Since Jiang Lai became a woman, even though her brother-in-law never voiced the worries weighing on his mind, Chi Yingyu could feel the anxiety and sorrow that gripped him every day.
It was fine when he was with her, but once he was alone, he would easily fall into a cycle of self-conflict.
Yet just now, when her brother-in-law said he had a new job, the sparkle in his eyes was something she had never seen before.
It was as if he had found a brand-new purpose, and his entire being radiated renewed energy—both captivating and gentle.
But even seeing him like this, Chi Yingyu absolutely would not agree to Jiang Lai taking that kind of job.
It was obvious that such work was a trap: tricking Jiang Lai into signing a contract first, then using the clause to force her into some borderline streaming gig.
Chi Yingyu had seen too many cases like this in her day-to-day life.
Many fresh female college graduates fell into these traps and couldn’t break free for years.
“I absolutely will not allow you to take that kind of job. I don’t know where you found this, but you need to reject it immediately and block that person! This kind of work is clearly problematic.”
Chi Yingyu would never allow Jiang Lai to do such things.
She didn’t even want her brother-in-law to be in any kind of public-facing role.
She just wanted him by her side, obedient and close.
If possible, Chi Yingyu wanted to lock her brother-in-law away forever, so no one else would cast even a single glance at him.
Even if he were a legitimate video blogger, the thought of so many people seeing his face ignited an inexplicable fire inside her.
It was a mixture of anger and possessive jealousy.
Just the idea that her brother-in-law might have to entertain others made Chi Yingyu uncontrollably jealous and furious.
She wouldn’t allow anyone to taint him, not even with their eyes.
Chi Yingyu pressed her lips tightly, her beautiful brows furrowing as an unspoken pressure radiated from her entire body.
“This is different—”
“What’s different about it!!”
Her emotions flared up fiercely, her gaze sharp as if recalling something, then suddenly she grabbed her brother-in-law’s wrist.
“Did that woman say something to you before? Nowadays, scammers have all sorts of tricks. Don’t let them fool you. Brother-in-law, you have to trust me.”
Jiang Lai Ji blinked innocently at her sister-in-law.
She knew very well that Chi Yingyu said these things out of concern for her.
But at least in these matters, Jiang Lai had her own judgment.
She almost wanted to lightly tap Chi Yingyu’s head.
Even though she had become younger, all the experiences and lessons from her past life remained firmly in her mind.
If it really was a scam, she would definitely see through it.
Moreover, for such a huge star to go through so much trouble just to scam her for a pittance?
The efficiency was ridiculously low.
If they had spent that time signing an endorsement deal, it would be an income beyond her wildest dreams.
Jiang Lai fell silent, pondering how to make her sister-in-law accept her decision.
But thinking back on how agitated Chi Yingyu had been earlier, Jiang Lai’s heart warmed inexplicably.
She couldn’t help but feel happy to have Chi Yingyu by her side—it was perhaps the luckiest thing in the world.
Her wife had passed away long ago, and she had been alone since.
Even when everything collapsed after changing her gender, with her life in turmoil, it was still Chi Yingyu who stayed by her side.
“I know, I know you don’t want me to get hurt even a little. The person who cares about me the most in this world is you. Even if everyone else will hurt me, you never will.”
Jiang Lai’s words drifted into Chi Yingyu’s ears like a soft spring breeze, gently brushing her heart.
She felt her heart instantly melt into a pool of water—after all, she loved her brother-in-law the most.
Jiang Lai gently stroked Chi Yingyu’s head. Deep down, she knew she harbored a possessiveness she shouldn’t have.
It wasn’t about gender or love.
She just wanted Chi Yingyu to always, always be by her side.
Because over the past ten-plus years, Jiang Lai had grown used to Chi Yingyu’s companionship.
Even after Chi Yingyu graduated from university and their time together grew scarce, this sister-in-law still held a huge place in her heart.
It was a long-standing dependence formed over more than a decade—an unconscious habit, an instinctive possessiveness.
Jiang Lai knew her thoughts were wrong and realized she hadn’t considered how Chi Yingyu might feel.
Chi Yingyu had already sacrificed too much of her life for her.
Jiang Lai knew she should grow up as an adult and wouldn’t ask Chi Yingyu to stay with her forever anymore.
She just wanted her sister-in-law to find her own happiness.
“As long as I don’t have your consent, I absolutely won’t take that job. But it’s not as you think—it’s not as improper as you imagine, nor full of tricks.”
“Yingyu, I knew all this before. When you graduated and were looking for your first job, I helped you research it bit by bit. Have you already forgotten so soon?”
Jiang Lai tried hard to persuade her sister-in-law.
She didn’t want to chill the heart of someone who cared for her, so she never said she had already decided on the job.
“If you really worry, you can come watch and inspect the place with me. You can see everything for yourself before we decide, okay?”
Jiang Lai really needed a job—one that could prove herself.
She didn’t know what else she could find if she missed the opportunity that Xu Ruobing had introduced her to.
Chi Yingyu sensed that this was her brother-in-law’s limit in backing down, so despite her reluctance, she could only nod.
Besides, she was curious about how Jiang Lai had found out about the job and began planning how to get her to refuse it.
After seeing Chi Yingyu relent, Jiang Lai finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
She took the slippers from the cabinet to the sofa and went to prepare lunch for the two of them.
Chi Yingyu’s gaze, however, was fixed on the phone left on the sofa.
Yesterday, she had been too upset to satisfy her curiosity, but now was a perfect chance.
Without hesitation, Chi Yingyu picked up the phone and entered the password on the screen.
But as she pressed the last digit, she realized Jiang Lai had changed the phone’s password from the one she had always used.