1. First Encounter
At the age of fourteen, on an ordinary day.
Yan Chi was brought to her cousin Song Lian’s house, a villa that was about to be sold, to help with the real estate agent while Song Lian was away on a business trip.
In the noisy and hot afternoon, she sat by the window reading a book, with the sounds of children playing outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Yan Chi, whose health was not the best, always preferred quiet. When she used to live with her family at the Yan family home, it was like living in seclusion in the mountains.
The house was antique and serene, perfect for self-cultivation, but the only downside was her grandmother’s constant nagging, saying that a good girl like her was becoming more and more gloomy under their care.
She was far more mature than her peers, and beneath her polite and reserved demeanor lay endless indifference.
“What are you guys planning to do?!”
A childish voice reached Yan Chi’s ears, like a stone thrown into a still pond, causing ripples in her heart.
Without thinking, she looked up, and her gaze, which had no warmth, suddenly froze on a small figure in the flower bushes.
It was a little girl, probably around six or seven years old.
At the moment, Yan Chi could only see her back, wearing a pink princess dress with two little puffs tied on top of her round head.
In the flower bushes, she looked like a pink ball of fluff.
A group of children her age stood opposite her, all with unpleasant expressions.
The little pink ball seemed to be the lonely one, excluded from the group.
The little pink ball was smaller than her peers, tiny and small, but despite the number of children around her, she didn’t seem to be intimidated.
From Yan Chi’s perspective, she could just see the little clenched pink fists.
Focused on the little pink ball, Yan Chi didn’t notice until the children scattered that the person at the center of the group was her half-brother, the illegitimate son of her father.
Now she understood why those children had appeared in front of her window. It wasn’t the first time this family of three had come to disturb her.
Seeing that she had been protecting her “fairy sister,” the little pink ball finally sighed in relief, contentedly turning around—only to accidentally lock eyes with Yan Chi.
When the little girl stared blankly at her, Yan Chi quietly gazed back.
The child’s cheeks were soft and creamy white, and the pink dress only made her look even more like a soft, chewy strawberry daifuku.
She was small, but her features were more defined than most children her age.
Especially those round eyes, they sparkled as if they secretly contained a galaxy of stars.
Yan Chi had never seen her before, but from the moment she laid eyes on the little one, she couldn’t take her gaze away.
At first, the little pink ball was caught off guard by the stare, but the gentle look from the older sister in front of her slowly eased her panic.
Relaxing, it seemed like the little girl had something to say, but she was shy, her emotions showing through her expectant and eager eyes.
Yan Chi also vaguely looked forward to it, standing by the window, waiting for the little girl to speak.
She even let out a faint, heartfelt smile, something rare, a smile that had long been absent from her face.
However, she didn’t expect that this smile would cause the little pink ball to suddenly change her expression, visibly flustered.
The little girl lowered her head, looking around left and right, and when she finally found something, her face turned bright red.
Following her gaze, Yan Chi noticed that there were some dirt and grass stains on the hem of her pink dress.
Before Yan Chi could react, she saw the little pink ball biting her lip, her face filled with embarrassment, trying to force a smile at Yan Chi.
Then, she directly covered the stain with her hand and, without saying goodbye, hurriedly ran out, like a frightened little deer, leaving Yan Chi’s garden behind.
Yan Chi’s eyes remained fixed on the little pink figure’s retreating back.
Despite having never met this person before, why did it feel so empty as she left?
It felt as if she was about to lose something very important.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
From a distance, Yan Chi saw the little pink ball running too fast, tripping over something, and falling flat on the ground with a loud thud.
It looked like a hard fall, and she didn’t get up for a while.
The moment Yan Chi saw her fall, her heart tightened, her mind filled with worry—did she hurt herself?
There was no time to think; her first instinct was to rush outside.
The little girl, Qingtong, had tripped over a small stone and fell onto the hard concrete floor.
Her knee scraped against the rough surface, drawing a few beads of blood, and it hurt so much she couldn’t stand up.
So when Yan Chi hurried over, she saw the poor little one, tears in her eyes, sobbing weakly, still trying to get up.
