Chapter 236: Happiness That Could Be Lost at Any Time

“Are you coming home with me this weekend?”

“Yes, will you come back with me?”

Jiang Leyi looked at Shen Ruxue with anticipation, the light in her eyes seemed to say that as long as Shen Ruxue agreed, this weekend would definitely be amazing. Besides, although she couldn’t tell her best friend all the details of this joy, as long as her best friend came back with her, she would be able to experience at least a little of it.

Seeing her daughter invite her home, Shen Ruxue’s heart was instantly flooded with warmth. This was a rare opportunity to get close, not only to be with her daughter, but also to be with her Younger Sister and Jiang Lai.

Thinking of the whole family reunion, Shen Ruxue’s lips unconsciously curved up, but before the smile could fully form, it was pulled back by a trace of worry. Because in her mind, the scenes from the beginning of the semester involuntarily surfaced. At that time, unable to control her longing and love for Jiang Lai, she had done some inappropriate things. Looking back now, she was completely bewitched and couldn’t control herself.

Thinking of the scared and terrified expressions Jiang Lai had shown her, those images were like sharp needles, stabbing her heart with a dull ache. Now, looking back, Shen Ruxue was full of embarrassment and regret. She knew deeply that her actions might have left a bad impression on Jiang Lai.

‘If I rashly follow Jiang Leyi home, will Jiang Lai be afraid to see me? When she sees me, will she show that terrified expression again?’

The thought of these things made Shen Ruxue’s heart ache. She wanted to stay by Jiang Lai’s side, but without revealing her true identity, any approach from her might only bring fear.

Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes, her heart in intense struggle, the question circling in her mind.

‘If I don’t go, I really can’t bear to give up this chance for family reunion. Maybe there won’t be another chance like this for the whole semester. But if I go, and Jiang Lai is unhappy because of it, wouldn’t that backfire and make our already distant relationship even worse?’

Perhaps her Younger Sister could explain for her. This thought flashed by. Now, her Younger Sister was the only one who knew her true identity. At this thought, a glimmer of hope surged in Shen Ruxue’s heart.

Jiang Leyi seemed to notice Shen Ruxue’s hesitation. She gently shook Shen Ruxue’s arm and coaxed, “Ru Xue, just come back with me. If you come back with me, you’ll understand why I’m so happy.”

The soft voice was full of expectation, making it hard for Shen Ruxue to refuse.

Shen Ruxue took a deep breath, looked up at Jiang Leyi, her eyes still carrying a little unease, but more of a firm determination after making up her mind.

“O… okay, Le Yi, I’ll come back with you. But you have to let the family know in advance. Don’t make it too sudden and make everyone uncomfortable.”

“Okay!”

After getting her best friend’s reply, Jiang Leyi couldn’t wait to pick up her phone, her fingers quickly tapping on the screen, telling her Dad that she would bring her best friend home this weekend.

Seeing Jiang Leyi’s happy expression, Shen Ruxue’s tension eased slightly. Since she already knew Jiang Lai’s true identity, she had to go talk to her Younger Sister before going home.

She hadn’t revealed herself earlier only because she was too busy, and everyone couldn’t spare the time. Besides, Jiang Lai had just been through a kidnapping and was too emotionally unstable. Shen Ruxue didn’t want to put Jiang Lai through such a huge upheaval in such a short time, so under the agreement with her Younger Sister, she had never told the truth.

But now, she couldn’t hold back anymore.

She wanted to return to her family, to Jiang Lai’s side, to be close and intimate with her, to hold her tightly. Once this desire was unleashed, Shen Ruxue could hardly suppress it.

***

These past few days, Chi Yingyu had been living a happy life she had never dared to imagine before. Every second with Jiang Lai seemed coated in a warm golden light, full of tenderness and sweetness.

Ever since the two confirmed their relationship, Jiang Lai had also told her daughter about the romance. From that day on, Chi Yingyu no longer had to “night raid” like before. Instead, she could openly lie in “Jiefu”‘s bed, holding each other all night until dawn.

In the early morning, Chi Yingyu slowly woke up. The first second she opened her eyes, her gaze fell on Jiang Lai’s peacefully sleeping face. Looking at this familiar and beloved face, her heart was instantly filled with happiness, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted into a satisfied smile.

She gently raised her hand, her fingertips touching Jiang Lai’s face, her movements careful, afraid to disturb this beauty, as if Jiang Lai were a precious and fragile treasure.

