How could this person make one’s heart flutter so much even with a joke?
During dinner, Qiu Baiyu and Yi Wanyue discussed moving plans with Qiu Zimin.
When Qiu Zimin heard about moving to Yi Wanyue’s house, she immediately became curious: “Isn’t Auntie already living with us? Why do we need to move to Auntie’s house?”
Yi Wanyue said, “Auntie has a piano at her house. If we live at Auntie’s house, it will be more convenient for you to learn piano, and Aunt Baiyu won’t have to drive back and forth anymore, right?”
Qiu Zimin suddenly understood: “Oh, that’s right!”
She still needed to learn piano, and by living at Auntie Wanyue’s house, she could have access to the piano every day. Auntie Baiyu wouldn’t have to drive her back and forth anymore. This would be so convenient!
She thought for a moment, then asked, “When we live at Auntie’s house, will I sleep in my own room, or will I sleep with Auntie?”
When she stayed overnight at Qiao Mingxue’s house, she always slept with Qiao Mingxue and didn’t have a separate room. So she was curious if it would be the same at Auntie Wanyue’s house.
Qiu Baiyu remained silent.
It was Yi Wanyue’s house, so the arrangements were up to Yi Wanyue to decide.
They would follow the host’s arrangements.
“Of course you will,” Yi Wanyue smiled and said, “Auntie’s house is very big, with plenty of rooms. You can choose any room you like and decorate it however you want, then move in.”
Qiu Zimin’s eyes brightened, but then her face showed hesitation.
Qiu Baiyu saw through her thoughts at a glance and said, “If you’re reluctant to leave your little friends here, Auntie can often bring you back to play with them in the future.”
Qiu Zimin immediately looked at her: “Really?”
Qiu Baiyu nodded: “Really.”
Now she only had to collect rent and didn’t need to work, so her time was free.
If Yi Wanyue’s system could successfully eliminate her malicious system, she would be even more free. Then she could do whatever she wanted, and taking the child to meet friends would certainly be no problem.
After hearing this, Qiu Zimin excitedly raised her hand: “I want to go, I want to go!”
She had agreed to move.
Yi Wanyue and Qiu Baiyu looked at each other—it was settled.
“Let’s eat,” Qiu Baiyu said, picking up her chopsticks.
The two action-oriented women decided to move as soon as they said they would.
It was perfect timing as Qiu Zimin was on summer vacation and had plenty of time. She followed her two aunties around every day, helping to set up her new room.
Qiu Baiyu also had a new room, close to the master bedroom, with its own bathroom.
Yi Wanyue lived in a large single-floor apartment, which was bigger than where they had been living and had more rooms. Allocating one room for her was not a problem.
However, she couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful.
Although having her own space was a good thing, it meant that she and Yi Wanyue wouldn’t be able to share a bed anymore. Their intimate contact would also decrease.
It seemed that sometimes having many rooms wasn’t necessarily a good thing…
Yi Wanyue also felt regretful.
She actually wanted Qiu Baiyu to sleep with her in the master bedroom, but doing so would be too obvious, and Qiu Baiyu would inevitably become suspicious.
With so many rooms in the house, if the host insisted on sharing a room with the guest, even a fool would notice something was amiss.
She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Having many rooms isn’t always a good thing…
Among the three, only Qiu Zimin was truly happy.
She had a new room, could play the piano every day, and Auntie Wanyue had even added a crafting table by the window in the study room for her, so she could sit there and do crafts in her spare time.
Her aunties were so good to her, and she was extremely happy!
“Woohoo~ We’re moving~”
She excitedly rolled around happily on the big sofa in the living room of their new home, calling Qiao Mingxue to share her joy.
She was at the perfect age for being lively and active, enthusiastic about everything she did, with boundless energy.
The two aunties stood quietly by the wall, watching her with smiles on their faces, but they couldn’t help feeling worried inside.
The child was happy, which was good, but how could they eliminate the remaining 0.5?
Did she truly have no regrets in her heart?
As long as that 0.5% remained, Qiu Baiyu couldn’t truly feel at ease.
What was even more worrying was that when Yi Wanyue’s system had completed its infiltration and was ready to fully take control of Qiu Baiyu’s system, this 0.5% still hadn’t been eliminated.
