Mu Ning froze for a moment, then reached out to fondly ruffle Ji Yu's hair. She gently took the girl's slender fingers into her hand and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her dark pupils were filled with loss and regret. Perhaps even she hadn't expected that a girl barely into adulthood could so easily see through her worries.
Ji Yu placed her own hand over Mu Ning's, leaning forward slightly as if to study her face more closely, hoping to catch some trace of the story hidden within those eyes. But it was fleeting—gone before she could grasp it, leaving nothing to read.
So…
"Aunt Ning doesn't really have problems of her own," Mu Ning said with a forced smile. "It's just that troublesome son of mine giving me headaches."
…Forget it.
Ji Yu reminded herself she was only here in Shanghai for a visit. There was no need to care about people she had just met, even if one of them happened to be a sponsor. And from the sound of it, Aunt Ning really was worried about her son, though that smile looked painfully strained.
Noticing Ji Yu's silence, Mu Ning realized this girl was both considerate and clever. Warmth filled her heart, but after all, Ji Yu was someone else's daughter. She restrained herself from fussing further.
Ji's mother, meanwhile, had been half-expecting Mu Ning to suggest introducing her son to Ji Yu. She hurried to politely decline before the idea could go any further, unsure whether it would be a blessing or trouble. But once she saw that Mu Ning's interest in Ji Yu was no longer in that direction, her sense of alarm faded, and the conversation smoothly returned to work.
After dinner, the four of them naturally strolled to the riverside. Ji's mother and Mu Ning walked ahead, chatting about things only they would understand, while behind them the Ji sisters linked arms, pointing at the rippling lake as they talked.
Shanghai's afternoons were always lively. Crowds flocked to the lakeside, embracing the first cool breeze of evening after the blazing sun dipped away—celebrating the end of the long, hot day.
The air smelled of the blue lake water, clinging to Ji Yu's clothes and hair. She gazed at the shimmering ripples with quiet eyes.
Beside her, Ji Yu's elder sister noticed the silence. Tilting her head, she leaned gently against her younger sister's shoulder, breathing in her faint scent.
"…Phew. Ji Yu, how long has it been since we played together like this, carefree?"
Her hand slid down Ji Yu's arm, brushing against her pinky finger before giving it a light tap. She smiled. "At least seven or eight years, right?"
The lake breeze tossed their long hair. Ji Yu shivered slightly at the first cool touch, goosebumps prickling her skin. Her sister caught it in the corner of her eye, watching her with a soft smile.
"Back then, you were still just a kid—wild and thoughtless. Our family had to keep running around, but even so, life wasn't so bad."
Ji Yu turned her gaze toward the park along the lakeshore, where couples were walking hand in hand. She hesitated, then gave a small hum of agreement. But when her eyes fell on those couples, her brows lowered ever so slightly.
Her sister laughed at the sight, covering her mouth. Shaking her head, she said lightly, "Ever since you became like this, even Mom's been getting better every day. Maybe she just doesn't want you to carry too much on your shoulders."
Ji Yu stayed quiet for a long moment before finally nodding. Then she turned to her sister, who was smiling as she watched the pigeons by the lakeside.
"Jie."
"Mm?" Her sister tickled her palm, glancing over.
"Have you… ever been in love?"
The question drew another laugh. In the blue-eyed girl reflected in her gaze, long hair fluttered in the evening wind, her delicate figure silhouetted by the last light of sunset, skin pale but fading in the dim glow.
"Oh? Since when do you care about my love life? What, are you planning to find me a couple of boys as birthday gifts?"
Ji Yu's lips curled faintly, though her eyes still carried unease.
She kept thinking—why did her chest still ache faintly?
It wasn't about love. It was about friendship… or maybe just her own stubbornness.
Her sister shook her head, answering with a wry smile. "No, I've never dated. My whole youth went into holding this family together. But since we're on the subject, let me ask you—barely a year and you've already broken up once. Planning to be a heartbreaker?"
Ji Yu said nothing, only shook her head. With so little foundation in that relationship, there was no need to wear her heartbreak openly. At home, she would always be the little princess.
"Wow——!"
Sometimes, going out with girls meant you had to expect their sudden squeals. Sure enough, when her sister spotted the fountain in the park square surrounded by pigeons, she immediately dashed off to a nearby stall, returning with a small bag of bread crumbs. She stuffed it into Ji Yu's hands.
"This is my first time seeing pigeons with a fountain! Come on, let's feed them too."
"Huh? Since when did you get so girly, Jie?"
"What, you think your sister's already old?"
She flicked Ji Yu's forehead with her knuckle, eyes narrowed with mock anger. Ji Yu jerked back dramatically, laughing when she saw her sister's smile finally return.
"Come on, one bag each. Let's see who can gather more pigeons around us."
On the street, a young man strummed cheerful music. Soon, the lighthearted rhythm swept across the park, infecting everyone with a sense of leisure as they wandered, carrying the night's joy forward.
By the lakeside garden, the music and singing, the mist and breeze—all seeped gently into people's hearts. The Ji sisters sat quietly on a bench by the fountain, palms open with bread crumbs. Soon enough, they were completely surrounded by a cloud of pigeons.
But the joy didn't last long. Curious onlookers wanted to join in, stepping forward—only to scatter the birds in a flurry of wings.
Ji Yu lifted her face, watching the sky fill with white feathers. For the first time, her lips bloomed into a rose-like smile, radiant and captivating. At that moment, as the music swelled into its most beautiful refrain, a few pigeons even perched on her head. Dressed in white, standing amidst the flock, she seemed like the goddess of the doves herself.
She crouched down, her hair tumbling loose to her feet like a blossoming flower. Under the lamplight filtering through the trees, she cupped one pigeon gently from her head into her hands, laughing softly as it tilted its tiny head at her.
"Happy now?"
Her sister's voice chimed beside her, fingertips brushing the bird's head as she laughed like silver bells.
"That's what this trip is for—fun. If it's for fun, stop brooding over all those things you won't even tell me about."
Satisfied by Ji Yu's radiant smile, she gave a little hum, then hooked her arm playfully. "Whatever happens, no matter how hard it feels, remember—your sister's always here."
It was midsummer.
The lakeside garden was packed, the noise and bustle rising like the flutter of wings. And in the crowd, Ji Yu saw her mother and Mu Ning smiling too—smiles genuine, from the heart.
But the girls' laughter faded, drowned by the hum of cicadas.
Because at that moment—
From beyond the crowd, Tang Li appeared, sipping milk tea with his right hand. And in his left—
was the slender arm of a girl.