Suddenly hearing Wen Yixin softly call her "Ruan Ruan," Qin Ruan's face instantly flushed: "Sister."
She called out to Wen Yixin, her tone carrying a hint of shyness. It was the first time she had heard someone call her that, and it felt very intimate. But hearing it from Sister's lips, it seemed to carry a certain romantic undertone, making her feel embarrassed upon first hearing it.
Seeing her reaction, Wen Yixin chuckled softly. The affectionate name rolled gently in her mouth before she slowly let it out again: "Ruan Ruan."
"I'll call you that from now on."
"It's nice..." Wen Yixin's tone paused for a moment, and then she smiled again: "I like it too."
"Mm." Qin Ruan lowered her head and snuggled back into Wen Yixin's arms.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day of Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan's date.
As they were leaving the house, Wen Yixin glanced at the person beside her. Qin Ruan's long, straight black hair fell softly over her shoulders, and her light green dress accentuated her fair skin, the delicate tailoring outlining her slender waist.
Qin Ruan bent down to put on her shoes, causing her long, black hair to slide down to her cheeks, tickling her slightly.
As she lifted her hand to tuck the hair behind her ear, a strand was already caught by someone else.
She looked up.
Wen Yixin was gently tucking the strand of hair back in place with her fingers.
"All set," she said softly.
Qin Ruan smiled and linked arms with Wen Yixin: "I'm ready too."
"Sister, let's go."
"I booked the appointment for ten o'clock, so we should get there just in time..."
As Qin Ruan's voice gradually faded, Wen Yixin occasionally responded, thinking about the shop Qin Ruan mentioned and feeling a bit of anticipation herself.
Half an hour later.
In a bustling street corner, Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan finally stopped in front of a handmade silver jewelry store.
Wen Yixin's gaze passed through the transparent glass, scanning the store's interior: "Is this the place?"
"Yes, this handmade store is quite famous," Qin Ruan nodded. "Sister, let's go in."
Today, Qin Ruan brought Wen Yixin here to make matching couple rings.
As soon as they walked into the store, the receptionist greeted them with a standard smile, politely asking, "Do you have an appointment?"
"We do." Qin Ruan quickly took out her phone to confirm the reservation details with the receptionist.
It wasn't long before another person wearing a dark-colored apron with the store's logo approached them, seemingly one of the store's staff.
Sure enough, as the person came closer, the receptionist introduced her to them: "This is Master Su, who will guide you in making your rings. If you have any questions during the process, feel free to ask her."
Wen Yixin nodded slightly, thanked the receptionist along with Qin Ruan, and then followed Master Su inside.
They stopped in front of a long table filled with various styles of rings. Master Su pointed to the array of rings on the table: "First, choose a ring style, then measure your finger sizes. I'll prepare the silver strips and come back to show you how to make your rings."
"Thank you, Master," Qin Ruan thanked her softly. After Master Su left, she turned to Wen Yixin: "Sister, which style do you want to choose?"
Wen Yixin glanced at the rings: "Let's take a look first."
Qin Ruan understood and lowered her eyes to examine the various styles on the table. As her gaze settled on one in particular, she paused.
"Sister, how about this one?" She pressed her finger against a spot and asked Wen Yixin.
Wen Yixin looked over. The ring style was simple, almost plain, except for one unique feature—a small pattern on the outer band that resembled a fingerprint.
The two matching rings were placed together, and when their patterns aligned, they formed a heart shape.
"That's interesting." Wen Yixin smiled.
"Shall we choose this one?" Qin Ruan really liked this design. The thought of wearing a ring with Sister Wen's fingerprint on it made her heart race.
Noticing Qin Ruan's fondness for the style, Wen Yixin smiled and agreed: "Sure."
After speaking, she glanced at the finger-sizing tool, picked it up, and said softly, "Ruan Ruan, give me your hand."
"Mm, alright." Qin Ruan obediently extended her hand.
Wen Yixin selected a sizing ring and gently slid it onto Qin Ruan's ring finger.
It was too loose, leaving plenty of space.
Obviously too large.
Wen Yixin shook her head, estimated the size of Qin Ruan's finger, and picked a slightly smaller sizing ring.
This time, when she placed it on Qin Ruan's finger, it fit perfectly.
Wen Yixin noted down the size, her thumb brushing over Qin Ruan's hand as she couldn't help but comment: "Ruan Ruan's hands are so slender."
"But they're quite long." At the end of her sentence, her tone lifted slightly, carrying a hint of amusement.
Qin Ruan watched the smile on Wen Yixin's lips, feeling her ears grow warm as her thoughts drifted to some inappropriate places.
She curled her fingers, steadied herself, and took the sizing ring from Wen Yixin's hand, whispering softly: "Let me measure Sister's size now."
