Lei Yirui thanks Jia Zhenzhen for filling the bath, and she’s halfway through the doorway with the change of clothes and 6 million bottles of soap when she pauses and whirls around on her heel. Lei Yirui cocks her head and gives Jia Zhenzhen an appraising look. She’s sort of just… standing by the doorway, leaning against it with her arms crossed. 

 

“Are you seriously guarding the door?” she asks, her face split into a wide, amused grin. Jia Zhenzhen jolts slightly, narrowing her eyes in a dangerous manner at her brother and He Huan. 

 

“Yes.” she says plainly, and she and Lei Yirui both watch as Jia Yuxing flings pieces of chive at He Huan. 

 

“Alright then. Stay strong against…. that.” Lei Yirui laughs, giving Jia Zhenzhen a strong pat on the shoulder, which makes Jia Zhenzhen pretend like she isn’t smiling in amusement by turning her head away. 

 

Lei Yirui’s bath is a relief. The water is sort of cold since they don’t have their wooden tub heated by coal like Lei Yirui’s back at the palace, but she isn’t about to complain about it. Besides, can’t cold water be therapeutic?? It’s kind of tranquil!! (She does miss the warm water, though.)

 

She’d slipped the cast off of her hand with surprisingly little difficulty, and has been pointedly trying not to look at her bare hand. It’s swollen now, and it looks a little like someone shoved a tennis ball under her skin. There’s also a violent bruise spreading across her hand. So... yuck.

 

Jia Zhenzhen had shot her cast a few cursory glances, but hadn’t asked about it. If she asked, Lei Yirui was just going to say that she fell on it or something. Do you know how embarrassing it would be to tell the woman who just murdered him with apparently no difficulty that you wrecked your shit with a single weak shoddy punch?? Incredibly so!!

 

Anyways, the scent of the soap is very bitter for soap, but it doesn’t exactly smell bad. It’s also much thicker than what Lei Yirui usually uses, and she notes that it smells kind of like Jia Zhenzhen. It’s at that particular moment that she realizes that she just kind of knows what Jia Zhenzhen smells like, which is a nice mix of some kind of herb, ink, and more recently, the spices of Hu Peng’s kitchen. 

 

“You’re so gone. You’ve veered into creep territory!! Jia Zhenzhen doesn’t know what you smell like, so why do you know what she smells like??” she whines to herself, sinking down a little further into the water. She pauses thoughtfully, and shoots a cursory glance at the door. 

 

“Jia Zhenzhen!” she calls, and she swears she hears Jia Zhenzhen promptly stumble try and fix her posture. 

 

“What?” she responds. 

 

“Do you know what I smell like? Like, just off the top of your head.” she asks, and Jia Zhenzhen starts coughing behind the door. Lei Yirui snorts in laughter at the sound, running her fingers through her soaked hair as the other girl recovers from the question on the other side of the door.

 

“... Yes.” Jia Zhenzhen admits after a moment, with all the gravity of someone who’s on the trek to committing ritual suicide. Lei Yirui’s feels her face pull into an impressed look unprompted, and she hums pleasantly and settles back into the tub. It’s kind of priceless knowing what Jia Zhenzhen is actually like. Throughout limitless, she didn’t really have awkward flustered moments like this.

 

The Jia Zhenzhen of the original Limitless was extremely reserved, and it wasn’t like she was ever in stupid ass situations like the one Lei Yirui had pushed (bullied) her into just now. The comedy in Limitless usually came from elsewhere, and not really Jia Zhenzhen, since the OG thing probably barely even knew what a joke was in the first place. One of the things that Lei Yirui liked about the original was that the hardened female protag actually stayed hardened, and didn’t get all soft and flowery when confronted with the love of two ancient skincare models. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen isn’t exactly soft now or anything, that’s Lei Yirui’s job, after all!! Jia Zhenzhen had started off a bit like a brick wall with a picture of a pretty girl superimposed over it, but now she has some sort of endearingly awkward rigidity like a Jenga tower one wonky pull from toppling over, which is very cute and Lei Yirui can appreciate a dork when she sees one. 

