Su Yun called out several more times, but instead of getting up, Qin Xue pressed down on her more and more, until her entire body was sprawled across her.
At that point, Su Yun seriously started to suspect Qin Xue was awake and doing this on purpose.
Otherwise, who sleeps like this?
If she weren't a proper person, this lazy pig would’ve already been in trouble.
“Siater Xiaoyun, are you calling me because you're hungry?” Qin Xue finally sat up.
Still half-asleep, she sat beside Su Yun and, despite her drowsiness, instinctively tugged open the collar of her pajamas.
“No, I’m not hungry. Get dressed. I’ll go and make get some food for you.”
“Okay~”
Su Yun got out of bed, but she paused for a moment as she saw Qin Xue still leaning lazily against the headboard with her eyes half-shut.
Was she really not going to fall asleep again?
Su Yun decided to trust her and left the room.
Just in time, her mom was stir-frying vegetables in the kitchen while her dad and uncle sat on the sofa scrolling on their phones. It was one of the rare days they could all relax.
The day after tomorrow, they’d return to work. It had been a tiring week, but compared to the monotony of assembly line work, it had still been enjoyable.
Su Yun walked over to help her mother.
“Baby, you’re awake? Want to cook a dish yourself?” Wang Haiyan asked as she turned her head, spatula in hand.
At noon, Su Yun had made a separate dish just for Qin Xue. Because of that, no one else had touched it.
“Mm-hmm.”
“I’m almost done here. Come take over,” Wang Haiyan said, lifting the pan and pouring the stir-fry into a plate.
“Has your wife gotten up yet? If not, I’ll go call her.”
Su Yun had just reached for a carrot when that comment made her freeze.
“…”
Wang Haiyan smiled as she placed the dish on the table, speaking in a casual tone—as if it were already an accepted fact.
“Mom, don’t say stuff like that in front of her. She’s not… mine.”
“Alright, alright, baby, hurry up and cook,” Wang Haiyan waved her off, then turned toward the bedroom, presumably to call Qin Xue.
Su Yun didn’t know what else to say. Once her mom left, she picked up the carrot and began slicing.
Tonight, she planned to make stir-fried carrots with eggs for Qin Xue.
But as she chopped, her mother’s words kept ringing in her ears.
Wife… if only.
“Sister Xiaoyun~ I’m here to help! What are we making tonight?” came a cheerful, sweet voice from behind her.
Qin Xue had already fixed her clothes and hair. She looked bright and beautiful.
“Stir-fried carrots and eggs. Do you eat that?” Su Yun asked, a little shyly.
“Of course! I’ll eat anything you make.”
Qin Xue stepped up to the stove and quickly added oil and cracked a few eggs into the pan.
Su Yun stood to the side, dazed, watching her enthusiastically help with the cooking.
They always did things like this together, cooking, sleeping, brushing their teeth, going out…
If only she really were my wife.
“Sister Xiaoyun, why are you staring at me like that? Are your hands tired? Want me to finish cutting?”
Qin Xue held back a laugh as she gently nudged Su Yun’s shoulder, trying to get her to rest.
“No, no, I’m not tired…”
Su Yun snapped out of her daze and continued cooking.
Dinner consisted of four dishes: stir-fried carrots with eggs, eggplant with meat, greens, and fish, plus a pork rib soup.
It was a lavish meal by their usual standards.
Probably because everyone was leaving for work soon. It felt like a farewell celebration.
Tomorrow night they’d treat some guests, but no matter how delicious that meal might be, it couldn’t compare to eating at home with family.
…
“Baby, come here.”
After helping wash the dishes, Su Yun was about to head back to the bedroom with Qin Xue when her mother called out.
Su Yun figured there was something to talk about, so she told Qin Xue to go on ahead.
“Okay, Sister Xiaoyun, come quickly!”
Alone in the bedroom, Qin Xue’s mood began to drop.
The moment Su Yun left, her thoughts started running wild again.
Like earlier at lunch—when Su Yun said she liked someone—she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
Even if Su Yun had dismissed it and said it was just a random answer, Qin Xue still believed it was real.
Who could it be?
Qin Xue lay on the bed, frustrated, gripping the blanket as if trying to crush whoever that person was.
She picked up her phone.
Though her WeChat had 25 unread messages, she didn’t open them. Instead, she logged into the QQ account labeled “Liu Fei’s Friend” to check for replies.
She was going to find out the truth. Did Sister Xiaoyun really like someone?
Once she’d finished messaging, she realized Su Yun was still outside and wouldn’t be replying soon. So she finally opened WeChat.
She hadn’t checked it much that day since Qin Yuanyuan’s voice had recovered and she’d spent most of her time with Su Yun.