Yan Chi reached out her cool palm to pull the child up.
Having been lonely and withdrawn since childhood, Yan Chi rarely had physical contact with others.
When she touched the little pink ball’s hand, the warmth from the child’s small hand felt like the heat of a small sun, making her hand feel as if it had been burned.
The little hand was so small it seemed as if it could be held completely within her palm.
Yan Chi was startled by the unfamiliar thought of wanting to be close to someone.
After pulling the little girl up, Yan Chi immediately let go of her soft little hand as soon as the girl stood.
Though her hand had been released, the strange warmth didn’t fade away so quickly.
She found herself a little dazed—was everyone’s palm this warm?
“Th…thank you…wuu…big sister, wuu…”
Despite sobbing uncontrollably, the little girl still remembered to thank her.
Little Qingtong was in so much pain that she couldn’t care less about the embarrassment of having lost face in front of her “fairy sister.” She cried uncontrollably, her sobs filling the air.
She was crying so heartbreakingly, tears rolling down her cheeks like beads off a broken string.
Her eyes and nose were swollen, red and puffy, making her look like a little rabbit.
Her hair had come undone, and her pink dress was torn, leaving her looking disheveled from the fall.
But beneath her doll-like features, it was far from the mess that Qingtong had imagined.
Instead, she looked even more like a pitiful little one who was hard to ignore.
Yan Chi wasn’t very good at comforting children.
She just pursed her lips, bent down, and carefully examined the injury on Qingtong’s knee. She found that it was worse than she had initially thought.
Children’s skin is naturally tender and easily injured, and this little pink ball was especially delicate. The wound was so severe that even just looking at it was unsettling.
No wonder she was crying so loudly. It must have hurt a lot.
After a quick examination, and finding that the family villa was empty, Yan Chi decided to take the little girl to her cousin’s house.
With every step Qingtong took, her knee trembled, and she could hardly walk, yet she still tried to push forward.
After finally calming her crying, a few more teardrops fell from the corner of her eyes.
In the end, Yan Chi crouched down and let the little girl climb onto her back.
Qingtong held onto Yan Chi’s neck like she was searching for safety, her small hands gripping tightly.
Once her tears subsided, she didn’t forget her small wish to be friends with her “fairy sister.”
“My name is Gu Qingtong, you can call me Tongtong,” she said in a soft, nasal voice, almost timid and shy, right into Yan Chi’s ear.
When Yan Chi heard the name “Tongtong,” her heart skipped a beat.
It felt like a key had unlocked something inside her, revealing a long-forgotten wish:
“Tongtong, this time, you must grow up happily and joyfully.”
Little Qingtong was in so much pain that she couldn’t care less about the embarrassment of having lost face in front of her “fairy sister.” She cried uncontrollably, her sobs filling the air.
She was crying so heartbreakingly, tears rolling down her cheeks like beads off a broken string.
Her eyes and nose were swollen, red and puffy, making her look like a little rabbit.
Her hair had come undone, and her pink dress was torn, leaving her looking disheveled from the fall.
But beneath her doll-like features, it was far from the mess that Qingtong had imagined.
Instead, she looked even more like a pitiful little one who was hard to ignore.
Yan Chi wasn’t very good at comforting children.
She just pursed her lips, bent down, and carefully examined the injury on Qingtong’s knee. She found that it was worse than she had initially thought.
Children’s skin is naturally tender and easily injured, and this little pink ball was especially delicate. The wound was so severe that even just looking at it was unsettling.
No wonder she was crying so loudly. It must have hurt a lot.
After a quick examination, and finding that the family villa was empty, Yan Chi decided to take the little girl to her cousin’s house.
With every step Qingtong took, her knee trembled, and she could hardly walk, yet she still tried to push forward.
After finally calming her crying, a few more teardrops fell from the corner of her eyes.
In the end, Yan Chi crouched down and let the little girl climb onto her back.
Qingtong held onto Yan Chi’s neck like she was searching for safety, her small hands gripping tightly.
Once her tears subsided, she didn’t forget her small wish to be friends with her “fairy sister.”
