When exactly would her brother-in-law realize that her love had reached the point of no return? No matter how much she fled, no matter how much she refused to accept the reality before her, her love and her passion had always been right by her side.
“Don’t try to use some excuse to escape like you did last time. I just want to be with you. What am I doing wrong?”
Jiang Lai rejected her again and again, repeatedly trying to extinguish the fantasies in her heart. At this moment, Chi Yingyu’s tears could no longer be stopped. She was afraid of nothing; even if she had to face her own sister, she was ready to fight for her claim.
“I love you. In this life and the next, you are the only one I love… Please, think about it properly, okay? Don’t just reject me instantly like you always do.”
“But it’s impossible between us.” Jiang Lai felt a sharp pang in her heart. She simply wanted to remain family with her sister-in-law.
“Nothing in this world is impossible.”
Her blood began to boil, and her internal organs felt a wrenching, acute pain. Chi Yingyu did not believe there was anyone in this world more suited for Jiang Lai than herself. Not even her sister understood her “brother-in-law” as well as she did now.
They were the closest people in the world. Over the past many years, they had occupied each other’s most important moments, each leaving a deep, indelible mark on the other’s life.
Chi Yingyu couldn’t understand why her brother-in-law was always thinking about finding an outsider. What obstacles could possibly remain between the two of them now?
“This time, don’t think about using external factors to reject me. Right now, it’s just you. I only want to know what’s in your heart.”
Jiang Lai looked at the nearly frantic Chi Yingyu with reddening eyes. Regarding the relationship between them, she didn’t dare think too deeply. The clearer the problem became, the more terrified she grew, fearing the moment their relationship would spiral completely out of control.
“I don’t understand…”
“What is there not to understand? I love you. I want to be with you. I want to do adult things with you, so that you belong entirely to me and me alone!”
“But I just don’t get it! You are already the most important person to me. In my heart, besides Le Yi, you are the most precious. I would give my life for you; I would do anything for you!”
“I also promised you that I will never be with anyone else. I won’t look for anyone else for the rest of my life. Is that level of commitment still not enough?”
Jiang Lai continued to make promises, agreeing to every condition just to set her sister-in-law’s mind at ease, yet even that wasn’t enough…
“It’s not the same. I want the most unique, the most irreplaceable position in your heart.”
“But you’ve had that most unique, irreplaceable position for over ten years already!”
Chi Yingyu looked at Jiang Lai, knowing full well that further arguing was useless to convince the other.
“I’ve agreed to everything. As long as you don’t think about being with me romantically, I can agree to anything without limits. I don’t understand what is so worth pursuing about the status of a ‘partner’.”
“If it’s not worth pursuing, then why won’t you agree? Can’t we just try?”
“I really don’t understand.”
Jiang Lai looked at the alcohol pad in her hand that had long since dried out. In a fit of immense frustration, she threw the dried cotton into a nearby trash can and grabbed a fresh one. “I don’t want to fight with you, and I can’t bear to be angry at you. Let’s stop here for today, okay?”
Jiang Lai looked at the wounds she hadn’t finished treating. Although her movements in grabbing the alcohol pad had been forceful—even appearing somewhat crude—her touch became incredibly careful and gentle as the cotton neared her sister-in-law’s wounds.
“No. You just want to change the subject again and let it fade into nothing.”
“Don’t be naughty. Treating your wounds is the most important thing right now.”
Jiang Lai looked at the sister-in-law who was acting up like a child and sighed softly. However, her movements grew even more tender as she gently took Chi Yingyu’s hand.
As long as she could hold her hand, no matter how the girl’s face twisted in protest, at least her arm would be steady so the wounds could be cleaned properly.
But the moment the alcohol pad lightly touched the broken skin on her arm, Chi Yingyu—who had been pouting and throwing a tantrum—instantly knit her brows and cried out in pain.
“It hurts…”
Hearing the sound of Chi Yingyu in pain because of her, Jiang Lai’s heart clenched. Her face was full of worry and apology. “I’m sorry, I should have been lighter.”
“See? You really do love me the most.”
The pain on Chi Yingyu’s face didn’t last long; the sting was quickly washed away by the joy of seeing her brother-in-law’s concern.
Jiang Lai looked at Chi Yingyu, unsure of what to say. She remained silent and continued treating the wounds, though her touch was even more gentle than before.
Clearly, they had just been on the verge of a heated argument, yet now, as she tended to the injuries, the atmosphere between them became intensely ambiguous.
Chi Yingyu watched her focused brother-in-law and couldn’t help but lean down closer. A second later, she spoke in a voice that was almost coquettish, “Are you really unwilling to accept me?”
“It’s impossible.”
“But I’m also never going to give up. If I’m pushed too far, there’s no telling what kind of wicked things I might do.”
Halfway through her sentence, Chi Yingyu’s voice grew even softer. At this point, even Jiang Lai, who was right beside her, could barely hear her. Only a few words were muddled but audible: “…When I moved, I still brought some of those little toys with me. And for this trip, I put two in my suitcase.”
Though she didn’t state directly what the “little toys” were, as an adult, Jiang Lai didn’t even need to use a single brain cell to know exactly what she meant. “You actually brought them? Do you believe me? Believe it or not, when we get home, I’ll lock all those indecent things of yours away!”
“Of course I believe you.” With her voice lowered so that only the two of them could hear, Chi Yingyu finally uttered the address she used to use the most—one that could never be said in front of others. “Brother-in-law, I know there is nothing you can’t do. You are a man of your word. But… if I really want to do something, do you think you can stop me?”
Chi Yingyu was now prepared to go head-to-head with her brother-in-law until the very end. “If I keep being rejected, I really will take mandatory measures.”