Chapter 55: If I had said so earlier, it would have been over
This time, Ye Zhijun took a speedy shower.
When you’re looking forward to something, you naturally bathe faster!
Normally, she could hum songs in the shower for half an hour, but today, she finished the battle in just ten minutes!
She wrapped her hair up, put on a towel, and covered her body with a large bath towel.
Yun’er stepped out of the bathroom with her long, fair legs.
As the bathroom door opened, a misty steam followed her, bringing a warm and sultry atmosphere to the living room.
She was as beautiful as a little fairy like a lotus emerging from the water,* pure and spotless.
[*”出水芙蓉 (chū shuǐ fú róng)” – “lotus emerging from water”: A poetic metaphor describing someone fresh, pure, and beautiful, often used to describe women after bathing. ].
She hadn’t been humming earlier, but now she softly hummed a tune.
She was heading to her room to fetch some little items that could make the night even more interesting!
“Big sister! You can take your bath now, the water’s just right! After you’re done, come back to the room quickly~ I’ll be waiting for you in bed! I… huh? Sister?”
As Ye Zhijun spoke, she glanced toward the sofa.
She immediately noticed that Ye Zhibai didn’t look well.
To Yun’er, her sister’s face always looked great.
Cool and cold as ice, a refreshing chill.
There wasn’t any visible change now either.
But Yun’er could sense a subtle shift within that unchanged expression!
She had the distinct feeling… that her sister seemed to be angry.
Oh no!
Yun’er instinctively thought, Oh no!
Was I too willful just now? Could it be that my sister isn’t in the mood tonight…?
Or maybe she thinks the freedom I gave her today still wasn’t enough?
Wah, but sister, if you continue being so free, your dear Yun’er is going to cry herself to death!
While brewing all sorts of guesses in her mind, Yun’er, with water droplets still clinging to her jade-like feet,* stepped onto the clean floor and plopped herself onto the small sofa next to where Ye Zhibai was sitting.
[*”玉足 (yù zú)” – “jade-like feet”: A term used to describe fair, beautiful feet, often in a poetic or romantic context.].
As she sat, she playfully leaned back!
She was trying to lighten Ye Zhibai’s mood through her actions.
But… Yun’er was still wearing just her bath towel!
When she sat down and leaned back suddenly, Ye Zhibai glanced to the side and happened to catch a glimpse of a sparse, endless spring scene in her lower peripheral vision.
Stay calm.
Let’s just pretend I didn’t turn my head.
Once Ye Zhibai slowly turned her head away, Yun’er finally realized and brought her legs together. It didn’t matter~ Yun’er didn’t put up any guard against her sister.
Even if she noticed Ye Zhibai’s gaze, Yun’er wouldn’t feel any displeasure.
If anything, she’d be quite excited!!
But right now, that wasn’t important.
With a worried expression, she gently tugged at the corner of Ye Zhibai’s clothes with her fingers and asked cautiously.
“Sister…? What’s wrong? You don’t seem too happy.”
“Can you tell?”
“I can’t see it… but I feel like it’s true.”
Well, your feeling is pretty accurate.
Ye Zhibai nodded.
For the next dozen or so seconds, she didn’t speak.
But it was this silence that made Yun’er grow even more nervous.
Could it be… did you do something wrong? But that can’t be!
No, that’s not it.
Ye Zhibai was just struck by some emotions before she opened her mouth to lecture her.
She thought, that if it had been when her soul had just entered this body, she definitely wouldn’t have been thinking about reminding Yun’er to eat her dinner properly. Back then, she wouldn’t have felt like she had the right.
But over time, with how much she had spent with Yun’er and through their deep interactions…
In Ye Zhibai’s heart, she slowly developed a sense of responsibility as Yun’er’s family.
This sense of responsibility had grown stronger and stronger.
So, there was no need to carefully choose her words.
Out of concern, Ye Zhibai naturally asked this question.
“I remember before I went out to eat, you promised me you’d have a proper dinner, didn’t you?”
Yun’er blinked rapidly.
The panic in her eyes lasted only a few microseconds before it was replaced by quick-witted alertness!
“I-I did eat properly! I had a big meal!”
“By ‘big meal,’ do you mean a compressed biscuit and a bag of milk?”
“No…! Huh?! Someone tattled on me?!”
Alright.
Isn’t this just admitting guilt without being pressed?
[*” 不打自招 (bù dǎ zì zhāo)” – “admitting guilt without being pressed”: An idiomatic expression referring to someone giving themselves away without being questioned, often out of nervousness or carelessness.].
Ye Zhibai sighed helplessly.
Meanwhile, Yun’er clenched her little fists and began counting the possible snitches!*
[*”小报告 (xiǎo bàogào)”– “tattling” or “snitching”: Refers to reporting small or trivial matters to someone in authority, often with a slightly negative or playful connotation.].
“It must have been the head maid! That sneaky one! Not following the maid team’s confidentiality rules! Just wait till tomorrow…!”
“Yun’er.”
“Here!”
