MTMIO Chapter 54

Chapter 54: A Precautionary Shot

The next morning, Lu You was awakened by the sunlight streaming into the room and the chirping of birds. She picked up her phone and glanced at it, realizing it was still half an hour before her alarm was set to go off.

The stuffed toy in her arms felt different from the one at home; it had less of a worn feel and more of Yue Yunxi’s unique, cool fragrance.

It felt distinctly different.

Lu You blinked groggily for a few seconds, then sat up in bed. She quickly changed her clothes, neatly folded the blanket, and held it in her arms.

As she reached the doorway, she doubled back to the sofa, bent down, and picked up the stuffed deer by its antlers.

The room was quiet; Yue Yunxi and her grandmother were still asleep.

Lu You tiptoed upstairs, reached the master bedroom door, grasped the handle, and slowly pressed it down, pushing the door inward.

She was being as careful as she usually was when tuning a piano, fearing that any mistake would create a sound and wake the people inside.

Even a burglar breaking into a house wouldn’t be so cautious.

The window in the master bedroom was covered with heavy curtains that blocked most of the sunlight. The crack in the door let out a thin, long strip of light that stretched onto the bed, outlining the shape of the person sleeping on their side.

For a moment, Lu You was lost in thought.

She wondered if Yue Yunxi, when she had quietly slipped into the study last night, had also felt like this, a total sneak thief.

Lu You silently curved her lips into a smile, walked around to the side of the bed closest to the wall, and slowly placed the blanket and stuffed toy down.

Just as she was about to leave, Yue Yunxi, who had been facing away from her, suddenly turned over.

Lu You’s nerves tightened instantly. She instinctively held her breath, frozen in place, not daring to move.

In the light filtering through the crack in the door, she could vaguely see Yue Yunxi’s face, her eyes closed, her brow relaxed.

Her sleeping face was serene, showing no signs of waking.

Lu You let out a long breath, her tense shoulders gradually relaxing. She couldn’t help but look at Yue Yunxi a few more times.

She was sleeping peacefully on her side, unlike Lu You, who slept in a chaotic mess, taking up most of the bed as if charging into battle in her dreams.

During those days in Xicheng, she would grab onto Yue Yunxi as a pillow without a second thought.

Thinking of this, the back of Lu You’s ears grew hot. She didn’t look any longer, grabbed her toiletries, and left the bedroom to go to the bathroom downstairs.

While brushing her teeth, she touched the spot that had been bumped by her teeth last night and felt pain, realizing that a sore had formed there.

It had indeed been broken.

The wound wasn’t large, and she figured it would heal in a few days, so Lu You didn’t pay it much mind. She gathered her long hair and twisted it into a low bun at the back of her head, then went to the kitchen.

Last night, after returning from the supermarket, Yue Yunxi had shown them around the kitchen and soaked the soybeans, which were now in a white porcelain bowl on the left side of the counter.

Lu You walked over and glanced down.

A few soybean skins floated on the surface of the water, and the soybeans at the bottom of the bowl had all plumped up.

She looked up and pulled open the cherry wood cabinet doors above.

Glass jars containing various grains were neatly arranged on the bottom shelf.

Lu You rested her hand on the cabinet door, tilted her head, and fell into thought.

Which combination did Yue Yunxi like to drink the most?

After a moment, she reached out and took out a few jars.

Before long, the sound of the blender filled the air, interspersed with the bubbling of boiling water in the pot and the bumping of eggs rolling around.

Leaning against the island, Lu You sleepily closed her eyes.

It wasn’t until the timer for boiling the eggs went off abruptly that she woke.

At the same time, the alarm clock on the nightstand in the master bedroom rang, and within a few seconds, it was silenced by a pair of equally fair and slender hands.

Yue Yunxi got out of bed efficiently.

After washing up and returning to the bed to tidy the sheets and blankets, she noticed an extra folded blanket on the other side of the bed.

On top of the blanket was a furry little deer stuffed toy.

Yue Yunxi chuckled softly. Then, her smile faded slightly, and a softer sigh escaped her lips.

It was a pity that she had been so exhausted from traveling that she had slept so deeply.

Suddenly remembering something, Yue Yunxi walked to the other side of the bed, picked up the blanket, and went straight to the balcony.

In the kitchen, Lu You turned off the second alarm clock and took the eggs that had been simmering for ten minutes out of the pot, putting them in a bowl of cold water. Then, she began to strain the soybean pulp.

While rinsing the filter, she heard two knocks on the door.

Lu You turned around.

Yue Yunxi paused her hand as she was closing the door.

It was hard to describe the feeling in that moment. The pot on the stove and the open blender were still steaming, wisps of white smoke melting into the air, and the rich aroma of soy milk filled the air.

The person she loved was standing right there in the midst of this domestic scene, in her own designed kitchen, within her sight.

