TAISS – Chapter 45

“Sister, I’m so excited.” This photo studio was opened by a friend of Jian Zunqiu’s.

Its style was very “retro,” but to Lin Jianheng, it was just like the photo studios she had seen back in the single-planet era.

They offered electronic projection recordings as well as the simplest kind of photography with developed prints.

In the past, most of the photos Jian Heng took with her family had been taken by the owner of this studio.

Now that Yan Su was a member of the family, it was essential that she be included in their family album. Lin Jianheng had been looking forward to it for a long time.

“Didn’t you say it was to document the pregnancy?” Yan Su draped herself over Lin Jianheng’s shoulder, hugging and nuzzling her affectionately.

She had never had this kind of photograph taken before. To people native to this era, anything that required physical storage was too backward and too easy to lose.

Aside from Jian Heng’s family, most people looked down on photographs that could only capture a single, frozen moment.

The studio’s business had always been slow. However, the owner was just running it for fun, having opened the shop out of personal interest.

“That’s part of the idea,” Lin Jianheng said, stroking Yan Su’s lower abdomen.

Their eldest daughter had only implanted a month ago, and Yan Su herself was slender, so her abdomen was still flat, showing no sign of the two little ones inside.

Yan Su just felt that if the purpose was to document the babies, taking pictures now wouldn’t really show anything.

“But the main reason is that I want to take pictures with you,” Lin Jianheng’s next words immediately placated Yan Su.

“Sister, Sister. My Mommy, my mother, my older sister, and I have taken lots of family photos. We have several albums. It’ll be complete with you in them.”

“You’re a part of our family too.” Lin Jianheng hugged Yan Su’s arm and slid down, resting comfortably against her waist.

“Then I’m excited too,” Yan Su said, leaning back with her. The two of them lay in the back seat of the car, their heads shifting until they made eye contact and burst out laughing together.

“Today, we’ll pretend it’s a one-month photoshoot for the baby. But really, it’s just for the two of us to have fun.” Lin Jianheng had even chosen a few themes with Yan Su beforehand.

There were themes like “Spacewalk” and “Deep Sea Voyage,” things that weren’t easily accomplished in reality.

There were also ordinary themes, like a couple’s outing.

Getting makeup and styling done was very convenient now, so they could shoot a lot in a single day.

Yan Su smiled at Lin Jianheng for a long moment, her eyes crinkling, before she looked down at her own abdomen, momentarily lost in thought.

In the blink of an eye, their big sister cub was already a month old.

The little sister cub was nearly three weeks old, and her condition was much better than at the last check-up.

For the past few days, whenever they went to check on the big sister cub, she would deliberately share some of her nutrients with the little sister cub right in front of them.

It amused both mothers.

They had no idea what went through the little cubs’ undeveloped minds all day.

Still, after the little sister cub was no longer in danger of malnutrition, they praised the big sister cub. Worried she wasn’t getting enough for herself, they coaxed her for a long time until her eggshell trembled with happiness before they left.

The big sister cub, at only one month old, could already use her spiritual power to understand her mothers’ words and consciously control the speed at which she absorbed nutrients.

The little sister cub, on the other hand, was developing at the rate of an ordinary citizen of the Empire. She would only begin to develop nerves and spiritual power after three months, and it wasn’t guaranteed to be strong enough for her to communicate with them.

“I wonder how they’ll get along after they’re born,” Lin Jianheng said out of the blue. Thanks to their deep connection, Yan Su understood her underlying meaning.

“Sometimes, I feel like my sister was under a lot of pressure.” Compared to Jian Heng, Jian Lingxuan’s excellence seemed less surprising.

Jian Heng was the true child prodigy. At birth, she had oppressed her entire family with her spiritual power, nearly forcing them to their knees, and it had taken the King to disperse the pressure.

She grew up with innate knowledge, had symptoms of hyperthymesia, and was practically born knowing things, understanding more than Jian Lingxuan even at a young age.

Whether in academics, career, or the love of their family, Jian Lingxuan could never compare to Jian Heng.

Besides, Jian Heng and Jian Lingxuan weren’t even related by blood.

