Chapter Sixty-Two

“Are you having fun teasing me? Well, since you finished all my work for me, I’ll play along with your act to the end.” With that, Yu Xingyue once again took Lin Zimo’s left hand. Lin Zimo shuddered—she actually dared to hold his hand.

Yu Xingyue struck a ready pose. Lin Zimo still had no idea what she was planning, but in the next second, Yu Xingyue seized his hand and took off running at full speed, nearly scaring Lin Zimo out of his wits.

From holding hands to suddenly scooping him into a princess carry, Yu Xingyue dashed all the way to the doorstep of Lin Zimo’s apartment on the fifth floor. By the time they arrived, she was thoroughly exhausted, her energy spent. She set him down at the door, her legs so weak they nearly gave out.

Panting, Yu Xingyue said, “See? That’s my way of repaying you—no one can rein in a wild horse once it’s on the loose.”

“You know, you were really terrifying just now. I’ve never seen you like that before,” Lin Zimo said, pulling a tissue from his pocket to wipe the sweat from her brow.

“It’s because you’re too heavy. What on earth have you been eating lately?” Yu Xingyue asked, venturing into forbidden territory—weight, one of those things you never ask a girl. But Lin Zimo wasn’t angry; instead, she rapped Yu Xingyue lightly on the head and said, “I haven’t eaten anything high in calories lately! How could you say that about me—have you no shame?”

“Well, you’re home now. I’ve got things to take care of, so I won’t bother you further.” With that, Yu Xingyue gripped the stair rail for support and made her way down, her silhouette reminiscent of an elderly woman past her prime.

Just then, Lin Xinxin opened the door. She caught sight of Yu Xingyue making her way downstairs, then quickly pulled Lin Zimo into the apartment, locking the door behind them. “Sis, just confess—have you and Yu Xingyue made things official? Otherwise, why would she escort you home? Looks like I was a step too late, and you beat me to it.” Lin Xinxin pouted in displeasure.

“It’s not what you think!” Lin Zimo hurried to explain. “I just—”

“Save it. I still won’t give up, even if you two are together. I won’t back down. Just you wait!” With that, Lin Xinxin stormed out, returning to her own room and locking herself inside.

“It’s really not what you think, little Lily. I just—” Lin Zimo couldn’t even find the words. She looked at her left hand, the one Yu Xingyue had held, feeling a mess of emotions. She didn’t want to fight with her sister over a man, but this was only the beginning; who knew what would happen next?

“Maybe I’m just not meant to be with Hugo. If I’d never met him, none of this would be happening,” Lin Zimo thought, closing her door and beginning to reflect. She didn’t come out, and the tension between the two closed rooms was palpable, the air thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Just after leaving Lin Zimo’s place, Yu Xingyue received a call from Luo E.

“Mr. Yu, where are you right now? Miss Sun Ying is in trouble.”

Hearing that Sun Ying was in danger, Yu Xingyue broke out in a cold sweat. Steadying her voice, she asked, “What happened? I’ll head there right away.”

On the other end, Luo E replied, “We don’t know who took her, but they left an address and specifically said you must come—no police.”

“No police? That’s kidnapping! Where is she? Send me the address now!” Yu Xingyue urged.

“I’ve already sent it to your phone. I’m going to report this to the police.”

“Alright.” After hanging up, Yu Xingyue immediately checked the address Luo E had sent. Her eyes widened in shock. “This… This is my house!” Sun Ying was at Yu Xingyue’s own home. Without another thought, she sprinted for home.

“Hang on, little one—I’m coming for you!”

Meanwhile, Luo E’s lips curled with a knowing smile. “Miss, this is as much as I can help you. Whether Mr. Yu comes or not is up to him.”

Having just carried Lin Zimo all the way to her apartment, and now hearing that Sun Ying had vanished—and was apparently in her own home—Yu Xingyue’s stamina was nearly spent. She thought, “This is more exhausting than the quick-step technique! I’ve run farther than a marathon today.” She paused only for a brief thirty seconds before pushing herself onward, her pace slowing as her body grew heavier, but her willpower held firm. After twenty minutes, she finally reached her front door.

“Little one, I’m here to save you!” Yu Xingyue took out her keys, opened the door, and was greeted by darkness. “Huh? No one here. Did Luo E send the wrong address?”

Just as she was questioning the address, the light suddenly flicked on—so bright that Yu Xingyue couldn’t open her eyes. Already exhausted, she collapsed and heard nothing more.

When she came to, it was already nine in the evening. She heard a voice say, “Auntie, big brother is awake!”

Big brother—that familiar voice. Yu Xingyue turned and saw Sun Ying, and it was her mother, Yang Shuting, who had come in with her.

“You made me worry! We were planning a surprise for you, but you fainted and left us anxious for ages,” Yang Shuting chided.

“Mom, what happened? I heard Sun Ying was taken and brought here, so I rushed back in a panic and fainted from exhaustion,” Yu Xingyue explained.

When Sun Ying learned that Yu Xingyue had collapsed from rushing to her rescue, she was at a loss—she’d only wanted to surprise him, but when he fainted, she could do nothing but call Yang Shuting to come take care of him.

From the living room, Yang Shuting said, “Actually, today is an important day for you. See, you forgot your own special day, but Sun Ying, though not yet very familiar with you, remembered.”

“So what’s so important that you had to use Sun Ying to lure me back here?” Yu Xingyue asked.

Yang Shuting came to the doorway, smiling at Yu Xingyue. “Silly, today is your birthday. Did you really forget?”

“Is that so?” Yu Xingyue sat up and checked her phone. The date was May 18, 2019—her birthday. She’d been so busy with her own affairs, she hadn’t cared about birthdays for years. From the time she’d joined the national team to her retirement, she’d never celebrated a birthday of her own—only ever helped others celebrate theirs. She had long forgotten her own.

Yu Xingyue shook her head with a wry smile. “You really don’t need to fuss over my birthday. Two packs of instant noodles as a gift is enough to make me happy. Why go to all this trouble for me?”

Suddenly, Sun Ying threw herself into Yu Xingyue’s arms. Yang Shuting, seeing this, left the doorway with a sly chuckle. Yu Xingyue shook his head, smiling—his mother was truly incorrigible.

“What’s gotten into you, little one? You don’t need to waste your time on my birthday,” Yu Xingyue said.

Shaking her head in his arms, Sun Ying looked up at him. “Big brother, how can you be so careless with yourself? Are you giving up on yourself?”

“I can only say that I’m not. There’s really no need to make such a big deal out of it. See, I fainted and ruined everything, didn’t I? I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you should also consider how I feel.”

“So what are you trying to say?” Sun Ying asked.

Leaning against the bed, Yu Xingyue replied, “You misunderstood. I just want you to know that the thing I hate most is a lively, noisy scene. Even when I’ve helped others celebrate their birthdays, I only forced myself to go along with it to fulfill their wishes. They never really understood what I wanted.”