After Xu Yixiao returned, Chen Yi felt too awkward to stick around and quickly said her goodbyes to Xu Yan.
The moment she left, Xu Yixiao sidled up to her little aunt and asked, “Little Aunt, did you two make it official?”
Xu Yan looked down at her from on high, saying nothing.
That reaction only made Xu Yixiao more anxious.
“Did you or didn’t you? I saw you hugging!”
Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. “Are you that curious?”
“It’s super important to me!” Xu Yixiao said frantically, wanting to thump her thigh in frustration. “Little Aunt, can’t you try a little harder? I mean, put in some real effort. If it hasn’t happened yet, make it happen.”
“Why?”
Xu Yixiao hemmed and hawed for ages, unable to come up with an answer.
“Just because you want to stan her up close?” Xu Yan pinched her niece’s cheek. “That’s fine in front of me, but don’t tease her. She’s shy.”
With that, Xu Yan headed back to her room, leaving Xu Yixiao standing there, pondering the meaning of those words.
Little Aunt already knew Vegetable Sister’s real identity?
OMG—
And she was already protecting her like that?!
Xu Yixiao pouted jealously and stomped her foot in protest. “Little Aunt, I’m your actual niece!”
Xu Yan let out an indifferent “Oh” and drawled back, “You’re my niece. She’s my wife. What do you think?”
Xu Yixiao wailed, “I can’t stand it!”
“You people in love are terrifying!”
“I’m running away from home!”
Xu Yan replied, “How long? Have you decided on going abroad? I’ll buy you a plane ticket.”
Xu Yixiao screamed, “Aaaah—”
She got it now. She wasn’t getting any tender loving care from her little aunt anymore. Vegetable Sister, time to tattle to Vegetable Sister!
With that thought, Xu Yixiao stealthily pulled out her phone, intending to message Vegetable Sister.
That’s when it hit her: she only had Vegetable Sister friended on her alt account, not her main WeChat.
If she tattled in-game, by the time Vegetable Sister saw the in-mail, this would’ve been ancient history.
No way, no way. Next time, she had to get Vegetable Sister’s contact info.
This wasn’t some fan secretly hitting up their idol!
She was family now!
The thought had Xu Yixiao’s butt practically floating to the sky. She itched to brag about it in the guild group chat, but that was just a fantasy.
Meanwhile, Chen Yi returned home in high spirits, only to realize the same issue Xu Yixiao had—and actually, two issues.
She and Xu Yan were officially dating now, but she hadn’t told Xu Yan about her alt account.
Also…
She still hadn’t added Xu Yan on WeChat.
Looking back now that she knew everything, XYZ’s meaning was ridiculously obvious. It was just a shorthand for Xu Yan’s name. As for the Z… Chen Yi figured that letter was just tacked on for fun.
Fine. Tomorrow on their date, she’d come clean about her own stuff and casually ask about Xu Yan’s WeChat.
Decision made, Chen Yi started planning tomorrow’s itinerary. This was her first real date ever, and her nerves were frayed. She needed a Zhuge Liang to give her some pointers.
Late into the night, Su Dai’s phone rang.
“Hey, buddy, what’s up?” Su Dai’s voice sounded off, like she’d just finished a workout and was still catching her breath.
Chen Yi didn’t pick up on it. “Were you just at the gym?”
Su Dai nearly choked on her own saliva. “Yeah—”
“What’s going on? You first, Chen Yi.”
“Oh, well…” Chen Yi hesitated bashfully. “Tomorrow I’m going on a date with my girlfriend, and I wanted to ask if you have any date spot recommendations.”
Su Dai, who’d been a bit foggy-headed, snapped wide awake. She shoved Zhouyu—who was still sprawled on top of her—aside, sat up, took a swig of water, and stared wide-eyed. “Girlfriend!?”
“Who?”
Su Dai frowned. “Not that girl you met up with the other day, right?”
“Didn’t you say that didn’t work out?”
“How’d it turn into something now?”
Su Dai’s questions tumbled out like a rolling wheel. It wasn’t surprising— to her best friend, Chen Yi’s love life looked like a roller coaster at an amusement park: full of ups and downs, life hanging by a thread.
“You’re sure you’re actually dating now?” Su Dai asked cautiously. “Not just maybe? Not a one-sided misunderstanding?”
Chen Yi sighed helplessly. “Yes. I swear.”
Su Dai sucked in a sharp breath.
“Alright.” She said, “I believe you.”
“When do I get to meet her?”
It was their unspoken rule between friends. It used to apply only to Su Dai, since she dated like clockwork. Now it was Chen Yi’s turn.
“In a couple days,” Chen Yi said. “I’ll check with her first.”
Su Dai tsked. “Chen Yi, you trying to be a total wife simp already?”
Chen Yi shot back, “So what? Not allowed?”
“At least I have a wife. What about you?”
Su Dai instinctively glanced back at Zhouyu, who was lying on the bed scrolling her phone. Sensing the look, Zhouyu glanced up blankly. Su Dai smiled faintly, but her heart felt empty. She said nothing.
“You wanted date spots, right? I’ll send you some good ones. Pick what you like.” She changed the subject.
Chen Yi said, “Perfect.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
Su Dai laughed. “Damn right.”
They chatted a bit more, and before hanging up, Su Dai said earnestly, “Chen Yi, be happy in love.”
“I will.”
After the call, Chen Yi waited for Su Dai’s recommendations. Su Dai had great taste—one spot oozed classy romance, another felt grounded and full of everyday charm. Chen Yi scanned them and took a liking to a camping site.
She remembered Xu Yan saying she wanted to get out and about.
