“Sis~” Yue Bai helplessly pulled away her sister’s hands from over her eyes and turned aside.
The woman had a neat, shoulder-length bob, her white suit hugging her figure perfectly. Her refined features looked stern whenever she wasn’t smiling.
“Why didn’t you tell me ahead of time that you were on break?” Yue Yi circled around the sofa, her high heels clicking against the floor in a crisp rhythm.
“I didn’t want to bother you if you were busy,” Yue Bai said obediently.
The faint curve of a smile on Yue Yi’s face faded after Yue Bai finished speaking. She sat down beside her with an apologetic look. “Little Bai, I’ve really been swamped lately. I might have to leave you home alone again. I’ll try to wrap up work early and come back for New Year’s Eve dinner with you, okay?”
“Mmm.” Yue Bai nodded, accustomed to it by now.
No matter how busy Yue Yi got every year, she always made it back in time for New Year’s Eve dinner with her.
Yue Yi gazed fondly at the girl, who seemed to grow more radiant by the day. A soft smile tugged at the corners of her eyes as she changed the subject. “Little Bai, are you dating someone?”
Yue Bai froze for a moment, her expression flashing with panic. She hadn’t expected her sister to ask that out of nowhere. With a sheepish laugh, she said, “Why do you ask?”
She’d only been home a short while; she shouldn’t have let anything slip.
“I saw someone drop you off,” Yue Yi replied straightforwardly, leaning back against the sofa. “Let me guess—is that your little boyfriend from college?”
Yue Bai rubbed her nose awkwardly.
“What, getting shy now?” Yue Yi teased, noting the flush creeping across her cheeks.
“Well… Sis, it’s not a boyfriend,” Yue Bai said carefully.
“Then what is it? Some old guy?” Yue Yi’s eyes widened in surprise. She sat up straight, fixing Yue Bai with an intense stare. “Don’t tell me… Little Bai, you’re still young. You might be drawn to more mature men, but…”
“No, Sis.” Yue Bai interrupted her sister’s words in exasperation. What was she even thinking? As if she’d ever like—
“Not a mature guy?” Yue Yi’s eyes grew even wider as she recalled that understated black Bentley. Its price tag alone was enough to scare off most people.
Her mouth twitched. “Don’t tell me it really is some old man.”
“Little Bai, I’m not short on money. Whatever you want, I can buy it for you. The world out there is full of temptations—it’s easy to get swept up in them.” Yue Yi doted on her one and only sister almost to a fault. She worked so hard precisely to give Yue Bai the best life possible.
Ever since their parents passed away, she’d lived in fear that Yue Bai might feel inferior seeing other kids with their families around. She wanted to be by Yue Bai’s side every moment.
But the demands of work meant sacrificing time with her. Yue Yi had countless times considered just letting it all go and living a simple life.
The family business their parents left behind couldn’t be abandoned, though.
So she compensated materially as best she could, and fortunately, Yue Bai understood. Now, she worried that some smooth-talking outsider might deceive her.
“…No.” Yue Bai shot her an exasperated glance. “He’s just a year older than me.”
“Why didn’t you say so sooner? You scared me half to death. Still a boyfriend, though—what’s the difference?” Yue Yi patted her chest and added matter-of-factly, “Just don’t let him fool you. Some rich kids say one thing to your face and another behind your back.”
Among the second-gen heirs she’d met, most were polite and well-mannered, raised strictly. Even if they had ideas, they kept them hidden, rarely showing them openly.
“…” Yue Bai.
“Sis, to be honest, I am dating someone. But she’s a girl.” Yue Bai met Yue Yi’s eyes, enunciating each word clearly.
Her face remained calm, but her fingertips nervously dug into the soft sofa. Unconsciously, she left faint scratches on the leather.
She had no idea if her sister could accept it.
She’d just come out like that.
To her only family.
As expected, surprise flickered in Yue Yi’s eyes, followed by a long silence after hearing her words.
“Sis?” With no reply after a while, Yue Bai anxiously tugged at Yue Yi’s hand.
The latter turned her head slowly, her composed features etched with complex emotions as she met Yue Bai’s gaze.
“Sigh.” Yue Yi broke eye contact first with a long sigh, her tone a mix of reluctance and resignation. She rose and headed toward the bedroom, pausing to say, “Let me think about it.”
Yue Bai’s lips curved slightly. From what she knew of her sister, this reaction probably meant acceptance.
Ding-dong. A WeChat notification popped up. Yue Bai turned and picked up her phone.
“I’m home.” Sang Wan.
“Got it~” Yue Bai.
“So tired.” Sang Wan.
“What then?” Yue Bai typed out four words with a smile, her finger hovering over send. Then it slipped to the backspace key, and on impulse, she deleted them all, firing off a string of kissing emojis instead.
Sang Wan stood in the courtyard, hand on the door handle. Seeing those emojis, her gentle features softened into a smile. She let go of the handle and tapped at her screen: “Noted. Make it up to me in person later.”
Click. The door swung open from inside. The person opening it paused, surprised to find someone there, then flashed a brilliant smile. “Little Wan’s back.”
“Aunt Qin.” Sang Wan greeted her good-naturedly and stepped inside.