She wondered if the young Jian Lingxuan had ever been troubled by her mothers’ attitudes as she grew up, or if she had doubted herself when her younger sister corrected her mistakes with just a few words.

At least Lin Jianheng knew her sister didn’t have those problems now; her mental state was excellent, and she even enjoyed teasing her all day.

But if their younger daughter didn’t have Jian Lingxuan’s ability to self-regulate, life after she was born might not be easy for her.

“Perhaps we need to do more.” Yan Su had always seen Jian Zunqiu and Song Qinghua’s doting on Lin Jianheng while ignoring Jian Lingxuan as something of a joke.

But when it came to her own daughters, the thought of it made her heart ache.

She and Lin Jianheng would never be able to bring themselves to pick on just one of them.

If they had to pick on one, perhaps it should be the smarter one.

The big sister cub would surely be able to regulate herself. She would know the difference between herself and her little sister and probably wouldn’t say much about any favoritism.

But if they unconsciously favored the smarter, more mature big sister cub, it was hard to say how the little sister cub would feel.

“Yes. Sister, we’ll have to remind each other.” Treating them equally would be difficult. When she had time, Lin Jianheng wanted to ask her Mommy and mother for advice.

Although, judging by their parenting methods, Lin Jianheng didn’t think she’d learn much from them.

In truth, if she were to ask, she would learn that her two mothers had given Jian Lingxuan plenty of special attention behind Lin Jianheng’s back, coaxing her and explaining things to her.

For example, they explained that since Jian Heng wasn’t their biological daughter and was so precocious, Jian Lingxuan, as the older sister, would have to make some sacrifices to help her integrate better into the family.

It wasn’t that they did nothing and just relentlessly picked on Jian Lingxuan.

But it was also thanks to Jian Lingxuan being very fond of her younger sister; otherwise, the two would have surely had conflicts.

Jian Heng was undoubtedly lucky. As Lin Jianheng reviewed her past memories, they echoed this sentiment back to her.

They told her that her past self had thought so too.

As they were speaking, the big sister cub swayed slightly, just enough for Yan Su to feel it.

Yan Su abruptly stopped talking, her expression frozen in astonishment.

“What’s wrong, my dear girlfriend?” Lin Jianheng looked up at Yan Su, poking her kitten’s chubby cheek.

It seemed she had been taking good care of her little kitten. Her cheeks had filled out a bit and were soft and pleasant to poke.

“The baby moved,” Yan Su said, pulling Lin Jianheng’s spiritual power along with hers toward where the babies were.

Lin Jianheng was still dizzy when her consciousness arrived in the uterus. She wasn’t on that single-planet world anymore, where the only way to feel a baby move was to touch the mother’s belly, and even then, you couldn’t feel it instantly.

Now, they could use their spiritual power to see the baby with their own eyes and even know what she was thinking.

“Is it the big sister cub?” Lin Jianheng’s mind cleared, and she carefully approached the big sister cub’s shell with her spiritual power.

She wondered if the little one knew they called her “big sister cub.”

It was time to give their little ones names.

“Yes. What is it, big sister cub? Do you need your mothers for something?” Yan Su also drew closer. Looking at her eldest daughter, who was already the size of an egg, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of affection.

So this was what it was like to be a mother. You doted on your children, saw them through a thick filter, and found everything they did adorable.

Seeing that she had really summoned her mothers, the big sister cub “danced” about, trying to tell them something.

A chaotic but faint thread of spiritual power reached out and connected with both of theirs.

The touch lasted only a second.

Yet both mothers simultaneously felt the profound impact of this little life. In the physical world, Lin Jianheng nearly cried. She took a deep breath and simply pulled Yan Su into a hug.

Unfortunately, even for a genius, the big sister cub wasn’t fully developed. Her spiritual power only held for a second, and she couldn’t convey any coherent information.

The big sister cub’s eggshell tilted slightly, vibrating.

She seemed a little dejected, which caused the little sister cub beside her to roll around as well.

“Baby, you’re just too cute,” Lin Jianheng said, caressing the big sister cub’s eggshell with her spiritual power, making no attempt to hide her excitement.