 

(God, she wants to play Jenga now. That's not too far fetched, is it? She's sure she could commission some shit like that from a woodworker!!)

 

Finishing up her bath, Lei Yirui struggles with the cast for a moment until she figures out how to put it back on without hurting herself. She dries herself off and slips into the dress she was given. It’s very plain, with light brown and pale blue colors. But it is soft, and Lei Yirui is perfectly satisfied wearing it when she spins out of the bathroom, stretching out her arms and throwing back her head as she twirls around. 

 

“I’m finally free from the burden of being grimy!” she announces, before halting in her spinning and feeling herself involuntarily sway as the world around her spins like a Beyblade.

 

“Congratulations,” Jia Zhenzhen says, looking at Lei Yirui very intensely. “Yuxing, I’m going to get water for your bath.” she adds, scooping up the pails and leaving through the back door of the house again. Lei Yirui watches her leave curiously, taking the tea offered by He Huan and taking a long sip. 

 

“She’s only leaving so quickly because she’s embarrassed that you’re wearing her clothes.” He Huan points out, and Lei Yirui chokes on her tea. Jia Yuxing has to smack her back as she covers her mouth with her forearm. 

 

It’s not that she hasn’t worn Jia Zhenzhen’s clothes before, but does she really mind all of a sudden?? Jia Zhenzhen, Lei Yirui wears your clothes every other night!! And has sat on top of your body in them!! Why does this fluster you?? 

…

When they leave in the morning, Lei Yirui manages to convince He Huan to make her a quick breakfast before they leave. She can hear the conversation that he has with Jia Zhenzhen as they talk outside, in hushed voices— mainly because they don’t want Jia Yuxing to hear them. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen is telling He Huan how news of Tang Xiaodan being dead has already likely reached the palace, and that the spies she’d just learned were there would likely be able to assume it was her. Well, it’s not like it’s some Sherlock level deduction, she literally left for his palace immediately before it happened. 

 

She’s talking to him about where the people in the town can go in the case that those people do choose to get revenge by attacking the town again, and the conversation is depressing enough that Lei Yirui tunes it out and focuses on shoving congee into her mouth.

 

They don’t remain for much longer after that, and when Jia Zhenzhen mentions that she ‘doesn’t want Lei Shunyuan to blow up the palace if they take too long,’ Lei Yirui is very put out that she refuses to elaborate on whatever that meant. 

 

Lei Yirui tries to convince Jia Zhenzhen that she can join her brother on the horse and she can just walk, which lasts for about an hour before Lei Yirui is complaining and Jia Zhenzhen manhandles her back onto the horse. She’d tried to be nice, really, but the odds were stacked against her. Fuck you, odds!

 

It’s a mostly quiet ride from there on out, and Lei Yirui and Jia Yuxing both fall asleep. On the horse. Several times. Jia Zhenzhen insists that they should rest and that she can direct the horse, and Lei Yirui is both happy to comply with no questions and wonder if that even makes any sense. 

 

They stop to eat, but not again for a proper sleep. ‘WeRe AlMoSt ThErE,’ Jia Zhenzhen says everytime Lei Yirui whines that she needs to get proper sleep like the rest of them. Lei Yirui is just barely blinking awake when they’re in the capital city again, and she groans in relief and buries her face in the horse’s mane. Jia Yuxing behind her is wide awake, looking around in awe and pointing out every little thing they see. 

 

Lei Yirui mostly remains silent, groggy and a little grumpy because she’s hurting again from sitting on the horse, but does point out the general direction of Meng Ai’s shop when they pass through the area. Lei Yirui’s insistence that they should grab some street food is ignored, and she continues to mope until she sees the familiar gates of the palace.

 

She exhales and starts stretching like someone does when they’re almost at their destination after a large road trip, and wonders if this was technically a road trip. It’s a little lame that their only destinations were a fishing town and what were basically rest stops, but oh well. It’s not like she expects them to go to Disney, or something.

