Chapter Thirty-Nine

“That’s still something for the future; it’s a little too early to call it that now,” Yu Xingyue said, her face beaming with a smile, which made Sun Yao feel much more at ease.

After the four finished their meal and left the restaurant, Sun Yao had his daughter, Sun Ying, say goodbye. Being shy, she hadn’t spoken much and hid behind her father. Yu Xingyue frowned. If this child’s personality doesn’t change, won’t she get bullied out in the world one day?

But that was only a passing thought. After all, she wouldn’t see Sun Ying often, only at Sun Yao and Yang Shuting’s wedding. Throughout the whole time, Yu Xingyue had only heard Sun Ying utter three words: “Um… I…”

Yu Xingyue couldn’t help but sigh. Sun Ying’s temperament was just like his own in the past. If not for the Tianyuan team, he might still be just as withdrawn.

Will she become my sister in the future? he wondered.

Yang Shuting took Yu Xingyue’s arm. “This is why I didn’t want you to get upset.”

“I was never angry,” Yu Xingyue replied with a laugh. “The girl’s just introverted, that’s all. She isn’t good at expressing herself, and her environment growing up probably made her this way.”

“Do you think you can change her?” Yang Shuting asked.

“We’ll see after you two get married. For now, it’s all just talk. It’s not like I can prove anything yet,” Yu Xingyue sighed.

As Yu Xingyue and Yang Shuting went on discussing their future, there’s no need to dwell further—lest it seem like padding the story.

The perspective shifts to Zhang Yi. His mother had gone out to search for Li Li, leaving Zhang Yi unable to join the search himself. He wanted to go, but his mother wouldn’t allow it, and their cat clung tightly to him.

The cat, David, was a stray Zhang Yi had taken in. He was deeply attached to Zhang Yi, always the first to rush to his side. While David was usually aloof with others, he was different with Zhang Yi.

Before she left, Zhang Yi’s mother told David not to let Zhang Yi out. David seemed to understand, curling up in Zhang Yi’s arms as if afraid he might vanish at any moment.

Zhang Yi stroked David, who purred contentedly. “David, are you in heat?” Zhang Yi sighed helplessly. “Your fur is all over my clothes—come on, let me go.”

But David only clung tighter, meowing in that special way only female cats do. Zhang Yi was at a loss for how to get her off him. If he tried to move David aside, she’d just leap right back into his arms.

“Oh, David!” Zhang Yi said with a wry smile. “You’re really giving me a headache—why are you so clingy?”

David looked up at him with innocent eyes and meowed again. Zhang Yi felt as if he couldn’t breathe; that meow was just too much for him to resist. In the end, he hugged David even tighter, and David’s plan had succeeded.

After some time, Zhang Yi’s mother returned. She hadn’t found Li Li, but saw that Zhang Yi and David were having a fine time together. Seeing his mother return alone, Zhang Yi understood what that meant. Still, who knew when they might meet again in the future?

As soon as David saw Zhang Yi’s mother come in, she jumped out of his arms. Looking down, Zhang Yi saw his clothes were now covered in cat fur. “Damn, getting this fur off is such a pain. David, looks like you’re getting a bath tonight.”

Hearing this, David vanished without a trace, as if she had never been there.

Back in his room, Zhang Yi noticed he had a message on his computer. It was from Yu Xingyue, who wrote that in the future he might have a stepfather and a sister, and wondered if life would change.

Finding it awkward to talk about in their group, Yu Xingyue had chosen to message Zhang Yi privately, thinking he was reliable. Zhang Yi shrugged and replied, “Isn’t that a good thing? If your stepfather treats you well, that’s your good fortune. And who knows? Maybe your future sister will fall for you.”

This message was like a bomb going off in Yu Xingyue’s heart. Of all things, Zhang Yi had to mention love. Even if they weren’t blood-related, wouldn’t people accuse him of something unsavory?

Yu Xingyue replied, “That’s weird… Are you just here to watch the show? [sweat]”

“I’m just imagining things. Honestly, your future sister might end up infatuated with you, old man. [funny]”

“No way!”

“As they say, girls change a lot as they grow up, and so do boys. Lately, I’ve noticed you’re looking more and more handsome. Have you realized?”

“Oh, come on. You’re just saying that to comfort me, aren’t you?”

“I’m serious. Go take a look in the mirror, Xingyue.”

Taking Zhang Yi’s advice, Yu Xingyue went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, as Zhang Yi said, boys really do change a lot as they grow. Over time, Yu Xingyue’s features had matured—he was no longer that child with a baby face.

Cherish all the plain-looking boys around you; they might turn into handsome men one day.

Yu Xingyue felt nothing had changed, or so he thought. Back at his computer, he typed, “Nothing’s changed at all. I can’t believe I even trusted you.”

“No way, brother. Do you really have so little faith in your looks? You have to be confident, or you really will become a plain-looking guy. [sweat]”

“Fine, fine, you’re right. Maybe it’s time I learned to take things as they come.”

“Why not tell everyone?” Zhang Yi asked. “We’d all help you sort things out.”

Yu Xingyue fell silent, then replied, “I just don’t want to trouble them anymore.”

“What kind of trouble is that? Are you just scared? Afraid to tell everyone? Am I right?”

That struck a chord. Yu Xingyue was indeed afraid others would talk behind his back about his blended family. But that was just his own worry—the others didn’t see it that way. It was a small matter, not some great issue. So what if you’re from a blended family? It’s not like others have any say in your life.

Zhang Yi continued, “Honestly, you just lack confidence. As our senior, there are a lot of things you don’t want to tell us, but you could share them with us. You’re not alone.”

Yu Xingyue replied, “I don’t want to talk about it. Let me be alone for a while. [goodbye]”

After Yu Xingyue went offline, Zhang Yi found himself with nothing else to do. He picked up a novel from his desk, thinking maybe something in it would be helpful to Yu Xingyue.

…

At Lin Zimo’s front door, someone knocked. Lin Zimo went to open it and found Lin Ling coming over for a visit.

“Senior Lin, why didn’t you bring Wu Guanzhong along?” Lin Zimo asked.

“He had something to take care of,” Lin Ling replied, blushing. “That’s none of your concern.”

“Please, come in.”

They went to Lin Zimo’s room and started a tea party—a tradition for the girls in the Tianyuan team. There was no set schedule, and the number of people attending varied.