The midday sun climbed over the window frames. On the windowsill, fresh green succulents were adorned with crystal-clear water droplets, casting short shadows onto the desks. The text on the snow-white exam papers was so glaring under the light that it was difficult to see clearly.
The bell had just rung in the classroom, and the students rushing for lunch had vanished in an instant. A girl with a ponytail patted her seatmate on the shoulder and said, “Stop grinding so hard, Qianxin. Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I’m not hungry, I don’t have much of an appetite. You guys go ahead,” Yun Qianxin glanced at her and shook her head.
“Alright then, I’m off.”
“Mhm.”
As the girl left, Yun Qianxin turned her gaze out the window. The sky was a clear, wash-out blue. The brilliant light shone upon the fair skin exposed beneath her blue-and-white short-sleeved school uniform, making it look almost transparent.
In this sweltering weather, a sense of stifling irritability lingered that she couldn’t vent. She leaned against the desk, stretching out a hand to block the beams of the fierce sun, softly murmuring the boy’s name.
Xiao Yu… Xiao Yu…
“Guess who?”
Suddenly, she felt her eyes being covered. These hands were delicate and clean, and the child’s voice from behind was young and tender—like a refreshing cool breeze in the height of summer. It was a voice she knew all too well.
“Xiao Yu?” Yun Qianxin turned around to look at the little boy standing there, not even as tall as her while she was seated. That cute little face was delicate and handsome, smiling at her foolishly.
“Why did you come here? Where’s your father?”
“Dad went to work. School is closed today, so I wanted to come see Sister Yun.” Joyful laughter danced in Gu Yu’s eyes; his expression couldn’t have been easier to read.
“How did you get in? Didn’t the security guard stop you?”
“I just followed behind an auntie I didn’t know.” Gu Yu placed the plastic bag in his hand onto the desk. Inside was a cheap, transparent plastic lunch box filled to the brim with egg-fried rice. “Has Sister Yun eaten yet? I bought this with the pocket money I saved up for a long time. Hurry, try some.”
Looking at that box of rice stained dark by soy sauce, Yun Qianxin felt as though sweet nectar was being poured into her heart. She ruffled the boy’s hair, her voice tender and doting. “Then, thank you. What about you, Xiao Yu… have you eaten?”
“Ye… Yes. Sister Yun, hurry and eat. After you’re done, take me out to play.”
Gu Yu’s answer was a bit hesitant as he urged her on, wanting her to finish quickly. However, his stomach betrayed him with a sudden growl.
“So, why did Xiao Yu tell a lie? Bad children get their bottoms smacked, you know.”
“I… because…” The boy lowered his head, his face flushing red as he stammered, seemingly too embarrassed to speak. “I forgot to ask for two spoons. I was afraid that if Sister knew, she wouldn’t eat.”
Yun Qianxin fumbled around in the plastic bag and indeed found only one small spoon. At that moment, her heart seemed to stop for a beat before it began to throb frantically.
“Then let’s eat together. Would Xiao Yu mind sharing with Sister?”
“No, of course not.”
The boy looked up, the flush on his face not yet faded. Even as an ignorant young boy, he had some inkling of the “distinction between genders.” He watched blankly as Yun Qianxin scooped up a spoonful of rice and brought it to his lips.
His understanding of worldly beauty was shallow, yet he could still see that the girl was beautiful—like a flawless piece of art that made one want to stare directly at it, unable to look away.
Spoonful after spoonful of rice was fed into his mouth as she took care of his every need. Yun Qianxin occasionally took a bite herself, chewing very slowly. She didn’t seem to mind the indirect contact between their mouths at all; her face was full of smiles as if she were deeply enjoying the moment.
Once the rice was finished, Yun Qianxin took out her own water bottle, opened the cap, and pressed it into the boy’s hands. He drank from it dazed, feeling that the cold water carried a hint of sweetness.
“Xiao Yu, you should head home now. Sister’s teacher is very scary; if you get caught, he’ll smack your palms.”
She wished for more time alone with the boy, but she had to be mindful of the situation. The lunch break was almost over, and she didn’t want him to fall into the sight of more people. She didn’t want him surrounded by classmates asking questions or teasing him in front of her.
Her desire for exclusive possession could not tolerate even a single flaw. This was her boy; not a single bit of him could be shared.
“But I want to play with Sister Yun. Please play with me.”
