22

When they arrived home, Wen Yixin hung up the parasol and glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was 12:30.

She reached into a nearby storage cabinet, pulled out a hair clip, and twisted her hair up, securing it with the clip.

After fixing her hair, she turned to Qin Ruan and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"What would you like to eat? I'll make it."

Qin Ruan, feeling no particular appetite, shook her head and said, "I'm not hungry yet."

Wen Yixin thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll cook something later."

She wasn't that hungry either.

"Why don't you sit on the sofa for a bit while I grab some drinks from the kitchen?" she said, feeling the need to cool down after the hot trip outside.

As Wen Yixin hurried off, Qin Ruan walked over to the sofa, carrying the bag with the jar of lollipops. She placed the jar on the coffee table just as Wen Yixin returned from the kitchen with two glasses of coconut juice.

Wen Yixin set one of the glasses in front of Qin Ruan and, noticing the lollipop jar on the table, asked, "Aren't you going to have one?"

After all, back at the flower shop, she thought Qin Ruan seemed eager to have some.

"Maybe later," Qin Ruan replied as she picked up her glass of coconut juice.

Wen Yixin watched her, tapping her fingers lightly against the cool glass before taking a sip of her own drink. As she set the glass down, she couldn't resist reaching out to the lollipop jar.

"It's been a while since I've had one of these. I'll try one first."

She twisted off the lid and pulled out a strawberry-flavored lollipop. After unwrapping it, she popped it into her mouth.

As she savored the flavor, her eyes squinted slightly in pleasure, and she turned to Qin Ruan. "It still tastes just like it used to."

After a moment, Wen Yixin grabbed another strawberry lollipop and offered it to Qin Ruan, saying, "This one's pretty good. Do you want to try it? I'll unwrap it for you."

"Now I want to try it," Qin Ruan said.

How could she resist something that Wen Yixin had unwrapped for her?

With a smile, Wen Yixin quickly peeled off the wrapper and, seeing that Qin Ruan was still holding her glass, brought the lollipop directly to her lips.

"Open up," she instructed.

Qin Ruan obediently opened her mouth.

In the next moment, the strawberry-flavored lollipop was gently placed in her mouth.

"How is it?" Wen Yixin asked.

Qin Ruan nodded, rolling the candy around in her mouth before answering with a slightly muffled voice, "It's pretty good."

Wen Yixin chuckled and, still holding her own lollipop, reached over to the small shelf beside the sofa and grabbed a car magazine.

She flipped through it before nudging Qin Ruan with her elbow. "Qin Ruan, come take a look."

Qin Ruan leaned closer, resting her chin on Wen Yixin's shoulder.

As Wen Yixin flipped through the pages, she paused at a car model she liked and turned to Qin Ruan for her opinion.

They spent a good while discussing the various models, and when Wen Yixin finally closed the magazine, she muttered, "Let's go to the car dealership tomorrow. If we find something suitable, I'll buy it."

When Qin Ruan heard that Wen Yixin planned to go to the dealership tomorrow, she couldn't help but bite her lip.

"Sister Wen," she began, removing the lollipop from her mouth.

Wen Yixin glanced at her.

"I might have to go back to the Qin family tomorrow," Qin Ruan continued.

"Tomorrow?" Wen Yixin was surprised. She hadn't expected Qin Ruan to need to go back so suddenly.

"Is there something going on?" she asked.

"Well, there might be something," Qin Ruan replied vaguely, as if she herself wasn't sure.

Wen Yixin frowned slightly, "How long will you be gone?"

"Do you need me to come with you?"

"Two or three days, maybe. I'm not sure."

"No, it's okay." Qin Ruan answered each question in turn.

Wen Yixin bit down on the candy in her mouth, the crack resounding as she swallowed the pieces. After a moment, she said, "Then I'll drive you back tomorrow."

"If anything comes up, call me."

"And when you're ready to leave the Qin family, call me, and I'll come to pick you up."

"Alright, I will," Qin Ruan replied obediently.

