Gu Qingtong waited nervously at the arrival gate, tiptoeing to peer over the crowd spilling out. Her fingers twisted together anxiously.
When had the proud Miss Gu ever looked so uneasy and fidgety?
The only people who could evoke such rare pangs of guilt in the little drama queen were a select few.
Suddenly, her tangled fingers were gently enclosed in another pair of hands. She looked up and met Yan Chi’s light-colored eyes, brimming with countless soft reassurances.
“It’s alright,” Yan Chi said gently. “If your sister sent you her flight details, it’s because she wanted Tongtong to pick her up.”
Though both wore masks, Yan Chi’s smile radiated visibly through her gaze.
“She’s all bark and no bite. Just act sweet and coax her a bit when she gets here.”
While Yan Chi’s words were comforting, Qingtong didn’t catch the subtle glint that flickered in her wife’s eyes as she finished speaking.
Just then, Qingtong’s attention froze on a figure pushing a suitcase out from the crowd.
The young woman who appeared couldn’t have been more than twenty years old.
She wore a simple outfit: a loose hoodie and casual shorts. Below the hem of her shorts stretched two long, straight legs, exuding an effortless sense of freshness.
Gu Siyuan lifted her head, looking in their direction. Strands of hair previously covering her face slid aside, revealing features bearing a striking resemblance to Qingtong’s.
Particularly those almond-shaped eyes—slightly upturned at the corners—as if carved from the same mold.
But their temperaments were completely different. If Qingtong was all bright and coquettish radiance, then Siyuan’s delicate features were devoid of any hint of such vibrance, instead carrying a lazy, understated charisma.
Her impassive face made her already strikingly well-defined features seem almost frozen.
What should have been expressive peach-blossom eyes were lowered, gazing without focus at anything in particular, while her lips were habitually pressed into a straight line.
Those unfamiliar with Gu Siyuan’s personality and habits were often dissuaded by her perpetually aloof demeanor, unchanged for years.
To describe her as a stoic, three-no[mfn]refers to someone with “no emotions, no expressions, no words,” a common trope used for cool and detached characters[/mfn] girl couldn’t be more fitting.
Gu Siyuan lifted her gaze briefly, her sharp eyes sweeping past Gu Qingtong to Yan Chi, before finally settling on her older sister’s hands, which were clasped tightly in Yan Chi’s.
She stared for only a moment before quickly looking away, as though refusing to acknowledge the sight. Out of sight, out of mind—it was clear she was still sulking.
“Gu Siyuan!”
Gu Qingtong instinctively wanted to rush forward to greet her warmly, but then she realized her hand was still held by Yan Chi.
After a moment of thought, she decided that keeping Yan Chi by her side might bolster her courage. If Siyuan got too angry, she could always hide behind Yan Chi. She hurriedly tugged Yan Chi along as she moved forward.
But as they finally approached Gu Siyuan, she couldn’t stop herself from blurting out in surprise, “When did you get so tall?!”
When was the last time she’d seen Siyuan?
Yan Chi followed quietly, trailing just behind Qingtong as her gaze swept over Gu Siyuan, calmly observing her sister-in-law.
The two sisters were as different as night and day. From what Yan Chi could see, Siyuan must have spent a good deal of energy keeping this older sister in line.
Gu Siyuan rolled her eyes internally at her silly sister’s comment. She didn’t bother replying, instead pushing her luggage forward and walking straight ahead without a glance at Gu Qingtong.
“Big sister help you with the luggage! Don’t be mad anymore, okay?….”
Gu Qingtong could only trail behind, looking at her sister with a hopeful gaze.
This was the first time Yan Chi had heard Gu Qingtong call herself “big sister.” It was almost comically at odds with her usual demeanor, which constantly radiated a need for attention and care.
“You think you can manage it?” Siyuan finally spoke, her words clipped and sparse.
Qingtong was left hanging, her puppy-dog eyes now fully drooping. She turned pleadingly to Yan Chi, clearly hoping for rescue.
Yan Chi squeezed her hand gently in response—a subtle signal of reassurance that she’d step in.
Meanwhile, Siyuan, though keeping her face expressionless, caught the entire exchange out of the corner of her eye.
