Chapter 6

Night fell, and Jiang Lai packed up her things. “Wanwan, Aunt Cheng, it’s getting late, so I’ll head out first.”

Xia Wanwan immediately threw an arm around her. “Oh, come on—it’s already so dark outside. It’d be dangerous for you to go home alone. Can’t you just stay at our place tonight?”

Jiang Lai took two steps back and gently freed herself from her arm. “Wanwan, that’s not convenient.”

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it.”

Xia Wanwan leaned in again. “Seriously, I really won’t feel at ease if you go home by yourself.”

Just then, footsteps sounded from the stairs. Cheng Shuyang came down from upstairs, draped in a light gray shawl. She stopped in the living room and looked at Jiang Lai with a gentle smile.

“You can stay without worry. I already asked Aunt Zhou to prepare the guest room upstairs for you; the bedding has all been changed. Stay as long as you like.”

Her tone was calm, yet it carried an authority that left no room for refusal. Looking at the necklace peeking out from the neckline of the woman’s clothes, glowing softly in the warm yellow light, Jiang Lai suddenly found the words of refusal stuck in her throat.

“Then I’ll have to trouble Aunt Cheng...”

After saying good night to Cheng Shuyang and Xia Wanwan, Jiang Lai returned to her room. Perhaps because she was in a strange place, she couldn’t sleep no matter what; she lay there with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, her mind flashing again and again with the figures of Qin Huaicheng, Cheng Shuyang, and Xu Zhiyi.

She seemed to have a premonition that from now on, her life would become tangled up with these people.

Thinking that way, Jiang Lai actually drifted off into a drowsy sleep.

Time passed second by second, and the house gradually grew quiet.

In the middle of the night, a rustling sound suddenly came from Jiang Lai’s quiet room. She reached an arm out from under the blanket and turned on the bedside lamp, then touched her face, wet with tears. “Jiang Lai, Jiang Lai, have some backbone, will you? You’ve already broken up with him, so why are you still dreaming about him? What is this supposed to mean?”

That was what she said, but eight years of feelings couldn’t simply be let go just because she wanted to. Especially when Qin Huaicheng was her first love; he was the person she had “wasted” her entire youth on.

She got out of bed and walked to the window, pulling back the curtains. The pure moonlight spilled over her body, making Jiang Lai look even lonelier.

Opening the bedroom door, Jiang Lai walked lightly toward the second floor. She remembered that there seemed to be a large balcony at the end of the hallway.

As it turned out, Jiang Lai had remembered correctly; there really was a balcony on the second floor. It was just that... someone else had gotten there first.

A breeze brushed past, carrying a trace of chill over Jiang Lai’s clothes. She pulled her coat tighter and asked carefully, “Aunt Cheng, it’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Cheng Shuyang turned back and smiled at her. “Aren’t you not asleep either?”

“I’m just not used to the bed. I can’t really sleep.”

Jiang Lai still wouldn’t admit it, not knowing that Cheng Shuyang had already seen through her.

Cheng Shuyang lifted the glass of red wine in her hand, a hint of mock reproach in her voice. “Since you can’t sleep, why not keep an old woman company for a while? We can chat.”

“Of course. As long as Aunt Cheng doesn’t mind that I’m not very good with words.”

Jiang Lai nodded and sat down on the other side of the table, reaching for the wine glass; Cheng Shuyang deftly avoided her. “Wanwan told me you can’t drink red wine. You’re allergic.”

Jiang Lai awkwardly pulled her hand back and touched her ear in embarrassment. “Wanwan still remembers that? I’d forgotten. But beer is fine.”

She reached for it again, only for the woman to dodge her hand again. “It’s late. Beer is out too. A child should drink a cup of warm milk instead; it’ll help you sleep. What do you think?”

Jiang Lai pouted without thinking. “Aunt Cheng, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re a child to me, just like Wanwan.”

The summer breeze was slightly cool, and cicadas kept singing. Bored, Jiang Lai let her gaze drift toward Cheng Shuyang, unable to stop herself from thinking, Aunt Cheng really is beautiful. And she has such a good temperament, so dignified and generous too. The Creator must be biased; with Aunt Cheng, He must have spent a lot of effort making her look like this.

Thinking that, Jiang Lai still didn’t look away. Her thoughts gradually drifted, but her eyes remained fixed on the woman.

Cheng Shuyang took an elegant sip of red wine and looked up at the stars overhead, the corners of her lips curved in a smile.

But Jiang Lai’s staring was so direct that she started to feel a little embarrassed. She lifted a hand to smooth back her hair, then turned toward the girl’s side and waved a hand in front of her eyes. “Alai?”

“Hm?”

