I Want Her to See Only Me - Chapter 17
Not long after Xia Xiuyin finished drying Xia Yu’s hair, Xia Shulan dragged Cen Ao upstairs to the guest room to take a bath.
Cen Ao held the remote, one of her slippers missing, as she protested, “No! I want to watch more cartoons!”
Despite the soundproofing, Xia Yu could still hear the sounds of water splashing upstairs. It didn’t sound like a bath, but rather like a fight.
Xia Xiuyin took out a tablet. “A’Yu, play some games while I go upstairs and take a look.”
She swiped through the screen, downloading a couple of new games. During this time, she would usually help Xia Yu review the things they had learned in their previous lessons—ranging from poems to vocabulary.
Sometimes, they would also play word association games.
Once it was time for Xia Yu to sleep, they would exchange bedtime stories before saying goodnight.
“Will you come back later, Sister?” Xia Yu asked.
Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, slightly lighter than before and naturally curled. Still kneeling in front of Xia Xiuyin, her eyes were clear and innocent.
“Then it may take a little longer.” Xia Xiuyin brushed aside a loose strand of hair from the little girl’s face. Xia Yu closed one eye.
Xia Xiuyin had been chatting with Xia Shulan earlier and hadn’t yet showered, so she would pass by her bedroom on the way to the bathroom.
She put away the hair dryer and turned to look back just before leaving the room.
Xia Yu, holding a giant and plush pillow, looked even smaller in comparison. She raised an arm, gently bending her fingers like a lucky cat, “Sister, goodbye.”
Xia Shulan often brought Cen Ao over to visit, leaving a large trail of clothing but rarely staying the night. Thus, this was Xia Xiuyin’s first time witnessing the aftermath of such a “disaster.”
Cen Ao stood in a corner of the bathroom, wearing only her underwear, glaring menacingly at Xia Shulan.
Xia Shulan’s nightgown was drenched, and she clutched a towel in her hands.
“What… happened here?” Xia Xiuyin asked.
Xia Shulan tucked her loose hair behind her ear and took a deep breath.
“This kid refused to take a bath.”
“I’m not sweating!” Cen Ao stuck her head out, then quickly retreated, “I’m clean!”
She declared, “I’m not taking a bath!”
Xia Shulan rolled her eyes. “You’ve been playing outside all day, and you dare to say you’re clean?”
“Get over here and get this bath done with!”
“Mom! I’ve told you so many times! Are you deaf?” Cen Ao held her ground, her neck straight. “Absolutely not! A bath!”
Xia Shulan had no patience left to argue; she reached out to grab the girl, but Cen Ao’s body was covered in slippery shower gel, and she squirmed out of her mother’s grip like a river loach, darting right up to Xia Xiuyin.
Xia Xiuyin grabbed Cen Ao’s wrist, catching her off guard.
Cen Ao glared at her in protest. “Auntie! You’re an accomplice!”
Xia Xiuyin looked at her with amusement, then leaned down and said sternly, “Miaomiao, did you know I just saw something interesting?”
Cen Ao’s eyes turned, her attention diverted. “What?”
“I went into Auntie’s room…”
“And? And?” Cen Ao anxiously asked.
“Auntie sneaked in a bath and even dressed herself while we were gone.”
“What?!” Cen Ao’s mouth hung wide open.
“If I had come any later, she would’ve finished drying her hair too.”
“Cen Ao, Auntie is too sly!” Xia Xiuyin remarked indignantly. “How could she do this?”
“M-Miaomiao, what are you going to do?” Xia Xiuyin shifted her gaze toward Xia Shulan, who stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for the girls to finish whispering.
“I can’t lose!” Cen Ao clenched her fist. She turned to Xia Shulan, her expression stern, and said, “Mom, hurry up and help me take a bath, then dry my hair. That way, Auntie and I will be neck-and-neck!”
Xia Shulan listened to Cen Ao’s ambitious declaration, speechless.
“Xiuyin, you’re not bad yourself,” she complimented, a little sourly, “but that little brat doesn’t even listen to me anymore.”
Cen Ao’s bath soap still clung to Xia Xiuyin’s palms. She rinsed it off under the sink; droplets of water splashed between her fair fingers and stained her wrist.
Xia Xiuyin curved the corner of her lips. “Sister Lan, I’m heading back to my room first.”
“Go ahead.”
“No way!” Cen Ao pouted, her hand on the bathtub. “You have to watch me finish drying my hair first, Auntie!”
“Otherwise, how can I tell Xia Xiaoyin that I’m just as good?”