“My name is Gu Qingtong, you can call me Tongtong,” she said in a soft, nasal voice, almost timid and shy, right into Yan Chi’s ear.
When Yan Chi heard the name “Tongtong,” her heart skipped a beat.
It felt like a key had unlocked something inside her, revealing a long-forgotten wish:
“Tongtong, this time, you must grow up happily and joyfully.”
❖❖❖❖❖
2. Older Neighbor Sister
The Song family’s villa wasn’t sold, but it welcomed a new resident.
This was because Yan Chi moved into the house, becoming Gu Qingtong’s true neighbor. After the injury incident, Gu Qingtong, who had always been distant, became Yan Chi’s little follower under the pretext of “wanting to repay Sister.” This also led to the once-estranged Yan and Gu families becoming unexpectedly familiar with each other.
When Yan Chi proposed moving to live next to Gu Qingtong, both families were quite supportive. The Yan family’s elderly couple had long hoped that Yan Chi could find some friends. Even if it was a little sister much younger than her, having someone like Gu Qingtong around would be a good thing to keep Yan Chi from becoming too gloomy and reclusive.
As for Old Master Gu, he was especially disappointed with Gu Qingtong. However, his attempts to correct her had been ineffective, and all he managed to do was make his granddaughter avoid him like the plague. Nothing had changed. When he heard that his granddaughter had recently become very attached to Yan Chi, the calm and composed younger member of the Yan family, he decided to try his luck. He didn’t expect Gu Qingtong to become successful like Yan Chi, but he hoped that her character could learn something from her—something less careless, less impulsive, and something that wouldn’t drive others crazy.
Besides Gu Qingtong, the Gu couple was probably the happiest about Yan Chi moving in next door. They had never been reliable parents, but had been more restrained in the past. Since the birth of their youngest daughter, Gu Siyuan, they had become completely overwhelmed and could barely manage. Now, with Yan Chi nearby, they could finally relax. After all, Yan Chi was much better at taking care of Gu Qingtong than they were. By entrusting their eldest daughter to Yan Chi, they now had more freedom to do their own things.
However, Yan Chi wasn’t always at home. Most of the time, she was on set filming. Even while filming, she never neglected her academic lessons from the tutor. She was incredibly busy.
So, nearly every month, Gu Qingtong would eagerly wait for her “Big Sister Yan” to come home. After school, when she was dropped off by the driver, little Qingtong had already been holding back all day at school.
In fact, ever since she received the call from her sister last night saying she would be coming back today, Gu Qingtong had been so excited she couldn’t sleep all night.
She carried her little backpack, which was stuffed with all sorts of strange and curious little things she had collected throughout the month to show Yan Chi.
As soon as the door opened, Gu Qingtong dashed straight into Yan Chi’s arms, giving her a big bear hug and refusing to let go. She lazily dragged out her words in a spoiled tone:
“Waaa, Tongtong really missed you, Sister~”
Yan Chi allowed her to hold her, rubbing Gu Qingtong’s head as she teased, “It’s been a month since we last saw each other. Has our Tongtong secretly grown taller again? I remember the last time, when I hugged you, you didn’t reach here yet.”
Maybe it was due to her picky eating habits, but Gu Qingtong was always shorter than her peers, so Yan Chi always paid extra attention to her growth.
With Yan Chi’s daily reminders to drink milk before bed, her efforts finally showed some results.
“Tongtong has been so amazing! Does Sister need to reward her?”
Gu Qingtong smiled up at Yan Chi in her arms, her eyes reflecting only Yan Chi’s figure: “When can I go with Sister to film a movie? That way, Sister can see me every day.”
Yan Chi couldn’t help but pinch her little nose: “Don’t think I don’t know, Tongtong, you didn’t want to go to school again this morning because you couldn’t wake up, right? You even used me as an excuse. Didn’t I already tell you? If you get 90 on both your midterms, not only will I take you with me during summer vacation, but you can also act in the movie.”
“Then… I guess Tongtong won’t have a chance after all.”
She immediately deflated, her disappointment written all over her face.
Just one look, and Yan Chi could tell that Gu Qingtong was discouraged by her midterm scores. After all, when she called to share her grades that day, the little one had been both embarrassed and sad, even crying uncontrollably.
