The next day.
It was just past five in the morning. The darkness had yet to fully lift, but Chen Shi'an was already up.
He opened his door and stepped out. The living room was silent except for the ticking clock on the wall.
He moved very quietly, afraid of disturbing the sisters sleeping soundly in the next room.
Even so, when Chen Shi'an finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, the bedroom door beside him gently opened.
The dark bedroom was unlit, but the bathroom light spilled across the doorway, outlining Li Wanyin's slender figure.
Her snow-white feet rested bare on the mat by the door. Her long hair, slightly curled from sleep, fell over her delicate shoulders, and she wore only that soft, pale nightdress.
She had clearly only just woken up, too. In fact, given how early it was, she might barely have slept all night.
Li Wanyin slipped her bare feet into the slippers by the door, glanced back into the room, and gently closed the door before turning to Chen Shi'an.
"Shi'an, you're leaving this early..."
She spoke very softly, clearly not wanting to wake the soundly sleeping Xiao Yue. Chen Shi'an answered just as quietly.
"Yes, I'm setting off early. I still have to pick up Little Cicada before heading back to Shangping. Did I wake you, Sister Wanyin?"
Li Wanyin shook her head, a tender smile on her face, though a trace of sadness at his departure lay hidden in her eyes.
"No. Maybe I drank too much tea before bed. I barely slept all night, and knowing you were leaving, I woke up again after only dozing for a bit."
"Go back to sleep for a while, Sister Wanyin. You still have work at the shop today. Didn't we agree