She could.
Shen Haoming himself was a lawyer, and he was warm-hearted, always eager to help friends.
His father had plenty of government connections.
She couldn’t.
She simply couldn’t bring herself to speak up.
From the very beginning, she’d concealed her family situation, claiming her father had passed away, her mother was dead, and she’d grown up with her grandmother.
This wasn’t lying, she told herself—just self-preservation.
Who could accept a pair of parents who were constantly stirring up trouble, always being chased off or hauled away by security?
However, since she’d always referred to Qiao Lin as her cousin—maybe she could ask them to help this cousin?
But there were risks; her parents had mentioned their youngest daughter’s name in interviews and said she was now living in Beijing.
Once those materials were dug up, her identity would be impossible to hide.
Xu Yan managed a few fitful hours of sleep and woke just as dawn was breaking.
She felt Qiao Lin’s breath by her ear, the warm air from her mouth washing over her face.
She opened her eyes, and Qiao Lin was gazing at her in the soft morning light.
For a moment, she couldn’t recall when in the past Qiao Lin had looked at her like this, with those big round eyes, as if she’d grasped something important and was about to share it.
But she said nothing.
“Do you see me in double vision too?”
Xu Yan asked.
Qiao Lin said,
“No, I see you very clearly.”
Yu Yiming was standing at the door of her classroom.
He said Qiao Lin hadn’t come to class for three days.
Xu Yan said,
“My dad broke his leg; she has to take care of him.”
Yu Yiming said,
“I know—exams are coming up soon; she can’t keep going like this. Take me to find her.”
Outside, it was snowing, and the roads were slick with ice.
They pushed their bicycles along.
The wind was fierce, snow falling in wild, disordered flurries, the sky like a swarming hornet’s nest.
Yu Yiming’s hair had grown long again; his face was pale, with an attractive dimple on his chin.
He said gravely,
“Help me talk to Qiao Lin—convince her to study hard and come to Beijing with me for the exams.”
Xu Yan said,
“She doesn’t want to leave.”
Yu Yiming said,
“She has no future here.”
Xu Yan asked,
“What’s Beijing like?”
Yu Yiming said,
“Beijing’s roads are incredibly wide, with shops everywhere, and lots of cafes. Study hard, and in two years, you can test in too.”
Xu Yan asked,
“Me?”
Yu Yiming said,
“Yeah, we’ll be waiting for you in Beijing.”
Xu Yan stared at him in a daze.
The white breath from his mouth rose into the air, then dispersed.
***
The next day, Xu Yan recorded the program until five in the afternoon, then hurriedly rushed off to buy desserts.
That cake shop had originated from Paris and had recently been featured in numerous fashion magazines.
She always racked her brains over what gift to bring to Shen Haoming’s home.
Delicate little cupcakes were arrayed in the glass cabinet, adorned with fondant high heels and garlands, resembling pieces of luxurious jewelry.
The prices were, of course, outrageously high; in the end, she decided to buy four.
At that moment, Qiao Lin called, asking when she would be back.
Xu Yan said,
“Isn’t there a takeout menu on the fridge? Order something to eat first.”
Qiao Lin said,
“I’m not hungry. How do I lock your door? I’m feeling suffocated inside the apartment and want to go out for a walk.”
Xu Yan told her the door lock password.
She repeated it once and said,
“If I forget it later, can I call you again?”
After hanging up, Xu Yan scanned the glass cabinet once more, her gaze falling on a cupcake with a dancing figurine.
The little figure balanced on one foot, arms lifted, as if preparing to leap and take flight from the ground.
“I’ll take this one,”
she said to the girl behind the counter.
Xu Yan heard Qiao Lin calling her name from behind.
She caught up and handed over the cloth bag she was carrying, saying,
“I borrowed the skirt for you—the collar’s a bit big, just secure it with two pins.”
Xu Yan said,
“I really don’t want to host.”
Qiao Lin said,
“If you don’t host, then I won’t dance either. Neither of us will participate in the evening gala.”
Xu Yan asked,
“Why go to all that trouble to fight for me?”
Qiao Lin smiled.
“Big Qiao and Little Qiao—we have to shine together.”
Back in school, many people had already learned they were sisters and called them Big Qiao and Little Qiao.
The nanny opened the door and offered to take the items from Xu Yan.
Holding the cake box, Xu Yan said,
“I’ll carry it to the living room myself.”
Three women were seated on the living room sofa, sipping champagne.
One of them, a short-haired woman, looked at her with a beaming smile and said to the other two,
“Haoming just loves these tall, slender girls.”
The woman beside her, draped in a shawl, said,
“Boys these days all prefer this kind of figure.”
An eight- or nine-year-old boy came running out—it was Shen Haoming’s younger brother, Shen Haochen.
He was leading a short-legged dachshund by the leash.
The dog was dressed in a blue down vest, with a hood attached at the back; when it ran a bit faster, the hood would flip forward and cover its face.
Shen Haochen pulled the dog over to the sofa and introduced it to everyone:
“It’s called Bailey—it has a bit of a cold.”
The woman with arched, thin eyebrows asked,
“What happened to your last dog?”
Shen Haochen said,
“We gave it away. Mom got tired of it always rummaging through the trash bin.”
The short-haired woman said,
“Your mom was crazy about it at first, though.”
The boy shrugged.
“My mom is a very unpredictable woman.”
The three women burst into laughter.
The shawled woman said,
“Haochen, come here—let Auntie give you a hug.”
The boy reluctantly took two steps forward, turning his head to the side.
“Auntie, I have a cold too.”
The shawled woman patted the back of his head.
“You’re getting so big—really sprouting up fast.”
The woman with arched eyebrows set down her champagne glass and said,
“Regretting it now? We all advised you to go with Yu Lan back then—you could have had twins.”
