Chapter 9

“Sister, look at this data. It clearly doesn’t match the artistic characteristics of any period in ancient Egypt.” Ye Zhiqing’s profile was soft and serene as she contemplated the information, and An Nannan found herself staring at her in a daze.

Suddenly coming back to her senses, An Nannan guiltily hurried to hand over the data. Then she picked up the cold water on the table and gulped down a large mouthful, hoping to cool the heat rising in her face.

The Ye and An families were both renowned antique-dealing families in the Imperial Capital and had always enjoyed a close relationship. An Nannan was currently studying archaeology at Peking University and was one of Father Ye’s most prized students.

“You’ve always had a weak stomach, yet you’re still drinking cold water. Go to the living room and pour yourself some warm water.” Ye Zhiqing’s voice carried a faint note of reproach as she meticulously organized the documents in her hands without looking up.

“Okay~ Teacher Ye, I understand.” Her soft, sweet voice made it difficult for anyone to continue scolding her.

An Nannan walked into the living room and carefully surveyed Ye Zhiqing’s new home. It was clean and tidy, filled with a strong scholarly atmosphere. There was no trace of anyone else having lived here.

Thump, thump~~~

Her heart began racing. An Nannan remembered what Uncle Ye had told her earlier: Teacher Ye still didn’t have a boyfriend.

The feelings she had kept hidden in her heart, feelings she could hardly bring herself to admit, had only grown stronger with time.

She liked Teacher Ye.

She wanted to have her all to herself. She wanted to live together with her.

At first, she had doubted herself, bailiantales.comthen panicked, then gradually learned to face her feelings. Now, she had fallen so deeply that she could no longer extricate herself.

She had chosen the university Ye Zhiqing once attended. She had chosen the field of study that interested Sister. She had even decided to focus her research on ancient Egyptian civilization.

Secretly, she thought that as long as she kept getting closer to Ye Zhiqing, perhaps there might still be a chance for something to happen between them.

Once that thought appeared, it began growing wildly beyond her control.

“Nannan, what would you like to eat? It’s getting late, and Baibai should be back soon. We need to tell Auntie Zhao what ingredients to buy.”

Ye Zhiqing’s gentle voice came from behind her, interrupting An Nannan’s wandering thoughts.

An Nannan turned around with her glass of water and quickly adjusted her expression. Her eyes curved into two little crescents, bright and moist, making her look innocent and adorable.

“Sister, anything is fine.”

“Call me Teacher.” Ye Zhiqing repeated her correction, shaking her head with a somewhat helpless expression.

An Nannan was even more difficult to deal with than Ruan Yu. At nineteen, she had already mastered the art of acting spoiled and arguing her way out of things, always presenting her twisted little arguments as though they were perfectly reasonable.

As expected, An Nannan refused once again.

“No. I want to call you Sister.”

“Suit yourself.”

Ye Zhiqing limped toward the living room sofa. After several days of rest, her ankle didn’t hurt quite as much anymore, although it was still badly swollen.

Seeing this, An Nannan immediately put down her water and hurried over to support Ye Zhiqing, her manner affectionate and familiar.

“Sister, considering your injured foot, I’ll let you off from cooking for me this time. But next time, you’ll have to make up for it with twice as much.”

Ye Zhiqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was well aware of her own cooking abilities. The food she made really was terrible.

“What? Are you saying Auntie Zhao’s cooking is even worse than mine?”

Because of her ankle injury, Auntie Zhao, who normally looked after Father Ye, had temporarily come to stay with Ye Zhiqing to take care of her. She was responsible for preparing their three daily meals and taking Baibai to and from school. She managed every household matter in perfect order, and her cooking was so good that even the notoriously picky Father Ye had never found anything to criticize.

“That’s right. Sister’s cooking is the most delicious.”

An Nannan sat down close beside Ye Zhiqing, pressing affectionately against her. That familiar, delicate fragrance filled her nose, and her entire body seemed to radiate happiness.

“You and that sweet mouth of yours.”

Ye Zhiqing shot An Nannan an exasperated look, although she couldn’t bring herself to scold her seriously.

She had watched An Nannan grow up since childhood.

An Nannan’s mother had died from complications during childbirth. Because the adults in both families were busy, they had simply arranged for An Nannan to stay with the Ye family when she [stolen content]was little. Ye Zhiqing had always treated her like her own younger sister.

Perhaps because she had grown up without a mother, An Nannan had always been especially attached to Ye Zhiqing. Ever since she was little, she had followed her around, constantly calling out, “Sister! Sister!”

It wasn’t until Ye Zhiqing temporarily taught at Peking University for a month or two some time ago, coincidentally taking over An Nannan’s class, that she had started calling her Teacher instead.

She had reluctantly kept it up for two months. Afterward, no matter what Ye Zhiqing said, she stubbornly refused to call her Teacher again.

“Sister, before I came here, Uncle Ye asked me to tell you that if you have some free time, you should go home for a visit. He said he wants to take you to an art exhibition.”

