“I know you’re a good kid, but we’re not a good match.”
Jiang Lai carefully took a few steps back, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Shen Ruxue.
Kids these days are far too impulsive, and Jiang Lai was genuinely afraid Shen Ruxue might try something physical.
It wasn’t that Jiang Lai disliked her. On the contrary, she was very fond of Shen Ruxue.
As the mother of her daughter, she could feel that Shen Ruxue was absolutely, genuinely good to her daughter—the best kind of good. Coupled with their shared experience of being kidnapped together, the bond between them had long since transcended the ordinary.
They could very well become age-gap friends. If possible, she really wanted to get along well with the Shen Ruxue standing before her. She just never expected that this girl, younger than her own daughter, would have such inappropriate thoughts about her.
Just thinking about it made Jiang Lai feel like the whole world had turned upside down. While she was still pondering how to phrase a gentle refusal, Shen Ruxue suddenly took a step forward.
The breeze stirred by Shen Ruxue’s approach carried a special fragrance, a familiar, pleasant scent that deeply captivated her.
“Why would you say that?”
Shen Ruxue also knew what Jiang Lai was thinking about now. Was it that she hadn’t actually fallen asleep that night, or had her younger sister spilled the beans to Jiang Lai?
Shen Ruxue didn’t know which scenario it was, so for now, she could only play dumb and not be the first to reveal anything.
“I actually heard everything you said that night.”
Jiang Lai’s nails dug deeply into her palms, her fallen strands of hair trembling in the wind. She really wanted to consider Shen Ruxue’s feelings, but when the words came to her lips, there was no better way to express them.
She knew very well that girls at this age are thin-skinned. If those thoughts they didn’t want anyone to hear were exposed, they would be extremely embarrassed.
Shen Ruxue’s pupils contracted sharply, but inwardly, she was actually somewhat relieved.
It seemed it wasn’t her sister who had told her husband, which meant things were still within a controllable range.
Shen Ruxue took a deep breath, looking at the flustered and panicked Jiang Lai before her. Whether in the past or now, her husband was always so adorable.
“And so?”
She suddenly smiled, though she wasn’t sure why. It just felt like this scene was eerily familiar, just like before.
Like now, the two of them facing each other on the school campus, the sounds unique to a school ringing in their ears—this exact scene had happened over twenty years ago.
Shen Ruxue boldly took another step forward, her fingertips brushing over Jiang Lai’s burning earlobe.
“You heard everything from that night, so do you feel like you were being toyed with by a kid?”
Under the sun’s rays, the shadows of the sycamore leaves by the school path danced on her face, fragmenting that smile.
Jiang Lai turned her head away, avoiding Shen Ruxue’s touch, perfectly overlapping with a vague shadow from the depths of her memory.
A long time ago, also at school, someone had actively approached her just like this.
Jiang Lai had come to this school to make peace with the traces of her wife in her heart. She never expected that because of the girl before her, she would end up thinking even more.
Thinking of her departed wife, she looked down at her hand, only to find the ring on her ring finger had long been removed. Yet, the color difference from long-term wear was still clearly visible on her finger.
Shen Ruxue’s hand froze mid-air, the sleeves of her clothes billowing in the wind. She stared at the reddened tips of Jiang Lai’s ears, flushed with embarrassment and shame, and suddenly remembered decades ago, when she had confessed to Jiang Lai, her ears had been just as red.
What had she been thinking back then?
Shen Ruxue’s personality was relatively reserved when it came to people she liked. Many thoughts would only stay in her heart, never expressed.
For instance, whether now or in the past, whenever she saw the person she liked with a red face and red ears, her first thought was always to take a bite.
The spot where the two were standing was very secluded; no one had passed by until now.
On such a quiet path, Shen Ruxue gazed at the flustered and shy Jiang Lai before her, and her last shred of rationality was instantly overwhelmed by the surging love in her heart.
She abruptly stepped forward, her long arm reaching out to pull Jiang Lai tightly into her embrace. Jiang Lai’s eyes widened instantly, terror and humiliated anger intertwining in their depths.
“Are you crazy?!”
she instinctively struggled, her hands pushing hard against Shen Ruxue.
“Let me go! You…”
Jiang Lai’s voice trembled noticeably, a mix of urgency and anger, but to Shen Ruxue, it only made her hold on tighter.
Once certain things are spoken, the emotions that have been hidden can no longer be suppressed.
Once she had her in her arms, Shen Ruxue not only didn’t let go, she held on even tighter. She buried her face in the crook of Jiang Lai’s neck, taking a deep breath of Jiang Lai’s unique scent.
That familiar smell made her completely succumb. Even after so long, holding Jiang Lai close still smelled so wonderful. It was like a genetic choice, making her adore Jiang Lai immensely.
Shen Ruxue had waited far too long for this moment.
Shen Ruxue’s voice was low and hoarse, her scorching breath spraying against Jiang Lai’s neck, causing Jiang Lai’s body to tremble uncontrollably.
Her hand wandered restlessly over Jiang Lai’s back, moving slowly up from her slender waist, eliciting a shiver from Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai was overwhelmed with shame and anger. Her cheeks burned like flames, and she pounded her fists desperately against Shen Ruxue’s back, but her resistance seemed so feeble within Shen Ruxue’s powerful embrace.
“Let go! What if someone sees?”
Holding Shen Ruxue tightly like this was completely different from that time they escaped.
That had been a necessity; if they hadn’t done it, Shen Ruxue would have suffered hypothermia. Besides, in that situation, she had treated the bleeding girl like her own child.
Jiang Lai’s voice carried a sob, tears welling in her eyes. She was both ashamed and furious, never imagining Shen Ruxue would make such a bold move.
But Shen Ruxue seemed bewitched. She loosened her hold slightly, cupping Jiang Lai’s face with both hands, her thumbs gently stroking Jiang Lai’s burning cheeks.
Jiang Lai turned her head, trying to avoid Shen Ruxue’s scorching gaze, but Shen Ruxue was relentless. She applied a little pressure, forcing Jiang Lai to meet her eyes.
Face to face with Jiang Lai, even more outrageous thoughts flashed through Shen Ruxue’s mind—she wanted to kiss Jiang Lai.
Yet, at such close range, her last shred of reason stopped her. In her current identity, she couldn’t do that, no matter how much she wanted to.