After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 32

The small study on the west side.

Yan Guizhou took one last look at the final data on her watch, confirmed it was correct, closed her laptop, stretched, and casually picked up the cup beside her to take a sip, only to find it empty.

The kettle nearby was also empty.

As she stood up, Yan Guizhou glanced at the digital clock nearby.

12:21 AM it was already past midnight.

By now, everyone else was probably asleep.

When Yan Guizhou pushed the door open, she instinctively softened her footsteps. The night light in the hallway was still on. She went to the small living room in the middle, shook the kettle, and found only a little water left, undoubtedly cold by now.

She had no choice but to turn and head downstairs.

A small light was on in the kitchen.

The housekeeper should have already gone home by now. Yan Guizhou paused her steps, tightened her grip on the cup handle, and walked even more quietly. As she approached, the person inside noticed the movement behind her first.

“Guizhou?” Jiang Xuehe turned around, momentarily surprised, then remembered to gesture with the kettle and cup in her hands, explaining, “I forgot to bring my cup, so I came down to get some water.”

Yan Guizhou breathed a sigh of relief and walked in, saying, “I thought everyone was asleep.”

Jiang Xuehe had just picked up the kettle and quickly realized it was empty too.

“I’ll boil some more water,” Yan Guizhou said, closing the kitchen door behind her. She took the kettle from Jiang Xuehe, filled it with water, and placed it on the base to boil before turning back to ask, “Can’t sleep?”

Jiang Xuehe smiled and said, “Maybe I ate too much at dinner.”

Yan Guizhou asked, “Do you want me to get you some digestive tablets?”

Jiang Xuehe shook her head. “I’ve been pacing around my room for a while, and it’s not too uncomfortable. I’ll just drink some water and go to bed soon.”

Yan Guizhou said, “Then drink less.”

Jiang Xuehe nodded. “Okay.”

Tiny bubbles slowly rose in the kettle, and the machine’s soft hum was just enough to muffle the sound of their quiet conversation.

But truthfully, they weren’t very familiar with each other. After a few simple pleasantries, there didn’t seem to be much else to say.

Jiang Xuehe thought about what Yan Guizhou had said at the hospital earlier in the day, wondering how much she could bring up.

“Before dinner, Gui Qiu told me about your situation,” Jiang Xuehe said, taking the initiative. “She just wants you to stand on your own feet and doesn’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“What trouble is that?” Yan Guizhou muttered under her breath, her brow furrowing slightly. “I’m just worried about her future.”

Right now, Yan Gui Qiu was still a student, and already there were so many unpleasant rumors circulating.

What about later?

When her peers settled down and built careers, Yan Gui Qiu would still be drifting out there, unwilling to come home. What if she got bullied? Her family wouldn’t be able to help her immediately.

Moreover, she had now chosen an even more difficult path in matters of the heart. No one knew how many cold stares she would face in the future.

If she stayed at home, with some accomplishments and a career to her name, she’d have more confidence when facing the world.

“How do you know she won’t build that confidence elsewhere in the future?” Jiang Xuehe waited for her to finish before speaking.

Yan Guizhou was momentarily speechless. After a moment of silence, she said, “It’s never as easy as being at home.”

Her sister had talent here.

Leaving it unused felt like a waste.

“But she has to want to do it and enjoy it,” Jiang Xuehe said. “Besides, I’m here for her too.”

Yan Guizhou looked up and stared steadily at Jiang Xuehe for a moment.

The kettle began to whistle, and only then did Yan Guizhou shift her gaze away. She waited for the water to boil, poured half a cup for Jiang Xuehe first, then poured another for herself.

“I originally thought it would be Gu.” Yan Guizhou paused and didn’t continue. “Since my sister likes you, then you must be the most suitable for her.”

Suddenly, she felt it might not be so bad to have someone protecting her sister.

Someone like Yan Guiqiu always seemed effortlessly capable in everything she did, often making people forget that she, too, had moments of vulnerability and difficulty.

