“Dongpu Airport is just too big!”
Chen Jinyue followed the flow of the crowd. Hearing the complaints of those around her, she couldn't help but agree. It had been over ten minutes since she stepped off the plane, yet the terminal corridor still stretched out as if it had no end.
Had Dongpu Airport always been this large?
Of course it had. But having been away for so many years, she couldn't stop her mind from asking such foolish questions.
She stepped onto the moving walkway and stood still, letting the belt carry her toward the next section—she was simply too tired to walk. Jinyue looked down at her twenty-inch carry-on suitcase. She felt somewhat out of place; on a long-haul international flight, even if one didn't have a luggage cart, they would at least have a checked bag. Yet here she was, like an outsider, returning to her home country alone with nothing but a small case. Though she had reached her destination, her mind remained unsettled.
It wasn't just the suitcase that felt out of place.
"Heh..." She curled her lip and let out a soft, self-deprecating huff.
Finally reaching the exit, she passed through the routine customs check. Jinyue tightened her grip on the suitcase handle and strode out.
“Yueyue—!”
She hadn't been out for long when she heard someone call her name from the dense crowd of people waiting at the arrivals gate.
Mothers always possessed that special talent—the ability to spot their child in a sea of people at a single glance, no matter how many years had passed.
Jinyue followed the sound and saw her mother waving excitedly. Her mother’s eyes were crinkled with joy, and she kept shouting, “Over here! Over here!”
Jinyue broke into a light jog and pulled her mother into a hug. “You finally decided to come back!”
“Yeah, well, didn't I miss you too much?” Jinyue released the embrace and gave a playful smile. Her eyes, however, drifted subtly toward the surrounding area.
*She didn't come.*
“Look at you, always so sweet! Why did you bring so little back with you?” Chen Fang reached out to take the suitcase, but Jinyue pulled it aside. Such a small bag was no trouble at all.
“Bringing some basic clothes is enough. I can buy the rest here. Besides, when I’m with Mom, what could I possibly lack?” As she spoke, she leaned in and pecked her mother on the cheek. Her happiness was genuine, of course. They say a child with a mother is like a treasure; that slight, murky sense of disappointment wasn't worth mentioning.
“Oh—Shengsheng! Over here, over here!” Chen Fang repeated the same enthusiastic gestures she had used for Jinyue. The arm she had linked with Jinyue’s tugged her along as she waved.
Hearing that name, Chen Jinyue abruptly turned her head—and finally saw her.
Standing about a dozen meters away was Lin Yunsheng.
The sister who shared no blood with her, yet had grown up by her side for over a decade.
Yunsheng’s left hand was tucked into the pocket of her camel-colored coat. Her light brown inner layer swayed slightly as she came to a halt. Her long black trousers nearly touched the ground, hiding most of her high heels, and a few stray strands of hair had escaped her updo to frame her ears. In her right hand, she held a bottle of mineral water that appeared unopened.
*That should be for me,* Jinyue thought.
“Sorry I’m late, I just finished parking,” Lin Yunsheng said as she reached them.
“She just arrived herself,” Chen Fang replied, then turned to Jinyue. “Yueyue, hurry up and say hello to your sister.”
Jinyue finally snapped out of it. Releasing her grip on the suitcase handle, she looked at Yunsheng with a smile and stepped forward to embrace her.
Yunsheng clearly hesitated for a moment, but she returned the hug soon enough, whispering softly in Jinyue's ear, “Welcome home.”
The woman seemed to have jogged over; pressed against her, Jinyue could feel that her breathing wasn't quite steady. There was a hint of the outside chill lingering on her neck. She was wearing perfume—a faint, woody scent.
Jinyue took a breath and heard herself say, “Thank you, Sheng-jie.” Her tone was laced with a smile.
Then, she was the first to let go.
Lin Yunsheng led them toward the parking lot. She walked in front while Chen Fang and Jinyue followed behind. That unopened bottle of water remained gripped in Yunsheng’s hand.
She stopped at the rear of a white Audi and leaned over to pop the trunk. She naturally took Jinyue’s luggage and placed it inside.
“Let me drive. Yueyue hasn't seen me drive yet; I just got my license last year,” Chen Fang said enthusiastically, taking the keys from Yunsheng and gesturing for the two of them to get in the back.
