Early the next morning, sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains.
Ji Yue’nian woke up slowly, her head still a bit groggy. As soon as she moved slightly, she noticed the fabric against her skin felt strangely unfamiliar. Looking down, she saw she was wearing a set of loose, oversized men’s clothes. Scanning her surroundings, she realized she was in her own rental apartment.
Doubt filled her mind, and her brow furrowed slightly like a slender crescent moon.
Men’s clothes? Her rental apartment?
What happened?
Thinking back carefully, it seemed she had blacked out last night. In her memories, she only vaguely recalled drinking with her three roommates and then pouring her heart out about her troubles.
Just then, the door was pushed open gently with a faint “creak.”
Ji Yue’nian looked toward the sound and saw Jiang Chi walking in with a bowl of porridge. It looked like he was bringing her breakfast.
“You’re awake?” Seeing Ji Yue’nian up, Jiang Chi raised an eyebrow. He placed the rice porridge on the nightstand and sat on the edge of her bed. Without waiting for her to ask about the men’s clothes, he took the initiative to explain: “Last night you vomited all over yourself, so I changed your clothes.”
“Ji Yue’nian, you need to drink in moderation.”
“As if I need you to tell me!!”
Ji Yue’nian snapped back instinctively.
As soon as the words left her mouth, even she felt surprised. She wasn’t one of those spoiled little girls who threw tantrums at their boyfriends, but whenever she faced Jiang Chi, it felt as if she’d lose face if she didn’t talk back.
Jiang Chi was stunned for a moment, but he didn’t mind her sour attitude. He simply continued to explain patiently.
“If I didn’t look after you, you might have been picked up by some creep. For the current you, forget it… Anyway, Ji Yue’nian, I want you to be safe.”
“Then should I thank you properly and offer myself to you in marriage?” Ji Yue’nian curled her lip, showing no intention of being grateful.
Immediately after, she performed a quick spring, leaping out of bed and putting on her shoes and socks with clean, swift movements. “It’s late, I should go home. If I stay out all night looking like this, I’m afraid my mom will be scared to death.”
After speaking, Ji Yue’nian grabbed her phone from the nightstand, pushed open the door, and hurried away.
But just before the door slammed shut, a pale hand reached back in and waved at Jiang Chi.
“By the way, there’s one more thing.”
“Jiang Chi, about last night… thanks.”
*****
“So… that’s the reason you didn’t come home last night?”
At the Ji family home, after Ji Yue’nian had rushed back from her rental apartment at breakneck speed, she was met with an interrogation from her older brother. After finally explaining everything that had happened the previous night, Ji Yue’nian collapsed onto the sofa, her face full of exhaustion.
Ji Haotong sat to the side with his arms crossed, staring at her like a judge, waiting for more.
“Brother, why are you looking at me like that? I’ve told you everything I had to say.”
“And then?”
“What do you mean ‘and then’? Haven’t I told you everything I can tell you?”
“What’s with the clothes you’re wearing?”
Pointing at Ji Yue’nian’s oversized men’s outfit, Ji Haotong seemed to think of something. He looked up and scrutinized his little brother… little sister with an extremely complicated gaze.
“Were you… eaten?”
Ji Yue’nian choked on her breath, nearly spitting in his face.
“Brother, what kind of nonsense is going on in your head!”
“How could I possibly be eaten! Besides, Jiang Chi isn’t the kind of person to take advantage of someone like that!”
“I just drank too much last night and vomited, so he changed my clothes, that’s all!!”
As she spoke, she straightened her back and patted her chest, indicating that every word she said was absolutely true.
Seeing Ji Yue’nian so indignant, the corners of Ji Haotong’s mouth curled slightly. “Then what’s with the hickey on your neck?”
“What the! A hickey? A kiss mark? Damn it! That kid dared to mess with me!! That bastard!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll just consider it payment. If it weren’t for him, I probably would have been preyed upon by some thugs.”
“Wait? Brother, where is the kiss mark you mentioned? I don’t see it.”
Ji Yue’nian looked down and searched all over, but she couldn’t find the kiss mark Ji Haotong mentioned. When she looked up to ask for the location, she found him stifling a laugh.
