again?!
I’m only checking out Sister Liang’s changes—we grew up together! What’s the big deal? Does it really warrant name-calling?!
She had just been picturing herself gently patting Guang Yu’s head in encouragement.
When an ominous voice called out right by Ye Zhibai’s ear.
“Sister, what are you looking at~?”
“!”
Disaster.
As it turned out, Guang Yu had meant no harm at all.
When she said, “Go look at your sister,” she had genuinely meant for Ye Zhibai to look at her sister!
Could you please stop phrasing things in such wildly ambiguous ways?!
Ye Zhibai stiffly craned her neck around and finally noticed the roiling jealousy in Yun’er’s deep blue eyes.
It was even starting to look… hazy.
Ye Zhibai had been staring fixedly at Chi Yuliang for more than ten seconds straight!
In Ye Zhiyun’s eyes, that was utterly intolerable.
“Hah… Sister, don’t be like that. Yun’er will drink plenty of milk from now on, okay? I won’t lose out to any woman—promise! Mm-hmm. Anyway, Sister, what were you looking at just now?”
“……”
Your first sentence already gave away that you knew exactly what I was looking at.
And then you follow right up with a question! Are you angling for a full interrogation?!
A spark of inspiration flashed in Ye Zhibai’s eyes. Her survival instincts were razor-sharp; she knew just how to wriggle out of this.
“Yun’er, look at that girl over there.”
“I don’t wanna~ I only want to look at Sister.”
Come on, just look!
If you don’t look, how am I supposed to keep bluffing?!
Ye Zhibai was blurting out whatever came to mind. She was truly at a loss for how to capsize Yun’er’s overturned jar of jealousy.
But right then, the Head Maid—who had been waiting patiently at their side—glanced in the direction the Eldest Miss was pointing.
Drawing on the intel she had gathered that very morning, she recalled the details in a flash and reported back to the pair.
“Eldest Miss, your observation is spot-on. That is indeed Chi Yuliang, the one I mentioned earlier.”
“Eh?” Ye Zhiyun blinked in surprise too, with no idea how her sister had known.
Ye Zhibai furrowed her brow, coolly dissecting the situation with incisive words.
“That girl walks so slowly, so forlorn—like she’s bidding farewell to family, or maybe friends. She’s heading to the Cremation Building at this hour, so I figured… she must be the person we were just talking about.” It was perfectly logical, hitting the nail on the head.
The coquettish pout on Ye Zhiyun’s face evaporated in an instant.
In its place bloomed a clear wave of guilt!
“Eh? Don’t tell me…! So Sister was staring over there because of that…”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Wahhh, I’m so sorry, Sister! I totally misunderstood you. I thought you’d been dazzled by her cup size! I’ll reflect on this—I apologize. I was judging a gentleman with a petty heart!”
Frankly speaking, wasn’t that a bit too blunt?!
“It’s okay… To err is human; to forgive, divine. Correcting your mistake is the best virtue there is.”
Ye Zhiyun threw her arms around Ye Zhibai, utterly repentant!
Meanwhile, Guang Yu’s mind transmission rang out, dripping with utter exasperation and scorn.
“Ye Zhibai… I have to say it—you are shameless. Your skin’s thicker than that extra-thick wasabi packet I was saving yesterday.”
You’re still stashing wasabi at home?!
Ye Zhibai calmly patted Yun’er’s back to soothe her.
Ah, really, what did face matter anyway?
To survive—to thrive—one had to adapt to the situation on the fly.
And that last dodge? The one she really owed thanks to was the Head Maid!
Suddenly, a chime blared from the crematorium’s loudspeaker.
The Head Maid glanced behind her, confirmed the situation, and then deferentially stepped aside to clear their path.
“Eldest Miss, Second Miss—that chime signals the body is about to be fed into the incinerator. If you’d like to proceed, now is the time.”
It was time?!
Ye Zhibai tilted her head toward the Cremation Building.
Just then, Chi Yuliang stepped into the low building and vanished from sight.
“Yun’er, let’s go.”
“Mm.” Ye Zhiyun rose in sync with Ye Zhibai’s motion, elegantly sweeping her black hair back and extending a slender hand. “All right, Sister. Stay close by my side in a moment. If you feel the slightest discomfort, don’t tough it out—tell me immediately. You have to understand: no matter how badly you want to see this man Ye Zhibai off on his final journey, your health comes first for me. Everything else can wait.”
“Mm… Got it.”
Warmth bloomed in Ye Zhibai’s heart.
She clasped Yun’er’s hand and let the gentle pull help her to her feet.
Earlier, back home, this outing had seemed like it would be heartbreaking.
But it was strange—Yun’er standing by her side had somehow made everything feel miraculously serene and gentle.
Perhaps this was what family meant.
Hand in hand, the two walked toward the Cremation Building—so perfectly in sync.
Guang Yu froze for a second, then scurried to catch up with Ye Zhibai’s footsteps.
Fine, I’m sold!
Some people get all cuddly and forget about the fox—er, the deity!
But I’m not naming names! You know who you are!
The interior of the Cremation Building marked the true heart of the crematorium.
No matter how tranquil the outer grounds might be, the atmosphere here was one of unrelenting sorrow.
The building split into eastern and western wings, each housing its own incinerator.
The eastern one was in operation; the people clustered around it wept into their hands or outright sobbed uncontrollably.
No doubt, their loved ones lay within… which explained the raw grief.
Ye Zhibai’s lips quivered. She skirted the eastern incinerator and made her way to the one in the western wing.
This was her furnace.
Well, not exactly. Just the one she was using.
Belonging to her? That would overstate her past life’s claim far too much.
Ye Zhibai preferred to file it under: talking money hurts feelings—no need to go there!
She looked up, eyes sweeping the area.
Soon enough, she spotted Chi Yuliang.
And beside her…
A cart shrouded in white cloth.
In that instant, tears welled up in Ye Zhibai’s heart!
