Goddess, Are You Blind? (GL) - Chapter 31

That round, smooth sensation against her wrist felt a little cold and icy at first. Before Ji Yun could even react, she saw Xue Funian lifting her wrist carefully, feeling it over.

“So my sister’s wrist is this slender… the beads feel a little too big,” Xue Funian murmured under her breath, her head lowered. Her words pulled Ji Yun’s thoughts back—she stared dazedly at Xue Funian’s face, suddenly forgetting what it was she had been about to say.

When she saw Xue Funian about to take the jade beads off her wrist, Ji Yun lightly pulled her hand back.

“Once a gift is given, how can you take it back?”

Xue Funian froze, a little dumbstruck by Ji Yun’s words. She raised her head, smiling somewhat sheepishly. “I just thought I felt a little pit here. I haven’t looked at this bracelet in a long time, so I thought…”

Hearing that, Ji Yun finally raised her hand and examined the bracelet herself. The beads were round, lovely, their luster crystal-clear. As for the “pit” Funian mentioned, it was nothing more than some dirt stuck to the surface that made it feel less smooth to the touch.

“There’s just a bit of dirt stuck on it. Wipe it off and it’s gone—no pit,” Ji Yun explained, then chuckled. “Ah Nian gave this to me?”

“I picked out a stone myself when I went to the jade market with my father, years ago. When it was cut open, it turned out to be jade. Later, my father had it processed into two strings of beads,” Xue Funian explained, smiling too. The shallow dimple at her cheek was filled with warmth.

The restless agitation Ji Yun had felt earlier from not seeing Xue Funian completely melted away. She lowered her head, gazing carefully at the bracelet now on her wrist.

The jade quality was excellent, the bead size perfect.

This was the first time Ji Yun had ever worn any ornament on her wrist. Before, the only thing she ever wore was a watch, and that was only to impress clients.

She had never thought accessories would look good on her wrist. Instead, she found them restrictive, even uncomfortable.

But with this bracelet, she didn’t feel that way at all. In fact, she rather liked the smooth round texture and the warmth that followed the initial chill.

“Not bad taste,” she muttered—but immediately regretted it. Damn, way to put your foot in your mouth!

But Xue Funian didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she laughed lightly. “It was just dumb luck, really. I don’t know anything about jade. That first time, I happened to stumble on it. After that, I never picked out another stone that turned out to be jade again.”

She laughed at herself while telling the story, as if teasing her own naïveté back then.

Ji Yun found herself at a loss for words. She simply slipped her arm around Xue Funian’s shoulder and led her into the room, though her eyes kept drifting down to her wrist, sneaking glances at the jade beads.

Cheng Jirui had already left, closing the door behind him, after seeing Ji Yun carefully lead Xue Funian inside. The two of them were so wrapped up in each other, they had no room for anyone else in their eyes.

Just before the door shut, Ji Yun lifted her gaze slightly, casting a brief glance at Cheng Jirui—but said nothing to Xue Funian.

“Why did you think of giving me this?” Ji Yun asked, looking again at the beads. Oddly enough, she felt reluctant to even wear them now.

“Jiejie! You really are muddled from being so busy these days. Today is your birthday!” Xue Funian pouted, just as Bai Qing poked her head out from the kitchen.

“That’s right. Ah Nian mentioned she wanted to give you your gift, and only then did I realize. You’ve been worrying yourself sick over Ah Nian these past days, while also busy with your own matters. No wonder you forgot—honestly, I almost forgot too.”

She placed a plate of freshly washed grapes on the table. “Ah Nian, let Xiao Yun peel them for you.”

Xue Funian nodded with a smile.

Ji Yun, meanwhile, sat there utterly dumbfounded. She had completely forgotten her own birthday. These past few days—forget birthdays—she was practically on the verge of bankruptcy. Who had the mood for birthdays?

Seeing her unresponsive, Xue Funian leaned over, tugged gently at Ji Yun’s sleeve, and whispered, “Sister, don’t you like it?”

Ji Yun froze, turning her head toward Funian’s earnest face. A sudden tightness welled in her chest.

“It’s just that I like it too much—I can’t find the words. Look, I even forgot it’s my own birthday today,” Ji Yun covered quickly, grateful that Funian couldn’t see the turmoil on her face. She managed to keep her voice steady, without her face flushing.

