The beautiful Christmas had passed, and Shen Yiyue groggily sat up in bed.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and removed the fluffy bunny pajama hat with two ears from her head.
The winter was too cold, and she was used to sleeping with this nightcap on.
Of course, she also had to hug Xiao Yu (Ning Yu) to sleep because she was warm.
Thinking of Ning Yu, Shen Yiyue still felt like yesterday’s events were a dream. She had so many questions she wanted to ask Ning Yu, but they were all swept away by the joy of their reunion.
She turned her head to the side, but the warm figure that had been beside her last night was now gone.
?
A chill ran through Shen Yiyue’s heart, and she suddenly felt an inexplicable fear:
Could it be… that it was all just a dream?
Did Xiao Yu, whom the Moon Princess said would disappear, not actually return? Was it just her longing for her that made it seem real?
“Bang!”
The door was suddenly kicked open.
“Hey, you lazy worm, how long are you going to sleep?”
Ning Yu, wearing a kitchen apron, unceremoniously pushed open Shen Yiyue’s door.
Her silver hair was tied up for convenience while cooking, and she held a plate of freshly cut ham and runny egg toast, steaming with a delicious aroma.
“Xiao Yu…”
Shen Yiyue finally realized she wasn’t dreaming at all, and all that unfounded fear turned into joy.
“Xiao Yu!!!”
As if they had been separated for a long time, she jumped out of bed and ran straight toward Ning Yu.
Seeing her like this, Ning Yu smiled helplessly, placed the plate on the nearby table, and let Shen Yiyue hug her.
Shen Yiyue clung to her like a fool, rubbing against her and holding her tightly, as if she never wanted to let go again.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Ning Yu asked softly in her ear.
“Mmm… I had a nightmare…”
She hadn’t actually had a nightmare, but Shen Yiyue decided to go along with it. When else would she have such a perfect opportunity to lie?
“I’m a little scared…”
Shen Yiyue hung onto Ning Yu like a koala, acting coquettish, and then finally revealed her true intentions.
“So, if Xiao Yu gives me a loving kiss, maybe I won’t be scared… anymore…”
Before she could finish speaking, she awkwardly noticed that outside in the dining room, Ning Xuan and Shen Qianqian were sitting at the table, one on the left and one on the right.
“Stare…”
“Stare…”
The two of them watched the affectionate scene between Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue, especially after hearing Shen Yiyue’s embarrassing words, and they both wore expressions that said, “We’re just here to watch the show, carry on.”
“Uh…”
Shen Yiyue’s face felt burning hot, and a blush spread from her neck all the way up.
“Wow, it’s a loving kiss!”
Shen Qianqian was the first to strike, mimicking her sister’s words in a teasing tone. She even exaggeratedly puckered her lips and closed her eyes, as if imitating the so-called “loving kiss.”
“I also want a lo~ving kis~s!”
“Qianqian, just you wait! I’ll give you two loving punches later!”
Shen Yiyue was so embarrassed she thought she might die on the spot. She had been too excited and forgot the door was still open.
Turning back to Ning Yu, who was innocently staring at her, Shen Yiyue stammered.
“Um… Xiao Yu… I…”
“Click.”
Ning Yu closed the door behind her, gently stroked Shen Yiyue’s head, and pulled her into a hug.
“A loving kiss?”
Ning Yu looked at her teasingly, taking the opportunity to mercilessly mock her.
“Stupid Xiao Yu, even you’re making fun of me!”
Shen Yiyue puffed up her cheeks and glared at Ning Yu, trying to turn her head away to hide her embarrassment, but Ning Yu turned her back.
Ning Yu leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips against Shen Yiyue’s, and even used her long eyelashes to tickle Shen Yiyue’s face.
“Here’s the loving kiss you ordered, ma’am.”
She blinked playfully, looking at Shen Yiyue up close.
“Xiao Yu…”
Shen Yiyue called her name softly, feeling a little dazed.
“I’m here.”
Ning Yu replied.
“Xiao Yu…”
“I’m here.”
“Xiao Yu~”
“Are you a broken record or something?”
Ning Yu finally raised an eyebrow and gently pinched Shen Yiyue’s cheeks with both hands.
“Hehehe…”
For some reason, Shen Yiyue started giggling foolishly, burying her head in Ning Yu’s chest and leaning against her.
“I missed you so much.”
Ning Yu gently stroked her hair, letting her pour out her feelings.
“I thought of you when I saw the old piano.”
“I thought of you when I picked up the gun.”
“I thought of you when I changed into my pajamas.”