Just thinking about this outcome gave Qiu Baiyu a headache.
Although this system was stupid, it was really good at causing trouble for her.
“Could it be…”
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Yi Wanyue’s voice came from beside her.
“Could it be that Xiaomin wants a family?”
Qiu Baiyu looked towards the source of the voice.
Their eyes met.
“A complete family in the broader sense,” Yi Wanyue added.
“A complete family in the broader sense? With both a mom and dad?” Qiu Baiyu’s face was expressionless, “Then it’s hopeless, it can never be completed in this lifetime.”
She could never marry a man.
Not to mention that she had already become as bent as a mosquito coil for the person beside her, making it even more impossible to be with a man.
Yi Wanyue smiled, “It doesn’t necessarily have to include a father figure. Maybe she just wants two adults in the family who are closest to her and love her the most?”
“Just like… how we are now.”
Qiu Baiyu thought this analysis made sense.
In the past, Qiu Zimin desperately craved love and the warmth of a family, but none of her blood relatives had given her this warmth. Instead, they used her and ignored her, making her sensitive and timid.
Although she had now struggled out of that shadow, who could guarantee that deep down in her heart she wasn’t still hoping for a complete family?
But they were already by her side, yet her 0.5% still hadn’t been eliminated. Why was that?
Could it be… that she wanted her two aunties to stay with her forever?
Yi Wanyue saw Qiu Baiyu suddenly step forward and walk towards Qiu Zimin.
Qiu Baiyu sat down on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the child who was getting up from the sofa.
Rather than standing there guessing blindly, it was better to ask the person in question directly.
“Xiaomin, tell your auntie, do you really want a complete family in your heart?”
It was a very sudden question.
Qiu Zimin couldn’t help but tilt her head, her face full of confusion: “A complete family?”
Qiu Baiyu explained: “It’s like Mingxue’s family, with a mom and dad, or two people who love and protect you.”
After hearing this, Qiu Zimin suddenly smiled: “I already have that.”
She threw herself into Qiu Baiyu’s arms, hugging her waist: “I have you, Auntie.”
Then she pointed at Yi Wanyue, who was walking over: “And I have Auntie Wanyue too.”
“You both love me, and I’m super happy now~”
Who said she didn’t have a complete family? This was her complete family.
Compared to others, her family was not lacking in any way.
She was proud to have two aunties!
After hearing her words, Qiu Baiyu and Yi Wanyue instinctively looked at each other, deeply moved.
It turned out they had guessed wrong.
She didn’t care about that; she was already content.
This was good enough.
At least Qiu Zimin wouldn’t make Qiu Baiyu actually find a father for her.
But the 0.5% still hadn’t been eliminated, proving that they were heading in the wrong direction.
They still hadn’t found the correct answer.
At this moment, the child in Qiu Baiyu’s arms looked up and suddenly asked, “Auntie, are you wanting to find a boyfriend?”
Both of them were stunned.
Qiu Baiyu: “?”
Yi Wanyue: “??”
“No,” Qiu Baiyu said, her face full of confusion, looking down to ask, “Why would you think that?”
Qiu Zimin asked in return: “Then why did you suddenly want to ask if I wanted a mom and dad?”
Qiu Baiyu replied: “Well… I was just concerned about your psychological needs.”
This reason was good, and it was what she truly thought.
She cupped Qiu Zimin’s face and said: “You weren’t very happy before, and I hope you’ll always be happy from now on. So I wanted to know if you had any wishes you wanted to fulfill—do you have any wishes now?”
Qiu Zimin’s clear black and white eyes rolled around as she thought seriously for a while.
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After a while, she said: “I don’t have any at the moment.”
She was very happy now. There were no grandparents asking her for money, no father ignoring her. She now had a lot of love, so she didn’t have any wishes.
At least not for now.
Maybe in the future she would, like hoping her auntie would bring her a caramel pudding cake.
Qiu Baiyu’s lips curved into a slight smile as she gently pinched her little cheek, then looked towards Yi Wanyue.
The two of them sighed inwardly.
It seemed this 0.5% was something that even Qiu Zimin herself hadn’t noticed…
“Auntie.”
