Jiang Lai had slept very soundly. Perhaps because he had dreamed of the past, his previously gloomy mood was comforted by those warm memories.
After all, when it came to his sister-in-law, even if she had done things to hurt him, Jiang Lai couldn’t bring himself to be cruel because of everything they had been through together. He liked Chi Yingyu very much—loved her, even—but the current state of their relationship was incredibly awkward. He still harbored the fantasy that his sister-in-law would give up her desire for him and return to their old life. Wouldn’t that be better? If so, the two of them could stay together, eat together, and spend the rest of their days by each other’s side.
Upon waking, Jiang Lai didn’t open his eyes immediately. Instead, he lingered on those beautiful memories. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, Chi Yingyu’s phone rang.
The ringtone lasted only a second before Chi Yingyu answered it. As she took the call, she sat up from the bed. She spoke into the phone, telling someone to leave “the items” in the hotel lobby while she hurriedly put on her clothes, preparing to head out.
Jiang Lai couldn’t help but wonder: Did Chi Yingyu order takeout?
He wanted to turn around and ask her, but she moved too fast. By the time Jiang Lai opened his eyes and before he could even sit up, he saw Chi Yingyu—already dressed in her shirt and shoes—opening the door to leave. Curiously, she had put on a face mask…
One wouldn’t normally wear a mask just to pick up food, nor would they act so suspicious and “sneaky.”
Jiang Lai’s curiosity persisted until he finally sat up in bed. Looking down at his intact pajamas, he noted that Chi Yingyu hadn’t touched him while he slept; surely, she wouldn’t do anything now. Despite his mind trying to convince him of this, his intuition said otherwise.
He had a feeling that whatever Chi Yingyu was going to retrieve wasn’t anything “proper.” While his mind was a mess of conflicting thoughts, the door that had closed just minutes ago was swiped open from the outside.
Jiang Lai watched as Chi Yingyu returned, carrying a massive box. It didn’t look like food at all.
“What did you buy? Is it our late-night snack?”
“Not exactly.”
Chi Yingyu carefully placed the cardboard box on the floor. She double-locked the hotel door and even checked the security chain to ensure everything was secure before looking at her “brother-in-law” huddled on the bed.
She was wearing a crisp white shirt and a black mask that covered the lower half of her beautiful face. From her gaze, Jiang Lai felt a deep, prying scrutiny—and a heavy weight of desire.
The scattered thoughts in his heart instantly froze. He was now certain: his sister-in-law was definitely thinking about something improper.
Jiang Lai bit his lip and pulled the duvet tighter around himself. He spoke nervously, “Are you hungry? I’ll order takeout now. We haven’t had seafood yet; I’ll see if there’s any seafood delivery…”
“Seafood? Sure, I happen to be hungry too.”
Chi Yingyu pulled off the black mask and unbuttoned the top button of her shirt. She picked up the cardboard box again. With a faint smile that revealed her collarbones, she approached Jiang Lai step by step with long strides, the look in her eyes beneath her dark hair growing deeper.
“Come, take a look. We’ll have something fun to play with later.”
“Huh?”
What does that mean?
Jiang Lai glanced at the box in her hands. Under his watchful eyes, Chi Yingyu opened it and dumped the entire contents onto the bed.
With a loud clatter, a mountain of colorful boxes appeared before him—red, blue, pink. Chi Yingyu glanced at the pile and casually picked up a standard-looking one, holding it out to Jiang Lai.
“How about we use this one tonight? I haven’t had time to trim my nails these past few days. I bought clippers, but even if I cut them now, they might still be a bit sharp.”
“What?”
Instinctively, Jiang Lai reached out and took the square box she offered. When he saw the image on the packaging, it felt like a hot coal in his hand. He didn’t know whether to hold it or drop it.
Blushing furiously, he threw the box back. He began to truly observe the “little things” on the bed. Though he didn’t recognize most of them, there were some familiar brands.
Jiang Lai and his late wife had been each other’s first loves. Before marriage, they had only “pushed the boundaries,” engaging in frequent hugging and kissing but never going further for fear of things getting out of hand. Their first time wasn’t until their wedding night. Thus, while Jiang Lai hadn’t used many of these items, he wasn’t a child; he knew exactly what they were for.
“Why did you buy so many?! Did you rob a store?!”
He stared at the “supplies” on the bed—some designed for fingers, some for disinfection, and some involving “alphabet-related” themes (BDSM).
No matter how slow he was, he now understood exactly what his sister-in-law was planning. She clearly wanted to try everything. Her face was so cold and elegant; how could she hold these things without a shred of shame or emotion?
Is my sister-in-law a pervert? But then again, she had worn a mask to pick them up, so she must have some sense of shame.
“You bought so much, there’s no way we can use it all! No… I mean, we aren’t going to use them at all!”
“Oh? So you prefer ‘skin-to-skin’ (unprotected), brother-in-law?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! You know that’s not what I meant!”
Heat spread from his neck to his entire face. Jiang Lai buried his crimson cheeks in the blankets, wanting nothing more than to distance himself from these “unhealthy” items. But there were simply too many. The box had been full, and now they formed a small hill on the bed. Had she bought out the entire store in one go?
“I am absolutely not using these with you. If you can return them, do it quickly. If not… how are we supposed to take these back home?”
Did Chi Yingyu really think they could go through all of this in two days? Jiang Lai wouldn’t even let her unwrap a single one.
“It doesn’t matter,” Chi Yingyu replied. “If we don’t finish them here, we’ll use them at home.”