Chapter 41: Warm Red Wine

The food they ordered would still take a while to arrive. 

The two of them stepped onto the lawn, admiring the sea of roses under the moonlight and the soft ground lights that circled the flowerbeds.

Jiang Cheng gazed at the vibrant, dewy red petals and somewhat understood why Wang Ziyue loved them so much.

That passionate, eye-catching color could capture anyone’s gaze in an instant.

“Seeing these flowers every day really lifts my mood.”

Wang Ziyue turned her head and said to Jiang Cheng.

“They really are beautiful.”

Jiang Cheng could see the swirling, unreadable emotions in Wang Ziyue’s eyes, but she couldn’t decipher what they meant.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs and see the room you’ll be sleeping in tonight.”

Although the guest rooms were rarely used, the housekeeper cleaned them every day. 

Wang Ziyue’s own bedroom was on the third floor; the floor below held the guest rooms and a second-floor living hall.

Jiang Cheng’s hand was suddenly taken. 

She stared blankly at Wang Ziyue’s fair, slender fingers.

“Hm?” 

Wang Ziyue glanced back at her, seemingly unaware that there was anything unusual about her actions.

“It’s nothing…”

It’s just holding hands. It’s fine between girls.

Thinking of how Chen Ting and Zhou Qingying often linked arms with her, Jiang Cheng relaxed again.

Yet her gaze kept drifting to their completely enveloped hands.

The interior décor was exactly what Jiang Cheng had imagined: understated luxury.

Wang Ziyue favored refined, restrained designs; most of the furniture was simple Scandinavian style.

It was too clean—the entire house felt spotless.

Every ornament was placed in precisely the right spot.

Jiang Cheng looked at the bar counter with only empty glassware and the dining chairs that showed no signs of ever being moved.

It felt as though Wang Ziyue rarely lived here.

“I usually stay at Lihua Hotel.”

Wang Ziyue had stopped walking at some point. One look at Jiang Cheng’s expression and she knew what the girl was thinking.

“Then this place?”

“I come back occasionally. Before I moved out, I lived with my parents… Later I chose here mostly because of the South City projects. Living alone, one place is the same as any other, right?”

Wang Ziyue spoke lightly, but for no reason Jiang Cheng heard a trace of loneliness.

This was novel. 

Jiang Cheng had assumed someone like Wang Ziyue would never show weakness, yet she was revealing a side she kept hidden from the world just to her.

Such special treatment…

Felt pretty nice.

From the corner of her eye, Wang Ziyue noticed the faint smile on the girl’s lips.

“What are you smiling at?”

“Secret.” 

Jiang Cheng raised her right hand, pressed her index finger to her lips, and made a soft shh.

“Don’t forget what you came here for today.”

“Ah…” 

Jiang Cheng pouted. 

“Of course I remember… I just feel like you might not be in the mood to listen right now.”

“Why would you think that?” 

Wang Ziyue pressed the elevator button.

The two stood in front of the elevator. 

Jiang Cheng looked down at their still-joined hands.

“Intuition—” 

Jiang Cheng felt a thin layer of sweat in her palm; she wasn’t sure whose it was. 

“Sister, I really trust my intuition.”

“Is that so?”

The elevator doors opened. Neither of them stepped inside.

“I trust mine too. Or rather, I trust my judgment.”

Wang Ziyue didn’t continue the topic.

Night truly was the best catalyst. 

The moment vision blurred, everything traceable turned into restless, flickering sparks.

Dancing before your eyes, forcing you to look clearly.

Everyone became a moth diving headlong into the flame, as if the true meaning and purpose of life could bloom in this very instant.

Dangerous and intoxicating.

Wang Ziyue’s grip on Jiang Cheng’s hand tightened slightly.

Even if Jiang Cheng was slow on the uptake, she sensed something.

But she didn’t fully let her thoughts go there. 

In her eyes, Wang Ziyue had always been rational and restrained. 

She wouldn’t doubt her own intuition.

She hesitated for only a second before following.

The elevator stopped first on the third floor. Wang Ziyue pointed to her bedroom.

“Go pick a nightgown you like.”

Although Wang Ziyue was taller, a nightdress wouldn’t matter.

The walk-in closet was fully open; clothing for every season was displayed clearly in glass wardrobes, allowing the owner to wander freely.

“How about this one?”

Wang Ziyue pointed to a row of nightgowns. 

It was a dark-red lace-trimmed piece with large embroidered roses at the chest.

“Won’t it… be a bit too low-cut?”

“But this is what I usually wear at home.”

Wang Ziyue really wasn’t tricking her.

“What about long sleeves and pants? I don’t have short-sleeved or short-legged pajamas.”

Jiang Cheng’s expression turned complicated. 

Today’s temperature was pushing 30°C, and she tended to feel hot easily.

“Just this one, then.”

It wasn’t her own home, after all; Jiang Cheng didn’t want to trouble her.

“I’ll get it for you.” 