"Thank you, Ruan Ruan." Wen Yixin smiled lightly and slowly extended her hand to Qin Ruan.
Hearing her call her "Ruan Ruan" repeatedly, Qin Ruan's ears grew even warmer.
She bit her lip lightly, struggling to maintain her composure as she measured Wen Yixin's ring size.
Sister's ring finger was slightly larger than hers, but not by much.
As she considered this, her gaze briefly flicked to the middle finger next to the ring finger, which appeared slightly larger.
For some reason, Qin Ruan's eyelashes trembled, and she quickly looked away, lowering her head to hand the ring sizer back to Wen Yixin: "Sister, I'm done measuring."
Wen Yixin took the tool and checked it, raising an eyebrow slightly. Before she could say anything, Master Su, who had brought them in earlier, returned.
"Have you chosen a style and measured your sizes?"
Wen Yixin nodded: "Yes, we're all set."
Master Su nodded: "Come with me."
Wen Yixin responded, pulling Qin Ruan along as they followed Master Su.
The three of them arrived at the work area, where Master Su explained the methods and steps to make the rings, before moving aside to let them work, offering assistance if needed.
Wen Yixin glanced at their workstations, picked up a small hammer, and weighed it lightly. It wasn't heavy at all.
With a smile, she sat down and patted the chair next to her: "Ruan Ruan, sit here."
Qin Ruan obediently sat down, then pulled over a box filled with various letters and symbols, tugging Wen Yixin over to choose their initials.
In the end, Wen Yixin held a cat symbol in her hand: "Let's add a cat."
After all, they still had their cat, Ali, at home.
Qin Ruan beamed: "Great idea."
Wen Yixin smiled: "Then let's get started."
"When you're using the hammer, be careful not to hit your hand."
"I know."
The sound of hammering gradually filled the air as Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan carefully crafted their silver strips into rings.
They exchanged a few playful comments and laughs as they worked.
After some time, the two rings were finally completed.
Wen Yixin held the ring in her hand and looked at Qin Ruan: "Shall I put it on you now, or should we wait until we get home?"
"Let's do it now." Qin Ruan smiled, automatically extending her hand.
"Alright." Wen Yixin smiled back, took Qin Ruan's hand, and slowly slid the ring engraved with her fingerprint and name onto Qin Ruan's ring finger.
As the ring slid into place, Wen Yixin felt a sense of satisfaction, as if she had not only placed the ring on Qin Ruan but also captured her heart. She stroked the fingerprint on the ring, her gaze deepening.
After a moment, she released Qin Ruan's hand and handed her the other ring: "Now it's Ruan Ruan's turn to put it on me."
Qin Ruan smiled, taking the ring and carefully sliding it onto Wen Yixin's finger.
She hoped that in the future, the only ring that would replace this one would be the diamond ring she would give her.
That day, it wasn't until nightfall that Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan finally returned home under the moonlight.
"Sister, I'll go make some tea in the kitchen. Let's have some together later," Qin Ruan said softly.
They had eaten some grilled skewers for dinner, which were a bit greasy, so drinking tea at home would be perfect to cleanse the palate.
Wen Yixin nodded: "Go ahead. I'll put away our things."
They had bought quite a few small trinkets while shopping, so now was the time to store them away.
"Okay."
Qin Ruan went to the kitchen, first finding the teapot. As she opened a cabinet to get the tea leaves, she noticed a jar of lollipops next to the tea canister and paused.
When she returned to the living room with the tray, in addition to the teapot and cups, there was also the jar of lollipops.
Wen Yixin raised an eyebrow, eyeing the jar: "Why did you bring the lollipop jar? Are you going to eat them?"
"No." Qin Ruan set the tray on the coffee table, sat next to Wen Yixin, and poured two cups of tea before continuing: "Sister, do you want to play a game with me later?"
"What game?" Wen Yixin asked curiously, taking a slow sip of tea.
Qin Ruan took out a few lollipops from the jar: "The game is called the Candy Challenge, and it's a game perfect for couples."
She had seen people play this game in videos before, and seeing the lollipop jar today reminded her of it.
Wen Yixin raised an eyebrow: "How do you play?"
It didn't sound all that interesting.
Qin Ruan smiled and explained softly: "The rules are simple. One person eats the lollipop, rolling it around their lips, and then the other person, blindfolded, kisses them. If they can guess the flavor, they win; if not, they lose."
After hearing the rules, Wen Yixin was speechless: … People really come up with these things.
"Sister, should we play too?" Qin Ruan asked softly, holding a few lollipops of different flavors.
Wen Yixin thought for a moment, then chuckled, her eyes sparkling: "Play? Of course, let's play."