Her hands unconsciously clutched at the corners of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, but her chest still heaved violently, and the painful emotions refused to be suppressed.
At this moment, her eyes were filled with confusion; she didn’t even know where to go. The longing for her family was nearly crushing her heart.
During the long years of the past decade, every single day and night, Shen Ruxue had desperately wanted to return to her family.
This obsession had taken root in her heart, gradually becoming almost paranoid—that the family of four must stay together, not one missing, by her side. Jiang Lai held an irreplaceable position in her heart; he was the most important person in her life, and her daughter and younger sister were the same.
Though they carried different weight in her heart, they were all existences she could not let go. Only when the family was complete would Shen Ruxue have no regrets.
Shen Ruxue looked at her little sister, who was on the verge of breaking down because of her appearance.
At this moment, Chi Yingyu’s hair was messily scattered across her cheeks, tears flowing freely, her eyes red and swollen. The usual cold and aloof demeanor at work was completely gone; now she was more like a wounded trapped beast, leaving only disarray.
Seeing her sister like this, Shen Ruxue felt not only the chill of having her husband taken away by her sister, but more than that, heartache.
She knew that although her sister occasionally had some unreliable little ideas in the past, she was always lively, cheerful, and sensitive. That she had grown into such a mature adult now must have hidden many unknown pains over the years. Just thinking about the suffering her sister had endured made Shen Ruxue’s heart ache.
Even though she couldn’t accept the fact that her sister was with her husband, she could understand why her sister would fall for Jiang Lai. Remembering how she had been absent from her family’s life all these years, Shen Ruxue was filled with self-blame, feeling that the root of all mistakes was her failure to stay by her family’s side.
A deep sense of guilt showed in her eyes, her voice slightly choked.
“Xiao Yu, I don’t want to see you looking so sad and miserable, and I definitely don’t want to see you in such hysterical pain. This really breaks my heart. You have to know, you are also my most precious little sister, an existence I simply cannot let go of in this life. For you, I would give everything I have.”
Chi Yingyu looked at Shen Ruxue. Her face was haggard, her eyes red-rimmed, full of exhaustion and helplessness, yet she still forced herself to offer care.
Chi Yingyu’s heart was a mix of emotions—thousands of words surged up, but she felt that anything she said now would be pale and powerless.
Because even in the face of her own almost ugly scheming and naked hostility, her sister still treated her so sincerely.
Feeling her sister’s kindness, feeling her sister’s tolerance, Chi Yingyu only felt herself becoming uglier. This contrast made her feel that no matter when, she was far inferior to the sister before her.
She bit her lip and turned her head away, deciding to play the villain through to the end.
“I don’t need you to say these things… As long as you don’t come back, I will be happy.”
“Little sister, I understand why you don’t want me to come back, but on this matter, I will never compromise with you.”
Shen Ruxue’s voice trembled slightly. She tried hard to suppress the pain inside, but the tears at the corners of her eyes broke through again.
The sister who had always been by her side, whom she had subconsciously relied on, was now standing against her.
Faced with this situation, Shen Ruxue only felt heartache, like her shattered heart—cold and helpless. Her mind was in chaos, constantly thinking, but she still didn’t know what to do to handle everything perfectly and satisfy everyone.
She wanted to restore the once happy family, and she also wanted to maintain her bond with her sister, but it all seemed out of reach.
Shen Ruxue knew she wanted too much; she couldn’t have it all. But if she didn’t try, how would she know the outcome?
She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms to keep herself awake.
“I want to come back. I want to return to your side and be with you. So I will never compromise on this point. But I will also take your happiness into account. Until I come up with a good solution, I can listen to you first. But once I decide what to do, no matter what you say, I won’t stop.”
After saying this, Shen Ruxue wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She understood that she could not afford to be so pathetic anymore; crying wouldn’t solve the problem.
In other matters, Shen Ruxue was always strong and decisive, but once it involved her loved ones, she became hesitant. Because Jiang Lai, her daughter, and her little sister—any one of them was someone she would protect with her life.
Care leads to chaos—this phrase was fully embodied in her. But after this huge blow, she also clearly realized that she could not hesitate any longer, or she would only lose the chance to pursue happiness.
“Let’s end this topic here for today.”
Shen Ruxue knew that if they continued to talk, it would only make things worse. Although this conversation only brought her heaviness, it wasn’t entirely without gain—at least she understood why her daughter was so happy and why she was unwilling to share that happiness with her.
After all, how could something like that be spoken aloud? Her father with her aunt—just thinking about it was hard to bring up.
Thinking of this, Shen Ruxue’s heart relaxed a little. She turned her head slightly to look at her equally important little sister beside her.
“Xiao Yu, no matter what happens, you will always be my most beloved little sister. That will never change. So it’s okay—do what you want. When it’s over, your sister won’t blame you. I also hope you can find happiness. It’s just… my happiness won’t come at the cost of sacrificing you.”
Shen Ruxue looked at her sister, who seemed hesitant. Although she said she didn’t need her and hated her, deep down, she still cared about this older sister.
Everything she was showing now was just spikes raised to protect herself, like a hedgehog hiding its softest parts.
“From now on, I won’t be soft-hearted anymore. I hope you can hold on to the position of Jiang Lai’s partner.”
Shen Ruxue never thought that one day she would act like a third party. How ironic—she was Jiang Lai’s first love, the wife who had grown old with him, and even many of the “firsts” in Jiang Lai’s life belonged to her.
Everything about Jiang Lai that no one else knew, she knew. Once, she could confidently say that she was the person in the world who understood Jiang Lai best.
But now, after more than a decade, she might not know him as well as her little sister did.