Chapter 49

Xu Yueliang stood there dumbfounded.

Lin Qimian simply led her back to their original spot and sat down on the sofa.

Lin Zixuan watched Lin Qimian’s hand, which remained draped over Xu Yueliang’s shoulder, and said absentmindedly, “That’s really impressive.”

Lin Qimian asked her, “Do you want to watch it again? I have it right here—we can project it onto the screen.”

Lin Zixuan: “Ah.”

Lin Zixuan smiled. “Did I disturb your rest, sis?”

“A little.” Lin Qimian didn’t hold back at all. “I had just fallen asleep.”

“Sorry…” Lin Zixuan suddenly lost all her energy and looked utterly dejected. “I just saw that you were sick and got really worried, so I wanted to come over and check on you…”

Lin Qimian didn’t avoid Xu Yueliang as she asked directly, “How did you know I was sick?”

Lin Zixuan: “I saw it on Sister Xiaoyi’s Moments.”

Lin Qimian furrowed her brows. “How did you end up adding her as a friend?”

As soon as she said that, the person in her arms shrank back a little.

Lin Qimian glanced down. Xu Yueliang had her head lowered, her eyelashes fluttering as she held her breath, looking just like a frightened quail.

She had completely lost her earlier triumphant swagger.

Lin Qimian couldn’t help but chuckle. Her hand slid down from Xu Yueliang’s shoulder, rubbed her arm, and then withdrew, allowing Xu Yueliang to sit more comfortably.

Lin Zixuan had been observing their interactions the whole time. She now answered slowly and leisurely, “We added each other a long time ago. Before I went abroad, we met once—do you remember, sis? It was at An City Happy Valley…”

Lin Qimian thought for a moment. “…Yeah.”

They had bumped into each other once during the holidays. She had returned to An City, and Huang Xiaoyi had insisted on dragging her to the newly opened Happy Valley. That’s where they ran into Lin Zixuan.

Lin Zixuan hadn’t grown up in An City and didn’t live there, so no one knew how they had crossed paths so coincidentally.

And she had been there alone.

Lin Zixuan was five years younger than Lin Qimian and had only been sixteen at the time—a skinny little girl buried in a thick down jacket on that freezing cold day, looking rather pitiful.

Huang Xiaoyi had invited Lin Zixuan to join them, and Lin Zixuan had gazed at Lin Qimian eagerly. Lin Qimian hadn’t refused.

That single time led to them exchanging contact info.

Lin Qimian pinched her fingers. Huang Xiaoyi’s WeChat friend list was truly extensive.

“Are you mad, sis?” Lin Zixuan asked cautiously.

“No.” Lin Qimian said flatly, “Then how did you know where I live?”

Lin Zixuan fell silent, hesitating for a long while before saying, “I… I asked Dad.”

Lin Qimian: “…”

The key was that her dad didn’t actually know where she lived.

But then again, how could her dad truly not know? He was so capable.

Lin Qimian leaned back, not wanting to say anything more.

When she had no expression on her face, she looked genuinely a bit intimidating. Lin Zixuan didn’t dare speak up for a moment.

After a bout of silence, Xu Yueliang finally snapped out of it.

Skipping over the parts that involved her, Xu Yueliang’s wits returned in full force.

She didn’t forget her current duty and quickly grabbed the blanket draped nearby, covering Lin Qimian with it.

“Don’t catch a chill again,” Xu Yueliang said.

Lin Zixuan glanced at her. “Moon sis, you had a performance on National Day No. 1 and went out to play with my sis?”

Xu Yueliang froze. It seemed like she had indeed let that slip during her earlier performance.

Sure enough, once her identity was exposed, it was hard to keep up the lies.

“She didn’t have time,” Lin Qimian cut in. “But we have phones.”

Xu Yueliang looked over. Lin Qimian was covered with the blanket, her hair a bit disheveled, her face pale and lips colorless. Her expression was inscrutable as she said it, leaving Xu Yueliang unsure if she was just helping cover for her or if there was real reproach behind it.

After all, she had inexplicably stood someone else up. They had agreed to go traveling together, but she’d been too busy chasing fame.

“Lin…” She opened her mouth.

Lin Qimian looked over.

Xu Yueliang’s words tripped over themselves, and she quickly changed her address: “Mianmian.”

