Truly

"I probably won't have time. For this May Day holiday, I'm going abroad." An Shiyu's voice continued to come through the phone.

"Oh?" Ye Shuang looked a bit surprised, but he still smiled. "Are you traveling abroad? Where to?"

"Japan. I have some things to take care of," An Shiyu said.

"Uh..." Ye Shuang suddenly felt it was weird for An Shiyu to say she was going "abroad," considering she was mixed-race. But remembering that she had grown up locally and only went back occasionally, it didn't seem wrong to phrase it that way.

"Alright then, have fun." Ye Shuang smiled. "Okay, I'll hang up now."

"Wait," An Shiyu suddenly spoke up.

"What is it?"

"..." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, before a different voice rang out. "She wants you to go with her, suki~"

Then came the sound of things being smashed, and the call was abruptly cut off.

Ye Shuang: "..."

Are they fighting again?

Go to Japan with An Shiyu?

Ye Shuang thought for a few seconds, then glanced at Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou. "Little Yu is going to Japan for the holidays. Are you guys interested in going?"

"Can we buy all the merch we want over there?" Tang Keke's eyes lit up.

"What kind of local specialty do you need to go to Japan to buy?"

"Little Boys?"

"What kind of dark humor is that."

"Just kidding. It's just that they have a huge variety of stuff over there, and I've always wanted to go take a look," Tang Keke said after some thought.

"If it's for shopping, it's hard to say, though we can plan our own itinerary." Ye Shuang smiled, then looked at Bai Yuyou. "What about you, Yuyou? What do you think?"

"I'll just follow you wherever you go, Ye Shuang," Bai Yuyou shook her head.

"But going abroad is indeed a good choice. After all, there are way too many people traveling during the May Day holiday. For domestic trips, it's best to pick an off-peak season; not only is it more affordable, but there are also fewer crowds," Ye Shuang said.

"Then let's go!" Tang Keke said immediately. However, she wasn't going for the scenery or anything like that; her sole intention was to go shopping.

"Let me ask around."

Ye Shuang didn't really mind where they went. He just felt it would be nice to take a walk outside during this rare holiday, and perhaps it could also cheer Chen Qin up.

He then gave Chen Qin a call.

"Sure, Ah Ye. Let's tag along with Little Yu," Chen Qin's laughter came through the phone.

"Then we'll go check it out."

"Mhm."

After hanging up, Ye Shuang looked a bit surprised. Why did it feel like Chen Qin was in a better mood? Had her problem been resolved?

It had only been a short while. Did something good happen?

Ye Shuang didn't know that it was entirely due to Chen Qin's own positive mindset, which had digested all her internal emotional friction. She had always been like this, able to face anything with the most optimistic attitude.

Because of this, the internal struggle of her unrequited love had never truly defeated Chen Qin. No matter where Ye Shuang went, all he had to do was turn around, and Chen Qin would always be there.

"Brother, what did Sister Chen Qin say!" Tang Keke asked curiously from the side. She was by far the most enthusiastic one.

"She said it's fine. Why are you suddenly so eager?" Ye Shuang couldn't help but smile.

"Because I can buy the merch I like," Tang Keke said, taking out her phone to check her little savings account. "Hmm... I guess I'll just spend it all."

"You sure are willing to part with it."

"No, no, no, no, the money isn't gone; it's just staying with me in another form," Tang Keke wagged her finger.

It felt like he had heard that line somewhere before.

Since everyone was on board, Ye Shuang sent a message to An Shiyu.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side—

"You've been exceptionally presumptuous lately."

"Oh? Have I?"

The furniture was in disarray, and various articles of clothing had been torn and scattered across the floor, along with a mishmash of metal weapons. At this moment, the two girls were sitting on the sofa, staring at each other. Their hair was as messy as a bird's nest, a far cry from their usual meticulous appearance.

"You're so mean. Did I say something wrong? Wasn't that exactly what was in your heart?" An Shiyi touched her long hair, smoothing it out as she asked.

"Who told you that was what was in my heart?" An Shiyu crossed her arms and crossed her slender legs, which were clad in pantyhose.

"As if I don't know you?" An Shiyi whistled.

"You clearly want the old man to go back with you. What, are you too shy to say it out loud? Have you gotten even more bashful?"

"..." An Shiyu looked away without saying a word.

An Shiyi leaned in closer, shaking her head next to An Shiyu's cheek. "Is that it? I'm right, aren't I? Dummy, dummy—"

"It's not like that at all," An Shiyu snapped back.

"Oh?"

"..." An Shiyu finally said, "I just don't want to put him in a difficult spot."

"Wow." An Shiyi was a bit surprised. "Why does it feel like something you wouldn't say? Is this the power of love?"

An Shiyu gripped her skirt, her ears already burning red. She didn't dare meet An Shiyi's eyes. Her jelly-like lips parted slightly.

"Mind your own business."

"Dummy."

An Shiyi looked at An Shiyu's current state, and in the next second, a delighted smile appeared on her face as a camera materialized in her hands.

Click. The sound of the shutter going off.

"What are you doing?!"

"Nothing, I just feel like it's really rare to see you look like this." An Shiyi bared her teeth in a grin. "You didn't think I was going to comfort you, did you?"

"Give it to me!"

"No way!"

The two of them started tussling in the room again, eventually falling to the floor together as they fought over the camera, practically shoving their feet into each other's mouths.

Beep beep. Just then, a distinct phone ringtone sounded. An Shiyu instinctively let go, causing An Shiyi to bump her head against the sofa behind her.

"Ouch."

"That hurts!"

"Serves you right." An Shiyu expressionlessly picked the camera back up and began clicking away to delete the photos.

After she was done, she casually tossed the camera into a nearby trash can and took out her phone.

It was a reply from Ye Shuang.

Ye Shuang: Since you're going to Japan, how about we all go together? Just like our last vacation to the island.

An Shiyu: "..."

"Why aren't you replying? Isn't this perfect?" An Shiyi stood up, glanced at the message, and asked, "I didn't think you were the tsundere type."

"Oof." In the next second, she took an elbow strike to the abdomen from An Shiyu.

An Shiyu gave An Shiyi an annoyed glare before replying to Ye Shuang.

An Shiyu: Okay.

A few seconds later—

Ye Shuang: Where's the destination?

Ye Shuang: See you tomorrow then. I'll go ask Taozi and the others.

An Shiyu held her phone, a faint smile suddenly appearing on her face. Instead of typing a reply, she simply whispered, "Okay."