“Don’t rush, sweetie,” Yan Su comforted the big sister cub, who had failed to communicate her thoughts.

“You’re still too little, and your hardware hasn’t finished developing yet. We have plenty of time to spend with you.” She poked the big sister cub’s shell, then steadied the little sister cub who was rolling beside her.

Taking advantage of the fact that the little sister cub couldn’t understand them yet, she used her to comfort the big sister cub. “Look at your little sister. She’s over a week younger than you, and she can’t understand what we’re saying at all.”

The little sister cub still only had simple emotions, and her methods of expression were very direct—swaying and trembling, without any spiritual power.

The big sister cub turned a circle and deliberately scooted closer to the little sister cub.

The two eggs pressed together, the point of contact softening.

Sensing the big sister cub’s arrival, the little sister cub began to tremble again, expressing her delight.

She was still such a simple little baby.

The big sister cub, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to express something.

The two mothers tried to decipher the little cub’s baby talk.

“Are you hungry?” Lin Jianheng was already preparing her pheromones.

Having to feed her three family members recently had given her glands a thorough workout.

Lin Jianheng felt her pheromone reserves had increased, and she might even level up soon.

For instance, she had just fed Yan Su last night, and now she could already give the big sister cub an extra meal during the day.

The big sister cub twisted her eggshell, clearly refuting Lin Jianheng’s guess.

Lin Jianheng looked to Yan Su. As their mother, who was with them day and night, she ought to understand the cubs better.

But Yan Su could only guess along the same lines. “Are you cold?”

As she spoke, she pulled Lin Jianheng’s spiritual hand over to press against the egg.

The big sister cub seemed exasperated. She leaned back against her little sister, apparently giving up on communicating.

Seeing the two little cubs getting along so well, the two mothers felt gratified and paid no more mind to the baby’s failed attempt to communicate.

“Good babies, good babies. Let’s feed you something. Your mother and I are going to take pictures today.” And I’m going to confess, she added silently.

“We’ll be out late, so we might not have time to feed you tonight.” After her confession, she and her sister would surely be spending time alone together. They might not even remember these two little girls until tomorrow.

Lin Jianheng left some pheromones for the big sister cub, and then for the dazed little sister cub.

Their spiritual powers withdrew from the cubs’ room together, and back in the physical world, they fell into an embrace.

“The baby is so cute.” Lin Jianheng couldn’t stop laughing and playfully bit Yan Su.

Yan Su nuzzled her face. “She’s our baby.”

“That’s right. She’s my child with you, Sister, which is why she’s so cute. It’s all your doing,” Lin Jianheng didn’t forget to praise Yan Su.

Yan Su was getting used to her talking like this. Lin Jianheng would praise her for every little thing she did.

Sometimes, she’d even throw in a kiss.

It always made her feel that she was good, too—that she was worthy of being with Lin Jianheng.

“You’re just flattering me,” Yan Su said, biting Lin Jianheng back before snuggling into her arms.

The car had stopped. They had arrived at their destination.

Lin Jianheng held her tight, her arms wrapped around her shoulders and back. “I’m not flattering you. You’re just exceptionally, exceptionally wonderful. And I exceptionally, exceptionally love the wonderful you.”

“Master… I’ll believe you,” Yan Su murmured, burying her face and inhaling Lin Jianheng’s scent. She suddenly realized she had become addicted to Lin Jianheng’s pheromones.

If she went a day without immersing herself in that ocean of orange blossoms, her heart would pound restlessly, and she’d feel an unbearable agitation.

“You have to believe me, or I’ll bite you really hard.” Lin Jianheng scooped up her still-insecure girlfriend and carried her out of the car bridal-style.

She added a “fierce” threat. “Did you hear me? You bad girl.”

Yan Su’s tears turned to laughter. She wrapped her arms around Lin Jianheng’s neck, wanting to be carried into the photo studio.

This was her best master, her lover, her family, the mommy of her children.

She would love her forever and ever, even if she regained her memories or lost them again.

Yan Su snuggled against her contentedly, but two seconds later, she felt Lin Jianheng’s steps suddenly halt.

“Ah!” Lin Jianheng cried out dramatically.

