Jiang Lai gripped her phone tightly, staring at the eyes in the photo on her screen.
At this moment, her own eyes were tinged with red.
Whether this was from anger, or because she hadn’t slept all night, even she wasn’t sure.
[Where are you eating right now?]
Jiang Lai tried hard to suppress the mess of emotions in her heart, forcing herself to send the message as she usually would.
Otherwise, it would be bad if her daughter noticed something was off.
Just thinking about how she was about to interfere, unreasonably and forcefully, in her daughter’s private life made her feel like a thoroughly unqualified parent.
Still, even if it meant destroying the good relationship she’d worked so hard to maintain with her daughter, she was determined to keep her daughter far away from Si Yina.
Jiang Lai looked at the restaurant information her daughter had forwarded to her. If she hurried, she might just be able to catch them at the restaurant.
In the restaurant, Jiang Leyi, who had just forwarded the restaurant information to her father, turned her gaze to the two people sitting beside her.
One was her lively and adorable High School classmate, Zhao Lingling, and the other, sitting between them, was the recently-acquainted friend Si Yina—a woman with striking looks and a witty, charming demeanor.
Over the past couple of days, Jiang Leyi had been so engrossed in her phone that she’d started ignoring even her father and aunt. The reason was simple: her rare reunion with a High School classmate who had fallen for Si Yina at first sight.
Jiang Leyi, who had always considered this her best friend in the past, paid much more attention to her during their chats than to others. She hadn’t even known before that this close friend actually liked girls.
And in their recent conversations, Zhao Lingling had openly admitted over the phone that she’d liked Jiang Leyi back in High School—not just as a friend, but in a romantic way.
Since High School, Jiang Leyi’s resemblance to her father had already brought her its share of trouble—she was simply too popular among the girls. Even though phones weren’t allowed at school, Jiang Leyi would receive several Love Letters nearly every day, most of them from female classmates.
Zhao Lingling had also written her a Love Letter back then, but never signed her name.
To avoid all that messy drama from affecting her, Jiang Leyi had always made a point to distance herself from anyone she found out liked her or had a crush on her.
Zhao Lingling had struggled between confessing her feelings and simply staying friends. In the end, she’d chosen the latter; just being able to stay by Jiang Leyi’s side felt like enough.
But she’d always kept in mind the idea of telling Jiang Leyi the truth after graduating from High School. Yet after the University Entrance Exam, Jiang Leyi was admitted to a local school, while Zhao Lingling, whose grades were a bit lower, had to go to another city. The distance meant she could only return during winter and summer breaks.
Her once-cherished feelings gradually faded with time, becoming nothing more than a lingering regret of youth. Now, Zhao Lingling truly considered Jiang Leyi just a friend.
She could even talk openly about her old crush and how she’d recently fallen for Si Yina at first sight.
Si Yina was undoubtedly a “girl-killer.” As the daughter of a wealthy family, her every gesture radiated nobility, and the confidence and grace she exuded from within set her apart. Yet in normal circumstances, she was cheerful and approachable, never giving off any air of superiority.
Even Jiang Lai had taken a liking to her upon their first meeting, not knowing her true nature. Si Yina wore a perfect mask that made it nearly impossible for anyone to glimpse the dark side hidden in her heart.
Zhao Lingling’s crush on Si Yina might sound reckless, but when Jiang Leyi found out, she could understand. In a way, she admired Si Yina too—but without any romantic feelings involved, as she herself didn’t lean that way.
But since her old friend was interested, she couldn’t help but take it more seriously, keeping a watchful eye for her friend’s sake. After all, Zhao Lingling was a bit shy, rarely voicing what was on her mind.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have kept her High School crush on Jiang Leyi hidden for so long, even giving up on her planned Confession after they ended up at different universities and cities.
While chatting on the phone, Zhao Lingling had quietly asked Jiang Leyi a favor—whether she could ask Si Yina about her orientation.
So, Jiang Leyi naturally became her friend’s messenger. To her, aside from marveling at Si Yina’s looks, she really had no other thoughts. That’s why, when she asked about such things, she could do so easily, at least maintaining the casual demeanor of a normal friend.
Part of the reason she agreed to this was because she wanted to figure out her own orientation too.
Jiang Leyi felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship; as long as she had her father and aunt by her side, she was perfectly content. She never used to care about these things at all.
Until her dad came back…
If she had to talk about her “ideal type,” the only man she admired was her father. As for women, there were plenty in her mind, but her aunt—who’d been with her since childhood—always stood out. Yet when it came to someone who could stir her heart and desires, for some reason, it was only Jiang Lai. This made Jiang Leyi have to think hard about her own orientation.
While helping her friend probe into Si Yina’s orientation, she also hoped that this older sister could help clear away the fog in her own heart. Otherwise, being stuck in this confusion was truly uncomfortable.
After all, just this morning, when she saw her father right after waking up, she’d been startled by her own absurd and inappropriate thoughts.
Jiang Leyi looked at the two people beside her. Both liked girls, and yet, they seemed no different from anyone else. The only difference was that their affection was for someone of the same gender.
After thinking things through over the past few days, Jiang Leyi had finally reached a clear answer. Glancing at her chat history with her father, she realized—she wanted a girlfriend just like her dad. Not only in terms of personality, but even in physique………………
At this thought, Jiang Leyi quickly covered her face, her pretty cheeks flushing bright red. How had she never noticed before just how lewd she was?