"Sister Leyao, I'll take some photos of you, could you sign them for me?"
Lin Leyao signed her name on several Polaroid photos with a marker, while Xiao Liang happily waited with the Polaroid camera in her arms. Suddenly, she said, "Hey, Sister Leyao, let me take a picture of you and Sister Xinying together."
Before Lin Leyao could speak, Xin Ying next to her choked and coughed several times.
Seeing her flushed face from coughing, Lin Leyao looked at her with concern. Xin Ying hadn't been feeling well since returning from outside; she wondered if she'd caught a cold from the wind.
Lin Leyao asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
Xin Ying shook her head, pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth, and quickly regained her composure.
Encouraged by Xiao Liang, the two took several Polaroid photos. Lin Leyao and Xin Ying each took one, while Xiao Liang kept the others and displayed them on the guesthouse's photo wall.
After lunch, the two of them went upstairs for a nap.
The room was quiet, with the curtains drawn, blocking out the light and making it dim.
Xin Ying lay on the bed, holding the photos she had just taken.
The two of them were not wearing masks in this photo. They sat on chairs and looked at the camera together, one bright and radiant, the other elegant and understated.
The two people kept a certain distance between them, much more so than in their previous photo under the ginkgo tree, but there was always a strange atmosphere between them.
Xin Ying stared blankly at the photo, her mind filled with thoughts, but she couldn't quite articulate what she was thinking; her mind was a complete blank.
The two of them stayed in the living room in the afternoon, enjoying the scenery in the courtyard, holding a cup of hot tea, and watching several dubbed films together.
Lin Leyao could clearly sense that Xin Ying's mood had been off since they returned from shopping today. She tried to recall what had happened to make her like this.
The day passed peacefully. After taking a shower that evening, Lin Leyao opened WeChat and looked at the photos Xin Ying had sent her.
Encouraged by the female tourist, she and Xin Ying took several photos together. Some showed them making cute "V" signs, while others showed them standing coolly with their arms crossed. With a light tap on the screen, their first photo together quickly appeared.
In the gentle breeze, under the ancient trees, I gaze at her and the photo of her embracing me.
After watching silently for a while, Lin Leyao took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then clicked to save.
If Lin Leyao didn't know how she felt about Xin Ying at this point, she was only fooling herself.
She fell in love with Xin Ying.
With her fingertips still resting on the photo of the two of them on the screen, Lin Leyao's fingertips felt numb after confirming her feelings.
Her heart and mind were filled with the word "like".
Falling in love with your arranged marriage partner seems like a wonderful thing, because soon you can walk down the aisle with the person you love, but...
For some unknown reason, Lin Leyao's soft lips tightened.
The next morning, the two suppressed all the thoughts that had been churning in their hearts the night before.
The two of them had breakfast in the lobby, just like the day before. Xiao Liang remembered the lesson from the previous day and brewed exceptionally good coffee.
Because they were both preoccupied, Lin Leyao and Xin Ying remained silent, and the entire guesthouse was very quiet.
Fortunately, Xiao Liang is young and lively, and she chattered on and on with several questions, breaking the silence of the guesthouse.
"Sister Xinying, Sister Leyao, are you going back to the city tonight or tomorrow?"
Lin Leyao spoke first: "Let's go back tonight." After saying that, she looked at Xin Ying, "It's not good for you to keep accumulating work until the evening every day."
"Um."
Xiao Liang then asked, "By the way, sisters, I've always been curious, how did you two meet and start hanging out together?"
Lin Leyao paused for a moment, then Xin Ying next to her looked up and chuckled, "Why are you so gossipy? Can't we go out and have fun because we're good friends?"
Xiao Liang grumbled and didn't want to talk anymore. She quickly urged the two of them to go out, "Go out and have some fun! We'll be going back tonight, so you won't have much time to stay here."
The morning air was fresh, and the two of them walked for several miles to the foot of a nearby mountain.
The mountain is only a few hundred meters high. There is a small local temple at the top of the mountain, and several small houses at the bottom of the mountain, which are a small supermarket, a shop selling local specialties, and a small restaurant, all of which are places for tourists to rest and eat when going up and down the mountain.
The path up the mountain was paved with cement; it wasn't wide, but it was wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
It had just rained yesterday, and the water stains on the stair steps hadn't completely dried. The trees nearby, washed by the rain, were filled with the refreshing scent of earth and grass.
After walking a few dozen steps, Lin Leyao suddenly asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to go out this time?" The two of them hadn't had many private dates, so why did Xin Ying suggest that they go out for two days?
Xin Ying said, "Doesn't this feel like a trip to say goodbye to single life?" After a pause, she continued, "We're going to get our marriage certificate when we get back, so this is a pre-wedding trip."
After he finished speaking, silence fell between the two of them.
There was no one on the mountain path at this moment. A breeze blew by, and a slight chill seeped into the skin, making one involuntarily shiver.
Xin Ying looked at Lin Leyao and saw a yellowish autumn leaf fall onto her neck with the breeze.
The leaves were yellowed, stained with dirt left by rain and wind, standing out starkly against the fair, delicate neck. Xin Ying stared intently at them.
Lin Leyao continued walking up the mountain path and said slowly, "I didn't expect that this trip would only be between the two of us. Most people's farewell to single life parties invite a large group of friends to have a final pre-wedding celebration."
“Hmm.” Xin Ying was a step behind Lin Leyao, still looking at the annoying fallen leaf. She responded to Lin Leyao’s words, “We are different. We are in an arranged marriage. I was afraid that you would have a hard time accepting living with me suddenly, so we came out on a trip to relax and get to know each other better.”
