“Alright, I’ll be waiting for that day.”
The lights inside the plane were bright yet gentle. Feeling the warmth coming from beside her—Chi Zhaoyu—Jiang Lai felt at ease, all the earlier turmoil in her heart gone.
As for the Siyi Na she would soon have to face, Jiang Lai no longer felt any reason to be afraid.
“Yingyu, I’m really grateful, so grateful to have you by my side.”
Whether in the past or the present, Jiang Lai was truly thankful that her sister-in-law stayed with her.
Jiang Lai turned to gaze at her sister-in-law’s all-too-familiar face. Beneath the elegant long lashes were unreadable emotions. It sounded irresponsible to say it, but as Chi Yingyu gradually grew up, she had become more and more like Jiang Lai’s wife—a sudden realization.
One day, in an instant, with just one glance, Jiang Lai truly saw her wife’s shadow reflected in her sister-in-law. But she knew such feelings were not what she should have.
After seeing her wife’s shadow in her sister-in-law, Jiang Lai constantly reminded herself that Chi Yingyu was just herself, not anyone’s shadow, let alone anyone’s substitute. She was Chi Yingyu—unique and irreplaceable.
“I’ll always, always be by your side.”
Chi Yingyu leaned in lower, getting even closer. Her scent came with her, even more distinct now. Jiang Lai took a few quiet, deep breaths, letting that scent linger in her lungs.
Jiang Lai wasn’t some kind of pervert—she was just curious. Clearly, everyone used the same set of toiletries, so why did the scent from her sister-in-law’s body feel so completely different from her own?
“There’s no such thing as ‘always.’ Who can really say what the future holds?”
“Why can’t we be sure?”
Chi Zhaoyu placed a hand on Jiang Lai’s shoulder then—a slender, well-defined hand, soft and filled with tenderness.
Along with it came the slight heat from her sister-in-law, warm and fiery. That slender, warm hand lightly stroked Jiang Lai’s head, drawing them even closer together.
“I’ll stay with you forever. I swear it to you.”
“And what about your life?”
“My life? But my life has already been filled with you for a long time.”
Hearing her sister-in-law’s words, Jiang Lai’s heart softened. Her voice gentle, she thought that if it were any other time, she would have tried her best to avoid getting so close. But right now, she actually wanted to hold her close.
Jiang Lai was keenly aware that this was a twisted relationship, but her mindset had slowly shifted from absolute resistance to understanding her sister-in-law’s thoughts.
Maybe some things, once begun, could never be suppressed again. Once Chi Yingyu decided to express her feelings, there was no stopping that tide.
In the whole process, Chi Yingyu had only become more enamored, greedier for Jiang Lai. Even when the two were already so close, Chi Yingyu followed her heart and slipped an arm around Jiang Lai’s waist, gently pulling her into her embrace—
Utterly intimate.
Their conversation had long since ended. There was never much to talk about between the two of them, anyway—what could Jiang Lai possibly say?
Faced with Chi Yingyu’s outpouring of affection, Jiang Lai had no idea how to respond. All she could do was let her sister-in-law hold her a little tighter.
To have Chi Yingyu by her side in this lifetime—Jiang Lai knew what an honor that was, and how lucky she was to receive such a promise. It’s just…
Jiang Lai was also well aware: no matter how much or how openly Chi Yingyu loved her, she could not reciprocate. Call it cowardice, or ingratitude—she greedily accepted everything Chi Yingyu offered her.
By the time they got off the plane, it was already evening. Unlike the chilly wind that left her shivering back at home by sunset, the night air in this city was as mild as spring, carrying only the faintest hint of coolness.
Jiang Lai was grateful she’d already taken off her heavy down jacket on the plane. Otherwise, wearing it outside now, she might have broken out in a sweat.
Hand in hand with Chi Yingyu, she only turned on her phone after reaching the airport hall. Although there had been in-flight Wi-Fi available before takeoff, Jiang Lai had no desire to deal with the messages on her phone.
Before she even unlocked her phone, Jiang Lai knew without looking that Siyi Na had sent several messages. But when she saw the red notification dot, she didn’t tap it—instead, she opened her daughter’s chat first, letting her know she’d landed safely, and then replied to a few messages from Xu Ruobing.
Only after finishing all this did Jiang Lai finally open the chat with that scoundrel. During the several hours she’d been on the plane, Siyi Na had sent a flurry of messages—most of it was pure nonsense, peppered with some flirtatious teasing.
Like saying how much she missed her, how she’d hug her the moment they met, and other such nonsense—there were plenty, but Jiang Lai ignored them all, too lazy to even glance at them.
Really, out of all those messages, the only thing that mattered was that Siyi Na would be coming to pick her up in person.
At the thought of Siyi Na’s ridiculous behavior, Jiang Lai tightened her grip on her sister-in-law’s hand and softly warned her, “No matter what happens next, don’t get angry, alright? I’ll handle everything. You just stay with me.”
Siyi Na’s personality was unpredictable, but as long as there was someone watching the two of them, even she wouldn’t dare to act up in broad daylight.
Jiang Lai walked out and saw someone holding up a huge sign with her name on it. The moment she saw her name written there, Jiang Lai felt like her heart was crying.
She’d been on business trips before, but had never experienced being greeted by someone holding a sign with her name.
Even though no one at the airport recognized her, Jiang Lai couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.
Just as Jiang Lai had immediately noticed the sign Siyi Na was holding up, Siyi Na had instantly spotted the beautiful woman she’d been waiting for all day. At last, the yearning she’d been suppressing overflowed.
But now, who was the woman standing beside Jiang Lai? Seeing the two of them so close, Siyi Na found the sight a bit of an eyesore.
And seeing Jiang Lai again after so long, Siyi Na couldn’t help but wonder—had she put on weight? With only a thin shirt now instead of a thick down jacket, Jiang Lai’s perfect figure was on full display at last.
If anything, Jiang Lai’s curves looked even better than before: her waist still slender, but her body more shapely, her figure even more alluring—making Siyi Na want to pull her close and…