Perhaps because she hadn’t gone very far, Liu Yinuo arrived quite quickly. At the very least, as Ye Xingmian watched the red dot representing Liu Yinuo’s location on the map inch closer, she felt a sense of happiness.
This mood lasted until the taxi Liu Yinuo was in arrived. The older girl opened the door and walked over to her side.
“Why are you squatting here? Aren’t you cold?”
“Ah… I’m okay…”
Standing up, Ye Xingmian stretched her slightly numb legs and put her phone back into her backpack.
“Let’s go. Come home with me.”
Home? The young girl was momentarily dazed, but she didn’t linger on the thought for long, quickly catching up with Liu Yinuo’s pace.
Stepping from the freezing street into the taxi, they were suddenly enveloped by warm air, which brought a sense of heartfelt comfort.
Liu Yinuo didn’t press her on why she had ended up here while on her way home. She simply remained silent for a moment before picking up the milk tea she had bought on the way.
“I bought this for you. Drink it to warm up, or you’ll catch a cold.”
“Thank you…” Startled for a second, the girl offered a sincere smile. She took the milk tea from Liu Yinuo’s hand, the warmth transferring to her small hands, which had been frozen red.
Liu Yinuo continued to stare at her, her brow furrowing slightly.
“Is something wrong?” Sensing Liu Yinuo’s gaze, Ye Xingmian turned her head and gave a sweet smile.
Liu Yinuo’s frown deepened. However, she soon returned to her usual expression and smiled gently.
“It’s nothing. I just feel like you’ve changed somehow.”
“Hmm? How am I different?” Holding the milk tea, the girl’s thin body leaned against Liu Yinuo’s shoulder, the soft scent of her hair wafting to her nose. Her body felt light, and from Liu Yinuo’s perspective, she could see her smiling profile.
Inevitably, Liu Yinuo fell silent.
‘What changed? Is she more clingy? More proactive? More likable? Isn’t this exactly what I wanted? Then why point it out?’
‘What would be the point? Do I want her to revert to that cowardly, humble girl she was before?’ Liu Yinuo didn’t want that. At the very least, when facing her, she hoped the girl could be cuter and more dependent.
‘Like a little stray cat that’s finally become comfortable after being brought home?’
Looking at the girl’s rosy eyes, she couldn’t help but think that.
“It’s nothing.” Thinking of this, she also couldn’t help but smile. She reached out and pulled the girl’s narrow shoulders closer.
“Driver, please head back the way we came.”
She spoke to the taxi driver, who was currently browsing his phone. Upon receiving the instruction, the driver made a turn and headed toward her house.
“Do you want to go to my house first, Xingmian? Or should I drop you off at yours?”
“Let’s go to your place, Monitor.”
Liu Yinuo was silent for a moment. “You don’t have to call me Monitor anymore. Just call me Yinuo.”
“Ah? Is that okay?” A hint of joy was hidden within her worried voice.
“Yes, it’s fine.”
The warm air from the air conditioner gently blew Liu Yinuo’s hair, making it itch slightly. she tucked it behind her ear. She would have to find something to do after they got back, perhaps as a way to relax?
“Have you eaten lunch yet?”
“Ah, I have.”
“I haven’t. My parents haven’t come back yet. Could I trouble you to cook a meal for me?”
“Of course! No problem!”
“Mm.”
Progress was unexpectedly smooth. Liu Yinuo hadn’t anticipated that a single trip out would cause such a massive shift in Ye Xingmian’s attitude; she had thought she would have to wage a long war of attrition.
‘So, did something happen on Qin Haiyue’s end?’
Looking at the girl lying lazily beside her, enjoying the warm breeze, Liu Yinuo couldn’t help but wonder.
Regardless, she would keep the girl by her side for as long as possible. Once the girl developed an attachment, she would naturally always think of coming over.
After breaking through the obstacle of her parents, the only hurdle left was that thin barrier in the girl’s heart.
She was confident she could resolve it quickly. As for the timeline, she would set it for before the upcoming winter break.
***
Lin Ziyuan was still feeling a bit sullen. She sat on the sofa, no longer playing with her phone, and instead stared at the teddy bear beside her.
She stared at it for a long time without looking away.
Ye Xingmian had been practically dragged away by Liu Yinuo. To be honest, she hadn’t been angry at the time; in fact, she had felt a faint sense of schadenfreude.
She had sensed that Liu Yinuo’s mood was off. She hadn’t seemed like the usual gentle Liu Yinuo, appearing somewhat irritable instead. What kind of treatment would Ye Xingmian receive after being forcibly taken away by such a cranky Liu Yinuo? It likely wouldn’t be very pleasant.
‘Maybe after being treated so roughly, she won’t be so dependent on Liu Yinuo anymore? Maybe she’ll give up on those unrealistic fantasies?’
She thought to herself mischievously.
However, even though being dragged away wasn’t Ye Xingmian’s intention, she was still gone. Going out without her permission deserved punishment; she had to show her who was boss.
Happily, she still held leverage over Ye Xingmian—specifically, this teddy bear. Didn’t she treasure this supposed gift from her mother? Then she would have to let her know the consequences of disobedience!
As for her other piece of leverage regarding the girl’s identity… honestly, she didn’t want to use it yet. If Ye Xingmian really got kicked out, wouldn’t she lose a lot of fun in the future?
That simply wouldn’t do.
So, in reality, other than threatening Ye Xingmian, she had never considered directly telling her parents the secret.
Looking at the teddy bear in front of her, she couldn’t figure out what was so great about it. ‘Whatever is so good about this that it was worth lying to protect?’
It didn’t look any different from any other bear.
Tsk, she couldn’t understand it.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Her eyes lit up, thinking that Ye Xingmian had been kicked back out by Liu Yinuo. She immediately tossed the teddy bear aside and prepared to open the door.
‘How should I taunt her? Since she dared to ignore me, I have to make her cry, right?’ she thought with malicious delight.
Toward this “brother” who had grown up with her, she felt no sense of recognition, only a total sense of superiority. To her, a person with no one to rely on had no dignity whatsoever in front of someone protected by her parents.
She opened the door, and the sarcastic words were about to leave her mouth, but the moment she saw the people in front of her, she swallowed them back down.
The haughty, mocking expression on her face turned flat, and even a hint of annoyance appeared.
“Dad, Mom, why are you back?”
It didn’t make sense; logically, they shouldn’t have been back until the evening. However, her parents didn’t notice the irritation hidden in her expression and instead looked quite relaxed.
“What, you didn’t miss us?”
“That’s not it…” She stepped aside, clearing the path with doubt in her eyes.
“Oh, Mom has some good news for you. Because the company’s development is going so smoothly, from now on, if Mom and Dad aren’t working overtime at noon, we might be able to come home and see you!”