Xu Shuyan had lost her mind.
That was the first thought that popped into Lin Yi’s head.
She stared nervously at Xu Shuyan’s parents. Perhaps it was because they came from a business family, having honed the ability over many years to remain unfazed by major events. So, even when faced with their daughter coming out, they didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. One of them just calmly said, “Oh,” then asked, “Did you hear what your daughter said?”
Xu Shuyan’s father replied, “She said Lin Yi is her future girlfriend.”
Lin Yi: “!!!”
Wait a minute! It was only then that she processed it. How had she become Xu Shuyan’s future girlfriend? True, she hadn’t agreed to be with Xu Shuyan yet, and she did think of Xu Shuyan as her future wife, but that was just something she thought to herself. Xu Shuyan was practically shouting it from the rooftops. Who had given her permission?!
Xu Shuyan’s mother, however, slowly nodded, but then raised her hand.
Lin Yi jumped, thinking she was about to slap Xu Shuyan. Without a second thought, she threw herself in front of Xu Shuyan and yelled, “Auntie! We live in a society with laws! You can’t just hit people! Besides, if her fans find out you hit her, they’ll definitely fight for her rights!”
Xu Shuyan froze for a second. “Lin Yi?”
“Don’t call my name!” Lin Yi stared at Xu Shuyan’s mother and hissed at her in a low voice, “And you, don’t say anything! You’ll get hit!”
Xu Shuyan was even more bewildered. “Who said she was going to hit me?”
Xu Shuyan’s mother let out a cold laugh. “Who said I was going to hit her?”
Lin Yi blinked. “Huh?”
Xu Shuyan whispered, “We’ve been standing at the door for too long, and we didn’t close it. The security system needs to re-identify and confirm. My mom was waving at the housekeeper in front of the monitor.”
Lin Yi: “…”
Could they please stop bullying a child who grew up in a commoner’s family?
Lin Yi’s toes curled in embarrassment. She plastered a fake smile on her face and started to sidle away, laughing awkwardly. “Oh, oh, so that’s- that’s what it was! I thought- hahaha, never mind!”
She turned to flee but was grabbed firmly by the hand. “Where are you going?” Xu Shuyan asked.
Lin Yi: “Haha!”
…To find somewhere deserted to jump off a building.
Xu Shuyan’s mother’s gaze shifted from her face to their joined hands. She turned to her husband and said, “Close the door.” Then she looked back at them and snorted. “No wonder you refused to go on any blind dates we set up. You looked down on so many eligible men. Turns out it was a matter of gender, was it?”
“Future girlfriend? So that means you haven’t won her over yet, huh?” her mother said. “Then why are you holding hands?”
“I wanted to, so I did,” Xu Shuyan said, not backing down. “She isn’t my girlfriend now, but she will be sooner or later. I’m just exercising some of my rights in advance.”
She even asked Lin Yi, “Isn’t that right?”
Lin Yi hesitated. “…Right?”
As expected, the next second, the expressions on Xu Shuyan’s parents’ faces soured even more. Her mother tugged at the corner of her mouth impatiently, her high heels clacking on the floor. “Let’s talk inside.”
Lin Yi followed behind them apprehensively, whispering to Xu Shuyan, “If your mom won’t hit you, she won’t hit me, will she?”
Xu Shuyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “She won’t. My mom never hits people. She prefers to reason with them.” After a pause, she added, “But don’t worry, her twisted logic won’t convince me. I like you because I like you. There’s no reasoning with it.”
Lin Yi’s face flushed slightly as she muttered, “I don’t care about you!”
She thought about what a strange situation this was. Back when she and Xu Shuyan were still love rivals, Xu Shuyan had taken her home to pretend to be a couple and come out.
Now, they hadn’t even confirmed their relationship, and they were already meeting the parents. They might even have to go through a series of struggles, coming out for the sake of love. What if Xu Shuyan’s parents thought she was the one who had turned their daughter gay and started hurling insults at her? She’d have to endure it all.
