Jiang Leyi pressed her face against Shen Ruxue’s chest, listening to her steady heartbeat. The messy tangle of emotions inside her suddenly calmed.
The two held each other like that, the living room filled only with the sound of their breathing and the occasional sob.
Shen Ruxue would be staying at the house for a week. And in that short week, Jiang Lai finally experienced what it meant to have a complete family. During that week, one day happened to be Shen Ruxue’s birthday, which quickly became the biggest event the household had seen in recent memory.
Although Jiang Leyi hadn’t acknowledged Shen Ruxue as her mother before, after a few days of living together and being around each other day and night, her initial resistance faded. Apart from not calling her “Mom,” she had accepted Shen Ruxue’s presence in every other way.
She had even stopped minding when Shen Ruxue occasionally sat close to her. Jiang Lai watched these changes unfold, and her heart swelled with genuine happiness, because her family was finally becoming whole.
But even with all this happiness, there was one thing that remained a little frustrating… three adults had been squeezing into one bed for days now. Even though Jiang Lai’s bed was bigger than average, three people was really a tight fit.
On top of that, Shen Ruxue and Chi Yingyu both had a habit of crowding toward her in their sleep, whether consciously or not. That left even less space for all three of them, and Jiang Lai would sometimes wake up in a half-daze, feeling too hot.
Yet Jiang Lai couldn’t bear to suggest sleeping separately. Since everyone wanted to be together, the only solution was to buy a bigger bed. So while the rest of the household was busy ordering a cake and booking a big meal, Jiang Lai found herself browsing online for beds larger than two meters by two point two meters.
But even if she bought one, by the time it was delivered and set up in the bedroom, Shen Ruxue would have already gone back. Even though Jiang Lai had the intention, she had to put that idea aside for now and figure out how to make the bed bigger after Xiaoxue left. For now, squeezing together with three people was manageable.
Jiang Lai thought it over. For the sake of her sleep quality, she should probably talk to the two of them about sleeping flat on their backs instead of both crowding in and wrapping their arms around her. It really got hot, and she’d even break out in a light sweat. So when they went out during the day to order the cake, Jiang Lai decided to discuss it with Xiaoxue and Chi Yingyu on the way there.
As they drove, Jiang Lai sat in the passenger seat, her fingertips tracing idle circles on the leather armrest. Her gaze first landed on Chi Yingyu’s hands gripping the steering wheel ahead—neat and well-defined.
Ever since they’d gotten intimate, Jiang Lai had developed a very strange habit of unconsciously staring at the hands of the people around her. Had she become a hand person?
While she was lost in thought, she figured she might as well bring up the sleeping arrangement with Chi Yingyu. They were finally out of the house, and Xiaoxue couldn’t hear them, so this was the perfect chance to discuss it properly.
Ordering a cake normally just took a quick phone call and it would be delivered. But this time, they’d made a special trip out—and together, no less—just to give Shen Ruxue and her daughter some time alone. Since she was back for such a rare visit, they needed to create some private space for the mother and daughter to bond. They were so close to bridging that gap.
When the car stopped at a red light, she finally spoke up. Her voice was softer than usual, carrying a hint of whininess she didn’t even notice herself:
“Yingyu… at night, could you not sleep so close to me?”
Chi Yingyu turned her head to look at her, her eyes holding their usual gentleness.
“What’s wrong? Don’t want to be tangled up with me anymore?”
Jiang Lai quickly shook her head, but the tips of her ears were quietly heating up.
“Of course that’s not it. It’s just that when three of us squeeze together at night, it gets a bit too hot. I haven’t been sleeping well lately. But don’t worry, I’ll talk to Xiaoxue tonight too and tell you two to sleep a little more properly.”
Chi Yingyu tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel, her gaze drifting to Jiang Lai’s reddening ears. A faint curve tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“So it’s the heat.”
Her voice was softer than the car’s air conditioning.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? I thought you were tired of me being clingy. Tonight, I’ll stay on my side. As for Xiaoxue… you’ll have to negotiate with her properly. She was burrowing into your arms in the middle of the night yesterday. I don’t want you playing favorites. You need to keep the water level even between us sisters, got it?”
Jiang Lai curled her fingers around the armrest, remembering the warmth of Shen Ruxue pressed against her back the night before. Her ears grew hotter. She mumbled in protest,
“I really am just a little hot. I was even sweating a bit at night…”
Before she could finish, Chi Yingyu quickly cut her off, because at that moment, she’d thought of a perfect solution:
“Then I’ll turn on the cold AC at night. That way you won’t feel hot anymore.”
Jiang Lai froze for two seconds, then looked at Chi Yingyu with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
“What kind of solution is that? It’s winter. If we turn on the cold AC, we’ll catch a cold if we’re not careful. What if you freeze?”
She poked Chi Yingyu’s arm lightly with her fingertip, her tone tinged with resignation.
“That’s such a half-baked idea. Can’t you think of something milder? Idiot…”
“Then what do you suggest?”
