20

A soft gulp echoed in the air—barely noticeable, but in the quiet, intimate moment between them, it was incredibly clear.

Qin Ruan's ears twitched, her gaze flickering slightly as she bit down gently on her pink lips. The hands gripping Wen Yixin's shoulders tightened slightly as she swallowed.

Their eyes remained locked, neither of them looking away first.

Without thinking, Wen Yixin raised her hand, her warm palm covering the small hand on her shoulder. Her fingers curled around it, giving it a light squeeze.

Qin Ruan's breath caught, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly.

She swallowed again, her lips parting slightly as she whispered, "Sister Wen…"

"Ring, ring, ring…"

The sudden sound of a phone ringing shattered the delicate atmosphere between them.

Startled, Qin Ruan quickly snapped back to reality. She pulled her hands away from Wen Yixin's shoulders and averted her gaze.

Lowering her head, she retrieved her phone, pausing slightly when she saw the caller ID.

Holding the phone, she spoke slowly, "Sister Wen, I need to take this call."

"Oh… alright," Wen Yixin responded, her voice a bit slow as she hadn't fully regained her composure.

As she listened to Qin Ruan's footsteps growing fainter, Wen Yixin finally rubbed her temples.

Had she just… lost her composure?

And…

Wen Yixin bit her lip, leaning back against the sofa as she covered her eyes with her hand, lost in thought.

On the other side of the room, Qin Ruan answered the call, "Hello…"

"Big sister, where are you right now? Are you still at Teacher Wen's place?" It was Qin Yi's voice.

Qin Ruan paused for a moment before replying, "Why?"

"Dad's coming back the day after tomorrow in the morning. Do you want to come home for a few days? It's been a while since I've seen you around," Qin Yi said.

Hearing this, Qin Ruan remained silent for a moment before softly replying, "I understand."

With that, Qin Ruan hung up, not saying whether or not she would return.

After ending the call, she stared at the date displayed on the screen, her gaze lingering.

She lowered her eyes and turned back towards the living room.

As Qin Ruan's footsteps approached, Wen Yixin slowly lowered her hand from her eyes and turned to look at her. Seeing that Qin Ruan didn't seem very cheerful, Wen Yixin asked, "What's wrong? Who was on the phone?"

"Nothing," Qin Ruan shook her head, not wanting to say more.

Seeing this, Wen Yixin didn't press further. She only softly said, "If you ever need help with anything, just tell me. No matter what it is."

"Okay," Qin Ruan replied and habitually sat down next to Wen Yixin.

Wen Yixin's gaze fell on Qin Ruan's delicate profile, her eyes flickering slightly as her lashes lowered to conceal her thoughts.

Qin Ruan fidgeted with her phone, her fingers repeatedly pressing the side button to turn the screen on and off, her eyes downcast.

After a while, she turned off her phone and placed it on the sofa cushion.

"Sister Wen," she called softly.

Wen Yixin looked up, "Yes?"

"Can you accompany me somewhere tomorrow?" Qin Ruan asked in a low voice.

"Of course," Wen Yixin answered without hesitation, then asked, "Where?"

Qin Ruan bit her lip, her voice tightening as she said, "The Northern Cemetery."

Wen Yixin's expression froze for a moment, clearly taken aback by the location.

After a brief pause, she collected herself and nodded, "Alright."

"Shall we go in the morning? Or in the afternoon?" Wen Yixin asked.

Qin Ruan lowered her head, her thumb pressing gently against her index finger, "Morning."

Wen Yixin nodded, "Okay, I understand."

Noticing the lingering gloom on Qin Ruan's face, Wen Yixin reached out and tapped her forehead. When Qin Ruan looked up, Wen Yixin smiled gently, her finger sliding from Qin Ruan's forehead to her chin before lifting it slightly. In a soothing tone, she said, "I was thinking of making some tea. Do you want to help me?"

Qin Ruan blinked, her mind clearing of the troubling thoughts that had clouded it.

She looked at Wen Yixin, nodding slightly, "Okay."

"Then let's go," Wen Yixin said, giving Qin Ruan's chin a playful tap before standing up.

Qin Ruan followed right behind her.

In the kitchen, Wen Yixin reached up to a cupboard and took down a bag of tea leaves, measuring out a portion before turning to Qin Ruan with a gentle voice, "Can you grab a bottle of milk from the fridge for me?"

"Okay," Qin Ruan responded obediently, fetching the milk. When she turned back, she saw Wen Yixin skillfully preparing the tea, even setting a timer on her phone.

The ease with which Wen Yixin moved suggested she was quite accustomed to making tea.