If she didn’t end up with Xu Shuyan after all that, what a huge loss that would be!
Seeing her spacing out, Xu Shuyan asked in a low voice, “What are you thinking about?”
Lin Yi just glared at her.
Xu Shuyan: “?”
She softened her voice and tugged on Lin Yi’s sleeve. “I’m sorry. Help me get through this, and I’ll do anything you ask, okay?”
“Are you begging me?” Lin Yi put on an air of importance.
Without hesitation, Xu Shuyan said, “I’m begging you.”
Lin Yi couldn’t help but feel smug. So there were times when Xu Shuyan had to beg her for things. It was a shame there were no cameras around. If she could have filmed this, wouldn’t it be amazing to watch it a thousand times back home?
“Begging you to love me tonight,” Xu Shuyan added.
Lin Yi was stunned by the direct hit. Before she could think of a retort, Xu Shuyan led her through the door.
The interior was also done in a classic, elegant Chinese style. The display shelves were lined with antique porcelain. In a blue-and-white porcelain fish tank, koi carp scattered in fright at the sound of the door closing. The living room and dining room were separated by a folding screen painted with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, exuding a sense of tranquility.
Lin Yi wondered if Xu Shuyan’s mother was about to turn around dramatically and command, “Kneel!” forcing her to kowtow before their ancestors and beg for forgiveness.
Since Xu Shuyan had begged her, should she kneel or not?
But to her surprise, Xu Shuyan’s mother simply sat down in the main seat and tilted her chin at Xu Shuyan. “Take your future girlfriend to her room, then come down and talk to me.”
Xu Shuyan had expected this. She nodded. “Okay.”
Xu Shuyan’s room was on the first floor. Lin Yi hadn’t gotten a good look from outside the window earlier. Only upon entering did she realize the interior decoration was completely different from the rest of the house. It was dominated by macaron colors—mint green, cherry blossom pink, with touches of creamy yellow. On the princess bed sat StellaLou and LinaBell dolls, overflowing with girlish charm.
“You can take a shower first,” Xu Shuyan said, opening a door. “Pick any pajamas you like from my closet. The disposable underwear is in the drawer on the left, and there are unopened bath towels on the third shelf. Makeup remover and skincare products are all on the vanity, you can find them yourself. I might be back late, so don’t wait up for me.”
Lin Yi stood blankly at the door and blinked. “That’s it?”
“What?” Xu Shuyan asked.
Lin Yi closed the door and said excitedly, “I was all prepared to battle your parents for three hundred rounds, to have a good long talk with them about how much we love each other and how hard it’s been, to get them to give us their blessing. You know, better to tear down ten temples than to ruin a marriage! But in the end…”
She threw up her hands. “This is it?”
Xu Shuyan let out a regretful “ah.” “How about you start by telling me how much we love each other?”
Lin Yi: “…Get lost!”
“Are you hungry?” Xu Shuyan asked again. “You didn’t eat dinner, did you? Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll have someone make it and bring it up for you.”
Now that Xu Shuyan mentioned it, Lin Yi’s stomach felt empty, and a wave of hunger washed over her. She said sourly, “Don’t tell me your family has chefs for several different cuisines.”
Xu Shuyan: “…Well, not quite.”
Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Shuyan: “But we do have a dedicated pastry chef.”
Lin Yi: “…”
So what if you’re rich!
Lin Yi: “Then I want egg tarts.”
“Okay,” Xu Shuyan said.
Pleased, Lin Yi rubbed her hands together and continued ordering. “I also want Kung Pao chicken, braised fish, and dry-fried cabbage. Oh, and you guys are famous for your fried rice here, right? I want fried rice too!”
Xu Shuyan agreed to everything.
“Good luck with coming out,” Lin Yi encouraged her. “You’re so good at rapping. Even though you can’t win an argument against me, I’m sure you can talk your parents around.”
