Chapter 138 - Separate Room

A week after she regained consciousness, Li Chunhua was finally discharged from the hospital. Su Suyin couldn't stop smiling, looking at her youngest daughter, whose skin looked healthier day by day. 

"The days passed slowly without you in the house. Now that you came back, the house feels bright again," Su Suyin chirped happily when they finally came back home. 

"Aw, Mom. You are over-exaggerating it. But I'm happy you say that! It feels good to be home again."

"It's a shame your father can't come home with us. He seemed to get busier day by day."

"Dad is a doctor, and there are a lot of patients waiting for him to help them. I'm fine, Mom."

Su Suyin smiled fondly while caressing Li Chunhua's head. "I feel like the air has become fresher now that I have seen your smile."

Li Caiyi had nothing to say about the mother-daughter sweet bonding time in the living room as she slowly unpacked their things. In the past few days, Li Caiyi stayed at the hospital and took care of her sister, but they barely talked at all. Seeing a familiar scene of Li Chunhua gushing out her sweetness in front of their mother made Li Caiyi think she was fully recovered now. 

She thought their daily life would continue just like always until she heard Li Chunhua say something surprising.

"Mom, I think it's about time I sleep separately from Xiaoyi. We are already in high school; how embarrassing for two big girls to still share the same room?"

Li Caiyi stopped on her track and stared at Li Chunhua with a strange look. One time she would beg her not to go, but now she took the initiative to make some distance from her. 

In her past life, they wouldn't have a separate room until their third year of high school, so this development happened faster than it was supposed to be. 

"Are you sure? You are the one who insists you want to be in the same room as Xiaoyi last year," Su Suyin asked her again to make sure.

"I'm sure! One hundred percent sure!" 

Su Suyin was about to nod her head and agree when she thought about something. She turned her head towards Li Caiyi, who stood nearby and asked her with a smile, "Xiaoyi, what do you think?"

Li Chunhua's brows twitched a bit, seeing her mother was asking Li Caiyi's opinion. Previously, she would fulfill whatever Li Chunhua wanted unconditionally, but now she was asking for Li Caiyi's opinion first before deciding. 

The two of them seemed to get closer when she was recuperating. What had happened between them?

"Mother, I don't mind. Xiaohua is right. We should use separate rooms from now on." Li Caiyi replied coolly. 

Li Chunhua was very dissatisfied with this, although she was the one who suggested it. She wanted to show her sister that she would be fine even without her because Su Suyin always got her back, but her jab backfired on her. Since when did their mother begin to pay attention to Li Caiyi's opinion?

Su Suyin smiled. "Then we shall hire some people to move your stuff to the other room as soon as possible."

"Mom, but I want to stay in the room we are currently staying in. That room is perfect because it gets plenty of sunlight. I like it there. Can't Xiaoyi be the one using the other room instead?"

"This…" Su Suyin hesitantly looked at her eldest daughter, and upon receiving a nod of approval from Li Caiyi, only then did she was relieved. 

"Alright, then. Xiaohua will be the one taking that room."

***

Li Caiyi packed her things as soon as she returned to her room. The twins' room was the most spacious in the house since two people were occupying the space. After Su Suyin called some men to move her stuff, like her bed, wardrobe, desk study, and other furniture, the room looked emptier with only Li Chunhua's stuff inside.

Li Caiyi didn't mind which room she had to sleep in because she had been thinking of using a separate room as well. She only had so much stuff, so the moving process didn't take long.

Li Chunhua appeared at her room's door when she was busy folding and stacking her clothes. She frowned with both arms folded in front of her chest. "This room is so narrow. I'm surprised you agree so easily. Just how much are you looking forward to this day to come, I wonder?"

Ever since they fought, Li Chunhua had gotten more and more hostile toward her. However, compared to when she acted cute in front of her but secretly held a knife behind her back, Li Caiyi felt this version of Li Chunhua was a lot more tolerable. It felt like her sister finally showed her natural emotion without restraint.

She thought it was good for Li Chunhua to bare herself clean in front of her, so Li Caiyi gladly followed along with her.

"Why is it my fault again? You are the one who suggested it, remember?"

"Yeah, but you can at least try to fight it a bit! You are so no fun!" Li Chunhua stomped her feet annoyedly. 

"Well, this is good too, right? Now we don't have to suffer in awkward silence every time our eyes meet," Li Caiyi said while diligently moving her hand. "If you aren't going to help me, then you better buy something to decorate your room or something. It looks very empty now because the room is too big without my stuff."

"You are pretending to be magnanimous and caring again. I bet you are secretly happy now I won't be anywhere around you."

"Well, I could say the same to you. I think you have grown tired of showing your good girl act in front of me."

Li Chunhua scoffed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have any intention of clinging to you again. I'm serious this time. I won't even bat an eye even if you apologize to me later, do you hear me?"

It might be just because Li Caiyi was still new to her change, but why did she find her sister a tad adorable this way? If Li Chunhua was a lovely house cat before this, then the current her was like a stray cat who clawed at whoever approached her but secretly hoping for someone to pet her head.

She kept saying she didn't care but continued to appear in front of her as if she was afraid of being forgotten. Li Chunhua had always seen the world from a different point of view than her, so she felt it was useless to comprehend how her mind was working.

One thing for sure, Li Caiyi was comfortable with the distance between them right now. She felt even closer to Li Chunhua now that they had stopped being so self-conscious of each other. As they said, bickering with each other was also a sign of closeness, right?

"Yes, yes.. Whatever you said," Li Caiyi said nonchalantly while turning her back on her sister, ignoring her tantrum after that.