“…”
Her pitiful and aggrieved expression was something she hadn’t shown at all yesterday.
“Alright, I’m right here.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Ning Yu gently patted her back, sensing Shen Yiyue’s emotions.
“I’ll never let you go again.”
Shen Yiyue tightened her grip, and Ning Yu pretended to be suffocated:
“If you squeeze any harder, you’ll really send me away…”
“Hmph, stop pretending.”
Shen Yiyue refused to let go, and the two of them stayed glued together for a while, completely forgetting that there were still two people waiting for them to have breakfast.
……
Shen Qianqian clutched her head and complained to Ning Yu.
“Wuwuwu, Sister Ning Yu, do something about her!! She hit me!!”
There were two bumps on her head, which must have been the “loving punches” Shen Yiyue had promised. They were indeed filled with sisterly love.
Shen Yiyue shot Shen Qianqian a very kind glare, scaring the younger girl into swallowing the rest of her words.
She could only poke her fingers, feeling wronged, and ran off to play with Ning Xuan, who was teasing the cat.
“Xiao Yu, let’s go build a snowman!!”
The snow had been falling all day on Christmas, and the outside world was now a pure white expanse.
Shen Yiyue, like a child, tugged on Ning Yu’s sleeve, pulling her toward the door.
Ning Yu wasn’t particularly interested in playing in the snow, but she was interested in spending time with Shen Yiyue, so she followed her downstairs.
Shen Qianqian, unable to resist her playful nature, sneakily followed them downstairs.
“Aren’t you coming too?”
Only Ning Xuan remained in the house, cuddling with the cat.
After a while, Ning Yu came back to invite her.
“I…”
Ning Xuan was about to refuse but hesitated.
She hadn’t even moved in with the Shen sisters and had found a place to live alone.
She had never lived closely with anyone other than herself. It wasn’t so much that she was an extreme introvert, but rather that she simply didn’t know how to interact with others.
When she saw anyone other than Ning Yu, she had no idea what to say.
The false memories still lingered in her mind, and they had become her most treasured possessions. But that didn’t mean Ning Xuan had learned how to live a normal life.
In a way, fighting was much easier for her than chatting or living with others.
Ning Yu was all too familiar with Ning Xuan’s situation.
“Come on, let’s go together?”
Ning Yu didn’t give her a chance to refuse and took Ning Xuan’s cold hand in hers.
“Okay.”
Ning Xuan actually wanted to spend more time with Ning Yu and talk to her more. She hadn’t had enough time yesterday, but she just didn’t know how to express it.
“Xiao Xuan, why don’t you move in with us?”
As they walked downstairs, Ning Yu brought up the topic.
“Huh? Really? Wouldn’t I be bothering you…”
Ning Xuan’s gaze drifted toward Shen Yiyue in the distance, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.
“What’s wrong? I finally came back. Are you planning to never see me again?”
Ning Yu teased her, feeling like her little sister had become a bit silly.
“No, of course not! That’s not what I meant, I just…”
Ning Xuan hurriedly waved her hands and shook her head. She missed her sister more than ever.
“Someone like me… is it really okay? After all, I’m just a…”
She lowered her head as she spoke, her eyes flickering with a faint blue light.
“Xiao Xuan.”
Ning Yu's tone seemed to grow more serious, making Ning Xuan even more nervous.
"You are my sister, and you always have been."
Ning Xuan looked up, suddenly recalling the moment during the final ritual when Ning Yu had decisively chosen to save her.
"I want you to understand something."
Ning Yu stepped forward, standing directly in front of Ning Xuan.
"You are worthy of love."
"You are our family."
"Yue-jie thinks so, Qianqian thinks so, and so do I."
Ning Xuan pursed her lips, as if finally unraveling some emotional knot. She opened her mouth, then closed it, before finally breaking into a genuine smile and nodding earnestly.
"Okay."
Her smile no longer seemed forced or feigned.
Ning Yu grabbed her hand, and the two of them sprinted out into the heavy snowfall.
"Look, we never got to play in the snow together when we were kids!"
The apocalypse had finally ended. The city was in ruins, with many facilities beyond repair, and reconstruction efforts were slowly underway.
The old order hadn't been fully restored yet, but people no longer had to huddle in survivor bases.
The zombies, under Shen Yiyue's control using the [Soul Doll - Miss Pride], were effectively managed.
They had left the Ark but hadn't gone too far, as Ji Mengyao and Wu Di were still nearby and occasionally dropped by.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, until the world was blanketed in white.
With the help of a few others, Shen Qianqian built a large snowman. Taking advantage of Shen Yiyue's inattention, she even adorned it with a black wig.
