Although Jiang Leyi wasn’t a celebrity-chaser, she had rewatched several dramas starring Xu Ruobing multiple times. In her eyes, Xu Ruobing was the absolute embodiment of beauty and strength, and she couldn’t help but admire her.
Not long ago, Jiang Leyi had seen her own father live-streaming together with Xu Ruobing. Even though they were together on camera, she had no idea how close her father and Xu Ruobing actually were.
After all, as she saw it, most of what happened in live streams was fake or scripted. Back then, Jiang Leyi had secretly wanted Xu Ruobing’s Signed Autograph, but she worried it would only trouble her father, so she never mentioned it.
But now that Xu Ruobing had personally come to their house for New Year’s Eve, it was obvious her relationship with her father was anything but ordinary. In that case, asking for an autograph shouldn’t be too much to ask!
And since the opportunity was so rare, Jiang Leyi had a bit of a greedy thought. Whenever she watched Xu Ruobing’s dramas, Shen Ruxue was always at her side, so asking for one on her best friend’s behalf should be fair too.
After some thought, Jiang Leyi snuggled up to her father a bit coquettishly, “Dad, can I ask her for a few autographs?”
In the past, the relationship between Jiang Lai and her daughter was never exactly estranged, but it was certainly stiff—just exchanging morning and evening greetings was already quite good, and any extra concern during the day was a blessing.
Not to mention now, with Jiang Leyi curled up beside her like an adorable little kitten, acting all sweet.
Normally, even if a thousand troublesome things came up, Jiang Lai wouldn’t want to trouble Xu Ruobing. The other party had already helped her too much, and Jiang Lai was always uneasy about it. But if her daughter just wanted a few autographs, that shouldn’t be a problem.
“I’ll ask her for you.”
Jiang Lai replied in a doting tone she herself didn’t realize she could use, agreeing to all of her daughter’s requests.
With her daughter’s issue settled, Jiang Lai’s thoughts drifted to Xu Ruobing again. Inviting Xu Ruobing over for New Year’s was Jiang Lai’s idea, as there was something she had to discuss with her face-to-face. She didn’t know if Xu Ruobing would agree.
Besides, with rehearsals and everything, the two hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and she was starting to miss her.
When Xu Ruobing finally arrived, it was already around 9 p.m. Although it had been a long wait, Jiang Lai had made a lot of dishes. Whenever she brought out a new one, the three of them would each taste a little bit to judge, without spoiling the look of the dishes. Even if they didn’t eat much of each, there was so much food that they couldn’t finish it.
The good thing was, even after 9 p.m., the three of them weren’t all that hungry.
Xu Ruobing had finished her Chunwan performance at 8:30 p.m. and immediately took back her phone from her agent backstage, sending Jiang Lai a message to let her know she was done.
Jiang Lai had been watching the TV station’s live stream the whole time, so she was glued to her phone, waiting for the message when Xu Ruobing finished.
Jiang Lai had assumed there would be two or three guests coming over, but Xu Ruobing said only she would be coming.
So when Jiang Lai learned this, she looked at the overflowing table of dishes she’d prepared. Even with four people, they wouldn’t be able to finish even a third of the food!
Before Xu Ruobing arrived, Jiang Lai was rearranging the dishes on the table, when the doorbell suddenly rang.
At this hour, the only person who would ring was Xu Ruobing. Just thinking that she was standing right at the door made even Jiang Leyi, who was closest to the entrance, less quick than her father.
Jiang Lai opened the door to see a woman bundled up tightly, wearing a mask, glasses, and a hat. The moment the woman saw her, she boldly swept Jiang Lai into her arms.
Xu Ruobing was tall, and the difference in their shoes only added to it, making Jiang Lai have to look up at her. The fragrance from Xu Ruobing’s embrace was wonderful—she didn’t know if it was perfume or Xu Ruobing’s natural scent.
“I’m so sorry, am I late?”
Xu Ruobing had already told the driver to hurry, but she still arrived much later than she’d hoped. Last night, after Jiang Lai said she wanted to spend New Year’s Eve together, Xu Ruobing had been planning her time as best as possible, but the Chunwan schedule was fixed and couldn’t be shortened. She’d tried her hardest to get there earlier.