Lin Zixuan’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

Lin Qimian smiled. “Yeah? What is it with Lin Mianmian?”

Xu Yueliang panicked. “Uh, that… Do you want… some water?”

Lin Qimian: “I’ll have some.”

Xu Yueliang stood up.

Lin Qimian: “I want freshly squeezed juice.”

Xu Yueliang: “Is juice good for someone who’s sick?”

Lin Qimian said without any expression, “I don’t care. I want it.”

Lin Zixuan: “…”

Xu Yueliang: “…”

Xu Yueliang hurried off to squeeze some juice for Lin Qimian.

Lin Qimian pulled the blanket down a bit and asked Lin Zixuan, “Did you have to come all the way here during National Day for something at home?”

Lin Zixuan: “Nothing.”

Lin Zixuan felt a little aggrieved. “I’ve told you already—home is home, and I’m me. I just want… to spend a little more time with you, sis.”

Lin Qimian said nothing.

Lin Zixuan looked up at her, her eyes red-rimmed. “I saw that you were sick, and I was really worried. That’s the only reason I came to bother you.

“I don’t want you to be sick with all your friends around you while I’m nowhere to be found…

“I couldn’t do anything from abroad before, but I’m back now.

“Sis, whatever happens from now on, just tell me. My classes aren’t heavy anymore, and I don’t have any real commitments. I’m totally free!”

Lin Qimian replied, “If you’re so free, go spend more time with Mom and Dad.”

Lin Zixuan: “…”

Lin Qimian added, “Not every friend gets to stay by my side.”

Lin Zixuan: “…”

Lin Zixuan pouted and tugged at the hem of her shirt. “I can tell you two are really close. That day when I called you, the voice I heard was hers, right?”

Lin Qimian thought about it. It really had been. Lin Zixuan had called right when she was watching Xu Yueliang’s livestream.

“Yes,” Lin Qimian admitted readily.

Lin Zixuan kept tugging at her shirt. “Do you live together? Are you roommates? Is she a streamer? Does she broadcast from her company or here? In your room? I haven’t even seen what your room looks like yet…”

Lin Qimian cut her off. “That’s my private business.”

Her expression remained impassive, her tone utterly even, as if she were simply stating a plain fact: this has nothing to do with you.

Lin Zixuan was on the verge of tears. She hung her head and fell silent.

Xu Yueliang finished juicing some fruit and felt much calmer now.

She carried over three glasses of juice. For Lin Zixuan, it was the same plain transparent glass cup from before, without any embellishments. For herself and Lin Qimian, she brought two cups patterned with diamond shapes.

One had a gold rim, the other silver—clearly a matching pair.

She handed the gold-rimmed one to Lin Qimian, thoughtfully peeling open the straw and slipping it in.

She held the silver-rimmed one herself and took a couple of sips before suddenly frowning. Then she slurped it down hard, like she was chugging water, and half the juice vanished in an instant.

“There,” Xu Yueliang said, smacking her lips as she reached for Lin Qimian’s glass. “Let me have some of yours.”

Lin Qimian blinked. “Hm?”

Xu Yueliang held up her own half-empty glass. “I like it, and you’re sick—you shouldn’t have too much.”

Lin Qimian smiled. “Sure.”

But rather than pouring any, she plucked the straw from Xu Yueliang’s cup and dropped it into her own.

Xu Yueliang: “!”

Lin Qimian held the cup right up to her lips. “Go on, drink.”

Xu Yueliang: “!!!”

Lin Qimian arched a brow, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

She seemed to be in high spirits—and very much doing this on purpose.

Xu Yueliang glanced at Lin Zixuan, who was staring at them intently.

Xu Yueliang smiled and leaned right in, catching the straw between her lips.

She drank straight from Lin Qimian’s hand, stretching forward to down another half.

She drank with gusto, juice smearing her lips, practically on the verge of a burp. Lin Qimian watched her the whole time, grinning.

“What are you laughing at?” Xu Yueliang snatched back her straw, her ear tips turning red as she put on a fierce front. “Lin Mianmian, you’ve got medicine to take later. Let’s see you laugh then.”

“Oh.” Lin Qimian pressed her lips to her own straw and took a delicate sip.

Xu Yueliang had been plotting her next moves earlier and wasted no time launching into it.

She pulled out her phone. “Didn’t you list off some dishes at lunch? Remember any? I’ll add a few.”

