Chapter 42: Endure the hammer! Three thousand words
When Lin Zihan suddenly pounced on Ye Zhibai for a hug, it had already taken all her strength just to steady herself.
Given that she was barely managing to keep herself upright, how could she possibly save the phone in her hand?
The phone, with the flashlight still on, slipped from her grasp.
While holding Lin Zihan and comforting her, Ye Zhibai braced herself to hear the heartbreaking sound of the phone smashing against the ground.
Crash
Yet, it didn’t happen!
The phone didn’t break, and not even the flashlight dimmed!
Because Guang Yu was there!!
Seeing the phone about to fall, the little fox1 dove forward and caught it in a flying leap!
Her body slid across the ground, hands outstretched, and just in time—right at Ye Zhibai’s feet—she caught the phone!
This metal box, it can’t be broken!
After all, it’s crucial for ordering drinks!!
An ordinary girl wouldn’t be able to glide along the ground like that.
It’s precisely because she’s Guang Yu and flat-chested, that she could overcome so much friction and achieve what ordinary people couldn’t!
Guang Yu responded, Ouch… just looking at it hurts.
Ye Zhibai said, Guang Yu, when we get home, I’m giving you extra treats!
Guang Yu simply lay flat on the ground.
With one hand, she held onto the sunflower2, and with the other, she placed the phone back in position so the flashlight could continue to light up the small world around them.
Since Ye Zhibai wanted to be the little light to illuminate Lin Zihan’s heart, then holding up a real light to brighten the space where they embraced seems perfectly reasonable!
Ye Zhibai gently and rhythmically patted Lin Zihan’s trembling back with her hand.
—This action was just like how Cool Sister used to pat Ye Zhibai’s back to comfort her when she was a child.
It was the most healing thing.
The effect was noticeable.
Lin Zihan’s loud crying gradually turned into soft sobs.
Eventually, her sobbing transformed into quiet choking sounds.
She held Ye Zhibai tightly, calling out “Ye Zhibai” over and over again.
This poor girl had finally found someone she could lean on at this moment, and even if she acted unreasonably, she wanted to cherish this fleeting warmth.
Ye Zhibai gave another gentle pat on the back, this time accompanied by a calm inquiry.
“Feeling… a bit better now?”
Lin Zihan replied, “Sniff… Yeah… Ye Zhibai… just hold me a little longer… you’re so warm… and smell so good… it’s comforting…”
Whew…
Ye Zhibai’s body temperature was a bit on the low side.
Besides, in the middle of summer, was Lin Zihan seeking warmth from a body?
It was just that her heart was in a deep winter, and she desperately needed a spark to ignite it.
Lin Zihan truly felt the warmth in her spirit, and Ye Zhibai felt the same.
But besides that, Ye Zhibai also felt something soft against her body!!
Aren’t you holding me a bit too tightly?!
They were pressed tightly together, chest to chest, with no space in between—almost like magnets sticking to each other under pressure.
Since Lin Zihan was slightly taller than Ye Zhibai,
Ye Zhibai was willing to call this: The Marshmallow Compression Incident!
With zero distance between them, Ye Zhibai realized that Lin Zihan’s figure was more… substantial than it appeared from the outside!
Cough cough!!
It wasn’t like she wanted to think about these things; it was just an intuitive response brought on by physical sensation!
This isn’t right… I’m supposed to be comforting her, how can I have such dirty thoughts?
Lin Zihan said, “Ye Zhibai… your chest is really soft and perfectly balanced.”
“!?”
Ye Zhibai thought, So I’m not the only one with dirty thoughts, huh!?
Upon hearing Lin Zihan’s teasing remark, still laced with sobs but playful, the hand Ye Zhibai had been using to pat her back froze instantly!
Lin Zihan was only joking, though.
She already felt so much better being in Ye Zhibai’s arms and didn’t want the sadness to linger any longer.
If it affected Ye Zhibai’s mood… that would be far too costly.
Reluctantly, Lin Zihan stood up straight from Ye Zhibai’s embrace.
