“This is getting ridiculous. Wanting everything is simply too greedy…”
Jiang Lai knew that if she were deeply, truly in love with someone, her feelings would be identical to her sister-in-law’s. She would want to possess every part of that person and spend every waking moment together. Jiang Lai had always understood the depth of Chi Yingyu’s feelings, but the more she understood, the more she realized she could never accept this relationship.
“So, based on what you’re saying, I can settle for a little less?”
“Don’t go looking for a loophole just to wiggle your way in. Are you a loach?”
Looking at Chi Yingyu’s thick-skinned attitude, Jiang Lai withdrew some of her gentleness. She applied the disinfectant with a heavy hand, thinking the sting would make her sister-in-law beg for mercy. Instead, Chi Yingyu just looked at her with a questioning tilt of her head.
Was her earlier display of pain just an act?
“You’re truly full of schemes now. Please return the pure Yingyu to me.”
Jiang Lai felt as though Chi Yingyu had woven a gentle web around her long ago; she was so deeply entangled that she couldn’t break free, and part of her was even starting to feel that this was natural.
However, upon being caught in her “delicate and pitiable” act, Chi Yingyu let out a brilliant smile. “Whether it’s now or in the future, I promise that the person by your side will always be the truest version of me. I won’t hide or suppress myself anymore.”
Chi Yingyu wanted Jiang Lai to accept her affection and her love. If one confession wasn’t enough, she would do it a thousand times, until the day Jiang Lai finally accepted her without hesitation.
The look the younger woman gave her was so firm and focused; with that sentence, it was as if she had made a final vow. The aura of sadness that had clung to her after the rejection vanished, replaced by an indomitable, all-out determination.
That look was so familiar. Years ago, when Jiang Lai was overwhelmed by life’s trivia and unable to even care for herself, Chi Yingyu had appeared. She had taken over all of Jiang Lai’s daily chores. During those dizzying, busy days, Jiang Lai knew she wouldn’t have survived without her. At the time, she had accepted every bit of her sister-in-law’s kindness as a matter of course.
Once Jiang Lai had adapted and was able to handle things on her own again, she tried to decline Chi Yingyu’s care. She was an adult, the pillar for everyone in the family, while Chi Yingyu was just a child. Jiang Lai didn’t want such a heavy burden falling on her.
But Chi Yingyu had refused to back down. Back then, just like now, she had worn that unyielding expression, vowing she would take care of Jiang Lai forever. For over a decade, she had fulfilled that promise every single day.
Whenever Chi Yingyu wore that look, Jiang Lai knew that no matter what she said, she could never change the girl’s mind.
With Shen Ruxue’s help, Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu left that unpleasant resort island the same day they reunited. Though there had been many delays, they were finally back to the plan: a world for just the two of them.
Finally, they could spend a decent, undisturbed evening together.
However, their first night in the hotel was devoid of passion; they were both utterly exhausted. Even if Chi Yingyu had certain desires, she knew they both desperately needed sleep. Her tense heart finally relaxed with Jiang Lai by her side.
In one room, on one bed, under one blanket, the two of them lay as peacefully and safely as two best friends. No boundaries were crossed.
In this relaxed environment, Jiang Lai drifted into a dream. Perhaps because Chi Yingyu was beside her, or because of the day’s events, she dreamed of the past.
It was the first year of her marriage. Jiang Lai had gone to her wife’s home for the Lunar New Year. At the time, her sister-in-law was the only minor in the household. Jiang Lai had prepared a very large red envelope for the child, hoping this lively girl could buy herself some good food or something she liked.
After arriving at her in-laws’, Jiang Lai secretly handed the envelope to Chi Yingyu. But her wife had anticipated this. Jiang Lai gave it to her at noon, and by evening, Chi Yingyu had run to her side with a face full of grievances to complain.
Even now, Jiang Lai remembered what Chi Yingyu had said: “Brother-in-law, you need to control your wife! How can she rob a child’s red envelope?”
Jiang Lai had watched Chi Yingyu’s pouting lips and her accusations against her “robber” sister, while also looking at her wife, who was ready to scold her. Together with Chi Yingyu, Jiang Lai received a verbal lecture from her wife.
The main reason was that Jiang Lai had given too much money; Chi Yingyu was still a child and would likely spend it recklessly. Had Chi Yingyu simply handed the envelope to her sister, she wouldn’t have been scolded and would have received a smaller, appropriate one in return. But she chose the most mischievous option: refusing to hand it over and then snitching. Naturally, she was “educated” thoroughly.
Back then, in her wife’s eyes, both the sister-in-law and Jiang Lai himself were subjects in need of care.
Faced with her wife’s “tyranny,” Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu formed a small alliance. The confiscated envelope couldn’t be retrieved, but Jiang Lai secretly gave her another, smaller one. She still remembered the joy on Chi Yingyu’s face. How did that lively, pure little girl turn into someone so full of schemes?
Jiang Lai’s dream was so sweet that she began to talk in her sleep. Hearing the murmurs, Chi Yingyu leaned in close to her lips, curious.
“Yingyu, don’t cry… I’ll give you another one… be good… listen to your sister…”
Brother-in-law, what are you dreaming about that makes you smile so happily and look so tempting?
Chi Yingyu watched the sleeping Jiang Lai, gently stroking her head. Unable to sleep, she picked up her phone and opened a delivery app to browse local adult products. She wondered how the selections varied from city to city.