Xia Yinuo had never imagined she would have such an unannounced, unprepared coming out. Since it had happened, she might as well embrace it; she simply nodded solemnly to Li Mu to confirm the truth.
Li Mu froze for two seconds, then her eyes lit up as if she’d been injected with adrenaline. "Then introduce us tonight!"
The corner of Xia Yinuo’s mouth twitched. "Your reaction is... quite unique."
Li Mu spoke with casual abandon. "What era do you think this is? Don't you know how many fujoshi and yuri-cons there are these days? Once you enter the gates of shipping, the sea is deep; every pair is either BL or GL. Especially in the UK, the land of 'shipping,' you know—"
Xia Yinuo tapped Li Mu on the head. "What kind of nonsense is filling that brain of yours..."
"Hey, let's have dinner together tonight!"
"Wouldn't that be weird?"
"What’s weird about it, Sis? Just let me see her!" Li Mu shook Xia Yinuo’s arm, acting spoiled. "It’s just a meeting, it’s not like it’ll cost you a pound of flesh! You know the consequences if you don't agree!" Li Mu began cupping her hands under her chin, blinking her eyes in a shimmering, "bling-bling" display of cuteness.
Xia Yinuo was helpless against this little ancestor and roughly ruffled Li Mu’s hair.
Li Mu didn't dodge; with her hair looking like a bird's nest, her eyes remained piercingly bright. "So that’s a yes?"
Xia Yinuo couldn't stay stern after all, so she could only force a stiff face. "Don't forget to bring in the quilts!"
"Aye-aye! Hurry back to the lab and finish your experiment. See you tonight!"
Resigned, Xia Yinuo called Liang Juejun. "Senior, I’m afraid I can’t play tennis tonight. My cousin, Li Mu—my uncle’s daughter—is back from London for the holidays, and she wants to meet you."
Liang Juejun answered readily, "Sure."
Seeing Liang Juejun so open-minded, Xia Yinuo smiled. "Just to give you a heads-up: she’s not like Maimai. Maimai is just an artsy youth; Li Mu is a terrifying member of the 'New New Generation.'"
Liang Juejun laughed off the warning.
That evening, when Xia Yinuo and Liang Juejun arrived at the restaurant, Li Mu was sitting in a corner sofa seat by the window, head down, focused on her phone.
Xia Yinuo winked at Liang Juejun and crept over quietly. She let out a sharp "Huo!" right in Li Mu’s ear, startling her so much she bounced off the sofa.
As Xia Yinuo laughed triumphantly, Li Mu, fuming, was about to grab the culprit’s neck when she saw the person standing beside her cousin. Intellectual and composed, clear and tranquil—for a moment, Li Mu froze mid-motion.
"Mu Mu, this is Liang Juejun," Xia Yinuo introduced, then turned to Liang Juejun. "Senior, this is Li Mu."
Liang Juejun extended her hand with a smile. "Hello, Mu Mu."
Li Mu hurriedly put down her phone and reached out. "Hello, hello!" Her eyes had already surreptitiously scanned Liang Juejun three times over.
Xia Yinuo nudged Li Mu with her elbow and said gloatingly, "What are you so nervous for?"
Li Mu shot Xia Yinuo a glare. Xia Yinuo shrugged and gestured for everyone to sit.
The indoor heating was quite strong. Xia Yinuo asked Liang Juejun if she was hot and if she wanted to take off her coat. Liang Juejun nodded, and a nearby waiter immediately stepped forward to help hang it up. Under her thick down jacket, Xia Yinuo was only wearing a thin shirt; Liang Juejun gave her a single look, and Xia Yinuo, who was halfway through taking off her jacket, obediently zipped it back up.
Liang Juejun smiled with satisfaction and said, "You two order first, I’m going to the restroom."
The moment Liang Juejun left the table, Li Mu hooked her arm around Xia Yinuo’s neck, pressing her shoulder down hard, and whispered excitedly, "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
Xia Yinuo dodged. "Say what?"
"If I’d known she had such a powerful aura, I would’ve changed my clothes! I haven't even changed since I got off the plane!" Li Mu’s gaze was incredibly resentful.
"You’d look the same regardless."
"Hmph, I won't lower myself to argue with you." Li Mu glanced around and whispered sneakily, "Hey, Sis, I think our family hit the jackpot!"
Xia Yinuo smiled but said nothing.
When Liang Juejun returned, she and Xia Yinuo sat on one side, with Li Mu opposite them.
Li Mu pointed at Xia Yinuo and asked Liang Juejun somewhat timidly, "Um, so you are... her Senior?"