Qin Yan hadn’t expected such a warm tone from Sang Wan. Her smile brightened even more. “I had Li Ma make your favorite snacks. Want some?”
“I’m beat. Just call me for dinner.” Sang Wan pocketed her phone.
“Alright.”
Yue Bai stared at Sang Wan’s message, reading it over and over, an irrepressible smile lighting her face. “Then Senior Sister better remember.”
Followed by four more kissing emojis.
“Got it. You owe me nine kisses now.” Sang Wan sent a screenshot of a memo clearly noting: Little Bai owes me nine kisses.
Yue Bai’s ears turned scarlet. She covered her burning ears and feigned nonchalance. “Gotcha.”
“Little Bai.” Yue Yi emerged from the bedroom and approached her seriously. Calmly, she asked, “Do you really like her?”
“Mmm, I really do.” Yue Bai nodded without hesitation.
“You’re sure it’s her?” Yue Yi pressed.
“Positive.” Yue Bai nodded again.
“And does her family approve of you two?” Yue Yi asked a third question.
Yue Bai hesitated.
Seeing this, Yue Yi said, “Little Bai, if she can’t stand up for your relationship against her family, it’s doomed not to last. From that car that dropped you off, her family doesn’t seem ordinary. Do you think her parents will accept their daughter with another girl?”
Yue Bai didn’t know how to respond.
“Think it through. I’ll support whatever you decide, but will her family support her?” Yue Yi pressed relentlessly.
Yue Bai stared silently at her phone, still open to her chat with Sang Wan.
“Sis, I don’t know.” Yue Bai shook her head slowly, her lips pressing into a bitter line.
She’d overlooked it entirely. Girls being close in behavior was fine—no one batted an eye. But when it came to romance, things got complicated fast.
“Think it over. Is she willing to face all the gossip and rumors of the future with you?” Yue Yi didn’t know how else to dissuade her. She wanted to quash the idea, slim chance though it was. Her sister was stubborn as a mule; once she set her mind on something, no one could change it.
“Mmm, got it, Sis.” Yue Bai tapped at her phone, eyes downcast as she typed.
Yue Yi glanced over, then sat across from her to review some documents.
“Senior Sister, does your family approve of you with a girl?” Yue Bai typed and deleted, deleted and retyped that single sentence five or six times before finally sending it.
After hitting send, she second-guessed the tone and wanted to recall it.
“Why ask out of the blue? Your family against it?” Sang Wan replied, a sudden panic rising inexplicably.
“No, my sister’s okay with it.” Yue Bai.
“That’s good.” Sang Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
She’d considered what to do if Yue Bai’s family opposed them.
“No resistance on my end.” Sang Wan replied with a smile. In her heart, her true family was just those few. Her father’s opinion had never mattered.
“Sis, no issues on her side.” Yue Bai looked up excitedly at the message.
Yue Yi smiled to herself, inwardly sighing at how naive her sister was—believing whatever people said.
“So when are you bringing your girlfriend for me to meet?” Yue Yi closed her file and asked.
“Mmm… Probably need a bit more time.” Yue Bai thought about it. Senior Sister had just gotten home, and with New Year’s coming, she couldn’t leave easily.
“Do you have a photo? If it’s convenient, let me see?” Yue Yi pondered before asking.
Home City only had a handful of prominent families; she might recognize her.
“Yeah.” Yue Bai had a private album full of Sang Wan’s photos. She opened it, picked her favorite, and handed it over.
Yue Yi took it.
The photo was clearly a candid shot. The girl was looking down at a book, the overhead light casting a soft glow that made her already fair skin look even more delicate and dewy. As if sensing the camera, she lazily lifted her eyelids, her lips curving in a perfectly natural smile.
The moment she saw the face, Yue Yi’s pupils dilated slightly. “Sang Wan?”
Yue Bai looked astonished. “Sis, do you know her?”
Yue Yi reined in the emotions flickering across her face and responded slowly, “I’ve seen her before.”
How could it be her?
Yue Bai laughed. “Sis, isn’t she particularly outstanding?”
Whenever Sang Wan came up, Yue Bai couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
Yue Yi hummed in acknowledgment. She lowered her gaze to glance at the photo on her phone, her tone ambiguous. “Indeed very outstanding… very outstanding…”
“Hehe, who would’ve thought she’d be your little sister’s girlfriend?” Yue Bai grew even more smug.
“Mm.” Yue Yi didn’t know what to say. She handed the phone back to Yue Bai. “Sis still has some work to handle. Be good and stay home by yourself.”
“Okay.” Yue Bai was used to her sister’s demanding job. Without any surprise, she stood up and straightened Yue Yi’s collar. “Be careful on the road.”
“Mm. Aunt Long will come over later to make dinner,” Yue Yi said before leaving.
She climbed into the car and fastened her seatbelt. Then she called her secretary. “Look up the contact information for the eldest daughter of the Sang Family in Home City—Sang Wan.”
She wanted to meet her little sister’s girlfriend right now.
Before long, the secretary sent over a string of numbers. Yue Yi leaned back in the driver’s seat, her eyes slightly closed. Her fingers drummed repeatedly on the car logo at the center of the steering wheel as she dialed the number.
“Hello, this is Yue Bai’s sister. I’d like to meet with you.”