She knew all too well her sister’s tendency to seek safety and comfort when faced with challenges she couldn’t handle. But this time, it wasn’t Siyuan she instinctively sought, but the woman standing at her side.
That shift of dependence stirred an undeniable twinge of unease in Siyuan’s chest.
After all, Siyuan had spent years quietly shielding her sister from trouble.
With Gu Qingtong’s beauty and background, she’d been surrounded by admirers since she was young, though her clueless nature ensured she remained oblivious to their intentions. Worse still, Gu Qingtong often mistook their interest for hostility or malice.
Gu Siyuan had always been the one to silently block those unwanted attentions, standing guard over her sister without a word.
Over time, Gu Siyuan had come to believe one thing with absolute certainty: Gu Qingtong would never fall victim to a romantic scam.
She had even resigned herself to the thought of taking care of her silly older sister for a lifetime, which was why she had felt perfectly at ease leaving to study abroad.
Who could have expected that after just a year or two of being away, the carefully guarded “little cabbage” would be snatched up so easily?
And not just snatched—she had willingly jumped right into the other person’s bowl! How could that not make her furious?!
Finally, Yan Chi spoke, her voice flawlessly polite, leaving no room for criticism:
“Hello, I’m Yan Chi. If you need help, I can carry your luggage.”
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, both subtly probing the other with a hint of wariness that had nothing to do with courtesy.
“No need. Gu Siyuan.”
Though short, her reply was at least composed, meeting the minimum threshold of politeness. For now, they both maintained their civil façades.
But the conversation had died entirely after that.
With the stalemate dragging on, Gu Qingtong could only shamelessly throw herself into the fray.
She effortlessly slipped her hand out of Yan Chi’s and, in front of everyone, flung herself dramatically at Gu Siyuan, clutching onto the sleeve of her hoodie.
Then, as if on cue, she launched into a teary tirade reminiscent of her phone calls:
“Waaah, I didn’t mean to hide it from you! It’s all Gu Shuyu’s fault…”
It was classic Gu Qingtong—leaning into her aggrieved persona while subtly shifting blame elsewhere.
The style was undeniably inherited from Gu Shuyu, who had famously fled the scene faster than anyone else in times of trouble.
Both Yan Chi and Gu Siyuan found their gazes simultaneously fixed on Gu Qingtong’s arms, tightly wrapped around Gu Siyuan’s sleeve.
Yan Chi could still faintly feel the lingering warmth of Gu Qingtong’s hand. And now, watching her cling and sway as she pleaded in that oh-so-familiar way, it all clicked into place.
Clearly, this wasn’t just an act reserved for Yan Chi. It seemed she had been using this exact same method on her sister for years.
Yan Chi made a mental note—grasping her sleeve wouldn’t work next time.
If Gu Qingtong wanted to convince her in the future, she’d have to aim for something far more persuasive. Like a kiss, perhaps?
Unaware that her little habit had been so thoroughly exposed and recorded by Yan Chi, Gu Qingtong remained laser-focused on dealing with her sulking sister.
Gu Siyuan watched as the two finally let go of each other’s hands. Seeing her silent protest yield its first signs of success, her usually stoic face betrayed no hint of satisfaction.
Seizing the momentum, she pulled her arm out of Gu Qingtong’s grip without a shred of mercy.
“Gu Qingtong, since when have I ever fallen for your tricks?”
If she ever had, Gu Qingtong would have turned the whole world upside down long ago. Her ability to cry—be it real or fake—was absolutely seamless.
The Gu family, lacking any semblance of traditional hierarchy, called each other by their given names, a practice born of Gu Shuyu’s notorious disregard for propriety.
Even Gu Siyuan addressed her older sister by her full name, a quirk that had, more than once, led outsiders to mistakenly assume she was the older sibling.
In Gu Qingtong’s eyes, Gu Siyuan’s heart was as hard as stone. How else could anyone coldly say on a freezing winter morning, when she was clinging to her blanket:
“If we didn’t share a driver, I wouldn’t even care. I need to get to school and study vocabulary. Waste my time again, and I’ll just leave the driver with you.”
Recalling two straight weeks of fruitless, tearful phone calls to coax her sister, Gu Qingtong finally accepted that this tactic was hopeless.
