Before they turned in for the night, Xie Qingyi picked up a set of Jiang Lai’s pajamas and walked into the bathroom.
Only after hearing the bathroom door click shut did Chi Yingyu lean back against the sofa and let out a soft sigh.
She finally brought up the one person they hadn’t mentioned all evening—Xie Qingyi’s sister.
“Does Sister know she came to our place?”
“She knows. And if there’s nothing pressing, let her stay for a few days. She’s a pitiful girl.”
Jiang Lai sat down beside her and drew her shoulder close.
The two leaned against the sofa in silence.
If this were any other time, they would have already gone into the bedroom.
But there was another person in the house now.
If they went in first and Xie Qingyi needed something, she’d have to knock on the bedroom door to disturb them.
So before going to sleep, Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu stayed on the sofa by tacit agreement, holding each other close.
About twenty minutes later, the bathroom door opened.
Xie Qingyi walked out in her pajamas, her hair dripping wet, her face flushed with the warmth of a fresh shower.
“All done?”
Chi Yingyu stood up and gestured toward her bedroom.
“I’ve already cleaned up the room. You can head in and sleep. If it gets cold at night, there’s a thicker quilt in the closet.”
Xie Qingyi nodded, said another “thank you,” and slowly walked into the bedroom.
She went in so early because she felt she didn’t belong in this home.
Even though this home gave her a deeply reassuring feeling, it wasn’t hers after all.
She was only stopping by briefly, and she would be gone soon.
When she reached Chi Yingyu’s room and closed the door, she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of peace.
She had been out these past few days.
Though she’d gradually gotten farther from that place that made her miserable, she couldn’t fall asleep every night, which was truly agonizing.
But now, in this unfamiliar room, she inexplicably felt at ease.
She walked to the bed, touched the soft sheets, and breathed in the faint scent in the room.
It was almost identical to the scent on Jiang Lai.
When Xie Qingyi noticed how similar it was, she couldn’t help but smile.
She never expected to be seeking a “substitute” like this—to the point where even a faint whiff of a scent could make her happy.
Just how cowardly was she, that even now, she still didn’t dare confess her feelings to Jiang Lai?
In the living room, Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu only relaxed a little after watching the bedroom door shut.
Chi Yingyu could finally express her affection freely.
She leaned into Jiang Lai’s arms, her voice soft and warm.
“Since she’s already gone to sleep now, Jiang Jiang, can we go rest too? I’ve been holding back my clinginess this whole time. You’ll have to properly praise me later, okay?”
Jiang Lai lowered her head and kissed her forehead.
“Alright, let’s go wash up and turn in early.”
Since Chi Yingyu had already showered earlier in the evening, she only needed to brush her teeth and wash her face.
Jiang Lai, on the other hand, had been running around outside all day.
If she wanted to get into bed, she needed to take a shower.
By the time she finished washing up and came out, Chi Yingyu was already lying under the quilt.
Jiang Lai walked over, lifted the quilt, slipped in, pulled Chi Yingyu into her arms, and held her tightly, as if trying to knead her into her very bones.
Chi Yingyu nestled deeper into her embrace, pressing her ear against Jiang Lai’s chest.
“I really missed you so much~”
Chi Yingyu’s voice was wrapped in the soft quilt, like a warm ball of cotton gently brushing against Jiang Lai’s chest.
Jiang Lai could feel the dependence in the breath of the person in her arms.
Her fingertips lightly traced the loose hairs at the nape of Chi Yingyu’s neck, her voice thick with tenderness.
“I missed you too. Every day I was away on that business trip, I missed you.”
She lowered her head, the tip of her nose brushing across the crown of Chi Yingyu’s head.
As she breathed in that familiar scent, her heart felt like it had been gently squeezed.
She kissed the crown of Chi Yingyu’s head, as gentle as if she were handling a fragile treasure.
“There shouldn’t be much going on from now on. I want to spend time with you properly.”
“Okay. But my Shiwusuo is getting busy now. I just want to spend some time with you and not be interrupted by anything else.”
Jiang Lai saw the dependence in her eyes and her heart melted in an instant.
“Work is more important. If you’re too busy to come back in time, I’ll come find you after I get off work and keep you company, okay?”
“Sure, that works too. Then I’ll have a bit more motivation to work.”
Outside, in other people’s eyes, Chi Yingyu was the perfect strong woman who could handle anything.
But only in front of Jiang Lai did she show her true self.
A little willful, even childish—just as playful as she was as a child, loving to stir up mischief.
Jiang Lai looked at Chi Yingyu now.
Just looking at her made her feel inexplicably light and at ease.
In the past, Yingyu always had so much pent up in her heart, her whole presence heavy and gloomy, even carrying a slightly “keep-your-distance” aura.
But now, it was completely different.
Jiang Lai had always thought to herself: if only Chi Yingyu could be a little happier.
And now, she was very, very close to that goal.
Chi Yingyu leaned against Jiang Lai’s chest, listening to her steady heartbeat, and gradually felt her eyelids growing heavy.
She let out a small yawn, her voice tinged with drowsiness.
“Jiang Jiang, I’m a little sleepy.”
During the days Jiang Lai was away, Chi Yingyu barely felt any drowsiness.
She had to force herself to sleep every night, and the quality was terrible.
But now, lying in Jiang Lai’s arms, she was truly relaxed, and sleepiness quickly caught up with her.
Jiang Lai gently adjusted her position to make her more comfortable, softening her voice even more.
“Sleep. I’m right here.”
Her fingertips gently stroked Chi Yingyu’s hair.
Watching the person in her arms slowly close her eyes and breathe evenly, her heart was full of contentment.
Even though she felt it was still early, she, too, gradually fell under the spell of drowsiness—so much so that she never even saw the messages that had come in on her phone.
While Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu drifted into their dreams, Shen Ruxue stared at the messages she had sent long ago that had yet to receive a reply, wondering whether she should go see them tomorrow.
After all, this time she had a legitimate reason.
Work had mostly reached its final stages due to year-end, and there wouldn’t be any new business.
It was a rare stretch of free time.
Since she knew Xie Qingyi was by Jiang Lai’s side right now, she might as well head over too.
It was the perfect excuse.
Presumably, the people of the Shen family wouldn’t have anything to say about it.
Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter.
But even so, Shen Ruxue still had to give them some face.
At this point, Shen Ruxue could completely disregard their opinions if she wanted to.