I’ll Hold Your Hand And Promise You A Lifetime - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Night Talk + Sarah Runs Out

While Yi Luo was in the shower, Ning Ran poked Yue Xi, who was watching TV.
“Hey, tell me—what are you thinking?”

Yue Xi knew Ning Ran cared about her, so she didn’t hide it.
“I like her. So I want to become better.”

“Good! And the basketball team?”

“I wanted to join on my own. I haven’t played in two years, my hands were itching. Besides, my foot’s been healed for a while now, hasn’t it?”

“That’s true. Just be careful, though. One more injury and it could get serious. You still remember what happened to Stella, right?”

“I know, I’ll be careful.” Yue Xi gave Ning Ran a reassuring look.

“You little brat.” Ning Ran slung her arm around Yue Xi’s shoulders. “You’re the one I worry about the most.”

“Jie, I know. I’ll work hard—not just for Yi Luo, but to make things easier for you too.”

“I’m not tired. I’m just your babysitter.” Ning Ran started getting emotional again.

“Oh, come on. You know, honestly, you are the most annoying babysitter in the world.” Yue Xi shoved Ning Ran’s arm off and rolled her eyes dramatically.

“You such a little thing without conscience. God, why you give me such a sister like this?” Ning Ran looked up at the ceiling in mock despair.

“Eww, stay away from me.” Yue Xi stood up and walked toward the bedroom.

Ning Ran kept the dramatic pose, which Yue Xi couldn’t stand to look at anymore.

She ran back over to the couch and messed up Ning Ran’s hair into a bird’s nest.

Finally feeling avenged, she turned and left for the bedroom without looking back.

Ning Ran laughed as she fixed her hair and changed the channel. On TV, they were interviewing a successful businessperson.
“Mmm, this looks interesting.”

Back in her room, Yue Xi didn’t go online like she used to. Instead, she pulled out her textbooks and studied seriously. Compared to foreign textbooks, these were much easier.

But for the sake of her dreams, this was nothing.

Yi Luo came out of the shower, dried her hair, and opened the door. She saw Yue Xi quietly studying, and a warm feeling rose in her chest.

She grabbed a book and sat on the bed, flipping through it.

The room was peaceful. Both of them felt a sense of tranquility and satisfaction they hadn’t felt in a long time.

After Yue Xi finished her shower, she returned to the bedroom while towel-drying her hair. She glanced at the clock—still early.

As soon as she walked in, she saw Yi Luo sitting on the bed with a playful smile, waiting for her.
“Are you hiding something from me? You were studying so seriously today.”

“Ahem… no, I just couldn’t stand my own terrible grades anymore. What, I work hard and you’ve got a problem with that?”
Yue Xi, for once, snapped back a little.

“Not at all. Do you have a dream university you want to go to?” Yi Luo knew it was still early to ask, but she wanted to understand Yue Xi’s thoughts.

“We’ll see. I haven’t decided yet. What about you?”

“Me? If I can keep my grades up, I want to go to L University. Their archaeology program is the best in the country. But I don’t know if I can make it.”

“You’ll get in.” Yue Xi didn’t say much, but her tone was firm.

“How do you know?”

“I just do. If you get in, you’d better treat me to a meal.”

“It’s a deal!” Yi Luo still didn’t feel like sleeping and was playing with Yue Xi’s plush toy.

“I’ll go dry my hair first.”

Yi Luo nodded, still debating in her heart whether to say it or not.

Finally, when Yue Xi lay down on the bed, those few minutes felt longer than a century to Yi Luo. “Lin Yu just texted me… He asked me to be his girlfriend.”

Yue Xi froze for a second, but then managed to force a smile.
“Did you say yes?”

“No. I told him I’d think about it.” Yi Luo leaned closer, staring into Yue Xi’s eyes.
“You know… your expression just now was terrible.”

“…” Yue Xi took the opportunity to make a silly face. “How about now? Do I look better?”

“Haha.”
Yi Luo burst out laughing at Yue Xi’s contorted features.

