Qiū Huà Bǐ had apparently decided that he needed some space.
He said so the moment they reached the apartment building.
"I need some space."
Violet looked at him.
Yè Yī looked at him.
Chūn Lěng Fēng, who had been occupied with examining the building's entrance, turned around.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Then why do you need space?"
Qiū Huà Bǐ gave him a look.
Chūn Lěng Fēng looked back, waiting for an answer.
"Forget it."
With that, Qiū Huà Bǐ turned and headed towards his apartment.
The other three watched him leave.
Violet blinked.
"...What's wrong with him?"
Yè Yī glanced in the direction Qiū Huà Bǐ had gone. "He'll be fine."
"Did something happen?"
"No."
Chūn Lěng Fēng looked between them.
"Then why did he leave?"
Yè Yī didn't answer.
Violet gave him another look, but he had already started walking towards his own apartment.
She followed.
Chūn Lěng Fēng hurried after them, apparently deciding that whatever had happened to Qiū Huà Bǐcould wait. There was something else occupying his attention now.
The apartment building itself was already impressive, but the moment they entered Yè Yī's place, he stopped.
He looked around.
Then he looked again.
The entrance opened into a spacious living area, furnished in a way that suited Yè Yī's usual preference for things that were practical without being cheap. The furniture was neatly arranged, and the space was well maintained. There was a large window overlooking the surrounding buildings, with enough natural light coming through to brighten the room.
Lěng Fēng took another step inside.
His gaze travelled from the living room to the dining area, then towards the hallway.
"Yè Yī."
"Hm?"
"Is this your house?"
Yè Yī took off his shoes. "It's my apartment."
Lěng Fēng looked around once more.
Then he turned to Violet.
"Doesn't he have another house?"
Violet glanced at him.
"Yes."
Chūn Lěng Fēngn's eyes widened.
"So he has two houses in his name?"
Yè Yī looked at him. "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing!"
Lěng Fēng immediately shook his head, though his eyes were still moving around the apartment.
He had already seen the Yè ancestral residence. That place alone had been enough to make him wonder how much money the family possessed. Now he was discovering that Yè Yī had an entirely separate apartment.
He looked towards the large window again.
Two houses...
He followed Yè Yī's movements with his eyes.
How much money does this family have?
"Take a seat," Yè Yī said.
Chūn Lěng Fēng nodded, although he didn't immediately sit down.
Violet had already settled onto the sofa. She took out her phone and glanced at the screen, giving Yè Yī a moment to attend to whatever he needed.
He headed towards the kitchen.
"I'll cut some fruit."
"Alright," Violet replied.
She didn't think much of it at first. Yè Yī often prepared something for them whenever they came over, and fruit was hardly unusual.
Fēng finally found his way towards the living room and began looking around.
He seemed particularly interested in the furniture.
Violet watched him pick up a small decorative object from the side table.
"Fēng Fēng."
He turned.
"Put that down."
Chūn Lěng Fēng looked at the object in his hand, then carefully returned it to its original position.
"I was just looking."
"You can look without touching everything."
"Oh."
He withdrew his hand.
A moment later, his attention shifted to something else.
Violet lowered her phone.
"Chūn Lěng Fēng."
He stopped.
"I haven't touched it."
"You were about to."
Chūn Lěng Fēng looked at the object, then at her.
He slowly withdrew his hand.
Violet returned her attention to her phone.
For a little while, the apartment was quiet.
She could hear the occasional movement from the kitchen, the opening and closing of cupboards, and the sound of a knife against a chopping board.
Something about Yè Yī's movements had caught her attention.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Perhaps it was because he had been in the kitchen longer than usual. He wasn't preparing a meal, after all, only cutting some fruit. It shouldn't have taken him this long.
Violet glanced towards the kitchen.
Chūn Lěng Fēng had meanwhile found something else to occupy himself with. He was standing near the bookshelf, examining the titles.
She watched him for a moment.
At least he wasn't touching anything.
Her attention returned to the kitchen.
Yè Yī still hadn't come out.
Violet put her phone aside and was about to get up when he finally appeared.
He was carrying a plate of cut fruit.
"Here."
He placed it on the table rather quickly.
Violet looked at him.
Yè Yī straightened.
"I need to use the bathroom."
She blinked.
"Alright."
He turned and walked towards the hallway.
Violet followed him with her eyes.
Something was off.
Yè Yī wasn't someone who needed to announce every time he went to the bathroom. He had never been particularly concerned with explaining his movements to anyone, least of all her.
Yet he had come out of the kitchen, put down the fruit and immediately made an excuse to leave.
She looked at the plate.
Then at the hallway.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
She could have used her ability to find out what was happening. It would have taken very little effort.
But she didn't.
There was no need to pry into everything, especially when she could investigate through ordinary means. If Yè Yī had something he wasn't ready to tell her, she would give him the chance to do so himself.
For now, she would wait.
A chair scraped lightly against the floor.
Violet turned.
Chūn Lěng Fēng had already returned to the table.
He had picked up a pair of chopsticks and was eating the food that had been left there earlier. Apparently, his interest in the apartment had finally given way to something more immediate.
"Fēng Fēng."
He looked up, his mouth still full.
"Mm?"
"Wash your hands first."
Chūn Lěng Fēng stopped chewing.
He looked at his hands, then at the food.
"Oh."
He put down the chopsticks and went to wash them.
Violet shook her head slightly.
When he returned, he resumed eating without hesitation.
She reached for the fruit plate and picked up a piece.
The fruit was cold.
She bit into it slowly, her attention drifting towards the plate.
Something caught her eye.
Violet lowered the fruit slightly.
She looked at the plate again.
There was a thin layer of something beneath it, almost transparent against the surface.
She leaned closer.
Ice?
Her fingers approached the edge of the plate, stopping just short of touching it.
A fine layer of ice had formed around the underside and extended slightly along the rim. It was thin enough that someone who wasn't paying attention might have mistaken it for condensation.
Violet examined it more carefully.
The fruit itself was cold, but that wasn't what caught her attention. The plate had been sitting in the kitchen before Yè Yī brought it out. Whatever had happened, it hadn't come from the refrigerator alone.
She looked towards the hallway.
Then she glanced at the plate again.
A faint breath left her.
So that was it.
Violet leaned back against the sofa, holding the piece of fruit between her fingers.
She had noticed a few unusual things recently, though none had been particularly obvious. Yè Yī had been behaving a little differently, and now there was this.
Her gaze remained on the ice.
She didn't need to ask him what it meant.
At least, not yet.
Across the table, Chūn Lěng Fēng had finished one portion and was reaching for another.
Violet looked at him.
"Slow down."
"I'm not eating that fast."
"You haven't even swallowed properly."
Chūn Lěng Fēng glanced at his food, then obediently slowed down.
Violet picked up another piece of fruit.
The ice beneath the plate remained untouched.
Yè Yī hadn't said anything.
She hadn't either.
But she had a fairly good idea what was happening.
And she would wait for him to tell her.