Chapter 6: Like

Yan Ningxi herself was a decisive person, but over these past two days with Ming You’s matters, she wavered repeatedly.

Reason told her that she should refuse and cut off contact with this girl. There was an eight-year age gap between them, a vast economic disparity, and personalities worlds apart. They were not people from the same world.

“Sister Yan?”

After the girl called her “sister” again, Yan Ningxi stayed silent and pulled up her QR code business card.

Ming You scanned the code and sent a friend request without changing Yan Ningxi’s note, because Yan Ningxi’s WeChat nickname was her real name.

“All set.”

Having gotten what she wished for, Ming You walked to the door with a smile. “Goodbye, Sister Yan.”

Yan Ningxi looked at the new contact that popped up on her screen: “My,” with an avatar of a deep blue, serene ocean. The horizon merged water and sky, with a dark red full moon shrouded in gray mist. Its reflection fractured on the rippling sea surface, giving a mysterious, oppressive sense of an impending storm.

She shifted her gaze from the screen. “I’ll walk you out.”

“No need.”

“You know the way?” Yan Ningxi changed her shoes. “It’s no trouble to see you to the door.”

“Then, I’ll have to trouble Sister Yan again.”

It took five minutes from the building where Yan Ningxi lived to the neighborhood gate, and Ming You had walked this path dozens of times back and forth.

She had seen ginkgo trees sprout tender green in spring and watched apricot leaves turn golden in autumn, falling to the dust and returning to the earth. She had smelled the refreshing osmanthus fragrance in August and admired the lavish blooming roses in April and May.

She had counted the trees along the road, picked flowers from the branches, teased birds in the shade, fed koi in the pond, and searched for stray cats in the bushes.

From now on, she would walk this road again from a new perspective and identity, and appreciate its scenery once more.

Not long after Ming You left, Yan Ningxi received her message: 【Thanks for taking care of me, Sister Yan.】 Not a single word about the money.

Yan Ningxi had pondered it—if the girl insisted on settling the bill clearly and transferring it to her, would she accept or not? Fortunately, there was no such “if.” The girl had spared her a troubling dilemma. Feeling a wave of relief, she replied: 【You’re welcome.】

The girl sent her a cute cat emoji sticker, and the chat went silent after that.

…

Back at the hotel, that ink-green long dress she had worn only once was unceremoniously tossed into the trash by Ming You. The floral skirt she had changed back into was crumpled into a ball and thrown into the bathroom’s dirty laundry hamper.

She had never liked flashy, frilly things.

Less than a day later, as the afterglow of sunset lingered, Ming You knocked on Yan Ningxi’s door again.

“Why are you here?” Yan Ningxi asked in surprise.

“Me? Of course, to repay the favor.” Ming You raised the two large bags in her hands. “Sister Yan, this stuff is heavy. Can you let me in first?”

Yan Ningxi relented helplessly, stepping aside to let her in and taking one of the bags. It was indeed heavy. She asked, “What did you buy?”

“Fruit, daily necessities, some seasonings, and snacks.” Ming You distributed the items into the fridge, kitchen, bathroom, storage cabinets, and so on.

She was very familiar with the apartment’s layout. Yan Ningxi’s unit had only essential furniture and daily items—no superfluous knickknacks whatsoever.

The small living room could be seen from end to end at a glance, devoid of any warmth of life. This gave her plenty of space to “flex” her touch.

Yan Ningxi frowned tightly, but her usual good temper kept her standing by with her hands at her sides.

Logically speaking, she had helped Ming You several times before and spent some money on her. It was only natural for her to bring gifts as thanks. And as she said, none of it was expensive. Besides, it was already bought—could she really make Ming You return it to the supermarket?

Clearly unrealistic.

“For the sake of your kind intentions, I’ll accept the stuff. That way, you’ll feel better too.”

Ming You wouldn’t return empty-handed like this. “Sister Yan, since I’m already here and you haven’t eaten yet, let’s make dinner together? I can be your sous-chef.”

Yan Ningxi stared at her slender, well-proportioned hands. “You can cook?”

“A… little bit, just the basics.”

“If you’re doing this because you feel indebted to me from yesterday, it’s unnecessary. I’m not that petty.” She was already thinking that if Ming You didn’t know when to stop, she’d settle the accounts clearly with her.