Wang Ziyue reached past her to open the wardrobe door.

So close.

Jiang Cheng felt Wang Ziyue was standing a little too close. 

Her chest brushed against Jiang Cheng’s back, practically enclosing her in an embrace.

Wang Ziyue didn’t notice the girl’s conflicted expression—or perhaps she herself no longer registered that the subtle distance between them had already been broken.

The thin, sheer nightgown landed in Jiang Cheng’s hands, reminding her of the black dress from her very first transformation.

“Your face is so red. Too hot?”

Only then did Wang Ziyue remember the air-conditioning wasn’t on. 

The house used central air; she stepped out of the closet and pressed the wall panel.

Soon, cool air began flowing from the ceiling vents.

Jiang Cheng didn’t come out of the closet right away. 

She covered her face, feeling her heartbeat accelerate uncontrollably.

“I’m going downstairs to get the door!” 

Wang Ziyue’s shout came from outside—dinner must have arrived.

“Okay…” She wasn’t sure if Wang Ziyue heard her.

So strange, so strange, so strange…

What on earth is going on…

“Jiang Jiang?”

When Wang Ziyue came back upstairs, she found Jiang Cheng crouched on the floor with her head buried in her knees.

“What’s wrong?!” 

She bent down anxiously, only to see the exposed half of the girl’s face flushed cherry-pink.

Jiang Cheng slowly lifted her head. 

Her clear, doe-like eyes now rippled with unease; her tightly pressed lips betrayed the anxiety in her heart.

Wang Ziyue’s defenses crumbled. 

All the pretenses she had built seemed to turn into irrefutable evidence of guilt.

Guilt and unease made her unable to meet the girl’s gaze.

They were very close, yet both looked away toward the wooden floor.

Studying the grain patterns.

“Let’s eat first.”

After a long silence, Wang Ziyue finally spoke. 

She wasn’t sure how much the girl had figured out or what she was thinking right now.

She herself had been deceiving herself, pretending with righteous dignity that she had only invited Jiang Cheng over as a guest.

Hypocrite! Cunning! Wang Ziyue thought this damp, shadowy version of herself was too strange.

So strange, so strange, so strange…

She’s still underage?! What the hell are you thinking? 

A scene flashed through Wang Ziyue’s mind:

Bodies overlapping, cries echoing.

SMACK! A crisp sound snapped Jiang Cheng’s attention over.

Her gushing embarrassment gradually faded, but now Wang Ziyue was the one acting strange.

Jiang Cheng looked at her in confusion. “Ah… what was that?”

“Nothing… uh, there was a mosquito just now.”

Wang Ziyue’s right cheek was slightly red.

On the dining table were two large paper bags containing sturdy insulated boxes. 

Wang Ziyue opened them one by one.

Braised beef brisket with radish, sweet-and-sour pork with pineapple, tomato-egg shrimp stir-fry, and two small bowls of rice.

“It looks delicious.” 

Jiang Cheng’s attention was immediately drawn to the food.

Watching her obedient demeanor, the strange feeling in Wang Ziyue’s heart began to fade. 

As expected… she had just been overthinking earlier.

She’s still underage.

Got it, Wang Ziyue?

“Mmm, this smells amazing. Try it.” 

Jiang Cheng casually picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks and held it out. 

Without thinking, Wang Ziyue leaned forward and took the bite right from Jiang Cheng’s chopsticks.

“Ah… sorry.” 

Jiang Cheng realized what she’d done and lowered her head to eat quietly.

She always fed her mom like this at home, but why hadn’t Wang Ziyue used her own bowl to catch it…

Wang Ziyue watched the chopstick tip she had just had in her mouth disappear between Jiang Cheng’s lips.

She could vaguely see the girl’s soft pink tongue as her mouth moved.

What are you doing, Wang Ziyue?! Eat properly! She hurriedly shoveled two big mouthfuls of rice.

Eating too fast made her choke. 

She coughed violently; Jiang Cheng quickly went to the kitchen looking for a kettle, only to see a temperature-controlled wine cabinet filled with red wine.

Wang Ziyue patted her chest and followed her in. She opened the fridge, took out a bottle of mineral water, and gulped down two mouthfuls, finally easing the discomfort.

She let out a long breath and pointed at the wine bottle in the girl’s hand.

“You weren’t planning to pour me a glass, were you?”

Jiang Cheng looked embarrassed; she had only realized after picking it up that the cork was hard to open.

Wang Ziyue ruffled her hair and took the bottle from her.

“I usually make warm mulled wine with these. Want to try some later?”

“I…”

“I add fruit and stuff—it’s sweet, not astringent, and helps with sleep.”

Wang Ziyue sounded like an eager food vendor.

She wanted Jiang Cheng to taste her handiwork and restore her image as a reliable big sister.

For some reason Jiang Cheng couldn’t explain, she let herself be persuaded.

When she looked into Wang Ziyue’s eyes, Jiang Cheng found it strangely difficult to say no.