145: sisters

Shen Yueling's legs felt a little weak as she followed Yu Heng downstairs.

She held onto the railing and walked slowly.

Bai Xinran was sitting on the living room sofa and looked up when she heard the movement.

“You're awake,” she stood up. “I didn't know when you'd come down, so I haven't cooked. Are you hungry? Should I make something to eat?”

She thought to herself that since Shen Yueling was here today, they couldn't just have a casual meal like when it was only her and Yu Heng.

Yu Heng walked over to the sofa and sat down: “No need to trouble yourself, let's just order takeout.”

Bai Xinran said “Oh” and sat back down on the sofa.

Shen Yueling walked over and sat down next to Yu Heng, leaving a space about the size of one person between them.

The three of them sat there, and no one spoke for a moment.

Bai Xinran secretly glanced at Shen Yueling, who was looking down at her phone.

Actually, the screen was black; she was just pretending to look.

Yu Heng picked up his phone and unlocked the screen: “I'll order takeout. Why don't you two chat for a bit?”

Shen Yueling looked up, and Bai Xinran also looked over. Their eyes met for an instant, and then both quickly looked away.

After about half a minute, Bai Xinran finally found something to say: “Uh... do you want water?” She stood up and walked to the water dispenser. “There's warm water.”

“Mm, thank you,” Shen Yueling said.

Bai Xinran filled a cup of water and walked over to hand it to Shen Yueling.

Shen Yueling took it and held it in her hand.

Bai Xinran pursed her lips. She was more familiar with Ning Yutong.

But she had only met Shen Yueling a few times and truly didn't know how to start a conversation.

She knew about their relationship, and she also knew what happened last night.

Although she hadn't seen it, she had heard it.

Shen Yueling also felt awkward. She knew about Bai Xinran's existence.

She also knew that her relationship with Yu Heng was unusual, but she wasn't sure of the specifics.

Sitting here with the three of them now, she felt an unspeakable sense of awkwardness.

“Did you... stream yesterday?” Shen Yueling tried to start.

“Yes, I did.” Bai Xinran sat back down on the chair. “I streamed for a while after you two went upstairs.”

“What did you stream?”

“Just... chatting and playing games,” Bai Xinran said. “And occasionally singing.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell again.

Yu Heng was ordering takeout while listening to their conversation, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

He looked up: “Don't be so polite, you two. It's not like you don't know each other's situation.”

Shen Yueling shot him a glare.

“What I mean is, you two will inevitably see each other often in the future.” Yu Heng placed his phone on the coffee table. “You can exchange tips, haha.”

This time, Shen Yueling didn't just glare; she reached out and pinched his thigh directly.

“Hiss—” Yu Heng gasped. “Ouch.”

“Serves you right,” Shen Yueling scolded playfully.

Tips?

What kind of tips?

Can this even be discussed?

“I've placed the order,” Yu Heng put down his phone. “It'll probably arrive in half an hour. Don't be so reserved, A Ling. Yue Ling is older than you, so you should call her Sister Yue Ling.”

Shen Yueling didn't speak, implying consent.

Bai Xinran pursed her lips and tentatively called out, “Sister Yue Ling.”

“Mm,” Shen Yueling replied.

“You can just call me A Ling too,” Bai Xinran said.

“Okay.”

The atmosphere seemed to warm up slightly.

Having called her 'Sister', their relationship seemed to be defined.

The awkwardness in Shen Yueling's heart eased slightly. She was the older sister, and Bai Xinran was the younger sister.

Although this younger sister's relationship with Yu Heng seemed even more special than her own, at least they had a title, which meant they weren't in a state of hostility.

After lunch, Yu Heng got up and went upstairs, returning shortly with a computer tower.

“What are you doing?” Shen Yueling watched him plug the cables into the back of the TV.

“Playing games.” Yu Heng squatted in front of the TV stand, fiddling with the ports. “Three people, perfect.”

Bai Xinran went and fetched three cushions, tossing them onto the carpet in front of the coffee table.

The TV lit up, entering the system interface.

Yu Heng threw three controllers onto the cushions: “Overcooked. Have you played it?”

Shen Yueling shook her head.

“It's fine,” Yu Heng sat down himself. “It doesn't make much difference whether you've played this game or not.”

The game loaded, the visuals were cartoonish, and the characters were little chefs.

Yu Heng chose the one wearing a tall hat, Bai Xinran picked a female chef with twin pigtails, and Shen Yueling randomly selected the brown-haired one.

“Yue Ling, you handle the chopping, A Ling, you cook, and I'll deliver,” Yu Heng directed.

Shen Yueling stared at the screen, a little unfamiliar with the controls.

Her character walked up to the cutting board, and she pressed the chop button repeatedly.

Bai Xinran waited for the ingredients to be chopped, carried them to the pot, and nervously watched the progress bar.

Yu Heng ran back and forth between the two of them, taking the prepared plates and delivering them to the window.

“A Ling! Rice! The rice needs cooking!” Yu Heng shouted.

“It's cooking, it's cooking!” Bai Xinran hurriedly placed the rice pot on the stove.

“Yue Ling, go chop the meat, we're out of meat!” Yu Heng turned to Shen Yueling again.

“I am chopping!” Shen Yueling's voice involuntarily rose slightly.

The screen was a mess; the frying pan was on fire, and Bai Xinran quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed it.

Time ran out, and the score screen popped up, showing two stars.

Shen Yueling put down the controller, picked up her water cup, and took a sip.

She realized her palms were actually sweating; this game was much harder than it looked.

“Want to play again?” Yu Heng asked.

“Yes.” Shen Yueling put down the cup. She refused to admit defeat.

They cleared another level, earning three stars this time.

Shen Yueling let out a breath and leaned back, her back lightly touching Yu Heng's leg.

“Take a break?” Yu Heng asked.

“Mm.” Shen Yueling put the controller on the carpet and stretched her fingers.

After pressing constantly, her knuckles felt a bit stiff.

Bai Xinran also put down her controller and stood up: “I'm going to grab some drinks. What would you like, Sister Yue Ling?”

“Water is fine,” Shen Yueling said.

Bai Xinran went to the kitchen, leaving only the two of them in the living room.

Yu Heng naturally placed his hand on Shen Yueling's shoulder, his fingers gently massaging her shoulder and neck area.

Shen Yueling paused slightly, but didn't pull away.

“Tired?” Yu Heng asked.

“A little,” Shen Yueling replied.

“What do you want to eat tonight?” Yu Heng continued massaging with moderate pressure.

“Anything,” Shen Yueling closed her eyes.

Bai Xinran returned with the water and saw Yu Heng massaging Shen Yueling's shoulders.

She paused her steps, then walked over and placed the water cup on the coffee table in front of Shen Yueling.

“Thank you,” Shen Yueling opened her eyes.

Bai Xinran sat back on her cushion and hugged her knees.

She watched Yu Heng's hand moving on Shen Yueling's shoulder, recalling that he would massage her like this when her back was sore.

The difference was that he usually pressed a little lower down on her.

She pursed her lips. It wasn't jealousy; she just wanted to cuddle with Yu Heng too.

Bai Xinran licked her lips, hesitated like a kitten, then crawled over and gently lay down on Yu Heng's other leg.

Seeing this, Yu Heng naturally placed his other hand on her head and gently stroked it a few times.

Shen Yueling couldn't help but smile when she saw Bai Xinran acting like this.

This younger sister was quite cute.

Bai Xinran realized Shen Yueling was smiling at her, felt a little embarrassed, and buried her head deeper.

“You two,” Yu Heng looked at them, a smile in his voice, “How about taking a nap?”