Lin Leyao, who was in front of him, suddenly stopped.
"I'm worried about you, afraid you might..." These words all demonstrate this person's attentiveness and consideration for her. But Lin Leyao was deeply troubled. What was the reason behind Xin Ying's actions? Was it out of responsibility or obligation?
Lin Leyao turned around, pursed her lips, and seemed about to ask something. Suddenly, Xin Ying reached out and stroked her neck.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 00:00:00 on February 7, 2022 and 00:00:00 on February 8, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: 55157345 (1 grenade);
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Beiq7 (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Misaki Shokuhou, 10 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 19
Soft fingers touched her delicate skin and gently stroked it, causing Lin Leyao to tremble uncontrollably.
Xin Ying quickly withdrew her hand, pointing her five fingers upwards to show her the foreign object on her fingertips: "This fallen leaf is stuck to your neck."
Interrupted from what she was about to say, Lin Leyao's thoughts were completely disrupted. She nodded vaguely and turned to continue walking towards the mountaintop.
Xin Ying remained a half-step behind, her gaze still fixed on her neck. There was nothing on her neck at this moment; it was fair and smooth, just like the feeling she had when she touched her earlier—soft and slippery.
Xin Ying looked away and lowered her head.
It was already evening when we got back to the guesthouse. Neither of us had brought any luggage with us when we arrived, but we did take away quite a few small gifts sold at nearby scenic spots when we left.
On the way back, Lin Leyao received a WeChat message from her agent. The trailer for the variety show "Happy Sunday" that they had filmed earlier had been released. Lin Leyao logged onto Weibo and clicked to forward it.
Fans who haven't seen Lin Leyao on TV for a long time are all very excited.
The two people in the car were both preoccupied and had no interest in talking.
On the way back, the two remained unusually silent.
Two hours later, they drove back to the city. Instead of driving home, Xin Ying parked the car in front of a pet shop near the villa area.
Lin Leyao put her mask back on, and Xin Ying waited until she was ready before opening the door and getting out of the car with her.
The sales clerk at the door had already recognized the customers' license plate number. Upon seeing the two of them appear, he immediately opened the glass door.
"You're here! YOYO has learned to use the toilet by herself!"
Hearing the sales clerk's words, Lin Leyao's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly, "So fast!"
"Hmm." The sales clerk smiled and brought YOYO to Lin Leyao, saying, "Although YOYO used to be a stray cat, she's very smart. She learned to use the litter box on her own the day she was brought here. But she's been feeling down lately, probably because she hasn't seen her mom for two days and misses you."
When the kitten saw Lin Leyao appear, it took the initiative to rub against her.
Seeing how well-behaved YOYO was, Lin Leyao felt extremely sorry for her and picked up the kitten, kissing it repeatedly.
Before the sales clerk could even finish settling the kitten's expenses for the past few days, Xin Ying had already taken out her phone to pay.
The sales clerk was taken aback for a moment but quickly reacted. Seeing Lin Leyao holding the kitten and preparing to leave, she immediately called out, "Miss Xin! Miss Xin!"
Lin Leyao stopped and looked at the sales clerk with some confusion.
The shop assistant handed Lin Leyao a cat treat and said with a smile, "Ms. Xin, this is a small gift for you. Welcome to come again next time."
Hearing the shop assistant's words, Lin Leyao's eyes, not hidden by her mask, curved into a smile. She took the cat treat and said, "Thank you. But I'm not Miss Xin." She pointed to Xin Ying next to her, "This is."
The shop assistant gaped in surprise, her face turning bright red. She quickly explained, "I'm sorry, when we registered YOYO, we filled in Xin Ying as her name. I thought YOYO's mother was Ms. Xin."
Lin Leyao: "It's okay, it's not a bad thing for Mom to have more."
After stepping out of the glass door, Lin Leyao turned around and waved goodbye to the shop assistant.
Once in the car, Xin Ying, who had been silent all along, slowly said, "Isn't it a good thing that YOYO has more mothers?"
Lin Leyao: "?"
Xin Ying touched YOYO's little paws in Lin Leyao's arms without saying anything.
Lin Leyao had already understood the meaning of Xin Ying's words and seemed to have guessed Xin Ying's inner thoughts. Thinking of the inner struggle she had gone through last night, she asked directly, "Aren't you YOYO's mother?"
Seemingly surprised by Lin Leyao's question, Xin Ying looked at Lin Leyao with a smile and replied, "Of course." After saying that, Xin Ying added, "After we get our marriage certificate, we will be legally recognized partners, so of course I am its mother."
Lin Leyao tilted her head and stared intently at her. Xin Ying paused for a moment and continued, "The difference between 'more' and 'one more' is quite significant. It always sounds like YOYO would have many mothers."
After saying that, Xin Ying probably found it amusing and chuckled.
She turned her head and saw Lin Leyao's expression. She noticed that Lin Leyao's gaze was fixed on her face, her eyes filled with a murky look, and she couldn't tell what Lin Leyao was thinking.
Without looking any further, Xin Ying turned her gaze away, sat up straight, and started the car. She was about to ask Lin Leyao where they were going when Lin Leyao suddenly interrupted her.
Why did you agree to this arranged marriage?
The car had been started, but it didn't move; it remained stationary.
Lin Leyao's words caused a brief pause in the car. Xin Ying opened her mouth, but remained silent for a long time.
Lin Leyao waited a while, then asked, "Why did you specially arrange this trip to enhance our relationship? You're usually very attentive and considerate of every detail. After all, we're in an arranged marriage; there's no need to go to such lengths, is there?"
Seemingly surprised that Lin Leyao would ask such a question, Xin Ying's face showed astonishment.