33

The palm of Qin Ruan's hand, pressed lightly against Wen Yixin's wrist, began to warm, the heat seeping through their skin and into Wen Yixin's body.

For a moment, Wen Yixin found herself speechless.

After a long pause, she finally shifted her gaze away from Qin Ruan's intense stare. She curled her fingers slightly, grasping Qin Ruan's hand before Qin Ruan could make any unexpected moves that might catch her off guard.

"Qin Ruan," Wen Yixin said, stepping back half a step to put some distance between them.

Qin Ruan didn't resist, allowing Wen Yixin to hold her hand. Her eyes curved into a smile. "Sister."

"You still haven't answered my question."

Wen Yixin's eyelids lowered slightly. "I don't have anything to say."

"A name is just a name. You can call me whatever you like."

Qin Ruan's smile faltered slightly, her brows knitting together for just a moment. Then she responded softly, "Alright."

The day they went to pick up the kitten, the weather was perfect—clear skies and a gentle breeze.

At the pet hospital, Wen Yixin carried the brand-new cat carrier, gently coaxing the kitten inside. Seeing that it looked healthy and energetic, she turned to the vet and asked about some general care tips.

The vet patiently answered all of her questions, then added, "We've given the kitten a bath and treated it for parasites over the past two days, so you shouldn't have any issues bringing it home. However, it hasn't had its vaccinations yet, so be careful not to get bitten when you play with it."

"If you have time next month, you should bring it back for its vaccinations."

"Vaccinations?" Qin Ruan asked curiously. "Can't we do that now?"

The vet shook his head. "It's not that you can't, but I wouldn't recommend it. The kitten has just been through a bath and deworming, and it's still very young. I suggest giving it some time to adjust before vaccinating it."

After hearing the vet's advice, Qin Ruan turned to look at Wen Yixin.

Wen Yixin nodded. "Alright, we'll bring it back next month."

"Great," the vet replied with a smile.

...

After they got home, Wen Yixin placed the cat carrier on the floor while Qin Ruan went ahead of her to the room they had prepared for the kitten. She quickly grabbed the formula and turned to Wen Yixin, saying, "Sister, I'm going to mix some of this with the kitten food for Xiao Li to eat."

Earlier, they had learned from the vet that mixing the kitten food with formula was the best option for now. The kitten could transition to solid food next month.

"Okay," Wen Yixin replied.

As Qin Ruan left the room, she added, "Be careful with the hot water—it might be too hot. You can use warm water instead."

"Got it, I'll be careful," Qin Ruan said with a smile. "Wait for me, I'll be back soon."

Wen Yixin nodded and, after Qin Ruan closed the door, she opened the carrier to let the kitten out.

The kitten seemed to recognize that it was in a new environment. It cautiously emerged from the carrier, sniffing around the room once it realized there was no danger.

It was quite adorable.

Wen Yixin smiled and reached for the toy wand, intending to play with the kitten for a bit. But just as she picked up the wand, her phone rang in her pocket.

"Hello?" Wen Yixin answered.

A familiar voice came through the other end. "Hello, Miss Wen. This is Zhao Man. The dress you and Miss Qin ordered at Jeremy's has been finished. When would be convenient for you to pick it up?"

Wen Yixin thought for a moment. "Tomorrow morning."

Zhao Man responded, "Alright, we'll be ready for you both."

Wen Yixin agreed, and after a few more pleasantries, hung up the phone. Just then, Qin Ruan returned with the kitten food mixed with formula. She noticed that Wen Yixin had just finished a call and asked, "Sister, who were you talking to?"

"It was Zhao Man," Wen Yixin explained. "She said your dress is ready, and we can pick it up whenever we're free."

Qin Ruan was surprised. "That was fast."

It hadn't even been two weeks.

"Not too bad," Wen Yixin replied. "I told her we'd pick it up tomorrow morning."

As Qin Ruan knelt down to place the food in front of the kitten, she looked up at Wen Yixin. "Sister, will you come with me?"

Wen Yixin smiled. "Of course."

Qin Ruan's lips curved into a smile. "Good."

The next morning at Jeremy's, Zhao Man led Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan into a fitting room. She gestured toward several dresses hanging on a rack. "Miss Wen, these are the dresses for Miss Qin."

Wen Yixin nodded, her gaze shifting between the dresses and Qin Ruan. She then turned to Zhao Man. "Can she try them on?"

