The jet lag should have been mostly settled by now, but even after lying in bed since ten o'clock that night, Chen Jinyue continued to toss and turn, unable to sleep. Since her outburst at Lin Yunsheng a few nights ago, the two of them had barely crossed paths. Often, when she was awake, Lin Yunsheng was at work; by the time Lin Yunsheng returned home, she was already asleep.
She didn't know if Lin Yunsheng was truly that busy, only returning home in the dead of night. Two nights ago, she had been jolted awake by a dream and, as was her habit, went to the kitchen for a glass of water. As expected, she didn't find Lin Yunsheng curled up in the living room like that first day. Driven by an indescribable impulse, she glanced toward the entryway and realized she hadn't come home yet.
Vaguely, she felt she had done something wrong. Why had she lashed out at Lin Yunsheng like a reactive cat? She wasn't sure if the other woman was hurt, but even from a self-interested perspective, what was the point of a tactic that wounded the enemy a thousand times but cost her eight hundred in return?
Besides, Lin Yunsheng wasn't exactly a pure "enemy."
At the very least... she was an enemy she had once loved.
Furthermore, she still hadn't heard Lin Yunsheng explain what exactly was going on between her and Jiang Haitao.
No, it wouldn't really be an "explanation." Who was she to Lin Yunsheng now? She didn't have the standing to demand that Lin Yunsheng go out of her way to explain her relationship status.
Yet, if Lin Yunsheng was avoiding her own home because of her, staying out late every day to work overtime just to return under the cover of darkness, it truly made her feel uneasy.
It was all a mess.
Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly heard the *click* of the front door opening—she was back.
Chen Jinyue didn't know why, but she suddenly grew tense. Even though she was safely tucked away in her room where no one could bother her, she involuntarily held her breath, terrified that Lin Yunsheng would discover she was still awake, listening to her every move in the dark like some sort of creep.
Lin Yunsheng deliberately slowed her movements. She placed her discarded high heels into the shoe cabinet and closed the door softly. When she hung up her car keys, she didn't forget to catch them gently with her hand to prevent them from clinking against the keychain.
Without lingering in the living room, she shuffled straight back to her room in her slippers and turned the lock, closing the door as if afraid of making any extra noise. Only then did Chen Jinyue remember to breathe, followed by an uncontrollable, heavy gasp for air.
*...What on earth am I doing?* she couldn't help but scold herself.
It really was a mess.
She lay there with her eyes open in the quiet night. Faint moonlight illuminated her room, shining on her negligible drowsiness. There were moments when she felt a sense of trance, wondering where she actually was.
Was the darkness in a foreign country any different from the darkness here? Compared to a distance of thousands of miles, Lin Yunsheng was now within reach.
But was there any difference?
Her mind was filled with these trivial thoughts all night. She didn't even know if she had actually fallen asleep. It felt like she had, yet she seemed conscious every second; but if she hadn't slept, why was it already six-thirty in the morning when she checked the time?
She simply pulled back the curtains, deciding to watch the "blue hour." Compared to a fiery sunrise, she preferred this moment when the sky hadn't quite woken up yet.
She hadn't always been like this; it was a habit picked up from Lin Yunsheng.
After about half an hour, she gave up on sleeping altogether. She got up to wash, applied some sunscreen, and picked out a hoodie and jeans. While her mother and Lin Yunsheng were still asleep, she put on a baseball cap and headed out.
She really wasn't familiar with this neighborhood—not just the neighborhood, the entire city felt somewhat foreign. Only after leaving did she realize she didn't even have mobile data. She found a small shop that opened early to set up a new phone plan, and once everything was sorted, she decided to get some breakfast.
Chen Jinyue strolled slowly along the street. It was Saturday, and the weekend morning wasn't as bustling as a workday. Aside from the elderly, there were almost no young people in sight. She walked aimlessly, looking for a stall to eat breakfast, and ended up walking nearly two kilometers before finding one in an inconspicuous alley.
She told the auntie what she wanted to eat, and just after paying, she received a call from her mother.
"Yueyue, you went out? Where did you go so early in the morning?"
"Yeah, I'm out having breakfast." She looked down at the tips of her shoes, treading on the squares of the small tiles, walking three or five steps forward and then turning back, pacing in circles.
"Oh, well don't get lost. You're not familiar with the place. You didn't even ask your mom to go with you."
"Oh, I won't get lost. I'm not a child."
"Do you want breakfast? I'll buy some for you..."
"No need, no need. We're eating at home."
Her original intention was to let her mother naturally ask if Lin Yunsheng wanted anything—this place's fish paste noodles looked quite good—but since her mother said that, she simply kept her mouth shut.
"Come back soon after you eat. Your sister's friend will be arriving in a bit."
She was talking about that Jiang Haitao.