If only she could stretch a minute into an hour—then she could’ve redone her makeup and picked a more charming outfit instead of just throwing on a sweater and coat in a rush.
Right after performing, Xu Ruobing had changed out of her stage costume and quickly put on a warm wool sweater and a coat before hurrying over.
She didn’t even have time to fix her hair, so her once immaculate hairstyle now had little wisps sticking out, looking a bit messy and adding a touch of cuteness.
Jiang Lai was being hugged so tightly that, under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t mind, especially when she was happy or missed Xu Ruobing. But this wasn’t just their world tonight.
Jiang Lai pushed gently at her shoulder in protest. Xu Ruobing thought at first that she was just being playful, but when she looked inside, she noticed there were two other people in the living room, staring straight at them.
So it wasn’t just the two of them for New Year’s—there were four people…
No wonder Jiang Lai had sounded so surprised when she heard Xu Ruobing was coming alone. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be just their night.
Xu Ruobing glanced at the two women inside. One was Chi Yingyu, whom she’d met before. The other, a young girl who somewhat resembled Jiang Lai—who could she be?
Why had Jiang Lai never mentioned her…
Jiang Lai’s current family situation was complicated, and even if she tried to explain, most people wouldn’t understand right away.
Jiang Lai, who looked at most twenty-seven or twenty-eight, was actually the head of the family. The girl who looked like a twenty-year-old younger sister was actually her daughter, Jiang Leyi. And Chi Yingyu was Jiang Leyi’s aunt—her wife’s younger sister.
Such a complicated, tangled family situation—no one could guess at the real relationships, and Jiang Lai had no intention of letting others find out. In her mind, only her daughter and sister-in-law needed to know the truth. For everyone else, she told a giant lie to cover it up—a harmless lie, to avoid unnecessary trouble.
With Xu Ruobing joining this complicated family, everything actually felt unusually harmonious.
Chi Yingyu didn’t like Xu Ruobing, but with her brother-in-law and niece present, she couldn’t show it. Especially during the family reunion dinner—she had to put on a happy face and could only take out her frustrations on the food.
Even though she didn’t have much of an appetite, Chi Yingyu ended up eating more than usual. Her niece, who was always on her side, clung to Xu Ruobing like a little fangirl tonight.
Jiang Leyi had only one thought—Xu Ruobing in real life was even more beautiful than on TV or in magazine photos, so beautiful it was mesmerizing. She wondered how her father could resist Xu Ruobing’s stunning looks.
During the live stream, her dad had spent so much time with Xu Ruobing at such close range—Jiang Leyi could hardly imagine how her dad managed to withstand such breathtaking temptation.
Jiang Lai had expected this New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner to be warm and sweet, but the atmosphere at the table was strangely tense. Her daughter kept sneaking lovestruck glances at Xu Ruobing, her sister-in-law ate in silence, shooting her resentful looks, and Xu Ruobing’s gaze was glued to her face.
When just a bit of grease stained Jiang Lai’s lips, both Chi Yingyu and Xu Ruobing grabbed napkins at once, racing to help her wipe it off. Xu Ruobing won and even shot Chi Yingyu a smug, triumphant smile.
Even when her lips were already clean, Chi Yingyu kept dabbing at them with a clean napkin, wiping them spotless.
Tonight, Jiang Lai felt the most tormented at the dinner table. If she hadn’t stopped Xu Ruobing’s enthusiastic attempts, her lips might have been rubbed raw.
After dinner, it was Jiang Lai alone who had cooked, so it was only fair that Chi Yingyu and Jiang Leyi cleaned up the dishes and did the chores.
Jiang Lai assigned the tasks this way mainly to create an opportunity for herself and Xu Ruobing to have some time alone—what they were about to discuss was absolutely not for other ears.
Even though her sister-in-law and daughter were busy in the kitchen and had no time to eavesdrop, Jiang Lai still pulled Xu Ruobing into her own bedroom.
“So this is your room?”
Jiang Lai’s bedroom was extremely simple: just a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk for work—nothing special at all.
She didn’t even have a dressing table or a full-length mirror, but Xu Ruobing still found it intriguing. In her imagination, Jiang Lai’s room shouldn’t be like this.
