Carrying two cups of milk tea, Ning Wanciu returned to her home’s doorstep.
“Phew……”
Ning Wanciu let out a soft breath; she had held An Yu’s small hand all the way, and now that it was gone, her right hand felt oddly empty, missing that soft touch.
In the end, she had successfully sent An Yu home.
Though her body didn’t feel tired, Ning Wanciu had the exhaustion of someone who had just defeated the final boss.
What An Yu meant by “don’t know” wasn’t that she didn’t know the way home, but that she didn’t know the home address.
Though Ning Wanciu found that pretty absurd too.
Was An Yu really that unfamiliar with her own home?
Fortunately, while An Yu didn’t know the exact address, she recognized the route home.
After sending An Yu back, Ning Wanciu returned to her own home.
After all, her two best friends had ditched her—she couldn’t exactly go shopping alone.
Carrying the two cups of milk tea, Ning Wanciu opened the front door; since it was from a newly opened shop, she had specially bought one for her sister too.
But to comfort An Yu, she had given her own cup away; luckily, thanks to Cheng Shimumeng and Huai Xiang running off, there were two extra cups, so now she could try it herself.
Though all the way back, because she was holding An Yu’s hand, she hadn’t had the mood to think about anything else.
The moment she stepped inside, Ning Wanciu saw Ning Dongli sprawled on the sofa in an exaggerated pose, fiddling with her phone back and forth, looking even more irritated than yesterday.
“Dongli?”
Hearing Ning Wanciu’s voice, Ning Dongli turned her head, revealing heavy dark circles under her eyes.
“Wah, what happened to you?”
Ning Dongli glanced at Ning Wanciu, her face filled with unconcealable exhaustion and distress.
“Nothing.”
Ning Dongli replied coldly; she had no intention of explaining to Ning Wanciu.
Because…
She couldn’t explain it!
Was she supposed to say she had been sleepless all night because she couldn’t add that support player as a friend?
Ever since hearing that support’s voice yesterday, Ning Dongli couldn’t stop thinking about it—that tender yet cool voice was just too good to listen to…
She really wanted to fall asleep to it.
So right after the match, she had immediately sent a friend request to the support, but it never went through; today she hadn’t started a single game, just kept refreshing the friend page.
Already sleep-deprived from mental stress, Ning Dongli was now completely insomniac, even starting to overthink.
Could it be because she wanted to voice chat and put pressure on them, so the support just quit the game?
If they really stopped playing, wouldn’t she never hear that voice again… no way, not that!
Of course, Ning Dongli didn’t know that An Yu had already uninstalled the game yesterday; if she did, she might collapse even harder.
“Really…”
Though she didn’t know what her sister was thinking, Ning Wanciu knew she must be facing some difficulty.
“Stop playing; here, from the new milk tea shop.”
Handing the milk tea to Ning Dongli, Ning Wanciu shook her head helplessly.
She understood her sister well; even if she asked, Ning Dongli wouldn’t say anything—she could only probe indirectly.
“Mmm, thanks, sis.”
Ning Dongli took the milk tea, inserted the straw, and started drinking.
Perfect; she had no appetite today and was low on sugar, so she wouldn’t refuse her sister’s kindness.
“Mhm, take care of your health; rest after you finish.”
Ning Wanciu reminded with a light smile, then returned to her room.
Sitting on the sofa sipping milk tea, Ning Dongli nodded at Ning Wanciu’s retreating back and replied in a tiny voice: “Got it, sis……”
In her room, Ning Wanciu also inserted a straw and took a sip.
“Ah… so sweet; next time, three parts sugar.”
Setting the milk tea aside, a trace of worry flashed in Ning Wanciu’s eyes.
Ning Dongli’s condition was gradually improving; proof was that she was at least willing to play on her phone in the living room instead of holing up in her room.
But she didn’t know what had happened today to cause this…
Ning Wanciu couldn’t help but worry, afraid Ning Dongli might have another incident.
They weren’t living in their original home; due to certain special reasons, Ning Wanciu had bought a separate house for her and Ning Dongli to live in.
Here, there was no one else—just the two sisters.
At the beginning, Ning Dongli wouldn’t even acknowledge Ning Wanciu, locking herself in her room, gaming day and night reversed.
When she occasionally came out for the bathroom and they bumped into each other, she wouldn’t even greet her.
Ning Dongli seemed to have experienced something bad at school.
Ning Wanciu had tried communicating with their parents and teachers, but it all came to nothing; with Ning Wanciu’s irregular return times, Ning Dongli, with no one to confide in, completely shut her heart.
Ning Dongli stopped going to school and ceased all communication with others.
Ning Wanciu blamed herself in her heart; if she hadn’t discovered it too late, her sister wouldn’t have ended up like this.
So as compensation, Ning Wanciu decided to take on the responsibility of an older sister and live alone with Ning Dongli outside.
But fortunately, her decision was correct; away from their parents and living alone with Ning Wanciu, Ning Dongli was gradually getting better.
Though she still didn’t go to school or interact with anyone else, at least Ning Dongli no longer stayed silent; she would respond to Ning Wanciu.
Ding———
The phone notification interrupted Ning Wanciu’s thoughts; she instinctively picked it up and checked.
It was a message from home.
“Hm… An Family, Recognition Banquet, invitation?”
Ning Wanciu blinked subconsciously; wasn’t the An Family An Yu’s home?
What relatives were being recognized?
“Could it be…?”
Recalling the day An Yu left in the same car as the transfer student, Ning Wanciu’s brows lightly furrowed.
“Come to think of it, An Qing’s surname is also An……”
Ning Wanciu shook her head, deciding not to overthink, and flipped through the message again, reading each word carefully.
Her parents wanted her to attend the An Family’s Recognition Banquet and prepare well, as many heirs from other major families would be there.
But… not a single mention of Ning Dongli.
“Sigh……”
No matter what, Ning Wanciu couldn’t understand why they all acted so indifferent; Ning Dongli becoming like this was partly their fault too.
But… whatever; as the older sister, she would take care of her sister in their parents’ stead.
Lightly patting her cheeks, Ning Wanciu gathered her mood and walked out of her room.
Outside, Ning Dongli was lying on the sofa, drinking milk tea while scrolling her phone; from the way her little feet swung back and forth, her mood had improved a lot.
As expected, milk tea was a good thing.
“Dongli.”
Hearing the voice, Ning Dongli turned her head in confusion: “What’s up?”
Seeing Ning Dongli, so different from the beginning, Ning Wanciu smiled: “The An Family is holding a gathering soon; Dongli, want to go have fun?”
Without mentioning their parents’ request at all, Ning Wanciu just wanted to take Ning Dongli out to relax.
But Ning Dongli shook her head: “Not going—who’d want to go to such a boring place.”
Gatherings of big families were deadly boring; she didn’t want to go—she still had to find her support!