A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen: Modern Chapter - Chapter 9

“Sister, look at this data; it clearly doesn’t match the artistic characteristics of any period in Ancient Egypt.” When Ye Zhiqing was deep in thought, her profile was soft and serene. An Nannan lost herself for a moment while watching her.

Snapping back to her senses, An Nannan hurriedly handed over the data guiltily. She grabbed a large gulp of cold water from the table, trying to lower the rising temperature of her face.

The Ye and An families were both famous antique families in Kyoto and had always been on good terms. An Nannan was currently a student in the Archaeology Department at Peking University and was Ye’s father’s star pupil.

“Your stomach has always been sensitive, yet you’re still drinking cold water. Go to the living room and pour yourself some warm water,” Ye Zhiqing said with a hint of reproach. She was meticulously organizing the materials in her hands without looking up.

“Okay~ Teacher Ye, I understand,” her soft, waxy voice made it impossible to scold her further.

An Nannan walked into the living room, carefully observing Ye Zhiqing’s new home. It was clean, tidy, and filled with a scholarly atmosphere, with no traces of anyone else living there.

Thump-thump, thump-thump… Her heart beat wildly. An Nannan remembered what Uncle Ye had said before—that Teacher Ye didn’t have a boyfriend yet.

The unspeakable thought hidden in her heart grew stronger with time. She liked Teacher Ye; she wanted to possess her, to live with her.

From initial self-doubt to panic, to acceptance, and now to being deeply mired and unable to extricate herself.

She chose the school Ye Zhiqing had attended, she chose the major her “sister” was interested in, and she even set her research direction toward Ancient Egyptian civilization.

She thought silently: As long as I get closer and closer to Ye Zhiqing, isn’t there still a possibility between us?

Once this thought surfaced, it began to grow wildly and uncontrollably.

“Nannan, what do you want to eat? It’s getting late, and Bai Bai should be back soon. I need to tell Auntie Zhao what groceries to buy,” Ye Zhiqing’s gentle voice came from behind, interrupting An Nannan’s drifting thoughts.

An Nannan turned back holding her water, quickly adjusting her expression. Her eyes curved into two crescent moons—watery, innocent, and lovely. “Sister, anything is fine.”

“Call me Teacher,” Ye Zhiqing reiterated, shaking her head with some helplessness. An Nannan was even more difficult to deal with than Ruan Yu; at nineteen, her ways of acting spoiled and being shameless were backed by all sorts of twisted logic.

As expected, she was rejected by An Nannan again: “No, I want to call you Sister.”

“Suit yourself,” Ye Zhiqing limped toward the living room sofa. After a few days of rest, her ankle didn’t hurt as much, though it was still quite swollen.

Seeing this, An Nannan immediately put down her water and jogged over to support Ye Zhiqing, her expression intimate. “Sister, considering your foot injury, I won’t make you cook this time. But next time, you have to make up for it twofold.”

Ye Zhiqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She knew her own cooking skills were indeed quite bad. “What, is Auntie Zhao’s cooking worse than mine?”

Because of her foot injury, Auntie Zhao—who usually looked after Ye’s father—had come to Ye Zhiqing’s place temporarily. She handled the three meals and picked up Bai Bai, keeping the house perfectly organized. Even the picky Father Ye could find no fault with her cooking.

“Right, Sister’s cooking is the best,” An Nannan sat down intimately close to Ye Zhiqing. A familiar fragrance rushed into her nose, and her whole being radiated a cheerful aura.

“You and your smooth tongue,” Ye Zhiqing shot her a mock glare, though she truly couldn’t bring herself to be mean to her.

An Nannan had grown up under her watch. Her mother had died from complications during childbirth, and since the adults of both families were busy, An Nannan had simply been placed in the Ye household as a child. Ye Zhiqing had always treated her like a biological younger sister.

Perhaps because of the absence of her mother, An Nannan was exceptionally clingy toward her, following her around since childhood shouting “Sister, Sister.”

It wasn’t until a while ago, when Ye Zhiqing filled in as a substitute teacher at Peking University for a month or two—coincidentally for An Nannan’s class—that she switched to calling her “Teacher.” She managed it for two months, but afterward, no matter what Ye Zhiqing said, she refused to switch back.