“I know, Mom. You passed the driving test on your first try!” Lin Yunsheng teased along.
Chen Jinyue opened the rear door, but just as she was about to sit, she paused. A Burberry scarf lay scattered across the back seat, remarkably similar to the one around her own neck. However, the one in the car looked a bit older, tossed there carelessly by its owner.
Lin Yunsheng, opening the door on the other side, naturally saw the scarf as well. She froze for a split second before picking it up unobtrusively and sitting down.
Yunsheng folded the scarf without haste, then reached back and tucked it into the trunk. Once Jinyue was settled, Yunsheng reached out and lowered the center armrest, subtly establishing a boundary between them.
She finally saw fit to put down the water—placing it into the cup holder closest to Jinyue—yet she still didn't say another word.
Mother Chen drove steadily, boasting about her skills along the way—how she’d had zero accidents in a year, or how she’d battled a male driver trying to cut her off at the highway entrance. Although Lin Yunsheng and Jinyue didn't speak to each other directly, the atmosphere in the car remained relatively harmonious.
“Yueyue, be honest with Mom. Do you have a boyfriend or not? I saw that Da... Da-whatever on your social media. You two seem very close.”
“David,” Chen Jinyue supplied, smiling as she met her mother’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Right, David... that’s quite a fancy name.”
*Isn't it just?*
“Yes, he’s my boyfriend,” she added. This time, she said it while looking directly at Lin Yunsheng.
The latter felt the gaze but offered no response. Instead, she turned her head a few degrees further to look out the window.
“Well, that’s good, really good. He looks like a clean-cut young man. When are you going to bring him back for me to meet?” Chen Fang’s mood lifted even higher.
“He’s clean-cut? Does that mean I’m not pretty? Mom, I just got back and you’re already done complimenting me.”
“Oh, who would dare not compliment you? Our Yueyue is a grown woman now, and beautiful as can be. Why else do you think I spotted you instantly? Don't you agree, Shengsheng?”
The car stopped at a red light. Following the momentum, both women in the back leaned forward slightly. The red light flooded the cabin, and the woman whose name had been called smiled gently. Bathed in that light, she looked exceptionally tender.
“Yes. Xiao Jin is certainly beautiful.”
“Is that so? Sheng-jie, do you really think so too?”
“Anyone who sees you would think so,” Yunsheng replied softly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She seemed trapped, unable to avoid the gaze that the other girl refused to shift.
Chen Jinyue didn't seem inclined to let her off the hook. She leaned against the armrest, closing the distance between herself and Yunsheng. “I’m asking *you*, Sister.”
Lin Yunsheng finally had no room left to escape. She was forced to look into the other’s eyes. She thought that Jinyue had indeed grown up quite a bit; she looked more mature, and even when she was slightly piqued, she no longer demanded an explanation with childish tantrums. However, her mischievous streak seemed to have only worsened.
The countdown for the red light ended. A green glow filled the car, only to vanish quickly. This conversation really shouldn't linger here for too long, she thought.
“In my eyes, you have always been the most beautiful.” Her smile deepened, her expression so gentle it was almost blinding. Yet she clearly heard the person listening let out a soft snort, as if in disdain.
Chen Jinyue sat back up straight. As if having lost interest, she didn't pursue the topic further, turning her head to look out the window as well.
*Heh. What is that supposed to mean?*
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
东浦机场 | Dongpu Airport | A fictional or slightly altered name for a major airport (likely Pudong).
陈谨悦 | Chen Jinyue | The protagonist (Yueyue / Xiao Jin).
陈芳 | Chen Fang | Jinyue's mother.
林韵声 | Lin Yunsheng | Jinyue's non-biological older sister (Shengsheng / Sheng-jie).
悦悦 | Yueyue | Diminutive nickname for Jinyue.
声声 | Shengsheng | Diminutive nickname for Yunsheng.
声声姐 | Sheng-jie | "Sister Sheng," a respectful/affectionate term used by Jinyue.
小谨 | Xiao Jin | "Little Jin," an affectionate nickname for Jinyue.
科目二 | Subject Two | A specific, difficult portion of the Chinese driver's license exam involving maneuvers.
