The moment those words left her lips, Ye Zhibai froze.
—Doomed!
Wouldn’t it have been better to just make up a fake name on the spot?
A pun like that was bound to kill the mood!
But the words were already out there. Taking them back would be impossible—unless she was a radio. And even a radio couldn’t reel them in!
In her panic, Ye Zhibai kept her face expressionless, but her eyes darted nervously left and right.
That little gesture… Chi Yuliang caught it all, imprinting it firmly in her mind.
Hiss… Why did Sister Liang’s gaze suddenly shift? They’d only exchanged a few words!
She’d already said everything she could to console her.
Now, Ye Zhibai just wanted to make her escape!
With a cool nod, Ye Zhibai turned to leave, determined not to get dragged into more entanglement.
“Alright then, my condolences. I’m heading out.”
In short, Sister Liang—as long as you can bounce back after the cremation and funeral, all happy and sunny again, that’ll do it!
Behind her, Chi Yuliang nodded dazedly at Ye Zhibai’s retreating figure.
“Mm… See you.”
Hearing that, Ye Zhibai picked up her pace and bolted!
Bolted… yeah, right.
She ended up trudging awkwardly back—though to Chi Yuliang, it looked like she’d just grabbed at thin air.
Guang Yu! Why aren’t you keeping an eye on the group’s movements?!
Grabbing the dazed Guang Yu’s arm, Ye Zhibai finally made her exit.
Ye Zhibai… huh?
Watching that graceful, beautiful figure hurry farther and farther away, Chi Yuliang fell silent for a long moment.
She wasn’t sure if the name was a coincidence, or if the girl had meant it as a hint.
Or… some possibility she didn’t quite dare to imagine.
She didn’t understand.
But since Ye Zhibai had already turned away, she certainly didn’t notice the change in Chi Yuliang’s movements—as the other woman stood not far behind.
In that moment of confusion, Chi Yuliang shifted from holding the cremation urn with both hands to supporting it with one hand and her arm for better stability.
With her other hand now free, she pulled out her phone.
~~~
Ye Zhibai finally made it back to Ye Zhiyun’s side.
Ye Zhiyun rushed forward to greet her!
“Sis, welcome back~ Ahem, can we head home now? What’d you say to her? Give me the rundown?”
Those three rapid-fire questions were like three bowls of aged vinegar gulped straight down in the kitchen—pure jealousy.
It’s only been a few minutes—what could I possibly have said?!
Not only did she say nothing, she nearly got herself in deep!
Well, not “nearly”—Ye Zhibai figured her attempt to console Sister Liang had been pretty discreet. No major issues.
Now, it really was time to go home.
Ye Zhibai had a habit of checking the time before doing anything.
Like right now—as they were heading home, she instinctively reached for her phone.
She pulled her treasured Pineapple 14 from her pocket and lit up the screen.
—The time was right there.
But Ye Zhibai herself was stunned!
“Sis?”
“It’s nothing… just a sec.”
Right below the time display was the message notification.
That popped-up box was glaringly obvious!
Seeing Ye Zhibai frozen with her phone, Ye Zhiyun asked worriedly, “What’s up? Is there still something to take care of?”
“No.” (The person’s gone.)
Ye Zhibai quickly shut off her phone, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her temple.
“Let’s… let’s head home first, Yun’er.”
“Yeah!”
That was exactly what Ye Zhiyun had been waiting for!
She couldn’t stand being in the crematorium for another minute!
With Yun’er holding her hand, Ye Zhibai hurriedly grabbed Guang Yu’s hand behind her. The two of them and the fox hurried toward the crematorium exit.
Even now… Ye Zhibai’s heart still raced at the memory of that message she’d just received.
~~~
Chi Yuliang didn’t hurry off. She stood on a slight rise, heedless of the scorching sun overhead. Even as sweat beaded on her skin, she watched that strange girl depart into the distance.
She glanced down at the phone in her left hand, adorned with a sea-blue seashell pendant.
This pendant… Xiao Bai gave it to me, right?
Heh heh… It was the first gift I’d ever gotten from him. Years ago now, and I’d kept it all this time.
Who’d have thought the first gift would also be the last. Life is so unpredictable.
On the phone screen was the chat with “Ye Zhibai.”
The last message before this had been from days ago.
Now, finally, it had updated.
—”111″
That’s right—just three simple ones.
That was what Chi Yuliang had hammered out and sent with her fastest speed.
Locking the screen, she tucked away her phone, handling the blue seashell charm with light, tender care.
Her warm black eyes followed Ye Zhibai’s fading silhouette, a swirl of complex emotions flickering within.
A long while passed.
Finally, Chi Yuliang hugged the cremation urn with both hands and turned in the opposite direction, taking measured steps away.
The hot summer wind couldn’t dispel the many ties binding the human world.
She looked down at the exquisite urn in her arms, her voice gentle enough to warm the breeze amid the dappled light and shadow.
“Xiao Bai… Big sis is right here with you. Rest easy. This time, remember—no more keeping troubles to yourself, okay? Whatever happens, tell your sis. Come on… time to go home.”
Of course, no one replied.
Even the cicadas’ cries were nothing but raucous noise.
But that was enough.
Chi Yuliang didn’t falter as she strode toward the crematorium gates.
The back of her plain white dress remained as poignant and desolate as ever.
Yet… it seemed subtly different from when she’d arrived.
Who could say?
~~~
Some were calm, but others were on the verge of panic!
From the moment Ye Zhibai left the crematorium and climbed into the Maybach the Head Maid had driven for their return trip, her heart had been in utter turmoil!
Come on, Sister Liang.
Why’d you suddenly message me from a dead guy’s QQ?!
The even bigger issue was—the timing of the message.
Both the send time and the content were too perfectly timed, too bizarre!
Ye Zhibai knew her personality well.
If Chi Yuliang hadn’t changed since childhood, she was the mild, unhurried type.
Meaning, she never acted rashly or too swiftly. She always waited for the optimal moment, never jumping the gun.
But this message had zero delay.
If Ye Zhibai calculated right, Chi Yuliang had sent it the instant she’d turned to bolt!
The only explanation—she’d done it on purpose.
Why three ones?
Ye Zhibai figured there was no deep meaning; Sister Liang had probably just mashed the keys randomly.
The content didn’t matter—the timing did!
Because they were in the crematorium, Ye Zhibai had silenced her notifications beforehand, so the message arrived quietly.
But supposing… if the sound had been on, what then?
Obvious.
—She’d have been caught red-handed.
The phone would’ve chimed right as Chi Yuliang sent it.
Total disaster!
Thinking back now… Ye Zhibai broke out in chills.
How’d she end up suspected anyway?
Can’t people have a little trust anymore?!