The boy took her hand, his youthful voice full of coquettish pleading. He was usually very well-behaved and didn’t want much, never asking his father for anything. Only in front of Yun Qianxin would he be a bit bold, opening his heart and expressing his needs without reservation.
Trust, affection, reliance—the love he lacked from the mother he had never met could be felt in abundance from this older sister who was not related by blood. This was something he had craved for a long time.
Yun Qianxin’s care for him bordered on obsession; she doted on him to the bone, rarely lectured him, and was never angry with him. It was precisely because of this that he would cast aside the “good boy” persona meant to please elders and no longer suppress his playful nature.
“Alright, alright. Sister will go find the teacher to ask for leave first. Xiao Yu, be a good boy and wait for me here.”
“Okay, I’ll definitely be good.”
Yun Qianxin lifted Gu Yu onto her seat and went to the head teacher’s office. The title of “top student” brought many conveniences; she easily obtained a leave permit. When she returned, several female classmates were already in the classroom, peppering the boy with questions.
Within her gentle willow-leaf eyes, a bone-chilling frost instantly condensed, flashing with a cold light that kept people at a distance of a thousand miles. Yun Qianxin walked over calmly, and as expected, the girls began to tease her.
“Qianxin, is this your brother? He’s so cute.” “Is he your biological brother? He doesn’t have the same last name.” “You never mentioned him before. His face is so soft, how old is he this year?” …
She leaned down and lightly stroked the boy’s black hair, her eyes “licking” across his submissive and fragile features. Her lips parted slightly as she spoke in a gentle, melodic voice: “He isn’t my brother. He’s my boyfriend, and he likes me very much. I’m not feeling well and just took leave, so we’re going now.”
Ignoring their startled gazes, she led the boy away. Once outside the school, he timidly asked about what she had just said, his face blushing a deep red as he stammered, “Yun… Sister Yun, what… what does ‘boyfriend’ mean?”
“It means the person most important to Sister. It’s the person who will be with Sister forever. Does Xiao Yu like Sister? Do you want to be Sister’s boyfriend and marry me later?”
“Mhm… I like Sister Yun. I want to be with Sister Yun forever.”
“Sister feels the same. I like Xiao Yu the most.”
Yun Qianxin knelt down in front of him, her eyes filled with this young male whom she had adored since the first stirrings of her heart. She cupped his tender, innocent face and pressed a kiss onto his lips.
What happened after that, she didn’t remember clearly; it seemed she spent the afternoon playing in the streets with the boy.
That was her first kiss, and Gu Yu’s too. It was so sweet that the memory remained fresh even now. Perhaps it was that kiss that acted like an imprint, allowing her bone-deep, sincere love to truly find its home.
Or perhaps it had been settled even before then. Once she decided on something, she would never let go.
Now, regret entangled her like a madness. Yun Qianxin had originally only intended to see that man one last time for the sake of their blood connection; she had no interest in the inheritance that was so large almost no one could ignore it. Yet that will, through a sudden moment of conscience, had drawn the greed of those with ulterior motives, who found every reason to keep her away.
How wonderful it would have been if she had never left. The bond between them would have been unbreakable, the strongest and most sincere emotion in the world that no one could change.
It wouldn’t be like this—becoming her one-sided wish. Those other girls wouldn’t have had the chance to step in and grandiosely carve their names onto what belonged to her.
She stood by the window in a daze, the iron chain in her hand cold and heavy. Moonlight illuminated the boy’s sleeping face. His sleep-talking had stopped, but that other name refused to leave Yun Qianxin’s mind, appearing like a mockery of her failure.
Her patience was nearing its limit; she could no longer endure the presence of another person in the boy’s mind. Even if he wasn’t hers, she would take him by force. She would teach him to be obedient, so that his eyes only held her.
The chain began to coil around Gu Yu’s body, slowly binding him. She was afraid of him waking up, afraid that this last peaceful night would be ruined.
“Sister Qianxin… thank you…”
The sudden murmur in his sleep made time seem to freeze. He was still sleeping so obediently. Yun Qianxin’s movements halted. Coming back to her senses, she slowly withdrew the chain.
Forget it. There is still a chance. Those people are merely passing travelers after all. Ignorant youthful romance will eventually lose to reality. Only she can stay by the boy’s side forever, rebuilding a relationship that permeates the soul.
Since she missed his growing up, she would accompany his future.