"Of course," Zhao Man said with a smile. "The fitting room is right next door. Miss Qin, you can try them on and let us know if anything needs adjusting."

"Sounds good," Qin Ruan agreed.

"I'll go ahead and hang the dresses in the fitting room for you," Zhao Man said, gathering the dresses carefully.

Once everything was prepared, Zhao Man returned to Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan. "Miss Qin, you can go in now."

"Thank you," Qin Ruan said.

She turned to Wen Yixin. "Sister, I'm going to try the dresses. Can you wait for me here?"

Wen Yixin nodded. "Go ahead."

Qin Ruan smiled and stepped into the fitting room.

As the curtain closed behind Qin Ruan, Wen Yixin glanced around the room before sitting down on a nearby sofa, not far from the fitting room. She took out her phone, idly scrolling through apps, thinking of ways to pass the time until Qin Ruan was done.

But then, she heard Qin Ruan's voice calling her.

"Sister."

Wen Yixin looked up, her eyes landing on Qin Ruan's head peeking out from behind the fitting room curtain.

"What's wrong?"

Qin Ruan didn't reply immediately. Instead, she waved Wen Yixin over. "Sister, can you come here for a moment?"

Wen Yixin was puzzled but didn't question it further. She got up and walked over to her, lowering her voice as she asked, "What's the matter?"

Qin Ruan bit her lip, seeming a bit embarrassed. Her voice was small as she explained, "The zipper on the back of the dress is stuck. I can't get it down. Can you come in and help me?"

Hearing this, Wen Yixin didn't hesitate. She immediately said yes and reached out to pull aside the curtain. But just as she was about to step inside, she hesitated.

She looked at Qin Ruan and whispered, "Move a little further back."

Qin Ruan understood and quickly moved back, allowing Wen Yixin to enter the fitting room.

Inside, Qin Ruan was still wearing the dress she had on when they left the house. However, it was now much looser than before.

Wen Yixin's gaze flickered slightly. Before she could say anything, Qin Ruan turned around, showing her back.

Qin Ruan pointed to the zipper stuck halfway down her back. "It's stuck right here. I tried to pull it down, but it won't budge. Can you take a look?"

Wen Yixin hesitated for a moment.

Her eyes lingered on Qin Ruan's smooth, pale back for just a few seconds before she lowered her gaze to the zipper.

The zipper had indeed caught on a piece of fabric, making it impossible to pull down.

Wen Yixin placed one hand on Qin Ruan's back and carefully worked the zipper free with the other.

She focused on the task, temporarily pushing aside any other thoughts.

Meanwhile, Qin Ruan watched Wen Yixin in the mirror, her mind filled with thoughts she couldn't suppress.

Just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, she heard Wen Yixin's voice.

"It's done."

Qin Ruan's gaze shifted to the mirror, where she saw Wen Yixin standing behind her, her hand still on the zipper.

As Qin Ruan turned around, the dress slipped from her shoulders, almost falling to the floor.

The only thing stopping it from falling completely was Wen Yixin's hand, which had instinctively grabbed onto the fabric at Qin Ruan's elbow.

Qin Ruan looked down at Wen Yixin's hand holding the dress and asked, "Sister?"

Wen Yixin cleared her throat. "Wait until I leave to take it off."

"Why?" Qin Ruan asked, feigning confusion.

Wen Yixin hesitated.

But before she could come up with an answer, Qin Ruan laughed and gently pulled Wen Yixin's hand away. "Sister, are you embarrassed?"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"We're both women, and I'm just changing my dress. You don't need to leave, especially since I might need your help again."

As Qin Ruan pulled Wen Yixin's hand away, the dress slid down further.

Wen Yixin lowered her gaze. After Qin Ruan's words, she didn't try to stop her again.

Instead, she kept her eyes downcast, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts, until she suddenly felt something soft press against her.

The fitting room was spacious, not cramped at all. Yet at that moment, Wen Yixin felt like the space was suffocatingly small, making it hard to breathe.

Wen Yixin didn't dare move her gaze, keeping her eyes fixed on Qin Ruan's pale neck. "Qin Ruan—"

But before she could finish, Qin Ruan chuckled softly, clearly pleased.

"Sister," she whispered.

In the next moment, Wen Yixin felt Qin Ruan's neck getting closer and closer until it disappeared from her view entirely.

All that was left was the sensation of warmth, the scent of her skin, and the soft murmur of her voice.

"Shh..."