“Yeah, much better.” Then she shoved the plush toy into Yue Xi’s face.
“You idiot.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“Oh really? By the way, you never told me—what kind of friends did you make these past years?”

Hearing that, Yue Xi suddenly jumped up from the bed. “Oh no, oh no.”
She frantically turned on her computer, chanting repeatedly like a disaster had struck.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Yi Luo had never seen Yue Xi this panicked.

“It’s a friend of mine… No, wait—my sister’s…”
“She’s been feeling down lately, and I totally forgot I was supposed to video chat with her. We made plans earlier!”

“Is it a guy or a girl?”

“Girl—no, wait… not exactly male or female.” Yue Xi was so anxious she started scratching her head.

“No, I need my sister’s help.”

She rushed out and dragged Ning Ran—who was reading—over to the computer.

“Slow down, don’t panic. I’ll talk to her.”
Ning Ran sat down calmly.

Once they logged into Skype, a video call request popped up immediately. The moment it connected, a furious but beautiful woman’s face appeared—“Joey!!!”

But the second she saw Ning Ran on the screen, she toned down instantly, switching to a sweet and capable expression.
“Hey, sweetie.”

Yi Luo thought this girl was interesting and leaned in to greet her.
“Hello.”

The girl’s face changed again.
“Louise!!! It’s only been a few days and you’ve already seduced another little beauty!”

“Sarah, she’s my friend,” Yue Xi rushed over and explained from behind Ning Ran.

“Oh, sorry. Hello.” Sarah quickly returned to a friendly smile.

Now Yi Luo could clearly see what Sarah looked like—deep features, expressive brows and eyes, her large, soulful eyes seemed like they always had something to say, and her wavy brown hair framed her face beautifully.

She simply sat there smiling quietly, yet she drew all attention to herself.

“Sarah, school’s been busy for Xiao Xi these days. We’re fine.” Ning Ran knew exactly why Sarah had been angry and helped explain.

“Well, as long as you’re fine, I feel better. But you—sitting at home all day and not even giving me a call. Look, I’ve even got dark circles now.”

Sarah pointed to her under-eyes, sounding accusing but smiling affectionately.

“I’ll call if anything comes up. You know how I am. Aren’t you busy with work too? Okay, I’m heading to my room—You and Xiao Xi catch up. But be mindful of the time—she’s got school tomorrow.” Ning Ran replied nonchalantly.

“Alright… Joey, get over here.” Sarah crooked a finger at Yue Xi, grinning wickedly.

“Coming, Your Majesty.” Yue Xi made a funny face at the camera.

“Come on, tell me what’s been going on lately.”

“My sister’s been cooking for me every day. When I’m in class, who knows what she’s doing. If you’re that worried, come watch her yourself.”

“No—I want to see what she’s up to. See if she still has me in her heart! Louise, that jerk, she doesn’t care about me at all. Joey, I need your help.”
Sarah wailed from the other end.

“You’re still giving each other the silent treatment…? It’s been so long…”

“She doesn’t answer my calls, won’t call me back. I text her, and she barely replies.”

“But I can’t exactly bring this up to my sister, can I? If she’s still mad, I’ll be toast.”
Yue Xi was being honest—Ning Ran had a good temper, but when she got angry…It was scary.

“Sigh. What do I do? Look—my wrinkles are coming out.”

Yue Xi knew Ning Ran still cared about Sarah—She wouldn’t be this mad otherwise. The more you care, the harder it is to forgive.

“Don’t worry. I’ll think about it and let you know in a couple days.”

“Alright. Goodnight then.” Sarah looked a bit downcast.

“Mhm. Goodnight.” Yue Xi sighed, logged off, and shut the laptop.

Yi Luo stared at her, full of questions, waiting for an explanation.

Yue Xi rubbed her hair. “Sarah is my sister’s girlfriend.”

“I guessed that already,” Yi Luo said calmly. “I’m smart, huh?”

“Smart…” Yue Xi turned off the light and got back into bed.

“Before we came back, Sarah misunderstood my sister. They had a huge fight, and my sister brought me back with her in a fit of anger.”