Meeting Yan Su’s questioning gaze, Lin Jianheng looked like she wanted to cry but couldn’t.

“I just remembered… Weren’t we just talking about favoritism and treating them equally? I suddenly realized the big sister cub must have understood. She was probably trying to tell us that she’ll treat her little sister well and that we shouldn’t be biased. She must have been feeling anxious and sad.”

It took Lin Jianheng to finally decipher the big sister cub’s chaotic behavior from earlier.

“Oh…” Yan Su realized it too. After a moment’s thought, she knew Lin Jianheng was right.

Hadn’t they completely misunderstood what their little baby was thinking? They had just thought she was being cute and had joked their way past what the poor thing was trying to say.

“Tonight… no, we’ll apologize tomorrow when we feed them.” Who knew their daughter could understand them at only one month old?

“Raising children is so… interesting,” Yan Su said, snuggling back against Lin Jianheng. As she sighed, she couldn’t bring herself to say a single bad thing about their two little cubs.

---

The owner of the photo studio was a middle-aged woman with a scholarly air.

“Xiao Heng has a family now,” she remarked with a sigh as she came to greet them, seeing Lin Jianheng carrying Yan Su.

She had truly watched Jian Heng grow up. Song Qinghua placed great importance on life’s little rituals, and Jian Zunqiu indulged her. Before they had children, the two of them came to the studio every year to have many photos taken.

After having children, they came even more often. Jian Lingxuan had no idea that the owner had many of her photos from when she was an infant, and even from when she was still in her egg.

Lin Jianheng had them too. Like her sister, she didn’t know their Mommy had kept lots of photos of them crawling all over the floor.

Physical prints, no less. Their mothers didn’t dare tell them and had left the photos at the studio for safekeeping.

“Yes, Sister Gu. I brought my wife for a photoshoot today.” Although they weren’t married and hadn’t held an engagement party.

But that was how Lin Jianheng referred to her in public, making Yan Su so shy she secretly poked her in the chest.

“Are the themes the ones your Mommy sent over? Come pick out your outfits first.” Sister Gu led them inside, not batting an eye at Lin Jianheng still carrying Yan Su.

“Sister, what do you want to wear for our space theme?” Although it was a retro studio, the set technology was state-of-the-art.

Holographic projections combined with physical set pieces made the experience as immersive as possible.

In other words, they would soon be standing right next to a planet.

Yan Su had chosen the planet. She had taken a liking to the one that grew butterfly roses and had set the location in the Tanmo Star System.

The Tanmo Star System’s binary stars created countless beautiful vistas. Long ago, before the wars, it had always been the top travel destination for the people of the Xuanxing Empire.

Yan Su had heard that her master was planning to take her to the Tanmo Star System for a “vacation” soon, but that didn’t stop them from doing this photoshoot now.

“For a spacewalk, shouldn’t we wear spacesuits?” Yan Su was a traditionalist.

The spacesuits here were very different from the ones in Lin Jianheng’s era, but they were still unflattering.

“It’s just a projection anyway. I want to wear a mermaid-style dress. I think it would be perfect.” Lin Jianheng was an innovator and swapped the spacesuit in Yan Su’s hands for something else.

“As Master wishes.” The two of them went into the changing room together.

They didn’t emerge for a full fifteen minutes.

The makeup artist waiting outside couldn’t say a thing.

Before they arrived, Sister Gu had mentioned that today’s clients were a young couple in the throes of passion.

Being clingy was only natural.

When the two of them emerged, their faces were so flushed they didn’t need any blush.

The makeup artist pretended not to see the love bites on their necks and quickly finished their makeup and styling.

The photographer had already set up the studio and equipment.

Lin Jianheng entered the room with Yan Su on her arm and gasped in amazement. “This is so immersive… I feel like it’s worth it just to experience this, even without the photos.”

“It’s even more incredible than I imagined. Master has good taste.” Yan Su gazed up at the red and white binary stars, the dense nebula at her feet, and the flames of the butterfly roses. A sense of familiarity spread through her heart, and she had to force it down.

“You’re the one who’s always praising me, Sister.” Lin Jianheng felt she had picked up her habit of praising Yan Su from Yan Su herself.