“What if I can’t?” Xu Shuyan asked her.
“I’ve decided not to shower just yet,” Lin Yi said chivalrously. “If you can’t convince them, I’ll run away with you tonight. See how good I am to you?”
Xu Shuyan nodded thoughtfully. “You’re too good to me.”
Lin Yi patted her on the shoulder. “You can do it!”
After a moment’s thought, she stepped forward and gave her a clumsy hug. “Brave Yanyan, fear no difficulties!”
She heard Xu Shuyan chuckle and hug her back just before she pulled away. Xu Shuyan buried her face in the crook of Lin Yi’s neck and nuzzled her gently. “Okay.”
Not long after Xu Shuyan left, the egg tarts were brought up. Lin Yi ate while replying to her unread messages.
In the group chat, Zhou Shichen was asking why she had secretly gone to meet the parents without telling them. Was she treating them like outsiders? Yan Qi replied with a string of ellipses, saying Zhou Shichen’s intentions were obvious and she didn’t need to be so sanctimonious.
Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi then started a sticker battle. Lin Yi scrolled through—Zhou Shichen was sending her stickers, while Yan Qi was sending Xu Shuyan’s. Lin Yi’s face darkened. “You two are certainly good at being impartial!”
Zhou Shichen: You’re here, Xiao Yi!
Zhou Shichen: Did you meet the parents?
Lin Yi: Um…
Lin Yi: Let her tell you guys after she’s done talking with her parents.
Zhou Shichen: ?
Zhou Shichen: Tell us what?
Zhou Shichen: Even if Yanyan’s parents don’t want her to be an idol, they can’t possibly yell at her for bringing a bandmate home, right?
Lin Yi: If I were just a bandmate, they wouldn’t be so harsh.
Yan Qi: What else could it be?
Lin Yi: She told them I’m her future girlfriend. She came out directly.
Zhou Shichen: What? You two are actually gay?
Yan Qi: What? You’re not together yet?
Yuanyuan: What… Why can’t I understand this group chat anymore…
Lin Yi: @Zhou Shichen, then what have you been shipping all this time?
Zhou Shichen: I was just shipping casually! How was I supposed to know you were a Real Couple!
Lin Yi: Didn’t you say last time that the way Xu Shuyan looked at me was strange?
Zhou Shichen: I ship you two as a CP, the way you look at each other is always strange! I thought I was just imagining things, but I can’t believe it’s actually real! Gasp! Hiss!
Lin Yi: …
Lin Yi: @Yuanyuan, I’ll explain it to you later.
Lin Yi: @Captain, what do you mean we’ve been together for a while? Why are you secretly shipping CPs too!
Yan Qi: …
Yan Qi: Going to bed.
Zhou Shichen: She’s not asleep!
It was unclear how Yan Qi punished Zhou Shichen, but in any case, neither of them spoke again.
Just then, the rest of the food arrived. Lin Yi’s stomach was growling with hunger, but she didn’t forget to stop the auntie who brought the food to ask about the situation downstairs. She only half-understood what the auntie was saying, but she vaguely concluded that no one was fighting.
What could they possibly be talking about for so long without anyone getting angry? Were they negotiating a business deal? Lin Yi grumbled to herself. Since it was unlikely she’d have to run away with Xu Shuyan, she went to take a shower. When she came out, she saw Xu Shuyan standing by the window, gazing at the night sky. Hearing her footsteps, Xu Shuyan turned around. “Finished your shower?”
“How did it go?” Lin Yi asked.
“It was fine.” The fatigue was evident on Xu Shuyan’s face. She closed the window and thought for a moment before saying, “They won’t make me go on blind dates anymore… no, that’s not right. They said that even if they do, they’ll find girls for me.”
“Well, that sounds like a pretty smooth coming out.” Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. As she was applying her eye cream, it hit her. She looked at Xu Shuyan in the mirror. “What do you mean? Didn’t you tell them I’m your future girlfriend? Why would they still want you to go on blind dates?”