Xia Yinuo smirked and beat her to the punch. "She’s actually a teacher at our academy. Quick, call her Teacher Liang!"
Li Mu immediately straightened her back, sitting bolt upright, and blurted out, "Hello, Teacher Liang!"
Liang Juejun burst out laughing and gave Xia Yinuo’s arm a light, playful slap. "What are you doing? You’re just scaring her." She turned to Li Mu. "I am a teacher, but Mu Mu, you don't need to be nervous. Just be casual."
Xia Yinuo pouted. "You have no idea how she usually walks all over me!"
Li Mu gave Liang Juejun a sycophantic smile. "Hehe, I’ve had deep respect for teachers since I was a kid. I’m always like this when I see one—it’s an expression of respect!"
Xia Yinuo: "How come I never knew you were the kind of 'good student' who honors teachers and respects the Way?"
Li Mu: "Sis!"
Watching the two sisters bicker was an experience Liang Juejun had never had.
Li Mu: "Then can I call you Sister Xiao Jun?"
Liang Juejun: "Of course."
Throughout the meal, Li Mu behaved like a model youth. Not only was she polite, but she also asked nothing but academic questions, all while casting unbridled, blatant looks of adoration. In all these years, Li Mu had never asked Xia Yinuo a single question about biomedicine, yet here she was, asking away and even nodding along as if it all made sense. Xia Yinuo seriously doubted Li Mu understood a word of it. Li Mu kept chirping "Sister Xiao Jun" this and that until Xia Yinuo’s skin began to crawl. Unable to take it, she finally cut in: "Li Mu, can you tone down the eyes? And can you stop being so mushy with that name?"
Li Mu, feeling emboldened by support, replied, "Sister Xiao Jun hasn't said anything, so why are you getting worked up? What should I call her then? Don't tell me I should call her... Brother-in-law?"
Liang Juejun nearly choked on her water.
Xia Yinuo hurriedly patted Liang Juejun’s back, her face darkening. "Just stick to Sister Xiao Jun!"
Liang Juejun clapped and laughed, giving Li Mu a thumbs-up. "The people’s eyes are discerning."
Xia Yinuo felt like weeping, wanting nothing more than to bang her head against a wall.
After dinner, Li Mu grabbed Xia Yinuo’s arm. "Sis, you’re staying with me tonight, right?"
Xia Yinuo looked at Liang Juejun, who didn't mind at all. "Go ahead, stay with Mu Mu."
Xia Yinuo gave Liang Juejun a resentful look, while Li Mu’s eyes sparkled beside her. Thinking of her own plans, Xia Yinuo didn't argue.
Once they had seen Liang Juejun to her door and only the sisters remained, Li Mu asked impatiently, "How did you two meet? She’s so stunning! How long have you been together? Do you like older women?"
Xia Yinuo remained expressionless. "Why didn't you ask her yourself just now? Now you’re asking me?"
Li Mu: "Her aura was too strong, I was totally floored!"
Xia Yinuo scoffed. "No wonder you spent the whole night pretending to be a good student."
Back at her little apartment, Xia Yinuo went straight to the study and pulled out a box of items she had moved from Cai Kun’s house. She began to bury herself in work.
After Li Mu finished her shower, she saw the light on in the study and leaned in to see Xia Yinuo holding an engraving knife, with a box of seal stones beside her. "Eh? What are you doing?"
Xia Yinuo replied, "Engraving a seal."
Li Mu sat casually on the desk, picking up a finished seal stone to examine it closely. "I mean, what are you engraving?"
Xia Yinuo: "Can't you tell? Three characters: Liang, Jue, Jun."
Li Mu slapped Xia Yinuo on the back and sighed, "Wow! You’re amazing!"
Xia Yinuo shielded her work. "Be careful, you’re always so reckless. Engraving is something that anyone can do well as long as they aren't clumsy and have patience. This is just a practice piece. Tomorrow I’ll get a proper seal stone and start the real work." At this, Xia Yinuo couldn't help but look joyful.
"So this is a Christmas present?"
"A birthday present."
"When is Sister Xiao Jun’s birthday?"
"The 21st."
"Isn't that the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes. You know what to do that day, right?"
"I know, I totally know! Sis, I think you’ve changed..."
"Oh?" Xia Yinuo didn't stop her work. "How so?"
Li Mu: "Before, you were like that 'perfect child' everyone else’s parents talked about. You never made the elders worry, unlike me, who was always getting lectured. You were nonchalant yet steady, masking your soft side with a shell. Now, how should I put it... I guess it’s like the saying: you have armor now, but you also have a weakness."
Xia Yinuo only said one thing: "One day, you’ll meet someone too, and then you’ll understand what love is."
