YABE - 29

Wen Siyu got up early on Sunday morning.

She had secretly packed her luggage the night before and bought a high-speed train ticket online for the morning. She stuffed two cartons of milk and a loaf of bread into her bag, then quietly tiptoed downstairs.

Halfway through her sneaky descent, she suddenly realized something, paused mid-step, and instinctively turned her head.

Wen Jingyao, wearing metal-rimmed glasses, was sitting on the couch drinking coffee and reading a magazine. Without looking up, he asked, “Where are you going so early in the morning?”

“Dad…” Wen Siyu instinctively hid her small suitcase behind her back and chuckled nervously, “You’re up this early?”

“Sit.”

“But Dad, I’ll miss my train!” Wen Siyu tried to protest.

Wen Jingyao glanced over his gold-rimmed glasses: “If you’re late, let your Uncle Lin drive you back. Sit.”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Reluctantly, she placed her suitcase upright beside her and shuffled over to sit on the single sofa, waiting for the patriarch to speak.

Wen Jingyao ignored her completely, flipping through his magazine. Wen Siyu leaned over and caught a glimpse—it was a fashion magazine.

This old man was only getting trendier with age.

The patriarch had called her over but wasn’t saying anything. Wen Siyu waited and waited, growing increasingly anxious.

Fifteen minutes passed. She checked her watch—less than an hour remained. Wen Siyu was as restless as if sitting on pins and needles.

Twenty-five minutes passed. Half an hour left. Unable to hold back any longer, Wen Siyu spoke up: “Dad, do you have any instructions?”

She even used the formal “you,” but Wen Jingyao still ignored her, pretending not to hear as he continued flipping through the magazine. The page displayed an article titled: “The Hottest Winter Outfits This Year: Do You Have These Must-Have Pieces?”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Thirty-five minutes passed. Wen Siyu’s heart sank, and she gave up all hope of catching the train. She slumped onto the sofa, expressionless, staring blankly into space. She no longer held any expectation of making it in time and was now absolutely certain that Mr. Wen had done this deliberately.

Just then, Wen Jingyao finally looked up.

He glanced at his daughter sitting beside him and said, surprised: “Why are you still here?”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Wen Jingyao waved his hand dismissively: “Fine, let your Uncle Lin drive you.”

Wen Siyu, who had been bracing herself for a lecture: “…???”

Twenty minutes later, Wen Siyu got into the car but still couldn’t understand what Wen Jingyao’s “deliberate delay to make her miss the train” was all about.

That is, until she saw Wen Siyuan walk out and circle around to the driver’s seat.

Wen Siyu stared at him, expressionless: “Where’s Uncle Lin?”

Wen Siyuan smiled sweetly: “Isn’t it better if your big brother drives you? We’re siblings after all. Why are you so cold toward your loving older brother?”

Wen Siyu: “I want Uncle Lin!”

“I think Uncle Lin isn’t up to the task, so I volunteered to sacrifice my rest time to drive you to school for a few hours round trip.” Wen Siyuan spoke gently. “But why are you in such a hurry to get back to school? My little sister loves studying so much!”

Wen Siyu forced a strained smile: “I love studying. Studying makes me happy.”

Wen Siyuan grinned mischievously and saluted her: “Don’t worry, Brother promises to drop you off right at the school gate and watch you go inside.”

Wen Siyu: “….”

She really wanted to hit him.

The entire way, the man drove like a snail, so slow that Wen Siyu was convinced he was doing it on purpose. Recalling how long it usually took her to get to school, she concluded that he was absolutely, one hundred percent deliberate.

Humming a tune, Wen Siyuan drove at the speed of an electric scooter and leisurely arrived at Zhongying School’s entrance. Wen Siyu suppressed the urge to murder him, repeatedly reminding herself that fratricide was not an option.

By the time they reached the school, it was already afternoon.

Wen Siyu was so hungry she wasn’t hungry anymore.

The girl glared angrily at her brother, gritting her teeth: “Goodbye!”

With that, she pulled open the car door, grabbed her suitcase, and strode off without looking back.

Wen Siyuan thought for a moment, turned the steering wheel, and parked the car behind a large vehicle.

He didn’t rush or leave, just sat there smiling as he waited.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, he saw the girl dragging her small suitcase, sneaking out like a thief.

Wen Siyuan smirked and picked up his phone, calling her. He watched as she stood by the school gate and answered.

Wen Siyu: “Hello.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Where do you think you’re going?”

Wen Siyu: “….”

This person was actually tailing her??? Was he even human???

The man watched as her figure froze, and angry shouts came through the receiver: “Wen Siyuan, how dare you! Do you have no conscience? I’m an adult! You’re restricting my freedom!”

Wen Siyuan, feeling smug, ignored her: “Stay at school and behave. If I catch you leaving again, I’ll tell Dad.”

Wen Siyu: “….”

She let out a resigned sigh and dragged her suitcase back, crestfallen.

