Another round of cake, muffins, and tea arrived as the sky gradually darkened, the clouds outside the café’s enormous glass windows burning red in the sunset. Along the river dividing the old and new city districts, the towering skyscrapers lit up one after another, their massive LED screens flashing advertisements, promotions, and celebrity endorsements with such frequency that the city seemed even brighter than before nightfall.
The café was located in the northwest corner of a spacious circular shopping plaza in the heart of the city. The plaza was so vast that retro-style trams ran continuously along its tracks, ferrying crowds laden with shopping bags between the different malls—packed yet orderly.
This particular café was a newly popular hotspot, its interior spacious and versatile. There were private rooms for business meetings, semicircular sofas for small gatherings, and more commonly, partitioned booths for office workers hunched over their laptops, earbuds in, gulping down coffee while juggling calls and work.
A scene like this hadn’t changed much over the past two decades—save for the laptops growing thinner, the earbuds smaller, and some patrons appearing to sip drinks while their consciousness was already logged into a virtual world.
It was Sunday, and not many people truly had the day off. Shi Yue had just come from a morning meeting and, apart from the gift she’d prepared for Xu Youyuan, had bought presents for everyone else during a rushed lunch break.
Xu Youyuan had been in the restroom for an unusually long time—probably because Shi Ye had followed her in.
Shi Yue kept chatting with her sister’s friends, her gaze drifting toward the restroom every now and then.
Her field of study was currently the hottest major, and these women, born in the early 2000s, were both unfamiliar and deeply curious about it. With an expert right in front of them, they barely touched their freshly served tea, bombarding Shi Yue with questions as if they were at a press conference.
"You’re only twenty-three and already have a master’s degree? How old were you when you started university?"
"Right, I skipped a grade in elementary school, then my undergrad and grad programs were combined, so I graduated a year earlier than most."
"So what exactly do you study? Is it all about robots?"
"Not necessarily. What people think of as ‘artificial intelligence’ is just a broad category—there are many specializations within it. Mine happens to be practical, the kind the job market really wants."
"Practical? How practical?"
Shi Yue smirked. "The most practical part is that it makes finding a job easy."
Her answer drew laughter.
None of the women here had lived abroad long-term, so their curiosity about Shi Yue was natural.
Ever since the economic recession, refugee crises, and terrorism had cast a shadow over foreign countries twenty years ago, people preferred staying home. Some still ventured overseas, but the numbers dwindled year by year. Domestic growth wasn’t what it used to be either—unemployment and crime rates were rising—but compared to abroad, personal safety was still far more assured.
Most modern Chinese learned about the disaster-plagued outside world through news and the internet. Shi Yue, as a freshly returned expat, was young, charming, and effortlessly engaging. The conversation soon shifted from her experiences abroad, career prospects, and social issues to something far more personal.
"Are you seeing anyone?" Jiang Yun was the first to pry. "And what’s your orientation—men or women?"
The others groaned. "Who asks a kid about their private life like that?"
Jiang Yun remained unapologetic. "Twenty-three isn’t a kid. Hell, she might have more dating experience than you."
"...Are you asking for a beating now that Shi Ye isn’t here to stop me?"
"She practically grew up in front of us, and you still have the shamelessness to tease her?"
Shi Yue chuckled along, but Jiang Yun ignored them entirely, pressing, "Come on, tell me. Don’t be shy—what’s your type?"
Shi Yue actually humored her. "Me? I like mature older women."
In the restroom, the hands scrubbing soap together briefly slowed before resuming their rhythm. Xu Youyuan asked, "She told you everything?"
Shi Ye lowered her voice, leaning in with disbelief. "You two actually…?"
Xu Youyuan didn’t answer. She pulled an absorbent sheet from the dispenser, pressed it to the back of her hand, and watched as the water vanished, the sheet dissolving shortly after.
Shi Ye grew impatient at her deliberate calm. "Why pick a fight with a kid? She’s so much younger than you—practically a whole generation apart."
Xu Youyuan’s temper flared—she’d never been the patient type. "That’s exactly why I’m pissed! Don’t give me that ‘generation gap’ crap. I’m eleven years older. Believe me, I know. So what’s the point of sending you here now? What’s that little brat scheming? I was her age once—you think I don’t see right through her? And don’t play dumb, Shi Ye. This time, your mediation isn’t gonna work."