The child in her arms suddenly tugged lightly at the hem of her clothes.
Qiu Baiyu looked down at her again: “What is it?”
Suddenly, Qiu Zimin looked very serious: “Auntie, if you ever date someone, make sure to find someone who loves you.”
“Don’t find someone like my dad; you’ll be unhappy.”
Adults always say that only people who love each other get married, but Auntie once said that Dad didn’t love her.
At the time, she didn’t understand why, but she could still comprehend the feeling of not being loved.
That feeling was too painful, not pleasant at all. She didn’t want Auntie to experience that feeling again. She wanted Auntie to always be happy and cheerful, and she hoped that Auntie, like her, would have lots and lots of love.
At the mention of the topic of romance, Qiu Baiyu’s gaze unconsciously fell on Yi Wanyue.
It was just for a moment, quickly withdrawn.
She looked back at Qiu Zimin.
This was the first time Qiu Zimin had said such things to her.
Although the child was still young, she wasn’t completely ignorant.
“Alright,” she patted Qiu Zimin’s face, “Auntie will remember that.”
“Now, go tidy up your room. Weren’t you almost done cleaning?”
Qiu Zimin nodded with a smile, then turned and happily went off.
Only the two adults were left in the living room.
Qiu Baiyu and Yi Wanyue sat on the sofa, in unusual silence.
After a while, Yi Wanyue was the first to break the silence: “Baiyu, will you find a boyfriend?”
She had been curious about this ever since Qiu Zimin asked that question.
Qiu Baiyu had never mentioned her sexual orientation. What if she really liked men and not women?
“Me?” Qiu Baiyu said straightforwardly, “No, I’m not interested in men.”
First, there was her irresponsible father, and then there was the fictional scumbag Jiang Shen based on reality. These two had set a “great example” in her heart, reducing her already limited interest in men to absolute zero.
Moreover… she was already bent as far as she could bend.
Yi Wanyue heard this answer and smiled with great satisfaction.
This was for the best, as it gave her a chance.
She said again, “Xiaomin really cares about you.”
Qiu Baiyu nodded, “Mm-hmm.”
Yi Wanyue: “Then you must find someone who truly loves you.”
Qiu Baiyu suddenly smiled helplessly, responding without much confidence, “Mm…”
Unfortunately, this was no longer something she could control.
The next second, she heard Yiwanyue suddenly say, “I think you should choose me.”
Qiu Baiyu was stunned upon hearing this, abruptly turning her head to look at Yi Wanyue.
Yi Wanyue’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes sparkling, as she said half-jokingly, “Outsiders aren’t as trustworthy as I am. If you choose me, Xiaomin will be at ease too. I promise I’ll love you more than anyone else. Would you like to consider it?”
After speaking, Yi Wanyue gazed at Qiu Baiyu without averting her eyes.
“I like you” was on the tip of her tongue, yet she had to restrain herself.
Wanting to confess sincerely but fearing it might be too abrupt for the other person, she could only hide her true feelings in a joke, anticipating the other’s answer with a pounding heart.
Afraid of rejection.
Could she at least not be rejected even if it was just a joke…
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Qiu Baiyu indeed took it as a joke.
The system didn’t react, so it must be a joke.
But even as a joke, it made her heart skip a beat.
She felt troubled and helpless.
How could this person make one’s heart flutter so much even with a joke?
“Okay.”
She still responded with a smile, expressing her inner desire through jest.
“Then from today on, you’re my girlfriend.”
Yi Wanyue’s almond-shaped eyes slowly curved into crescents.
Qiu Baiyu didn’t reject her!
She was happy, indescribably happy.
Although it wasn’t real, at least Qiu Baiyu didn’t reject even the joke.
In her joy, she couldn’t help but lean forward and embrace Qiu Baiyu, leaving a kiss on her cheek: “Since you’re my girlfriend now, a kiss isn’t too much, right?”
Qiu Baiyu was stunned by the kiss, then a blush slowly appeared on the tips of her ears. She carefully placed both hands on Yi Wanyue’s waist, responding in a very soft voice: “It’s not too much…”
They held each other, feeling both fortunate and regretful in their playful exchange.
—If only this were real, how wonderful it would be.
LP: What do you mean, not real ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?