Ten minutes later, a girl who appeared to be less than 170 cm tall, her head wrapped in a towel printed with bunny patterns, crouched low and dragged her suitcase, sneaking out through a side gate. After looking left and right, she quickly ran to the road, hailed a taxi, and climbed in.

Once safely seated in the taxi, Wen Siyu burst into triumphant laughter, grinning from ear to ear. She felt utterly great for the sake of love and believed Jiang Xu should award her a medal.

Still smiling, the girl sent a message to her boyfriend.

[Last Name Jiang: Where are you?]

One minute passed. No reply.

Three minutes passed. Still no reply.

Five minutes passed. Silence.

Wen Siyu’s brows furrowed. She figured Jiang Xu must be busy and hesitated briefly before her boyfriend finally replied.

[Boyfriend: Discussing a script.]

Not wanting to disturb him, she decided not to respond. If he was still busy, he’d probably return home late at night anyway.

Putting down her phone, Wen Siyu’s eyes darted around, and an idea formed in her mind.

Still wearing the towel, she giggled mischievously. Under the driver’s bewildered and slightly alarmed gaze, she simply instructed him to change destinations.

The taxi stopped outside an import supermarket near Jiang Xu’s house. Wen Siyu shoved the towel into her suitcase and got out, scrolling through food bloggers’ posts on her phone as she entered.

After browsing for a while, Wen Siyu gave up and opened Gu Yao’s chat window instead.

[Last Name Jiang: How did you cook that fish last time?]

Gu Yao was always on the front lines of instant replies. Within half a minute, she sent back a question mark.

[Cool Person: ?]

[Cool Person: You’re cooking fish?]

[Cool Person: Give up. Someone with the IQ of a fish like you has no chance of conquering this species.]

Ignoring her comment, Wen Siyu continued asking.

[Last Name Jiang: And those dishes you made last time—what was that beef dish? The super delicious one.]

On the other end, Gu Yao was clearly startled. After a brief pause, she asked:

[Cool Person: Are you trying to cook for your Teacher Jiang?]

Seeing those words, Wen Siyu felt her face inexplicably grow warm.

[Last Name Jiang: What soup? I’m just experimenting to see if I can do it before he gets back! What if I turn out to be a natural at cooking and accidentally make something amazing?]

—And if it turns out terrible, she’d secretly throw it away and pretend nothing happened.

Wen Siyu secretly thought to herself.

Gu Yao sent three sarcastic clicks and didn’t say anything further, directly sending a voice message listing some simple dishes and their ingredients.

Finally, she added: Don’t even try making fish. You can’t handle it.

The supermarket was crowded on the weekend evening. Wen Siyu flipped through recipes and followed the signs to the ingredients section. Staring blankly at rows of fresh vegetables neatly washed, wrapped in plastic, and displayed in refrigerated cases, she painstakingly picked out everything Gu Yao had mentioned, also buying a piece of beef.

Passing by the seafood section, she hesitated but eventually asked the salesperson to pick out a fish.

Dragging her suitcase, holding a bag full of ingredients, and carrying a live, wriggling fish desperate to escape, Wen Siyu made her way to Jiang Xu’s place from memory.

The load was heavy, and the fish, still alive and thrashing wildly, made things worse. By the time she got off the elevator and reached the door, Wen Siyu was drenched in sweat.

She dropped her suitcase and groceries on the ground, collapsing onto the suitcase in exhaustion. All she could hear was the sound of the fish flapping around in its plastic bag.

Wen Siyu lifted the fish, peering at it through the plastic, and shook her head solemnly: “Hey, stop struggling. No matter how hard you fight, I’m still going to cook you today. I’ll even gut you myself. What can I do? I’m desperate too.” She sighed deeply, her face full of melancholy. “Can you tell me how I should handle you? Should I cut your belly first or scrape off your scales? Or maybe I should knock you out first so you won’t feel the pain.”

She sat by the door muttering to the fish for a while, then stood up, holding the bag in one hand while using the other to enter the password.

The electronic lock beeped crisply, and the door swung open.

Wen Siyu pressed the handle with one hand, pulling the door open while lifting her suitcase to step inside. Before her eyes could adjust, her ears caught the sound.

A woman’s soft, gentle laughter drifted from inside.

Then, the laughter abruptly stopped the moment the door fully opened.

On the couch sat a woman in a deep red wool skirt, her legs long, white, and slender. Her long, wavy black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her makeup was impeccably done.

At that moment, the woman’s red lips parted slightly, her expression one of mild surprise as she looked at Wen Siyu, who had suddenly appeared.

Jiang Xu, sitting opposite the woman on the couch, also turned his head. Upon recognizing her, his face showed astonishment.

Wen Siyu stood frozen at the doorway, one hand holding a fish, the other dragging her suitcase.

Her grip loosened, and with a thud, the fish fell to the floor.

It slapped its tail against the bag, flailing wildly as it tried to escape.