“Come on, the photographer said we can just wander around and do whatever we want. She’ll take candid shots.” This was something only possible in this era.

This photo studio isn’t retro at all, Lin Jianheng complained internally. The people of the Empire had no idea what “vintage” from the single-planet era was actually like.

She took Yan Su’s hand, and they began to walk through the nebula.

To simulate the feeling of a spacewalk, the gravity was significantly reduced. The two held each other’s hands tightly, drawing closer with every beat of their hearts.

“When we go to the Tanmo Star System, is there anything you’d like to do, Sister?” Lin Jianheng walked with some difficulty for a moment before adapting to the swimming-like sensation.

The mermaid dresses had been the right choice. Now, they seemed to be swimming through the river of stars, like two intertwined mermaids.

Yan Su, held in her embrace, thought seriously.

“I want to be with you, Master.” That was a given.

“Of course. We’ll definitely be together. But I might not have much to do there, or I might be very busy. What would you like to do, Sister?” Lin Jianheng didn’t want Yan Su to just wait at home for her like before.

They were in a relationship, calling each other wife.

Making Yan Su wait all alone would be too painful.

Even if Yan Su didn’t find the waiting painful, Lin Jianheng’s heart would ache for her.

“…I don’t know. I don’t have any ideas.” She’s asking about a career. Yan Su was truly at a loss.

She didn’t want her past memories, so her life consisted only of her master, and now, a pair of children.

Her master was encouraging her to step out into the world.

Yan Su didn’t want to refuse Lin Jianheng’s good intentions, and she did want to interact more with society so she could be a better partner to Lin Jianheng.

But what if she regained her memories?

“Then we’ll look for something together. No matter how busy I get, I’ll always take you with me.” Lin Jianheng took Yan Su’s hand and guided her backward, as if teaching her to swim.

An invisible camera recorded the scene.

The passionate young lovers guided one another. Their skirts, one red and one blue, swirled through the nebula, obscuring the pair of endlessly rotating, mutually attracted binary stars.

The light of the binary stars flickered over the edges of their dresses. In that moment, they became an inseparable binary pair, their skirts their shared nebula.

---

Not wanting to tire Yan Su out, they only spent half the day on the photoshoot.

Afterward, Lin Jianheng took Yan Su shopping. That evening, they would “happen” to go to a restaurant Lin Jianheng had chosen, “happen” to see the fireworks display she had long prepared, “happen” to receive the bouquet she had reordered for the fifth time, and then “happen” to hear Lin Jianheng’s formal confession.

Lin Jianheng’s mind was buzzing with plans, while Yan Su remained in the dark, completely unaware of what was to come.

Her face wore a look of simple joy. Since getting together with Lin Jianheng, she smiled more and more often, and her smiles were no longer as stiff or detached as before.

“Master, would you like something to drink?”

To this day, Yan Su had only spent a few thousand of the ten million in her account.

The beds, incubation room, clothes, supplies, and food they had prepared for their daughters had all been purchased using Jian Zunqiu’s account and delivered to the residence they had chosen in the Tanmo Star System.

Yan Su had few daily expenses, as she ate and drank whatever Lin Jianheng had.

The last time she checked her account, she was surprised to see she had spent a four-figure sum. A closer look revealed that most of it was on small gifts and things for their Q Net flirting.

She had never taken the pill she’d bought before—the one that wouldn’t end her heat period without a marking. Now that she was pregnant, she certainly wouldn’t dare take it, so it was just left to gather dust.

Money was one of the reasons Yan Su hadn’t refused the idea of finding something to do.

Before, she was Lin Jianheng’s little kitten and could accept things from her with a clear conscience.

Now, her status had changed. She was Lin Jianheng’s wife. She couldn’t possibly keep using Lin Jianheng’s money for everything.

Her wife might not mind, but she herself wouldn’t feel right about it.

“Sure. What would you like, Sister?” Lin Jianheng, on the other hand, didn’t care about the money. She had never been a true spendthrift who wasted money wantonly.