A feeling of unreality surged like a tide.

Looking back on the nearly twenty years of long unrequited love, those moments of silent attention and secret heartbeats, and now finally bearing fruit, Chi Yingyu still felt like she was dreaming.

In the past, just being able to lean gently against “Jiefu” was a luxury, let alone sleeping in each other’s arms now. Perhaps because of the difference between men and women, or Jiang Lai’s deliberate distance, from the time she started high school, the gap between them had grown wider and wider. By university, when she had fully grown into a big girl, this sense of estrangement had completely exploded.

Wanting to be with “Jiefu” meant crossing not only feelings but also the barrier of identity and the cage built by past memories. So all along, Chi Yingyu could only bury this love deep in her heart, watching Jiang Lai from afar, never daring to hope that one day they could be so close. She only thought that being able to always stay by “Jiefu”‘s side was already a great happiness.

But now, all fantasies had become reality.

Jiang Lai was by her side, and she had truly become her other half, recognized and named by her own mouth. This made Chi Yingyu feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Her heartbeat involuntarily quickened. She held Jiang Lai tightly, burying her face in the hollow of her neck, feeling her warm body temperature and steady breathing. She greedily absorbed this warmth and reassurance, as if only then could she confirm that this wasn’t a dream and gain enough sense of security.

“Jiang Lai, I really love you so much.”

Chi Yingyu whispered softly in her ear, her voice full of deep emotion and attachment that couldn’t be hidden.

Just-awakened Chi Yingyu clung to Jiang Lai in an extremely clingy posture. If not for the fact that she had to go to work every day, she would probably want to stick to Jiang Lai twenty-four hours a day.

Chi Yingyu loved Jiang Lai so much that she would willingly give her life to her.

Every time she had to get up and go out, it was a huge test for her.

Both of them had jobs—Jiang Lai had to go to Xu Ruobing’s studio to shoot videos, while Chi Yingyu had to go to the law firm to handle cases.

Even though they were deeply reluctant, they still had to go to work on time.

But even while working, Chi Yingyu’s heart couldn’t settle down. Jiang Lai’s figure seemed branded in her mind, impossible to shake off. In every spare moment, she would involuntarily think of Jiang Lai, remember the bits and pieces of their time together, and the corners of her mouth would lift.

Other people in the law firm saw her like this and were amazed at her change. The once ice-cold strong woman in front of others had now become so soft and tender. There were even several times when they saw her staring at her phone with an unabashed silly smile.

As for who she was dating, almost everyone in the law firm knew that the boss was in a relationship. Only one intern, while handing over work, accidentally saw Chi Yingyu’s phone wallpaper—a beautiful woman.

Sitting at her desk, Chi Yingyu’s fingers slid over the documents, but her mind had long drifted away. Whenever she thought of Jiang Lai, she couldn’t focus at all. Unless someone reminded her, she would stay lost in thought.

When the two weren’t chatting, there was only one thought in her mind:

‘What is Jiang Jiang doing now? Does she miss me?’

Longing grew like wild grass.

She couldn’t help but pick up her phone, type out a message, and then put it down. Because she knew that Jiang Lai’s job was filming videos. If she suddenly sent a message, the notification sound might affect her work.

Even though she couldn’t send a message, her fingers still unconsciously tapped on the chat interface, waiting for Jiang Lai’s reply.

Clearly a woman nearly thirty, but now Chi Yingyu was like a young girl in first love.

She knew very well that this state affected her work greatly, but she just couldn’t control herself.

Not working wasn’t an option—if she didn’t work, she wouldn’t be able to support Jiang Lai in the future.

In her heart, there was a big dream:

One day, she would keep Jiang Lai at home, making her belong only to herself. That way, the only person Jiang Lai could see and contact would be her. Jiang Lai’s world only needed to have her alone.

At this thought, Chi Yingyu barely managed to pull back her scattered thoughts and refocus on work, preparing to earn the money to realize this goal as soon as possible.

Just as she finally settled down, a message from a contact labeled “Sister” popped up—

[Can we talk tonight? I have some questions to ask you, and some thoughts I want to share with you.]

The message was simple.

But just such a simple message, in an instant, pulled Chi Yingyu from the cloud of happiness into a bottomless abyss.

She had been too proud lately.

How could she forget—there was still “Sister” in the picture.

Even if she now had “Jiefu,” as long as her Sister didn’t give up, all this happiness could be lost at any moment.