Ever since she got out of bed, Jiang Lai had been staying obediently in her room.
Quiet and composed, she waited for Si Yina’s notification, ready to play her part whenever she was needed.
To Jiang Lai’s surprise, aside from being restricted to the room, Si Yina hadn’t made things difficult for her at all.
Si Yina had simply messaged her on her phone to ask for her measurements and sizes, with no other demands.
Jiang Lai was even free to use her phone.
If she felt hungry, she could notify Si Yina, and someone would deliver food directly to her door.
Currently, Jiang Lai was living a life of leisure—fed and clothed without having to lift a finger—but even in such a safe environment, she couldn’t relax.
She used her phone to get in touch with her sister-in-law.
The moment she connected with her, the tension that had been hanging over Jiang Lai’s heart finally dissipated; at least she had proof that her sister-in-law had been safe the night before.
Jiang Lai’s current location was at sea. Although she couldn’t send a precise GPS pin, she did her best to convey her position to Chi Yingyu via text. She also explained the situation she was facing, including the fact that she had to pretend to be Si Yina’s lover.
She explained almost everything that had happened since arriving on the island to her sister-in-law without any concealment, telling Chi Yingyu everything just so she could feel at ease.
She assured her sister-in-law that her current situation was safe and told her not to worry too much—to just enjoy herself there for a few days, and Jiang Lai would come find her once it was over. In her messages, Jiang Lai did her best to insist that her sister-in-law shouldn’t worry or waste effort trying to find her, as the cost would outweigh the gain. Setting aside whether she could even reach the island, Jiang Lai didn’t want the person she held so dear to be running into danger on the road because of her.
Although Chi Yingyu agreed over the phone, Jiang Lai had a premonition that her sister-in-law wouldn’t give up that easily. She could only hope that she would take her words to heart.
Bored in the room, Jiang Lai drew back all the curtains, allowing her to observe the outside scenery in detail.
The view from her floor was excellent; she had a bird’s-eye view of the entire island. Every corner of the beautiful resort island radiated refinement. Watching the island, Jiang Lai thought that in the future, they wouldn’t necessarily have to spend New Year’s at home every time; the “family of three” could travel together and create memories belonging only to them.
While Jiang Lai was idling in the room, Si Yina—even while facing her parents—could use her phone to observe Jiang Lai’s every move in 360-degree high definition.
From her perspective, seeing Jiang Lai observe the outside so closely through the window, she assumed Jiang Lai was looking for a chance to escape. However, the only way off this resort island was by ferry or helicopter, so Si Yina wasn’t worried about Jiang Lai suddenly vanishing or escaping the island.
As Si Yina stared blankly at Jiang Lai on her screen, the parents sitting opposite her cleared their throats. Although they didn’t know what their daughter was looking at on her phone, they were discussing serious matters, and a conclusion had to be reached within these few days regardless.
“Will you regret this decision in the future? If you want to back out now, there’s still a chance to clarify things. Everyone is still here; it’s easy to set the record straight,” her father said. “If you wait until this period passes, the fact that you ‘like girls’ will become a label attached to you, and it will cause you a lot of trouble later.”
“It’s not a bad thing, so why use the word ‘clarify’?”
Seeing the proud look on his daughter’s face as she spoke, Si Yina’s father felt his words get stuck in his throat. He didn’t understand why his daughter, who had always been so obedient, was being so stubborn about this. “While I am open-minded and this doesn’t seem particularly strange to me, I’m just curious… does it have to be a girl? Why is that?”
Si Yina’s father had changed a lot in the last two days—from being unable to accept it and flying into a rage at first, to now being able to discuss it normally. This was already a massive step forward.
Si Yina looked at her father, who was still trying to dissuade her. “There is no ‘why’ to liking girls. It’s just like how you like Mom, Dad. Do you have a specific reason?”
“…”
No matter how powerful or aggressive Si Yina’s father was in the outside world, his heart couldn’t help but soften when facing his only child. Even if he was strict about her education, it was only because he wanted her to succeed.
Hearing Si Yina’s rebuttal, he actually thought about it seriously before finally stating his true thoughts helplessly: “Isn’t that just a given?”
“Exactly. Even you say it’s a given, so why ask me?”
Si Yina’s logic was pure sophistry; though they were two different matters, she managed to link them together, leaving her father momentarily speechless.
Instead, it was the mother, who had been watching the two, who finally broke into a smile. “Since this is the child’s decision, there’s nothing we can do even if we want to change it. Don’t you know Nana’s personality by now?”
Si Yina’s mother shook her head gently. Her daughter had always been obedient, but once she set her mind on something, she was like steel—you either comply or you break her; there was no middle ground.
“Our initial reaction was just worry about not having grandchildren. Since technology is so advanced nowadays, if our daughter is happy, let her be.”
The mother’s attitude was much softer than the father’s, but agreement came with conditions. “Nana, I have to be honest with you. Some girls have much deeper motives than you might imagine. If there’s someone you like, you must send me a photo to look at. You can only stay together if I approve. Now that I’ve said this much, aren’t you going to show us the girl you brought back?”
Si Yina’s mother seemed easier to talk to than the father, but she was clear: her requirements had to be met. In many ways, the mother was the most dominant force in the family.
“Can it wait two days?”
“Since you’ve already brought her to the island, you must have been prepared to meet the parents. We’ll have a meal tomorrow at noon. If she’s suitable, we can introduce her to the people around us in the evening.”
Si Yina’s uncompromising strength was inherited from her mother. Once her mother decided on something, there was no room for retreat or compromise.
“Fine, I understand.”
Si Yina hadn’t expected that she wouldn’t even be able to hide Jiang Lai’s existence for a single day. Although this was much earlier than anticipated, there were always shortcuts to “cultivating feelings” between two people.
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