Yiyi’s phone kept vibrating in her pocket, making the atmosphere between them increasingly silent.
Eventually, Yiyi took out her phone, turned her back, and answered the call. Her voice was coy, with a hint of submissiveness in her words.
An Yin walked slowly, and inadvertently, she heard Yiyi utter "Brother Liu." An Yin paused, suddenly recalling Young Master Liu. She wasn’t clear about the entanglement between Yiyi and Young Master Liu, but now Yiyi was already engaged. If she was still entangled with another man, that seemed... inappropriate.
An Yin walked ahead quietly. Although she disagreed with Yiyi’s actions, it was ultimately her private affair, and An Yin couldn’t interfere.
Yiyi finally ended her lengthy phone call just as they were about to reach Doctor Huang’s clinic.
In a short while, Yiyi hurried over to An Yin, her expression somewhat guilty.
"An Yin." Yiyi spoke with a troubled look, "Can I stay at your place for the night?"
An Yin was taken aback by her words, thinking she had misheard until she saw the serious look on Yiyi’s face.
"Uh, uh sure." An Yin, soft-hearted and unable to refuse others, consented, even though her house was already quite crowded.
"Thank you. I’ll go home for a shower first and come over later." Yiyi said, grateful. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
"Okay." An Yin gave a shy smile.
After they parted ways, Yiyi went straight into the clinic.
Returning home, An Yin informed her family about Yiyi’s visit. An Ying listened without much comment, only furrowing her brow thoughtfully.
Since Yiyi mentioned she’d be staying over, An Yin waited in her bedroom, while Aunt Zhang voluntarily moved to the sofa in the living room.
It was almost eleven at night, and Yiyi still hadn’t called. An Yin lay on her bed, drowsy until she fell asleep.
In her drowsy state, a vibrating sound echoed in her ear.
Awoken by the noise, she picked up the phone frustratingly. Upon answering, a familiar voice came through.
For the next two days, Jiang Keke stayed at An Yin’s place.
This morning, while An Yin was still in bed, Aunt Zhang lightly tiptoed into An Ying’s room and closed the door.
Seeing Aunt Zhang’s cautious demeanor, An Ying looked at her in confusion, "Zhang Jie, is something wrong?"
"Ahem." Aunt Zhang coughed lightly, embarrassed, and approached the chair by the bed, sitting down. "There’s something I’m not sure whether I should say or not, since it’s a personal matter."
Aunt Zhang hesitated, observing An Ying carefully.
"Is it about Yiyi?" An Ying seemed to have guessed the topic.
"Mmm." Aunt Zhang looked at her in surprise. "Have you noticed something odd about her too?"
Aunt Zhang struggled to choose her words.
"She hasn’t contacted Yinyin for years until recently, yet their relationship isn’t close enough to warrant staying at my house. This child does appear quite peculiar." An Ying pondered carefully.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang leaned in, "Last night, after she showered and came out of the bathroom, thinking I was asleep, she came out wearing only her undergarments. I saw..."
Aunt Zhang paused at this point.
"Saw what?" An Ying frowned, a shadow casting over her beautiful face.
"Her pale skin was covered with red marks, looking like she’s been abused." Aunt Zhang said, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"People, people who are newly engaged might get a little carried away, it’s understandable." An Ying looked down, a faint blush appearing on her fair face.
"I’ve met her fiancé; he doesn’t seem like such a reckless person." Aunt Zhang speculated.
Aunt Zhang’s words also raised An Ying’s suspicions.
Yiyi staying at their house seemed more like avoiding her fiancé.
An Ying and Aunt Zhang exchanged glances, a hint of embarrassment flashing across their faces.
"This child..." An Ying sighed and said no more.
Aunt Zhang lowered her head, an idea forming in her mind.
This Jiang Keke should not lead Miss An astray, or she’d be in trouble.
After dinner, firecrackers sounded downstairs, continuously, with smoke rising. Aunt Zhang had already closed all the doors and windows to keep the thick smoke from coming in, though the unpleasant smell still lingered.
The firecracker noise continued from dinnertime, intermittently, until around eleven at night, when it gradually died down.
The three in the living room were kept awake by the noise, so they watched the Spring Festival Gala on TV. After a while, An Ying appeared fatigued and was helped back to her room by Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang, too old to stay up, retired to another bedroom to sleep.
In the narrow living room, An Yin lay on the sofa. Not far away, the TV played a skit. She glanced at it and picked up the remote to turn it off.
Adjusting her pillow, she intended to use the restroom before sleeping.
After coming out of the bathroom, feeling thirsty, she picked up a cup of water and, without realizing it, walked to the balcony connected to the living room. Habitually, she looked downstairs, and amid the hazy smoke, she seemed to see a tall figure.
For some reason, just one glance was enough for her to be sure it was him.
Her hand trembled, spilling warm water down her pant leg, but she didn’t notice. At that moment, her heart surged with emotion. Rushing to the living room, she placed the cup on the coffee table, silently opening and closing the main door before swiftly heading downstairs in her cotton slippers.
Her hurried footsteps echoed, unaware of the piercing sound they made in the stairwell.
In that moment, she was like a moth drawn to a flame, rushing heedlessly into the mist.
Under the complex’s wall, he stood in a dark suit, a light black long coat over it, exuding an air of nobility and aloofness. His tidy, wrinkle-free trousers exuded elegance and propriety.
With a tall, well-built frame, long limbs, he stood quietly, yet with an undeniable presence.
When he saw lights flickering in the stairwell, his eyes lifted, gazing toward the gap in the stairs.
Soon, he saw a petite, fragile figure. The man’s cold eyes brightened, and he quickly stepped toward the stairs.
His steps were swift, and as he reached the second floor, he saw the little girl dancing like a butterfly, flying toward him.
An Yin hadn’t expected the man to come to the stairwell, and as she realized it, she couldn’t stop and was about to tumble down the stairs.
The pain she expected didn’t come. Terrified, she slowly opened her eyes, met by the man’s chiseled jawline. Being so close, she faintly saw some stubble scattered there.