“You’ve got it wrong, Sister Yan. I just really want to be friends with you. Sure, there’s some returning the favor in it, but more than that, from the first moment I saw you, I liked you a lot. And I want you to like me too. I don’t want to leave you with a bad impression right after we met—like ‘this person’s annoying, frivolous, and clueless about propriety.’ Does that make sense to you, Sister Yan?”

From Ming You’s long, earnest speech, Yan Ningxi only latched onto “like” and “annoying, frivolous, and clueless about propriety.”

Like?

Right, kids could say “like” so casually without thinking deeper.

Annoying?

Not quite. But to be precise, it was “a little bit.”

Frivolous?

A bit, yes.

Clueless about propriety?

On that front, she herself was no better than an outsider.

A phone call came in. Yan Ningxi picked up the phone from the coffee table, glanced at it, and said to Ming You, “You go ahead. There are waterproof rubber gloves in the kitchen.”

She then went to the balcony to take the call. “What’s up? Speak.”

The voice on the other end was a middle-aged woman’s. “The national statutory holidays—your teachers get normal days off, right? How about I come see you? I went to the countryside yesterday and brought back some free-range eggs, plus two slaughtered free-range chickens and ducks. Way better and more nutritious than the city stuff.”

“No need.” Yan Ningxi refused flatly. “Just get to the point.”

After listening to the woman’s roundabout rambling, Yan Ningxi’s heart turned ice-cold. “This weekend at month’s end, take him to Hengyuan. I’ll meet you there Saturday morning. I’ll transfer the train tickets and two nights’ hotel money ahead of time by month’s end. I checked—there’s a top hospital there. Don’t bring anything. I don’t have the energy to carry it.”

After the call, Yan Ningxi’s face was clouded with worry. She stood on the balcony for a good ten minutes.

Ming You had cooked the rice and washed the vegetables. When she came out to check on Yan Ningxi, she saw her lost in thought on the balcony. “Sister Yan, what’s wrong?”

Yan Ningxi pulled her wandering thoughts back, tucked her hair behind her ear. “Nothing. You washed the veggies already?”

Seeing her exhaustion, Ming You pulled her to sit on the sofa and stuffed the new lemon-shaped pillow into her arms. “No rush. We’ll wait till the rice is done. I’ll keep you company and watch some TV.”

The bright yellow lemon pillow contrasted sharply with the dark gray sofa.

Though Yan Ningxi had lived here for two years, she hadn’t put any effort into redecorating. She had no material desires—clean and tidy was enough for her.

Ming You turned on the TV, unsure what to pick, so she checked the viewing history. There was only one entry: Tom and Jerry.

Ming You: …

Yan Ningxi: …

Ming You’s finger froze on the remote—neither selecting nor backing out.

Tom and Jerry was so old that it had been hugely popular before Ming You was even born. She’d only seen classic GIFs and stickers online.

“Watch whatever you want.” Yan Ningxi set the pillow aside and stood. “I’ll go handle the veggies you bought in the kitchen.”

Ming You said “oh” and added, “I’m not picky. Whatever you make, Sister Yan, I’ll eat it.”

Yan Ningxi made two simple dishes and a soup from the ingredients Ming You bought. When she brought them out, she found Ming You hugging the lemon pillow with both arms, eyes closed, quietly leaning against the sofa.

Tom and Jerry was playing on the TV.

The person on the sofa wasn’t deeply asleep. When she felt her hand touched, she reflexively swung her arm and opened her eyes, full of wariness.

Yan Ningxi’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. Her intention had been to check the wound on Ming You’s left palm, worried it got wet. She straightened up and turned away. “Food’s ready. Come eat.”

“Sister Yan.” Ming You panicked and grabbed Yan Ningxi’s wrist. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Yan Ningxi pulled her hand back. Ming You had indeed hit her, and not lightly. She hadn’t expected Ming You’s defenses to be so strong.

“I…”

“Turn off the TV. Time to eat.” She couldn’t pinpoint why, but at that moment, Yan Ningxi felt “a little annoying” had become “somewhat annoying.”

…

At the dinner table, Ming You sulked, bowl in hands, mechanically picking at her food.

Noticing her mood, Yan Ningxi reflected immediately—was her tone just now too cold and harsh? Had she scared her?