Qin Ruan, thinking about this, couldn't help but voice her thoughts, "Sister Wen, do you often make tea?"

"Yes, I enjoy making tea when I have some free time," Wen Yixin replied, placing the tea bag back in the cupboard. She glanced at the various tea bags and then turned to Qin Ruan with a smile, "But I prefer black tea."

"And you?" she asked.

"Me?" Qin Ruan was surprised that Wen Yixin asked her. She shook her head after a moment, "I don't have any particular preference."

In truth, Qin Ruan seldom drank tea; she could count the number of times on one hand.

"Is that so…" Wen Yixin mused, her eyes catching the milk bottle in Qin Ruan's hand. "The tea will take a while to steep. Do you want to have a glass of milk first?"

"No, thanks," Qin Ruan shook her head. "I'll wait with you."

"Alright," Wen Yixin replied, turning to gather the teaware.

Seeing the teapot and cups in Wen Yixin's hands, Qin Ruan reached out, "Sister Wen, let me wash those for you."

Wen Yixin shook her head, dodging Qin Ruan's hand, "No need, just wait for me. It won't take long."

Qin Ruan hesitated, watching as Wen Yixin began to clean the teaware. Slowly, she withdrew her hand.

By the time Wen Yixin finished washing the cups, the timer on her phone went off.

Her hands still damp from washing, Wen Yixin asked, "Qin Ruan, could you turn off the alarm for me?"

"Sure," Qin Ruan agreed, quickly swiping the alarm off. Her gaze lingered on the lock screen for a moment before she handed the phone back.

Meanwhile, Wen Yixin had filtered the tea and poured it into the teapot.

She carefully poured out a cup of dark, rich black tea. Holding the delicate white porcelain cup, she brought it to her lips. As the warm tea touched her lips, Wen Yixin took a small sip, her expression relaxing as she murmured, "Not bad."

Smiling, she extended the cup toward Qin Ruan, "You should try it."

"If you find the tea flavor too strong, you can add some milk," Wen Yixin suggested.

Qin Ruan's gaze softened, her eyes briefly lingering on Wen Yixin's tea-moistened lips before she looked down.

She took the cup from Wen Yixin, murmuring, "Thank you, Sister Wen."

Wen Yixin smiled, "Don't mention it. Go ahead, give it a try."

"Mm," Qin Ruan responded, gently turning the cup in her hands until the side Wen Yixin had sipped from was facing her.

She glanced up at Wen Yixin, who was unaware of Qin Ruan's small gesture, focused only on seeing if Qin Ruan would like the tea she had made.

Lowering her head, Qin Ruan pressed her lips to the slightly damp rim of the cup and took a slow sip, letting the tea roll down her throat, its rich aroma lingering.

At the same time, Qin Ruan's grip on the cup tightened slightly, her knuckles white with the force she was exerting.

"Is it good?" Wen Yixin asked.

Qin Ruan looked up, her gaze holding a hint of depth as she replied softly, "Tea made by you, Sister Wen, is naturally delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," Wen Yixin said with a smile, then asked, "Would you like to try it with some milk?"

Shaking her head, Qin Ruan declined, "No, it's perfect as it is."

Pure… and unadulterated…

"Alright, I don't like adding milk to mine either. You can put the milk back in the fridge later," Wen Yixin said. Initially, she had asked for the milk to add to Qin Ruan's tea, but since Qin Ruan preferred it without, the milk was no longer needed.

"Okay," Qin Ruan agreed.

She bowed her head and continued to sip the rich, dark tea from the porcelain cup, savoring the flavor as if she loved it.

For a while, the only scent in the air was the rich aroma of tea. As Qin Ruan drank, something within her seemed to awaken and unfurl.

Her gaze lowered, Qin Ruan drained the last of the tea from her cup. As she pulled the cup away from her lips, she instinctively licked away the lingering droplets of tea.

She looked intently at Wen Yixin, her lips slightly reddened from the tea, "Sister Wen…"

Wen Yixin lifted her head, "Yes?"

Qin Ruan licked her lips again and held out her cup, "Could you pour me another cup?"

Wen Yixin chuckled, "Of course."

She quickly refilled Qin Ruan's cup and poured herself another as well.

But as she picked up her own freshly poured tea, Wen Yixin's eyes caught on the cup in Qin Ruan's hands, pausing slightly.

When she saw Qin Ruan take another sip of tea, Wen Yixin's grip on her cup tightened.

She suddenly remembered that the cup Qin Ruan was using was the same one she had used first.

Though it seemed trivial, something about watching Qin Ruan's lips touch the same cup made Wen Yixin's lashes flutter.

Was it just her imagination, or did it feel like Qin Ruan was flirting with her?