“It’s just a simple meal. Is all this pageantry really necessary?”
Jiang Lai looked at the rows of luxurious gowns hanging on the racks. Every single one looked incredibly expensive. In her mind, the only occasions that called for such attire were grand galas or high-society banquets.
“Can’t I just wear regular clothes?”
If her suitcase were still here, Jiang Lai would have preferred to just throw on a simple white shirt. “Do you have a white shirt in my size?”
The white shirt Jiang Lai had worn previously was a remnant from her past. Although her physique had changed significantly, her bust size was—inexplicably—a perfect fit. With a little tailoring in the looser areas, it would have been perfectly wearable.
Jiang Lai’s current aesthetic wasn’t what it used to be; she now found that the simpler something was, the more it appealed to her.
“It’s just one meal…”
“This is anything but a ‘simple’ meal.”
Si Yina ignored Jiang Lai’s concerns, preoccupied with picking out a dress she liked from the rack—one specifically selected to flatter Jiang Lai’s figure.
Seeing that Si Yina was entirely consumed by her own agenda, Jiang Lai stopped trying to argue. There was no point in wasting words on someone who only cared about her own thoughts and completely disregarded the opinions of others.
Besides, once today was over, she would have a reason to leave this godforsaken resort island. She wondered how her sister-in-law was doing.
At the thought, Jiang Lai glanced at Si Yina, who was still immersed in the clothes, and picked up her phone. She had sent messages to her sister-in-law yesterday, but there was still no response. Was she not up yet? Shen Ruxue, whom she had contacted yesterday, hadn’t replied either.
If Shen Ruxue had truly told her daughter and sister-in-law everything she saw yesterday, Jiang Lai could imagine the scene she would return to.
Her sister-in-law would definitely be unhappy… although Chi Yingyu had seemingly given up on her plans to take their relationship further lately, and the bond between them had appeared to return to its former purity.
However, Jiang Lai was no fool. She could feel Chi Yingyu’s possessiveness. Even if Chi Yingyu couldn’t take that “extra step,” she wouldn’t allow anyone else to get too close to Jiang Lai.
As for this possessiveness from her sister-in-law, Jiang Lai’s way of dealing with it was to turn a blind eye. Who didn’t have possessive streaks? Jiang Lai also understood that her own feelings for her sister-in-law were not entirely healthy.
While far from the pathological level of Chi Yingyu’s, her feelings had reached a point where they were unspeakable. The desire to keep her sister-in-law by her side forever, to maintain the status quo indefinitely—wasn’t that thought just as selfish?
But facing these emotions, Jiang Lai knew she couldn’t allow herself to sink into them, nor could she take them for granted. If she started thinking like her sister-in-law, the relationship within their “family of three” would become utterly chaotic.
Jiang Lai thought about the current Chi Yingyu. She was her wife’s sister; that fact would never change. Ironically, it was thanks to her current female identity that she could spend time with Chi Yingyu so intimately and without reservation.
In the past, Jiang Lai would never have allowed herself to be alone with her sister-in-law. They were adults; even if they were as “clean as a blank sheet of paper,” there were certain boundaries that had to be observed.
But now, Jiang Lai could be so close to Chi Yingyu that they could even live together for a period, until it became natural to lie in the same bed. Such things were once a luxury she couldn’t even dream of—it was truly unimaginable.
If she stripped away the ambiguous cover provided by her current female identity and projected her original gender back into the situation, she realized their relationship had long since fallen into an abyss from which there was no climbing out.
Jiang Lai could only play dumb. Otherwise, Chi Yingyu would surely intensify her advances, and if things spiraled out of control… how could she face her wife and daughter?
Jiang Lai gripped her phone tightly, wondering how she could provide a satisfactory explanation to her daughter and sister-in-law. Meanwhile, Si Yina walked over to her excitedly, holding several gowns she favored.
As Si Yina approached, she saw the cold and elegant Jiang Lai with her eyelashes lowered, staring at her phone. A few strands of hair fell across the crook of her neck, lending her a subtle air of sexiness. Si Yina’s eyes darkened as she leaned down.
“Who are you chatting with?”
She leaned in and lightly nipped Jiang Lai’s earlobe, her tongue flicking out to taste the sweetness beneath.
Jiang Lai’s breathing hitched, and she turned her head away to dodge. She truly couldn’t stand these sudden physical ambushes. “Don’t touch me…”
But what threat did those three cold words carry? Even in the face of rejection, Si Yina maintained a smiling face, willingly pressing even closer to Jiang Lai.
“Fine. But you have to promise to be obedient later. If you don’t play the part well enough, I might have to add some ‘extra scenes’ to the performance.”
Hearing Si Yina’s doting voice, Jiang Lai could only sigh inwardly. The woman was truly committed to the act; her current attitude was exactly that of a perfect partner.
Jiang Lai pursed her lips, feeling the warmth emanating from Si Yina. She didn’t speak, but gave a small nod. Although she didn’t like Si Yina, she would do her best to fulfill what she had promised.
Even if it meant wearing a dress she disliked…
Jiang Lai’s current acceptance of women’s clothing mostly extended to underwear—after all, that was a physiological necessity, and she’d gotten used to it. However, in her heart, she still harbored a lingering resistance toward things like dresses and silk stockings.
It wasn’t that she looked down on them; it was just that wearing them felt “wrong” on her body—it didn’t fit who she was, even if the gown she was currently trying on fit her perfectly.
Jiang Lai felt the fabric of the gown against her skin. It clung to her curves, perfectly outlining her graceful and slender silhouette. Her waist looked delicate, and the skirt flared out naturally, accentuating her long legs. Overall, she looked cold yet incredibly charming.
But as Jiang Lai looked at herself in the mirror, she glanced briefly at her chest, then turned her head slightly to see Si Yina, whose eyes were practically glued to her. Si Yina was a stunning beauty, but the expression on her face was completely at odds with her looks—her gaze was full of desire and scrutiny, revealing a greed that clashed with her beautiful exterior.
“Pick another one. This is too revealing. And the tooth marks on my neck—how do you plan to handle those?”
“We’ll just show them to my parents openly. It’s not like it’s something to be ashamed of.”