When Spring Burns - Chapter 25

The woman’s lowered voice drifted into her ears, and the touch of slender fingers against her cheek made Sheng Tingmian’s tears surge even more uncontrollably.

“Really… Am I truly your sister for life?”

She often thought of that little tomato plant, ordinary and unremarkable, its only contribution being the small tomatoes it bore. It had no lush, fragrant petals, nor any towering, steadfast qualities.

It seemed as if they weren’t even from the same world.

They had only met by chance. Now that her sister’s life was back on track and the pain of losing her younger sister had gradually subsided, what reason did she have to stay…

“Of course, if I let you call me sister, it’s meant to be for a lifetime.” Only then did He Jianxue realize that this was the root of her worries. “Although I’ve been staying at the company these past few days, I haven’t been sleeping well. Only when my sister is here can I sleep soundly. That’s why I came back today, isn’t it?”

Sheng Tingmian felt somewhat comforted by the first part of her words, but as she listened to the latter half, she sensed something amiss. Lifting her tear-filled eyes to look at her, her voice choked with sobs, she asked, “Then, am I just your sleep companion maid?”

How was that being a sister…

“…”

When He Jianxue heard the term “sleep companion maid,” her brow furrowed slightly. Her mind, usually swift in handling matters, paused for over ten seconds. After a long moment, she finally processed the words and was amused, covering her lips with the back of her hand.

“Accompanying your sister to sleep makes you a sleep companion maid? What’s going on in that head of yours?”

He Jianxue noticed that Sheng Tingmian was still gazing at her with tearful eyes, her apricot-pink lips pressed tightly together, and she even bit her lower lip slightly. Every subtle gesture seemed to be waiting for a definitive answer. He Jianxue had no choice but to deny it: “You’re not a sleep companion maid. You are my sister.”

She pulled the girl into her embrace and comforted her in a deep voice, “I’ll make more time to spend with you.”

Sheng Tingmian was held tightly, the faint scent of camellia enveloping her, carrying a mature aura. Though she felt less upset, she realized she might have made a fool of herself.

For a moment, she was filled with regret.

Yet, she couldn’t deny that, deep down, she truly appreciated her sister comforting her in this way.

Wiping her tears, Sheng Tingmian hugged her back, understanding how busy her sister was with work. “Sister, you might not know this, but I lost my parents when I was young and grew up singing opera with my aunt. I’ve never had many close friends… So, I really cherish having a sister like you, who’s both a mentor and a friend.”

She admitted that she didn’t want to leave her sister at all. She wanted to be her sister for life.

As the sun set in the west, the clouds were tinged with hues of twilight, and the flowers and plants in the courtyard swayed in the evening breeze.

He Jianxue could feel the girl’s affection and dependence on her, an indescribable emotion spreading between them. Sheng Tingmian trusted her, relied on her. In her heart, He Jianxue truly embodied the phrase “both a mentor and a friend.”

It felt as if her heart had been gently touched. In the golden glow of the sunset, she softly replied, “Okay.”

…

After the sisters cleared the air, He Jianxue pulled her suitcase back into the room and had someone return all her belongings to their places.

While He Jianxue wasn’t looking, Sheng Tingmian sneaked over to the desk, found the gold foil, and hid it away.

It was still hers, no need to let her sister laugh at her again later.

Noticing that the front of her clothes was slightly damp, He Jianxue knew exactly what had happened. “Help me get a change of clothes.”

The servant quickly fetched a soft and comfortable top for her. He Jianxue took it and headed toward the dressing room. As she passed Sheng Tingmian, she gave her a look that seemed to say, “Look at you, crying.”

Sheng Tingmian immediately understood what was going on. Her entire neck flushed red. With others still in the room, she didn’t want to embarrass herself further. She lowered her gaze and swiftly avoided her sister’s line of sight.

It really wasn’t her…

…

After dinner, Sheng Tingmian lay on her bed, scrolling through her fans’ comments.