Besides, her family was incredibly wealthy, and it wasn’t as if Jian Lingxuan would suddenly run the business into the ground. And even in the worst-case scenario, if they did go bankrupt, her mothers had savings.

Most of the time, money was just a string of numbers to Lin Jianheng.

She was no longer the “Lin Jianheng” who had to scrimp and save for rent.

“I’m a little thirsty, but I’m not sure what I want,” Yan Su said, now able to express her own desires.

Lin Jianheng put an arm around her and led her toward a nearby drink shop Xu Yuantong had recommended.

On Q Net, she was also contacting the people she’d hired to set off the fireworks and deliver the flowers.

She had even borrowed a chef from the Imperial Palace.

Lin Jianheng didn’t want this one precious confession to have any regrets. The restaurant’s ambiance was perfect, but if the food wasn’t up to par, she would just hire a private chef to prepare their meal separately.

As Yan Su waited for their drinks, her tail curled, she watched Lin Jianheng and thought, Master seems a little distracted today.

Perhaps she’s preparing something. Yan Su’s powerful intuition sensed that Lin Jianheng was up to something.

Not knowing what to say, Yan Su simply moved closer, pulling Lin Jianheng’s attention back to her.

It doesn’t seem to be anything serious. Yan Su relaxed slightly.

“Xu Yuantong ate here before and said it was pretty good. I booked a table. Should we eat now or walk around a bit more?” At five-thirty, seeing the sky was about right, Lin Jianheng pulled up the restaurant’s information for Yan Su.

“Either is fine… Let me think.” Meeting Lin Jianheng’s gaze, Yan Su corrected herself.

In the past, whenever she said, “Whatever Master decides is fine,” she would be met with a disapproving look from Lin Jianheng.

After this happened several times, Yan Su started to think about what she herself wanted to do.

“Can we go eat now?” Yan Su didn’t feel like walking around anymore.

The sooner they finished dinner and went home, the sooner she could have her real meal.

“Then let’s go.” Lin Jianheng was a little nervous.

She had subconsciously asked for Yan Su’s opinion.

She took Yan Su’s arm. She had only seen the place in videos before.

It was her first time here. She took in the decor; it was indeed exquisite and elegant, and the setting and lighting created a wonderful atmosphere.

Yan Su followed her into the main hall and realized with a single glance that it was a couple-themed restaurant.

Surprisingly, there was almost no one here today. Master didn’t book the whole place, did she? Yan Su glanced at Lin Jianheng but couldn’t detect anything unusual.

They were led to a private room, so Yan Su didn’t think much more of it for the moment.

As they sat down, Lin Jianheng was still chattering away, trying to ease her own nervousness.

Yan Su, however, was observing the room. It overlooked a river, and at this hour of dusk, the view was beautiful.

Her master was so thoughtful.

Yan Su sat down in a good mood, her tail wagging.

Then she saw Lin Jianheng’s hand fumbling around under the table.

A question mark appeared over Yan Su’s head, and she was about to investigate.

“Ahem.” Lin Jianheng was already sitting up straight, opening the menu.

Her master was acting very strange today. Yan Su’s tail unconsciously curled into the shape of a question mark. Though her mind was full of questions, she leaned over to look at the menu.

In fact, to ensure nothing went wrong, Lin Jianheng had already ordered most of the dishes and given instructions to the chef she’d brought along. She had ordered based on Yan Su’s usual preferences, adding one or two of her own favorites.

She left a few items for Yan Su to choose on the spot.

Yan Su hesitated for a moment before choosing dishes that were almost identical to the ones Lin Jianheng had pre-ordered.

Only one dish was different, and Lin Jianheng saw that Yan Su had ordered it for her.

It was a dish Yan Su didn’t normally eat, one that only Lin Jianheng liked.

“Sister, you even ordered something for me.” Lin Jianheng took the menu but crossed the dish out.

Its flavor didn’t quite suit the romantic atmosphere of the evening. Besides, Lin Jianheng was so nervous she didn’t have much of an appetite.

She had just felt the flowers she’d hidden under the table.

They felt fresh, but Yan Su had almost discovered them.

“You’re not having it?” Yan Su thought. Lin Jianheng is really not herself today.

