Crossing the Clouds and Sky to Fall in Love with You - Chapter 39

After I finally finished explaining everything I needed to, she looked serious, one arm draped over my shoulder, the other tightly wrapped around my waist, refusing to let go. I thought this was her possessiveness over me.

“So you clearly rejected him.”

“Mhm, because I finally confirmed what I feel, and I’m with you.” I tugged at my collar, revealing the amethyst necklace around my neck. “I accepted your token of love! And I verbally accepted your pursuit… So, I thought it was time, time to be frank with Tao Yian and let him pursue the girl who truly belongs to him sooner.”

She smiled widely, then kissed my hair with a mix of joy and affection. “You handled it perfectly… I appreciate your honesty, and I admire your decisiveness, Xiaoning; you being this way will only make me like you more and more.”

I gave an embarrassed laugh. “That’s good, then! This way, you won’t treat me as ‘someone else’ when you’re planning your next trip, will you?” She knew I was teasing her about what she had said when she went to Sri Lanka, and she curved her lips.

“You are no longer ‘someone else’; you are my girlfriend.”

“Sih-chi… I’m actually very afraid.” I pursed my lips, snuggling into her embrace, my left ear resting against her chest. I needed to hear her heartbeat and be enveloped by her scent to truly feel her presence. “You come and go freely, as unrestrained as the wind… Perhaps you will stop for me, but I know you are always planning your next journey; travel has become a part of your life. You are the wind, and I cannot catch the wind.”

“If you want, I can…”

I shook my head. “The paradox is, I also don’t want you to interrupt your pace for me.” With a sigh, I moved to kiss her chest. “Go ahead, pursue your travels, broaden your horizons… Having already experienced this journey with you, I no longer rely on you completely; I will find my own meaning in life, you wait and see! I will live a life more spectacular than before… and become the person worthy of you.”

Her eyes were slightly moist, and her expression instantly looked complicated, but I knew she was happy. When I smiled, she smiled too; we hugged tightly, expressing our love for each other with our lips and tongues.

“I just wanted to say…” She let me lie on top of her. With every word she spoke, I, pressed against her, could feel the vibration of her voice, her own pulse. “I am willing to spend more time by your side; I will still travel, but when I’m not traveling, I only want to stay by your side and keep you company.”

“That’s enough.” I blinked, shedding tears of joy. “That’s enough…”

Once more, she kissed me, exchanging breaths.

After a thorough rest, I didn’t linger the next day… Even though we both wanted to spend more time together, the Chinese New Year was approaching… it was time to reunite with family, and I had promised my parents I would hurry home once the trip ended. On this point alone, I had no right to be willful.

“You should go home too.” While she waited with me for the bus, I couldn’t help but advise her again. “Tao Yian really misses you, his older sister; I can sense it.”

“After hearing what you said last night, my attitude towards him has become much clearer.” She casually put her hands in her pockets and quirked her lips. “But now it’s awkward. You are with me, and if Yian finds out that I, his older sister, took the person he was trying to pursue, what do you think he’ll think?”

Uh… I admit I really hadn’t thought about this! “Does he absolutely, certainly have to know?” It wasn’t that I was ashamed of being with her, but it was truly awkward! I couldn’t even imagine the three of us being in the same place at the same time, and having to admit the fact that she and I were now a couple.

For Tao Yian, this would definitely be another heavy blow.

“With my personality, do you think I would want to hide it?”

“Oh, you… would you please not provoke your brother? He’s already very self-conscious because of his limited mobility, and I spent so much time and effort encouraging him.”

“If he hadn’t pursued you, or if we weren’t together, then fine, but all of this has already happened; knowing Yian, he definitely won’t give up easily.”

Is that so? Perhaps… even though I only refused his pursuit and didn’t really spell things out.

“Xiaoning, I will go home, don’t worry.” She showed a confident and brilliant smile, but I felt my scalp tingle!

“And then tell him about you and me?”

“Part of the reason I left home back then was because of this.” Her sexual orientation? She gave a slightly self-mocking laugh. “Alright! Going home and everything can be discussed later, it’s still two or three days until Chinese New Year’s Eve, and I don’t necessarily have to choose that time to go back… Your bus is here.”

She made it sound like I was the fuse that led to the conflict between the siblings… Sigh! But no matter what, I could only choose one of them. What was I supposed to do?

Perhaps she saw through my distress, as she then said, “Don’t think too much; this isn’t your fault. If there’s any fault, blame us for liking you and meeting you at the same time, right?”