She gently gripped Ye Zhibai’s shoulder with her left hand, while her right hand rose to wipe away the tear streaks at the corners of her eyes from her tear-stained face.
Under the dim light of the phone’s flashlight, Lin Zihan looked directly into Ye Zhibai’s still emotionless, yet to her, so gentle, light purple eyes.
Lin Zihan couldn’t help but smile warmly.
“Ye Zhibai… thank you. After telling you all this, I feel a lot better. But… I was crying so loudly just now, wasn’t it embarrassing?”
Ye Zhibai spoke, “It wasn’t. No one else is around, just me. I won’t laugh at you.”
Casual comment—Guang Yu isn’t a person, so no issue there.
Lin Zihan said, “Pfft hahaha…! Ye Zhibai, seriously, thank you! Let’s just say this will be our little secret, okay? You better not tell anyone that I’m a crybaby!”
Ye Zhibai said, “I won’t.”
Why would I even mention it?!
No one in this world can keep a secret better than me!
That’s better.
Now that we have this, does that mean Ye Zhibai and I have a shared ‘secret’?
Hehe… even though it’s not much of a secret, only Ye Zhibai knows this side of me.
Just thinking about that, a sense of joy blossomed in Lin Zihan’s heart.
This time, Lin Zihan patted both of her cheeks with her hands again.
In the past, she’d always do this to convert all her anxious emotions into a false sense of cheerfulness.
But this time, the patting was just to shake off the sadness, to show her truest and best smile to Ye Zhibai, wasn’t it?
Seeing Lin Zihan’s tear-streaked face now smiling again, Ye Zhibai blinked in surprise, quickly expressing her evaluation.
“When you smile like that, you look much prettier.”
“Eh?!! Ye Zhibai, are you saying that I used to look ugly when I smiled?! I’ve been meaning to ask! When I sent you that photo before, you said the baby’s breath* flowers on my desk were beautiful—were you implying that I wasn’t? I’ve remembered that ever since! Ye Zhibai! Come on, answer me directly!!”
[*” Baby’s breath (满天星 **mǎn tiān xīng**)”: A type of flower often used to symbolize purity, innocence, and everlasting love. Here, it also holds significance in terms of comparison, as Lin Zihan’s self-image is affected by the perception of beauty.]
The way she’s talking now is completely different from before—it doesn’t even sound like a joke!
Ye Zhibai said, “Why are you being so serious about this?!”
“Didn’t I already say that both you and the flowers were beautiful?” Once Ye Zhibai indirectly clarified that conclusion, Lin Zihan nodded in satisfaction!
“Yay, I’ve beaten the baby’s breath flowers!”
Lin Zihan then noticed that Ye Zhibai’s phone had fallen to the ground.
She quickly bent over, helping Ye Zhibai pick up the phone that had dropped.
Guang Yu, seeing this, promptly let go of the phone and scurried back to the steps!
Hehe, you wouldn’t believe it, but actually, there’s a second drink in her bag!
Plenty of reserves!
After briefly checking that the phone wasn’t damaged, Lin Zihan let out a sigh of relief.
She was currently wearing her favorite outfit, but still used its sleeve to wipe the dust off Ye Zhibai’s phone, then happily handed it back to her.
“Ye Zhibai, here’s your phone!”
“Mm, thank you.”
“Eh, don’t thank me. Today, even if I thanked you a thousand or ten thousand times, it still wouldn’t be enough! Come to think of it… Ye Zhibai, you’re the first friend I’ve ever made, the first person I’ve ever invited to visit my flower shop, and the first person to see me cry like this. When you put it that way…”
Ye Zhibai looked confused.
What exactly are you trying to say?
Lin Zihan raised a finger, giggling as she summarized with a playful smile.
“Boo hoo, when you think about it like this, Ye Zhibai, you’ve taken so many of my ‘firsts’—so mean! How unreasonable!”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“Got it! I was just trying to be playful with Ye Zhibai~ After all, you’re going home soon, aren’t you? Opportunities like this are rare. Lastly, Ye Zhibai, can you do me one more favor?”
“Mm?”
