"We’re at home, not outside. Who are you trying to act all ladylike for? I’m not you, I’m younger." Jiangg Yao explained defensively, rubbing her bottom from where she sat in a W-shaped kneeling position, a pose straight out of an anime.
"I’m only five minutes older than you."
"I know, but you’re still the older sister! Ahh—" Jiangg Yao shamelessly opened her mouth wide, waiting for Jiangg Ning to feed her. "Mmm, yummy!"
Looking at her younger sister, who was hugging a large dinosaur pillow with a blissful expression, Jiangg Ning was so exasperated she had to laugh. She smiled helplessly and fed her a few more spoonfuls, like she was feeding a pet, before picking up her own bowl.
She ate in small, delicate bites.
For a moment, there was silence. Jiangg Ning was hesitating. Several times, she worked up the courage to speak.
But when the words reached her throat, she looked at her sister and found she couldn’t get them out.
She could only start and stop, turning away and then back again, her fingers tightening around her spoon.
"Yaoyao," Jiangg Ning finally blurted out, unable to hold it in any longer. She stammered, "There’s something... I don’t know if I should tell you."
"Just say it! Is there anything we can’t talk about? We’ve never had secrets from each other. We’re sisters!" Jiangg Yao seemed surprised by her sister’s hesitation.
"Okay, I’m telling you."
"I’m listening." Jiangg Yao scooped up a spoonful of porridge and was about to put it in her mouth.
"Today... I ran into Chen Yuan!"
Jiangg Yao’s spoon froze in mid-air. Her expression stiffened slightly, and her pupils contracted.
She never in a million years would have thought her sister would bring up Chen Yuan on her own.
Then, Jiangg Ning opened the floodgates, finally letting out all the words she had been holding in for so long.
"This isn’t the first time I’ve run into Chen Yuan. After all, we’re at the same school, and I’m his teacher, so seeing each other is perfectly normal. But I feel like something’s wrong with me... Remember when we went to break up with him? Yaoyao, I was so resolute then. I wasn’t really affected, just a little sad. I thought I’d get over it and everything would be fine."
Jiangg Ning held her hands out and waved them slightly in front of her, as if to express her confusion. She continued, "But after seeing him these past few times, I feel like I can’t forget him. Last time, when I saw him with another girl from school, it felt like someone was squeezing my heart. It was awful."
"Today, he came to my office to get a document, and I didn’t even dare to make eye contact. My heart was pounding like crazy! I’ve never been like this with anyone before. You know how I am with other men. But the harder I try not to care, the more I try to forget, the more intense my reaction is when I see him again. I can’t control it."
"I even find myself looking forward to the next time I’ll see him. I can’t sleep at night because I’m thinking about it!"
"I feel happy whenever I run into him, and time seems to fly by when we’re together. Then, when he’s out of sight, I start feeling this inexplicable sense of loss..."
"Yaoyao!" She turned Jiangg Yao’s body with a serious expression, forcing her sister to face her. Their eyes met, and Jiangg Ning’s voice was filled with disbelief. "Don’t tell me I’m..."
"Don’t tell me you’re..." Jiangg Yao’s eyes widened.
The atmosphere instantly grew strange. The same look of horror was reflected in both their eyes.
Then, they spoke in unison.
"Falling for him!??"
...
In the living room, the lights were soft.
On the multi-level coffee table, the lotus seed porridge cooled from piping hot to lukewarm. The minutes ticked by, but the two of them remained silent.
A whirlwind of emotions churned within them.
Now that she had said it all, Jiangg Ning felt much better.
She truly had no one else to confide in but her sister. If she had kept it in any longer, she would have made herself sick.
Jiangg Yao, however, turned her head away in agony. Her eyes stared out the window at the high-rises, her furrowed brow a testament to the unparalleled turmoil in her heart.
’I’ve thought of countless possibilities,’ Jiangg Yao thought. ’I’ve even planned out how I’d explain my secret relationship to my sister if she ever found out.’
’The worst-case scenario would be our sisterly bond shattering and a huge fight ensuing.’
’I would beg my sister to keep it a secret, hopefully long enough for Chen Yuan to get through his four years of university.’
’By then, the truth would inevitably come out, and we wouldn’t be able to explain it to Jiangg Ruxue. But at least I wouldn’t have to worry about Chen Yuan’s studies anymore. If Jiangg Ning and I were called back to Mingzhu City, I planned to just run away. My sister probably wouldn’t be punished too severely.’
’That way, even though I’d feel guilty, I would have found my happiness.’
In truth, while they feared Jiangg Ruxue, the biggest issue was that their father’s inheritance was under her control—an inheritance that rightfully belonged to them.
Jiangg Yao was ready to give up that ethereal wealth. She hated the feeling of being controlled.
But now, the reality laid bare before her was so unbelievable.
She had mistakenly assumed that Jiangg Ning treated the online relationship as a game, something to have fun with and then forget, not even remembering his name. Perhaps one day, while cleaning the house, she might find an item or two that would trigger a distant memory, but there would be no lingering emotions.
And Jiangg Ning had mistakenly assumed that her sister had gotten over it easily, also believing the online relationship was just a game. After all, her younger sister had always been more playful and had more exposure to the virtual world online.
Tragically, two parallel lines had now become tangled.
She had thought a gentle tug would make them parallel again, but now, Jiangg Yao realized the lines were tied in a hopeless knot.
Collecting herself, Jiangg Yao came back to her senses and faced her sister. She asked with utmost seriousness, "Sis, are you sure? Are you really, truly falling for Chen Yuan?"
"I... I don’t know. Does this count as falling for someone? I’ve never been in a relationship before."
Jiangg Ning had always been the rational, wise one. No matter how big the problem, she could always keep her composure. Even when being berated by a hysterical Jiangg Ruxue, her expression would remain unchanged as she listened in silence.