She couldn’t be expected to protect someone one-sidedly for a lifetime.

Moreover, she had known the people around her for so long if anything were to happen, it wouldn’t have waited until Jiang Xuehe appeared.

Having reasoned it through, Yan Guizhou didn’t say anything more.

The speaker may have no intention, but the listener takes it to heart.

Jiang Xuehe vaguely guessed what she had wanted to say and glanced up at her, but no further words followed.

Yan Guizhou held her cup, blew on it, and took a sip, only to be scalded and stick out her tongue. She simply held the cup, covered her mouth as she yawned, and reached out to open the kitchen door.

“Xuehe, you should head back and rest early,” Yan Guizhou said. “Don’t you have a date tomorrow?”

Jiang Xuehe gave a soft “Mm” in response, watching her go upstairs before standing in place for a while longer.

Finally, she picked up her cup and took a sip of water, the temperature was just right.

Slowly, she walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs.

Yan Guiqiu’s door was tightly shut; she must have been fast asleep by then.

Jiang Xuehe stood outside the door for a moment before pushing open the guest room door.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, by the time Yan Guiqiu got out of bed, Jiang Xuehe was already downstairs having breakfast.

Madam Meng and Yan’s father had finished their meal and gone to the office, saying they would return around noon. Yan Guizhou had no classes in the morning, so Madam Meng had given her the day off to rest at home. She was sitting downstairs, having breakfast with Jiang Xuehe.

Yan Guiqiu, still bleary-eyed, sat down beside Jiang Xuehe. Yan Guizhou pushed the plate of fried dough sticks and a cup of soy milk toward her.

“What mischief were you up to last night?” Yan Guizhou asked, noticing her tired expression. “Didn’t sleep well?”

Yan Guiqiu took the cup and drank a few sips, mustering a bit of energy. “I was looking up travel tips. It seems the lantern festival starts tonight.”

Yan Guizhou chimed in, “There aren’t any lanterns today, it’s the flower boat parade. But it’s just as crowded. If you want to go with Xuehe, you’d better get there early to grab a good spot.”

Yan Guiqiu gave an “Oh” and continued sipping her soy milk slowly.

Jiang Xuehe glanced at her and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Yan Guiqiu shook her head. “My eyelid’s been twitching since I woke up never mind, I don’t want to think about annoying things. I’ll freshen up after washing my face.”

With that, she quickly finished her fried dough stick and soy milk, then went to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. When she came out, she did seem much more alert.

Yan Guizhou was outside, browsing the news on her tablet. Seeing her sister emerge, she asked, “So you two really were out doing a good deed yesterday?”

Yan Guiqiu: “…”

Yan Guiqiu: “What else would we be doing?”

Yan Guizhou shot her a sidelong glance. “Didn’t you say you were ‘bathing in the river of love’?”

Yan Guiqiu: “…”

Yan Guizhou showed the news article to Jiang Xuehe beside her. It was tucked away in a small corner of the local news feed but included a photo. The person in the picture was only captured in profile, yet anyone familiar with them would recognize them at a glance.

The article sternly criticized the act of extorting money from kind-hearted rescuers, adding only at the end that the child had been examined at the hospital and was found to be unharmed.

The byline credited an intern reporter from a certain newspaper.

Judging by the timing, it had just been published and hadn’t garnered much attention yet.

Yan Guizhou asked, “Should we help suppress it?”

Yan Guiqiu skimmed the report, it wasn’t very detailed and glanced at the photo again. The image wasn’t particularly clear, especially of Jiang Xuehe. Unless someone was very familiar with her and knew she was there, it would be hard to identify her easily.

“Forget it, they didn’t include any names anyway,” Yan Guiqiu shook her head. “I doubt anyone will pay attention to it for long.”

“Alright.” Yan Guizhou swiped past the news article. Seeing the other two preparing to head out, she casually waved and said, “Have fun oh, and if it’s convenient, try to come back for dinner tonight. Dad said he’s cooking.”