After hearing that, Li Mu remained silent for a long time.
On Liang Juejun’s birthday, the first snow of the winter arrived unexpectedly. Xia Yinuo went to the Liang residence early to offer a morning kiss and a "Happy Birthday." Liang Juejun suggested they go for hot pot that evening. Xia Yinuo was surprised; wouldn't hot pot be a bit strange for a birthday? Liang Juejun smiled. "What’s strange about it? As long as we’re happy."
When Li Mu woke up and found Xia Yinuo gone, she went out alone to pick up Xiao Yan. After spending the day playing with the little boy, the two of them were waiting obediently at the entrance of the hot pot restaurant at six in the evening.
As soon as he saw Xia Yinuo and Liang Juejun, the little boy let go of Li Mu’s hand and skipped over. "Sister! Sister Liang!" The boy was currently losing his baby teeth; his front teeth had fallen out a few days ago, making his speech a bit breathy and quite comical.
Liang Juejun ruffled his hair. "Why are you waiting at the door? It’s snowing, it’s cold."
Xia Yinuo crouched down, scooped the boy up, and gave him a loud peck on the cheek. She said in a mysterious voice, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me, who is the most handsome boy in the world?"
"Me, of course!" Xia Yiyan puffed out his chest with absolute confidence, though the missing front tooth made him look less like a boss and more like a toddler.
Li Mu rolled her eyes. "I can't stand it! So narcissistic at such a young age. Who knows how many girls he’ll break the hearts of when he grows up!"
Xia Yinuo continued to the boy, "Sister Liang is treating us to hot pot tonight. Do you like that?"
The boy blinked his big eyes and cheered, "I love it!"
Li Mu continued to complain from the side, "It’s Sister Xiao Jun’s birthday, and instead of doing something romantic, you actually thought of eating hot pot. I am so done with you!"
Liang Juejun covered her mouth and laughed. "Actually, I’m the one who wanted to come. I haven't had hot pot in a long time, and since the weather is cold, it’ll warm us up."
Li Mu was mortified and shut her mouth.
Liang Juejun was in a wonderful mood, and the meal was incredibly cozy. To little Xia Yiyan, Sister Mu was great, but if his real sister was there, Sister Mu could be appropriately ignored; his real sister was great, but if Sister Liang was sitting opposite him, he felt compelled to perform what he considered "handsome and gentlemanly" gestures to catch her attention, even taking the initiative to sing her a birthday song. Liang Juejun was kept laughing by the three siblings.
Afterward, as they headed home, Li Mu proactively announced she would sleep with the little boy that night and told Xia Yinuo to do as she pleased. Xia Yinuo stifled a laugh, gave a few instructions, and went home with Liang Juejun.
In the elevator, Xia Yinuo complained that her clothes smelled like hot pot. As soon as they got home, Liang Juejun slipped into the bathroom to shower. Xia Yinuo jammed her hand in the door, cheekily pretending she wanted to shower together. Liang Juejun said "Sure" and actually reached out to pull her in, but Xia Yinuo turned out to be all talk and no action, fleeing the scene and making Liang Juejun roar with laughter.
By the time Xia Yinuo finished her shower and came out, Liang Juejun was sitting at the computer in the study. On the desk stood a photo frame; besides two family portraits from different periods of the Liang family, there was also a photo of Liang Juejun and Xia Yinuo together.
Xia Yinuo stood by Liang Juejun’s side. Liang Juejun made room for her to sit, the large swivel chair more than spacious enough for two.
Xia Yinuo naturally wrapped her arm around Liang Juejun’s waist. "What are you looking at?"
"My stepmother, Mary, recorded a video wishing me a happy birthday and a Merry Christmas."
Xia Yinuo quietly accompanied Liang Juejun as she finished the video before asking, "Is it really okay that you didn't go back?"
Liang Juejun reached up and toyed with Xia Yinuo’s hair. "I told them when I visited before. They have their own plans. The end of the year is always busy; it’s better to go back another time when things are calmer."
Xia Yinuo rested her chin on her hand, leaning close to Liang Juejun’s face. "So... did you miss me while I was away these past few days?"
Liang Juejun smiled. "I did."
"How much?"
"Xia Xiaobao, you always ask such silly questions."
Xia Yinuo tightened her hold on Liang Juejun’s waist. Their faces were close, their breath mingling. Xia Yinuo closed her eyes and murmured in Liang Juejun’s ear, "Senior, aren't you going to ask me what birthday present I prepared for you?"
Liang Juejun’s smile was like a blooming flower. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me, what birthday present will Xia Xiaobao give me?"
***
