Su Xu couldn’t quite remember when she first heard of Tan Xingwei.
It seemed that, without realizing it, she just knew of Tan Xingwei.
She was the “little sister” from Tan Yinqing’s mouth, the one Tan Yinqing would occasionally press the WeChat voice message button for and say, “You’re amazing, Tan Xingwei, scoring so high,” “There’s a flu going around again, Tan Xingwei, you guys be careful at home,” “Tan Xingwei, where did you run off to play again? Mom’s calling you for dinner,” “Tan Xingwei, what do you want to eat? I’ll bring it home for you later,” “Tan Xingwei, good luck on your college entrance exams, don’t be nervous.”
This little sister had excellent grades, a sharp mind, and a strong ability to learn.
This little sister had a sharp tongue, was good at talking back, and would argue with Tan Yinqing at the drop of a hat.
On a seemingly ordinary afternoon, Tan Yinqing asked in the group chat: “It’s my sister’s birthday today, are you guys free to come for dinner?”
She also said: “She got into A University, so Mom and Dad invited a lot of people.”
As it happened, Su Xu was free. As it happened, Su Xu was nearby.
She was a little late, though. By the time Su Xu arrived, it was already time for the birthday wish. The room’s lights were off. On the eye-catching table sat a large, two-tiered cake. On the top tier, two number candles formed an “18,” their flames flickering in the air.
Behind the flames, a pretty young girl was wearing a light blue slip dress. She wore a crown, her hair down, her hands clasped, smiling faintly as she made a wish.
Tan Yinqing silently beckoned Su Xu over and pulled her down to sit.
Right in front of Tan Xingwei.
Not knowing what she had wished for, Tan Xingwei suddenly smiled, then opened her eyes and blew out the candles.
Applause and lively chatter erupted around them. Someone turned on the lights, someone else turned down the “Happy Birthday to You” background music, and the private room instantly brightened.
Tan Xingwei saw Su Xu too.
“Happy birthday, Little Sister Xingxing.” Su Xu took out the gift she had prepared.
The sudden appearance of another person surprised Tan Xingwei. She froze for a moment before asking, “Who are you?”
Tan Yinqing introduced them from the side, “This is my roommate, Su Xu. We all call her Ah Xu.”
“Big Sister Ah Xu,” Tan Xingwei finally took the gift from Su Xu’s hands. “Thank you.”
Tan Xingwei was the star of the day. Many relatives, a few teachers, and many of her classmates and friends came that evening. She spoke a lot, responded to a lot of people. From the moment Su Xu arrived until she was about to leave, Tan Xingwei was almost never free.
Figuring it was about time, Su Xu whispered to Tan Yinqing that she should be heading back and stood up. But just as she moved her chair, a voice suddenly appeared by her ear.
“Is Big Sister Ah Xu leaving?” Tan Xingwei had appeared behind her at some point, her hand resting on Su Xu’s chair.
Tan Yinqing explained for Su Xu, “Yes, she lives in Bayi, and she has to go back to her company, so she can’t stay too long.”
Su Xu added, “Happy birthday, little sister. Congratulations on getting into the school of your dreams.”
Tan Xingwei said, “Thank you.”
The door to the private room shut out the noise. In the quiet corridor, Su Xu walked past a window where a gentle breeze was blowing in.
She took out her phone and sent a message to Tan Yinqing: “Why didn’t you tell me your sister was so pretty?”
Tan Yinqing replied: “Right?! My sister is the campus belle!”
She saw the pretty little sister again the next day.
Actually, Su Xu could have just waited in the car for Tan Yinqing that day. Tan Yinqing had already said she would be quick, but Su Xu went upstairs anyway.
And so, that day she ran into a campus belle who was still pretty even with messy hair, and a cute little sister who would bare her teeth and make funny faces when she felt indignant.
In that moment, all the things Tan Yinqing had said before—”My sister is also great at being passive-aggressive,” “My sister is very stubborn,” “She’s just a spoiled child”—materialized before Su Xu’s eyes.
After making a funny face in defiance, the little sister still obediently said to Su Xu, “Goodbye, Big Sister Ah Xu.”
Goodbye.
