The next morning, sunlight filtered gently through the gaps in the curtains, softly spilling into the room.
Jiang Lai slowly awoke from a night of tossing and turning, her head feeling as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer—aching and muddled.
She stared at the ceiling.
The emotional entanglements of last night replayed in her mind like a film, each detail causing her heartbeat to involuntarily quicken.
‘Why did it have to become like this?’
There were now five people in the house.
Besides herself and her daughter, the other three all harbored indescribable feelings for her.
This kind of “peach blossom luck” situation was the last thing she wanted to experience.
Jiang Lai murmured to herself, her voice full of exhaustion and confusion.
She pushed herself up, rubbing her temples, trying to dispel the lingering chaotic thoughts.
Getting out of bed, she walked to the window and pulled open the curtains.
A blinding beam of sunlight made her instinctively squint.
The world outside the window was still bustling with traffic, seemingly no different from before.
Everyone was living their own lives, yet her inner world was already in complete disarray.
***
In Jiang Leyi’s room, Shen Ruxue was also awake early.
She lay in bed, already conscious but not daring to move, because Jiang Leyi was sleeping soundly on top of her.
Shen Ruxue stared blankly at the ceiling, recalling her bold actions in Jiang Lai’s room last night, her face flushing with heat.
At the same time, she remembered the movement from behind the curtain at that moment.
A feeling of nervousness and shyness washed over her like a tide, filling her with immense regret.
It was only a few minutes.
Why did she have to go over there?
If she hadn’t gone, she wouldn’t be plagued by these troubles now.
‘How could I have been so impulsive…’
She was acutely aware that the two people in the room must have heard, otherwise they wouldn’t have deliberately made noise to make her leave.
Shen Ruxue tried to isolate herself from this awkward world, but she lay in bed for a long time.
It wasn’t until Jiang Leyi rolled off her and curled up in another corner of the bed to continue sleeping that she mustered the courage to get up.
She straightened her clothes, looked at her flushed face in the full-length mirror, and took a deep breath.
Thinking about facing Jiang Lai after leaving the room, she tried to calm herself down, but her heart remained in a flurry of panic.
***
In another room, Xu Ruobing hadn’t slept a wink all night.
Her eyes were bloodshot as she sat by the bed, staring out the window in a daze, her heart filled with doubts about what Chi Yingyu was hiding.
What exactly was she concealing?
What unspeakable secret lay behind this?
The more Xu Ruobing thought about it, the more agitated she became.
She didn’t even notice the sky gradually brightening.
She was also very aware that Chi Yingyu, lying beside her, hadn’t slept all night either.
Because a person who was truly asleep couldn’t possibly stay completely motionless for an entire night—unless they were pretending.
Xu Ruobing couldn’t understand why Chi Yingyu always favored this method of “pretending to sleep.”
Was it really that foolproof?
She glanced at the rock-solid Chi Yingyu beside her, got up with a restless heart, and began straightening her clothes.
She knew that some things even Jiang Lai wasn’t aware of, so how could it be her turn to know?
***
Chi Yingyu was also sleepless the entire night.
She felt the movement as Xu Ruobing left the room, her heart filled with bitterness and helplessness.
She understood that the feelings between her and Jiang Lai were like a distant, unreachable dream.
Even though her sister had promised her, the future was full of uncertainty.
Emotions were too dangerous—her sister had agreed now, but what if she changed her mind someday?
Such things were inherently uncontrollable.
Chi Yingyu lay in the room a little longer.
After confirming Xu Ruobing wouldn’t return, she slowly got up.
She rubbed her bloodshot eyes, looked at the empty room, and wondered how she should face her sister next.
With a sigh, she got out of bed, ready to go to the bathroom to freshen up a bit.
***
When Chi Yingyu stepped out of the room, she was met with an overwhelmingly awkward atmosphere.
In the living room, Jiang Lai, Shen Ruxue, and Xu Ruobing were all sitting on the sofa, not saying a word.
The air was thick with a silence that made one feel at a loss.
Chi Yingyu, who had just emerged, didn’t even know if she should lift her head.
Everyone was looking down, not daring to meet each other’s eyes, as if a single glance would reveal the secrets in their hearts.
This oppressive awkwardness was finally broken by Jiang Leyi, who had just woken up.
She let out a big yawn, walked out groggily, completely unaware of the strange atmosphere, and casually offered a greeting.
“Morning…”
That simple phrase loosened the air slightly.
Shen Ruxue looked at Jiang Lai sitting on the sofa, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, and cautiously spoke up:
“Morning…”
Jiang Lai forced a faint smile in response, but her eyes were evasive, not daring to look directly at Shen Ruxue.
After all, the things Shen Ruxue had said last night were definitely not appropriate for an ordinary relationship.
But why did she develop such feelings for her?
Was it because of the dependency formed after they faced life and death together during that kidnapping?
Jiang Lai couldn’t figure it out.
She only felt a wave of discomfort and guilt in her heart.
“Um… I’ll go make breakfast.”
She tried to ease the atmosphere, then hurried into the kitchen.
Shen Ruxue watched her retreating back, a pang of disappointment in her heart.
She knew there was still a long road ahead for the two of them.
She had endured over a decade of waiting.
What was another year or two?
As long as she could return to her side, she would do anything.
Xu Ruobing and Chi Yingyu also exchanged simple greetings before each finding a corner to sit in, and the atmosphere became oppressive again.
“Shen Ruxue, come here for a moment.”
Chi Yingyu suddenly spoke, her voice somewhat cold.
Shen Ruxue’s heart tightened, probably already guessing what she wanted to say.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked over.
Chi Yingyu looked at her sister, who didn’t dare to move, and without saying much, just took her hand and led her back to the room.
Only here would their conversation not be overheard by others.
“Why did you go to Jiang Lai’s room last night?”
Chi Yingyu looked directly into Shen Ruxue’s eyes, her tone carrying a suppressed accusation.
After a long silence, Shen Ruxue’s face turned pale, and she whispered:
“I… I just wanted to talk to her alone… I had a lot I wanted to say…”
“Talk alone?”
Chi Yingyu frowned.
“But at that time, besides me, there was another person in the room!”
Even now, thinking about it made her feel a lingering fear.
If Shen Ruxue had said a little more back then and Xu Ruobing had noticed something was off, it would have been troublesome.
Because she knew very well that once Xu Ruobing sensed something wrong, she would definitely go to Jiang Lai for confirmation.
By then, the truth might be revealed.
Shen Ruxue also understood that she had already broken the promise between sisters.
She hung her head, her voice filled with grievance and self-reproach:
“I know I was wrong… I just couldn’t control my feelings…”
Chi Yingyu fell silent.
She knew very well that things couldn’t be dragged out like this for much longer.
One day, all the truth would be uncovered.
And what everything would become when that day arrived—
No one knew.