Xu Shuyan shrugged. “Because you’re my future girlfriend.”
Lin Yi: “?”
“My parents are like that. Nothing is settled until it’s confirmed.” She looked at Lin Yi. “They need you to give me an answer to put their minds at ease.”
Lin Yi dabbed the eye cream around her eyes and let out a muffled “oh.”
Lin Yi had said she needed to think about it, and Xu Shuyan hadn’t really pushed her. Her teasing was always restrained. Seeing that it was getting late, she also went to take a shower. When she returned, Lin Yi was lying on her stomach on the bed, playing on her phone. Her feet were kicked up in the air, swaying back and forth, making one want to reach out and give them a squeeze.
Xu Shuyan restrained herself.
“By the way,” Lin Yi asked, “how rich is your family? Why do you have such a high-tech security system!” She really didn’t get it. “Or do you have some kind of treasure here?”
“Probably not before,” Xu Shuyan said, lying down on the bed.
Lin Yi hummed. “What do you mean?”
Xu Shuyan propped her head up and looked at her with a smile. “But you’re here now, aren’t you?”
Lin Yi: “…”
She stared at Xu Shuyan blankly for two seconds, then switched off the light with a click. She burrowed into the covers and yelled, “Time for bed!”
But Xu Shuyan pinched the corner of her quilt and pulled it down a little.
Lin Yi tensed. “…D-don’t pull at me.”
“I’m not,” Xu Shuyan said with a laugh. “Don’t sleep with your head under the covers, you’ll suffocate.”
After a pause, she said, “Lin Yi.”
Lin Yi hummed in response.
“What are you getting me for my birthday?” Xu Shuyan asked.
Lin Yi: “…”
She grabbed a nearby throw pillow and tossed it at Xu Shuyan. “In your dreams, Xu Shuyan! You didn’t even get me a gift for my birthday, and you expect me to get you one? No way!”
Xu Shuyan remained skeptical. “Oh?”
She asked, “Really?”
And added, “I don’t believe you.”
Lin Yi: “…”
Lin Yi found Xu Shuyan very annoying.
On the high-speed train from Y City back to S City, in the nanny van surrounded by fans at the station, and later, after going to the company with Xu Shuyan and then sneaking out to pick up her birthday gift, she found Xu Shuyan very, very annoying.
“Miss Lin, you’re here?” The sales associate greeted her with a practiced smile. “The custom earrings you ordered just arrived. They are the only pair in the world, designed by our brand’s top designer, incorporating the elements you mentioned, as well as the letters you requested to be engraved. They are absolutely-”
Lin Yi’s head was starting to hurt. “Okay, okay, you don’t need to go into detail.”
Please stop reminding her how important Xu Shuyan was to her! So important that she had to pull countless strings just to contact a top luxury brand’s designer to create a one-of-a-kind pair of earrings, all for Xu Shuyan’s birthday gift!
The associate smiled. “Of course. This way, please.”
Their schedule for the second half of the year was a bit more relaxed. Aside from two more episodes of their group variety show, all that was left was to prepare for year-end events. So, for Xu Shuyan’s birthday this time, she was holding a special birthday party and had invited active fans to celebrate with her.
Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi weren’t around, so Lin Yi was the only other member attending the party.
For this reason, Xu Shuyan’s fans were extremely displeased.
[If not all the members are coming, then none of them should! This is Xu Shuyan’s solo event! Irrelevant bandmates, stay away and don’t try to steal screen time!]
[Does my daughter have to do fan service even on her birthday? Don’t go too far, Sweet Melon Entertainment!]
[Don’t gross me out, I don’t want to see Lin Yi acting all sweet with my wife and cutting the cake!!! I’ll die! I’ll actually die! I’ll fight for my rights to the end!]