Fresh off being sick, avoiding crowds was smart. The two of them could drive to the campsite, breathe some fresh air. The only issue… she didn’t drive.
She didn’t even have a domestic license yet.
After agonizing a bit, Chen Yi messaged Xu Yan to ask if she’d like to go camping tomorrow.
Xu Yan said yes.
Chen Yi changed XYZ’s name in her contacts to “Wife.”
Wife: I’ll drive?
Chen Yi sent a goofy grinning emoji.
Chen Yi: You okay with that? I don’t want you to get tired. If you are, I can hire a driver.
Wife: No problem.
Wife: I’ll drive.
And with that, it was settled.
With Xu Yan’s go-ahead, Chen Yi got to work booking the site. She had zero camping gear at home, and Xu Yan sure didn’t strike her as the type either. Luckily, the site provided everything—they just needed to show up.
One more thing to check with Xu Yan.
Chen Yi: The campsite allows barbecues, but you have to bring your own food. Sis, wanna grill? If yes, what do you want? I’ll stock up.
Wife: Together?
Chen Yi: Sure! But that means getting up early tomorrow morning.
Wife: There’s a big 24-hour supermarket nearby, I think.
Chen Yi blinked at the message, slowly piecing together what Xu Yan meant.
Chen Yi: So… we go now?
Wife: Yeah. Meet downstairs.
They’d only parted less than ten minutes ago, and now they were meeting again. Chen Yi rushed to the mirror, fussing with her appearance. It was wild— they’d just seen each other, but she still felt that flutter of nerves.
Chen Yi grabbed a big tote bag to use as an eco-bag and slung a canvas one over her shoulder for extras. She dashed downstairs and straight to the spot below Xu Yan’s building, texting her to take it slow.
Three minutes later, Xu Yan appeared. She’d changed into comfy casual clothes, her long hair tied up, black-rimmed glasses on, and a black mask covering her face.
“Aren’t you cold?” Chen Yi shivered just looking at the skin peeking from Xu Yan’s collar. She couldn’t help saying, “You’re still recovering. You gotta take better care of yourself.”
She unwound her own scarf and wrapped it around Xu Yan’s neck.
The soft wool bunched comfortably under Xu Yan’s chin, warming her up in no time. It felt nice.
Xu Yan tugged at the scarf’s edge. Half her face was hidden by the mask, but a blissful smile shone through.
Then a thought struck her.
“What about the scarf I gave you?” Xu Yan asked. “I didn’t see you wearing it that day.”
Chen Yi remembered then.
Oh shit—
How was she supposed to explain?
That scarf was still sitting at a café counter in Paris, France!
Her guilt was obvious—her usually straightforward gaze darted downward, and her nose scrunched up.
“You lost it?” Xu Yan guessed. “Makes sense. You hated me back then, after all.”
“I didn’t!” Chen Yi whined playfully, clutching Xu Yan’s clothes. “That’s different!”
“Here’s what happened—” She spilled her entire thought process from back then, along with everything that went down. “And then I just forgot.”
She really had.
The moment she walked into that private room and realized her dear online girlfriend was her scary boss, Chen Yi’s brain got hijacked by the “I got played by a woman” script. Forgetting stuff was understandable. She and Yu You’an had flown back home from another city right after to decompress. If Xu Yan hadn’t brought it up today, Chen Yi could’ve forgotten that scarf all the way to the heavens.
“I messed up, Wife,” Chen Yi said pitifully.
Xu Yan patted her head. “Why apologize? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Our Yi Yi is so thoughtful toward her girlfriend,” Xu Yan thought. Even though that online girlfriend had been her, and the boss in Chen Yi’s mind that she had to reject on the spot for her crush was also her.
“It’s just a scarf,” Xu Yan said. “No big deal.”
“No, no way,” Chen Yi replied. Once the thought crossed her mind, she simply couldn’t let it go. If she ignored it, she’d spend the entire night wide awake with worry, insomnia striking right there in her own bed. She hurriedly contacted a friend in France, made some inquiries, and arranged for someone to head to the café and ask about the scarf.
“I hope it’s still there,” Chen Yi said.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to wear it?” Xu Yan asked.
“That’s completely different!” Chen Yi protested at once.
“And it’s so expensive, too.” The scarf’s brand looked familiar to Chen Yi. In her experience, that was a sure sign of luxury. After all, the only places she ever saw such familiar high-end labels were on her own mother, Chen Nanyun, and the young heiress Su Dai.
“Alright, alright,” Xu Yan said indulgently. “Our little baby is such a thrifty homemaker.”
“Hmph hmph.” Chen Yi shook her head smugly, waggling it from side to side.
She and Xu Yan made their way to the underground parking garage. The twenty-four-hour supermarket was some distance from their residential complex, and they planned to buy plenty of ingredients. Driving would be far more convenient.
Xu Yan’s parking spot wasn’t far away.
Chen Yi and Xu Yan walked side by side.
Their hands hung naturally at their sides, fingers brushing together now and then as they chatted and strolled along. A ticklish itch bloomed in Chen Yi’s heart—she desperately wanted to hold hands. Movies and TV dramas always featured those sweet moments when the leads’ fingertips slowly intertwined before their hands clasped tight.
But with her, that romantic trick never quite worked.
Just the thought of taking Xu Yan’s hand made Chen Yi’s own tremble with nerves.
Xu Yan clasped her hand and asked, “Are you cold?”
Chen Yi shook her head, her face flushing red.
Just as Xu Yan started to pull away, Chen Yi gripped her hand tightly in return. Xu Yan glanced over, and Chen Yi said obediently, “I want to hold your hand.” She hated the idea of letting go and added softly, “Sister, is that okay?”
