…
TL Notes:
I accidentally combined Chapter 156 and Chapter 157 because they were so short that I didn't notice they were separate chapters, so there won't be a Chapter 157.
…
While Yin Zhao-an was busy taking her wife on dungeon runs, Zhao Yu was left to manage many of the guild's affairs. Aside from occasionally helping out the guild with high-difficulty dungeon raids, Yin Zhao-an spent most of her time raiding low-level dungeons.
Suddenly, the phone on the desk started playing music. Grabbing the phone, Yin Zhao-an stopped the alarm she had set prior to starting her gaming session and removed her earphones. Then, she went to the kitchen to start preparing lunch.
Originally, Tang Yu had planned to take care of lunch at school and only come home in the evening. However, Yin Zhao-an refused to let her do so, insisting that Tang Yu come home to eat. Unable to resist her, Tang Yu agreed to her arrangement.
So, to avoid the awkward situation where they didn't have any food cooked for lunch when Tang Yu came home, Yin Zhao-an conscientiously asked for a copy of Tang Yu's timetable and prepared lunch ahead of time accordingly.
Shortly after Yin Zhao-an started cooking, Mo Shu came knocking on the door, boldly claiming she wanted to sponge some food on them. While resisting the urge to slam the door in Mo Shu's face, Yin Zhao-an let Mo Shu in with a frown and impatiently said, "I only cooked enough rice for Tang-Tang and me. I don't think it'll be enough for you guys."
"It's fine, it's fine. I have some cooked at home," Mo Shu replied with a smile. Then, she trotted back to her house in her high heels and returned with Chen Ci in tow. She also carried a small rice cooker in her arms.
Seeing this, Yin Zhao-an returned to the kitchen and shut the isolation door, busily working away in the kitchen by herself.
Meanwhile, Chen Ci pulled Mo Shu's sleeve and asked, "Why are we here?"
"We're only here to sponge some food," Mo Shu said as she smiled and patted Chen Ci's hand reassuringly.
…
When Tang Yu returned at noon, she saw her two neighbors sitting in the living room and subconsciously smiled, asking, "What brings you two here today?"
Responding with a smile of her own, Chen Ci said, "We're here to freeload on lunch. Are we welcomed here?"
"Of course, you are welcome," Tang Yu said as she set aside her parasol on the shelf. "I'll see if An-An needs any help in the kitchen."
After saying so, Tang Yu opened the frosted glass door separating the kitchen from the living room and stepped inside. A second later, though, the door slid shut once more. Seeing this, the two people in the living room were briefly stunned, and then they both smiled.
"Sure enough, being young and in a relationship sure is nice," Chen Ci said.
Raising her lips, Mo Shu leaned into Chen Ci's ear and whispered, "You know, we can behave like a young couple as well."
"Not so close. It's hot today," Chen Ci said, blushing to the tips of her ears.
…
Meanwhile, inside the kitchen, Tang Yu leaned against the kitchen counter with Yin Zhao-an's hand on her back as she passively endured the passionate kiss from above.
The hot soup was still bubbling and boiling in the bot, spreading steam throughout the small kitchen.
As more steam began to fill the limited space, Tang Yu started to have difficulty breathing. Soon, she became dizzy and disoriented.
After the kiss, Yin Zhao-an turned off the induction cooker and planted another kiss between Tang Yu's eyebrows. Only then did she let go of Tang Yu.
"We can eat now. Let's bring the dishes out," Yin Zhao-an said with a satisfied smile. Then, she proceeded to fill a porcelain bowl with hot soup.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu looked dizzy, and her cheeks felt piping hot. She could tell she was blushing even without looking at herself in the mirror. After glaring at the culprit, she picked up two of the dishes on the kitchen counter and stepped out of the kitchen.
…
During the meal, Mo Shu nonchalantly mentioned to Chen Ci, "Du Yuqing seems to have returned to the country. I wonder when she arrived?"
Tang Yu's hand trembled, and the green broccoli she held with her chopsticks fell onto the table. Then, her body started to tremble as well.
Yin Zhao-an noticed Tang Yu's abnormal behavior and quickly put down her chopsticks to hold Tang Yu's hand. Then, expressing deep concern, she asked, "What's wrong? Why is your hand so cold?"
Chen Ci also noticed Tang Yu's situation and asked concernedly, "Are you feeling unwell, Tang Yu?"
Tang Yu bit her lower lip as she felt Yin Zhao-an's warm touch. Forcing herself to smile, she looked up and said to Chen Ci, "It's nothing. My hand just suddenly cramped up."
Chen Ci and Mo Shu exchanged a glance, neither saying anything. After the meal, though, Tang Yu approached them with some questions.
Yin Zhao-an was currently doing the dishes in the kitchen, so Tang Yu tentatively sat across Chen Ci and Moshu before asking, "Do you two know Du Yuqing?"
Mo Shu frankly nodded, saying, "We were neighbors with her when we were younger, and we would play together occasionally."
The corners of Chen Ci's mouth twitched when she heard Mo Shu's words. She didn't expect such a boldfaced lie coming from her partner.
"Then…do you know if she is in a relationship now?" Tang Yu asked. But she quickly realized the inappropriateness of her words, so she quickly added an explanation, "I was in the same class as her in the past, and we were quite…quite close to each other, so I'm just curious."
Chen Ci silently covered her face, afraid she might fail to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Thus far, two of the three people in the living room had blatantly lied.
"No, she doesn't have one," Mo Shu said with her lips curled into a meaningful smile.
Tang Yu's heart suddenly thumped when she heard that Du Yuqing still wasn't in a relationship after all these years.