Despite all this, the fans’ protests, which lasted until one minute before the party began, did not change the decision. Backstage, Sister Fang was monitoring the proceedings, reading the fans’ online curses with a pained expression. “Do you think I wanted you to go? But Shichen and Yan Qi aren’t here. If you don’t go, there will be rumors tomorrow that The Notes is disbanding!”
Lin Yi patted her shoulder sympathetically. “I get it. I don’t want to be here either.”
Sister Fang grabbed her hand. “Waaaah, my grand plan to uncouple you two!”
Lin Yi said, “I was originally planning to prepare a surprise for Xu Shuyan at the dorm.”
Sister Fang let go of her hand. “Heh, your relationship is really progressing by leaps and bounds, huh.”
Lin Yi denied it. “Don’t talk nonsense, there’s nothing going on!”
Sister Fang: “You’re flustered!”
Lin Yi: “I am not!!!”
“Teacher Lin-” the stage manager called out to her. “You can get ready to go on. The cake is here.”
“Coming,” Lin Yi replied.
As the fans had said, the birthday party was a solo event. Lin Yi’s only role was to come out singing the birthday song, bring the cake up, offer some innocuous blessings to Xu Shuyan, and watch the VCR from friends who couldn’t be there before making her exit.
The solo fans were satisfied: Hmph, Lin Yi is just background music and a staff member to bring the princess her cake!
The CP fans were in tears: She wished her a happy new year and that all her hopes would come true, waaaah, I’m bawling my eyes out, she loves her so much, she really loves her!
The solo fans were furious: No shipping allowed!!!
After the party, they went out for a meal. In the car on the way back, Sister Fang was also fuming at the CP fans’ comments. “No shipping allowed!” She pulled up a photo of the two of them and showed it to Lin Yi. “Look at the way you’re looking at Yanyan. There’s nothing innocent about that gaze!”
Xu Shuyan was right there beside them. Lin Yi panicked. “What’s not innocent? It’s perfectly innocent! It’s just the way you look at… a normal bandmate, right?”
Sister Fang: “Why is your voice getting quieter?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Because she felt guilty.
In that photo, she was pushing the cake towards Xu Shuyan. She was sure she hadn’t been putting on an act for the fans, and she was sure that although she was nervous at the time, she had managed to keep her composure. But how was the tenderness and love in her eyes written so clearly for all to see?
“You two have tomorrow off, arrange it yourselves,” Sister Fang said as she dropped them off at the door. “The day after tomorrow, we start filming Yanyan’s episode of the group variety show.”
Xu Shuyan nodded. “Mhm, the show I planned will definitely surprise you all.”
Sister Fang already knew the content of the show and said sullenly, “It’ll be good enough if it’s not a scare. Go back and get some rest. Oh, right,” she remembered something just before leaving, “you two aren’t living together now, are you?”
Lin Yi’s face darkened. “…No.”
Sister Fang was relieved. “That’s good, that’s good.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Afraid she would bring up that night again, Lin Yi pushed her into the elevator. “Bye, bye, bye!”
When she turned back, Xu Shuyan had already unlocked the security door and was standing quietly, waiting for her to enter. She hesitated for a moment, then walked over and tugged on Xu Shuyan’s arm. “Let’s go, get inside.”
The light in the entryway switched on automatically.
The curtains on the balcony weren’t drawn. Across the river, the LED screen on a skyscraper looped the flowery words “Happy Birthday Xu Shuyan,” announcing to the world that Xu Shuyan was another year older, stepping into a new chapter of her life.
The dorm was quiet.
Footsteps were light, as was the sound of changing shoes. A gentle breeze blew from the pre-set heating, and deliberately slowed breaths were hidden within it, suppressing the pounding of a heart.
Lin Yi hung her coat on the rack in the entryway. The friction of the fabric made a soft sound. In her peripheral vision, she saw Xu Shuyan standing quietly behind her, waiting for her to take the first step. She took a deep breath internally and was the first to break the silence. “I wonder when Shichen and Captain will be back, haha.”
