I’ll Hold Your Hand And Promise You A Lifetime - Chapter 35

When the heat became unbearable, people turned on their air conditioners early, enjoying the cool breeze while watching the busy crowds outside their windows, silently thankful they didn’t have to suffer out there.

Yue Xi, however, was the complete opposite. She enjoyed the feeling of sweating freely.

To her, staying in an air-conditioned room was like forcing her sweat back inside, and the sensation of it being blown away by cold air before it could even fully emerge made her feel stifled. She didn’t quite know why she felt this way—maybe it was because she hadn’t had a chance to move much while recovering from her injury, and now that she’d healed, she was indulging without restraint.

Her days followed a strict routine: out early for morning training, warming up with a jog before heading to the indoor basketball court next to the neighborhood to play for an hour or two. Then she’d go home, take a cold shower, cook herself something to eat, and in the afternoon, wait for Yi Luo to come over to do homework or play games. After dinner, she’d ride her bike along the riverside road, then shower again before hopping on a video call with Ning Ran and Sarah.

During this time, Yi Luo tried every opportunity to chat casually with Yu Xiaohua. She didn’t want her mom to stay gloomy because of her.

Seeing the sudden streaks of white hair on her mom’s head stabbed Yi Luo’s eyes with guilt. So she accompanied her mother as much as possible—dragging her out shopping or to see a movie—doing everything she could to convince Yu Xiaohua she was still the same sweet, well-behaved daughter. Yi Luo wanted the vibrant, passionate version of her mom to come back, not this tired woman who went to work with a heavy heart and came home to sigh at nothing.

Yu Xiaohua, for her part, was torn like never before. Her firm opposition to Yi Luo and Yue Xi’s relationship was beginning to waver under the influence of Yi Luo and her husband’s words and actions. But decades of deeply rooted beliefs didn’t allow her to surrender so easily.

She found herself trapped in her own thoughts. Every time she looked at Yi Luo’s bright, sunny smile, the ice in her heart melted a little more. Yet those traditional values still kept her from fully accepting the idea of two girls being together. Over the past few days, she had been reading tons of articles and news online, constantly thinking, wanting to do what was right.

Meanwhile, Ning Ran was pulling out all the stops over in the States, racking her brain daily to win over Sarah’s parents. After nearly wearing out her tongue, she finally got them to agree—and even flew them in for a visit. On the flight back, hugging Sarah in her arms, she sighed with relief. “That was not easy,” she said, before planting a proud kiss on Sarah’s cheek.

Sarah let Ning Ran hold her, relishing in the hard-earned happiness. Her parents had never interfered with her love life before, but they had one principle: her partner had to be capable. To them, Ning Ran was a bit of a mystery, which made them uneasy. But now, with everything sorted, she could finally settle into a peaceful life with Ning Ran.

Yue Xi checked the flight arrival time and tidied up the house slowly and carefully, then grabbed her essentials and headed for the airport.

“Jie~” Yue Xi waved excitedly at Ning Ran as she pushed a luggage cart out. They hadn’t seen each other for days, and Ning Ran’s hair had grown longer, giving her a more mature look. Sarah, with her signature long waves, still radiated goddess energy that dazzled everyone nearby.

Sarah’s parents were with her—her mother, a Chinese-American, carried a classical elegance with light makeup that made her look like someone from a painting. Her father, tall and lean in a suit, had deep blue eyes and didn’t show any signs of the middle-aged spread typical of many Western men.

“We’re back~” Ning Ran and Sarah pulled Yue Xi in for a big hug, joy written all over their faces.

“Ohoh, Mom, Dad, this is Joey—our little sister,” Sarah eagerly introduced.

“Hi, great honor to meet you,” Yue Xi said politely, offering her hand.

“Well, young lady, it’s my pleasure to meet you. I’m William—you can call me Will if you like,” said Sarah’s dad warmly.

Sarah’s mom gave a kind smile. “My Chinese is not very good. You can call me Xiayue.”

“Sarah’s mom is named Xiayue—‘Xia’ as in summer, and ‘Yue’ as in joy,” Ning Ran explained. “She’s an ABC.”

Yue Xi smiled and nodded.

They chatted happily in English as they walked.

“I plan to take Sarah’s parents to the villa to stay for a few days and accompany them,” Ning Ran explained.

“Sounds good,” Yue Xi agreed. It made sense—there weren’t enough beds at her place, and having so many people crammed into a small apartment would’ve been uncomfortable.

“You don’t have other plans this break? Homework all done? You’re just staying home?” Ning Ran slipped into big-sister mode as soon as she returned.

“I want to travel. Haven’t decided where yet. I want to go with a few classmates.”

“You’re not even sixteen,” Ning Ran frowned. “Once Sarah’s parents head back, we’ll take you out on a trip. Proper vacation.”

“Okay. I’ll discuss it with Yi Luo.”

“Mhm.”

As they talked, Ning Ran pushed the cart and walked ahead with Yue Xi, while Sarah and her parents followed behind, laughing and chatting as they went.

For the next few days, Yue Xi didn’t see much of Ning Ran or Sarah. The two were busy catering to their VIP guests and didn’t have the time to think about anything else.

Once Sarah’s parents were happily sent off, Ning Ran flopped down next to Sarah and inhaled deeply into her hair. “Darling, the trial is finally over!”

