Jiang Lai looked at the girl before her, about the same age as her daughter, and suddenly realized—could this be the close friend her daughter had recently mentioned?
The girl who had been living with her daughter lately… her name was Shen Ru Xue, if she remembered correctly…
As Jiang Lai thought about it, her gaze toward Shen Ru Xue softened, filled with tenderness.
Although her daughter rarely talked about what was happening around her, Shen Ru Xue’s name was mentioned far more often than anyone else’s in the few times she did speak up.
Jiang Lai had always been curious about the best friend her daughter spoke of and had wanted to thank her for looking after her daughter at school.
She never expected to run into her here, and even more coincidentally, she had once met her on the way to the Aunt’s Law Office.
What a small world!
As Jiang Lai was pondering how to suggest the girl get some rest, Chi Yingyu, who had already paid the medical fees, arrived at the ward.
Seeing her sister-in-law, Jiang Lai suddenly remembered the reason she had come to find her.
Not wanting to disturb her daughter resting in the ward, Jiang Lai took her sister-in-law’s hand and left, looking for a quiet corner where they wouldn’t bother anyone.
“How much was the medical bill just now? I’ll transfer it to you now.”
After saying this, Jiang Lai took out her phone, but Chi Yingyu snatched it away and said coldly, “Why do you want to do that? Am I already a stranger in front of you?”
“No, you’re the closest family to Le Yi and me, but you have many expenses of your own.”
“Expenses?”
Chi Yingyu looked at her brother-in-law trying to wrestle the phone back, then slowly reached out a hand.
Jiang Lai was so startled by the gesture that she instinctively dodged.
“I just wanted to fix the hair stuck on your cheek…”
Chi Yingyu’s eyes were filled with painful struggle as she spoke.
Could her brother-in-law really not even want her to touch him anymore?
“Besides, I don’t have anywhere I need money for.
Unless it’s to save up for a wedding with you or a honeymoon?”
“That’s enough!!”
Jiang Lai doubted she had heard correctly.
At that moment, she wondered if she was dreaming.
Why hadn’t Chi Yingyu sorted out her thoughts over the past few days?
Instead of suppressing her excessive feelings, she now actually wanted to marry Jiang Lai!
Never mind whether two women could be together; their identities absolutely forbade such a thing from happening.
“I’m your sister’s husband. Do you think you’re being fair to her? Or to me?”
Jiang Lai didn’t want to discuss these things with Chi Yingyu.
Her daughter was still suffering in bed.
She had no energy or heart to argue with her sister-in-law.
“If you don’t want me to hate you, don’t say things like that anymore. Even if you truly feel like you said before, that you like me in every possible way, if you don’t want me to hate you, then hold it in. My daughter—your niece—is still lying in that hospital bed. Don’t you know what’s more important?”
Jiang Lai was truly drained, her beautiful brows tightly furrowed.
She had only come out to talk about the medical fees with her sister-in-law, but since that was off the table, she wanted to hurry back to her daughter.
“It’s been days since we last met. Don’t you want to spend some time alone with me?”
Just as Jiang Lai turned to leave in Jiangsu, Chi Yingyu’s voice suddenly cracked with sobs, grabbing her brother-in-law and pulling him into her embrace.
Though taller and more slender than Jiang Lai, at that moment, she curled up like a child on Jiang Lai’s shoulder.
“Brother-in-law, do I really have no chance at all? I know this feeling is wrong. For so many years, I’ve hopelessly loved you. I just can’t control it…”
Chi Yingyu’s sudden sobbing stunned Jiang Lai.
She instinctively raised her hand, wanting to gently stroke the sister-in-law nestled in her arms, but her hand froze halfway, as if struggling to figure out how to respond.
Jiang Lai was the type to soften at weakness rather than resist it, and she could not stand to see the women close to her cry.
Especially her daughter and sister-in-law—she still remembered the promise she made back then never to let either of them suffer.
Chi Yingyu’s choking sobs instantly captured the fragile heart that was about to leave.
The strong resolve to walk away suddenly faltered, and the solid barrier broke open.
“Don’t cry, okay?”
After hesitating for a long moment, Jiang Lai finally placed her hand gently on Chi Yingyu’s slender back, soothing her like a little kitten, stroking her emotions softly.
“I can’t accept your feelings for me, but if you’re willing to give up, we can still go back.”
Back to the past—a home that, although abnormal, was warm.
“But I really can’t control it…”
Chi Yingyu looked up, meeting Jiang Lai’s eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly, tears silently streaming down her cheeks, speaking of the pain and struggle inside.
She clung tightly to Jiang Lai.
The sister-in-law had turned herself into a weeping mess, a scene Jiang Lai hated to see.
“I tell myself every moment this feeling shouldn’t exist… This feeling will completely destroy our original relationship. But I can’t suppress it. I can’t control it. When I’m infected by these feelings, I truly, truly can’t think about anything else.”
Jiang Lai lowered her head slightly.
The two were so close it felt like they could kiss at any moment.
Jiang Lai pressed her lips together, looking at her pitiful and endearing sister-in-law.
In the end, she relented.
“As long as you don’t say things like that anymore, I can wait for you… If you stop thinking about all those messy things, we can still go back.”
“Mm.”
Chi Yingyu nodded hard at her brother-in-law’s words, as if agreeing, but what she was truly thinking only she knew.
After all, her brother-in-law was too soft-hearted…
Chi Yingyu knew him well.
Now, like a clever and cunning hunter, after calming down, she began weaving a Trap so deep there was no escape, slowly luring her prey until he was completely caught.
“Can I hug you once more? These past few days, I really, really missed you… missed you so much…”
If it was just a hug, Jiang Lai had no reason to refuse.
One hand gently supported Chi Yingyu’s waist so her entire weight could rest on him, while the other lightly cradled her head against his shoulder.
The tenderness made it seem like the sister-in-law was also like a daughter to him.
As Jiang Lai’s hand wrapped around her sister-in-law’s waist, she was shocked to realize that Chi Yingyu hadn’t eaten at all these days.
The skin under her fingers was like dried leather—nothing but bones.
Her waist was so thin it seemed one hand could easily encircle it.
She was far thinner than before.
Jiang Lai’s heart ached deeply for her sister-in-law, but Chi Yingyu was now plotting how to pull her gentle brother-in-law into the abyss.
The unfamiliar scent lingering on him made her frown.
Before, Jiang Lai and she had used the same body wash—a sweet, milky scent.
Jiang Lai always loved hugging her tightly because the shared fragrance made her feel as if they were one.
But now, what hovered near her nose was a fresh jasmine fragrance, definitely not the common hotel body wash scent, but a high-end, luxurious one.
No doubt, this had to be the scent of another woman.
Thinking this, Chi Yingyu’s eyes darkened further.
Moreover, the slippers on her brother-in-law’s feet looked like the kind used only at home… Could it be that he had been staying at another woman’s place these past few days?