Hearing the question, Shen Ruxue was momentarily taken aback. She had just set down her suitcase when she caught the hint of anticipation in that voice. A smile tugged at her lips as she stepped forward and gently ruffled Chi Yingyu’s still-damp hair.
“Why ask that the moment we meet?”
Her voice carried a slight rasp from the early morning bus ride, yet it remained warm.
“I came this time mostly because I missed you two, and to check on Qingyi’s situation as a side errand.”
“Is Jiang Lai still in her room?”
Her gaze swept across the living room, and not spotting Jiang Lai’s figure, she added another question.
Chi Yingyu nodded quickly, then turned and scurried toward the bathroom, calling out in a muffled voice:
“I’ll be ready in no time!”
Leaving Shen Ruxue standing there, watching her light, cheerful retreat with a soft smile.
Now that the two of them had settled into their proper places, her younger sister really did seem much livelier than before.
The suitcase wheels left a soft rumble across the floor. She pushed the luggage toward the corner of the entryway, and just as she finished changing into her slippers, she heard the gentle sound of the bedroom door sliding open.
Jiang Lai’s pajamas were neatly straightened, though the top button of her collar was left undone, revealing a small patch of fair skin.
Spotting Shen Ruxue in the living room, a flash of delight lit up her eyes, and her pace quickened.
“Xiaoxue, I just saw your message. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”
“Because I wanted to see you as early as possible.”
Shen Ruxue stepped forward and naturally pulled her into a hug. The familiar scent of Jiang Lai—a blend of warm bedding and shampoo—filled her nostrils, instantly dissolving the exhaustion of her journey.
“I messaged you last night and never saw a reply. I couldn’t stop worrying about you two, so I just came straight over.”
Jiang Lai remembered the unread messages on her phone and nestled sheepishly into Shen Ruxue’s embrace.
“I’m sorry, Xiaoxue. I fell asleep early last night, and when I just woke up, I hadn’t checked my phone yet. I was about to ask when you’d arrive when I heard the commotion outside.”
She took Shen Ruxue’s hand and led her toward the sofa.
“You’ve been riding for so long—are you tired? Let me pour you a glass of water.”
“No need to bother. I can handle it myself.”
Shen Ruxue pressed down on her hand, her gaze falling on Jiang Lai’s reddening ear tips. She couldn’t help teasing:
“Just now in the room, were you all tangled up with Xiao Yu? Because I can smell your younger sister’s scent on you…”
“What ‘younger sister’s scent’ are you talking about?”
At Shen Ruxue’s strange remark, Jiang Lai’s ears flushed even deeper. She cleared her throat to change the subject.
“What Yingyu asked just now is exactly what I’ve been wondering. Are you planning to take her back?”
At the mention of Xie Qingyi, Shen Ruxue’s expression shifted subtly.
“She’s the excuse I used to come here, that’s true. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have found such a perfect excuse.”
“This time, I mainly want to spend some time with you two. As for Qingyi, once she’s done clearing her head and wants to leave, she can head back on her own whenever she likes.”
She paused, turning her gaze to Jiang Lai.
“I mainly came to keep you company. I really, really missed you.”
Jiang Lai shook her head.
“I missed you too… But if you’re here, can you really stay long? I mean, work still depends on you.”
Remembering Shen Ruxue’s professional obligations, she couldn’t help asking further.
“This time, exactly how long can you stay?”
“As for how long—work no longer really needs me for anything right now. I can stay for about a week.”
Shen Ruxue said with a smile:
“Even if I go back a little later, it’s fine. I’ve already arranged all the upcoming tasks. I just wanted to come over and relax properly with you two.”
“By the way, where’s Le Yi? I didn’t see her this morning. Is she too shy to come out, or did she go somewhere?”
“Le Yi? She’s been holed up in her room since last night. Probably too embarrassed to come out.”
Jiang Lai had just finished speaking when she saw Chi Yingyu emerge from the bathroom, freshly washed, towel still in hand as she dried her face.
“Jiang Jiang, you should go wash up too!”
Chi Yingyu walked over to the sofa, sat down next to Jiang Lai, reached out, and firmly grasped her hand, pulling her up from the couch.
After sending Jiang Lai off to wash up, she settled into the spot Jiang Lai had just vacated, eyes sparkling as she looked at Shen Ruxue.
“Big Sister, too bad—there aren’t enough rooms in the house anymore.”
Shen Ruxue looked at her younger sister’s triumphant smile, so utterly confident of victory, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s fine. It doesn’t matter if there aren’t enough…”
She pointed toward the bed in Jiang Lai’s room.
“I still remember Jiang Lai’s bed being huge. Fitting three people would be more than comfortable.”
“But that only leaves room for two to sleep. Adding a third would really be a squeeze.”
Chi Yingyu stuck out her tongue, then headed straight back into the bedroom. She made a point of looking through Jiang Lai’s room for her own clothes, ready to change out of her pajamas.
Just as she was about to pick out something to change into, she heard footsteps behind her. The hanger in her hand paused mid-motion as she turned to see her sister.
“Why did you come in, Big Sister?”
Chi Yingyu’s voice carried a deliberate cheerfulness, but her eyes locked onto Shen Ruxue’s every move.
“I’ll be changed and out of here soon. If you need to find something, wait until I leave, okay?”
Though she said nothing overt, every word made it clear that this room now belonged to her and Jiang Lai—and that her sister had become, for all intents and purposes, a “guest.”
Just as Chi Yingyu was planning how to assert her authority as the lady of the house, she watched in disbelief as her sister suddenly started stripping off her coat without a care for propriety.
“What are you doing? This is indecent.”
Chi Yingyu’s grip on the hanger tightened sharply, her knuckles turning faintly white. As she watched Shen Ruxue raise her hands to undo the buttons of her trench coat, her pupils contracted slightly.
She had been silently scheming about how to draw “clear boundaries” without making a scene, but her sister’s sudden move left all her prepared words stuck in her throat.
“I’m not stripping down completely. What’s the panic?”
Shen Ruxue noticed her tense posture and a knowing smile curled at the corner of her mouth. She draped the slipping coat over the crook of her arm, revealing a cream-colored knit sweater underneath.
“I just sat through a long ride, and my back is killing me. I wanted to lean against Jiang Lai’s bed for a bit, maybe steal some of you two’s ‘warmth.'”
Before she even finished speaking, she was already striding toward the bed. Gently lifting the edge of the quilt, she carefully avoided the spot Chi Yingyu had slept in the night before and headed straight for Jiang Lai’s familiar scent, sinking into it completely.
She half-buried herself in the blankets Jiang Lai had slept in, her nose gently brushing against the soft pillowcase, a smile unconsciously spreading across her lips.
Chi Yingyu had to admit—her sister, completely unaware, had somehow managed to find the exact spot where Jiang Jiang had slept last night.
“Thump—”
The hanger slipped from her hand onto the carpet.
Watching her sister’s “stubborn refusal to leave” act, she hurried to the bedside, bent down to pick up the hanger, and her voice carried a hint of barely concealed gloom.
“Big Sister! This is our bed… you can’t just lie right on top of it like that!”
Shen Ruxue poked her head out from under the quilt, a playful glint in her eyes, her fingertip lightly tracing the edge of the blanket.
“Just leaning for a moment. I’m not trying to steal it from you.”
“You must have slept holding Jiang Jiang all night, while I was all alone by myself last night. It’s just that I haven’t been able to soak in Jiang Jiang’s scent for so long.”
“Yesterday… did my little sister not even have a single thought of pity or care for her poor big sister?”