 

Jia Yuxing is chattering excitedly about the palace, grabbing Lei Yirui’s arms and shaking her back and forth so roughly that she’s worried her head is going to pop off and roll around on the ground like she’s a shoddily assembled anime figure.

 

“You both live here?? Er, I guess Lei Yirui is the only one living in the actual palace, but this is amazing!! It’s so much more colorful than Tang Xiaodan’s palace was!!”

 

“Wait ‘till you try the food,” Lei Yirui says, and Jia Zhenzhen releases a huff of breath that might be a laugh. 

 

When they actually get near the gate, Lei Yirui scrambles off of the horse, helping Jia Yuxing off after her and slinging the bag of stuff he brought from their house over her shoulder. They’d kind of failed to grab all of the shit he brought with him to Tang Xiaodan’s palace, and Lei Yirui could sympathize. She once left her bag at the airport terminal once, and they’d never responded to her email or calls about it. All the skincare she had bought on that trip… gone!!

 

The guards seem especially alarmed to see them, but they let them in with no preamble before two of them run off in separate directions. Finally being back inside the palace, Lei Yirui definitely feels like she’s underdressed. Jia Zhenzhen is leading both Lei Yirui and Jia Yuxing towards the main building with either hand settled on the back of their necks and leading them like their unruly children. 

 

Lei Yirui is busy wondering when she can stop by to say hi to Ren Wenqian and Meng Ai when she’s brought into that ‘strategy room’ where she’d just witnessed Lei Shunyuan and Zheng Xiaosi have a dick-measuring contest for several hours that one time. Lei Yirui doesn’t know what they could possibly need from there, until Jia Zhenzhen kicks the door open with all the manners of a wild boar and shoves both of them inside, before crossing her arms over her chest. 

 

“Lei Shunyuan, your sister is fine. Zheng Xiaosi, Tang Xiaodan is dead.” Jia Zhenzhen says, demonstrating a brilliant lack of tact that only she could master.

 

Everyone in the room other than Jia Zhenzhen appears to be in a state of shock. First of all, the room is fucking destroyed. There are broken vases sort of just littering the floor, and all of the tapestries and maps and other various shit she remembers being on the walls is torn to shreds. The only thing that’s been spared is the heavy shit that isn’t easily destroyed.

 

Jia Yuxing is busy staring at Zheng Xiaosi with googly eyes, and Lei Shunyuan and Zheng Xiaosi are both standing are tense and had clearly been arguing before they barged in like barn animals, and Lei Yirui is sure they all look like they’ve been caught in a comedic movie freeze frame. 

 

“Yirui,” Lei Shunyuan breathes out, shoving Zheng Xiaosi to the side like he’s a ragdoll and rounding the table to Lei Yirui’s side, and Lei Yirui instinctively shoots her wounded arm out to the side so he doesn’t crush it between their bodies.

 

“AHGBJ,” amounts to the sound that comes out of Lei Yirui’s mouth as he hugs her tight enough to make her feel like all of her bones should be making cartoonish snapping noises.

 

“Bro, I need oxygen to survive!! Let me breathe!!” she wails, and Lei Shunyuan seems like he’s going to ignore her for a terrifying moment, until he releases her, his eye rapidly moving over the healing cut on her cheek, his hands cupping her face. 

“What’s oxygen??” Jia Yuxing cries, and is ignored. 

 

“What happened? Who did this?” Lei Shunyuan asks through clenched teeth. Lei Yirui pauses, because she actually doesn’t know. Who the fuck was that?? Probably cannon fodder, right?? She doesn’t think she saw anything of him after he took her down and embarrassed the shit out of her weak ass.

 

“Dunno, just some guy,” Lei Yirui says. “But— seriously, Gege!! You’re embarrassing me!!” she whines, smacking at his chest with her hands. Lei Shunyuan only takes the opportunity to take her hands in his, staring with an even more intense expression at her cast. 

 

“Is he a child?” Jia Zhenzhen quietly asks Zheng Xiaosi, ignoring the siblings and gesturing around at the wrecked room. 

 

“I think so, yes.” Zheng Xiaosi responds, sounding both amused and relieved at the same time. 