Then she started pounding the snowman with gusto.
"Take that for bullying me! And that! Hmph!"
After playing in the snow for a while, the other three seemed to tire out.
Shen Yiyue simply fell backward into the snow, sinking into it, and lay there as if giving up on everything.
Ning Yu imitated her, collapsing beside her, just close enough to land in her arms.
"Oh, it's the clingy Xiao Yu!"
Shen Yiyue mimicked Ning Yu's tone, as Ning Yu had always called her the clingy one in the past.
Ning Xuan knelt in the snow, watching their strange exchange with a knowing smile, saying nothing.
She wished time could freeze at this moment.
"So, Xiao Yu, how were you able to come back here?"
Shen Yiyue gazed at the sky, curiosity in her voice.
"I see, you don't want me back? Should I leave then?"
Ning Yu pretended to get up, but Shen Yiyue immediately pulled her back into the snow with a tight hug.
"No running away! Hmph, I said I'd never let you go again."
Shen Yiyue clung to Ning Yu like a child clutching a teddy bear, afraid she might slip away.
"I'm a little curious too."
Ning Xuan scooted closer, perking up her ears to hear Ning Yu's explanation.
"Actually, I never truly reached the origin."
Ning Yu reached up, catching a snowflake in her hand, marveling at its intricate symmetry and fractal beauty, a testament to nature's wonder.
"I was still missing a strong desire to reach the origin."
"But I didn't have that kind of wish, so when the ultimate contract with Moon Princess was fulfilled, the origin rejected me."
"It was supposed to have no choice but to select me, given the terrifying weapon I had obtained, which would have burned my soul to ashes, turning me into something unknowable."
"But at that moment, there was a more suitable candidate."
The snowflake in Ning Yu's hand had already melted from her body heat, so she reached for another.
"Was it Lacy?"
Ning Xuan thought of another person.
"Mm, she was chosen by the origin. I must congratulate her."
Ning Yu clapped her hands sarcastically, her expression saying, 'Whoever wants this prize can have it.'
"Hmm... Then why did it take you so long to come back? I thought you were never coming back!"
Shen Yiyue pouted, clearly displeased.
"But the origin didn't let me off the hook."
Ning Yu shrugged helplessly.
"Moon Princess ran off with Lacy, leaving me with a huge mess. All the worldlines formed after the reset started running again."
"There were countless versions of you and me—oh, and Xiao Xuan too."
Ning Yu pointed at Ning Xuan, who blinked, clearly not understanding.
"I worked as fast as I could to fix and converge those worldlines. It wasn't an easy task."
"They wouldn't let me leave until I finished. So heartless."
Ning Yu leaned back into Shen Yiyue's arms, looking utterly exhausted.
"Wait... Xiao Yu..."
Ning Yu suddenly sensed something off about Shen Yiyue's demeanor. It even felt a little... sour?
"So, you interacted with countless versions of me from parallel worldlines."
Shen Yiyue whispered in her ear, her tone tinged with menace.
"Uh..."
Ning Yu felt a wave of impending doom.
"Knowing myself, I definitely couldn't resist hugging and kissing you. You, you, you, you, you..."
Shen Yiyue had turned to face Ning Yu, her cheeks puffed out and her eyes glaring.
Ning Yu's face was a picture of exasperation. What was this? *The Story of How I Got Cheated On by My Parallel Selves*?
"Stupid Xiao Yu, the other versions of me were just as charming, weren't they? Hmph! That's why it took you so long to come back to me!"
She turned her head away, clearly saying, 'I'm mad, and I won't be easily appeased.'
Just as Ning Yu was about to explain herself, Shen Yiyue suddenly burst into laughter.
"Pfft, hahaha, look how scared you are..."
She hugged Ning Yu again, mischievously slipping some snow down her smooth back, then nibbled on her earlobe and said,
"It's good that you're back. From now on, you're mine alone."
"If you dare to flirt with anyone else, I'll kill you. Hmph."
Ning Yu felt the cold on her back, but the person in front of her was so warm and endearing.
"Oh, and... what about Moon Princess? Where did she go? Did she just disappear into the origin?"
Shen Yiyue suddenly remembered the girl who looked exactly like Ning Yu, whom she had only seen a few times, mostly when Ning Yu transformed.
"She... she's right here."
Ning Yu raised her hand, her amber eyes turning into pure gold.
Something seemed to respond to her call, and the heavy snowfall abruptly stopped.
A rare winter sun peeked through, casting its warm light on their faces.
The snow had ceased.
Their story continued.