Outside the kitchen’s glass window, the sun hadn’t yet risen, and the sky was still a washed-out gray. The window frame framed the person and the scene before her, like a painting with an unreal, dreamlike quality.

Yue Yunxi softly said, “Good morning.”

It was as if she wanted to speak, to prove that what she was seeing wasn’t a dream, but she was also afraid that if she spoke too loudly, the dream would wake.

“You’re up so early. I’m glad I didn’t stay in bed for another half hour.” Lu You turned on the faucet to wash the blender, speaking over the sound of the water. “Are you going for a morning run? There’s warm water in the glass. You can drink it. Oh, and do you have a steamer?”

Yue Yunxi raised an eyebrow slightly, opened the cabinet under the stove, took out a steamer from inside, and handed it to her. “Can I take that as you specifically got up this early to prepare breakfast for me?”

The stainless-steel steamer felt scalding hot, and Lu You nearly dropped it. She looked away, wishing she could bury her head. “I’m just staying here.”

Yue Yunxi smiled. “What kind of breakfast did you prepare?”

“Boiled eggs and soy milk.” Lu You relaxed a little, rinsing the steamer. “I figured you were going for a run, so I made these two things first. By the time you get back, the soy milk will be just the right temperature. Then I can steam some buns. There’s pork, pickled cowpea, seafood, and vermicelli tofu filling. Which one do you want to eat?”

After a short pause, Lu You added, “Neither ‘all of them’ nor ‘whatever’ are options.”

Yue Yunxi replied with a smile, “Vermicelli tofu, then.”

“What a coincidence, that’s my favorite too. There’s exactly two vermicelli tofu buns.”

Adding water to the pot and setting up the steamer, Lu You stepped away from the sink, giving Yue Yunxi a playful wink as she turned. “I’ll poke two holes in the vermicelli tofu buns, so you don’t get the wrong one.”

Yue Yunxi chuckled softly and couldn’t help but call out, “Youyou.”

“Hm?”

*Don’t buy a house, just live here. Move into my life.*

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped herself, wanting to respect the other woman’s wishes even more. Yue Yunxi shook her head and caught sight of the glass pitcher that had been hidden by Lu You’s body.

It was filled with milky white soy milk.

Inhaling the aroma of soybeans floating in the air, she could vaguely detect the scent of almonds.

So, she changed her question. “Is that oat and almond milk?”

“Yes. I remember you putting South almonds in the shopping cart yesterday, so I thought you might prefer to drink this.” Putting the pot on the stove, Lu You went back to the sink, passing Yue Yunxi. She glanced at her. “Hey, did I guess right?”

Yue Yunxi looked back at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

That expression was intriguing, especially since she didn’t answer.

Lu You couldn’t help but stop in her tracks, her gaze fixed on her, her brow furrowing slightly before quickly relaxing. “Why are you looking at me like that? Did I guess right, or did I guess wrong?”

As she spoke, she saw the faint smile at the corner of Yue Yunxi’s lips widen slightly.

“I’m happy because you’re observing me, and you’re observing me very carefully.”

Her tone was still gentle and steady, speaking with certainty. It reminded her of last night, reading a book by the dim yellow light, hearing the distant sound of cars passing through the night on the wide road outside the courtyard.

From far away to near, it fell heavily into her ears, leaving a long trail.

Lu You found it difficult to ignore the emotions churning within her, exposed at that moment.

She couldn’t deny that she had indeed paid attention to Yue Yunxi’s preferences because she wanted to understand her more.

“But I just put them in randomly.”

Yue Yunxi’s soft voice was filled with regret, regretting that she had guessed wrong.

But the look in her eyes held another meaning.

It was like a scratch-off lottery ticket from childhood, the coating scraped off to reveal a bright “Try Again,” encouraging the gambler to continue.

Almost without thinking, Lu You asked, “What do you like?”

Yue Yunxi smiled and said, “Five-red soup.”

Lu You nodded subconsciously and said, “Oh, to nourish qi and blood.”

Nodding and agreeing were both ways to deepen memory.

And she was like playing a new round of the gambler’s game, afraid of having her hand read, controlling her voice and actions to be as calm as usual.

With a blank expression, she moved past Yue Yunxi to the sink, reaching out to turn on the faucet.

Before the water flowed out, she heard Yue Yunxi chuckle softly from behind.

As if she had seen through her little thoughts.

Lu You paused, grabbing the cleaning cloth from the hook.

Yue Yunxi smiled and said, “I really like the way it smells when it’s cooking, just like how some people like the smell of coffee. But you can’t drink too much of this, it’s too heating. You can only drink it three times a week at most.”

Her pace was a little slower than usual, and the tone of the second half of the sentence was slightly heavier than the first half.

Lu You was reminded of when teachers would instill new important knowledge points during her student days.

But no matter how much they emphasized it, whether or not the students accepted it was up to them.

Lu You said, “Oh,” and put the cleaning cloth in her hand under the water.

The already damp cloth was immediately soaked through.