Only a few days passed.
Because Tan Yinqing was treating everyone to a meal to celebrate becoming a permanent employee, Su Xu had her third meeting with Tan Xingwei.
This time, it was a Tan Xingwei in a baseball cap. She wore a denim slip dress, her small face under the cap, and she smiled as soon as she saw Su Xu.
She seemed a little shy, but her voice was bright and sweet as she called out, “Big Sister Ah Xu.”
Su Xu also called her, “Little Sister Xingxing.”
Everyone entered the private room, chatting amongst themselves. In Su Xu’s peripheral vision, Tan Xingwei sat down in the seat next to her.
The Tan Xingwei of that day was much quieter than she had been on her birthday night. Most of the time, she kept her head down and ate; for the rest, she listened attentively to everyone’s conversation.
The Su Xu of that day was also putting on an act. She became less talkative and would even cover her mouth when she laughed in front of her roommates.
As the dinner was about to end, Tan Xingwei spoke up on her own initiative for the first time that evening. She said, “Let me add you all on WeChat.”
Perhaps it was a little unusual; Tan Yinqing looked at Tan Xingwei with a puzzled expression.
But it also seemed quite normal, so Tan Yinqing quickly looked away.
Tan Xingwei opened her QR code quickly, but she didn’t seem to notice that Su Xu had opened her scanner at the same time. Without a glance, she passed her phone to the person opposite her first.
First, there was a “ding” from Chen Jing, then a “ding” from Yaoyao. Finally, Tan Xingwei placed her phone in front of Su Xu.
“Big Sister Ah Xu.” Tan Xingwei’s round eyes looked at Su Xu.
But only for half a second before she quickly looked away.
With another “ding,” Tan Xingwei took her phone back.
At the same time, Tan Xingwei said, “Big Sister Ah Xu, I’m putting you in my ‘Daily’ group.”
She also said, “Big Sister Ah Xu, do you know how to write my name? I’ll send it to you.”
She then said, “But you don’t have to use my full name as the contact name. You can write Xingxing, or Little Sister Xingxing, either is fine.”
She added, “Big Sister Ah Xu, do you have groups for your Moments? You have to let me see them too.”
Su Xu said, “Okay.”
While Su Xu was working, she was also preparing to go abroad.
The next time there was news from Tan Xingwei, it seemed to be only a few days later. Su Xu, who was about to take her lunch break, received a message from Tan Xingwei. She said she was at the entrance of Su Xu’s residential complex, and it was so hot.
Then, Tan Xingwei sent a location pin.
In the scorching summer, Su Xu saw Tan Xingwei as soon as she got out of the car. She was eating a popsicle, standing in the shade of a convenience store’s parasol. Su Xu felt an indescribable emotion.
Their eyes met, and Tan Xingwei’s eyes instantly lit up. She raised her hand high, bouncing a little as she waved at Su Xu.
Before Su Xu could ask, she rattled off as if she had memorized it, “I was supposed to go to the amusement park with a classmate, but she just told me she’s not free this afternoon and can’t come out. Oh dear, and I’m already here.”
Tan Xingwei spoke, her lips opening and closing. She seemed to want to grab Su Xu’s wrist but quickly felt it might not be appropriate. In the end, she only rested her hand lightly on Su Xu’s wrist and continued, “I remembered you were also in Bayi. Last time, Tan Yinqing mentioned your residential complex, so I checked the map and saw it was on the way, so I stopped here.”
Su Xu lifted her hand slightly to let Tan Xingwei rest hers more comfortably.
Tan Xingwei: “It seems a bit sudden, but I don’t know where to go either.”
As she spoke, she shuffled half a step closer to Su Xu. She blinked her eyes at Su Xu, looking like that very cute little rabbit from Su Xu’s WeChat sticker collection.
The little rabbit said, “Will Big Sister Ah Xu take me in?”
In the 37-degree air, Su Xu felt very hot, but the spot on her wrist held by Tan Xingwei was cool and refreshing.
This little sister had asked for her WeChat for the third time, and the next time, she appeared at the entrance of her residential complex, looking at her like this.
Little sister, this big sister is a lesbian.
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