He Jianxue emerged from the bathroom and noticed Sheng Tingmian’s slender legs peeking out from under her nightgown, as delicate and lovely as fine white jade. But she quickly shifted her gaze to the girl’s graceful shoulders and back. “What are you looking at?” she asked.

“I’m reading my fans’ comments,” Sheng Tingmian replied. Whenever she came across an amusing comment, she would chuckle softly. Ever since her sister had hired an assistant to manage her account, her worries had lessened significantly. She no longer had to stress about updates, the assistant would follow her around, filming her singing practices or daily routines, creating content that was both engaging and fun.

Suddenly remembering something, she set her phone down and turned to He Jianxue. “Sister, which account is yours?”

He Jianxue settled into a chair. “Why do you want to know?”

Sheng Tingmian watched as her sister sat with an effortless elegance, as if posing for a magazine, relaxed and languid. Her gaze softened as she studied her sister for a moment, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Your little sister wants to know which one is yours.”

As soon as she said this, Sheng Tingmian saw the woman pick up her phone, unlock the screen, and swipe through it with her fingertips. Finally, she heard her sister say, “I sent you a private message.”

Sheng Tingmian looked away and hurriedly opened her private messages. There were many people messaging her, and she rarely replied to any of them. Fortunately, the app pushed the latest messages to the top.

She scrolled for a moment before her eyes landed on a particular profile picture and the line of text beneath it.

H: I’m your sister.

Sheng Tingmian immediately opened the private message thread. There was only that one message: “I’m your sister.” She clicked on her sister’s profile to see more, but He Jianxue didn’t really maintain her account, it was just a simple profile picture and a name, with nothing else on the homepage.

The profile picture was a camellia. Sheng Tingmian studied it carefully, it seemed to be a photo of a camellia tree in the courtyard.

Her sister really did love camellias.

She had once looked it up and learned that several varieties of camellias in her sister’s garden were rare breeds cultivated abroad, requiring very specific soil conditions. For this reason, her sister had even hired a professional gardener to tend to them.

He Jianxue’s account showed 1 following and 0 followers. That one account she followed had to be hers. Sheng Tingmian’s lips curved into a secret smile as she clicked the “follow” button, becoming one of her sister’s followers.

Noticing the new follower, He Jianxue’s red lips curved slightly, but she said nothing, allowing her sister to do as she pleased.

Feeling the need to explain herself, Sheng Tingmian said, “Sister, your little sister followed you.”

Then, she heard He Jianxue let out a soft, almost imperceptible breath through her nose, as if seeing right through her attempt to cozy up.

Sheng Tingmian pretended not to notice, silently deciding in her heart that her sister was the type who would dote on her younger sibling.

“Sister, do you eat cherry tomatoes?” she asked suddenly, thinking of the ones she had grown.

He Jianxue replied, “Didn’t we just have dinner?”

“No, I meant, do you like eating them?”

He Jianxue thought for a moment. “They’re alright.”

“Do you like them sweet, sour, or both sweet and sour?”

He Jianxue: “I’m fine with any.”

Sheng Tingmian calmed her mind and sent a message to her aunt, saying she wanted cherry tomatoes again tomorrow and asked her to pick some and bring them to the theater.

Her aunt quickly replied: You little foodie, I’ll pick some for you tomorrow.

Mian Bao: Auntie, you’re the best! [Heart][Heart]

Sheng Tingmian put down her phone, thinking she’d make a fruit salad for her sister after tomorrow’s training.

That way, her sister could enjoy her cherry tomatoes.

The next day, Sheng Xiaoyun brought her niece a small box of cherry tomatoes, each one plump and glistening.

Sheng Tingmian discreetly tucked them into her bag when no one was looking, claiming she had already finished them. Her afternoon was mostly spent in the practice room, working on basic skills.

Unlike the traditional opera costumes and embroidered shoes worn for vocal and movement training, this session focused on action sequences from their repertoire, emphasizing flexibility and balance. Their attire was much simpler this time.

Sheng Tingmian tied her hair into a low ballet bun, wore a long-sleeved white round-neck T-shirt, black pants, and dance shoes, stretching her arms and kicking her legs to maintain balance.