No matter how minimalist, a girl’s room shouldn’t look so cold and bare—was this her and her partner’s room?
But there was no trace of anyone else in the room, just the faint scent unique to Jiang Lai, nothing but Jiang Lai herself. Still, it didn’t explain why the room was so austere.
Xu Ruobing couldn’t help but recall the excuse Jiang Lai gave when she refused her in bed before. “Jiangjiang, are you really married?”
“Hmm?”
Jiang Lai hadn’t expected that question at all, but thinking of what she was about to ask for, she hesitated—should she tell the truth, or lie?
It was true she was married, and even had a daughter in university, but given her youthful appearance, no one would believe her—they’d just take it as a joke.
Who could imagine that someone not yet thirty would have a daughter in university, unless she were a stepmother or something?
Jiang Lai wanted to tell Xu Ruobing the truth, but even if she said everything, no one would believe such bizarre events, and even if Xu Ruobing believed her, could they still stay as close as before?
Jiang Lai was selfish—she couldn’t bear to lose Xu Ruobing, nor did she want Xu Ruobing to hate her…
But their relationship had been built on a foundation of lies from the start, and even now, to keep it going, she had to keep up those lies. Still, she no longer wanted to deceive Xu Ruobing.
Even if what she said now completely contradicted what she said before, she didn’t want their feelings to be tainted by lies.
“Ruobing… about the contradictions and differences—I promise I’ll give you a good explanation in the future, but right now, can you listen to my request?”
This Spring Festival might be the last time she didn’t have to worry about Si Yina. After the holiday, Si Yina would be like a bomb, ready to go off around her at any moment.
Even though she and Xu Ruobing had skirted the edge several times, they had never taken the final step—there was always that last barrier.
Jiang Lai had thought it through: if her first time had to be taken, she would rather give it to someone she wanted than have it taken by someone she hated.
A first time would hurt, no matter what, unless one was gentle—if the other party was rough, it would be agony. Jiang Lai felt afraid just thinking about the pain.
And Si Yina was clearly not the gentle type. If she took Jiang Lai’s first time, Jiang Lai would be utterly tormented—she couldn’t let that happen.
After much reflection, Jiang Lai realized Xu Ruobing was her best and only choice.
Xu Ruobing treated her so well and had done so much for her, never asking for anything in return. As long as Jiang Lai made it clear what she didn’t like, Xu Ruobing would never force her.
Jiang Lai didn’t intend to repay Xu Ruobing’s kindness with her first time—she just genuinely wanted to give it to her.
“Ruobing, will you take my first time?”
“…..”
Xu Ruobing froze as soon as she heard Jiang Lai’s words. What did she mean by ‘take her first time’!
Xu Ruobing took a deep breath, her mind still spinning. If Jiang Lai really hadn’t been with anyone before, then everything she’d done before—no matter how nervous she got on the Chunwan stage, she’d never felt this flustered or helpless.
“Then, those things I did to you before, I… I touched you, and did a lot of inappropriate things…”
Xu Ruobing took a deep breath, her cheeks burning as if she were drunk. Remembering her bold actions in the past, she felt like the worst person in the world, and could only grit her teeth and apologize.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t know, I almost ruined your body…”
“It’s not your fault, it’s because of me.”
Jiang Lai lowered her head, hesitating, mainly to hide her guilty gaze. But from Xu Ruobing’s perspective, it looked as if she was crying after being wronged.
Xu Ruobing instantly felt like a beast, a shameless thief. She’d been so rough and aggressive before—did it hurt Jiang Lai?
“Jiangjiang, I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…” Xu Ruobing was overwhelmed with guilt, apologizing over and over, sincerely wishing she could offer her hands to Jiang Lai for a good slap—maybe that would be a fitting punishment.
But underneath the guilt, a flicker of joy stirred in her heart—so she really never had anyone else…
“It’s fine, Ruobing, you don’t have to apologize. And besides, what you did… I didn’t feel uncomfortable.” Jiang Lai said casually, seeming to excuse Xu Ruobing’s behavior, but actually testing how willing she was to go further with her.
“If I wanted to, would you be willing to do it with me?”