Then she picked up a grape, carefully peeled off the skin, dug out the seeds with a toothpick, and held it up before Funian. “Ah—”

Funian opened her mouth, bit into the grape Ji Yun fed her, lips curving into a smile. Her lips just barely brushed against Ji Yun’s fingertip.

That soft, warm touch made Ji Yun’s breath hitch.

But then Funian’s face twisted—the grape was so sour it nearly brought tears to her eyes, and she grimaced, mouth twitching.

Ji Yun stared blankly at Funian’s lips, momentarily lost for words.

“It’s so sour,” Funian muttered, pressing her lips together again.

That made Ji Yun laugh. “Well, it’s my birthday, and we’re just stuck at home. After dinner, why don’t we go out for a walk?”

But the moment the words left her mouth, Bai Qing emerged from the kitchen. “You’re eating here tonight? I didn’t make dinner—I thought you’d take Ah Nian out for her birthday!”

Her words stunned Ji Yun. Funian, however, hid a little smile, lips curved in secret amusement. Ji Yun was baffled, scratching her head, but then nodded. “Why don’t you come with us, Aunt Qing?”

“Oh, heavens, I thought you two young ones would want to celebrate alone. I even told Bai Zhi I’d head back early tonight.”

Ji Yun was still bewildered.

Meanwhile, the smile on Funian’s lips dimmed just slightly.

At last, Funian spoke up first. “Sister, I already booked a place.”

Bai Qing glanced at the two girls, smiling knowingly.

She had liked Ah Nian from the beginning, but after a while, watching these two together seemed… unusual. Even Bai Zhi occasionally teased her about how obvious their feelings were. Sometimes, kids saw clearer than the people involved themselves.

At first, Bai Qing had been flustered—two girls, behaving like that? But Bai Zhi’s open-mindedness, and her own observations, gradually eased her worries.

It wasn’t that she fully accepted same-s3x relationships. Rather, she found herself believing that Ji Yun and Funian’s life together was a good one.

Although she was technically a distant relative of Ji Yun’s, after Ji Yun’s father passed away and her mother soon after—sickly and frail—Bai Qing had often kept them company.

When her own marriage collapsed (her husband had taken up with a mistress), she had no idea how to support herself and her son. Ji Yun, already independent by then, offered her a way forward: helping around the house in exchange for a generous wage. It wasn’t much work, but it provided stability.

Their relationship wasn’t simply employer and servant. It was more like family.

She had long worried about Ji Yun’s solitary, lifeless days. No friends except Zhang Shuai, no warmth in her home. She had thought perhaps Zhang Shuai harbored feelings, but the two were perfectly ordinary together.

Only when Funian came into the picture did she see Ji Yun reveal the tender vulnerability of someone touched by love.

Ji Yun bottled it up, but Bai Qing could see it. That was why she thought it best to let them spend as much time together as possible.

Funian had indeed booked the restaurant—including a place for Bai Qing. She hadn’t expected Bai Qing to decline, leaving her feeling as though her little secret had been laid bare. Her face paled.

Ji Yun noticed the stiffness in Funian’s expression, and quickly reached out, pinching her cheek. “What, you don’t like eating alone with me? Haven’t we eaten alone at home every day before?”

Funian froze, then gently lowered Ji Yun’s hand. “No, I just thought you might not like it.”

“How could I not like it? Come on, let’s go.” Ji Yun had been waiting for Funian at home and hadn’t even changed clothes. With a tug, she pulled Funian out the door.

Following behind, hand in Ji Yun’s grasp, Funian suddenly felt at a loss. Almost instinctively, she curled her fingers slightly, holding Ji Yun’s hand in return.

Ji Yun glanced back at her, smiling. She was taller, so when she bent slightly, her lips brushed close to Funian’s ear, her warm breath tickling the shell of it.

The chilly weather suddenly felt like standing under the blazing summer sun—Funian flushed with heat.

“Ah Nian, why did you go pick up your gift with Cheng Jirui today instead of going with Aunt Qing?”

Ji Yun’s voice was playful, but there was a trace of probing curiosity in her eyes. Funian immediately panicked.

She had told Bai Qing not to mention who she’d gone with, but Ji Yun wasn’t stupid. Bai Qing wouldn’t have let her wander off alone. And besides Ji Yun, the only one connected enough to accompany her was Cheng Jirui.

Not to mention, Ji Yun had clearly seen him when he dropped her off.

Watching Funian fluster, Ji Yun suddenly felt her earlier irritation vanish. Instead, she grew lighthearted, her hand tightening slightly around Funian’s.