"Who’s playing dumb? I’m trying to calm you down!" Shi Ye glanced nervously at the door, wary of anyone walking in. "Shi Yue can be a handful, sure, but she’s still young. Like you said, we’ve all been there. Weren’t you reckless in your early twenties too? Let me apologize for her, alright? Don’t stay mad—it’s bad for your health."
Xu Youyuan sighed. "Whatever. It’s not a big deal. At my age, and divorced to boot, getting hung up on this would just seem petty. Just been a string of bad luck lately, plus my period’s late—pent-up frustration, that’s all."
Shi Ye smirked. "You’ve always had a temper like a rabid dog. Don’t blame Aunt Flo."
As Xu Youyuan refastened her cuff, she shot Shi Ye a look. "You two are really close, huh? She tells you everything."
"Of course. There’s only the two of us in the family, and she’s so much younger—I practically raised her." Shi Ye studied her. "And what’s the big deal about being divorced? Rates are sky-high these days. Same-sex marriages aren’t faring much better. Why slap labels on yourself?"
"I’m not labeling myself. It’s just… embarrassing, you know? She’s so much younger, my best friend’s little sister, practically watched her grow up. Like you said—a whole generation apart." Xu Youyuan’s throat inexplicably tightened, her face warming as she cleared it.
Shi Ye’s suspicion deepened. "Wait a second, Xu Youyuan. What exactly happened between you and my sister?"
Xu Youyuan stared at her before realization dawned. "So you actually had no clue—you were just fishing for info?"
"I thought you two had some feud! She wouldn’t tell me, so I had to ask you. But the more I hear, the weirder it gets. Spill it—what’s going on?!" Shi Ye hissed, voice barely above a whisper.
Xu Youyuan averted her gaze with an irritated click of her tongue.
Shi Ye knew her too well—and that was precisely why dread crept in.
"Please don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking…" Shi Ye’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, as if plotting a midnight heist. "You and Shi Yue…"
"We slept together." Xu Youyuan stated flatly, too tired for evasion.
…
“You like mature older women? Well then, what do you think of me?” Jiang Yun boasted shamelessly. “This big sister just became single—talk about perfect timing.”
Shi Yue laughed, standing up amid her friends’ teasing remarks about Jiang Yun. “I’m going to check on my sister. She’s been gone forever.”
Once Shi Yue left, Gan nudged Jiang Yun. “Look at you, pouncing like a starving tiger. You’re gonna scare her off.”
Jiang Yun pouted. “Cut me some slack, I just got cheated on. Have a little pity. I’m just joking around—who wouldn’t be drawn to a cute girl with a sweet temper? A little teasing brightens my mood, and it’s not like she’d take an old aunt like me seriously anyway.”
As Shi Yue approached the bathroom, she heard voices inside and slowed her steps. By the time she reached the door, she recognized her sister’s voice.
“What the f—” Shi Ye, who worked in a government role and had trained herself to avoid even remotely crude language, only swore like this when she was truly furious. “Xu Youyuan, what the hell are you saying?!”
“We did it. You heard me.” Xu Youyuan adjusted her collar, then pulled out hand cream from her pocket and applied it meticulously.
Shi Ye almost asked *which* “did it,” but swallowed the question. Asking would mean she’d lost her mind.
The two stood in the bathroom, silence stretching between them. The OLED screen on the wall played the latest trendy music softly—just enough to mask awkward sounds under normal circumstances, but not enough to drown out their hushed conversation now.
Shi Ye finally spoke first:
“Are you two serious?”
Xu Youyuan met her gaze.
Shi Ye clarified, “I’m not some fossil. I know times are different now—people are open about things. But she’s *my* little sister. I just don’t want her making mistakes, especially not with… Look, Youyuan, I’ll be blunt. You just got divorced. You’re in a rough spot. If you’re looking for someone to vent with or pass the time, I don’t want that someone to be my sister.”
Xu Youyuan’s chest rose and fell visibly, frustration coiled tight inside her.
Shi Ye pressed, “Where have you been all this time? How did you even get involved with Xiao Yue? Did you really go to Iceland? Did you meet her there?”
“No.”
“Then *what happened*?!” Shi Ye demanded.
Xu Youyuan was never one to mince words. If her friend wanted answers, she’d give them. “I don’t have a habit of sleeping with kids. Honestly, the whole thing was just a fluke.”