Since childhood, Gu Qingtong had been ridiculed by her classmates for being slow. Although the teachers didn’t say it outright, they had pretty much decided that she was the type who couldn’t be taught, so they left her to her own devices.
Her parents, the Gu couple, had similar academic records when they were young and didn’t study either. Apart from distracting their daughter with toys and cartoons, they offered no help.
It wasn’t until Yan Chi came along that someone took the time to patiently explain lessons and homework to her.
Gu Qingtong had a naturally poor memory, but she could remember every word that Yan Chi said to her.
Using this method, she finally regained some confidence, but after the midterm exam, it was all shattered back to square one.
“Then, in order for Tongtong to spend the summer vacation with Sister, let’s start with tutoring your homework today.”
Gu Qingtong immediately broke free from Yan Chi’s embrace and, feeling wronged, hugged her little backpack tightly.
“But I prepared so many things to show Sister, and I also made new friends at school!”
“How about this? You complete one task, and then show Sister one thing, okay?”
Saying that, Yan Chi took Gu Qingtong’s backpack. It was surprisingly heavy; she must have packed everything she liked, eager to show it to her. Yan Chi wondered how such small shoulders could carry so many things.
In front of Yan Chi, Gu Qingtong was like a good little baby. After being persuaded, she nodded eagerly, like a little chick pecking at grains.
She took off her small shoes and slipped her feet into the fluffy little bunny slippers Yan Chi had at her house.
Patiently, they finished reviewing the phonics together. Once done, Gu Qingtong proudly pulled out a painting she had done with oil pastels and puffed out her chest, saying:
“This is my painting, Sister! The art teacher chose it as the best in the whole class. It almost got put on the honor wall for everyone in the school to see!”
Yan Chi’s eyes fell on the painting. What seemed to be random splashes of color actually looked quite coordinated, and the young girl in the painting bore a resemblance to Yan Chi.
Having spent so much time with Gu Qingtong, Yan Chi had noticed the child’s strong talent in color perception and lighting. She had done exceptionally well in every art class and school open day photography activity.
“Our Tongtong is so amazing, so is it because Tongtong didn’t want to put it up for display?” Yan Chi guessed what Gu Qingtong was thinking.
“Because this is a gift for Sister, that’s why I didn’t want so many people to see it.”
Gu Qingtong didn’t care about anyone else; she had drawn it just for Yan Chi.
“Another one for me? Didn’t you just give me a drawing last time?”
Upon hearing this question, Gu Qingtong shook her head like a rattle drum.
“That was with watercolor pens; this is with oil pastels, it’s different! And I’m going to draw many more pictures and take lots of photos, all about Sister Yan!”
Yan Chi finally couldn’t hold back and let out a soft laugh. “Okay, so Sister will be the exclusive model for little artist Tongtong.”
They didn’t discuss any more homework problems, as it was time for dinner.
When Yan Chi moved in, she brought along a housekeeper from the Yan family who was familiar with the household, and naturally, her cooking skills were impeccable. However…in the three dishes and one soup, there was one dish with greens and another with carrots—both were Gu Qingtong’s nightmare.
She was an extremely picky eater and had very few things she could eat. These two were not impossible to swallow, but like all children, she disliked them and would avoid them if possible. If she were at home, she definitely wouldn’t eat a single bite, but now she was in front of Sister Yan.
Gu Shuyu often said, “Children who don’t eat greens and carrots aren’t good kids.” To keep up the appearance of being a good child, Gu Qingtong could only take small bites.
Later, she just chewed a few times and swallowed quickly to avoid tasting the food. But unexpectedly, the result was that the greens got stuck in her throat, making it hard to swallow.
Gu Qingtong felt uncomfortable, her eyes immediately reddened, and tears welled up. She drank several large sips of water before managing to relieve the discomfort.
But her dislike for greens and carrots as a “good child” was now exposed.
“Why force yourself to eat something you don’t like?” Yan Chi asked as she gently patted Gu Qingtong’s back to help her breathe.
