Bai Xingrui
Let’s eat New Year’s Eve meal together
Lin Sifei sat up in bed and spaced out for a while.
She stretched languidly, opened her bedroom door, and had just stepped into the hallway when she heard a noise from the main entrance downstairs.
“Luo Ke?” She walked down the stairs and saw Luo Ke opening the door as three people came inside.
“You’re awake.” Luo Ke set down her car keys and walked over with a smile. “This is my fiancée.”
The three men greeted them. “Well… Miss Luo, shall we start cooking now?”
“Yes, the ingredients are in the fridge. It’s all food we love. We don’t like sweet flavors, but otherwise, just cook according to your restaurant’s style.”
The three men put on their chef hats and efficiently made their way into the kitchen.
Lin Sifei stared at her, in a completely dumbfounded state1. Luo Ke grabbed a few oranges, sat down on the sofa with her, and started peeling one for them to share.
“Why did you hire chefs?”
Luo Ke pinched the orange peel and leaned over, kissing her cheek with a smile. “It’s the New Year’s Eve Meal2 today. I originally wanted to take you out to eat, but things ran so late, I figured you wouldn’t have enough time.”
She skillfully peeled the orange, removed the white pith, and held a slice of the fruit to Lin Sifei’s lips.
Lin Sifei opened her mouth and bit down. Juice immediately burst from the pulp, sweet and fragrant.
“We should have some sense of participation in our own New Year’s Eve Meal.” She got up, pulling Luo Ke over to the kitchen entrance. “Is there anything we can help with?”
The head chef glanced at her. “You can help us wash some green vegetables, and then slice a lemon.”
Lin Sifei didn’t know how to use a knife, so she decisively chose to wash the vegetables, leaving the lemon-slicing to Luo Ke.
The head chef’s movements were incredibly fast. Lin Sifei barely felt any sense of participation at all before a whole table’s worth of dishes was nearly finished.
The chefs wiped the sweat from their brows. “Everything is ready. We hope you two have a pleasant meal. We’ll be leaving now.”
“Thank you.”
Lin Sifei closed the door and sat down at the table, beaming. “Wow, this looks amazing.”
Luo Ke picked up a bowl and served her some rice. “This restaurant was recommended to me. The person who suggested it has a palate very similar to yours, so I guessed you’d like it.”
Lin Sifei picked up a piece of the sour vegetable fish3 and put it in her mouth. Her face immediately scrunched up. “So spicy!”
“I’ll get you a Coke.”
As Luo Ke walked to the fridge, Lin Sifei sucked in a sharp breath but couldn’t resist taking another bite.
Ding-dong, ding-dong!
The doorbell rang. Lin Sifei looked over, puzzled. “Who could that be at this hour?”
She stood up. The ringing grew more frantic, the person on the other side pressing the button so urgently that the chime became a jumbled ding-ding-ding-ding-dong.
Lin Sifei turned on the video intercom4. A figure, completely bundled up in a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, appeared on the screen.
Startled, Lin Sifei quickly waved Luo Ke over. “Luo Ke! Quick, come here! There’s a strange person at our door.”
Hearing this, Luo Ke hurried over. She looked at the person on the screen, pressed the call button, and said sternly, “Please leave my property immediately. I’ve already contacted security.”
The person outside froze for a second at her words, then hastily pulled off their sunglasses and mask, pointing at their own face. “It’s me, Bai Xingrui! Hurry up and open the door.”
“Oh, it’s your friend.” Lin Sifei reached out and opened the door.
Bai Xingrui rushed inside, slammed the door shut, and let out a long breath. “That scared me to death.”
Luo Ke immediately locked the door and pulled up the security camera feeds for the area around the house. “What’s wrong? Is someone chasing you?”
“No, I’m just hiding from someone.” Bai Xingrui waved her hand, panting. “Let me catch my breath first.”
She walked to the dining table, saw the Coke, and immediately opened it and started drinking.
She downed some of the drink, let out a long sigh, and turned to Luo Ke. Only then did she notice Lin Sifei, her eyes widening. “And this is…”
“Lin Sifei. We’re getting engaged next month.” Luo Ke wrapped an arm around Lin Sifei’s waist and made the introduction.
Bai Xingrui’s eyes went wide, her mouth gaping open wide enough to fit an egg.
