Seeing Tang Xi suddenly turn serious, Tang Bai found it a little amusing.
“Don’t worry, Sis. I’ve got a military-grade physique. You can rest easy!”
Tang Xi enunciated every word with perfect clarity.
“Xiaobai, your sister is a doctor. Speaking from a professional medical perspective, Comrade Xiaobai, I can tell you that you are severely underdeveloped.”
Tang Bai was speechless. Seeing how serious her sister looked, she did not dare argue. She could only lower her head resentfully and stare at her flat chest. It wasn’t her fault, after all. Physical development was not something she could control!
She narrowed her eyes and secretly imagined herself with an 85-centimeter bust, then broke into a cold sweat. If her breasts were really that big, just running would be terrifying…
Seeing Tang Bai’s aggrieved expression, Tang Xi secretly laughed. It was rare to see Xiaobai so put out. Thinking about it, Tang Xi realized that from the moment Xiaobai had come home that day until now, she had laughed more sincerely than she had in the entire previous four years.
Looking at Tang Bai’s gloomy, lowered head, Tang Xi consoled her.
“Well, this is good too. If you were too well-endowed, it probably wouldn’t suit your appearance!”
Tang Bai felt like crying. Her sister’s way of comforting people was getting more and more…
A low, mellow ringtone suddenly sounded. Tang Xi glanced at the caller ID, smiled, and patted Tang Bai’s shoulder before getting up and walking into the living room to answer it. When she picked up, a deep, resonant voice came from the other end.
“Xiaoxi, are you home?”
Tang Xi smiled.
“Yes. I suddenly got a call from Xiaobai this afternoon. I was so excited that I forgot I was still at work and hurried home.”
Dr. Zhao Ye had been pursuing Tang Xi ever since she began her hospital internship, but she simply could not bring herself to dislike the senior doctor. She did not like him, but it was hard to hate a man who was so steady and gentlemanly. Surely no one would dislike someone like that.
When Zhao Ye heard the name Xiaobai, he shook his head helplessly. Whenever he talked with Xiaoxi, that seemed to be the name he heard most often. Now that he knew Tang Bai had returned, a twinge of jealousy rose in his heart. He really wanted to see the person who occupied such a huge place in Xiaoxi’s heart.
Zhao Ye chuckled, his voice low and magnetic.
“When you have time, you have to introduce Xiaobai to me.”
As he said it, he felt a sour ache in his heart. If he occupied even one-tenth as much space in Xiaoxi’s heart as Tang Bai did, he would be so happy he might jump for joy. Unfortunately, things had not gone his way.
Tang Xi laughed softly on the other end.
“Sure. When I have a free day, I’ll take you out to dinner and introduce you to Xiaobai at the same time.”
They exchanged a few more words, and in the end Tang Xi hung up first. After putting down the phone, she unconsciously glanced toward Tang Bai.
Why was that girl pouting?
Tang Bai herself did not know what was wrong with her. All she knew was that whenever she saw her sister chatting and laughing with the person on the other end of the phone, a sour feeling bubbled up inside her.
Her sister’s ringtone was A-Sang’s “Always Quiet,” the song Tang Bai had sung at her high-school festival. She had never expected Tang Xi to record it and even use it as her ringtone. At the thought, Tang Bai’s lips curved into another smile.
Tang Xi watched Tang Bai alternate between falling silent and breaking into a smile, puzzled by her behavior. Still, she simply stood quietly in the living room and gazed at her. Under the dim yellow light, Tang Bai looked especially beautiful: a delicate oval face, lustrous dark eyes, a high-bridged nose, thin lips, and a slightly pointed chin.
It was this face, this person, whom Tang Xi had carried in her heart and thought about for four years. She did not know how to describe the subtle feeling. Was it love? Not the affection shared between family members, but the kind of love felt by lovers.
Tang Bai could feel Tang Xi’s eyes resting quietly on her. For some reason, she became nervous and pressed her lips tightly together. She did not want to think about why she was reacting this way.
During her four years in the military, the person she had thought about most was Tang Xi. She had thought of her during the earliest days of training, while being hunted by the enemy, and even in a church in Vatican City. Even when she had been close to death, Tang Xi’s clear, smiling face had still flashed through her mind.
More than once, Tang Bai had hovered on the brink of death. Whenever she could no longer hold on, Tang Xi had given her strength. The moment Tang Xi’s gentle, intelligent image appeared in her mind, Tang Bai’s will to survive would grow stronger.
Tang Bai had never understood this state of mind. In the end, she had sought out the military’s best psychologist. After she told the psychologist what she had been thinking, the answer frightened her.
“That’s love. This only happens when you’re in love with someone.”
Tang Bai had spent two years coming to terms with that astonishing answer. Now, she was beginning to believe it.
Tang Xi saw Tang Bai lost in thought yet again. She quietly walked up to her, bent down, and waved her five fingers in front of Tang Bai’s face. Tang Bai instinctively caught her hand and looked up at her with bright, dark eyes. Her voice came out slightly strained.
“Sis, what does it feel like to like someone?”
Tang Xi frowned. Could Xiaobai have someone she liked? Otherwise, why would she ask her that?
Tang Xi thought for a moment before answering.
“Well, when you like someone, you think about her all the time. You always want to tease her and make her happy, and you keep wanting to give her the best of everything you have. Something like that, I suppose.”
After saying it, Tang Xi felt a little nervous. She studied Tang Bai’s reaction, only to find that Tang Bai looked even more dazed than before. Somewhat exasperated, she gave Tang Bai’s rather slow head a hard knock.
Tang Bai suddenly came back to herself and covered the spot her sister had struck. It hurt like crazy. Her bright, dark eyes looked as innocent as a puppy’s.
Tang Xi nearly burst out laughing inside, but she kept a stern expression as she spoke to the pitiful-looking Tang Bai.
“You’re washing the dishes tonight. I’m going to take a shower first!”
Then, as if rewarding her, she stroked Tang Bai’s smooth hair.
Tang Bai resentfully watched her sister walk into the bathroom. So her sister really did treat her like a puppy.
In the end, Tang Bai glanced at the few dishes on the table, resigned herself to her fate, tied on an apron, and went to wash them.