Could it be that Du Yuqing still had feelings for Yin Zhao-an…
Tang Yu anxiously twisted the edges of her shirt and subconsciously glanced toward the kitchen. Her eyes also grew moist with fear.
Could it be that…I still can't avoid my fate of death?
…
Mo Shu returned home with Chen Ci after pointing out Du Yuqing's return to Tang Yu, leaving the rest for the young couple to figure out.
Yin Zhao-an naturally didn't believe Tang Yu's excuse of having a hand cramp. Not to mention, she remembered Du Yuqing. It was a name she had long forgotten, but she immediately felt upset after hearing it for the first time in a long while, even though she didn't really know why it bothered her so much.
Tang Yu had class at 2 pm. It was currently only 1 pm, so Yin Zhao-an pulled Tang Yu into their bedroom, ready to ask why Tang Yu had reacted so strongly to hearing Du Yuqing's name.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tang Yu played with the diamond-encrusted silver ring on her ring finger. The feeling of the diamonds rubbing against her skin caused her to feel itchy and made her heart race.
"Are you not going to tell me about it, Tang-Tang? Didn't we promise to face all hardships together?" Yin Zhao-an was unhappy with Tang Yu's silence. Stepping forward, she grabbed Tang Yu's shoulders and looked straight into Tang Yu's eyes.
Face all hardships together…
Tang Yu looked down. How were they supposed to face this hardship together? Should she reveal that she was someone who had reincarnated? Should she say that Du Yuqing would kidnap her on a rainy night? Or should she reveal how she had died in despair in her past life?
The current Yin Zhao-an had done nothing wrong, so there was no reason for her to feel guilty about what that person had done. Tang Yu also didn't wish for the current Yin Zhao-an to atone for the mistakes of the Yin Zhao-an in her past life. The current Yin Zhao-an shouldn't have to know any of these things.
Tang Yu slowly stroked Yin Zhao'an's face with her hand, tears welling up in her eyes. Her gaze was full of passionate love for the person before her. She gave her love from both her lives to the person in front of her.
"If I disappear, promise me you'll come to find me right away."
Tang Yu's voice was light, like a whisper between lovers, but it made the listener's heart ache.
Yin Zhao-an grabbed Tang Yu's hand tightly, her voice filled with anger as she said, "What do you mean by disappear? I won't allow it! You can only be by my side. If you dare to leave without a word, I will find you even if I have to dig three feet underground!"
"Promise me, An-An." Tang Yu leaned her head on Yin Zhao-an's shoulder, her voice choking. "I need you to promise me."
Hearing Tang Yu's soft voice, Yin Zhao-an's anger subsided, and she embraced the fragile person in her arms as she obediently promised, "Okay... I promise you.
"But you also promise that you won't leave my side without permission, or else I'll lock you up so you can never leave!" Yin Zhao-an added, pretending to be fierce.
Tang Yu closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
After this incident, Yin Zhao-an started to pay extra attention to Tang Yu's movements, even checking the GPS on her phone from time to time when she was gaming to make sure Tang Yu was within a safe area.
…
Yin Zhao-an's military training soon began. The September sun was harsh, shining brightly in the sky and not withholding any of its light as it transmitted its warmth to all life across the land…
During the midday break, everyone fled to the shade of the trees. Yin Zhao-an was no exception, but she was luckier than her classmates.
After all, aside from Yin Zhao-an, who had ever brought a family member to accompany them to military training?!
Tang Yu sat obediently under the shade of a tree, two bottles of lemonade and a small bag of beef jerky placed next to her whilst she took pictures of the tall and cool Yin Zhao-an.
Many people envied Yin Zhao-an and asked who the girl taking pictures of her was. In response, Yin Zhao-an grinned and said, "My senior sister, duh!"
The crowd dispersed with disdain, leaving Yin Zhao-an smiling happily by herself.
Thus far, they had only ever seen senior brothers and senior sisters coming to watch their suffering with snacks in hand. They had never seen a senior sister so kind as to accompany a junior sister to military training and even bring drinks and snacks for her. Fortunately, the two were of the same gender. Had they been a boy and a girl, their behavior would be a blatant public display of affection.
In reality, Yin Zhao-an and Tang Yu were indeed secretly displaying their affection.
…
When the whistle from the chief instructor eventually sounded, almost all the new students breathed a sigh of relief. They could finally return to their dormitories. But before that, their primary destination would be the cafeteria.
While everyone was heading to the cafeteria, Yin Zhao-an took off her cap and fanned herself with it. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail, and her sweat-soaked black hair stuck to her fair cheeks.
Once most of the people in the field had left, Tang Yu stood up from the grass, walked over to Yin Zhao-an, and held up a parasol to shade them.
"Let's go back and cook lunch." Yin Zhao-an casually put her arm around Tang Yu's shoulder and took the parasol from her. Then, she strode toward the school gate.
Tang Yu smiled and lowered her head. Some people around them looked at her curiously. Almost everyone knew that a beautiful and gentle senior sister was accompanying a junior sister on the hot military training ground, so it was inevitable that people would be curious. Which younger sister was so fragile that she needed a senior sister's company? However, everyone's image of a frail junior sister quickly shattered when they saw Yin Zhao-an's towering figure…
Yin Zhao-an had always been one of the tallest girls her age, whether in middle school, high school, or even now in university. There were only a few girls who were as tall as her. She used to be a little insecure about her height, but now she felt much better, knowing that if she stood before those who wanted to bully Tang Yu, her imposing presence would come in handy.
As Yin Zhao-an walked, she played with Tang Yu's fingers. Suddenly, she noticed that Tang Yu's ring finger was empty and became a little flustered. "Where's the ring I gave you?" she asked.