“I remember them all.” Lin Qimian sat up and leaned over, reciting the midday menu while smoothly taking Xu Yueliang’s phone. She opened the app, selected the best nearby supermarket, and pinned the exact address.

Xu Yueliang let out a quiet breath of relief and shot her a covert thumbs-up.

Once Lin Qimian had added all her desired dishes to the cart, Xu Yueliang finally looked up at Lin Zixuan. “What would you like, little sis? I can make anything that’s not too tricky.”

Lin Zixuan had no appetite for this meal—nor any desire to stay for it.

She said, “I was planning to take sis to the hospital, then grab something at Warm Porridge Hall.”

Warm Porridge Hall was a high-end chain restaurant specializing in light, healthy, nutritious fare—perfect for the elderly, young children, and convalescents.

Xu Yueliang nodded. “Ah, got it…”

She turned to Lin Qimian. “What do you think? Eat here at home, go out, or pick something up to bring back?”

Lin Qimian replied, “I’ll eat whatever you make.”

Xu Yueliang: “…”

Lin Qimian sounded almost petulant. “I don’t get to have it any other time.”

Xu Yueliang muttered, “Like I’ve ever starved you.”

Lin Zixuan couldn’t stand it any longer.

Ever since stepping into this house, she hadn’t felt at ease for a single moment.

It was one thing for her sister’s friend to act like she owned the place. It was one thing for her sister to be so affectionate and protective toward her. But the real kicker was how, whether they were eating or drinking, or in every gesture, word, or expression, the two of them synced up like an airtight wall—impenetrable to anyone else.

Her sister had called it her privacy.

And somehow, in this private world she guarded so fiercely from prying eyes, she’d gone and included Xu Yueliang.

How was Xu Yueliang part of her privacy? Even she, her own sister, wasn’t—yet Xu Yueliang was?

“Then I won’t disturb you two anymore.” Lin Zixuan shot to her feet, her voice thick with irritation and her face showing every bit of it.

She stormed up, snatched her bag, and headed for the door. She changed her shoes in a fury, and Lin Qimian didn’t make a single move to stop her.

She even said, “Moon, could you see Xuanxuan out for me?”

From the moment Lin Zixuan had walked in the door until now, that was the one and only time her sister had called her Xuanxuan—and it was just to send her packing.

Lin Zixuan stomped her foot, ignored everyone else, flung the door open, and charged out.

Xu Yueliang stared blankly at the door that had slammed shut behind her. “Should I… still go after her?”

“Forget it.” Lin Qimian patted the cushion beside her, motioning for Xu Yueliang to come sit. “If you chase after her now, she’ll blow a gasket.”

“Oh, okay.” Xu Yueliang obediently returned and took a seat.

She was sitting much farther away than before.

Lin Qimian watched her. Gone was Xu Yueliang’s earlier confidence. She sat bolt upright, head lowered, hands folded neatly in her lap—visibly on edge.

Lin Qimian adjusted the blanket draped over her shoulders. “You handled that perfectly.”

Xu Yueliang nodded. “Good, that’s good.”

After a pause, she added, “Wasn’t that a bit much, though? Your sister really seems to care about you.”

Lin Qimian relaxed back against the sofa. “She might care, sure. But you didn’t go overboard.”

Xu Yueliang blinked. “Huh?”

Lin Qimian smiled. “Whether she’s genuine or has some other motive, I just don’t want much to do with them anyway.”

“Them?”

“Yeah, my family. My dad, my stepmom, and Lin Zixuan—the one you just met. We’ve never been close… and now I want even less to do with them.”

“Oh, I see.” Xu Yueliang murmured softly. “I thought…”

Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t meet Lin Qimian’s eyes.

Lin Qimian tilted her head. “Thought what?”

Xu Yueliang waved her hands. “Nothing, nothing at all.”

“Just say it,” Lin Qimian encouraged. “You’ve called me Mianmian already—what’s there to hold back?”

Xu Yueliang’s eyes widened. “!!!”

“That was… Doctor Lin told me to call you that…”

“Doctor Lin also says you should keep calling me whatever feels right, say whatever’s on your mind. Doctor Lin doesn’t bite.”

Xu Yueliang’s face flushed crimson, turning her into a thoroughly cooked shrimp in seconds.