"Got it. Hanging up now." Chen Jinyue ended the call. Without locking the screen, she opened a map app and swiped around. Seeing a park nearby, she decided to wander over there after breakfast.
Otherwise, why go back so early? It would only be annoying.
She dawdled all the way until nearly ten o'clock before starting the walk home. It was only when she reached the door that she realized she hadn't recorded her fingerprint and didn't know the door code. Looking at the doorbell, she felt a sudden, dazed sensation that she was the guest here.
"Guest" was the polite way to put it; in reality, she felt like an outsider.
She raised her hand and rang the bell. Her mother came to open the door.
"Yueyue's back! Oh, come in, come in." Her mother led her into the house, where she saw Jiang Haitao walking out of the kitchen.
"Haitao, you're just in time. This is Jinyue, Shengsheng's younger sister."
"Xiao Jin, right? I know."
"Xiao Jin, hello. I'm Jiang Haitao, your sister's friend."
Hearing him call her that, she instinctively furrowed her brows. She looked at the man before her; he wasn't as old-fashioned as she had imagined. She thought that someone her sister would take an interest in at thirty would be mature and steady, but he felt more like an easygoing, cheerful guy. He was wearing a grey-white sweater and jeans, looking quite young. His looks were average—two eyes, one nose, nothing special.
They didn't match. After all, her sister had been beautiful since she was a child. If the person standing next to her wasn't Jinyue herself, then that man would have to be peerlessly handsome, a beauty found neither in heaven nor on earth, to even barely be a match.
But it would be best if it were always herself standing beside Lin Yunsheng; that was the best match.
"My sister mentioned me?"
"She did. I knew about you even before you went abroad, haha."
She hadn't expected them to have known each other for so long.
Jiang Haitao grinned at her, but she didn't respond. Turning to her mother, she said she was going to her room to change and left immediately. Before entering her room, she glanced at the kitchen. Lin Yunsheng was inside, busy with something.
When she returned to the living room, the three of them were sitting on the sofa. A fruit platter was on the coffee table, and Jiang Haitao was popping a slice of orange into his mouth.
*Can't he do it himself? What was Lin Yunsheng busy with in the kitchen just now?* She rolled her eyes and walked over.
Seeing her approach, Lin Yunsheng stood up and gestured for her to sit in her original spot. Instead, she walked to the coat rack and took down her overcoat. "Xiao Jin, is there anything you want to eat today? I'm going to buy groceries."
Strange. She didn't ask the guest; instead, she asked Chen Jinyue. Jinyue glanced at Jiang Haitao, who showed no reaction at all, simply picking up another piece of apple and stuffing it into his mouth.
This was the first thing Lin Yunsheng had said to her in days. She suppressed the urge to be prickly and simply said, "Anything is fine, I'm not picky."
"Okay."
"Let's go, Jiang Haitao."
"Oh, oh, coming." The man answered indistinctly with a mouth full of apple and hurriedly stood up.
So they were going to buy groceries together; that's why she hadn't asked him. *Heh, I really am the guest.* Her expression began to sour. Lin Yunsheng looked at her, then walked toward the entryway.
"Come here, Xiao Jin."
She didn't know why Lin Yunsheng was calling her then, but she could only follow with a sullen face. To her surprise, Lin Yunsheng took her hand.
"Ah...?" She hadn't reacted yet, slightly shocked, her eyes wide as she looked at Lin Yunsheng. She only heard the other woman lead her two steps outside the door and say:
"Record your fingerprint..."
"Oh."
The hand-holding was brief, but she had indeed held it. And Lin Yunsheng had noticed how she had entered the house just now. Chen Jinyue felt both sweet and bitter inside; her sour face now turned into a pout as she looked down at the door lock.
The fingerprint had to be recorded several times from different angles. During this time, Lin Yunsheng stood beside her, watching. She had already put on her high heels, making her a bit taller than Chen Jinyue. Caught off guard, Chen Jinyue was enveloped by her scent, and her face uncontrollably flushed a little.
"Xiao Jin."
"Mm..." she responded while pressing her finger according to the instructions.
"The code is your birthday."
...Ah.
Chen Jinyue was truly stunned this time, only able to let out a short, involuntary sound from her throat. She looked up at Lin Yunsheng, her lips slightly parted in a daze. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but she couldn't voice them. She tried to read something from the other's expression, but found nothing.
*What exactly do you mean, Lin Yunsheng?*
"Fingerprint 3, entry complete." The door lock issued the final command. Because of this, the other woman didn't linger. This brief, inexplicable moment of tender tension ended with that systemic voice.
Lin Yunsheng put on her scarf—one Chen Jinyue hadn't seen before—and turned to leave.
As she passed by, her shoulder lightly brushed against Jinyue's.
"Don't be unhappy anymore."
She heard Lin Yunsheng say.
***