An Nannan tried hard to make her expression and tone seem natural, pretending to mention it casually.

Both of them knew what Father Ye really meant.

The art exhibition was merely an excuse. Arranging a blind date was his true intention.

Ordinarily, there was no reason for Ye Zhiqing to be anxious about marriage at twenty-six. However, ever since her accident during the archaeological expedition in ancient Egypt, Father Ye had developed an inexplicable obsession with arranging blind dates for her.

Ye Zhiqing sighed quietly and glared at the giggling An Nannan.

“Did you come here specifically to find out what I think about it?”

She had been wondering how An Nannan knew about her injured leg. Now it turned out that she and Father Ye had been working together.

“Of course not! Uncle Ye insisted that I ask you.”

An Nannan pouted, looking rather aggrieved, and pressed herself even closer to Ye Zhiqing.

More than anyone else, she didn’t want Ye Zhiqing to go on a blind date.

Those people weren’t worthy of her Sister.

An Nannan’s clinginess had clearly reached new heights. Ye Zhiqing smiled faintly without exposing her intentions.

As for the art exhibition, she could find some time to visit home after her leg recovered. She would simply treat it as an opportunity to make her father happy.

Ding-dong~

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“That should be Auntie Zhao and Baibai coming back.”

“Sister, stay seated. I’ll get the door.”

The moment the door opened, Ruan Bai rushed inside. Unable to contain his excitement, he eagerly showed Ye Zhiqing the little red flower his kindergarten teacher had awarded him that day.

“Auntie Zhiqing, Baibai did really well today! Teacher gave me a little red flower!”

Auntie Zhao followed behind him.

“Miss, I’ll go prepare dinner now.”

“All right. Thank you for your hard work, Auntie Zhao.”

Ye Zhiqing nodded gently toward Auntie Zhao, then indulged Ruan Bai by pulling him into her arms. She kissed his cheek and praised him as well.

“Baibai is amazing.”

Ruan Bai was growing more cheerful with each passing day. During his first two days here, he had always kept to himself and rarely wanted to speak. Seeing his improvement put Ye Zhiqing considerably more at ease.

An Nannan stood nearby, watching the affectionate interaction between Ye Zhiqing and Ruan Bai. The smile on her face grew slightly stiff.

Without drawing attention to herself, she shifted a little farther away.

“Sister, I’ll go help Auntie Zhao in the kitchen.”

“All right.”

Ye Zhiqing was having such a good time playing with Baibai that she didn’t notice the sudden change in An Nannan’s mood.

Night fell, and the fragrance of freshly cooked dishes drifted through the house. The warm yellow lights outside added a comforting touch of everyday domestic life.

The four of them enjoyed dinner together in a cheerful, harmonious atmosphere.

Half an hour after dinner, Ye Zhiqing asked Auntie Zhao to take Ruan Bai for his bath first.

Then she turned to An Nannan.

“Nannan, you have classes tomorrow. Shall I have the driver take you back to school?”

Although she phrased it as a question, An Nannan could tell from Ye Zhiqing’s attitude that she had no intention of letting her stay overnight.

A flash of disappointment crossed her face, disappearing almost immediately.

“There’s no need, Sister. I drove here.”

An Nannan supported herself against the table with one hand, her lips turned down in an unmistakably unhappy pout.

Of course, Ye Zhiqing knew that An Nannan wanted to spend the night.

However, with Auntie Zhao and Ruan Bai now staying in the house, not to mention her own injured leg, it simply wasn’t convenient. That was why she wouldn’t let An Nannan stay.

An Nannan reluctantly made her way toward the courtyard gate, dragging her feet and looking back at Ye Zhiqing with obvious reluctance.

“Sisteeer~”

Her voice was drawn out in a sweet, coaxing whine.

“Go on home. Be careful on the road.”

Ye Zhiqing smiled gently at her, showing absolutely no intention of changing her mind.

“Mwah~”

An Nannan suddenly leaned forward and planted an unexpected kiss on Ye Zhiqing’s cheek.

“Sister, I’m leaving!”

With that, she quickly ran off.

Ye Zhiqing touched the spot on her cheek where An Nannan had just kissed her and stood there in a daze for quite some time.

Everything that had happened outside had been clearly witnessed by Edith, who was standing on the terrace.

And when she saw An Nannan’s final gesture, a vicious hostility that had not appeared in Edith for a very long time instantly surged through her.

Standing outside, Ye Zhiqing inexplicably felt as though a pair of dangerous eyes were watching her.

She rubbed the goosebumps that had risen on her arms, deciding that she was probably imagining things, then limped back into the house.

Edith remained completely motionless, her gaze fixed on the now-empty courtyard.

After a long while, she picked up her phone.

Her fingers tapped against the screen, one keystroke at a time.

“Ptah, here in Hua Country, what’s the proper way to pursue someone you’re in love with?”