Why is it that the iPhone gestures for "Wake Wallet" and "End Call" are both designed as a double-click of the lock button? Does anyone know?
What was the original intention behind this design? Did the engineers and product managers feel that "spending money" and "seeing a call you want to hang up on" shared the same emotional state?
And did they ever consider what a person should do if they receive a call from someone they love right as they are trying to pay?
Chen Jinyue, the sweet-tempered victim of this design, stood at the coffee pickup counter, pressing down the corners of her mouth as she pondered this question.
As for whether to call back immediately—of course not.
She had only just finished paying. Her next steps were to spend ten minutes waiting for her latte to be made, three minutes finding a high stool by the window, two minutes watching the snow outside, and one minute taking her first sip of coffee.
And throughout those sixteen minutes, she would have to multitask: adjusting her triumphant, leaping heart to a level where she could call back with a normal tone of voice.
Outside, the snow was still falling. The long winter here, which lasted seven months every year, would finally draw to a close next month. Beyond the window lay a highway blanketed in white; as cars drove past, they left behind slightly stained tire tracks. Across the street was a McDonald’s, with snow piled atop the M-shaped logo like two little white hats. It was quite cute. Unfortunately, the McDonald’s here didn't sell McSpicy Chicken Fillet Burgers.
Jinyue committed these scenes to memory, unsure how many more times she would see them. Winter would end next month, and though she hadn't made the call yet, she thought she would likely be absent for the spring.
She took her first sip of coffee, and warmth spread through her mouth. She guessed that her always calm and self-controlled elder sister was probably getting a bit impatient by now. She cleared her throat and pressed the call button.
The call was picked up almost instantly. Lin Yunsheng never made her wait long, though this time, there was a hint of urgency in the connection.
"Hello—" Jinyue spoke first, a smile in her voice.
There was silence on the other end for several seconds before a voice asked, "Are you busy?"
"No, I’m just buying coffee."
"Oh... You’re so slow. It took sixteen minutes."
—So she wasn't the only one counting the time.
But Lin Yunsheng was so impatient; complaining after only sixteen minutes. Jinyue thought to herself that she had waited nearly seven years for this phone call.
She smiled tenderly and said, "Then I’ll apologize to Sister when I get back."
"Then... when are you coming back?"
"Aren't you going to invite me?"
"..."
"Then, may I ask, when are you coming back?"
"Hahahaha, Lin Yunsheng, you’ve learned how to tell lame jokes now."
On the other end, listening to her laughter, Lin Yunsheng’s eyes curved into crescents.
"I’ll check the flights and let you know. Soon."
"Okay..."
"Have you been happy lately?" Jinyue asked her sister.
"I have."
"If you’re happy, I’m happy."
"I’m hanging up now."
"Okay."
—Goodbye.
With smiling eyes, Jinyue finished her coffee. She counted the days; she had been back here for fifty-three days this trip, nearly two months. Not long after returning to work, she had submitted her resignation. The company took a month to hire a replacement, and after she spent two weeks training them, the handover was successfully completed.
The things in her rented apartment were mostly packed. Once this call was over, she could contact the shipping company to send them back home.
It seemed there really wasn't much left to do. After all, she had long been a migratory bird waiting for the season to change.
She stood up, took one last look at the snow, and one last look at the McDonald’s. She said goodbye to it, offering a silent apology: *Even though I’ve eaten your food for six years, I still love McSpicy burgers more.*
***
"Dongpu Airport is way too big!"
A week later, Chen Jinyue followed the crowd along the walkway, grumbling inwardly. She had been walking for over ten minutes since getting off the plane, yet the corridor still seemed endless.
She hurriedly stepped onto the moving walkway, pulling her suitcases along to speed herself up. She looked down at the two large suitcases in her hands—this time, she finally looked like a long-haul traveler.
Finally reaching the exit, she passed through the routine inspections, grabbed a luggage cart, and hurried out.
"Yueyue—!" Not long after she stepped out, she heard someone call her name from the dense crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers.
Mothers always had that knack—being able to spot their child in a sea of people at a single glance, even if it had only been two months.
Jinyue looked toward the sound and saw her mother waving excitedly. Her mother’s eyes were crinkled with joy, and she was shouting, "Over here! Over here!" Beside her stood Lin Yunsheng, a smile gracing her face.
Jinyue jogged over and pulled her mother into a hug. "I’m back!" she said, then kissed her mother’s cheek.
When she released the hug and looked at Lin Yunsheng, both of them were pursing their lips, trying their best to suppress their smiles.
The last time she returned, she could still feign a casual hug, but now, with their mother present, she didn't dare do anything.
They could only let their gazes entwine. This time, there was no panic or confusion, only a sense of stability and peace.
Jinyue’s gaze drifted down to the small bag Lin Yunsheng was carrying. The woman had tied a red string around the handle.
This time, she really couldn't hide her smile. She lowered her head, her grin widening.