“No, this is enough.” Lin Jianheng submitted the order and closed the menu projection.

Dusk passed in an instant, leaving behind a faint red cloud before only the black of night remained.

The dishes were all prepared at once, placed on a trolley, and brought up by a robot to minimize any disturbance.

Lin Jianheng opened the curtain to let the robot in. As it set the plates on the table, she grew increasingly nervous.

Her plan was that when they reached the third course, Yan Su would bite into a cookie and discover the ring hidden inside.

At that exact moment, the fireworks would go off, and Lin Jianheng would quickly pull out the flowers from under the table and give Yan Su her most formal confession.

Yan Su seemed to sense Lin Jianheng’s nervousness, so she ate more slowly, occasionally placing a morsel on Lin Jianheng’s plate or feeding her a bite.

Lin Jianheng accepted her care readily, and her nerves gradually calmed under Yan Su’s gentle attention.

Yan Su loved her so much; even if she messed up, Yan Su wouldn’t mind.

On the contrary, she would probably just laugh with her and accept her clumsy confession anyway.

Finally, the planned third course arrived.

Lin Jianheng sent a message to the fireworks crew, her hand poised to grab the bouquet.

But Yan Su didn’t bite into the cookie. Instead, she held it and examined it from all sides.

“Master, I think there’s something strange about this cookie.” Yan Su could vaguely see a silvery, unidentified object inside.

Is this really edible? A restaurant of this caliber wouldn’t make such a huge mistake, would it?

“What’s wrong?” Lin Jianheng leaned over. From her angle, she couldn’t see the object, but she knew what was inside, and beads of sweat formed on her brow.

“Did they mess up our order?” Yan Su chipped off a small piece and pointed at the obvious silvery-white object inside for Lin Jianheng to see.

“Master, should we ask for the manager?” Yan Su’s brow furrowed.

She couldn’t imagine what the chef had done to leave such a large object inside the food.

She couldn’t even tell what it was.

Just then, a loud bang echoed from outside the window.

A multitude of colors blossomed in Yan Su’s eyes.

Stunned, Yan Su turned her head. An azure firework, trimmed with purplish-red, soared into the sky.

The strange cookie in her hand was snatched away and broken open by Lin Jianheng.

She realized what was happening. When she looked back at Lin Jianheng, she saw her face was flushed, her ears the same bright red as the fireworks.

Her eyelashes trembled, and her eyes were glistening, looking adorably shy.

Hidden inside the cookie was a ring.

Engraved on it were the names “Lin Jianheng” and “Yan Su,” and it was set with two diamonds of different sizes, one blue and one red.

Yan Su understood what she had just ruined. Her tail suddenly turned blue, and she felt faint with embarrassment.

“Ma-Master…” Oh, heavens. What have I done?

“It’s my fault, don’t apologize!” Lin Jianheng stopped her just in time and pulled the flowers out from under the table.

“Ahem.” Lin Jianheng took a deep breath and placed the ring on a butterfly rose in the bouquet.

At least she was still following part of the plan by placing the ring on the flowers.

“Sister Yan,” Lin Jianheng said, holding the bouquet out to Yan Su.

“There’s a second round of fireworks. The plan was for you to bite into the cookie and find the ring, then I’d pull out the flowers right as the fireworks went off, and I’d confess to you.” Thinking back, Lin Jianheng felt she had probably watched too many romantic dramas.

Her sister wasn’t an idiot; why would she bite into a cookie when she could feel something hard inside?

What if she had chipped a tooth?

“See? I’m silly too. I’m always so busy. I said I’d give you a proper confession, but I made you wait for over half a month. Our cubs are already a month old, and I’m only just now finding the time.”

“But Sister, you’re not allowed to hold it against me.” Lin Jianheng’s face was beet red as she gazed at Yan Su, the light of the fireworks still dancing in her eyes.

She had no idea how dazzling she looked in Yan Su’s eyes at that moment.

She even outshone the fireworks, which Yan Su had never seen before.

Fireworks (Yanhua), simple and elegant (Suya). Her name was Yan Su.

A name given to her master from the few memories she had left. At the time, she hadn’t thought anything of it.