“Sister, before I came, Uncle Ye told me that if you have time, you should make a trip back. He said he wants to take you to an art exhibition,” An Nannan said, trying to make her expression and tone natural, feigning it as a casual mention.

Both of them knew what Father Ye meant. The “art exhibition” was a front; the “blind date” was the reality.

Logically speaking, at twenty-six, Ye Zhiqing didn’t need to worry. However, ever since the accident during the Ancient Egyptian archaeological project, Father Ye had become mysteriously obsessed with Ye Zhiqing’s blind dates.

Letting out a low sigh, Ye Zhiqing glared at the giggling An Nannan. “Did you come here specifically to probe me?”

She had been wondering how An Nannan knew her leg was injured; it turned out she was in cahoots with Father Ye.

“I didn’t! It’s Uncle Ye who insisted I ask,” An Nannan pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved as she snuggled even closer to Ye Zhiqing. She, more than anyone, didn’t want Ye Zhiqing to go on blind dates. Those people weren’t worthy of her sister.

An Nannan’s clinginess was becoming more refined. Ye Zhiqing smiled faintly without calling her out. As for the art exhibition, once her leg healed, she would make a trip back—it would count as pleasing her father.

Ding-dong~ At that moment, the doorbell rang.

“That should be Auntie Zhao and Bai Bai back.”

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

As soon as the door opened, Ruan Bai rushed in, eagerly showing Ye Zhiqing the little red flower he was awarded at kindergarten today. “Auntie Zhiqing, Bai Bai was very good today! The teacher gave me a red flower!”

Auntie Zhao followed behind. “Miss, I’ll go start the cooking then.”

“Okay, thank you for your hard work, Auntie Zhao,” Ye Zhiqing nodded gently to her, then followed Ruan Bai’s lead by pulling him into her arms. She kissed his cheek and praised him, “Bai Bai is so impressive.”

Ruan Bai was becoming more cheerful by the day. During his first two days, he always liked to mope alone and didn’t like to speak. Ye Zhiqing felt much more at ease.

An Nannan stood to the side, watching the intimate interaction between Ye Zhiqing and Ruan Bai. The smile on her face was slightly stiff. She quietly sat a bit further away. “Sister, I’ll go to the kitchen to help Auntie Zhao.”

“Okay,” Ye Zhiqing, who was having fun with Bai Bai, didn’t notice An Nannan’s sudden change in mood at all.

Night fell, the fragrance of food wafted through the air, and the warm yellow lights outside the door added a touch of homely warmth to the world.

The four of them enjoyed their meal happily in a harmonious atmosphere. Half an hour after dinner, Ye Zhiqing asked Auntie Zhao to take Ruan Bai for a bath first.

She then turned to An Nannan. “Nannan, you have classes tomorrow. Should I have the driver take you back to school?”

Although it was phrased as a question, An Nannan knew from Ye Zhiqing’s attitude that she wasn’t planning on letting her stay overnight.

Disappointment flashed by and quickly vanished.

“No need, Sister. I drove here,” An Nannan leaned her hands on the table, pouting, clearly a bit miffed.

Ye Zhiqing naturally knew An Nannan wanted to stay, but with Auntie Zhao and Ruan Bai in the house, plus her own leg injury, it wasn’t convenient. That’s why she wouldn’t let her stay.

An Nannan dawdled her way to the courtyard gate, looking at Ye Zhiqing with reluctance, using a long, drawn-out spoiled tone: “Sister…”

“Go on back. Be careful on the road,” Ye Zhiqing watched her with a faint smile, showing no sign of relenting.

“Mwah~” An Nannan suddenly leaned in and caught Ye Zhiqing off guard with a kiss on the cheek. “Sister, I’m leaving!”

With that, she quickly ran off.

Touching the spot on her face where An Nannan had just kissed her, Ye Zhiqing stood dazed for quite a while.

Everything that happened outside was witnessed by Edith, who was standing on her balcony. Upon seeing An Nannan’s final move, a ferocity that hadn’t appeared on Edith for a long time instantly surged.

Standing outside, Ye Zhiqing felt an inexplicably dangerous gaze spying on her. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, thinking she was just being oversensitive, and limped back into the house.

Edith remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the now-empty courtyard for a long time. Finally, she took out her phone.

She tapped the screen, one beat at a time: “Ptah, in China, what is the best way to pursue the person one fancies?”