Chapter 24

Under Zhao Dan’s gentle care, Jiang Lai finally slept well for once. She wasn’t startled awake in the middle of the night, and she didn’t lie awake until dawn with insomnia...

When morning came, she woke in a daze. Zhao Dan was already gone from beside her. Jiang Lai sat up, stretched with satisfaction, and stared blankly for two seconds before lifting the blanket and getting out of bed.

Passing the table, she suddenly noticed a small note lying there. Curiosity made her stop; she instinctively picked it up and read it.

On it was a line of graceful handwriting.

“Life is all about following your heart...

Jiang Lai smiled to herself and carefully tucked the note away. Then she opened the door, and sure enough, there was a little figure sitting right outside, waiting for her to wake up and open it.

“Xiaoxiao, why are you sitting here?”

Jiang Lai was a little surprised. She crouched down and picked the girl up, patting the nonexistent dust from her clothes while she was at it.

“Mom said big sister was sleeping, so I couldn’t disturb big sister.”

The girl clung obediently to her neck, her voice soft and sweet, impossible not to like. Jiang Lai sighed and carried her to the sofa, patiently keeping her company while she played.

She glanced around, then lowered her head and asked gently, “Aren’t your dad and mom home?”

“Dad and Mom said they had something to do and went out. They told me to stay home with you at noon.”

The girl blinked at her. Jiang Lai lightly touched her forehead, letting her know she understood, then pointed to the toys beside them and told her to go play on her own.

The girl was very well-behaved; she didn’t make a fuss and wandered off on her own. Jiang Lai sat cross-legged on the sofa, sketching her design drafts. For a while, the atmosphere was harmonious and quiet.

Then a ringtone suddenly broke the calm. Jiang Lai snatched up her phone quickly, gave the girl an apologetic smile, and answered. Her tone was calm, but there was a hint of warning in it. “Xia Wanwan, I hope you can give me an explanation. Otherwise, if I see you next time, you’re finished.”

On the other end, Xia Wanwan rubbed her nose guiltily. She had been about to hang up on the spot, but after seeing the person beside her signal her, she could only brace herself and speak. “A-Lai, where are you right now?”

“At home,” Jiang Lai said flatly.

“Well...” Xia Wanwan’s voice turned coaxing. “Come out and hang with me. I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“You’re near my place?”

“Yep!”

“I’m not going.”

“Come on, just come out. It’s been over half a month since we last saw each other. Don’t you miss me at all?”

“No—”

Xia Wanwan cut her off at once. “Just come on. I’ll give you a huge surprise when you get here! It’s settled; I’ll send you the address in a bit. See you there!”

With that, before Jiang Lai could even agree, Xia Wanwan hung up at astonishing speed. Looking at the darkened call screen, Jiang Lai could only feel helpless, with no real choice but to go along with it.

She waved to the girl beside her. “Xiaoxiao, come here.”

“Big sister..."

“Go get your clothes. Big sister will take you to meet a pretty lady.”

“Are we going out to play?”

The girl’s eyes lit up. Jiang Lai tapped her forehead. “That’s right. Go get ready.”

The girl bounced back to her room, and Jiang Lai slowly stood up to gather her things. The two of them took a taxi to the agreed location. Jiang Lai carried the girl and walked quietly into the restaurant. Soon they arrived at the private room Xia Wanwan had mentioned. She pushed the door open gently, expecting to see only Xia Wanwan, but unexpectedly...

“She... why is she here too..."

Jiang Lai lowered her eyes, not quite able to make sense of it.

When Xia Wanwan saw the girl in her arms, her eyes lit up. “Oh, A-Lai, is this your daughter? Since when did you have such a beautiful daughter? I had no idea.”

Jiang Lai shot her a look. “This is my little sister. If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak at all.”

Xia Wanwan looked excited. “No way, you’ve got such a young little sister too? A-Lai, your dad is really still going strong!”

Jiang Lai glared at her. “You’re starting to get ridiculous again, and in front of a child too.”

Then she lowered her voice and said, “Xiaoxiao, greet them.”

“Hello, Auntie.”

The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, making Xia Wanwan’s heart melt. “Your little sister is so well-behaved. Can I hold her?”

“Wanwan, let A-Lai sit down first.”

The one who finally spoke after a long silence was Cheng Shuyang. Jiang Lai didn’t know if it was her imagination, but Cheng Shuyang seemed terribly tired right now...

Jiang Lai bit her lip. “Aunt Cheng, long time no see..."

“It has been a long time.” Cheng Shuyang smiled faintly. “I thought you would come to the wrap party after the drama finished filming, but you didn’t...”

“I couldn’t make time back then... I didn’t have time to go..."

“So you didn’t have time... or did you not want to see me?”

Cheng Shuyang smiled, but Jiang Lai could almost hear the fatigue in her voice.

The girl looked timidly around, then hugged Jiang Lai’s neck tighter. “Big sister, that auntie is so pretty.”

“Which one?”

“The one you were just talking to.”

Jiang Lai looked up at Cheng Shuyang sitting opposite them, the corners of her lips lifting slightly as she answered in a low voice, “Big sister thinks so too. She’s very pretty..."

“Hey, what are you two whispering about?” Xia Wanwan complained.

Jiang Lai looked straight at Cheng Shuyang. “My sister said Aunt Cheng is very beautiful.”

Cheng Shuyang’s eyes curved. “Your big sister is very beautiful too.”

“Do you want to hold her?”

“Can I?”

There was a question in Cheng Shuyang’s eyes.