“Fine, Brother, you actually dared to prank me!!” Ji Yue’nian flew into a rage instantly. She grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa and hurled it at Ji Haotong.
Ji Haotong dodged nimbly, laughing loudly while grabbing a pillow to strike back.
For a time, the entire room was filled with the sound of joy. The two siblings played and chased each other, seemingly forgetting everything that had happened before, putting their earlier argument far behind them.
They played until dark. Ji Haotong finally put down the pillow and collapsed onto the sofa. After letting out a long breath, he laughed heartily.
“I once thought about how great it would be to have a lively, cute, and cheerful sister to have pillow fights with. I didn’t expect that after so many years, it would actually come true. Hahaha!”
In response, Ji Yue’nian, who was equally exhausted and slumped on the other side of the sofa, pouted with dissatisfaction and muttered, “What kind of brother are you?”
“Hahaha, what? Are you unhappy? Who was the one swinging the pillow most fiercely just now? Who was cursing about being unlucky, asking why heaven was blind and why life was so miserable while swinging?”
Ji Yue’nian was left speechless.
A pillow fight was certainly the best way to vent emotions. Just now, she had released all the negative feelings she had been burying in her heart lately.
The two lay there quietly for a while.
“Brother, do you think I’m suited to be a woman?” Suddenly, Ji Yue’nian blurted out this sentence while lying on the sofa.
“Don’t ask me that question; ask yourself.” Ji Haotong waved his hand, refusing to answer.
Ji Yue’nian was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly. “Ask myself? If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t be this lost.”
“Then go read some books. Reading can make a person wise. It just so happens that Dad asked me to bring you a few books. Or maybe go out for a walk more often; see more of the world.”
“Find your own reason. A reason for why you are a woman.”
After saying that, Ji Haotong continued to lie on the sofa, squinting his eyes as he enjoyed this rare moment of peace.
Meanwhile, Ji Yue’nian whispered those words under her breath.
“A woman… being a woman… a reason to be a woman…”
“My reason for being a woman?”
Ji Yue’nian kept repeating those few words. Suddenly, a face flashed through her mind, and her entire body stiffened for a moment. In the next second, she lowered her head, hiding the emotions in her eyes.
“It’s so hard. It’s really so hard.”
“He likes me, but I…”
*****
October 15th.
Ji Yue’nian had been a shut-in at home for a whole week. Today, after getting permission from her mom, she went for a walk alone along the banks of the Yangtze River.
Cargo ships filled with goods shuttled back and forth in the river, and speedboats carrying tourists sliced through the water, kicking up layers of spray—it was a beautiful sight.
Ji Yue’nian leaned forward, resting half her weight on the riverbank railing. With her arms supporting her, she watched the vessels glide past her eyes, a hint of melancholy suddenly rising in her heart.
Suddenly, a female voice sounded beside her: “Little sister, what are you fretting about?”
Ji Yue’nian turned her head and saw a slender girl standing behind her. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, roughly 1.6 meters tall with fair skin. She wore a pink t-shirt and jeans with canvas shoes on her feet. Her long hair reached her waist, giving her the “girl-next-door” look. She was very cute and pretty.
Little sister?
The corner of Ji Yue’nian’s mouth twitched.
Where did this little sprout come from, pretending to be a big sister!
In terms of height, Ji Yue’nian was an undeniable 1.8-meter tall statuesque beauty!
“You wouldn’t understand,” Ji Yue’nian pouted.
The girl let out a giggle upon hearing this, then she also rested her arms on the railing, leaning half-paralyzed against it.
“What is there not to understand? In terms of age, I’m pushing thirty this year. Although in my heart I’ll always be eighteen with unlimited youth and vitality, I still celebrate my birthday every year like clockwork.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, I didn’t expect that just coming out for a bit would lead me to meet a kindred spirit. What fate.”
“Come on, little sister. Meeting is destiny. I just arrived in this city, and my partner went to the doctor’s to get my medicine. I happen to be hungry; take me to get a bowl of beef noodles.”
“By the way, my surname is Xu. You can call me Xu Yinsheng.”