“Dad says that only children who eat greens and carrots are good kids…At least in Sister’s eyes, I want to be a good child, but…I still didn’t do it.”
Gu Qingtong felt wronged, her eyes red and downcast.
“Your dad is wrong. Only rabbits eat greens and carrots. We’re not little rabbits, and it’s completely normal if you don’t like them.”
As she spoke, Yan Chi picked up some shrimp and fed it to Gu Qingtong.
“Sister knows, you’re the best kid. But more than wanting you to be a good child, I want you to always be happy and free.”
Young Gu Qingtong didn’t understand the meaning of these words, but she stood there, staring at Yan Chi in a daze. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.
She asked innocently, “Then… how can I become that kind of Tongtong?”
“Isn’t Tongtong already like that now?”
Isn’t she a little silly…Yan Chi’s eyelashes lowered, hiding the emotions she could no longer suppress. No matter where that wish had come from, in her time with Tongtong, it had already become her own.
Gu Qingtong had her own room at Yan Chi’s house, right next to Yan Chi’s.
But in the middle of the night, a sudden thunderstorm started, with thunder booming and lightning streaking across the sky. Yan Chi, still worried about Gu Qingtong, got up to check on her. As soon as she opened the door, she found a small figure hugging a pillow.
“Is Tongtong afraid of thunder? If you are, come sleep with sister,” Yan Chi asked softly, her heart tightening with concern.
Gu Qingtong had initially shaken her head but immediately changed her mind upon hearing the second half of the sentence, nodding eagerly. She wasn’t afraid of thunder; on the contrary, it was her mother who was scared of it. Whenever there was thunder, and when Gu Shuyu wasn’t home, the grown woman would still be frightened enough to crawl into Gu Qingtong’s bed.
Gu Qingtong, concerned about Yan Chi getting up, tossed and turned for a while before finally grabbing her small pillow and walking to Yan Chi’s door. She hesitated, wondering whether she should knock, but ended up bumping into Yan Chi instead.
The reason she nodded was that Gu Qingtong had long wanted to sleep with Yan Chi.
Yan Chi helped Gu Qingtong bring her blanket over and spread it beside her. Though they weren’t sharing the same blanket, Gu Qingtong was content, happily crawling into the bed on her own. There was no trace of fear of the thunder or lightning in her actions.
But neither of them expected that Gu Qingtong, who had almost never kicked off her blanket when sleeping alone, would, in her deep sleep, not only kick the blanket off but also burrow herself into Yan Chi’s bed and arms.
Yan Chi, waking up, thought that Gu Qingtong, startled by the thunder, was seeking comfort in her sleep. She eventually gave in and let her stay close.
When Gu Qingtong woke up in the morning, finding herself in Yan Chi’s arms, she was utterly confused. After thinking for a while, she concluded that perhaps Yan Chi was also afraid of thunder. Since she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, she must have been scared of the thunder in her sleep, just like her mother.
It seemed that Tongtong could also be the one to protect her sister!
Soon, the weekend passed, and Gu Qingtong was back to her usual struggle of waking up early and going to school. She counted the days on her fingers, eagerly anticipating the next time Yan Chi would come back.
3. Words of encouragement
After the final exams, the long-awaited summer vacation arrived as expected.
No one had anticipated that the girl who was constantly called “dumb,” Gu Qingtong, would actually score over 90 in both subjects. The kids who had previously teased her were all ready to mock her once the results came out. But when they saw these grades, they were left speechless.
Only Gu Qingtong knew that all of this was thanks to her sister.
Yan Chi kept her promise and picked Gu Qingtong up on the third day of summer vacation to bring her to the set. She said it was for Gu Qingtong to play a role, but in reality, it was just a very easy part for a little girl. It was more about letting Gu Qingtong have a bit of fun and experience.
However, Gu Qingtong enjoyed sitting on a small stool, quietly watching Yan Chi act. She could sit for hours, never getting bored. She even insisted on following Yan Chi out to the night shoots, even though she was so tired that her chin kept dropping as she fought to stay awake, but she wouldn’t leave.
Yan Chi’s affection for this little tail was evident to everyone. Whenever she wasn’t acting, she was sure to be near Gu Qingtong.