Chen Fang stood to the side, curling her lip as if she couldn't bear to watch. She started walking ahead, feigning annoyance. "Let's go! It's almost ten o'clock. I have a mahjong game to get to."
Lin Yunsheng took the luggage cart from her sister and followed. Chen Jinyue, trailing at the end of the line, looked up at the terminal clock. It was only 7:42 PM. "Mom, wait for me!" She jogged to catch up with her mother, who seemed to be living in a time zone two hours ahead of her.
Chen Fang drove again today, though she didn't say why. Jinyue and her sister sat in the back seat without speaking, their hands hidden in the shadows, fingers brushing. Jinyue lightly tickled her sister’s palm, only for Lin Yunsheng to catch her hand, silently forbidding her from moving. Then, Jinyue turned her wrist over, palm to palm, interlacing their fingers. Now, both of them were quiet.
They didn't get a chance to speak privately until after dinner. Jinyue took the initiative to clear the table and wash the dishes. Afterward, Chen Fang announced she was heading out for mahjong. Jinyue added a pleasing remark: "Win big." This didn't earn a smile; her mother simply shook her head, shot a sharp look at her two daughters, and left.
Jinyue leaned against the kitchen island, looking at Lin Yunsheng. "Sister," she called out, her smile brilliant this time.
She slowly opened her arms, waiting for the other woman to walk over from the dining table. Then she held her tightly, burying her nose against Yunsheng’s collarbone and taking a deep breath.
"Sister..."
"Are you tired?"
"A little." Jinyue rested her chin on Yunsheng’s shoulder, her fingers reaching behind to twirl a strand of her hair. "Once I find a job, I’ll move out. I feel like Mom is still a bit... conflicted."
"Mm."
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Mm..."
"Okay." Jinyue let go and started toward the master bedroom.
Lin Yunsheng hurried after her. "Wait a second."
"Hmm?"
She took her sister’s hand and stepped forward to open the door first. Then she paused and said, "Never mind, go in yourself."
"What is it... Lin Yunsheng?"
Jinyue pushed the door open.
She let out a soft laugh—a small bouquet of roses sat on the table. She walked over and took the flowers into her arms, counting them. Ten pink roses, surrounded by baby's breath.
"Pink is for first love, did you know that?" she laughed, looking at Lin Yunsheng, whose face had turned red at the doorway.
"I didn't know."
Jinyue put the flowers down and walked over. "Lin Yunsheng, you’re so cunning. Sending me flowers first... and putting roses and baby's breath together."
The woman before her tilted her head, tapped Jinyue’s shoulder twice with her finger, and asked, "Do you like them?"
"I love them." Jinyue kissed her, guiding Yunsheng’s hands to rest on her waist.
Seven years ago, on that night when she was so happy she didn't dare pray for more, Chen Jinyue had stepped out of a taxi clutching a bouquet of baby's breath, leading her sister through a narrow alley. Lin Yunsheng had glimpsed a beautiful bouquet of roses someone had discarded in a trash can at the alley's entrance.
Two months ago, after her sister had left the room, Lin Yunsheng had thrown the roses she bought for herself into the trash through her tears.
She had wondered then: which owner of those discarded roses was more heartbroken? The one whose sincere heart had been trampled, or the one who had hurt someone else, only to have her own heart shatter along with theirs?
If the young florist seven years ago could ask her one more time: "Is it for a colleague, a friend, or a lover?"
She could finally say "lover" without hesitation and ask them to wrap the most beautiful roses.
She wasn't cunning; she simply felt that seven years was too late, and she had already waited so long.
Lin Yunsheng led her sister into the master bathroom, then went to the guest bathroom to shower herself.
An hour later, she held Chen Jinyue by the bedside, slowly claiming her shallow breaths.
But the other woman wasn't satisfied. She shifted their positions and said, "I still owe you a sixteen-minute apology."
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does. It matters." Jinyue reached out, distracted, to find the small box and took out two pieces for herself.
"Xiao Jin..." Yunsheng’s voice was thick with emotion.
"I missed you too." Jinyue knew everything.
She moved past the rising waves, leading her sister into the primitive depths.
They went to find the mountain ravines where the night breeze rises on a spring evening, to an ocean even warmer and more humid than Nancheng.
Previously, Jinyue had felt that physical desire killed love—but no. When she saw Lin Yunsheng like this—flushed, melodious, and breathtakingly beautiful—she knew better.
Her sister didn't need the baptism of moonlight; she was the moon itself. She was herself, and Jinyue was illuminated by her. Before desire, what she touched first was Yunsheng’s soul.
"Lin Yunsheng..." she whispered.
"Lin Yunsheng... in our next life, let me be the older sister, okay?"
The other woman had no strength left to respond.
Jinyue teased her, forcibly reclaiming her attention.
"Is that okay? Lin Yunsheng."
"You won't have to work so hard then..."
"Hold me... Xiao Jin," Yunsheng called out like a drowning person seeking rescue.
