"Sorry, I'm late." Holding an umbrella, Chu Lian walked slowly into the pavilion at the mountaintop, head lowered, as she spoke to those inside. "Eh, actually, not many people made it up in time. You're not really late." Ning Zhiyuan's sighing voice came from the side, making her lift her head.
"Out of forty-two people, only seventeen managed to arrive on time. The rest trickled in afterward. You're not the last, so you can't really say you were late." Ning Zhiyuan's face curved into a slight smile—so moving it could stir anyone's heart, though in Chu Lian's eyes, it still seemed like she was hiding something.
Chu Lian glanced around. Indeed, not all of her classmates were here, and farther down the main road, a few more students were still struggling their way up. Nodding slightly, she said to Ning Zhiyuan: "Then I'll wait for them."
"Next time, if something comes up, I hope you'll personally tell the teacher, even if it's just a phone call. Otherwise, the teacher will worry about you, understand?" Ning Zhiyuan reached out, wanting to brush her cheek, but in the end withdrew her hand, only offering a gentle reminder.
"I understand. There won't be a next time, teacher." Warmth bloomed in Chu Lian's heart. She knew this concern was genuine, and so she agreed.
"Good. Xiu'er and the others are over there. Go join them." With Chu Lian's answer, Ning Zhiyuan seemed much relieved, smiling as she pointed out a direction.
"Thank you, teacher. This school trip must have been quite troublesome for you." Chu Lian sincerely thanked her, then walked toward where she had pointed.
Her heart still unsettled, she failed to notice the peculiar gazes some classmates directed at her—including Cai Ya, Liu Yanran, and Duan Yuan, three young women from prominent families. Their eyes held more admiration than before, as though they had grown especially fond of her.
"Big Sis, you're back? Chu Chu missed you so much~" As soon as Chu Lian reached the three girls, Chu Chu flung herself at her. Because Chu Lian's thoughts were still unsettled, she didn't react in time and let Chu Chu cling to her, pressing her chest against Chu Lian's cheeks until her breathing became difficult.
"Ah~ Big Sis, don't!" Suddenly, a blush of emotion spread across Chu Chu's face as she bit her lip shyly. The soft, breathless moan she let out drew Li Xiu'er and Inori Yuzuriha's gazes toward Chu Lian, curious about what had just happened.
"Mmm~ Big Sis~ If you want Chu Chu, we can do it at the hotel, or somewhere private. There are too many people here, it's embarrassing~ ah~ don't bite, Chu Chu knows she was wrong…" Chu Chu's blush deepened, her eyes turning so sultry they seemed ready to drip water. Letting out such indecent cries, she finally couldn't take it anymore and went limp in Chu Lian's arms.
At that moment, Li Xiu'er and Inori finally noticed the damp patch at the front of Chu Chu's chest, about the size of Chu Lian's mouth. The evidence before their eyes left no doubt about why Chu Chu had let out those heated sounds. So it was… so it really was…
Inori only lifted a small hand to cover her lips with a soft smile, while Li Xiu'er was utterly flustered, a flush spreading from her pale neck up to her cheeks, finally dyeing her translucent earlobes red, her eyes shimmering like water.
"Let's see if you dare to trap me with those H-things again!" Chu Lian had bitten Chu Chu's chest reflexively, without thinking of what it meant, so she didn't notice her collapse, only huffing angrily.
"Lian, you were just doing something H to her," Inori reminded her, which made Chu Lian realize what she had done. Her face turned red, but she stubbornly denied it: "I wasn't doing anything H. I just bit the flesh that was squeezing me. Who knew she was so indecent, going weak at the slightest touch."
"Big Sis, that's my sensitive spot," Chu Chu said, face still flushed as she looked up from her arms.
"Hmph, I don't know anything, I don't know!" Hearing her words, Chu Lian's blush deepened until it looked as if blood had dyed her cheeks, yet she still refused to admit it, insisting stubbornly.
"You… what's with the tsundere act now?" Li Xiu'er wanted to complain when she saw the scene, but her own body was too weak to move, so she could only pout and turn her head away, refusing to look at Chu Lian and Chu Chu showing affection.
Resting in Chu Lian's arms, Chu Chu was finally pulled up by Inori, who had remained unaffected. She gently placed her on a protruding stone and asked Chu Lian with a subtle expression: "Lian, did you gain anything?"
Chu Lian knew what she was asking—whether her trip to the Temple of Nuwa had brought any answers. But that scene, half dream, half reality, was something she didn't know how to describe. She opened her mouth a few times, yet no words came out.
"Don't force yourself. If Lian doesn't want to say, then Inori won't ask," she said softly, extending her hand to caress her first love's cheek.
Holding Inori's hand, Chu Lian rubbed her face against it. The warm, jade-like touch was so comforting.