Yan Guiqiu nodded, picked up her bag and jacket, and headed out with Jiang Xuehe.

Their first stop was the newly opened art museum in Ningcheng. It was a bit out of the way, located at the end of a subway line. By the time they arrived, the museum had been open for a while, and they could enter after buying tickets at the counter.

There weren’t many people around, with the most noticeable group being a tour of middle-aged and elderly tourists.

Most of the tourists in the group had graying hair but seemed lively and well-mannered, speaking in deliberately hushed tones. Occasionally, they paused briefly at an exhibit before quickening their pace to catch up with the main group.

The youngest among them was the tour guide, a woman in her twenties or thirties, speaking calmly and clearly. As they passed various display cases, she effortlessly recounted historical backgrounds and interesting anecdotes without needing to check the descriptions.

Jiang Xuehe had initially intended to go the other way, but noticing Yan Guiqiu’s interest, she quietly followed along behind the group.

At the back of the tour group were three elderly ladies gathered around a transparent case displaying porcelain, pointing at the patterns on the outside and whispering among themselves.

They seemed to be sharing some amusing joke, and as they spoke, they all started laughing. One of the ladies laughed a bit too loudly and was playfully tapped by her companion.

“Mind your manners!” the companion said with mock seriousness.

It was clearly just a joke, and the other ladies couldn’t hold back their laughter either, though they remembered to keep their voices low.

Yan Guiqiu’s attention was drawn to them. As she and Jiang Xuehe passed the porcelain case, she leaned in for a closer look. The exterior had ordinary blue patterns, and the accompanying description only noted the era and the artist nothing that seemed particularly amusing.

She tugged Jiang Xuehe over to take a look, but Jiang Xuehe couldn’t spot anything funny either.

“Maybe they were thinking of something else,” Jiang Xuehe said.

When she looked up again, the three elderly women had already caught up with the main group but were still huddled together, whispering. Now that they were farther away, she couldn’t make out what they were saying, but judging by their expressions, it seemed they had recalled some amusing story.

“I used to think about what I’d be like when I grew old,” Yan Guiqiu said, watching them. “Back then, I imagined it would be something like this meeting up with friends during holidays or after retirement to go shopping or travel.”

Though by the time she actually reached that age, she might not have the energy for it anymore.

Perhaps she’d just spend her days basking in the sun, reading books, and petting cats.

“Later, I thought it probably wouldn’t be like that,” Yan Guiqiu added.

“Why?” Jiang Xuehe asked.

“By then, they’ll all have their own families and might not be as free or close as they are now,” Yan Guiqiu explained. “And I wouldn’t want to bother them too often.”

“Hmm.” Jiang Xuehe thought for a moment before asking, “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Haven’t you thought about having a family of your own, or someone else to accompany you?”

Perhaps it wasn’t just a partner Jiang Xuehe felt that Yan Guiqiu’s friends would likely be willing to join her in mischief even in their later years. But now, Yan Guiqiu was already thinking about not disturbing their lives in the future.

Yan Guiqiu shook her head honestly and said, “Before I met you, I never thought about settling down.”

Jiang Xuehe asked, “Didn’t you want to fall in love? Did you find it troublesome?”

That had been her own perspective before.

Yan Guiqiu shook her head again, pondering how to phrase it. “It’s just, if it wasn’t the right person, it wouldn’t work. But in all my years, I’ve never met someone like that.”

Jiang Xuehe asked, “Someone like what?”

Yan Guiqiu turned to look at her and said, “Of course, someone like you.”

Jiang Xuehe knew she was being teased, but she still felt her mood lift.

“But I didn’t know that back then,” Yan Guiqiu continued. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you only now.”

The corners of Jiang Xuehe’s lips curved upward a little more, and she reached out to take Yan Guiqiu’s hand, intertwining their fingers one by one.

“You’re luckier than I am,” Jiang Xuehe said. “You met the person you want to spend the rest of your life with four years earlier than I did.”

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