Chapter 48: The Thrill of Sneaking Around Is a Bit Too Strong

“What did you do this time?”

Wang Ziyang had already been provoked so much that he could now remain perfectly calm.

If his little sister suddenly told him right now that she actually liked Jiang Xiaoyue, he might even feel relieved.

“N-Nothing… Big Brother, what’s with that look in your eyes?”

Wang Ziyue pulled out a small mirror to check her reflection, then touched up her lipstick.

“What look… I’m just scared you’ll suddenly say you’re into her mom!”

“Well, of course I’d like my future mother-in-law…” Wang Ziyue took a step back, clutching her bag in front of her chest, terrified her brother was going to hit her.

“You can even see the daughter right now? It’s all future mother-in-law with you. Fine. Since you’ve already written the guarantee letter, just behave yourself for me. Come home tonight for dinner with Mom and Dad.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Mom and Dad about this for the time being.”

Wang Ziyang irritably pinched the bridge of his nose. One son, one little sister… seriously, seriously—

“Um… right, there’s still the stuff in the private room.”

“What else?”

Wang Ziyue pushed the door open again and came out carrying two black plastic bags.

“What are these?”

“Seafood I bought on the way. Perfect to bring to Mom and Dad’s.”

Wang Ziyang stared at his sister with a half-smile until her hair stood on end.

“You didn’t originally buy these for Mom and Dad, did you?”

“It’s to show filial respect to you, alright!”

Wang Ziyue huffily shoved the bags into her brother’s arms and headed toward the parking lot.

“Hey, this…” Wang Ziyang took a deep breath.

Calm down, calm down. The kid just doesn’t know better.

Fang Qinghua shook her head helplessly, curiosity about that little girl she had never met growing once again in her heart—

“Achoo! Achoo!” 

Jiang Cheng pulled out two tissues to blow her nose, then picked up the remote to turn the air-conditioner temperature higher.

Mom had just sent a WeChat message saying she’d be home soon, but then added another line telling her to wait in the living room.

Did she have something to talk to her about?

She stared at her phone for a while. 

Ever since Wang Ziyue had left, there had been no further activity on WeChat.

For no reason at all, a wave of disappointment washed over Jiang Cheng.

She was just wondering whether she should send a message asking if Wang Ziyue had gotten home safely when the sound of the lock turning came from the entrance.

Jiang Cheng stood up. 

Jiang Xiaoyue was standing wearily in the doorway, and only when she saw her daughter did a spark of light appear in her eyes.

But she immediately frowned, handing over the bag she was carrying to Jiang Cheng.

“You even forgot your own things?”

Jiang Cheng took it and looked inside, then slapped her forehead. “Mom, how did it end up with you…”

“Who else did you want it to end up with?”

“I… I left it in President Wang’s car.”

At the time, she had been carrying the garlic her mom had asked her to buy, and when she got out of the car she hadn’t noticed she’d forgotten anything.

“President Wang? Don’t you usually call her ‘big sister’?”

Jiang Xiaoyue changed into her slippers and walked into the living room. 

The cool air from the air-conditioner chased away the summer heat.

“This…”

“Mom already knows. Your relationship with her—is pretty good.” 

Jiang Xiaoyue’s words carried a deeper meaning.

“Well, she helped me before…”

“So right now, Xiao Cheng, when you face her, is it mostly a desire to repay her kindness?”

Jiang Xiaoyue cut her daughter off. 

The two of them stood beside the coffee table without sitting down. 

Jiang Cheng could clearly see the worry in her mother’s eyes.

“I… I don’t know.”

At this moment she should say yes—she had always thought her feelings toward Wang Ziyue were gratitude. 

But now that her mother was asking so directly, she suddenly didn’t know how to answer.

“Then let Mom ask a different question. How do you think Wang Ziyue sees you, or how does she treat you?”

“She’s really good to me.”

The answer came without any hesitation, whether it was the usual care or the way she always treated her as an equal.

Wang Ziyue never stood on high looking down; she often bent down or lowered her head to speak with her.

“Then what kind of ‘good’ do you think this is?” Jiang Xiaoyue sat down on the sofa and patted the spot beside her.

Jiang Cheng obediently leaned against her mother. Jiang Xiaoyue naturally wrapped an arm around her daughter.

She gently patted her daughter’s arm from time to time, her tone much softer. 

“Mom thinks you can figure it out yourself. Isn’t it obvious?”

Jiang Xiaoyue wanted to lay everything out in the open. 

Rather than leaving hidden dangers for feelings that might sprout, it was better to let Jiang Cheng see clearly right now.

Moreover, what she had to say next couldn’t avoid this point.

Even if Wang Ziyue hadn’t done anything yet, she had already given her a huge problem.

“Mom…” 

Jiang Cheng buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. 

She could feel her cheeks growing hotter little by little.

The scenes from last night flooded back into her mind, becoming clearer and clearer.

It seemed she had also leaned into Wang Ziyue’s embrace like this, letting that fragrance envelop her completely.

Dazed, confused—after waking up, all she wanted was to escape. 

She didn’t want her current life to change again.