Yun’er immediately stood at attention like a soldier!
At that moment, the roles reversed!
The always-passive Ye Zhibai finally stood in a position of power. Even though she was seated and Yun’er was standing, Ye Zhibai’s overwhelming pressure was steadily increasing, making it hard for Yun’er to breathe.
Because her sister’s expression hadn’t changed, Yun’er couldn’t react in time! Of all things, this was what troubled Ye Zhibai the most.
“Why didn’t you eat dinner? Be honest.”
“Alright…” Yun’er understood that this wasn’t the time for well-intentioned lies. “I… I just wanted to lose a bit of weight. When I weighed myself before, I saw that for several days straight, my weight had been increasing, and it was really scary.”
“Increasing weight? Specifically, by how much?”
“On average, it’s been increasing by about 0.12 jin (0.06 kg) per day, and it’s been going on for three days straight! Sister, you tell me, isn’t that terrifying?!”
Terrifying my foot!*【9†source】
[*”可怕个锤子 (kě pà gè chuízi)” – “terrifying my foot!”: A slang expression used to dismiss someone’s exaggerated fears, similar to saying “That’s ridiculous!” in English.].
I could drink a bottle of water in one go that would weigh more than this!
Isn’t this within the normal range of fluctuation, for heaven’s sake?!
And that scale we have at home? I haven’t even used it yet, and it turns out it’s super accurate!
For a moment, Ye Zhibai was at a loss for words.
Although in her previous life, she had heard that girls are usually concerned about their weight, she never imagined it could reach such an obsessive level!
She said, “No, that’s not right.”
Yun’er didn’t have any kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder at all. If anything, she was the type to be quite carefree in life.
Someone who could call a helicopter just to deliver a phone wasn’t the type to fuss over small things!
So, sitting on the sofa, Ye Zhibai tilted her head back and stared directly into Yun’er’s nervous eyes, asking again.
“And what’s the reason for wanting to lose weight?”
“It’s just… just because my weight has been going up…”
“Your weight went up, and then?”
“Then I need to lose weight!”
Are you seriously playing this impossible loop with me?!
Asking softly and gently (more like coldly) wasn’t going to be effective.
Ye Zhibai decided to use her trump card.
Previously, Ye Zhibai, who had never had a family, didn’t quite understand how to interact with family members.
But she could learn!
This trump card was something she picked up recently while surfing the internet, from watching some low-age family comedy cartoons with Guang Yu.
Don’t underestimate low-age content, it works!
Ye Zhibai smoothed the hem of her dress on her lap with her hand. This gesture made her appear more imposing!
“Yun’er… do you know that disobedient and dishonest children must be punished?”
“Please, by all means!!”
“…”
Oh crap, I forgot, this trick won’t work on her.
She’s a pervert!
Seeing Yun’er’s eyes suddenly fill with excitement and anticipation, and her entire aura start to “huff huff” in excitement, Ye Zhibai felt nothing but fear!
Is this what “family” is like?
Love it, love it!
Yun’er, no longer afraid, now leaned closer to Ye Zhibai, her breath chaotic.
“Hehe… How is Sister going to punish me? Will you spank me, or pull my hair? Ah… pulling hair sounds painful… That one’s no good, and Sister definitely wouldn’t have the heart to do it. I’m not asking for much, so how about Sister spanks me like last time? I’m all ready!”
Why did you lay down on the sofa?!
You’re just way too eager to get hit, there’s something seriously wrong with your thinking!
Uh.
Did she just say… “last time”?
What last time?
When did I ever spank you?!
Well, indeed,t people usually don’t remember the good deeds they do when they’re completely drunk.
Also, there’s no way I’d ever pull your hair! I couldn’t even bear to pull Guang Yu’s tail fur, let alone your hair!
But… Yun’er lying on the sofa, expectantly looking up at Ye Zhibai, with her still-damp hair sticking to the side of her face, and those little feet swaying back and forth…
That sight did make Ye Zhibai’s heart stir a little.
Yun’er’s eyes were filled with affection. Putting aside the perverted part, they were full of the purest, most genuine hopes of a girl.
“Sister, don’t look at me like that… I… I’m not that much of a pervert! Even if I am, I only act this way with you! Think about it, it’s just like me acting cute toward you, it’s not that overboard!”
Oh great, you’ve managed to convince me by 1%, which is a miracle in itself.
However—
“I only act this way with Sister.”
That emotional sentiment hit Ye Zhibai right in the heart, making it tremble a little.
I… I really can’t handle this!
Ye Zhibai was truly a case of tsundere—her mouth said it was bad, but her body was already slowly lifting her right hand, thinking about how to hit her lightly.
“Let’s agree first… If I spank you, you’ll tell me the real reason for wanting to lose weight, okay?”
“Yes!! This time, I promise to tell the truth! I swear! Sister spanks me, and Yun’er wouldn’t dare to lie!”
Look at how desperate you are.
Oh.
If you’d said this earlier, wouldn’t everything have been settled already?
“Then… get ready for the spanking.”