She now saw that nearly all the messages were from Qin Yuanyuan.
The earliest message was from 7 AM, and the latest was from 9 PM—right when they were having dinner.
Clearly, Qin Xue hadn’t responded to any of them.
She’d been napping at the hospital in the morning, then again at noon, and the rest of the day was spent playing with Su Yun.
Yuanyuan: Sis, I’m doing a great job pretending. I don’t think anyone noticed, so you two can have fun!
Yuanyuan: I even looked up tips online on how to protect my throat. I won’t trouble you anymore, hehe.
That was the message from just after 9 PM.
No more clingy whining, no more complaints about her being gone too long—just messages that made Qin Xue feel even more uneasy.
She knew it wasn’t right to go a whole day without replying to her sister.
Qin Xue: I’ll be back Sunday or Monday. Be good, okay? I’ll take you to the school gate and buy you all kinds of snacks!
Qin Xue: Thanks for being so understanding.
She hoped sweets would cheer Yuanyuan up. The girl always lit up at the sight of candy.
Yuanyuan: Thanks, Sis. But the exams are coming up. Sister Yao definitely won’t let us go out. Never mind…
Yuanyuan: You and that Su Xiaoyun have fun.
“…?”
Qin Xue stared at the screen, surprised. Her finger hovered midair for several seconds.
Qin Yuanyuan actually turned down snacks?
Then again, with finals coming up, her strict older sister probably wouldn’t let them go anywhere.
Qin Xue chatted with her for a bit longer, and just as Su Yun returned, Qin Yuanyuan said she had to go study. So their conversation ended.
“Sister Xue, do you have stuff to handle at school?” Su Yun asked as she entered the room, “If you do, maybe my mom could take the train back with you. There are sleeper seats. It’d be more comfortable than a car ride.”
“Huh? Not really, why?” Qin Xue tilted her head in confusion.
“Well… Uncle’s car is still here, and my dad and I will take it back. So I thought…”
Su Yun kept her voice steady, not wanting Qin Xue to pick up on anything strange.
The truth was, Su Yun's ID card was still under review. Without a valid ID, she couldn’t take the train—so she had to ride back with her uncle.
But she didn’t want Qin Xue to be stuck in an uncomfortable car, so she was trying to talk her into going ahead.
“Then I’ll go with you,” Qin Xue said without hesitation. The moment she heard they’d be separated, she immediately rejected the idea.
She didn’t even ask why Su Yun had to take the car.
“It’s cramped, and it’ll waste time…”
“Silly. No, it won’t.” Qin Xue wrapped her arms around Su Yun from behind as the girl sat quietly at the edge of the bed.
“Why not?” Su Yun asked, confused.
“Because I get to cuddle Sister Xiaoyun the whole way~ You’re so soft, how could it be cramped?” she said happily, as if the entire point of the ride was to hold her.
“Ah…?”
Su Yun was speechless.
She really planned to suffer through a bumpy car ride just so she could hug her?
Then again, being held by Qin Xue did feel a little cramped…
Not that she would say it out loud.
To be honest, Su Yun also wanted to ride with Qin Xue.
Her reason was about the same—it was nice being cuddled every day.
“You promised, remember? You said you’d never leave me alone again,” Qin Xue added, pretending to be upset.
“Ah… yeah.”
Su Yun nodded blankly.
But technically, being with her mom wasn’t being alone…
Still, thinking long-term, there was no way they could be together every second of every day.
“Then let’s go together.” In the end, she agreed.
“Mm-hmm.”
Qin Xue instantly relaxed. Her mood brightened.
She gently poked Su Yun’s soft cheek with her finger, her gaze full of affection.
“Sister Xiaoyun, are you hungry?”
“No… I—hey, what are you—"
Before she could finish, she was yanked into a tight hug and flipped over, her face pressed firmly into softness.
She couldn’t speak at all.
“Sister Xiaoyun, I know you’re hungry. Hurry and drink my blood.”
“Mmph!”
That caught Su Yun completely off guard. She almost misunderstood.
Ugh…
In that quiet room, Qin Xue revealed her pale shoulder, and Su Yun began to drink.
As she fed, Qin Xue held her tightly, filled with happiness as she watched her obedient Xiaoyun drink from her.
But afterward, she felt terrible.
Even after putting on her jacket, she was too tired to pick up her phone.
Dizzy, weak—typical symptoms of anemia. They would likely last until morning or noon.
She’d just finished her period, so her body was still recovering. But once she was back to normal, she’d be able to feed Su Yun every day.
Lying weakly on the bed, she watched as her Sister Xiaoyun tucked her in under the covers.
The small head rubbing against her from behind helped her relax.
(End of Chapter)