“Are you serious?”
To this moment, Jiang Lai could hardly believe it. Was her sister-in-law joking, or was she putting on an act just to scare her?
Her finger pointed tremulously at the “indecent” items laid out on the bed. She didn’t dare let her gaze linger on them for even a second, terrified that her sister-in-law would slander her by claiming she had some sort of “special interest” in them.
At a time like this, Jiang Lai couldn’t afford to show a single weakness. If Chi Yingyu detected even a hint of an anomaly, she would surely seize the opportunity. Jiang Lai had never imagined her sister-in-law could be this slippery.
“I already bought them; how could I not be serious?”
Chi Yingyu stripped off her trousers and shoes, pushed the “daily necessities” piled on the bed into a corner, and climbed back up.
“When I was carrying that big box, I thought there was a lot. Looking at it now, it seems like quite a bit.”
“You call this a little?”
Jiang Lai looked at the mountain of colorful little boxes. She quickly snatched the delivery slip off the cardboard box. After reading the itemized list, she practically gritted her teeth.
“Do you plan on using these through the whole Lunar New Year? Can’t you think about anything else?”
Jiang Lai’s face was tight with anger, but aside from being angry, there was nothing she could do. Where could she run? Their flight was at noon tomorrow. For today, at least, this “brother-in-law” wasn’t going anywhere.
“I am thinking about other things. It just depends on whether you’re willing to cooperate with me.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Let’s not waste any more time. I still feel regret over the time we wasted a few days ago.”
Chi Yingyu’s eyes were full of possessiveness. The days Jiang Lai hadn’t been by her side could finally be compensated for now.
Chi Yingyu moved her body, the hotel’s soft mattress swaying with her motions, until she was pinned directly over Jiang Lai. Throughout the entire process, Jiang Lai didn’t offer a single proactive act of resistance or rejection.
Jiang Lai looked up at Chi Yingyu. The other woman’s hand had already reached the hem of her clothes; everything was on the brink of spiraling out of control.
Yet, for a long time, Chi Yingyu didn’t move. They simply stared at each other with total honesty. Jiang Lai endured her sister-in-law’s gaze for several minutes until she finally surrendered under that candid stare.
Seeing that Jiang Lai had dropped her guard, Chi Yingyu cautiously asked for her “brother-in-law’s” permission: “May I?”
“You may.”
Jiang Lai’s voice was very soft—so soft one might miss it if they weren’t listening closely. Even so, that tiny sound had cost Jiang Lai every ounce of her courage.
Setting aside the past instances of coercion, this was the first time Jiang Lai had actively consented to Chi Yingyu’s actions. As Chi Yingyu hugged her tightly, as happy as a large puppy, Jiang Lai proposed her “three conditions.”
“At most… just like before. And you can’t use those things you bought. Only hands. Go wash up…”
“Alright!”
Having received her brother-in-law’s permission, Chi Yingyu immediately turned and scrambled off the bed. Jiang Lai watched her sister-in-law’s comical, almost frantic behavior; the sound of her bare feet hitting the floor echoed as she hurried away.
Thinking of those exposed, fair ankles, Jiang Lai couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to hold them in her hands.
Jiang Lai understood clearly now—she had been pampering her sister-in-law a bit too much lately. Even though the other woman was about to do that to her, Jiang Lai didn’t feel any resentment.
In fact, even if the process turned a bit more “wicked,” she likely wouldn’t feel disgusted.
This was doting; this was a deep affection for Chi Yingyu. Whether it was the passion of lovers or the bond of family, as long as they could stay by each other’s side forever as the most important people in each other’s lives, what did the label matter? It was enough that she was here.
“I even used warm water to soak them. My hands are definitely soft and tender now, Brother-in-law…”
Jiang Lai watched Chi Yingyu emerge from the bathroom and crooked her finger to call her over. Having gotten what she wanted, Chi Yingyu was now perfectly well-behaved. She quickly climbed back onto the bed, leaned over, and locked Jiang Lai firmly beneath her, her gaze deepening.
Feeling the heat of the embrace, Jiang Lai’s body trembled. Initially, her hands instinctively rested on Chi Yingyu’s shoulders in resistance, but remembering her promise, she wrapped her arms tightly around the other woman instead.
“Don’t call me ‘Brother-in-law’ anymore…”
Jiang Lai knew she could no longer escape this relationship. Rather than continuing to refuse, it was better to accept it. Now, she had to think of ways to lessen the guilt in her heart.
At the very least, she had to change that title. After today, she would no longer have the face to “face” her wife.
“Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
“I know. You don’t have to say it, I already know.”
Chi Yingyu didn’t give her a chance to continue. She didn’t want to mention “Sister” while doing this. Without a word, she began to unfasten Jiang Lai’s clothes.
Flawless skin like white jade and black lace were exposed to the cool air. Jiang Lai didn’t resist; her fragile posture was far too pleasing to Chi Yingyu.
As for the promise to keep things “like before”—how could Chi Yingyu possibly restrain herself in the face of such a delicacy? This was destined to be a sleepless night.
“Don’t be angry later, okay?”
Tonight, the person losing sleep because of Jiang Lai wasn’t just Chi Yingyu. Si Yina and Shen Ruxue remained on the vacation island.
Si Yina now held a video tape—footage caught by a camera in a hotel lobby. She had replayed the scene of Jiang Lai kissing that woman over and over again.
She hadn’t obtained the tape herself; her mother had given it to her. This meant her mother likely knew everything that had happened on the island. Although she hadn’t said it outright over the phone, the implication was that she hoped Si Yina would handle this “inappropriate” relationship.
But facing this footage, Si Yina had only one question: Why?
Why can she kiss her, but I can’t? Why did she not resist that forced kiss, and even seem to enjoy it a little?
Neither of the two people in the video had noticed at the time, but during the kiss, Jiang Lai hadn’t tried to push her away. Instead, one of her hands had been gripping the woman’s clothes tightly, as if terrified she might leave.