Chen Jinyue spent the entire day idling away. Since Chen Fang had gone out to play cards, Jinyue eventually headed to the supermarket alone in the evening. She bought some fruit and wandered around until nearly seven o'clock before heading home.
Chen Fang happened to return at the same time, looking gleeful—clearly, she had won some money. She was busy in the kitchen, humming a little tune to herself.
Chen Jinyue walked over, carrying the fruit. "Looks like you won quite a bit."
"Oh, you're back. Where did you go?"
Jinyue lifted the plastic bag in her hand and gave it a little shake as her answer. She set the fruit down on the counter, took out a carton of strawberries, and began to soak them.
Chen Fang prepared two simple dishes and a soup, then called for Jinyue to finish washing the strawberries and come out for dinner. Jinyue scooped the strawberries out of the water, rinsed them twice more, placed them in a fruit bowl, and turned toward the dining table.
When she was a child, Jinyue often ate with Lin Yunsheng, or the three of them would sit together. Moments like this, with just her and Chen Fang, were actually quite rare.
Her thoughts drifted back to Lin Yunsheng. It was dinner time now; with how busy she was every day, how did she manage her meals? "Does Lin Yunsheng take a lunch box to the office every day?"
"Don't be so informal; that's your sister," Chen Fang scolded as she set a bowl of rice in front of her.
"Oh. What does *Sister* eat for dinner every day?" she asked again.
"She says she eats with colleagues or orders takeout. Sigh, that's exactly why I want someone to look after her. You know how it is—food from outside can't be as good as home-cooked meals."
Jinyue pouted again at those words. "Even if someone looked after her, wouldn't they still have to work? Wouldn't they still be busy? What does having someone have to do with anything?"
"You don't understand. Look at that Jiang Haitao—he works at the same place as your sister. Isn't it much better to have one of your own people looking out for you?"
Jinyue didn't respond. The mere mention of Jiang Haitao annoyed her.
She wondered if Lin Yunsheng being so busy all day was partly because of Jiang Haitao. After all, with Jinyue at home, Lin Yunsheng couldn't exactly date properly here. At the office, however, she could spend time with him.
Besides, who was to say she was even at the office?
The thought made her a bit indignant, and she began poking holes in her rice with her chopsticks.
*Click—* The door opened.
Jinyue and Chen Fang looked toward the entrance simultaneously. It was Lin Yunsheng.
"Oh, Shengsheng! You're home so early today. Why didn't you say something? We just started dinner, come join us."
"Oh, Mom, a meeting was canceled at the last minute, so I came back. I've already eaten, you two go ahead."
"Oh, alright then."
Lin Yunsheng changed her shoes and carried her bag past the dining table. Jinyue kept a sour expression on her face the whole time.
Lin Yunsheng felt a bit bewildered. *Did I misinterpret things this morning?* she wondered.
She went to her room to change into comfortable clothes and washed her hands. Then she walked to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. Noticing the washed strawberries nearby and assuming her mother had bought them, she picked them up and sat down at the dining table.
She sat right next to Chen Jinyue.
Jinyue's eyes swept over, and seeing her washed strawberries being served up by Lin Yunsheng like that, she blurted out without thinking, "I bought those strawberries."
Her tone was a bit *aojiao*—haughty and defensive—as if to say, *I bought them, how can you just eat them without asking me?*
"What are you saying? Yours, mine... just eat your dinner," Chen Fang cut in first.
Jinyue suspected that if she weren't an adult now, Chen Fang would have smacked her hand with a chopstick in the next second.
Lin Yunsheng didn't say a word. She took a sip of water and swiped her phone, busy with something unknown.
Jinyue particularly hated this—when Lin Yunsheng was silent, and especially when she wasn't just silent, but wasn't even paying attention to her.
Fine, then no one would talk. She went back to poking her rice, but when she noticed Chen Fang's gaze sweeping over, she had to stop—she couldn't let her mother scold her again right now.
She reached out to grab some food and finished her meal with her head down.
When she set her chopsticks down, she saw that Lin Yunsheng's glass of water was nearly empty, but she hadn't touched a single strawberry since that comment.
She glanced at Lin Yunsheng again. The other woman was still focused on replying to messages on her phone, giving her no attention at all.
"I'm done. Going to my room," she said crossly.
She stood up, dropped her chopsticks, and left.
"What's wrong with Xiao Jin?" Lin Yunsheng asked her mother after Jinyue had gone.
Chen Fang finished her meal and set her chopsticks down, her face full of confusion and dissatisfaction. "I don't know. She was fine just a moment ago."
