The fire in the fireplace was added again and again, and the sunlight outside the window slowly moved from east to west.
The four kittens stayed in the house all day long.
Bai You nestled in Varesa's arms, her ears gently rubbed, so comfortable that she could barely keep her eyes open.
By the time Bai You came to her senses, the sky outside the window had already begun to change color.
She lifted her head from Varesa's embrace and looked out the window.
I don't know when, but the sky had turned a faint orange-red.
It's evening.
"Awake?" Varesa's voice came from above, tinged with amusement.
Bai You gave a soft "Mmm" and sat up slightly from her lap.
Odette walked to the window, glanced at the sky, and then turned around.
"It's almost time," she said.
There's a performance at the theater tonight.
Both Varesa and Odette are going on stage.
Columbina and Bai You naturally went to watch as well.
The four of them quickly tidied up, canceled their cat forms, returned to their original forms, put on their coats, and set off.
They left the living quarters of the theater and came to the stage area.
Upon seeing the person arrive, the staff immediately opened the door, smiling and nodding, "You've arrived?"
"Hmm." Odette responded and led everyone inside.
The backstage area was larger than Bai You had imagined.
The long corridor was carpeted in deep red, with dressing rooms and small lounges on both sides.
The door was ajar, and lights were on inside, with shadowy figures moving about.
Some people hurried by carrying clothes, leaving behind a faint scent of cosmetics.
The further you go in, the more lively it becomes.
Someone was tuning an instrument, and a few girls in performance costumes were leaning against the wall, talking quietly.
Upon seeing Odette and Varesa, they both greeted them with smiles.
Bai You and Columbina followed behind, unable to resist looking around.
This was her first time backstage at the theater.
"Our dressing room is inside." Odette stopped and pushed open a door at the end of the corridor. "Come in."
It was a fairly large dressing room.
Against the wall was a row of dressing tables, each with a gleaming mirror. In front of the mirrors were various colors of cosmetics, paintbrushes, and small boxes.
There was a clothes rack standing next to them, with many exquisite performance costumes hanging on it.
Columbina made no attempt to be polite, sitting down on the sofa as soon as she entered.
Varesa also sat down at the dressing table.
Bai You had nowhere to sit, so she moved a small stool over and sat next to her, resting her chin on her hand and watching quietly.
She was wearing a simple light-colored casual outfit today, with her long, light blue hair loosely draped behind her as she sat down.
She raised her hand to smooth her hair, then picked up a comb from the stage and slowly combed her long hair.
Bai You stared at it, lost in thought.
After combing her hair, Varesa began applying makeup.
Her movements were very practiced. First, she used a small brush to apply a light layer of foundation to her face, and then she applied it to her eyebrows and eyes.
Her eyebrows were already beautiful; a light touch made them appear even softer.
Then comes the eyeshadow.
She chose a light shade of cyan, similar to her hair color, and lightly swept it across the outer corners of her eyes.
Her originally clear eyes suddenly had an indescribable quality, as if they were covered with a thin layer of mist.
Finally, she picked up a little bit of light lip rouge and gently dabbed it on her lips. Her originally pale lips became a little redder, but not too bright.
The makeup was very light, yet just right.
She meticulously sketched her already beautiful features again.
Varesa put down the brush, looked up, and stared at the mirror.
Then, she saw the Bai You next to her in the mirror.
Bai You was staring at her with wide eyes, not blinking, her mouth slightly open, forgetting to even blink.
I was stunned.
Varesa's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
She didn't speak immediately, but quietly looked at the little guy in the mirror, who looked blank.
After a while, Bai You finally came to her senses and realized that Varesa was looking at her. Her face immediately flushed.
"I... I--" She opened her mouth, wanting to explain why she had been staring, but she didn't know what to say.
Finally, all I could manage to stammer out was, "You... you're done with your makeup?"
"Hmm." Varesa turned around to face her, a hint of barely concealed amusement in her eyes.
Is it good-looking?
Bai You nodded immediately, nodding like a chick pecking at rice.
"It looks great!" she said, her voice a little louder than usual. Then, realizing she was too excited, she quickly lowered her voice, her ears turning red.
"It's really good-looking..."
Varesa looked at her flushed face and her heart melted, but she still teased her on purpose.
She leaned down slightly, getting closer to look into Bai You's eyes, and asked softly, "What's so beautiful about it?"
Bai You:"..."
Her face turned even redder.
She thought it looked beautiful everywhere, but when asked to describe it specifically, she couldn't.
She stared at Varesa's smiling eyes, so close to hers, and her mind went blank.
"Just... just my eyes..." she whispered.
"And... and..."
"... Anything you're like is beautiful."
She couldn't continue, so she turned her face to the side, not daring to look at her.
Varesa finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.
She reached out and pinched Bai You's burning cheek.
"Okay, I'm just kidding," she said.
Then, her gaze swept over Bai You's face.
She had a fair and clean face, long white eyelashes, and big, bright eyes, but she usually went about her days without much makeup.
Varesa thought for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Bai You's hand.
"Come here," she said, "Sit over here."
Bai You was stunned for a moment. "Huh?"
"I'll do your makeup too," Varesa said, a smile in her eyes.
"Make it cute."
Bai You's eyes widened.
"Me... I need to get my makeup done too?" she asked, a little flustered. "I don't need to go on stage..."
"You don't have to go on stage to do your makeup," Varesa said. "Since we're already here, let's give it a try."
Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of coaxing.
Bai You initially wanted to refuse, but looking into her eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Finally, blushing, she could only obediently sit down in front of the dressing table.
"Then, then you can do your makeup..."
She said in a low voice.
"Okay." Varesa stood behind her, gently placing her hands on her shoulders, and looked at her in the mirror.
"I guarantee it will look great."
She picked up a comb and first smoothed Bai You's long white hair.
Bai You's hair is very soft and snow-white.
Varesa loosely braided her hair into a small braid, then styled it into pigtails.
She tied her hair up with a headband, leaving a few loose strands around her face, which made her face look even smaller.