What's Wrong With Being Fifteen Years Older Than Me?! - Chapter 73

Before going to sleep, Ye Li was inspired to draw a painting called “Moonlit Night.” The wind blew through the soft, white clouds, gathering and scattering them. The crescent moon gently kissed the clouds, sometimes becoming one with them. Under the stars, a little wildflower swayed in the wind. A butterfly, awake late at night, fluttered into the grass and began to collect nectar from the flower’s petals. Suddenly, a storm came. The butterfly flew away, and the clouds turned into mist, disappearing into the sky.

“Do you like my painting?” Ye Li asked, feeling a little too forward. Lu Zhiyun must have liked it. She frowned and covered Ye Li’s mouth with her hand. “Don’t ask me that,” she said. Her palm was cool and smelled faintly of perfume. But Ye Li loved it when Lu Zhiyun got shy. “If you don’t answer, I’ll draw another one,” Ye Li said, turning the page. “It’s so late. Aren’t you tired?” Lu Zhiyun tried to stop her, but Ye Li didn’t let go. Ye Li shook her head. “If you like it, I can draw many more for you tonight. I can draw forever,” she said with a charming smile. Lu Zhiyun looked down. In the darkness, her eyes held a soft, gentle glow, like mist on a spring morning.

Ye Li sat up, wrapping one arm around Lu Zhiyun’s leg. She moved her body like a snake. Painting came naturally to her, but learning a foreign language was a nightmare. “Can you teach me a French phrase now?” Ye Li asked. Her forehead was a little sweaty. “Are you sure you want to learn now?” Lu Zhiyun’s voice was soft and shaky. “Yes, I’m sure. I want you to say it now. I want you to say you love me, now.” Ye Li was being bossy. She wouldn’t give up until she got what she wanted.

“Je t’aime,” Lu Zhiyun said, her cheeks turning red. “Say it again!” “Xiaoli…” Lu Zhiyun’s voice was pleading, but she couldn’t resist. “Je t’aime!” Ye Li smiled. “Je t’aime,” she repeated. Lu Zhiyun couldn’t resist the young girl’s passion.

The next morning, Ye Li couldn’t get out of bed. Lu Zhiyun had already woken up. “Are you sure you don’t want to get up?” she asked for the third time. She was about to open the curtains, but didn’t. “I don’t want to get up. Just let me die in bed,” Ye Li said. Her body ached, like she had run a marathon. She had been too greedy last night. Lu Zhiyun was both helpless and worried. “You should have listened to me last night…” she said, stopping herself. She pulled the blanket over Ye Li. It was cold in Los Angeles, and she didn’t want Ye Li to get sick. “But you liked it,” Ye Li said sleepily. Lu Zhiyun’s fingers curled up. “Get some more sleep. I’m going out,” she said.

Ye Li’s sleepiness was gone as soon as the door closed. She grabbed her phone and saw it was 11 a.m. What time did I go to bed? She couldn’t remember. She got up, and her legs were a little shaky. “Wow,” she said. How many times was it? She went to the living room. Breakfast was on the table: a sandwich and orange juice. Ye Li went to the bathroom.

Lu Zhiyun was doing yoga on the balcony. Ye Li had seen her do it many times. It was her way of exercising and relaxing. “Your sandwich is cold. You should microwave it,” Lu Zhiyun said. “It’s okay. I like it cold,” Ye Li said, grabbing the sandwich and orange juice. She sat on a chair and watched Lu Zhiyun. “Why aren’t you still in bed?” Lu Zhiyun asked. She was embarrassed and turned to face the other way. “I couldn’t sleep,” Ye Li said, eating her sandwich. Lu Zhiyun’s tense shoulders relaxed. She told herself she needed to get used to this.

Lu Zhiyun was flexible and graceful. Ye Li watched her, drinking her orange juice. Her mind wandered. She got up and left. Lu Zhiyun stopped and looked at her. It was strange. She felt nervous when Ye Li was there, but when she left, she felt uncomfortable. Lu Zhiyun was going to practice for thirty minutes, but her muscles were still sore, so she did another thirty minutes of stretching. Then, she noticed Ye Li was back. Ye Li was sitting on a chair with a drawing board, painting. Lu Zhiyun’s lips twitched. She had a loving smile on her face that she didn’t even know was there.

Ye Li was focused on her painting. She looked at Lu Zhiyun and then at the drawing board. The sketch was so lifelike. “Are you done?” Lu Zhiyun asked. She finished her yoga and came to look at the drawing. “Almost,” Ye Li said, adding some shadows. Lu Zhiyun was looking at the drawing, but her eyes kept going to Ye Li’s hand. She blushed. “I’m going to take a shower,” she said, leaving. Ye Li just looked at her and then went back to her drawing.

Around 2 p.m., Ye Li got a call from A-Lian. She needed help. Ye Li felt like she should help her. But she asked for Lu Zhiyun’s opinion first. “Go. You should help fellow countrymen when they’re in trouble,” Lu Zhiyun said. Ye Li didn’t think too much of it. She quickly got ready and left. Lu Zhiyun sat on the sofa, feeling bored. She decided to clean the house.

A-Lian’s stepfather’s son had been harassing her again and had hurt her mother. A-Lian couldn’t explain everything on the phone. “My mom doesn’t want to call the police or go to the hospital. I don’t know what to do,” A-Lian said, exhausted. “If you can, please talk to her. I don’t want to talk to her anymore, but I can’t leave her like this.” “I’ll go in and see her,” Ye Li said.

The woman was sitting on the sofa, looking pale. Her forehead was bleeding. “Hi, I’m A-Lian’s friend, Ye Li,” Ye Li said softly.

The sun set, and the sky turned orange. Lu Zhiyun kept checking her phone. She typed “When are you coming back?” but deleted it. She’s just out with a friend. I shouldn’t be so worried, she told herself. But she couldn’t focus on anything. To pass the time, she started baking. When her phone rang, she immediately picked it up. “Hello?” she said, putting it on speaker. “You sound disappointed,” Tang Qianxia said. “Is Ye Li with you?” “She went to a friend’s place,” Lu Zhiyun said. “A boy or a girl?” “A girl.” “I knew it! That’s why you sound so sour,” Tang Qianxia said, giggling. Lu Zhiyun frowned. “If you don’t have anything to say, I’m hanging up.” “Wait! I have something important to tell you!” Tang Qianxia said. Lu Zhiyun sighed. Tang Qianxia wanted her to help choose a souvenir for her daughter. Lu Zhiyun gave her her opinion and hung up. She checked her phone. Only ten minutes had passed.

When is she coming back? Lu Zhiyun texted. While she waited for a reply, she opened her phone’s photo album. She found a picture she had saved from Instagram a few months ago. Two figures were sitting close together on a bench outside the school hospital. The girl was putting medicine on Ye Li’s face, her eyes filled with worry. Lu Zhiyun’s eyebrows furrowed. I shouldn’t have looked at that.