Gu Qingtong, enjoying herself on the set, didn’t know what was happening outside. Yan Chi’s first movie premiered that summer and quickly became a sensation nationwide. By the time she left the set, Gu Qingtong was the last one to know about it.
Her sister’s face began appearing on TV frequently—movies, interviews, events, everything. The most noticeable change was that Yan Chi was so busy that she came home less and less. Gu Qingtong saw more of her sister on the screen than in real life.
One day, Gu Qingtong suddenly realized that her sister didn’t seem to be just her own fairy sister anymore. Everyone had discovered her treasure. She knew that she was being greedy, so she didn’t show any sadness, but quietly kept it in her heart.
But even Gu Qingtong herself didn’t expect that she would get into a fight with a classmate over this as soon as school started, and even be called in for a parent-teacher meeting. And the other party was none other than Yan Song.
On the first day of school, Yan Song loudly proclaimed in class that Yan Chi was his sister, inventing a bunch of lies about how kind she was to him. He even wrote a lot of notes with Yan Chi’s name on them, tricking everyone into believing that they were her signatures.
Kids who had never played with Yan Song before suddenly started making friends with him in order to get a signature, buying him snacks and toys to win his favor.
When Gu Qingtong found out, she was furious. Not only because of his deceptive behavior, but also because she had once witnessed Yan Song almost hurt Yan Chi, and yet he still dared to take advantage of her sister.
So, Gu Qingtong publicly exposed the fact that the signatures were fake. She finally spoke the words that had been buried in her heart for so long: “Yan Chi is my sister, and she is only my sister!”
No one believed her, because both Yan Chi and Yan Song shared the same surname, and it just looked like Gu Qingtong was making things up. Everyone also knew that Gu Qingtong and Yan Song had fought in the past, and they all sided with Yan Song for the sake of the supposed signature.
In the end, the matter reached the teacher, and both of them were called in with their parents.
For the first time, Gu Qingtong didn’t tell Yan Chi about the situation and instead had her mother, Gu Shuyu, come to meet with the teacher. Since both of them claimed that Yan Chi was their sister, the kids all crowded by the office door to watch, eager to find out who had brought Yan Chi to school. They were, of course, disappointed.
That afternoon, during class meeting time, the entire school watched the program where Yan Chi appeared as a youth representative.
It wasn’t until everyone saw the show that they realized that Yan Chi had been invited to the program. While the rest of the school was watching the program, Gu Qingtong and Yan Song were being scolded by the homeroom teacher for most of the class, before being let go.
As soon as they stepped into the classroom, the familiar voice from the program filled the air, making Gu Qingtong freeze in place. She stared at the screen, her head tilted up in a daze.
“Finally, may I ask if you have any words of encouragement or wishes for the new semester, Student Yan?”
Yan Chi, dressed in a student uniform, paused for a moment before speaking:
“I’ve already shared many blessings and well wishes with the students just now. So here, I have a small personal request. I’d like to speak to one little girl, because today is also her first day of school.”
The host, curious, asked: “Little girl? Is she your sister?”
Yan Chi’s lips curved into a faint smile:
“Rather than calling her my sister, it’s better to call her Tongtong. This name holds special significance for me.”
“Tongtong…is it Gu Qingtong?”
“Yan Chi is really her sister?!”
❖❖❖❖❖
Gu Qingtong could no longer hear the surrounding gasps of surprise. Her eyes were fixed firmly on Yan Chi on the screen.
“Tongtong’s efforts have always been seen by this sister. You’ve been growing up well all along. Your grades and what others say have never been a measure of who you are. You are unique in this world, you are your own Tongtong. So, don’t be afraid, take each step towards what your heart desires, and your sister will always be behind you.”
On the screen, Yan Chi’s gaze seemed to transcend time and space, almost overlapping with the image from many years ago on the Ferris wheel. But this time, her eyes landed solely on Gu Qingtong.
And this time, she got a response: “….Mm-hmm! Tongtong will definitely do it!”
（The End）
Poxa acabou 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Enfim muito obrigada pela obra🙂↕️,falou,valeu e Tchau 👋😄