Lin Sifei felt a little embarrassed under her stare and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Damn, Luo Ke, impressive. I haven’t seen you in a few months, and you’ve already managed to snag a wife.” Bai Xingrui strode toward Lin Sifei, extending her right hand. “Hello, I’m Luo Ke’s best friend. My name is Bai Xingrui. You can call me Rui’er.”
“Rui’er, hello.” Lin Sifei shook her hand. “Luo Ke mentions you often.”
Bai Xingrui nodded, looking her up and down with a smile. “You’re really beautiful, and your skin is so fair.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Lin Sifei said with a small smile.
She knew Bai Xingrui was being sincere. Although Bai Xingrui was very pretty herself, she was naturally dark-skinned and deeply envied girls with fair complexions. Her skin wasn’t as dark as Bao Zheng’s5, just a bit darker than average, which gave her a unique kind of beauty.
Encouraged by Lin Sifei’s smile, Bai Xingrui decided to gain an inch and advance a foot6, reaching out to touch her hand.
But before her claws7 could make contact, Luo Ke slapped her hand away. Luo Ke stepped in front of Lin Sifei, blocking Bai Xingrui’s view. “This is my girlfriend.”
“Oh, you’re so stingy8. I was just appreciating beauty.” Bai Xingrui tilted her head cockily. “Besides, you never told me you were a lesbian. If I’d known, I would have introduced you to more of my little sisters.”
“You mean introduce me to your ex-girlfriends?” Luo Ke shot her a glare, then pulled Lin Sifei closer by the shoulder and explained in a low voice, “Don’t listen to her reckless pull9. I never had any interest in her girlfriends. They can’t even compare to your little finger.”
“Hey, they were gorgeous!” Bai Xingrui protested, then looked back at Lin Sifei. “But, I guess they were a little less so than you.”
“If you’re here to pry a corner of the wall10, you can get out right this instant.”
At Luo Ke’s command, Bai Xingrui immediately zipped her lips and sat down quietly in a chair.
Lin Sifei just smiled from the side. She could tell that Luo Ke and Bai Xingrui had a genuinely good relationship, and that Bai Xingrui had helped Luo Ke out many times before.
Since Bai Xingrui had taken a seat, Luo Ke sat down next to Lin Sifei.
Bai Xingrui looked at the table full of food and picked up her chopsticks with extreme naturalness.
Luo Ke took a deep breath. “This is our New Year’s Eve Meal. You should be at home eating with your family.”
“Can’t go back. Someone’s waiting to block me there.”
“Are you in debt?”
Bai Xingrui glanced at her. “I haven’t gone bankrupt.”
Lin Sifei chewed on her chopsticks, trying to recall the plot. I don’t think there was anything written about Bai Xingrui offending someone.
“So, you know how I was abroad recently? I got a girlfriend. She’s Russian—super fair-skinned, super beautiful, just like a Foreign doll11. Her looks are off the charts.”
Bai Xingrui launched into an 800-word little essay12 praising her girlfriend.
Luo Ke glanced at her, then leaned down and kissed Lin Sifei’s cheek. “Are you sure you want to show off your love life in front of me?”
Bai Xingrui stuttered to a halt, as if just now realizing she was in front of a couple dog13. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Get to the point. What you say next will determine whether or not I throw you out so we can have our two-person world14.”
Lin Sifei nodded along, even reaching out to place a piece of red-braised pork15 in Luo Ke’s bowl—a classic case of the wife sings, the wife follows16.
Fed another mouthful of dog food17, Bai Xingrui threw up her hands in resignation. “Even though I like her, you know how Russian looks have a short shelf life. I think we should just leave each other with our most beautiful memories, so…”
“Scum woman18,” Lin Sifei clicked her tongue, then picked up another piece of food and fed it to Luo Ke. Luo Ke immediately returned the favor, sweetly placing a piece in Lin Sifei’s bowl before glancing at Bai Xingrui. “Liar.”
Bai Xingrui held out her hands. “She’s even worse than me! She put a tracking device19 on me and kept me locked up in a seaside villa every day. How messed up is that?”
That level of obsession is a little dangerous, Lin Sifei thought, looking at her. “So how did you escape?”