Wen Yixin ruffled her hair, unsure of what else to say, so she changed the subject, "I'll make some noodles with minced meat sauce. We can eat together in a bit."

Qin Ruan was about to speak up, but before she could, Wen Yixin added, "It won't take long to make. You just wait here."

"Oh," Qin Ruan said, settling back down onto the sofa.

Meanwhile, Wen Yixin, after heading into the kitchen, couldn't help but glance in Qin Ruan's direction.

The thought of Qin Ruan leaving tomorrow made her feel strangely unsettled, a bit empty.

Perhaps she had simply gotten used to spending time with Qin Ruan, she reasoned.

After all, since arriving in this city, Qin Ruan was the person she spent the most time with. They were almost always together, except when sleeping, so the thought of Qin Ruan returning to the Qin family felt… strange.

Wen Yixin frowned slightly, letting out a silent sigh.

But at least Qin Ruan would only be gone for a few days.

With that thought, Wen Yixin relaxed a bit and focused on making the noodles.

Meanwhile, Qin Ruan, after finishing her lollipop, found herself thinking about tomorrow. She stood up and walked towards her room.

Wen Yixin didn't notice until she brought out the noodles and found the living room empty.

She hesitated for a moment, glancing around before heading towards Qin Ruan's room.

Sure enough, she found Qin Ruan inside.

Wen Yixin's eyes fell on the few items of clothing laid out on Qin Ruan's bed and the small suitcase beside them. Suddenly, the reality of Qin Ruan's impending departure hit her a bit harder.

She paused, watching as Qin Ruan struggled to reach something on the top shelf of her wardrobe. Stepping past her complicated feelings, Wen Yixin walked over and softly asked, "What do you need? I'll get it for you."

The sudden sound of Wen Yixin's voice startled Qin Ruan, who reflexively turned around.

She moved too quickly, and Wen Yixin wasn't prepared, so…

Qin Ruan's forehead bumped into Wen Yixin's nose and lips.

The impact caused Wen Yixin to wince slightly, the sudden pain making her hiss softly.

Reflexively, Wen Yixin's lips moved against Qin Ruan's forehead, brushing against her skin in a way that felt almost like a gentle kiss.

Qin Ruan froze.

She stood there, her face and ears burning.

"Sister… Wen…" Qin Ruan stammered.

Wen Yixin quickly regained her composure, taking a step back.

She pressed her lips together, her gaze on Qin Ruan's forehead slightly unfocused as she cleared her throat, trying to sound as natural as possible, "What do you need me to get for you?"

Qin Ruan mumbled a response and turned back to point at the top shelf of the wardrobe, "The yellow dress up there."

Following her gesture, Wen Yixin reached up to grab the dress without a second thought, completely unaware that she was now nearly embracing Qin Ruan in the process.

The space between them narrowed to almost nothing.

For a brief moment, Qin Ruan thought she could hear Wen Yixin's soft breath brushing against her hair.

She gazed at Wen Yixin's hand braced against the wardrobe, her eyes flickering slightly before she slowly leaned back.

Just enough to close the gap between them completely.

But before she could savor the closeness, Wen Yixin had already retrieved the dress and stepped back, handing it to Qin Ruan.

Wen Yixin then glanced at the items Qin Ruan had packed into her suitcase and said, "Let's go eat the noodles before they get soggy."

"We can finish packing later."

"Or are you in a hurry to leave tomorrow?" Wen Yixin's voice dropped slightly as she asked.

"No, not at all," Qin Ruan quickly reassured her.

"I was just passing the time by packing a bit early. I'm not in a rush."

"I was planning to leave in the afternoon."

"I see…" Wen Yixin mused, her brows lifting slightly. "In that case, let's go eat."

Wen Yixin led the way out of Qin Ruan's room, but as she turned, she couldn't help but touch her lips.

As for Qin Ruan…

She stood there, her fingers brushing over the spot on her forehead where Wen Yixin had accidentally kissed her. After a few moments, her fingertips moved to her nose.

There, she thought she could still catch a hint of strawberry candy mixed with the scent of coconut.

Her gaze darkened slightly.