Chi Yingyu asked, her eyes dancing with amusement as she teased her.
“It’s not like we can sleep separately, can we? Would you really be okay with one of us sleeping somewhere else?”
That hit exactly where it hurt. Of course she wouldn’t be okay with it. She’d never even considered separate rooms, because just thinking about not having one of them beside her—about reaching out in the night and finding nothing but empty space—made her heart feel hollow.
She pressed her lips together and muttered quietly,
“I just want you two to stop crowding into my side… The bed is wide enough, but you insist on cuddling into one lump.”
Chi Yingyu saw the sulky, wronged look on her face and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Got it. I’ll be more careful tonight.”
She slowed the car and pulled into a parking spot in front of the cake shop. Turning to Jiang Lai, she said seriously,
“Tonight, I’ll try to sleep on the outer edge. If Xiaoxue tries to burrow into your arms again, I’ll gently push her back. That works, right?”
Jiang Lai looked at the sincerity in her eyes. The heat in her ears slowly faded, but her heart melted into a complete puddle.
She nodded. Just as she was about to push open the car door, Chi Yingyu caught her wrist.
“Wait.”
Chi Yingyu leaned closer, her voice dropping low.
“But there’s a condition. Once your sister leaves, you have to make it up to me. You know how long I’ve been sleeping next to you without getting to eat, right? I’ve been dying of craving.”
Jiang Lai’s cheeks instantly flushed red again. She mumbled a quick “Got it” and practically fled out of the car, rushing toward the cake shop.
Chi Yingyu watched her retreating figure, her smile impossible to hide. She took her time locking the car and followed after her.
Back at home, the opportunity created by Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu going out meant Shen Ruxue and Jiang Leyi finally had time alone together—a chance for this mother and daughter to mend their relationship.
The wall clock in the living room ticked away. Ever since Jiang Lai and her sister had left to order the cake, Shen Ruxue had no idea how to start a conversation with her daughter, how to reach out to her…
But she couldn’t waste the opportunity Jiang Lai and her sister had created for her. Always relying on them to bridge the gap with her daughter wasn’t what Shen Ruxue wanted.
Shen Ruxue placed the freshly washed strawberries on a plate and sprinkled some sugar over them. Her daughter Leyi loved sweet things—she’d always remembered that.
After preparing the strawberries in the kitchen, she turned and saw Jiang Leyi curled up in the corner of the sofa, clutching a stuffed doll, staring at the tablet in her hands. But whatever was playing on the screen, she clearly wasn’t actually watching it.
Shen Ruxue walked over, set the plate of strawberries on the coffee table, and sat down next to Leyi. She didn’t dare sit too close, afraid of making the child uncomfortable, so she settled on the other end of the sofa. Picking up a throw pillow, she began unconsciously squeezing its corner.
“Leyi, have some strawberries. They’re freshly washed, really sweet.”
Her voice was so soft, as if afraid of startling something.
Jiang Leyi didn’t respond, didn’t move, just tightened her grip on the stuffed doll. Shen Ruxue didn’t push. She simply sat there, keeping her company.
The living room was quiet, only the sound of the tablet filling the silence. All Shen Ruxue could do was quietly watch Jiang Leyi. Leyi was beautiful, especially her long eyelashes—exactly like she was at that age. She had perfectly inherited Jiang Lai’s stunning eyes.
Shen Ruxue thought back to when she’d left—Leyi was so small then. Now she’d grown so tall, able to sit and watch TV by herself. Her heart ached. All these years, apart from the brief time she’d spent with her during the school period recently, she hadn’t been there for her child at all.
After a while, Jiang Leyi finally stirred. She reached out, took a strawberry from the plate, and took a small bite.
Shen Ruxue quickly asked,
“Is it sweet? If it’s not sweet enough, I’ll add more sugar for you.”
“Mm… you should have some too. I can’t finish all of them by myself.”
Jiang Leyi said quietly, still not looking at her, but after finishing the strawberry in her hand, she reached out and took another one.
Shen Ruxue breathed a sigh of relief, like a small stone had been lifted from her heart. She tried to find something to say:
“After I left… have you been doing okay at school?”
Jiang Leyi glanced up at her, then quickly looked back down, mouth full of strawberry as she gave a muffled “Mm.”
“I’m sorry…”
Shen Ruxue’s voice carried a hint of longing.
“Mom wanted so badly to spend your school days with you too, but I also wanted to get back home as soon as possible… Leaving without saying goodbye back then… I’m truly sorry…”
Jiang Leyi hesitated, not knowing what to say. Her eyes suddenly grew wet. Even though she’d missed the life they had together deeply when Shen Ruxue first left, she still stubbornly insisted,
“I didn’t, I didn’t miss you. I’ll be fine on my own at school…”
When Shen Ruxue heard those words—”I didn’t miss you”—her heart felt like it had been pricked. It didn’t hurt, but it ached with a sour, panicked feeling.