Actually, the moment she was kissed, Yan Yu’s mind went blank for a second. But she quickly adjusted her expression and hid that flicker of panic.
“Are you really not messing with me…?”
Yan Yu murmured in a small voice, lowering her head, pretending to focus on cutting the remaining food on her own plate to cover up her embarrassment.
The two sisters looked like nothing more than a younger sister acting spoiled and getting her elder sister to feed her a bite of dessert—an interaction no different from their usual close bond.
Only Bai Yan’er knew in her heart what that seemingly casual lean-in and the gesture of having Yan Yu feed her by hand actually meant.
It was a declaration. And a silent warning. All of it was for Dai Feng to see.
A few meters away, at that dimly lit table, the coffee in Dai Feng’s hand had gone cold. Not just the coffee—her heart, too.
From her angle, she couldn’t fully see the specific, subtle movements between Bai Yan’er and Yan Yu. However, that series of actions just now, when Bai Yan’er leaned close to Yan Yu… especially the last forward tilt.
That split-second image, combined with the intimate aura between the two that had seemed oblivious to everyone else… in Dai Feng’s agitated mind, had already pieced itself together into the scene she could least bear.
Did those two just… kiss?
Dai Feng’s expression instantly turned extremely ugly, as if struck by a thunderbolt.
Is this right? This isn’t right, is it? Aren’t they sisters? Things like that between sisters aren’t okay, are they? Can they kiss? Besides, even if they aren’t blood-related, they’re still sisters, right?
But thinking from another angle, even if they weren’t sisters… being able to do something like that with another woman in a café… did that mean Yan Yu already had someone in her heart? Was Dai Feng’s love already over? Not even the slightest chance?
Yet, she hadn’t even had the chance to confess her feelings. She hadn’t even managed to start a conversation today. And clearly…
An indescribable sense of loss surged up, churning Dai Feng’s heart. Having lost the white moonlight of her true love, she was about to fall into utter despair and leave in disgrace.
But at that moment, she noticed the expressions on Yan Yu and Bai Yan’er’s faces as they separated. Dai Feng’s movements paused.
It seemed that the atmosphere between those two wasn’t as ambiguous as she had imagined. On the contrary, after being kissed, Yan Yu looked very surprised, as if she had no idea Bai Yan’er would do such a thing.
That subtle expression made Dai Feng freeze for a moment, and the spark of hope began to flicker back to life. That was not the expression of someone in love with another person.
Wait a second. Could it be that there was still a chance?
Dai Feng stopped wallowing in sorrow. She took a sip of her cold, bitter coffee, sat up straight, and began to spin a grand drama in her mind.
Suppose Yan Yu didn’t actually like anyone. One day, for some reason, the innocent and kind Yan Yu ran into the ill-intentioned Bai Yan’er. Yan Yu saw her as a younger sister, only wanting to care for and look after her, but never expected to be taken advantage of and kissed forcefully.
However, with her sense of responsibility as an elder sister, how could she refuse her younger sister and make her sad? In that case, even if she felt embarrassed, Yan Yu would certainly never speak out, silently enduring Bai Yan’er’s bullying. Even including the kiss just now.
“Right, that must be it…”
At this thought, a strong sense of duty welled up in Dai Feng’s heart. She couldn’t keep hiding and cowering. Since she had confirmed that she had feelings for Yan Yu, she had to take the initiative to get close to her.
A girl as gentle and naive as that—if she wasn’t careful, she’d be bullied by someone like Su Qinghan or Bai Yan’er. Dai Feng absolutely couldn’t allow that to happen.
With that in mind, Dai Feng felt there was no need to keep following today. What she needed was a long-term plan.
Pretending to audit classes at the School of Art or trying to run into Yan Yu by various coincidences wouldn’t work in the end. That would only make Yan Yu see her as a stranger.
What she had to do was change Yan Yu’s impression of her. That’s right, a friend—at least start as a friend, get closer little by little, and then become close sisters. Since she hadn’t managed to talk today, she’d come another day. Yan Yu was bound to be alone at some point.
So Dai Feng paid the bill, adjusted the brim of her cap with one hand, stood up, turned, and walked out. But before leaving, she cast a final glance out of the corner of her eye at where Yan Yu and Bai Yan’er were sitting.