 

Lei Yirui wiggles away from Lei Shunyuan, holding up her fists like she’s going to fight him if he tries to hug her again. It’s not that she’s against the affection, but he’s so intense!! Relax, first, Gege! And then we can have tender sibling moments!! Lei Yirui will even initiate! 

 

“You’re safe. You’re safe. I was so worried… quite angry, as well. Meimei, I…” he trails off, his fists clenching at his sides. 

 

Zheng Xiaosi starts coughing, and when Lei Yirui turns to look at him he’s very clearly trying not to laugh. 

 

“Quite angry,” he repeats in a mocking tone, and Lei Yirui swears to god she sees Jia Zhenzhen kick him in the shin. Lei Shunyuan, meanwhile, turns to Zheng Xiaosi with every warning sign that he’s about to start swinging. 

 

Lei Yirui frankly has no interest in watching a (likely pathetic) squabble between these two, and neither do Jia Zhenzhen and Jia Yuxing, because all three of them exchange glances. 

 

“Oh, don’t get angry now. Aren’t there bigger things to worry about? Didn’t you hear, Tang Xiaodan is dead. I ought to tell my father…” Zheng Xiaosi trails off. 

 

“I doubt you even care about that. When have you ever cared about anything other than yourself and setting me off?" Lei Shunyuan snaps back dangerously. 

 

“Well, maybe I could focus on the important things if you weren’t so fun to mess with.” Zheng Xiaosi shoots back, and the three others shuffle out of the room and Jia Zhenzhen closes it behind them very quietly. 

 

“Think they’ll ever figure their shit out?” Lei Yirui asks, eyeing the door warily as their (Mostly Lei Shunyuan’s) muffled yelling begins to come through the door. 

 

“Even if they did, I’m not sure it could stop their bickering.” Jia Zhenzhen says. They both cast a brief glance at the door as something behind it shatters, followed by Zheng Xiaosi cackling. 

 

“Speaking of figuring shit out,” Lei Yirui says, incredibly obviously, feeling herself turn a little pink as she averts her gaze. Jia Zhenzhen’s eyes widen briefly, before she nods shortly and grabs a confused looking Jia Yuxing by the shoulders and turns him around. 

 

“Zhenzhen?” he asks. 

 

“I want you to meet a friend of Yirui’s. Her name is Meng Ai. She likes art too. Come.” she says, and immediately begins steering him away. 

 

“What?? Hey, I’m not stupid… I, uh, I know you’re trying to get rid of me… you could be less obvious…” he mopes.

….

Lei Yirui actually gets dragged away for a ‘health evaluation’ before Jia Zhenzhen is even able to return, and then Lei Yirui is basically clutched to Lei Shunyuan’s chest for the rest of the day, because Jia Zhenzhen has also been dragged off to get questioned. 

 

They only see each other again when it starts getting dark, and Lei Yirui has bathed and been succinctly evaluated. She’s laying face down on her bed, her arms wrapped around her rectangular pillow. This is nice. It smells familiar, and she missed her fluffy sheets. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen actually uses the door this time, and Lei Yirui is so stunned that she breaks into applause. Jia Zhenzhen shushes her, of course, but Lei Yirui can’t stop grinning, pulling aside the curtains of her bed. Jia Zhenzhen hesitates before she climbs in, sitting opposite of Lei Yirui and sitting stiffly on her legs as she folds her hands in her lap like she's sitting down for an important dinner.

 

Lei Yirui throws herself back down, letting the curtain fall into place as she plops back onto the bed in a position akin to a chalk outline at a crime scene.

 

“So.” she starts.

 

“...So.” Jia Zhenzhen parrots, and Lei Yirui twists her head to grin at Jia Zhenzhen. She looks uncomfortable, and Lei Yirui is sure she doesn’t want to be the one to initiate this conversation. Of course Jia Zhenzhen could kill someone and then get nervous around someone she likes, Lei Yirui thinks, before having to shove her face into her sheets at the thought of Jia Zhenzhen liking her.

