Firefly

It was almost nine o'clock by the time they returned to Tang Keke's hometown. Walking along the narrow path through the farmland, the faint glow of lights made the darkness feel less oppressive.

"Alice, my little sister... I hope she isn’t scared sleeping alone at night," Tang Keke murmured as they walked.

"Being kidnapped... it’s like something straight out of a movie," Tang Duoduo couldn’t help but sigh. The events of today—if she told her classmates about them back at school—they’d probably think she was making it all up.

"Ye Shuang, look..." At that moment, Bai Yuyou reached out and pointed.

Following her gaze, Ye Shuang saw tiny flickers of light floating above the small stream, countless in number, creating a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

"Stars... fell down," Bai Yuyou said.

"Silly, those are fireflies," Ye Shuang replied, surprised to see them here. The last time he had seen fireflies, he must have been very young.

"Are fireflies really that rare? We get tons of them here every year. If you catch them, they stop glowing after a while," Tang Duoduo asked.

"They are rare. I haven’t seen them in years," Ye Shuang chuckled.

Somehow, over time, many childhood memories had begun to fade.

Ye Shuang took out his phone to snap a photo, only to find the outer screen cracked. He thought for a moment—maybe he had bumped it while searching for Alice earlier.

Ye Shuang: "..."

This phone had been sold to him by that troublemaker An Shiyu. Though it wasn’t worth much, he had been using it for a while.

Ye Shuang wasn’t picky about phones—as long as they didn’t lag, since he barely played games.

Still, seeing the cracked screen made him feel a little regretful.

But maybe replacing the outer glass would fix it?

"Our teacher said fireflies only live for about seven days once they become adults," Tang Duoduo chimed in.

"Such a short life."

"Maybe so," Ye Shuang slowly put his phone away. "But even if their lives are short, they shine brightly enough."

After a brief silence, he glanced toward the warmly lit houses in the distance. "Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for us."

"Alright, let’s head back. Time to wash up and sleep."

......

Tang's father and the others hadn’t gone to bed yet. They sat in the living room, watching TV while chatting and snacking on sunflower seeds.

When they saw Ye Shuang return with the girls, they visibly relaxed. In a village like this, it was unusual for kids to be out in the unlit fields past nine o’clock. Even with Ye Shuang accompanying them, they couldn’t help but worry.

"Are there enough rooms for everyone?" After a quick shower, Ye Shuang asked about sleeping arrangements.

"Plenty!" Tang Keke raised her hand excitedly, then pulled Ye Shuang upstairs.

"Ta-da!"

She opened the door to a girl’s room—neatly arranged with stuffed animals on the bed and a simple desk.

"Brother, you and Yuyou can stay in this room," Tang Keke said. "The bed’s big enough for two, no problem."

"..."

Ye Shuang hesitated. "This is your cousin’s room, right? Won’t she mind?"

"It’s fine, I don’t mind at all," Tang Duoduo popped her head out from behind Tang Keke.

"Giggle~ You can even do that in my room, no problem~"

Ye Shuang: "..."

Is this kid a little too mature for her age?

Looking at the mischievous grins on Tang Keke and Tang Duoduo’s faces, if he didn’t know they were cousins, he’d have thought they were sisters.

"Then we’ll be intruding."

In the end, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou decided to stay in that room. The second floor didn’t have many bedrooms to begin with—one for the sisters, one for Tang's father and mother, and now one for him and Bai Yuyou.

Tang Keke’s grandmother stayed on the first floor.

"Rest well, then. Whatever happens tonight, we won’t hear a thing," Tang Keke said before dragging Tang Duoduo back to their room.

"These two..."

Ye Shuang closed the door, only to find Bai Yuyou already hugging a pillow, leaning against the headboard. When she noticed him looking, she patted the empty space beside her.

"Ye Shuang, sleep."

"Yeah."

After turning off the lights, Ye Shuang lay down on the bed.

Bai Yuyou, as usual, nestled close, finding the most comfortable position against him.

Outside, the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the wind didn’t feel noisy at all—instead, it brought Ye Shuang an unusual sense of peace.

"Summer’s great, except for the mosquitoes," Ye Shuang remarked. Luckily, the room had a mosquito net and even an air conditioner, though the cool mountain breeze made it unnecessary to turn on.

"Ye Shuang..." Unlike usual, Bai Yuyou didn’t immediately fall asleep. Instead, she spoke up.

Ye Shuang turned his head slightly and saw her eyes wide open in the dim moonlight, looking completely awake.

"What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?" he asked. "Is it the unfamiliar bed?"

"No..." Bai Yuyou shook her head. "Next to Ye Shuang... I sleep well."

She paused, then continued, "That girl... this morning."

"Alice?"

"No..."

"Ran Xinxin?" Seeing that Bai Yuyou didn’t deny it, Ye Shuang was a little surprised by her reaction. Thinking back, she had seemed unusually protective—like a little puppy guarding its food.

"Ye Shuang... are there other girls?"

"What do you mean?" Hearing the softness in her voice, Ye Shuang explained, "Ran Xinxin is just one of the college students I invested in back then."

"At the time, aside from her, there were a few other talented young people—all very bright."

"But despite their potential, they struggled with tuition. So I helped them out, thinking... maybe they could become future assets for my company."

Who would’ve thought that instead of gaining talent, he’d ended up losing the company itself?

The thought made Ye Shuang sigh. He had poured so much effort into that business.

"Ye Shuang..."

"Hmm?"

"Ye Shuang can’t have other girls." Bai Yuyou’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Ye Shuang: "?"

"Ran Xinxin and I aren’t like that," Ye Shuang found himself clarifying, even though he had no particular feelings for Ran Xinxin, despite her being fairly attractive.

But hearing Bai Yuyou ask so timidly, he couldn’t help but reassure her.

Bai Yuyou inched closer, pressing her cheek against his arm.

"Sister Chen Qin is okay... but no one else... Ye Shuang only needs us..."

Her words left Ye Shuang momentarily speechless.