After basic training, she changed into scale armor, strapped on red command flags, and practiced martial arts moves like “Crossing Spears” with a tasseled spear.

By the end of the day, Sheng Tingmian felt utterly exhausted. Director Sheng had intensified the training regimen far beyond previous sessions.

Back at the He residence, Sheng Tingmian received a call from her sister saying she couldn’t join her for dinner and that she should eat first.

“Will you be back tonight?” she asked, her main concern.

He Jianxue gave an affirmative answer, and only then did Sheng Tingmian feel at ease. After freshening up, she glanced at the clock, it was already 9 p.m. Her sister should be back soon. Rolling up her sleeves, she started preparing the fruit salad.

To ensure her sister wouldn’t develop a preference for other fruits and look down on her cherry tomatoes, Sheng Tingmian decided to use only her cherry tomatoes and some vegetables, excluding all other fruits.

After half an hour of effort, a plate of vegetable and fruit salad was ready.

Sheng Tingmian sat at the dining table, waiting for He Jianxue to return. But she waited and waited until 11:30 p.m., and there was still no sign of her.

She was already nodding off, her head drooping like a pecking chick.

It was nearly midnight when He Jianxue finally returned. Seeing someone at the dining table, she asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Sheng Tingmian yawned, forcing herself to stay awake as she stood up. “Sister, you’re finally back! I made you a vegetable and fruit salad.”

She turned around and retrieved a glass bowl from the refrigerator, filled to the brim with her cherry tomatoes, halved and mixed with purple cabbage, frisée, lettuce, cucumber slices, and salad dressing.

He Jianxue wasn’t in the habit of eating late at night, but seeing that her sister had prepared a salad and waited so long for her, she sat down anyway.

“How did you know I was just getting hungry?” He Jianxue looked at the bowl of vegetable and fruit salad placed before her, noticing that cherry tomatoes made up most of it.

Was this a vegetable and fruit salad or a cherry tomato salad?

Sheng Tingmian handed her a fork. “You’re hungry, Sister? Try some to tide you over.”

She watched with eager anticipation.

He Jianxue’s first bite was a piece of cherry tomato. Recalling how her sister had asked her last night if she liked them, she wondered if Sheng Tingmian had specially picked them out at the market.

“Is it good?”

He Jianxue savored it slowly, humming in approval. “The tomatoes are sweet and refreshing. You picked them out really well.”

Sheng Tingmian hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back. Seeing that He Jianxue had picked out only the vegetables in her next few bites, she suppressed the urge to explain.

“…If you like it, sister, then eat more.”

No matter how careful she had been, she hadn’t guarded against the vegetables, wuwu.

Sheng Tingmian didn’t want to see her homegrown cherry tomatoes thrown away in the end, so she simply returned to her room. “Sister, I’m going to bed first.”

Only He Jianxue remained at the dining table. After Sheng Tingmian left, she forced herself to eat a few more bites out of politeness, but she truly couldn’t stomach much more of the salad and decided to have it discreetly discarded.

When the maid came over and saw the bowl of salad, she was somewhat surprised, having assumed it would all be eaten.

“Miss He, you’re not finishing this?”

“No, find a place to throw it away, but make sure Tingmian doesn’t see it.”

Just as He Jianxue was about to leave, she suddenly heard the maid say, “What a pity to waste so many cherry tomatoes. The little girl grew them herself and couldn’t bear to eat them.”

He Jianxue paused mid-step and turned back. “You’re saying Tingmian grew these?”

“Yes,” the maid replied. “She told me while making the salad tonight that she planted them herself at home.”

He Jianxue’s expression turned complicated as she stared at the bowl of salad for a long moment. The bright red flesh and plump, juicy tomatoes were lightly coated in salad dressing.

Only then did she understand why there were so many cherry tomatoes in this vegetable and fruit salad.

“Give it to me,” He Jianxue finally said, taking the bowl back. She sat down at the dining table again and began eating the cherry tomatoes, one by one, that her younger sister had grown with her own hands.