I got onto the bus with my backpack, and she stood on the platform waving at me, just as before. As the bus pulled away, I gazed at the sunlight outside the window. I felt that this trip had brought me love and a life goal, which should have been cause for celebration, but because it involved Tao Yian, coupled with Sih-chi’s attitude that seemed set on teaching her brother a lesson, I felt somewhat worried…

But this was an issue between the siblings; Sih-chi was right, no matter what, I could only choose one of them, and there was simply no option for a happy ending for everyone.

However, since I had made my choice, any further contemplation was just self-inflicted distress. I could only focus on how to guard my small happiness.

Upon returning home after climbing Yushan, I received a warm welcome from my family. My father immediately realized I was up in the mountains when he heard “Tataka,” and my mother looked at me as if her daughter had accomplished something extraordinary. I said sheepishly that it was all because Sih-chi encouraged and accompanied me, and that I definitely couldn’t have done it alone.

Xiaopei and Xiaowen asked me many questions about what happened during the climb, and I told them like a storyteller.

“Sis, did anything else amazing really happen on this magical journey of yours?” Xiaopei asked, intentionally sounding very surprised. “I just feel like you’re completely different from before you left. It’s as if you’ve been reborn from the inside out. Not only has your speech become more confident, but your whole demeanor has changed!”

“Magical journey, huh! Why don’t you call it a fantastical voyage or something…” I joked, then suddenly stopped mid-sentence, remembering the sunrise and sea of clouds seen at the summit, the various challenges before reaching the top, and of course, my girlfriend who was by my side, her care and love.

Adopting a sentimental tone, I said with a smile, “Mhm… I really did go through and think about a lot of things; you’re not wrong to say that.”

“If I wasn’t certain that the person who traveled with you was your beautiful neighbor, I would seriously mistake you for having met your Mr. Right during the climb!” Xiaopei smacked me without thinking, but her inadvertent mention of “Mr. Right” made my heart skip a beat…

“Sis? Why are you suddenly blushing?”

“Oh! Nothing, it’s nothing!” Even though Xiaopei had never said she was homophobic or anything of the sort, it was better to keep Sih-chi and my relationship a secret for now; at least until I was sure Xiaopei could accept it.

Back home, cleaning my room and helping Mom make New Year’s dishes quickly consumed my time. New Year’s Eve and the New Year arrived swiftly, and relatives came one after another to pay their respects, making the house suddenly lively. Even though Sih-chi and I were officially dating, I didn’t spend all day calling or texting like I did when I had boyfriends before. We only made a phone call to check in on the day I got home, and then I regularly checked her fan page, viewing the scenery she shared with everyone as our connection.

This kind of day was bound to come, wasn’t it? The days of single-handedly watching her travel pace…

Since I knew I would face this eventually, there was no harm in starting to get used to it now! Over the past few days, whenever I recalled those three days of travel, I felt invigorated. The fatigue in my body gradually disappeared, replaced by a profound sense of inspiration.

I opened my email and found that she had already sent me the travel photos! Although most of the photos were just scenery, through her lens, I was able to relive the journey in the most effortless way.

Among them, of course, were the retaken selfies. For the second selfie, both of us were ready. She displayed her usual confident smile, and I deliberately leaned on her shoulder, adopting a docile, dependent posture… Even though it wasn’t particularly intimate, I still felt a little shy just looking at the photo!

I was staring blankly at the photo, but what pulled me out of the sweet atmosphere was Xiaopei’s singing and the still-out-of-tune ukulele coming from the next room.

She was still singing the theme song from that Japanese drama. I rested my chin in my hand and listened, wondering when Mom’s shouting would come. I paused for three seconds before realizing, right! Mom and Dad and Xiaowen had taken my second uncle’s family to Sizihwan via the MRT, which meant no adults were home!

Xiaopei didn’t know Japanese either, so she must have memorized the lyrics? I listened and smiled, trying to discern if she had made any progress, but she stopped singing after less than ten minutes. Strange? Giving up so quickly?

I went straight to the next room. As soon as I walked in, I saw the ukulele lying on the bed as if abandoned, and she was already sitting in front of the computer, preparing to play music and read a comic book. “Did I bother you?” She asked, grinning, clearly showing no sign of repentance.

“Not really.” I put my hands on my hips and pointed at the ukulele. “You stopped singing so quickly? It’s rare that no one is home.” I wouldn’t stop her from singing.

Xiaopei showed a discouraged expression. “Oh, no matter how I sing, I’m always off-key, and trying to manage the ukulele while singing makes me feel a bit overwhelmed. Plus, no one taught me how to play, so it always feels wrong somehow…” She made a few strumming gestures.

