Shen Ruxue gently patted Jiang Lai’s back, her palm pressing against the warm fabric, feeling the slight tremor of the shoulders as the woman in her arms sobbed.
She rested her chin on top of Jiang Lai’s head, the familiar fragrance lingering at the tip of her nose, and the bitterness from having to “share” slowly soothed by this soft dependence.
‘This envy and jealousy all stem from my own imbalance. Once I come to terms with that, at least I won’t have any burden or pressure. After all, my sister isn’t an outsider—she’s the one who’s been by Jiang Lai’s side these past years, taking my place. Without my sister, the situation and condition of Jiang Lai and our daughter after I left would never have been this good. Without my sister, it would have been a thousand times worse.’
“Don’t cry anymore…”
Her fingertips lightly brushed the hair at the nape of Jiang Lai’s neck, her voice soft and gentle, “If you keep crying, your eyes will get swollen. Tomorrow at the high-speed train station, when you go back and your sister sees you, she’ll think I bullied you.”
Jiang Lai nuzzled into her neck, letting out a muffled hum, but gradually stopped crying, only occasional hiccups remaining. The warm breath swept across Shen Ruxue’s collarbone, carrying a ticklish sensation.
She raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, and when she lifted her head, her eyelashes were still wet, like butterfly wings coated in morning dew, making Shen Ruxue’s heart ache with tenderness.
“No, I wasn’t crying.”
Jiang Lai’s voice was small in protest, her fingertips gently clutching the collar of Shen Ruxue’s blouse, “And even if they’re swollen, I cried all on my own. It has nothing to do with you.”
Shen Ruxue let out a low laugh, her fingers pinching the tip of Jiang Lai’s reddened nose.
“Alright, alright, nothing to do with me. Our Jiang Jiang just can’t bear to part with me.”
Jiang Lai looked up, her gaze falling directly into Shen Ruxue’s smiling eyes. Those eyes were filled with utter indulgence, and she carefully leaned back into her arms.
Shen Ruxue’s heart felt as if a feather had lightly brushed against it, melting into complete softness. Her left hand gently encircled Jiang Lai’s waist, pulling her a little closer, letting her lean more comfortably.
“If you’re sleepy, take a nap. Once I finish handling these documents, I’ll take you to explore this city properly. You’ve come so many times… and you’ve never had a good look around. That’s not okay.”
“Okay, but I’m not tired.”
Jiang Lai shook her head, her cheek pressed against Shen Ruxue’s chest, listening to her steady breaths.
“I want to watch you work.”
She quietly stayed in Shen Ruxue’s arms, watching her sign and work on the documents stroke by stroke.
Jiang Lai silently counted the number of times Shen Ruxue wrote, listened to the soft rustle of papers, and felt a strange sense of calm rise in her heart.
She knew she had to leave tomorrow, returning to the home where Xiao Yu and her daughter waited. But at this moment, she only wanted to give herself completely to Shen Ruxue, to enjoy this time that belonged only to them.
After who knows how long, Shen Ruxue put down her fountain pen and gently ruffled Jiang Lai’s hair.
“Alright, I’m done.”
Jiang Lai lifted her head, a trace of drowsy confusion still in her eyes.
“That fast?”
“It’s not fast at all.”
Shen Ruxue smiled and pinched her cheek, “It’s almost evening. If we don’t go out soon, all the fun places will be closed. And I’ve booked dinner outside too.”
Jiang Lai quickly got up from her lap, but Shen Ruxue caught her hand.
She turned back to look at her. Shen Ruxue stood up, picked up the jacket draped over the chair, and held it out to her.
“It’s a bit chilly outside. Put this on.”
Jiang Lai took the jacket and obediently put it on. Shen Ruxue reached out to adjust the collar for her, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against Jiang Lai’s neck, bringing a faint tickle.
“Let’s go.”
Shen Ruxue held her hand, her fingers tightly clasping it, as if she was afraid she might run away.
When the two stepped out of the office building, the evening wind wrapped around them with a light chill.
Jiang Lai instinctively moved closer to Shen Ruxue. Shen Ruxue noticed immediately and secretly tightened her grip on Jiang Lai’s hand, turning her head to ask:
“Are you cold? Should we go back and change into something thicker first?”
“I’m not cold. This is fine.”
Jiang Lai shook her head, her fingertips lightly scratching Shen Ruxue’s palm.
She looked up at the sky. The sunset was dyeing the clouds a soft pinkish orange, and even the streetlights seemed wrapped in a warm glow. Her heart trembled with tenderness.
Shen Ruxue’s car was parked right downstairs. She opened the door for Jiang Lai to get in first, then walked around to the driver’s seat.
“It’s the perfect time to go to the riverbank. We can catch the sunset, and since it’s a weekday, there won’t be too many people.”
“Okay…”
Jiang Lai obediently sat still, but kept staring out the window. Only when Shen Ruxue parked the car in the lot did she unbuckle her seatbelt and step out to feel the afterglow of the sunset.
The moment Jiang Lai stepped onto the riverside path, the oncoming wind wrapped around her.
The wind carried the dampness of the river, mixed with the faint fragrance of reeds from afar, softly lifting the stray hairs at her temples.
Shen Ruxue followed closely behind, reaching out to adjust the collar of Jiang Lai’s jacket that had been blown askew. Her fingertips paused briefly at the tip of Jiang Lai’s ear.
“I told you it’s cold outside, but you still didn’t put your collar up. Since you took it off in the car, I won’t say anything more…”
Jiang Lai didn’t argue. Instead, she moved even closer to Shen Ruxue, reaching out to take her arm and pressing half her body against her.
“This way I’m not cold.”
Shen Ruxue, with Jiang Lai holding her arm, unconsciously slowed her pace. The two walked slowly along the path. The river breeze occasionally lifted Jiang Lai’s skirt, and she would instinctively dodge behind Shen Ruxue, like a kitten afraid of being blown away.
Shen Ruxue noticed and quietly moved closer, using her shoulder to block some of the wind. She whispered:
“Want to go to the observation deck up ahead? You can see more clearly from there.”
Jiang Lai nodded, her eyes still fixed on the surrounding scenery. After admiring the river view for a while, she suddenly turned her head to look at Shen Ruxue.
The sunset light fell on Shen Ruxue’s face, tinting her eyelashes a light gold, softening even her usually cool features.
“We used to love taking walks like this, always bringing our daughter to watch the sunset by the river. Next time… next time, let’s bring our daughter and Xiaoxue together, okay?”
Shen Ruxue’s heart skipped a beat.
She looked at Jiang Lai’s sparkling eyes, which reflected both the sunset and her own reflection.
She gently tightened her grip on Jiang Lai’s wrist, her voice slightly hoarse, barely noticeable.
“Okay. Next time, the four of us will come together.”
As she spoke, the sun sank a little lower, turning half the sky into a soft pinkish orange.
Jiang Lai heard Shen Ruxue’s answer, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift, her eyes curving into crescents.
She reached out, her fingertip gently hooking Shen Ruxue’s pinky, swaying it lightly like she did as a child making a pact.
“Promise. No backing out.”