Chapter 16: Becoming a Burden  

Jiang Lai didn’t know when she fell asleep.  

When she opened her eyes, she found herself tightly held in Chi Yingyu’s arms, her head nestled against her sister-in-law’s chest.  

Chi Yingyu’s arms wrapped around her like red threads, binding her securely.  

Jiang Lai was puzzled by their close embrace and shared sleep.  

She likely fell asleep on the sofa, and the blanket covering them was probably from Chi Yingyu’s bedroom.  

But why was her sister-in-law lying beside her?  

Jiang Lai struggled slightly, but as she moved, Chi Yingyu hugged her even tighter, as if trying to envelop her completely.  

Now forced to keep her head buried in Chi Yingyu’s chest, the scent from her sister-in-law was so intoxicating that Jiang Lai hesitated to breathe.  

Greedily inhaling someone’s scent felt perverse.  

She slightly raised her head, looking at the sleeping Chi Yingyu, and softly called, “Yingyu… can you let me go?”  

Her voice was weak, her tone gentle, unsure if she meant to wake her sister-in-law or lull her back to sleep.  

If possible, Jiang Lai wanted to escape this hold unnoticed—her current state was too embarrassing, with half-dry hair and no clothes.  

She could dry her hair later, but being bare was an urgent issue to fix.  

Jiang Lai hesitated, then decided to slowly inch away.  

Once free from her sister-in-law’s grasp, she’d grab her shirt from the bathroom.  

No matter what, she needed clothes first, or she’d feel like a seducing siren.  

But her cautious, twisting movements made her seem like a charming fox spirit, enticingly provocative.  

Just as she was about to slip off the other side of the sofa to sneak to the bathroom, Chi Yingyu opened her eyes, amused by her brother-in-law’s antics.  

“Brother-in-law, where are you going?”  

Chi Yingyu hadn’t been deeply asleep.  

She woke when Jiang Lai called her, only closing her eyes to see what her brother-in-law was up to, savoring the feel of her.  

Hearing Chi Yingyu’s voice, Jiang Lai panicked, yanking the blanket from Chi Yingyu to wrap herself tightly.  

“When did you wake up?”  

“I opened my eyes just as you stood up.  

Your figure is really stunning…”  

If not for fear of raising suspicion, Chi Yingyu would’ve pulled Jiang Lai back into her arms the moment she tried to leave, to feel her essence again.  

“What nonsense are you saying…”  

Jiang Lai wrapped herself completely, leaving only her shoulders exposed.  

Her once fair, snowy shoulders now blushed faintly with her shyness, tempting one to take a bite.  

The cold sadness Chi Yingyu saw upon returning was gone, replaced by a captivating, heart-stirring charm.  

Jiang Lai felt that since becoming a woman, her once-obedient sister-in-law loved teasing her.  

Before she could recover, Chi Yingyu, fresh from waking, pushed her back onto the sofa.  

“If you need something, I’ll get it for you.”  

Jiang Lai looked at Chi Yingyu, who had pinned her down and now gazed at her fondly.  

She tried to stand again—she wasn’t helpless and didn’t need to trouble her sister-in-law for everything.  

“I just want to get my clothes.  

I can do it myself.  

I’ve become a woman, not a useless person.”  

But as her backside lifted from the sofa, she was firmly pushed back down.  

“I don’t care about that.  

I’ll grab clothes from the bedroom, dry your hair, and apply the safflower oil.”  

Chi Yingyu gave her no chance to refuse, leaving Jiang Lai to watch her back in silence.  

Would becoming a woman make her a burden to others?  

When Chi Yingyu returned with a set of pajamas, she saw Jiang Lai, head lowered, lost in thought.  

She handed her the acceptable pajamas.  

Jiang Lai carefully put them under the blanket.  

As Chi Yingyu sat behind her with the hairdryer, Jiang Lai softly stopped her.  

“Am I troubling you right now?”  

Her voice was soft, her tone light, like the faintest cloud, ready to dissipate with a breeze.  

“Since I called you, it feels like I’m bothering you with everything…”  

It had always been this way.  

She was supposed to care for her sister-in-law, but it seemed the reverse was true.  

Chi Yingyu had always looked after her health, her daily life, and even her daughter’s issues, despite having her own life to live.  

She shouldn’t waste her time on Jiang Lai, shouldn’t bear these responsibilities.  

Jiang Lai knew she’d delayed Chi Yingyu for years.  

She couldn’t let it continue like before.  

It shouldn’t be like before…  

Chi Yingyu paused, setting down the hairdryer, leaning forward to gently wrap her arms around Jiang Lai from behind.  

Jiang Lai hadn’t expected the embrace and let out a soft hum.  

“Yingyu…”  

“Is it about work?”  

Since that phone call, Jiang Lai’s mood has been low.  

Chi Yingyu wasn’t naive—she knew her brother-in-law, now a woman, was no longer the same.  

Unless she admitted it, even her daughter wouldn’t recognize her, and her job was no longer viable.  

That job was the result of over a decade of effort, now at risk of vanishing.  

“I’ll always be behind you.  

If that job really can’t continue, come to me.  

My firm is short-staffed—I’ll pay you.  

If you don’t want to work, stay at my place.  

I’m always eating takeout when I’m busy—it’s not healthy.  

I’ll pay you per meal.”  

Chi Yingyu’s words fell like early summer rain, gently seeping into Jiang Lai’s heart.