Jinyue leaned down to kiss her, her breath lingering by her ear. The tender words stayed for only a few seconds before turning playful again.
She said, "Call me 'Sister' now. I’ll... I’ll remember this sound. In the next life... I’ll recognize you instantly."
"—Ah,"
"Chen Jinyue... you—"
Yunsheng reached out to cover the other's mouth, trying to stop her from talking nonsense.
But how could she? Before long, she instinctively clung to her sister’s back, her voice overflowing with a crying tone.
"Why are you crying..."
Jinyue looked down at her sister. Those eyes were so provocative, filled with aggrieved tears, but the tears tonight were beautiful.
She couldn't help but reach out to wipe them away, heedless of the fact that she was only making a mess of her face.
Lin Yunsheng was left suspended, her gaze not yet clear. "You..."
Jinyue removed the protection from her hand and used a tissue to wipe her sister’s face clean.
She looked at her with a mischievous grin, then leaned in close. "Sister..."
"Xiao Jin..."
"Hmm?"
"Say it."
No one answered.
"You... you really are like a bad child right now." Yunsheng turned her head away, refusing to look at her.
Jinyue chased after her with a kiss. "Lin Yunsheng, why do you never say what you want..."
When had she ever said what she wanted?
If Jinyue really wanted to teach her, she shouldn't have started with *this*; it was completely cheating...
Jinyue found two more pieces and put them on, biting Yunsheng’s ear as she asked, "What do you want, Sister...?"
the person in her arms curled up, goosebumps rising on her skin. In broken syllables, she said, "Con... continue..."
"Okay." Jinyue kissed her again.
Even just hearing that much was enough to satisfy her. There was still plenty of time.
She let Lin Yunsheng embrace her once more. It was different from before, yet she was especially addicted to it.
"Sister Shengsheng—" She suddenly used the nickname from their childhood.
"...Ha—"
"I’m a bad child, but what about you...?"
She saw the damp ends of Yunsheng’s hair tangled around her fair neck, looking fragile and vivid.
Previously, she had heard Lin Yunsheng say many times that Jinyue had lured this love out of her.
But if we’re talking about luring—
Jinyue flicked her finger upward, hearing an intoxicating sound.
If we’re talking about luring—
Then they were accomplices now.
She sent her sister into the spring tides.
From now on, there was no concept of time. There was only "before this night" and "the conspiracy hereafter."
Jinyue looked at her sister’s dazed eyes; it turned out there was a scenery even more enchanting than bloodshot eyes.
"You’re so beautiful tonight," she said softly, pulling the woman into her arms and pressing a pure kiss to her forehead. She fell into the quiet night outside the window. As the spring breeze blew, what night was this?
Amidst the ebbing tide, Lin Yunsheng leaned against her sister’s shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling the gentle, rhythmic stroking of her waist.
Suddenly, she felt as if the sunlight of Wencheng was shining upon her, tender and delicate.
—That person had said three sticks of incense were to pray for oneself, and six were to pray for two generations.
She had counted six.
As she knelt on the prayer mat, gazing at the Buddha statue before her.
She had said devoutly:
The first wish: I hope Mom stays healthy.
The second wish: I hope Xiao Jin lives a happy life.
And for the third wish, she had already made up her mind—to be an ordinary pair of lovers with Chen Jinyue in the next life.
But in a split second of hesitation, she had looked back.
She saw the person standing behind her. In a daze, she saw her as that tiny little thing again. Back when she couldn't even walk steadily, she would run toward her, following behind her and calling "Sister Shengsheng" over and over again... it felt like it was only yesterday.
As the masses of living beings paced around them, with all the suffering and joy of the human world—would being an ordinary pair of lovers really be better?
In the next life, who would sit on the back of the bicycle? Who would give her that anticipation for the sunrise again?
She looked into her sister’s eyes, watching her walk toward her instinctively against the backdrop of the sun.
Lin Yunsheng turned back. As if time were running out, she closed her moist eyes and stubbornly made her third wish—*O God, that person behind me... in the next life, do not let me lose my way from her.*
—*Let us still be sisters.*
—*Biological sisters.*
She bowed her head in worship, brook no argument. In the morning light, the hall was solemn and majestic, smoke curling around her.
Between the morning bell and the evening drum, she heard that voice again: "Sister Shengsheng—"
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 东浦机场 | Dongpu Airport | A fictional or specific airport name. |
| 满天星 | Baby's breath | Also known as Gypsophila; often used in bouquets. |
| 声声姐姐 | Sister Shengsheng | A childhood nickname for Lin Yunsheng. |
| 温城 | Wencheng | A place name, likely where they visited a temple. |
| 南城 | Nancheng | South City; a place name. |
| 麦辣鸡腿汉堡 | McSpicy Chicken Fillet Burger | A popular McDonald's menu item in China. |
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Moonlight Doesn't Reach | Chapter 54 | Sisters in Every Life | Novela.app | Novela.app
