Chi Yingyu looked at the address her brother-in-law sent, immediately dolling herself up without hesitation, even pulling out a dress from her wardrobe she hadn’t worn in ages.
When starting the car in the garage, her eyes couldn’t help but linger on the delicate watch on her left wrist.
Chi Yingyu’s beautiful lips curved into a smile, her eyes brightening, clearly in a great mood.
Since her sister’s death, Chi Yingyu appeared cold and distant to outsiders, but looking at this watch softened her expression.
This watch was a gift from Jiang Lai when she graduated high school.
Though not an expensive gift now, even after a decade or two, it remained her favorite.
Chi Yingyu still remembered how, after her sister’s death, the whole family relied on Jiang Lai.
Both families were ordinary, with aging parents plagued by ailments from years of hard work, requiring constant financial support.
Jiang Lai was the only one capable of working then.
To put it bluntly, they were like vampires draining him, not to mention the expenses for his toddler daughter.
Back then, Chi Yingyu only hoped Jiang Lai wouldn’t abandon them, even if just to stay by their side.
But Jiang Lai gave everything to protect them, never complaining.
Others might not have seen it, and even his daughter, too young to remember, forgot those tough years, but Chi Yingyu remembered every hardship clearly.
Jiang Lai sacrificed so much, nearly breaking his body from exhaustion.
Thankfully, those days were behind them.
Now, Chi Yingyu was the youngest top lawyer in the legal world, capable of doing what she wanted and protecting those she cared about.
But to outsiders, the renowned lawyer was still treated like a child by Jiang Lai, who even worried about her love life.
At twenty-nine, Chi Yingyu had never dated or even had a fling.
Long ago, she declared herself a staunch singleton, needing neither love nor marriage in her life.
To others, this was nothing, but to Jiang Lai, it was his fault, believing he and his daughter held her back from finding love.
This issue weighed heavily on Jiang Lai’s heart.
Only Chi Yingyu knew the real reason: she had long fallen for someone she absolutely shouldn’t, a love that, if revealed, would change everything.
She didn’t know why her brother-in-law didn’t ask her to come home directly, but a hotel meeting suggested they could be alone.
In the past, Chi Yingyu might have fantasized about being together, youthful recklessness driving her.
But as she matured, she realized some taboos couldn’t be crossed, or she’d lose even the chance to stay by his side.
To her niece, Leyi, her father might be the most stubborn, inflexible old man, but Chi Yingyu knew Jiang Lai’s charm well.
Her charismatic brother-in-law had once been relentlessly pursued by a wealthy woman, nearly kidnapped, exuding an irresistible married-man allure.
Chi Yingyu didn’t know why Jiang Lai invited her to a hotel room—something unprecedented.
Before heading over, she triple-checked that the message was indeed from him.
Nothing seemed off during the drive, but standing at the hotel room door, Chi Yingyu hesitated, her heart wavering.
Meeting secretly behind her niece’s back felt thrillingly illicit.
At this time, her niece should be home for the holidays, yet here she was, sneaking a rendezvous with Jiang Lai.
What was this all about?
Chi Yingyu’s face remained composed, but her heart raced as if it might burst from her chest.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly on the door.
She expected her long-unseen brother-in-law to answer, but a strange woman opened the door!!
“You… are you?”
Chi Yingyu’s voice was icy, startling Jiang Lai, whose frail shoulders trembled, her heart skipping a beat. “Yingyu, let me explain… ouch!”
Jiang Lai tried to reveal her true identity, but Chi Yingyu, usually gentle and refined like an obedient child, grabbed her wrist tightly, yanking her into the room.
The force was so strong that tears welled in Jiang Lai’s eyes, nearly crying out.
Was this really the strength of her sister-in-law?
If asked to describe Chi Yingyu, Jiang Lai would liken her to a classic southern beauty—elegant brows, eyes like moonlight, gentle as her sister but with an added touch of charm.
Yet Chi Yingyu’s demeanor was cold, her gaze indifferent to strangers.
Only those close to her knew her playful, adorable side, reserved for a select few.
To Jiang Lai, this cold, harsh side of Chi Yingyu was entirely new, leaving her stunned.
Chi Yingyu was furious, her good mood vanishing upon seeing this woman.
Entering the room, her blood boiled.
She saw the disheveled bed, the familiar phone and coat, and the woman she was gripping, wearing a shirt that looked like her brother-in-law’s.
Jiang Lai, tearful and pitiful, looked proper but had red marks on her slender neck.
A forbidden thought crept into Chi Yingyu’s mind: the evidence suggested her brother-in-law, who always avoided women, had checked into a hotel with one.
Her heart ached fiercely, her gaze cold enough to kill.
“Why are you here? Where did that shirt come from? Did you send that message?!”
What a great start lmao