“Are you awake?”
“No, I’m not!”
“Alright then.”
“Are you awake?”
“Still no!”
“Fine.”
“Are you awake?”
“Yin! Do you still want to eat soup dumplings today?”
“Of course I do!”
“If you want them, then stop pestering me! Just let me sleep a little longer!”
With that, Bai Zhiqiu pulled the duvet, which Yin had previously thrown off, back over herself.
“Don’t you know what day it is today?”
“What day is it? Is it important?”
“Of course it’s important! Let me give you a hint! Today is August twenty-ninth!”
“August twenty-ninth! August twenty-ninth? I remember now!”
Bai Zhiqiu suddenly sat up in bed, looking as though she had just recalled something incredibly important.
“You remember now, don’t you? It’s not too late to recall it!”
Yin, still in her nightgown, propped her face in her hands, lying prone on the bed, her two pale, delicate feet swaying gently.
“I remember now! The magical girls are about to enroll soon! I haven’t even written my lesson plans yet! Thank you for the reminder, my precious Yin!”
After speaking, Bai Zhiqiu leaned over and kissed Yin’s cheek, then began to get dressed.
At that moment, Yin’s patience reached its absolute limit. She had hinted again and again, yet this blockhead still hadn’t understood! By the end, she had practically spelled it out! What a fool!
“It’s Qixi Festival today, you idiot! I’m never talking to you again!”
With that, Yin turned her head away, peering through a small gap in the curtains. She observed the amusement park not far away, already bustling with people, all moving in pairs.
Even though that silly girl had given her a morning kiss, today was Qixi! Morning kisses happened every day; it wasn’t special at all for such an occasion!
“Qixi Festival, huh!”
Hearing Yin explicitly mention Qixi, Bai Zhiqiu finally felt as though she were waking from a long dream.
Just yesterday, the five of them had played ranked games together, resulting in a night of continuous losses.
Even after the others had logged off, she stubbornly continued playing for a while. Yet, the screen remained a dismal red, indicating more defeats. Only when she saw her rank on the verge of dropping did she finally decide to cut her losses.
“Actually, I said that on purpose! Of course, I knew it was Qixi today! I was deliberately trying to surprise you!”
“Really?” Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, Yin immediately spun around, her eyes sparkling like tiny stars.
“Of course it’s true! I was planning to take that little one who’ll grow old with me… well, it seems we’ve already grown old together now… Anyway, I was going to take a very cute little person to the amusement park! I bet they’ve been wanting to ride the new Ferris wheel for ages! What a shame, though! Someone just said they wouldn’t talk to me anymore! Sigh! I suppose I’ll just have to call Qingzhu, Shuyao, or even Sister Gu Nian to come with me instead!”
With a feigned look of sadness, Bai Zhiqiu made to leave the room.
“No! Don’t go! I didn’t say that! Stop right there, you silly Bai Zhiqiu! Today, you belong to me!” Yin declared, immediately rushing out of the room, not even bothering to put on her shoes.
****
By this time, Bai Zhiqiu had already reached the living room, where Bai Yue had long since prepared breakfast.
“Little Yue is so sensible!” Bai Zhiqiu remarked, taking a bite of a fried dough stick and pointedly glancing at Yin.
“I can be sensible too!” Yin mumbled carefully, her mouth still full. As a royal of the Blood Clan, her upbringing dictated that she shouldn’t lose her composure while eating, unless, of course, the food was exceptionally delicious. Though, for her, there wasn’t really anything that *wasn’t* delicious.
“If you like it, Sister, eat a little more! You’re going to have a very tiring day today!”
Bai Yue took a bite of her bun, smiling as she looked at Yin.
‘It’s Little Yin’s turn to spend time alone with Sister today! Judging by her demeanor, she must have been preparing for ages… I wonder when she’ll finally give me a grand-niece…’
Thinking about how her sister had been dating her four girlfriends for over a year now, and still hadn’t produced a niece for her, Little Yue felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.
‘I must take the initiative!’
Just as Bai Zhiqiu swallowed her mouthful of fried dough stick and reached for another, Bai Yue stopped her.
Meeting Bai Zhiqiu’s puzzled gaze, Bai Yue spoke directly. “Sister! It’s already quite late! You’ve been holed up at home playing games for days! Hurry up and go out with Little Yin!”
After speaking, Bai Yue winked at Yin, who was busy sweeping another plate of soup dumplings into her own mouth.
Catching Bai Yue’s signal, Yin instantly understood. She stopped devouring the next basket of dumplings and instead grabbed Bai Zhiqiu’s hand directly.
“Silly Bai Zhiqiu! You promised to spend today with me! Let’s go! Please!”
Seeing Yin’s adorable expression, Bai Zhiqiu finally nodded.
She now understood that her entire family wished for her to have a daughter soon.
Her mother had recently pressured her about marriage, and now even Little Yue was starting.
****
Out on the street, Bai Zhiqiu sent Qixi Festival blessings to several people, one by one, on her phone. Of course, Yin’s message couldn’t be missed.
“Where should we go to play?”
“First, let’s go buy clothes! Come on!”
With that, Yin pulled Bai Zhiqiu towards what seemed to be the most famous clothing store nearby.
“Catgirl Paradise?”
The moment Bai Zhiqiu saw the signboard, a premonition of dread washed over her. ‘It couldn’t be what I’m thinking, could it? It must just be because there’s a cat at the entrance! That’s surely it!’
Beside the entrance, a small white cat was meowing, beckoning customers into the shop.
Yet, when Bai Zhiqiu actually stepped inside, her expectations were completely overturned. Everything was exactly as her worst fears had imagined.
Inside, an dazzling array of maid outfits filled her vision, alongside cat-ear headbands and tails in various colors.
Wait! Why were there even ‘insertable’ ones? Were these really items meant to be displayed openly?
Meanwhile, Yin had already excitedly picked out an entire set for herself.
“Precious Yin… I don’t think this is necessary for me…”
Seeing what Yin held, an unsettling thought surfaced in Bai Zhiqiu’s mind. ‘She wouldn’t want…’
“Don’t worry! I won’t be *too* excessive tonight!”
Yin subtly wiggled her slender middle finger at Bai Zhiqiu. While her fingers weren’t quite as long as Gu Nian’s or Yan Qingzhu’s, they were still notably graceful for her build.
‘Not *too* excessive’ surely meant it *would* be excessive, just not *extremely* so…
Hearing Yin’s words, Bai Zhiqiu secretly braced herself mentally. ‘I absolutely have to find a way to last until midnight tonight!’
‘Once it’s past midnight, it’s rest time! None of them will be able to force me then!’
“How about we go to the amusement park now? I saw you secretly looking over there this morning, you know!”
With a mischievous grin, Bai Zhiqiu gently tapped Yin’s nose, causing Yin’s face to flush crimson.
‘If I can’t handle them, surely I can handle you?’
‘You’re the only little one where our dynamic is so wonderfully balanced! I’ve got you completely wrapped around my finger!’
As for why Bai Zhiqiu sometimes found herself in the submissive role, that was purely because things occasionally got out of hand.