...
*Oh. So she's unhappy that I came home too early?*
"Mom, leave the dishes. I'll wash them." Lin Yunsheng finished the last sip of water and stood up.
Without waiting for Chen Fang to refuse, she took the tableware to the kitchen.
She said she would wash them, but she really just used the dishwasher. Chen Fang usually felt that a few plates weren't worth the trouble and was always reluctant to use it.
But if that was the case, wasn't the dishwasher a waste of money? So every time, Lin Yunsheng simply took over the chore to give the underused appliances some exercise and to keep Chen Fang from getting too tired.
She rinsed the dishes, placed them in the dishwasher, added the detergent, and crouched down to press the start button.
She didn't leave immediately. She stayed there, crouching in front of the dishwasher, dazing out for a while.
She checked her watch: 8:22 PM.
She had an online meeting at 8:30. She stood up, and as she passed the dining table, the plate of strawberries was still sitting there.
She reached out and moved it, placing it right in the center of the table, then returned to her room.
***
Chen Jinyue was tossing and turning on her bed, clutching her pillow.
Her emotions were such a roller coaster. She had been angry just a moment ago, but now she felt a bit wronged.
But when she thought about it carefully, what was she even angry about? It was nothing more than her mother mentioning Jiang Haitao, and after her own imagination ran wild, she had taken her frustration out on Lin Yunsheng, who had finally managed to come home early.
It was rare for Lin Yunsheng to be home so early—this was exactly what she had been wishing for for days. Now, she had ruined it, and she had ruined it herself.
*But why didn't Lin Yunsheng eat the strawberries? Doesn't she know what I meant?* The more she thought, the more aggrieved she felt.
She heard the sound of Lin Yunsheng's door locking. She wondered if Lin Yunsheng wouldn't come out again tonight.
If she couldn't see Lin Yunsheng because she was busy, she could barely accept it. But if she couldn't see her because she had done something wrong, even though she was right there...
Her sense of being wronged turned into dejection. She buried her face in the covers, unwilling to face it.
*It's all your fault, you bad strawberries.*
Tears were almost ready to fall.
Time ticked on until ten o'clock. Chen Fang turned off the TV and prepared to go to bed. Even Chen Jinyue was starting to feel sleepy—she had woken up too early that morning. Lin Yunsheng hadn't stepped out of her room again.
It wasn't that she hadn't thought about knocking on Lin Yunsheng's door, but what would she say if it opened? She could only give up on the idea.
She got up dejectedly, grabbed her pajamas, and prepared to take a shower.
By the time she finished her shower and came out, the lights in the hallway and living room were off. She looked at Lin Yunsheng's still-closed door and felt that it wouldn't be impossible for her to burst into tears right there in the dark of the night.
Chen Jinyue lowered her head and returned to her room. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the window, lost in thought.
She looked up at the moon. It wasn't round; a large piece was missing.
She remembered being abroad, sitting in her room just like this, gazing at the moon.
She would look at the moon and think of Lin Yunsheng, wishing she were by her side.
Now, she was doing the same thing, looking at the same moon. Lin Yunsheng was still in her heart, and this time she was much closer, yet Jinyue didn't even have a reason to speak to her.
Perhaps "reason" wasn't the right word. It was just that once Lin Yunsheng stopped coaxing her, she didn't know what to do.
*Lin Yunsheng...*
It was almost eleven. *Lin Yunsheng...*
*Click—* She heard the sound of the door next door opening.
It was her sister!
Chen Jinyue immediately sat up straight, even holding her breath.
*Is she going to the kitchen for water?*
*Should I go out?*
She no longer felt as bold as she had this morning.
*Thump—* Her own bedroom door was knocked on. Just once, a soft, crisp sound.
She heard Lin Yunsheng walk toward the living room.
*Snap—* The sound of the floor lamp being turned on.
Lin Yunsheng was waiting for her.
Chen Jinyue's heart rate spiked instantly. She stood by the door, and just like this morning, she took a few deep breaths—*three, two, one*—before gently opening the door and walking out.
It was just like before: Lin Yunsheng was sitting on the rug, leaning against the sofa. Only the floor lamp was lit, and a laptop sat on the coffee table.
Lin Yunsheng really was waiting for her—
From the moment she stepped out, her sister's gaze landed on her. Meeting that gaze, Jinyue felt a mix of shame and embarrassment. She looked away toward the dining table and saw the strawberries.
They were placed neatly in the very center of the table.
*It's all your fault, you bad strawberries.*
She walked over, picked up the plate, and returned to the living room.