I pouted, adopting a slightly sisterly tone. “Are you giving up this easily? You’ll never learn that way, and you already bought the thing. It’ll be a waste of money if you don’t use it!”

“Then why don’t you practice with me!” She looked up, slightly challenging me. “Don’t even talk about me, your singing can’t be much better, right? How about I play, and you sing?”

I almost agreed—mainly because, tell me how my singing is the same as yours! “I don’t know how to sing the one you’re practicing… though I did listen to it very often a while ago.”

“That’s easy!” Xiaopei put down her comic book; I glanced at it—oh no! It was a horror comic! “Let me find the video for this song… lots of people have covered it, and many have lyric subtitles. That’s how I memorized it!” She decisively changed the music, and when she played it again, it was a tune I was familiar with.

She motioned to me, asking me to sit in front of the computer, and she picked up the ukulele again. “I can’t read Japanese.”

“Not even the hiragana and katakana?” She opened her eyes wide in surprise. I nodded, and she smacked her forehead in disappointment. “No way! You were the one who got me into watching ‘Operation Love’ in the first place!”

I put on an innocent expression. “It’s true that I introduced you to Japanese dramas, but that doesn’t mean I have to know Japanese.”

“Well, you can read the Romanization, can’t you?” Seeing Xiaopei quickly pull up the lyrics webpage from her bookmarks, it was clear she had done her homework. “It’s right here. You can follow the melody and practice slowly.”

I was reluctantly seated in front of the screen. “You’re really going to make me practice with you?”

“Yes! Or was I kidding?” Xiaopei played a few notes, completely taking my words seriously. It seemed too late now to regret speaking carelessly! Oh well, practice it is!

I sang a few lines along with the music, and Xiaopei, who was strumming the rhythm, suddenly stared intently at me. “What’s wrong?”

“You sing quite well?” If it was good, why did her expression look so complex? “I thought… Sis, you’d definitely be tone-deaf, off-beat, and off-key with everything.”

“That’s you, isn’t it?” I rolled my eyes at her.

Xiaopei froze, then buried herself in the quilt as if hiding to cry secretly. “Yu Xiaopei, why are you taking this blow so hard!” I couldn’t help but laugh; having such a goofy sister at home truly made things never boring!

“I figured if I got you to sing with me, no matter what, Mom would only scold you… Damn it! You and Yu Xiaowen are so heartless! You never stick up for me when I get scolded, you just hide in the corner and snicker!”

“Don’t you know Mom’s temper? Besides, Mom was only joking when she stopped you, she wasn’t really angry.”

“I actually think she’s frustrated that I’m not better, wondering why a neighborhood songstress like her gave birth to a tone-deaf daughter!”

Mom is indeed good at singing. “Don’t be so disheartened! You just tend to be a little off-key, the rhythm is often unstable, and also…”

“Stop, stop, stop! If you keep talking, I’m going to get mad!”

I chuckled! There were too many flaws, and I hadn’t even gotten a chance to compliment her on her nice voice. “Alright! I won’t talk about it. So, you play and I’ll sing, okay?”

“That’s acceptable!” She emerged from the quilt and set up her posture. “By the way! If we practice, maybe we can form a duo and become street performers!”

I gave her a look of exasperation. “Daydreaming before we’ve even practiced?”

“Let’s start now!”

The singing actually piqued our interest! When Xiaopei focused on playing the ukulele, at least she wouldn’t lose the beat, and I could focus on overcoming the lyrics issue.

I memorized some parts, trying to piece together the meaning from the Chinese characters in the lyrics… “I suddenly want to know the Chinese translation of the lyrics,” I turned to Xiaopei. “What’s the Chinese title of this song?”

Xiaopei’s mouth gaped open. “Huh? You don’t know?”

“Of course I don’t know!”

“‘A Little Love Song.'” Xiaopei gave the correct answer, which made my heart suddenly stop—”The song is called ‘A Little Love Song,’ Chiisana Koi no Uta!”

From the bottom of my heart, I laughed out loud, and the laughter grew louder and louder!

“Sis… what’s wrong with you?”

‘A Little Love Song’! Xiaopei, of course, didn’t know that I had a nickname, “Little One” (‘Xiaoxiao’) … Although it was just a very mundane association, I truly believed in the arrangement of fate, especially after meeting Sih-chi.

I finally managed to calm down and turned to Xiaopei. “Nothing! I can only say… this song is really suitable for me… ‘A Little Love Song’!”

Xiaopei’s response was utter confusion. I didn’t offer any further explanation, choosing instead to immerse myself in the melody of the music.