“Miaomiao, how about you let Auntie take a bath first?” Xia Xiuyin asked.
“No way!” Cen Ao shook her head. “Auntie, you have to stay here and then go tell Xia Xiaoyin.”
“But Auntie has other things to do later…”
“No, Auntie, please stay here.”
“Miaomiao, Auntie is busy today, so you can’t be too demanding,” Xia Shulan said sternly.
Cen Ao didn’t listen and continued to cry out.
Xia Xiuyin said nothing else, only smiling gently.
Cen Ao sat in the bathtub filled with bubbles, the water glimmering under the light. She playfully slapped at the bubbles, her laugh pure and innocent.
Xia Xiuyin studied Cen Ao carefully; she realized that the girl wasn’t particularly cute.
The steam from the bath slowly filled Xia Xiuyin’s vision, making everything fuzzy, until eventually, the girl of cotton candy softness appeared.
The girl shrank timidly in the water, staring at Xia Xiuyin with a mixture of reliance and longing, softly calling, “Sister.”
“A’Yu.”
While Xia Shulan bathed, Cen Ao lay on the ground, pestering her to play.
Xia Xiuyin glanced at the little girl, then picked her up and placed her on the bed. “Miaomiao, tell Auntie, do you know what time it is right now?”
Cen Ao glanced at the clock on the wall. “Nine o’clock!”
“Auntie has already gone to bed, Miaomiao. How about you go visit her tomorrow?” Xia Xiuyin’s voice was gentle.
“Ooh, you’re lying!” Cen Ao protested, as if this were an obvious fact. “Miaomiao never sleeps before eleven! How can Auntie be asleep so early?”
Xia Shulan often stayed up all night and never bothered to enforce a schedule for Cen Ao; her husband wanted to change this, but his frequent business trips made his efforts minimal.
Xia Xiuyin subtly furrowed her brow.
Without any psychological burden, she said warmly, “I’ll tell you a secret, just between the two of us…”
“What secret?”
“Auntie isn’t really asleep yet…”
Cen Ao’s face was full of pride. “I knew it! Auntie can’t hide anything from me!”
“But if you go looking for her now, you’ll fall right into her trap.”
“What?!”
“Perhaps she’s hiding under the covers right now… If you go looking for her, you’ll let her catch you.”
Cen Ao had already forgotten that she was supposed to be playing with Xia Yu. Her face full of vigilance, she said, “I can’t let Auntie catch me!”
Xia Xiuyin said, “Miaomiao, these are only my guesses… Perhaps your auntie really is asleep. Do you want to go check for yourself?”
“I’m not going!” Having seen through everything, Cen Ao declared, “I’ll wait until tomorrow—I’ll definitely win!”
“Auntie, I want to watch cartoons. Can you help me find the tablet?” She tugged at Xia Xiuyin’s hand.
Xia Xiuyin slowly removed her hand and smiled. “Okay.”
Getting rid of Cen Ao was already nearing 11 P.M.; Xia Xiuyin’s head throbbed as if countless little people were sawing on her fragile nerves.
She couldn’t understand how such an adorable and lively child could become such a handful right before bedtime, but Xia Shulan was used to it.
She cracked open a sunflower seed, “Xiuyin, the old man misses you. He’s just stubborn and old, so he can’t bring himself to admit it.”
“Of course he doesn’t blame you. When you got your middle school exam scores, the old house called you first, you know. That was all his idea.”
“Among our generation, I’m the least reliable, but you can still count on your brothers. But the old man thinks highly of you.”
“Just find a holiday to pay him a visit, and maybe he’ll be happy if you cheer him up…”
“Your mother’s death was an accident… don’t blame yourself.”
“No one’s blaming you.”
The servants left the room.
Xia Xiuyin held onto the railing in the hallway, standing still for a moment. Beneath the dim light, the fancy furniture and modern designs appeared foreign despite their familiarity, making her dizzy.
The vibrant red roses outside the mansion were consumed by the dark night; the branches outside the window cast long shadows that rustled restlessly.
Xia Xiuyin didn’t hear the wind, or perhaps something else had captured her attention, something even more captivating than the tempest brewing outside during the silent summer night.
A warm, ordinary beam of light seeped from the crack of the door, illuminating a small corner of the world.
Xia Xiuyin’s blood froze in an instant upon realizing the source of that light, bringing her brain, her breath, and all else to a halt.
Afraid to startle the light, Xia Xiuyin picked up her indoor slippers, as if she wanted to catch it in the act. She tiptoed barefoot toward the door, hesitating all the way until she was enveloped by that warm, familiar light.