Her fake sadness morphed into real frustration, her heart unsure of what Gu Siyuan actually wanted from her.
As her temper flared, she instinctively sought comfort. This time, she turned her thoughts to Yan Chi.
With her mix of grievance and neediness unabated, she spun around and wrapped her arms around Yan Chi’s waist without missing a beat.
Burying her head in Yan Chi’s embrace, she rubbed her face against her chest as though wiping away imaginary tears:
“Wuwu, big sister, huggg…”
Yan Chi, having long anticipated Gu Qingtong’s inability to withstand being ignored, wasn’t the least bit surprised by the sudden display of affection.
Instead, her response was as gentle and soothing as water:
“Our Tongtong is the best. Take your time, it’s okay.”
Her soft and supportive reaction sharply contrasted with Siyuan’s cool demeanor, providing the perfect reassurance to the defeated Gu Qingtong.
Watching her sister hit one wall after another with her, only to cling to Yan Chi moments later, Gu Siyuan couldn’t help but stare intently at the pair.
Did this dumb older sister seriously have no idea why she was mad?!
Her gaze locked on them like a laser, her tightly pressed lips pursing even more.
Finally, Gu Siyuan realized that staying angry any longer would only give Yan Chi more chances to soothe Gu Qingtong. Reluctantly, she relented, saying,
“Didn’t you say we’d have dinner together? Hurry up.”
Her tone was as stiff as her perpetually stoic expression.
When Gu Qingtong mentioned picking Gu Siyuan up from the airport, she had indeed suggested getting a meal together, though Gu Siyuan hadn’t given a clear response at the time.
Now, hearing those words, Gu Qingtong immediately recognized this as her sister’s begrudging signal of reconciliation.
Although she didn’t know why Gu Siyuan had suddenly changed her mind, she wasn’t about to miss such an opportunity.
Without hesitation, she stood upright, detaching herself from Yan Chi’s embrace and naturally letting go of her waist.
Yan Chi watched her little wife unceremoniously release her after making full use of her comfort. Her dark eyes deepened further.
Unaware of the silent exchange between the two, Gu Qingtong merely assumed their mutual coldness was normal—neither were particularly talkative, after all.
Thinking Gu Siyuan had genuinely forgiven her, she pushed her luck, taking the chance to cozy up and make her presence felt.
“I knew it! Yuanyuan couldn’t stay mad at me for long. I was wrong, okay? I’ll tell you everything about the past!”
“Don’t call me Yuanyuan.”
Gu Siyuan rejected the cheesy nickname but didn’t stop her from continuing.
Thus, the three of them began walking side by side toward the parking lot, with Gu Qingtong animatedly recounting the little moments from her life over the past year to Gu Siyuan.
Yan Chi listened in silence. Though she appeared to be sidelined, Gu Qingtong’s stories all revolved around her.
From sneaking photos of Yan Chi early on, to their arranged marriage, filming variety shows together, being publicly exposed, and working on sets—it was all about Yan Chi, without a single deviation.
As Gu Qingtong went on, she grew embarrassed, covering her cheeks with a laugh.
“Oh gosh, why do I keep mentioning her…”
She sneaked a glance at Yan Chi, only to lock eyes with her. It suddenly dawned on her that everything she’d just said had been heard in full by the quiet woman by her side!
Flustered, she quickly averted her gaze, turning to her dear sister for a distraction.
“How about you, Gu Siyuan? Tell me about what you’ve been up to!”
But when she looked over, she found Gu Siyuan—usually a model of impassiveness—staring at her in silent resentment. She must’ve been glaring for quite some time.
Hearing Gu Qingtong’s words, Gu Siyuan’s face darkened further. Picking the exact worst thing to say, Gu Qingtong had brought up the very topic Gu Siyuan most begrudged.
“You want to know about “me”? Gu Qingtong, how dare you even ask?
To return early for an exchange, I crammed two years of credits into one. Even during Christmas break, I was studying alone.”
After all, she had been worried her dimwitted sister would get herself into trouble without realizing it. Who would’ve guessed…
“Haha, and when I was finally done, got my exchange all set up, and had some free time to come back… it was just in time for your “wedding”.
How’s that for perfect timing?”
Her sarcasm was biting, dripping with discontent.