She squeezed her eyes shut.
What a terrible opening line!
“In a couple of days, probably,” Xu Shuyan actually replied. “After all, we have to film the variety show the day after tomorrow.”
Lin Yi: “…”
Had she and Xu Shuyan run out of things to say to the point of resorting to meaningless small talk?
Lin Yi hummed sullenly. As they spoke, they had reached the bottom of the stairs. Lin Yi had just stepped onto the first tread and was about to search for another topic when she noticed Xu Shuyan hadn’t moved.
Oh, Lin Yi remembered. Xu Shuyan was now living in Yuanyuan’s old room. She was the only one living in the bedroom upstairs now.
Back when she was roommates with Xu Shuyan, Lin Yi had wished countless times that she could throw Xu Shuyan out, luggage and all. Then she could have both beds to herself, sleeping in her own on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and in Xu Shuyan’s on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On Sundays, she would push them together and roll around however she pleased.
But Xu Shuyan’s bags wouldn’t have to go with her. That way, not only could she secretly use Xu Shuyan’s bags, but Xu Shuyan would also occasionally come back to get things and see her living her carefree, divine life.
…Now, she and Xu Shuyan were no longer living together, but she hadn’t had a single one of those carefree days.
“Well, I’m going up now?” She avoided Xu Shuyan’s gaze, a little flustered, and then felt that her current panic was embarrassing. She cleared her throat and looked Xu Shuyan straight in the eye. “Good night.”
Then she froze for a moment.
Xu Shuyan’s eyes were so beautiful. There was a tiny beauty mark at the corner of her eye. When she looked over, her gaze was soft and melting, as if it held tiny fragments of light, gently drawing her in, striking her straight in the heart.
Lin Yi blinked rapidly a few times and heard Xu Shuyan say, “Let me walk you.”
“…Huh?” Lin Yi was stunned for a second, then, as if afraid Xu Shuyan would change her mind, she stepped aside. “O-okay, you… you can walk me.”
Only after Xu Shuyan came up beside her did she feel that something was off.
It was just a few steps, and she still needed someone to walk her. Then, after Xu Shuyan walked her up, should she walk Xu Shuyan back down? Walking each other back and forth all night… come to think of it, she was kind of looking forward to it.
That way, she could spend a little more time with Xu Shuyan tonight, right?
Just a little more.
Delay it a little longer.
Let her be the last person to say “Happy Birthday” to Xu Shuyan on this day. Leave a special mark on Xu Shuyan’s twenty-second year.
The only sound in the quiet dorm was their footsteps, one overlapping the other. Xu Shuyan always stepped in the exact spot where she had just lifted her foot.
Until they rounded the corner and reached her bedroom door.
Alright. Lin Yi glanced at the clock hanging in the living room. The second hand ticked by unhurriedly. There were still two minutes until midnight. She placed her hand on the doorknob and looked at Xu Shuyan again. “I’m going in.”
“Mhm.” Xu Shuyan looked back at her, as if she could see right into her heart. “…Good night.”
“Good night.”
Lin Yi pushed the door open and went inside.
The lights in the room were off. Only a thin layer of sheer curtain was drawn over the bay window, and the light cast a hazy glow upon it. She leaned against the door, staring at that sliver of light in a daze, her heart pounding in her chest.
Thump, thump.
Her long eyelashes trembled with extreme nervousness, finally settling with determination, lifting the darkness. Lin Yi turned around, twisted the doorknob, and opened her mouth to call out to stop Xu Shuyan, only to freeze abruptly.
Xu Shuyan was still standing there, not having moved an inch.
In the suffocatingly intimate atmosphere, everything else became superfluous. In the one or two seconds their eyes met, she and Xu Shuyan both took half a step forward at the same time. Heated breaths tangled and exchanged in the small space.
They kissed.
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