“Hehe… since you didn’t say no, I’ll take that as a yes! It’ll just take a second, like this, heave-ho!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Guang Yu is ecstatic!
Lin Zihan suddenly leaned forward, slightly bending down and moving her face closer to Ye Zhibai’s cheek!
Her movement clearly showed an intention to get closer!
In fact… she did get closer, but not in the way Guang Yu imagined.
Lin Zihan leaned in and gently pressed her forehead against Ye Zhibai’s.
Their noses were also touching, cool to the touch, feeling nice.
As she reminisced with her eyes closed, Lin Zihan’s voice became soft and tender, her tone growing much gentler.
“Ye Zhibai… it’s all your fault for making me remember the past, okay? For today, just one last thing, I want to act spoiled again… This action is something my mom used to do when I was a kid, forehead to forehead… it represents solid love. Every time, it made me feel so safe. But Ye Zhibai, you’re still Ye Zhibai! I’m not trying to use this to relive my childhood—I just want to show a little bit of friendliness!”
Ah, right, right, right.
You’re at ease now.
But what about me!!
You scared me just now, you know that?!
I thought you… you…!
Sigh!
Forget it.
Ye Zhibai suddenly recalled last night and Yun’er’s agile tongue.*
[*” Agile tongue (灵活的舌头)”: This may refer to a prior intimate or shocking moment with Yun’er, left deliberately vague but still emotionally charged, hinting at a deeper or awkward interaction that Ye Zhibai is embarrassed to recall.]
Just thinking about it made her press her lips tightly together.
This matter must never be mentioned!
But… let’s just stay like this for a while longer.
Ye Zhibai could hear Lin Zihan, her eyes still closed, subconsciously letting out soft, whiny murmurs from her throat.
Let her reminisce.
And then face the future.
Only by truly bidding farewell to the past can one truly move forward. That is the significance of standing at this crossroad called “the present.”
Just as Lin Zihan was beginning to feel content, and was about to lift her forehead away, suddenly…!
At the dim end of the alley, another wave of killing intent* surged!
[*” Killing intent (shāqì 殺氣)”: In many xianxia and wuxia settings, killing intent refers to an overwhelming, murderous aura that experienced martial artists or cultivators can emit. It’s a palpable sensation that can cause physical and mental discomfort or fear to those who sense it.]
This chilling sensation made Ye Zhibai shiver all over!
Again?!
This feeling had already appeared several times today!
But this time, it was the strongest, the clearest one yet!
There was no mistake!
What the hell is going on!!
At the end of the alley, two suspicious figures were keeping a close watch on what was happening inside.
The suspicious figures were none other than Ye Zhijun and the head maid.
One was dressed in a detective-style trench coat, and the other in an unusual maid outfit.
These two had scared more than a few people today, making them hesitate about whether they should call the police!
And at this moment, even though Ye Zhijun’s face was hidden behind sunglasses and a mask, her small hand, which was gripping the wall, looked like it had the strength to tear the solid bricks apart and crush them!
From Yun’er’s point of view, under the faint moonlight, she could just barely make out Ye Zhibai’s back.
Of course… she also saw Lin Zihan wrapping her arms around Ye Zhibai.
And… her head completely pressed against her sister’s face!
The distance was too far to see clearly, but it was faintly visible!
Yun’er’s voice, distorted by the emotional turmoil roaring in her heart, came out a bit shaky.
“Maid, give me one more reason to calm down like you did this afternoon. Tell me, should I still hold back right now?”
“As per usual reasoning, yes, Miss, I would suggest you… Ah, sorry, this time I’m at a loss for words. But Second Miss, I suggest you hold on just a little longer.”
“Hold on? Fine… then at least tell me… they aren’t kissing, right?”
“……”
Maid!
Don’t go silent on me at a time like this!!
Sniffle, sorry, but the maid can’t guarantee something she isn’t sure about!
From the back, it does look like they’re kissing!
Ye Zhijun shot up like a bolt!
Damn it, I can’t hold back anymore!
“I’m done holding back, screw that! I’m no ninja! Sis, just wait, Yun’er is coming to rescue you!!”