“The food not to your taste?”

Ming You blinked, then looked up at Yan Ningxi. “Are you mad?”

“You’re overthinking it. I’m not that fragile or petty.” Yan Ningxi quickly changed the subject. “Tell me, where do you go to college? What major?”

“Uh? Yesterday…”

Ming You almost said Teacher He had introduced her yesterday but swallowed the words. “Proper introduction: Hengyuan Media University, junior year. Ming You, majoring in Broadcasting Hosting. Not some teenager—I’m a twenty-year-old adult.”

She added, “Sister Yan, you’re really not mad?”

The one asked didn’t meet her eyes, took her soup bowl, and ladled half a bowl.

Yan Ningxi set the soup in front of Ming You and said calmly, “Great school, great major, great age. Your image and presence are outstanding too. If you land a TV station gig after graduation, your future’s bright. Ming You, college is crucial. Don’t waste time and energy on irrelevant trivialities. And don’t get too emotional—there are plenty of ways to adjust your mood.”

Hengyuan Media University was a national key university second only to Jingping Media University, with top faculty and resources. Its Broadcasting Major was the flagship, a national first-class discipline with excellent job prospects.

As a high school teacher, Yan Ningxi had a good grasp of universities nationwide.

“Thanks for Teacher Yan’s sage advice. I’ve taken it to heart.” Ming You perked up with a smile.

After dinner, Yan Ningxi washed some fruit. Ming You had bought so many kinds the fridge was nearly full. How much could one person’s stomach hold? She couldn’t eat it all.

“Fruit after meals—eat more.” Whoever bought it should help finish it.

Ming You toyed with a green jujube, no appetite. “Sister Yan, you’ve been home these past few days. Any plans to go out?”

“My plans have nothing to do with you. You should head home or back to school.”

“Oh, Sister Yan, so heartless.” Ming You pouted coquettishly. “Holiday crowds are huge. I couldn’t get a high-speed rail ticket back. Gotta stay in Huai’an another day or two.”

“…” What a lame lie.

Huai’an City and Hengyuan City were only two or three hundred kilometers apart, both economic hubs of the province. There were at least ten daily high-speed trains and bullet trains between them, just over an hour’s ride. Tickets weren’t hard to get.

“Sister Yan just doesn’t like me? Can you tell me why?”

“…”

“No answer means you don’t.”

Ming You counted off her “crimes” on her fingers. “First meeting: bit your neck, you covered the hotel damages. Second: covered my medical fees. Third: settled my KTV drinking tab, forced to give me new clothes. Fourth: pestered you to cook, then ungratefully hit you. All that, it’s normal if Sister Yan doesn’t like me.”

“…”

“So, what kind of person does Sister Yan like?”

What kind? Yan Ningxi was stumped. Had she ever thought about it? No.

“Matters of the heart can’t be forced. Just let it be.” Yan Ningxi didn’t want to delve deeper with Ming You. “You’re still young. Focus on your studies.”

Hearing the brush-off, Ming You defended herself to salvage her image. “Sister Yan, believe it or not, that night was my first time at a bar and first time getting a room with a woman. You were the first person I ever bit. Before you, I never got that close and intimate with any other woman or man.”

Yan Ningxi said “mm.”

“So,” Ming You suddenly squatted down and looked up at her, “is Sister Yan single? You are single, right?”

“It’s none of your business.” Yan Ningxi looked away, her tone stiff. “This is my personal privacy. There’s no need to tell you.”

Ming You had never been the enthusiastic and proactive type since she was a child. After being pushed away at arm’s length by Yan Ningxi time and again, she inevitably felt some impatient negative emotions. “I’ve offended you.”

She patted her knees and stood up, grabbed the bag from the sofa, and held it in her hand. Ming You spoke coldly. “Respected Teacher Yan, I’m sure you’re cursing me in your heart for being thick-skinned and shameless, right? To tell you the truth, I’m pretty annoyed with myself too. Causing trouble, pushy, forcing things on people, and without any self-awareness. If it were me running into someone so fickle, I’d think she was really crazy too. If that’s what you really think, just say it outright. You don’t have to put on an act to maintain your image as a reasonable people’s teacher, putting up with me over and over. It must be exhausting to endure, huh?”