Yue Yunxi leaned back against the island counter, picked up the glass, took a couple of sips of warm water, and said, “If you want to drink coffee in the morning, there’s a coffee machine and coffee beans in the first cabinet on the bottom left. There’s also tonic water in the fridge, you can mix a tonic Americano.”

Lu You whipped her head around, surprised. “How do you… know everything?”

Yue Yunxi smiled. “I ran into your grandmother while jogging before. She told me. She said you come home very late, always competing with the moon to stay up, and she has to call you to get up for breakfast. Every time, you just eat a few bites. If you manage to get up and eat on your own, you’ll make a cup of coffee.”

Lu You’s eyelids twitched.

She could already imagine her grandmother’s disappointed tone when she talked about her.

“Coffee is a pick-me-up,” Lu You defended herself. “I basically only get up early without Grandma having to call me when I have something to do in the morning.”

“Like today?”

Lu You’s heart skipped a beat at her words, a flurry of emotions.

“Aren’t you going for a run?” The topic change was awkward, she knew.

“Running alone is a little lonely.”

Lu You inappropriately imagined a pitiful golden retriever being taken for a walk by its owner.

“Didn’t you used to run alone?”

“No, Grandma came with me.”

“…” Lu You pursed her lips and asked, “What else did Grandma tell you about me?”

Yue Yunxi said, “Her topics always revolve around you.”

This short sentence was like drawing a very wide circle with her at the center.

Lu You stared at the pinky ring on her little finger, her half-lowered eyelashes fluttering slightly.

If she hadn’t broken her finger, Grandma could have continued to stay in her hometown, where she had many old friends to cool off with in the summer, bask in the sun with in the winter, and gather to play mahjong in the spring and autumn.

But in this forest of steel and concrete, it was as if she had no son, and no friends either.

In the boring and tedious days, the only vibrant presence was her granddaughter.

And this granddaughter also had her own life, and couldn’t accompany the old woman all the time.

Lu You sighed almost imperceptibly.

Fortunately, later, there was a Bichon Frise that could only make the old woman happy, and Aunt Liu, who could chat with Grandma.

Yue Yunxi said, “My understanding of you, apart from the memories of our youth, basically comes from my morning chats with your grandmother.”

Lu You absentmindedly wiped the marble countertop, making it so shiny that it could almost be used as a mirror.

A guess popped into her head for no reason, and she stopped.

She had always felt it was too coincidental that she heard Grandma say that she always ran into Yue Yunxi who ran in the morning while walking the dog.

Grandma’s dog walking time and route weren’t fixed.

“You just said that Grandma accompanied you, meaning you could meet Grandma every time you went for a run?” Lu You turned to the side. “Was it really that coincidental?”

Across from her, Yue Yunxi leaned against the island in a leisurely pose, holding the glass in her hand, taking small sips of water. When she heard the question, she moved the glass away from her lips.

The water in the glass swirled around the protruding mountains at the bottom of the glass.

When the water surface returned to calm, Yue Yunxi lifted her eyelids and met her gaze frankly.

“It’s not a coincidence. Even with Aunt Liu notifying me, I often have to run around looking for her for a long time.”

Lu You’s heart was shocked.

Facts proved that any roundabout probing was vulnerable when met with a frank admission.

“I said, I’m not a good person. There are no coincidences, and no unexpected encounters.” Yue Yunxi’s eyes swept across her face, looked away, lowered her head, stared at the clear water inside, her fingers rubbing the glass wall, feeling the water temperature, which had cooled down a few degrees. “It’s all been my long-planned scheme.”

“You…” Lu You felt her heart trembling, and she was temporarily speechless.

*I’m not a good person.*

It certainly wasn’t the first time she had heard Yue Yunxi say this.

But because they had known each other since they were young, she always remembered the first time she went to Tao Xin’s house for dinner. She broke a cup, and Tao Xin said to her: You’re done for. I broke one before, and my dad almost beat me to death.

When she was young, she didn’t know that the margin of error in life was far greater than imagined. At that moment, she only felt like the sky was about to fall, and she could even imagine being beaten by Lu Huai’an when she went back.

When Uncle Tao asked about the broken cup on the ground, she was uneasy and didn’t dare to speak. It was Yue Yunxi who said softly: I accidentally bumped into Youyou, causing her to lose her grip.

Such a gentle and considerate older sister, even if she said many times that she was not a good person, she would take it as a gust of wind.

So that at this moment, her mood was a little complicated and hard to describe.

“Did I scare you…” Yue Yunxi sighed. “Sorry, before we had any interaction, this was the only way I could understand you, and it was one of the few times I could feel that the distance between us wasn’t too far.”

Her tone was sincere and lonely.

Lu You only felt that her heartbeat had completely lost its original order.

“Youyou, don’t be afraid of me because of this.”

Each word was like a needle slowly pushed into a blood vessel, bringing a slight pain.