‘Yan Yu, just you wait,’ she thought to herself. ‘I won’t let them bully you forever. If you feel embarrassed, all you have to do is choose to come to me, and it’ll be fine.’
On Bai Yan’er’s side, seeing Dai Feng stand up and leave, she couldn’t help but feel a small joy in her heart, thinking that the stimulation she had just given had worked. Dai Feng’s voluntary departure removed a bit of a hidden threat. Now no one was staring at her sister.
Bai Yan’er felt relieved, thinking that as long as a love rival saw her claim sovereignty like this, they would crumble without resistance. She slowly finished the lemon tart in front of her. The sour-sweet taste matched her current joyful mood.
After finishing the dessert and chatting a few more trivial things about school gossip and the art exhibition, Yan Yu glanced at the time on her phone and felt it was about time to head back.
“It’s getting late,” she said, putting down her teacup, looking at Bai Yan’er. “I should go back. Xiao Zhen is probably almost home by now.”
The moment she finished speaking, the sky outside the window suddenly darkened without warning. Then, a low roll of thunder rumbled across the horizon, as if exploding right above the rooftop.
Before anyone could react, raindrops the size of beans came crashing down with a crackle. They started sparse but quickly turned into streaks, forming a dense and urgent curtain of rain, accompanied by a howling wind.
The cement pavement, which had been bleached white by the afternoon sun and radiating heat, was instantly soaked, its color deepening. In low-lying areas, puddles of varying sizes rapidly gathered, reflecting the gray sky and the figures of pedestrians hurrying for cover.
“Ah, how unlucky—it’s raining.” Bai Yan’er turned her head to look at the suddenly torrential rain outside, her brows slightly furrowed, but her tone didn’t sound too surprised, as if she had expected it.
“Should we wait here a little longer?” Yan Yu asked subconsciously.
With the rain coming down so hard, going out recklessly would definitely get them wet. She thought Bai Yan’er, who always tried every way to spend more time with her, would agree to this suggestion and might even be a little happy—another chance to be together.
But unexpectedly, Bai Yan’er shook her head.
“The weather forecast just pushed a notification saying this rain probably won’t stop anytime soon. It’ll get worse toward evening. We’d better leave now while it’s not at its heaviest. Otherwise, if the roads flood or we can’t get a taxi later, it’ll be more troublesome,” Bai Yan’er said.
“Mm, you’re right.” Yan Yu nodded, reaching for her small canvas bag to see if she had a folding umbrella inside.
But when she unzipped it and fumbled inside with her fingers, her movements froze.
Inside the bag were only her phone, keys, tissues, and lip balm. That lightweight folding umbrella was left behind on the shoe cabinet in her rented room. The weather had been so good when she left today that she completely forgot to bring it.
“Sister, what’s wrong?” Bai Yan’er keenly noticed Yan Yu’s brief embarrassment and hesitation.
“…Nothing,” Yan Yu pursed her lips awkwardly, confessing honestly. “I… I think I forgot to bring an umbrella.”
“It’s okay, I have one.” Bai Yan’er pulled out a pure black umbrella from her own delicate little chain bag.
So they paid the bill and stood up.
Bai Yan’er opened the black umbrella, holding the handle steadily with one hand. With the other, she naturally took hold of the push handle on Yan Yu’s wheelchair, adjusting the angle to ensure the umbrella covered Yan Yu as much as possible.
“Let’s go, sister.” She pushed Yan Yu out of the café.
The wind chime rang crisply behind them once more, then was swallowed by the noise of the rain.
The rain was indeed heavy, coming down in sheets. Raindrops strung together like threads, as if they would never stop. The dense raindrops pounded against the umbrella surface with a continuous thumping sound, making the ribs tremble slightly. There was already a fair amount of standing water on the road. When cars passed, they threw up tall splashes.
Bai Yan’er walked very carefully, trying to avoid the deeper puddles, pushing the wheelchair steadily across the crosswalk until they reached a relatively dry waiting area by the roadside.
“Thank you…” Yan Yu started to say, but the words caught in her throat. She suddenly remembered that she had said earlier, “Don’t be so formal between sisters,” so she swallowed them back.
But deep in her heart, a wave of warmth quietly welled up.