All unknown possibilities made her shrink back.

“Xiao Cheng, ask your own heart. Really, you can’t see it at all?”

No… it wasn’t like that. 

From the moment she had entered Wang Ziyue’s home, from the moment she had asked that question, hadn’t she already prepared herself for every possibility?

She had used so-called “trust” as decoration, hypnotizing herself to find excuses.

She had indulged Wang Ziyue’s step-by-step advances.

“Wang Ziyue likes you, doesn’t she?”

Jiang Xiaoyue didn’t give her daughter any time to breathe. 

She had to make her daughter face it directly, then personally cut off the sprout herself.

Yes, there was no such thing as unprovoked special treatment.

A trace of panic appeared in Jiang Cheng’s eyes.

“Xiao Cheng, Mom isn’t trying to blame you. This isn’t your fault at all.”

Jiang Xiaoyue held her daughter’s arms and pulled her upright. 

She could clearly see the struggle in her daughter’s eyes.

If it was just shyness, the problem might not be that serious… Jiang Xiaoyue felt her heart tighten.

“Then Mom will ask you one more time. How do you feel about Wang Ziyue?”

“Mom!” 

Jiang Cheng closed her eyes, her features scrunched together, her shoulders rising high.

After about half a minute, her whole body seemed to deflate, and her attitude softened.

“I really… really don’t know—my heart is so confused right now… I don’t want to think about these things, Mom! I, I…”

Jiang Cheng’s voice carried a sobbing tone.

“Alright, alright… calm down first. Mom won’t ask anymore. Mom’s going to cook.”

Jiang Xiaoyue stood up, leaving her daughter some space to be alone.

Jiang Cheng forced a smile. 

She felt something inside her chest tormenting her, making it impossible to calm down.

The feeling of suffocation.

She was sitting at the bottom of the sea looking up at the sky, reaching out only to grasp flowing seawater.

Jiang Cheng picked up her phone and sent a certain someone a message: 【Are you there?】 Then she tossed the phone onto the coffee table.

Not long after, the phone screen lit up. 

Upon seeing the name displayed, Jiang Cheng snatched up the phone and hurried to her room.

Jiang Xiaoyue had been washing vegetables. Hearing footsteps, she turned to glance over.

In the end, it turned into a long, soft sigh.

President Wang really knows how to seize every opportunity. 

She didn’t even need to think hard to guess why Jiang Cheng had gone back to her room. 

She turned off the tap and wiped her hands with a towel.

She walked to Jiang Cheng’s door and knocked. There was a thud from inside.

“Xiao Cheng, can Mom come in?”

“Ah… Mom, I’m on the phone.” 

Jiang Cheng clutched her phone, staring at the door handle.

“It’s Wang Ziyue, right? Then Mom definitely needs to come in. She just wrote a guarantee letter, didn’t she?”

“Guarantee letter? What’s that…”

Jiang Xiaoyue had already pushed the door open. 

She looked at her daughter sitting on the chair—her complexion looked much better than before.

Who knows what Wang Ziyue had said to her.

“Let Mom say a few words to Wang Ziyue, okay?”

“This…”

“It’s fine. Jiang Jiang, give the phone to your mom. She really doesn’t trust me right now.” 

Wang Ziyue let out a wry laugh. 

She was standing in her parents’ garden, hiding from her older brother to take this call.

“Alright…”

Jiang Cheng handed over the phone. 

Instead of holding it to her ear, Jiang Xiaoyue placed it on the table and turned on the speaker.

“President Wang, do you still remember what we agreed on this afternoon?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Then what exactly are you doing right now?”

“Ahem, Aunt… our guarantee letter only said we can’t meet in private, right?”

Jiang Xiaoyue thought back for a moment, her tone growing heavier. 

“We agreed you can’t get close to her. Don’t you understand the word ‘close’?”

“Of course I understand. I really haven’t gotten close to Jiang Jiang. Look, I’m out here in the suburbs, and Jiang Jiang is perfectly fine at home, right? The straight-line distance between us is more than ten kilometers.”

It really wasn’t close.

Jiang Xiaoyue was rendered speechless. 

When writing the guarantee letter, she hadn’t clearly defined “getting close” and had instead focused more on specific locations and times.

Now Wang Ziyue was using that against her.

“Besides, Aunt… when we signed the guarantee letter, it said ‘cannot actively get close.’ I called Jiang Jiang because Jiang Jiang contacted me first. Of course, don’t blame her—even if she hadn’t messaged me, I still would have called.”

Without facing Jiang Xiaoyue in person, Wang Ziyue felt much less pressure while speaking.

“Fine, fine. President Wang really is a master negotiator.”

Jiang Xiaoyue’s head was spinning from all the roundabout talk. 

Only now did she realize why Wang Ziyue had added that extra flourish when writing the guarantee letter.

So she had been waiting for her here?!

Jiang Xiaoyue looked up at her daughter. 

Jiang Cheng was staring anxiously at the phone, clearly worried about the person on the other end.

What a pair of star-crossed lovebirds! Jiang Xiaoyue felt like she was going to faint.