Xia Xiuyin found herself enveloped by the glow.
“Click—” An extremely quiet door creaked open.
A small hand carefully gripped the doorframe.
Xia Xiuyin met a pair of eyes, and silently watched those eyes fill with surprise, then satisfied glee…
Finally, they softened into a look that couldn’t be read clearly.
Dressed in a pure white nightgown, Xia Yu stood shyly before Xia Xiuyin.
“Sister, you’re here…” Her tender voice was so clean it made people uneasy.
“Oh, Sister, you aren’t wearing your shoes.”
Like how Xia Xiuyin had done for her before, Xia Yu got down on one knee, placed her sister’s shoes on her feet, and held her feet to help her slip them on.
The girl was small, so small that she could easily be cupped in two hands.
Noticing Xia Xiuyin’s frank stare, she stammered, “The floor…is very cold.”
Xia Xiuyin finally responded.
With a sigh, she leaned down and wrapped her daughter in a deep, deep embrace.
Xia Yu’s hands froze in midair for a moment, then relaxed, gently patting Xia Xiuyin on the shoulder blades. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here, my dear sister.”
Xia Xiuyin nuzzled her nose against Xia Yu’s smooth neck, inhaling the faint, fresh scent of citrus. It was so delicate, so subtle, but on Xia Yu, it became an alluring sweetness that entwined her senses and made it difficult to breathe. She buried her face in Xia Yu’s narrow shoulders and mumbled, “A’Yu, how about you sleep with me tonight?”
Xia Yu held up a travel book with an exaggerated flourish. She hid half her face behind the book cover and peeked at the bathroom through the gap. Sister had been busy all this time; no wonder she looked so tired. Good girl, despite being sleepy, she waited for Sister.
If Xia Yu hadn’t been there, Sister would have been so sad when she returned to an empty room.
After a long while, there came the sound of movement from the bathroom, and Xia Yu, already half-asleep, jolted up.
“Sister…” She rubbed her eyes, struggling to see Xia Xiuyin.
A hand, slightly damp and carrying a faint citrus scent, covered her eyes. The book in her hands was gently removed.
“A’Yu, sweet dreams.” The gentle voice was hazy, as if it had traveled to her ear through a layer of clouds, yet it carried a hint of insistence, softly coaxing her to obey.
If her sister said so, then she would listen.
Xia Yu felt herself sinking. The bed was too soft.
She closed her eyes, feeling herself slowly, slowly sink into a cloud. Sleep washed over her feet, surging higher and higher, swallowing her bit by bit, leaving only gentle waves lapping at her cheeks.
She was enveloped in a protective embrace.
Xia Xiuyin listened as the child’s breathing evened out after a brief flurry of irregularity. It was so soft that it seemed like the girl was trying to hold her breath, to desperately shrink herself into insignificance.
Xia Yu’s body was curled slightly, appearing to be in an uncomfortable position. Xia Xiuyin shifted slightly, attempting to help her relax, and in doing so, the hem of her nightgown slipped from Xia Yu’s grasp.
Instantly, Xia Yu’s brow furrowed and her breathing quickened, her small hands fumbling. Xia Xiuyin placed a finger in her palm, and Xia Yu securely clutched it, slowly bringing it to her chest.
“Sister…” Xia Yu’s gentle call came from his nose as he burrowed his head into Xia Xiuyin’s shoulder, where he settled down contentedly.
Xia Xiuyin could feel the warmth of his breath caress her earlobe, once, twice, again and again, lingering, lingering, as if to patiently press kisses upon her skin.
The instigator remained blissfully unaware; the dim light at the head of the bed cast a faint glow upon his delicate, fair face, making it seem almost jade-like in its fragility and transparency.
Xia Xiuyin lay on the unfamiliar bed, eyes closed, yet the presence of another living being beside her was as irritating as a knife pressed against her back.
At first glance, Xia Yu looked innocent and charming in slumber, leaving her sister to wonder if she was being overly sensitive.
“Oh, you…” Xia Xiuyin watched him for a while, her fingertip tracing his profile before pinching his delicate earlobe as if to vent some frustration.
Though somewhat uncomfortable, it was an irritation Xia Xiuyin could tolerate.
Xia Yu remained tucked securely against her thin chest, his breathing even. He had fallen asleep after only a few moments of careful watching.
Outside the window, dark clouds had dispersed, leaving only the wind to gently curl around the branches, revealing a crescent moon. The pure white glow of the moon spread across the heavens and earth like water, bathing everything in its soft light. Even flowers had fallen asleep.