“I told her everyone has to go home for the Spring Festival20, so she went out to buy gifts, and I ran for it.” Bai Xingrui propped her chin on her hand. “To trick her, I even gave her my parents’ address. She’s definitely waiting for me there. Can I stay with you for a bit?”
“No,” Luo Ke refused without hesitation. “I have other properties under my name you can stay at, but you can’t bring danger here. The security at this place isn’t the best, and Xiao Xiao and I might not be able to handle her.”
“Heartless.” Bai Xingrui started gnawing on some ribs. “Then find me a place with super-tight security.”
She looked at Lin Sifei. “I can’t hang out with you for now, but don’t worry. Once this blows over, I’ll take you to all the fun places. I’m definitely way more interesting than Luo Ke.”
Luo Ke frowned. “She’s very busy, not idle like you.”
Bai Xingrui pouted. “By the way, what about your relatives? What gifts did they send this year? My relatives all gave me gifts. They say since I’m not married yet, I’m still a kid. Did they give you anything?”
Lin Sifei’s mouth twitched. So this is how Bai Xingrui has been hinting that Luo Ke’s family is problematic. The fact that Luo Ke hasn’t killed her yet really shows how much she values their friendship.
Does she have to frame her warnings like she’s bragging!
Lin Sifei heaved a heavy sigh. “Luo Ke has nothing to do with them anymore. You don’t have to beat around the bush.”
Bai Xingrui looked at Luo Ke in shock. “You finally made one knife, two pieces21 with those blood-sucking relatives22! Oh my god, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. You do have a brain in your head after all.”
At the mention of them, Luo Ke’s expression soured. “It’s because I have Xiao Xiao. She’s here supporting me.”
“Uh—Xiao Xiao is—” She looked toward Lin Sifei.
Lin Sifei’s eyes flew open as she stared at Luo Ke. “That’s—me. My pet name is Xiao Xiao.”
Realization dawned on Bai Xingrui’s face. “When you suddenly agreed to get a cat and gave it that name, I thought you’d had a complete change of personality. Turns out you’d already set your sights on someone and named the cat after her pet name.”
Lin Sifei smiled and nodded, sighing in relief. That was close. So close.
“Oh, right, I want to see Xiao Xiao. How is she?”
Lin Sifei’s eyes widened again, darting around. “Ah, well, Xiao Xiao is sleeping. She just finished eating, and she didn’t sleep well last night or much during the day. She just laid down.”
“Oh, is that so? Then I won’t disturb her sleep.”
Bai Xingrui went back to happily eating, occasionally glancing up at Lin Sifei.
Lin Sifei flopped her head onto Luo Ke’s shoulder, turning it back and forth. So close, so close. I completely forgot about that.
“They’re both called Xiao Xiao. Can you tell them apart normally?”
“The cat understands,” Luo Ke said in a low voice, cutting her off. “Hurry up and eat. When you’re done, I’ll call a driver to pick you up. Don’t get caught.”
The mention of her troublesome girlfriend soured Bai Xingrui’s mood for idle chatter. She ate quietly, getting a side of dog food with her meal.
“This is spicy, drink some Coke.”
“This one tastes good, try it.”
Sitting across from them, Bai Xingrui felt like today’s meal was a little hard to swallow.
After they finished eating, the driver arrived quickly.
Bai Xingrui stood at the door, putting her hat, sunglasses, and mask back on. Looking like a lawless element23, she waved. “Remember to send me an invitation to the engagement! If you need a designer for the venue, I can help introduce you to someone.”
She gave Luo Ke two thumbs up. “Go for it.”
Luo Ke waved her hand, signaling for her to leave quickly.
“She’s so noisy,” Luo Ke said, hugging Lin Sifei.
“I think it was kind of lively.” Lin Sifei sat on the sofa, calculated the time, and quickly turned into a cat.
Luo Ke smiled and picked up her tablet24. “Do you still want to play games today?”
“Meow!”
Smiling, Luo Ke picked up the tablet and carried her upstairs.
The warm yellow light filtering through the curtains was like a lighthouse in the dark night, safe and warm.
A lone figure stood on a small path in the residential complex. She bent down, picked up a necklace from the ground, and switched off the tracking device inside.
She lifted her head, looking at the surrounding houses. A cold wind blew the hood of her down jacket25 back, revealing the silver hair underneath.
“Found you.”
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