“I really like you,” Lei Yirui says once she remembers how to form coherent sentences. She rolls over so she’s sitting upwards, crossing her legs and facing Jia Zhenzhen, who’s utterly blank stare at Lei Yirui would be discouraging if she wasn’t also bright pink and gripping the fabric of her pants like she was trying to obliterate it. “Like, a lot. I like a lot about you. You’re really cool, and brave, and strong, and kind of terrifying. You’re really nice to me, even if you bully me sometimes, but I bully you a bit too, so ignore that part. I like spending time with you, and if I could spend the whole day with you I could.” she says. 

 

Jia Zhenzhen’s lips part slightly, but she doesn’t say anything, her wide eyes rapidly flickering across Lei Yirui’s face. Don’t worry!! Lei Yirui can talk for days if prompted, she can carry this on until she’s comfortable to say anything. 

 

“If I’m honest, I’ve liked you since long before we ever… met. I’ve always thought you were cool and would’ve loved to talk to you, ask you questions but it wasn’t like, an option. You know?” she says, waving her hands around. Jia Zhenzhen does not appear to know.

 

“I’m happy being your friend. I don’t know what you want, but if you’d like to be something more than that, I’m more than happy with that option as well. You’re amazing, and… haha, well, you’re also super cute. I don’t want to sound shallow, but every time I look at you I kind of just want to—”

 

“I love you.” Jia Zhenzhen says abruptly, and Lei Yirui chokes on her own spit mid sentence while Jia Zhenzhen’s face immediately twists up into a grimace. 

“That’s— that was inappropriate. That’s not what I meant to say.” she says, her voice a hurried jumble of words as the grip her fingers have on her pants tightens even further, her knuckles going white. She screws her eyes shut tightly like she has a migraine coming on.

Lei Yirui is a little preoccupied staring at her with wide eyes and her mouth gaping open like a fish, before her hands flail around before settling over her heart. It’s in danger, right now!!

 

“That’s, oh my god. Okay. That’s— hah, fuck,” Lei Yirui releases a little deranged sounding laugh. She thinks she’s died. She’s died, and she’s gone to heaven. Healthy?? Communication?? In a story like Limitless?? Actually, does this even count as Limitless anymore? “Really? Like, really? Me? Are you’re sure? I mean, I’m not very interesting. Or clever. And I don’t do much. I don’t even think I have any hobbies that aren’t embarrassing. Nothing interesting for the Tinder bio, you know? So…” she trails off, gnawing nervously on her lip. Jia Zhenzhen, please think carefully! You’re the protag, so your choice in suitor is really important! 

 

Jia Zhenzhen slowly releases her poor pant fabric, before her hand grabs Lei Yirui’s wrist. She stares at it for a moment. 

 

“I’m sure. If you truly do not mind my being a woman, and if you’d have me….” she trails off, eyes laser focused on Lei Yirui’s hand instead. Lei Yirui makes a sound that sounds a little bit like a creaking door. 

 

“I’d have you! I’d have you 100 times! Consecutively! Wait— wow, okay, I could have worded that better, but… you get it, right?” she says, cringing at herself. Jia Zhenzhen is apparently immune to Lei Yirui’s cringe, because her eyes curve into pleased crescents before she turns extremely red, pauses, and then leans in to kiss Lei Yirui very gently on the palm of the hand. 

 

“Good.” Jia Zhenzhen mutters, cupping Lei Yirui’s hand in hers and squeezing very tightly. Lei Yirui, meanwhile, is about to explode. 

 

“That was super cute. Like, really cute. I think I’m going to die, actually. Did you know I would like that so much?” Lei Yirui asks. To her surprise, Jia Zhenzhen begins to look incredibly bashful. 

 

“I… may have once overheard you and Ren Wenqian discussing things you found romantic.” she says. 

 

Lei Yirui’s bout of happiness is briefly interrupted by profound embarrassment. Thinking about it, she actually remembers that conversation. And it was not a conversation about that, but instead Lei Yirui explaining the story of a fanfiction she once read to Ren Wenqian while pretending it was a story she’d heard in passing. She clears her throat. 

 

“Yes. Well, it was definitely romantic.”