"Mom, Dad! Sister's here." Xiao Yue called out as she led Dongfang Xi into the living room.
Dongfang Xi raised her eyes and her gaze landed on the couple sitting on the sofa. The woman wearing a white Cheongsam looked almost exactly the same as herself, albeit a little older, but that wasn't to say that she was old. In fact, she could even be said to be a bit too young for her age, considering that she was already in her early fifties.
"Are you my Xiao Xi?" The woman asked, her voice soft and cautious. As if she was afraid of startling her away.
Dongfang Xi tilted her head for a moment.
Tsk!
This name truly brings back bad memories. She really didn't want it anymore.
However, with how things stand, she could only reluctantly acknowledge it.
"Um." Dongfang Xi confirmed and the woman burst into tears as she shakily stood up to hug Dongfang Xi, causing the latter to stiffen.
It wasn't that it felt uncomfortable.
She just wasn't used to it.
After all, although she was adopted by the Dongfang family and became Dongfang Yu's daughter, that guy was unmarried so didn't exactly have a mother. As for her adopted grandmother, sure, she had hugged her plenty of times when she was younger. However, that happened few and far in between after she grew up.
As such, she truly didn't know what to do at that moment and could only let her instincts take over, relaxing her body and softly patting the woman's back in an attempt to comfort her. However, her actions only fueled the woman's tears even more, making her bawl even louder.
Dongfang Xi "..."
....
Later that night, Dongfang Xi went to bed in her newly prepared room, feeling a bit stuffed from overeating.
Sigh.
What else can she do?
Her newly found family were way too enthusiastic and she found it hard to refuse.
Tossing and turning in bed, Dongfang Xi groaned.
Can't sleep.
Might as well go and burn some calories.
However, just as she was about to enter her space, a series of knocking sounds came from her door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Who is it?"
"Sister, it's me. Did I disturb your sleep?"
"No. Not at all." Dongfang Xi opened the door, only to see Xiao Yue in her cute bunny nightdress holding a pillow in her arms. "Come on in."
Xiao Yue entered and closed the door behind her. "Sister, can I sleep with you tonight?"
Dongfang Xi's brows moved slightly.
From the memories she viewed earlier, she knew that this little sister had been plagued by nightmares of her past in the apocalypse ever since she was reborn after the car accident a year ago, often waking up in the middle of the night drenched in cold sweat.
Quite pitiful indeed.
"Sure."
"Thank you, Sis!" Xiao Yue beamed brightly.
Lying in bed with Dongfang Xi, Xiao Yue turned sideways. Looking at the other girl's dazzling profile, she couldn't help but frown for a while before sighing, her eyes turning resolute, as if she was ready to confess something.
"Sister..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"What I'm about to tell is something you might find very absurd. So can you please promise me you won't tell our parents? At least not for now?"
Dongfang Xi raised an eyebrow. Was this girl about to tell her about the apocalypse? Or perhaps, about the fact that she was reborn and already knew that she wasn't the Xiao family's daughter. If that is the case, then this girl really is too naive. They've only just met and yet she was already trusting her a bit too much.
Sigh!
Even so, it might not actually be a bad idea for her to be too trusting. At the very least, it's much better than the both of them being at odds with each other.
After all, with the oncoming apocalypse, she truly couldn't afford any distraction.
"Um. Go ahead. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Xiao Yue took a deep breath. "Uh, the truth is... I discovered that I might be gay."
Dongfang Xi "..." Wait what?
She never once doubted herself in all her years of living, yet at this very moment, she thought she might be hearing things.
"What... did you just say?" Dongfang Xi stiffly got up and sat on the bed, the expression on her face utterly bewildered.
"I said I might be interested in women." Xiao Yue also got up, her face burning red. "No. More specifically, I might be interested... in you."
Dongfang Xi trembled.
D*MN!
Thinking back to what she had done during the day, Dongfang Xi wanted to smack herself in the head.
She knew very well how fatal her natural charm was. It was both innate and dangerous!
Although she didn't exactly mean it like that, others wouldn't necessarily think so.
Dongfang Xi, you piece of trash! After having been chased and hacked at by Meng Po in the underworld, you still didn't learn your lesson and once again dared to flirt around!
Now look what you've done! You've led a little girl astray.
"Ahem! Might I ask the reason why you think that way? Perhaps I could help analyze it for you."
Xiao Yue looked cautious. "You're not angry?"
Dongfang Xi chuckled and patted her head in a gentle manner. "Why would I be? Now tell me darling, what made you think you are in love with me?"
"I... I don't know either. It's just that everytime I get near you, I inexplicably feel at ease. As if all the pressure around me suddenly disappears and I can breathe a little easier."
"Ah?" Dongfang Xi was stunned. Just because of this?
However, her eyes soon narrowed as her previous speculation came to mind. She also didn't miss the words "pressure" which seemingly caused Xiao Yue to be unable to breathe. Could it be what she was thinking?
In order to prove her conjecture, Dongfang Xi suddenly pulled Xiao Yue into her arms with practiced ease.