Jiang Lai looked at Shen Ruxue, who was resting her head on her lap.
Thinking back to the painful experiences the two of them had just gone through, and seeing how adorable Shen Ruxue looked lying there, she had no desire to wake her.
It would be fine to let her sleep like this until they got home, as long as she did not mind the condition Jiang Lai was in.
With one hand, Jiang Lai gently stroked Shen Ruxue’s head, while the other softly held the girl’s scarred hand.
Although she had handed over all the matters to her sister-in-law to handle, she had not yet heard Shen Ruxue’s opinion.
Shen Ruxue was also a victim in this incident.
Jiang Lai wanted to know how she felt about handling the situation, but she decided to wait until the girl woke up.
For now, letting both of them rest properly was the most important thing.
With that thought, Jiang Lai glanced at her sister-in-law, who was driving, and said softly, “When you deal with the matter later, ask her too. This girl has suffered quite a lot…”
“Okay.”
Because she was driving, Chi Yingyu could only glance backward through the mirror.
She saw Shen Ruxue resting her head on her brother-in-law’s lap.
Her sister-in-law noticed that although the two were close, there was still some distance between them.
In their current state, it seemed they had not yet recognized each other…
But judging from her sister Shen Ruxue’s current attitude, after spending such a dangerous time alone together, she had most likely already figured out Jiang Lai’s true identity.
Chi Yingyu did not expect to be able to hide her brother-in-law’s real identity for long, but deep down she still did not want the two of them to be alone with each other.
When it came to matters of the heart, her brother-in-law was extremely slow to catch on.
Without solid evidence, she would never believe that her daughter’s best friend, who was even younger than her daughter, was actually her wife from the past.
If Shen Ruxue had not taken the initiative to reveal it to her, even if the two had spent a long time together, Chi Yingyu would never have guessed that Shen Ruxue was her sister—the one who had passed away more than ten years ago.
No one could have seen this coming.
Not only had the change been so drastic, but even if the current Shen Ruxue looked exactly like her sister when she was young, Chi Yingyu would never have thought that if she saw her on the main road.
In this regard, her brother-in-law was even slower than she was.
That was why in the past she had always tried to prevent the two from spending time together, fearing that her sister would notice something, and doing her best to delay the moment her sister learned the truth.
But now it seemed everything was truly destined by fate.
No matter how much she tried to stop it, what was meant to happen would still happen.
This incident felt like a turning point.
Chi Yingyu could clearly sense that the feelings her brother-in-law had held unchanged for decades were finally showing signs of loosening.
There was now hope for them to take another step forward.
Chi Yingyu was absolutely certain now: as long as the two of them spent enough time together afterward, she would be able to obtain the relationship she wanted.
Yet why, at this crucial moment, had her sister learned the truth?
Her sister had not returned for nearly twenty years.
Over such a long time, the longing they had accumulated for her had grown extremely deep.
If her sister discovered her feelings for her brother-in-law, an emotion that should not exist, it would definitely be rejected and condemned by her sister.
Chi Yingyu was greedy—she wanted everything, and she wanted to have it all.
She was truly happy that her sister had come back.
If they could all live together as one family, that would be something she had dreamed of.
But for their current family, four people felt crowded.
A normal family could not have two mothers.
The proper configuration should only be three.
Jiang Lai, Jiang Leyi…
As for the third person, whether it should be her or the sister who had just returned, Chi Yingyu did not know what to do.
Between her sister and her own feelings, she could only choose one.
In the past, if her brother-in-law had still kept a clear boundary with her, unwilling to rely on her or take things further, she would have been very willing to step back when her sister returned.
But now, after waiting decades for this one opportunity, Chi Yingyu did not want to give it up.
Even if the feelings she harbored should not exist, even if the romantic rival she had to face was her own sister, she absolutely would not back down.
The journey home was too long.
While sitting in the car, Shen Ruxue slept very peacefully.
Watching her sleep so comfortably, even Jiang Lai could no longer hold back her own drowsiness.
She leaned against the car seat and fell asleep.
When the two finally arrived home, Jiang Lai was gently woken up by Chi Yingyu, who had been driving the entire time.
Even now, Jiang Lai still did not have shoes to wear.
She did not mind it much in her heart.
After all, she had already walked through such dirty places earlier.
They were almost home now, so stepping on the stairs and floor for a moment would not matter.
Just as Jiang Lai opened the door and was about to step down, the foot she had lowered was instantly lifted back up by Chi Yingyu.
“I will carry you up. Your feet are not allowed to touch the ground right now…”
Jiang Lai saw Chi Yingyu reaching out to princess-carry her and could not help shrinking back inside the car.
There was still a child present.
It would look improper for two adults to do a princess carry in front of her.
“There is still a child here. I can really go up by myself.”
Chi Yingyu could sense her brother-in-law’s concern.
She glanced at Shen Ruxue, who was sitting in the car and looking at her.
Having already thought everything through on the way back, she was no longer afraid of anything.
Instead, she felt completely at ease and without the slightest shame.
“If a princess carry is not okay, then I will carry you on my back. That should be fine, right?”
On this point, Chi Yingyu had already compromised a great deal.
Jiang Lai found it hard to refuse.
She could only watch as her sister-in-law bent down in front of her.
Jiang Lai could only sit awkwardly inside the car.
Her feet curled up slightly, showing her unease.
She could feel Shen Ruxue’s burning gaze beside her.
She glanced again at the gentle smile on her sister-in-law’s face.
No matter how embarrassing something was, she could just pretend not to notice.
So, with her back to Shen Ruxue inside the car, she directly leaned onto Chi Yingyu’s back and lightly wrapped her arms around her neck.
Although Chi Yingyu looked slender, her steps were steady as she carried Jiang Lai.
After getting out of the car, she walked up the stairs.
Jiang Lai lay against her back, a shy blush rising on her cheeks.
She lowered her head slightly, her long hair falling like a waterfall and covering half her face.
Her hands rested gently on her sister-in-law’s shoulders, her fingers unconsciously tugging lightly at the fabric of the sleeves.
Being taken care of by her sister-in-law did not seem so hard to accept after all.