Her feet tapped lightly against the carpet, back and forth, until she finally ventured, “I thought Doctor Lin had it all together.

“Top of her class, impressive family, killer job, even her health seemed perfect…

“But turns out Doctor Lin’s just like me—with a ton of worries.”

Lin Qimian’s voice carried a hint of amusement. “Mm. Tell me about your worries, then.”

Xu Yueliang kept rocking her feet, her gaze fixed on the pretty vase of white daisies in the middle of the living room. “Like Doctor Lin, I get sick sometimes too. And when I do, I crave homemade food just as badly.

“I’ve got family drama that gives me headaches—logically I know what I should do, but emotionally, I’m just not feeling it.

“I’m a total noob at games, just like Doctor Lin—trash at escape rooms too. Anything I’m bad at, I just turtle up and avoid.

“And…”

Xu Yueliang trailed off, her cheeks burning even brighter.

Lin Qimian prompted, “And what?”

Xu Yueliang fidgeted bashfully with the hem of her clothes. “I like pink too~ I love these cute outfits~~”

Lin Qimian burst out laughing.

“I really do like it,” she said.

No lie there.

Xu Yueliang grinned, visibly relaxing.

Lin Qimian’s fingertips drummed lightly on the sofa arm. Some topics probably wouldn’t come up unless she brought them herself, so she said, “I’ve got plenty of work troubles too.”

Xu Yueliang: “Ah…”

Lin Qimian continued, “Like hating rush-hour traffic on the commute, or how the hospital runs these sales events out of nowhere and ties them to our performance metrics.

“I can’t stand all the little WeChat groups popping up endlessly, or the cliques, the backstabbing, the scheming.”

“I don’t like team-building activities. There are always people coming over to ask which department you’re in, how old you are, what your parents do for a living, and whether you have a boyfriend.

“Also, with absolutely no professional ethics, I really dislike running into middle-aged male patients. They get irritable so easily, their breath stinks too, and even masks can’t block the smell.

“And there are tons of patients who, the moment they see my face, refuse to let me treat them and demand a ‘real doctor.'”

Lin Qimian smiled and asked Xu Yueliang, “Did you think the same way when you first started out?”

Xu Yueliang stammered, “Ah… I-I-I didn’t. I just didn’t expect the doctor pulling my tooth to be so pretty…”

Lin Qimian replied, “Didn’t expect her to be so pretty—which means, in your mind, doctors with real experience and skills aren’t supposed to be that pretty or that young, right?”

Xu Yueliang whipped her head around to look at her. “That’s not it!”

Lin Qimian’s eyes curved into gentle crescents. “Even if it is, that’s fine. Most people think that way. Folks always form specific impressions about certain professions—it’s unavoidable.”

She paused for a moment. “But when it comes to making friends, we judge the specific person she is, right?”

Xu Yueliang froze.

Lin Qimian continued, “For any specific person, if she fits the rigid stereotype of her group, that’s perfectly normal. If she defies that stereotype, that’s fine too. As her patients or her audience, we only get to see one side of her. But when we eat together, hang out together, help each other out, and bring each other joy, that’s when we truly see the complete her in our hearts.”

“The complete Xu Yueliang in my heart is someone I want to be friends with, so she sits right here beside me.

“She’s a streamer today, a dancer tomorrow, and switches to something else the day after. To me, it’s like stars adorning her—lighting up one after another.

“They add new sparkles to her, but they don’t overshadow her true radiance.

“So when I found out you’re a streamer, all I felt was delight.”

Xu Yueliang’s nose scrunched up, and the corners of her eyes drooped like those of a sniffling puppy.

Lin Qimian lifted her hand just within reach, but she didn’t actually touch her. “Watching you dance, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘This is insanely good. If she danced just for me alone, that would be absolute bliss.'”

Xu Yueliang couldn’t hold it in anymore—tears came spilling down all at once.

She sniffed hard, feeling like she’d used up every last bit of air in her chest, her heart thumping wildly like victory drums after a brutal battle.

“I…” She tried to speak, but the moment she opened her mouth, a sob choked out a hiccup—orange juice-flavored, utterly mortifying.

So she clamped her hand over her mouth and let out a string of muffled “wu wu wu” whimpers, giving up on words entirely.

Instead, she leaned in close and tilted her head under Lin Qimian’s hand, nuzzling upward against it with a rub.