Under Lin Yunsheng's watchful eyes, she placed them on the coffee table.
She stood by the table, unmoving.
She didn't feel like a twenty-four-year-old. In front of Lin Yunsheng, she was forever that child—the one who wanted to make her angry, but was terrified that she might actually be mad.
"Come here," Lin Yunsheng spoke softly, gently patting the empty space beside her.
Only then did Chen Jinyue walk over and slowly sit down, leaning her head against her sister's shoulder.
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Lin Yunsheng asked in a soft, gentle voice.
"I waited for you for so long..." Jinyue pouted deeply.
Lin Yunsheng chuckled and reached out to pinch her pouting lips. "I had to wait for Mom to fall asleep."
"Oh..."
"Then... then hug me first..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Lin Yunsheng lifted her and shifted her position, circling her in her arms from behind.
Lin Yunsheng rested her head on Jinyue's shoulder, her voice close to her ear. "Why were you unhappy?"
"I wasn't unhappy. I just thought of something, so..."
"I thought you didn't want me to come home so early." Lin Yunsheng was so close that her breath brushed against Jinyue's earlobe. Jinyue felt the blood rush to her head.
"That's not it. I didn't—I haven't seen you for days." Her tone became unintentionally agitated as she spoke.
Lin Yunsheng buried her face in the crook of Jinyue's neck and laughed.
"Lin Yunsheng..."
It tickled.
She was still thinking of how to explain her mood today when the laptop screen lit up.
The night was full of coincidences—it was another notification from Jiang Haitao.
Chen Jinyue turned cold almost instantly. Jiang Haitao was truly inescapable!
She raised her hand to move the arms circling her. The words "You should get back to work" were on the tip of her tongue, but before she could speak, Lin Yunsheng held her down.
"Don't move," she said, her tone almost pleading.
Lin Yunsheng's left arm held her tightly, using just enough strength to keep her from standing up. Her right hand moved to the trackpad and clicked the notification right in front of her sister.
*23:15 Jiang Haitao: "I've sent the data script to your email. Remember to check it."*
Lin Yunsheng's right hand tapped a few keys, replying with a simple "Okay," then she withdrew her hand to hold her sister again. She didn't speak, letting the screen stay lit.
If Chen Jinyue wanted to, she could look up and see the previous chat history—it was all strictly related to work.
Lin Yunsheng was being completely transparent, which made Jinyue feel petty in comparison.
"Xiao Jin..."
Lin Yunsheng nuzzled her neck, bit by bit.
"Mm..."
"I want to eat a strawberry."
How could she say those five ordinary words in such a captivating voice?
"Okay..."
Chen Jinyue broke away briefly, kneeling up to reach for the strawberries on the coffee table. When she turned back, she shifted her direction, facing Lin Yunsheng and straddling her curled legs.
She held the plate in her left hand and picked out the plumpest, most beautiful strawberry with her right, offering it to her.
Lin Yunsheng didn't take it. She just looked at her sister.
The moonlight was soft, and so was the lamp.
But Lin Yunsheng's gaze was not.
Chen Jinyue felt as if Lin Yunsheng's eyes were burning her.
—A comfort object.
She remembered a child at the next desk when she was little who had a rabbit plushie. The child always held it, never letting it go.
It was a comfort object, something that provided a sense of security.
She knew it was strange, but when she was a child, Lin Yunsheng was the person who made her feel safe.
—Her comfort object was Lin Yunsheng.
She raised her hand and brought the strawberry to her sister's lips. Lin Yunsheng didn't look away; she watched her as she bit off the tip of the strawberry.
She bit off a piece of Jinyue's sanity.
It was indeed a plump strawberry. The juice seeped out, sliding down Chen Jinyue's finger toward her wrist.
Lin Yunsheng extended her index finger to chase the drop. It brushed past Jinyue's finger, across her palm, all the way to her wrist.
The touch sent goosebumps across Jinyue's skin.
Having caught the drop, Lin Yunsheng gave a light flick upward, stopping the trail of juice.
Then, she brought her own finger to her mouth.
She took her finger into her mouth, her eyes still fixed on Chen Jinyue.
That gaze burned away the last of Jinyue's reason.
She didn't dare look into those eyes anymore. Her gaze dropped, lingering on Lin Yunsheng's lips.
—The rules for using a comfort object:
"Lin Yunsheng..."
Her voice was low and trembling, as if she were about to confess a shameful secret.
"Can I kiss you?"
She took a breath, feeling herself becoming greedy.
***