Jiang Lai stroked the girl’s hair. “Xiaoxiao?”

The girl opened her arms toward Cheng Shuyang and threw herself straight into her embrace. Xia Wanwan looked aggrieved. “Why won’t she hug me?”

“If you like children so much, have one yourself.”

Xia Wanwan gave her a helpless look.

Only during the meal did Jiang Lai finally remember. “Why did you two suddenly come to my side of town?”

“Ah...” Xia Wanwan’s eyes drifted away. “Well, Mom’s filming has wrapped too, so I brought her out to relax a bit. We just happened to end up near your place.”

Cheng Shuyang merely lowered her head and carefully served Jiang Xiao vegetables without saying anything.

“Oh.”

Jiang Lai looked at Cheng Shuyang. “I forgot to congratulate Aunt Cheng for finishing filming.”

“You too.”

Cheng Shuyang put some food onto her plate and said softly, “Eat quickly. After this meal, don’t keep avoiding me..."

“Cough, cough.”

Jiang Lai choked at those words and instantly went red in the face, unable to say anything.

Cheng Shuyang hurriedly handed her a glass of water, then quickly came over and patted her back over and over. “Are you all right?”

“I’m much better now, thank you, Aunt Cheng..."

Seeing that Jiang Lai didn’t seem to be pretending, Cheng Shuyang finally returned to her seat. Jiang Lai swallowed the last bite of food in her mouth. “Aunt Cheng, I can look after Xiaoxiao. You should eat.”

“It’s fine. I have experience looking after children. It’s you... why have you gotten so thin..."

Jiang Lai went quiet all at once. Cheng Shuyang immediately realized she had said something wrong and didn’t dare say another word.

The meal ended in an awkward, stifled silence. After that, they took Jiang Xiao to the amusement park for a round of fun. By the time they got home, it was already dark.

Jiang Lai picked up the sleeping Jiang Xiao. “Then I’ll head in first. Wanwan, drive carefully on your way back.”

“Got it.”

“Wait.”

Cheng Shuyang suddenly stopped Xia Wanwan. “Wanwan, wait in the car for me. I’m going to say a few words to A-Lai.”

“Oh, okay..."

“Cheng... Aunt Cheng?”

“Alright, now that Wanwan isn’t here, the two of us can talk, can’t we?”

Cheng Shuyang looked straight at her. “Did I do something that made you unhappy? Why did you leave without even telling me?”

“No...”

Jiang Lai lowered her head. “It was my fault..."

Cheng Shuyang hated this side of Jiang Lai the most; she always kept her head down, making it impossible to press her with questions.

“You really are...”

Cheng Shuyang’s eyes turned red, but she still couldn’t bring herself to say anything blaming her. She clenched her fists and tried hard to steady her trembling body. Her voice was hoarse. “...Go back.”

Looking at Cheng Shuyang, Jiang Lai had so much she wanted to say; she even wanted to be impulsive for once and tell her that she liked her, that she hadn’t been avoiding her on purpose... But she couldn’t. In the end, all those words could only be compressed into a few sentences. “Aunt Cheng, take care of yourself..."

A flood of emotions flashed through Cheng Shuyang’s eyes, but she only reached out to brush aside Jiang Lai’s fallen hair. “...You take care of yourself too.”

When they got home, Zhao Dan was already back. Seeing the two sisters, she was a little surprised, but still took Jiang Xiao from Jiang Lai carefully and quietly. “Why are you back so late?”

“We had dinner with Wanwan and Aunt Cheng, so we came back a little late.”

“Shuyang? She came to our place?”

“Mm. She said she was here to relax.”

Zhao Dan sounded somewhat resigned. “Why didn’t you invite her in to sit for a while?”

“Mom, it’s this late already. She needs to go back and rest.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right. Hurry back and rest. You’ve worked hard taking care of Xiaoxiao today.”

Zhao Dan touched Jiang Lai’s head, then carried Jiang Xiao into the room.

In the car, Xia Wanwan glanced at Cheng Shuyang through the rearview mirror.

“What is it?”

“I don’t understand you. You went all that way just to have a meal with A-Lai?”

“It was the request of the others in the crew..."

“There are so many people in the crew. Why did they ask you to come?”

“Wanwan..."

“Fine, fine, I won’t say anything anymore, okay?”

Watching the scenery outside the window constantly shift by, Cheng Shuyang still sighed, as if all her strength had been drained away, and leaned back heavily in the seat.

“Bastard..."

Cheng Shuyang suddenly cursed under her breath. Xia Wanwan didn’t catch it clearly. “What?”

“Nothing. Drive carefully..."

Concern rose on Xia Wanwan’s face, but she didn’t dare ask further. She could clearly tell Cheng Shuyang was in a bad mood right now; it was better for her to keep her mouth shut.

“Jiang Lai... why insist on doing what you know can’t be done?”

Author’s note:

I’m very sorry that so much time has passed between updates. Truthfully, I’ve been feeling a bit anxious lately.

I met a very wonderful auntie. I like her a lot; she’s very gentle, and I really want to confess to her, but I know I can’t...

At the same time, I happened to come across a pair of bloggers I used to follow. They broke up last year, and recently got back together. The older sister went back to find the younger one.

When I saw it, I suddenly seemed to realize a phrase.

Though love lies beyond mountains and seas, mountains and seas can be crossed...

The person who loves you will, no matter what, still come back in the end.

I also want to wish the little cuties reading my book this time: may you spend every season of your life with the one you love...

May this life be vast, with starfire filling the sky, and may you keep each other company until old age...