The World Is Big, the World Is Small

It was the weekend, and Bai Yuyou didn’t have to go to school.

At the moment, she sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the clock on the wall. The second hand ticked away, and the girl’s gaze followed its movement.

"Yu You? Yu You?"

Tang Keke tugged at Bai Yuyou, and when she saw that her friend was still in a daze, Keke scratched her head. "Oh no."

Today was the day Ye Shuang went to get the marriage certificate. It seemed that from early morning, Bai Yuyou had been staring at the clock like this, lost in thought. Even when Yihua stepped right over her lap on the way past, she didn’t react at all—like a delicate doll that had run out of winding.

After quite a while, Bai Yuyou finally turned her head to look at Keke. "Keke."

"Yeah? Are you okay, Yu You?"

"I’m fine, it’s just..." Bai Yuyou lightly clutched her chest and said in a low voice, "I don’t know why, but I feel so awful. Am I sick?"

"Well... does that count as being sick? Maybe?" Tang Keke had no idea how to help Bai Yuyou. Standing beside her, Yezi blinked and reached out to comfort Bai Yuyou, saying, "Mom’s okay. Dad will stay with Mom."

"But we’re not husband and wife," Bai Yuyou said, looking away.

Deep down, Bai Yuyou understood the reason, but a sense of unease wrapped around her entire being. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, the sudden pang of pain still sent her spirits plummeting.

"Mom, it’s okay, it’s fine." Yezi extended her arms and gently hugged Bai Yuyou.

Yezi didn’t know how to console Bai Yuyou; all she could do was wrap her little arms around her as best she could.

Tang Keke scratched her head and let out a sigh. She glanced at the updates on her social feed—Ye Shuang’s marriage certificate had already appeared there. She had to admit, they made a handsome couple, and they looked quite well-matched.

"There’s no way around it," Keke muttered helplessly.

From a friend’s perspective, she wished Yu You could have gotten that certificate with Ye Shuang instead, but that was clearly unrealistic. Even Keke herself had to admit that Chen Qin was the best match for Ye Shuang—given their shared history and circumstances.

"I’m going upstairs for a bit." Bai Yuyou slowly stood up. Her face was expressionless as she headed for the staircase.

"Oh?" Keke watched her go.

After Bai Yuyou went upstairs, Yezi asked worriedly, "Is Mom going to be okay?"

"Hard to say. I think Yu You must still be really upset. I mean, before, whenever you asked her about her relationship with big brother, she’d just say they were husband and wife. And now this..."

Thinking about it, Keke felt a twinge of guilt. "It’s my fault for not reading enough shoujo manga. Trying to help Yu You land a man like big brother? That’s just way too hard."

If only she had tried harder—read a hundred shoujo manga, a hundred romance novels. Would the result have been different then?

Surely, she could have become a master of love by now.

"Ahh." Yezi and Keke both sighed at the same time.

"You’re just a little kid—what are you sighing about?" Keke glanced at Yezi at the sound of her sigh.

"You wouldn’t get it, Sister Keke." Yezi’s eyes looked deep, and she spoke with an air of maturity beyond her years. "The world of elementary schoolers has changed. You’ll understand when you’re my age."

Keke: "..."

Kids these days sure grew up fast.

The two of them sat on the sofa for a while without seeing Bai Yuyou come back down. Tang Keke suddenly had a thought. "You don’t think Yu You would do something stupid, do you?"

"Stupid?" Yezi was taken aback.

"We’d better go check!"

Sensing that Yu You’s mood had been off, Tang Keke got a fright and immediately dashed upstairs in her slippers with a pitter-patter. This was no joke—Yu You had genuinely fallen into depression over Ye Shuang before.

When she reached the second floor, Keke quickly threw open the door to Bai Yuyou’s room, only to find it empty. The room was hollow, with only the computer monitor still glowing, displaying a wallpaper of a photo with Ye Shuang.

She immediately turned and ran toward the rooftop—and saw Bai Yuyou standing at the edge of the railing.

"Yu You, don’t do anything rash! What would I do without you?!"

Keke shouted as she ran over and wrapped her arms tightly around Bai Yuyou’s waist.

A clattering sound rang out—"Clang, ding."

Keke looked down and saw a watering can lying on its side, the water spilled out across the floor in a spreading puddle.

"What’s wrong?" Bai Yuyou glanced at Keke and said, "Keke, you’re hugging me way too hard—it hurts."

Only then did Keke notice the several potted plants in front of Bai Yuyou. So she had just been watering them.

"I, uh... I was just afraid you’d do something crazy," Keke said.

"Why would I do something crazy?"

"Because big brother’s married now."

"Hmm..." Bai Yuyou nodded lightly, but her expression remained unchanged. She said softly, "Ye Shuang once told me that the world has so many beautiful things. Even if you’re really sad, you shouldn’t ever think about giving up on life."

"Oh, I see." Keke felt relieved.

Bai Yuyou bent down, picked up the watering can, and refilled it with water.

She continued to water the plants in front of her. Perhaps under the sunlight, the petals dripping with water looked especially vibrant and lovely.

Bai Yuyou gently stroked the watering can in her hands. She turned to glance at Keke, then looked back and said softly, "I used to think the world was so small—a tiny, pitch-black attic where I couldn’t see the sun or the moon."

"Then I realized the world was a little bigger. He took me to watch the stars and the moon, to walk barefoot on the sand by the sunny seaside."

"I thought I could make him my entire world. But now I understand that the world is vast. Even with just two people, it’s so hard for me to keep up with his shadow."

"I’ve grown up, but I feel farther away from him than ever."

"It hurts, but I don’t have to tell Ye Shuang."

A quiet sigh escaped her. Keke was surprised that Yu You could string together such a long speech. A gentle breeze blew across the rooftop, stirring the long hair that fell to Bai Yuyou’s waist. She stood there, gazing at the blue sky, her face no longer carrying the innocence and naivety of before.

It was as if she had suddenly matured.

"Keke." Bai Yuyou smoothed back a strand of her hair and turned to look at her friend.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"Huh?" Keke was caught off guard by Bai Yuyou’s sudden thanks. She scratched her head. "Why are you thanking me? I feel like I’ve just been causing you trouble all along."

Bai Yuyou simply shook her head, picked up the watering can, and walked back indoors.

"Yu You, wait for me!"