“Awesome!” Sarah lifted a hand to gently pat Ning Ran’s cheek. “Let’s go home. I’m completely drained.”

“Giddy up!” Ning Ran squatted down in front of her.

“Hyah~” Sarah draped herself over Ning Ran’s back weakly.

“Carrying my wife home!” Ning Ran summoned the last of her strength and charged toward the parking lot, with Sarah giggling behind her.

After two days of solid sleep, Ning Ran and Sarah were back to full energy—bouncing around the house like supercharged balls. Maybe they’d been too tense earlier, afraid of making any mistake. Now, with no more stress, they were simply and genuinely happy.

“Xiao Luo, let’s go have some fun~” Ning Ran lounged on the couch, eyes closed, soaking up the AC.

“Ah? Us?” Yi Luo blinked—she and Yue Xi had just finished their last bit of summer homework and wasn’t sure who Ning Ran meant by “us.”

“All four of us! The Invincible League—fun everywhere we go!” Ning Ran sat up, cross-legged, rocking back and forth.

“Oh, I already talked to Yue Xi. I don’t want to go too far, preferably somewhere cool.” Yi Luo was still concerned about her mom’s emotional state. Things had improved a lot lately, and she didn’t want to set things back again.

Yue Xi understood. “Yeah, I don’t want to go far either. I hate flying.”

“I have no plans to get on another plane anytime soon,” Sarah groaned from the floor, enjoying the cool tiles beneath her. After that long-haul flight, her back still ached. “Value your life—avoid planes.”

“Then let’s go to Ziyun Mountain,” Ning Ran suggested. “I saw it in a travel magazine—close by, perfect for a road trip, just two and a half hours away. Great for cooling off.”

“Perfect! Ziyun Mountain it is. The air in the mountains is great,” Yue Xi agreed.

“We can stay three to five days,” Sarah nodded in support.

“Okay, I’ll talk to my parents,” Yi Luo paused, then smiled at Yue Xi. “My mom seems to be loosening up.”

“Really?” Ning Ran looked more excited than Yue Xi, jumping up from the couch.

“Yeah, she’s not as extreme as before,” Yi Luo described the changes in her mom recently. “She’s almost convinced.”

Yue Xi stayed quiet, watching Yi Luo with soft, tender eyes—thinking about how much she must’ve endured to get here.

“Oh my heart~~” Ning Ran clutched her chest dramatically and flopped onto Sarah’s lap. “Darling, my little Xi’s heart no longer has a place for me!”

“It never did,” Sarah opened her eyes. “Her heart has always been mine.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It belongs to Xiao Luo Luo~” Ning Ran raised a delicate pinky and pointed at Yi Luo.

Yue Xi shivered involuntarily and rubbed her arms. “I’ll go turn the temperature up a bit.”

“No. It’s hot enough,” Yi Luo gave her a queen-like look.

“Er… fine.” Yue Xi hugged a cushion and curled up on the sofa.

“Wahaha, darling, our little Xi is totally whipped~” Ning Ran laughed, slapping her leg. “Look at me—so dominant, so cool—ow!”

Sarah tugged Ning Ran’s ear. “Dominant and cool? You?”

“Easy, easy~” Ning Ran surrendered. “You’re the wise and glorious Queen Your Highness—I wouldn’t dare outshine the sun.”

“Much better,” Sarah let go and patted her ear gently.

Yue Xi and Yi Luo watched silently, smiling.

“By the way, I still haven’t asked, Xiao Luo Luo,” Ning Ran suddenly turned serious. “When are you planning to meet the parents~?”

“You mean my grandfather,” Yue Xi loosened her grip on the cushion.

“Your grandfather?” Yi Luo was surprised. She thought Yue Xi only had Ning Ran.

“Yeah, here’s the story…” Yue Xi told the whole story about her past, including what happened when she was four.

“Wow…” Yi Luo moved closer, holding Yue Xi’s face and turning it gently. “You’re serious?”

“Truer than gold~” Ning Ran chimed in from the floor.

“That’s incredible,” Yi Luo was still processing it.

“So,” Yue Xi pouted adorably, “you have to treat me extra well.”

Ning Ran leaned against Sarah’s lap and exchanged a look with her, eyes half-closed as she watched the sweet scene.

“Of course I will treat you well!” Yi Luo emphasized the words.

Yue Xi stared at Yi Luo’s alluring red lips, her heart wobbling.

Yi Luo gently pinched her cheek. “Ning Ran and Sarah are still here~”

“Don’t mind us,” Sarah winked at Yi Luo. “Keep going—don’t stop.”

“You’re so…” Ning Ran gave Sarah a look, her eyes sparkling, “wicked.” Then she suddenly scooped Sarah up. “We’re leaving. You two carry on~”

“Hey~~ put me down!” Sarah was stuck in Ning Ran’s arms. She gave Ning Ran a look that said we still have two kids in the room, but her mouth wouldn’t stop. “You beast!”

“I’ll show you just how beastly I can be.” Ning Ran ignored her glare and tossed her onto the bed, diving in to tickle her.

Sarah laughed until she could barely breathe, completely defenseless.

Yue Xi, sitting in the living room, rubbed her forehead. These two were already grown, yet still acted like kids. They really were aging in reverse.

Yi Luo couldn’t stop laughing on the sofa. When the four of them were together, happiness seemed endless.