"Mm. Once I find the real answer, I'll definitely tell you all. Right now, I don't even know myself, so it's better not to say anything." Chu Lian rubbed against her hand for a long time before finally saying this.
"I believe Lian can do it." Inori reached out with her other hand, touching the opposite side of her cheek, then gently brought her face closer until their foreheads pressed together. Her voice was soft and tender.
Looking into those wine-red eyes so close to her, Chu Lian felt the softest part of her heart being touched. She closed her eyes and hummed softly in reply.
Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er lay on the stone to rest, but their eyes never left the two of them. Seeing Chu Lian in this state, they realized her mood had lightened considerably, and their own worries eased.
Not long after, once Chu Chu had recovered, she pulled out her phone from under her skirt, opened an app, and bounced over to Chu Lian, who was still leaning against Inori. Raising the phone, she said: "Big Sis, look here, look here."
"Hm? What is it, Chu Chu?" Having set aside her worries and feeling much better, Chu Lian had returned to her usual self. Even though Chu Chu interrupted her moment with Inori, she didn't get upset, only raised her head curiously.
"Look, someone recorded how you ran out just now and already uploaded it online." Chu Chu seemed delighted that her big sister was so popular, her smile blooming brilliantly.
"You mean when I chased that white figure? I didn't pay attention to them, so I don't know what happened." Chu Lian was surprised. She had only chased after that white figure, and when she lost sight of it, she became so dazed that she stayed lost in thought until she finally realized what she should do, then left together with Inori.
During all that time, she had only been focused on her own matters and hadn't cared what others were doing. So when she suddenly heard that someone had recorded and uploaded her, she was shocked.
"Hmph, that's not the only thing. Now a lot of people think Inori is Big Sis's number one CP, even overshadowing that red-dressed woman before. Hmph, hmph, hmph. Why didn't Big Sis let Chu Chu go with you just now? If Chu Chu had been by your side, I'd definitely be the first CP. But now I'm only ranked fourth—so annoying~" Chu Chu's resentment toward this matter was truly immense.
She'd only been away traveling for half a month, and when she came back, Big Sis had not only transferred into her school but also gained a whole group of rivals trying to steal her affection!
The blonde British girl and the cute Japanese girl she could tolerate for now—they depended on Big Sis for help, so the threat wasn't too great, as long as they didn't use the family rules tradition to repay her.
But that young lady with slightly wavy black hair—Huaxia's most famous girl singer—was another story. Cai Ya, born into a great family, with a father's side being the number one pharmaceutical family in the nation, and a mother's side being a literary and musical family, truly gave Chu Chu a sense of real danger.
She held special feelings for her big sister. Although now, because of the school trip, there weren't many chances to be close to her, she could never be underestimated. One slip, and something beyond friendship might happen between her and Big Sis. That made her a formidable enemy!
Li Xiu'er, her cousin from her mother's elder brother's side—even though they had only just gotten to know each other, her charm had already begun to captivate. And her feelings for Big Sis were all too obvious. Only Big Sis, this dense fool when it came to emotions, couldn't see it.
And then, that woman in red! Hmph. The last few times they had only met in passing, and she thought the woman wasn't much of a threat. Who knew she would turn out to be the strongest rival of all? In just a few short days, all sorts of videos of her with Big Sis had spread across the internet. When Big Sis played piano and sang, she danced beside her. When Big Sis played the flute or the zither, she stood silently at her side. It was practically like Big Sis had announced her as the official CP herself. Enviable… no, detestable!
Finally, there was Inori. Hmph, hmph, hmph! Chu Chu was jealous, jealous, jealous! Big Sis was so biased! Singing duets together, forming the "Twin Lotus" duo, bathing and sleeping together—this was too much! Why wasn't Chu Chu the one to enjoy that? And she was so gentle to her, too. Except for certain rare moments with Chu Chu, Big Sis had never treated anyone their age with such tenderness!
These past days, she had been everywhere. As long as Big Sis appeared in someone's video, she was always by her side.
Ahhh! And because of that, she was now called Big Sis's official CP, with so many people supporting it!
Now there was even a "Chu Lian CP Ranking," and why was Chu Chu only ranked fourth?!
First place was still held by the immensely popular Red-Clad Fairy, Ayase, who had always danced beside Chu Lian; second was the stunningly beautiful newcomer singer Inori, who had frequently appeared recently; third was even that man, Wang Tingsi! Why was he ranked above me? Only fourth was herself—was being sisters really that unpopular?
Sob sob sob~~
Chu Lian had no idea just how many wild thoughts had flashed through Chu Chu's mind in that brief instant—some of them even frightening.
She only curiously took the phone from Chu Chu and opened the video she had picked, watching quietly…