Now, her master had become her girlfriend, her wife, and on this day of confession, she was giving that name back to her.

Lin Jianheng had prepared fireworks (yanhua) and this ring, which could be described as simple and elegant (suya).

How could this not be considered giving “Yan Su” back to Yan Su?

Yan Su sniffled, thinking.

Was the best thing that ever happened to me in this life being bought by Jian Heng?

Even though the person who took her away back then wasn’t her master of today.

But they had met in the end.

Yan Su even recalled that month of suffering and thought.

If that was the ordeal I had to endure before meeting Lin Jianheng, I would be willing to suffer it again and again.

As long as my beloved is waiting for me at the end.

And now, her beloved was formally confessing to her.

“I won’t. I love you too much.” For a long time now, she had deeply loved and been loyal to her master.

“That’s wonderful. Sister,” Lin Jianheng said, her smile returning. It was a bit like the smiles she had given Yan Su after they first met, when she was trying to earn back her trust.

But this smile was more sincere, more passionate—like a wolfdog’s, carrying a lazy fierceness and a joyful warmth.

This was the real Lin Jianheng, the one with the complete memories of two lifetimes.

And yet, she still loved only Yan Su.

“Put on my ring, and you’re mine.” Lin Jianheng slid the ring onto Yan Su’s left ring finger.

It was a wedding ring, selfishly given.

Engraved with their names, their symbols—or perhaps, their cubs.

“From now on, you’re not allowed to leave me. You’re not allowed to betray me. And you’re not allowed to stop loving me.” The three prohibitions escalated in intensity.

It was a bit domineering, yet it tightly enveloped Yan Su’s lingering insecurities, perfectly matching her own feelings.

But then Lin Jianheng laughed again, a soft puff of air brushing against Yan Su’s ringed finger.

“I know you won’t, Sister. So this is my confession. I want to tell you, Sister, that I’m not a very kind person.”

Both Jian Heng and Lin Jianheng could be said to have lived quite “selfishly.”

Jian Heng grew up surrounded by love, so her true nature was never fully exposed, but she could quickly grasp the darkest parts of things. A person who can see through such darkness is never entirely pure and good.

As for Lin Jianheng, she had even resorted to violence once, but she had failed and lacked the courage to try again.

“My nature can be very dark and tyrannical. I won’t allow you to not love me.”

When she first realized her feelings, Lin Jianheng had even considered using manipulative means to make Yan Su fall for her.

Fortunately, their feelings were already mutual. Yan Su loved her even more than she had imagined.

“My confession is the same. Sister Yan, I need you to love me.” The ring she had placed on her finger was like a collar.

And Yan Su would only tilt her head back, baring her throat, and let Lin Jianheng fasten that collar around her neck.

Even if it choked her.

“I will love you,” Yan Su said, accepting this intense and twisted love.

In truth, its expression was quite healthy. Lin Jianheng would help Yan Su grow, nurse her back to health, and lead her out of that small room.

“Lin Jianheng, you’re ten thousand times better than you think you are.” There was no disrespect, no vile control, no loathsome threats.

And besides…

Even if there were, Yan Su thought, she would accept it all without hesitation.

“So, Master. My Master Jian Heng.” Yan Su moved to Lin Jianheng’s side, about to bow low, but Lin Jianheng took her by the ring finger and pulled her into an embrace.

“Let’s be together forever. I will love you so much, always and forever,” Yan Su said, hugging Lin Jianheng, who in turn wrapped her arms around her.

Was it Lin Jianheng’s confession, or Yan Su’s?

They no longer needed to distinguish between the two.

Yan Su made a resolution. One day, when she had her own income, she would give Lin Jianheng a ring, butterfly roses, fireworks, and a confession just like this one.

They held each other close, gazing out the window.

The floor-to-ceiling window revealed the distant city lights. One after another, fireworks exploded in the sky, dyeing the deep blue night red, purple, and orange.

It was like a magnificent dream.

Perhaps only the two of them were in this dream; perhaps only they knew it was real.

Their fingers, already touching, quietly intertwined until their hands were clasped.

Leaving only the words—

“I love you.”

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