“It’s just a misunderstanding—can’t they just talk it out?” Yi Luo lay beside her.

“It could’ve been easily explained. But my sister felt wronged, so she’s been giving Sarah the cold shoulder.”

Yue Xi folded her arms behind her head and suddenly asked,“Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“What is?”

“My sister and Sarah. My sister’s a lesbian.”

“What’s so strange about that?”

“You don’t mind?”

“She’s your sister, not you,” Yi Luo replied sharply.

“Mm… what if I am too?” Yue Xi’s tone was serious, yet calm.

“Then it’s no big deal.” Yi Luo thought for a moment. “What kind of person do you like?”

“I like… someone who likes me.” Yue Xi answered seriously.
“What about you?”

“Me? Someone who makes the first move. If I really like someone, I don’t mind being the one to confess.”

“Do you like that Lin Yu guy?”

“No feelings.” Yi Luo’s pretty eyes turned. “Do you like me?”

“Of course. If I didn’t like you, why would we even be friends?”
Yue Xi dodged it cleverly.

“Who knows… you’re so mysterious.” Yi Luo turned her back to Yue Xi.

“What do you want to know?” Yue Xi also turned, facing Yi Luo’s back.

“Where you’ve been all these years, who you met…Were you ever with anyone?” Yi Luo couldn’t explain why, but she just wanted to know.

“After we moved out, we went to City S for a few months. Then to City W for half a semester. Then we spent one semester in City Q. After that, we went to a small town in City W again. Studied there for a few months and graduated.” Yue Xi paused.

“Then we went to the U.S.—a place called Silver City. I studied middle school there for three years. Then we came back.”

“No wonder you’re so tall. But why didn’t you gain any weight?”

“We cooked at home a lot—hardly ate burgers or fried chicken. I didn’t drink soda either, just milk and water.”

“I see. No wonder you’re taller than me. I need to drink more milk.” Yi Luo made a mental note.
“What sports do you like?”

“Basketball, mostly. The rest are okay.”

“Is your favorite color still black?”

“Black, grey, yellow—I like them all.”

“What about your friends?”

“Not many. I didn’t like the vibe in junior high.”

“Did anyone chase you?”

“There were a few—mistook me for a guy. They think Asians are smart, so they tried to date me to get homework help. So immature.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Were you happy?”

“Pretty happy. Ning Ran took me out a lot.”

“So you’ve seen all of the U.S.?”

“Almost. We’d go far during long holidays, and nearby places on weekends.”

“Then if I go, you’ll be my tour guide.”

“Of course.”

“You sleepy?”

“Not really. If you are, go ahead and sleep.”

“Why didn’t you call me all these years?”

“I was scared you were mad at me and wouldn’t talk to me. I didn’t know if you’d moved either, so I didn’t dare send birthday gifts.”

“I was mad. Really mad. You always took care of me, played with me—then one day, you just left. I knocked on your door so hard it hurt, but no one opened. The security guard told me you’d moved. Then not long after you left… grandma passed away…” Yi Luo’s voice was trembling.

“I’m sorry.” Yue Xi reached out and patted her arm.

She knew how important Yi Luo’s kind grandmother was to her.

“I’m sorry.”

Yi Luo turned around and hugged Yue Xi tightly.

“You liar. You said we’d finish elementary together. Said we’d go to middle school together.”

“I… it’s my fault.” Yue Xi didn’t know what else to say. She just hugged Yi Luo close and gently patted her back.

“Good thing you came back. Otherwise, you’d be doomed.” Yi Luo bit down hard on Yue Xi’s shoulder.

“Hiss…” Yue Xi sucked in a breath from the pain but didn’t say anything.

She knew disappearing like that had really hurt Yi Luo. But thank goodness—she was back now.

“Alright. Since you’re back, I’m not mad anymore. But if you ever leave again, you have to tell me first.” Yi Luo finally let go.

“Mhm. I won’t leave. I’ll never leave again.” Yue Xi continued holding her.

And just like that, the two of them fell asleep together.