“Then why did you just cry……………”
Xu Ruobing could feel that the tears Jiang Lai had just shed were not tears of joy, nor were they from shyness.
Those heart-wrenching tears clearly came from being hurt by someone without her even realizing it.
“RA……”
If Xu Ruobing hadn’t suddenly apologized to her, Jiang Lai might not have noticed that she had cried in front of Xu Ruobing until much later.
By the time she truly realized it, her eyes were already blurred with tears, unable to even clearly see Xu Ruobing before her.
Now, just as she had finally wiped the tears away, they welled up again.
But thanks to this, Jiang Lai finally found an excuse to let out all the tears she had been holding back for so long.
Some things, once compared, make the heart feel unbearably wronged.
Xu Ruobing and she had known each other for less than a month, yet she could be so gentle here.
But how had her own younger sister-in-law, who had accompanied her for more than ten years, treated her? She hadn’t even sent her a single message until now.
Even if the younger sister-in-law softened first and apologized, just saying sorry would give her a way out.
Jiang Lai’s heart said all this, but it didn’t mean Xu Ruobing held a more important place in her heart than the younger sister-in-law.
It was just a silent sigh in her heart, wishing her younger sister-in-law could treat her like Xu Ruobing did… instead of slowly instilling those immoral, tangled feelings into her.
Past memories were enough to trap a person for life; even fragments of memory could kill.
Jiang Lai knew very well that no matter how bad her younger sister-in-law treated her in the future, she would never abandon her because of the years they had endured together and the kindness she had shown before.
If her younger sister-in-law hadn’t been by her side, Jiang Lai probably would have collapsed long ago.
Their past relationship had been almost perfect — each the other’s only support, only salvation, only light.
But her younger sister-in-law was slowly destroying that relationship.
Jiang Lai couldn’t accept the ** feelings her younger sister-in-law harbored toward her, nor could she accept the thought of being loved like a couple.
Jiang Lai didn’t want to become that kind of relationship with her younger sister-in-law, nor did she want her to harbor such feelings.
Would that be fair to her younger sister-in-law? Fair to Le Yi, who she had always respected as an elder in her heart?
“Ruobing…………… just hold me for a moment, please?”
Xu Ruobing looked at Jiang Lai’s tear-blurred eyes and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder, cautiously stroking her back with care.
She pressed close, full of tenderness, hoping her actions could bring warmth.
Thanks to this embrace as a cover, Jiang Lai finally let all the tears she had suppressed spill out completely.
She didn’t want anyone to see her most vulnerable side…
“Is there anything I can do to help with this?”
Xu Ruobing’s voice was filled with concern, her sincere words bringing a trace of safety to Jiang Lai’s ears.
Jiang Lai lifted her head and saw Xu Ruobing’s beautiful peach blossom eyes, glistening with tears.
Though she was a proud big star, at this moment she appeared so cautious, so pitiable.
Jiang Lai forced a smile, tugging at the corner of her mouth, “Why are you crying along with me…
If I don’t cry, you can’t cry either, okay? Otherwise, you’ll ruin that beautiful face of yours.”
Jiang Lai carefully reached out her fingertips and simply wiped away the tears at Xu Ruobing’s eyes.
But even like this, Xu Ruobing looked at her clear eyes with unmasked pain.
Jiang Lai knew very clearly that the luckiest thing to have happened to her recently was meeting this big star right in front of her.
It was thanks to her presence that she hadn’t felt so lonely.
Jiang Lai buried her face deeper into Xu Ruobing’s embrace, nuzzling gently as if trying to fit her entire body into Xu Ruobing’s arms.
Finally, she nestled her face into the hollow of Xu Ruobing’s shoulder and quieted down.
“Ruobing, hold me tight.”
Jiang Lai whispered, and the next moment she was pulled tightly into Xu Ruobing’s arms.
Xu Ruobing really smelled good—there was a clean and pleasant scent about her, completely out of place with the dim atmosphere of the bar.
Jiang Lai knew very well she was sick, but it seemed only Xu Ruobing could be the cure.
This scent also brought her great peace.
At least at this moment, it allowed her to completely forget the chaotic mess with her younger sister-in-law and her miserable current state.
“Did you come here dressed up on purpose? I saw you were wearing makeup, and you have a clean scent about you.”
Xu Ruobing felt a bit guilty when Jiang Lai saw through her no-makeup disguise.
She deliberately skipped over the topic of her makeup and changed the subject to the second point.
“But I didn’t spray any perfume…………”
“No perfume?”
Jiang Lai mumbled softly, desperately inhaling Xu Ruobing’s clean scent.
After confirming there really wasn’t any obvious perfume, she buried herself even closer.
“It seems like this is your scent. It’s a pity it’s winter………….. if it were summer, you wouldn’t be wearing such thick clothes.”
“Do you think my clothes are too thick?”
Xu Ruobing finished speaking and immediately stood up, lifting Jiang Lai, who was still nestled in her arms.
“Then let’s go somewhere quiet next!”
Xu Ruobing seemed to have made a major decision, her breath slightly uneven, carrying an indescribable sensuality.
The close distance between them allowed Jiang Lai to see through her long lashes the eager emotion sparking in her eyes.
“Come home with me next.”
“Click!”
When the door lock clicked open after the correct code was entered, Xu Ruobing pushed open her Home door with one hand and tightly held Jiang Lai’s hand with the other, bringing her inside.
The room was much warmer than outside, as if the air conditioning had been on the whole time.
As soon as Xu Ruobing entered, she took off her coat and handed Jiang Lai a pair of her slippers.
“Here, we can hold each other as much as we want.”
Xu Ruobing’s voice was cool but carried a unique tenderness.
She glanced at Jiang Lai, who was leaning against the wall with one hand while slowly taking off her shoes.
Then Xu Ruobing immediately crouched down, signaling Jiang Lai to stand still and letting her take over this little task.
“I’ll do it myself, okay……………”
Jiang Lai was clearly startled by Xu Ruobing’s action and tried to pull her leg back.
But Xu Ruobing held her ankle firmly, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a faint smile like gentle ripples on a spring evening lake—intoxicating enough.
“But I want to do it for you!”