Startled by Cheng Shuyang’s call, Jiang Lai instantly snapped back to her senses. Looking up, she caught the teasing look in Cheng Shuyang’s eyes and quickly lowered her head in embarrassment. “Sorry, Aunt Cheng...”

“Do I look good?”

Jiang Lai nodded stupidly. “Good-looking. You’re the best-looking person I’ve ever seen.”

Cheng Shuyang’s smile deepened. “You’re very cute. That’s completely different from what Wanwan said.”

Jiang Lai rubbed her swollen eyes, her face turning bright red. “Teacher Cheng, please don’t tease me.”

Seeing the girl’s puffy, tear-stained eyes, Cheng Shuyang’s heart unexpectedly ached. She let out a sigh, set down the wine glass, and chose her words carefully. “Alai, are you still upset about your relationship?”

Jiang Lai’s smile froze on her face. With a bitter laugh, she finally relaxed the shoulders that had been tense a moment ago. “Ah, Aunt Cheng saw through that too.”

The woman’s voice was warm and understanding. “I’m much older than you, and I’ve seen a lot more. How could I not tell? So... can you tell me why?”

Seeing the girl lower her head and stay silent, she softened her tone. “If you really don’t want to say it, then don’t. Don’t force yourself.”

Jiang Lai lowered her head and spoke in a muffled voice, her right hand repeatedly rubbing the ring on her ring finger. “Aunt Cheng, do you think everyone has to go through a love affair that ends without resolution...?”

The woman lifted a brow. “Why would you think that?”

“If I hadn’t brought up marriage with A Cheng, we’d still be boyfriend and girlfriend now. He wouldn’t have said those things to me, and I’d still be his nominal Mrs. Qin...”

“Then do you want to marry him?”

“What?”

Jiang Lai froze, not knowing how to answer Cheng Shuyang’s question. In her impression, life seemed like it should be this way; everything proceeded in order: dating, marriage, having children...

Back when Qin Huaicheng pursued her, he was sunny and handsome, witty and charming. Even the friends around her praised him highly, saying Jiang Lai had found a treasure. Over time, Jiang Lai and Qin Huaicheng naturally ended up together.

After they got together, Qin Huaicheng took meticulous care of her for the first few years, never once speaking harshly to her, and he never let Jiang Lai do any housework. But as time went on, Jiang Lai increasingly felt that Qin Huaicheng’s mind was entirely on his career, with no place for her in it. Every time she brought up marriage, he would always become impatient.

To say Jiang Lai had no feelings for Qin Huaicheng would also be impossible. After all, they had been together for eight years; there had to be some place for each other in their hearts.

“Alai.”

Cheng Shuyang took Jiang Lai’s hand from the table. Jiang Lai instinctively tried to pull back, but Cheng Shuyang held on firmly as she asked in a very gentle voice, “Ask your own heart. Do you truly want to marry him and live with him? Or was it only because of social expectations?”

“I... I don’t know, but I probably do.”

The woman chuckled softly. “See? You hesitated yourself.”

Jiang Lai tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes and lowered her eyes.

“When Wanwan’s father and I first met, our situation was basically the same as yours. We fell in love while working together, and naturally ended up together. Only one thing was different; he... wasn’t my first love.”

“After we got married, we really were happy for a while. But gradually, as time passed, all kinds of friction and conflicts started to appear. In the end, we reached the point of divorce. So, Alai, once you’ve made a decision, don’t regret it. If he’s the right person, then no matter what, the two of you will end up together in the end.”

Looking at the serious Cheng Shuyang in front of her, Jiang Lai’s lips curved slightly. “Aunt Cheng, you look like a relationship counselor right now!”

Cheng Shuyang pinched the soft flesh of Jiang Lai’s cheek indulgently. “Looks like you’re not that upset anymore? You even have the mood to joke with me.”

“Someone who gets lectured by Cheng Yinghou—how could I still be upset?”

“Jiang Lai, if there’s something you can’t figure out, don’t rush to force an answer. Sometimes, only when you calm down can you hear the answer you really want.”

Moonlight fell between them. She could clearly feel the concern in the woman’s voice, like the warm sun in winter, making it impossible not to relax.

“But Aunt Cheng, what was your first love like?”

“She?”

At the mention of her first love, Cheng Shuyang’s eyes shone, and her voice carried a hint of delight.

“She was a very good person; so much so that even now, I still don’t think anyone can compare to her.”

Jiang Lai suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and answered sourly, “No matter how good she is, she’s still not as good as Aunt Cheng. In my eyes, Aunt Cheng is the best!”

Cheng Shuyang lowered her head helplessly, a trace of loneliness in her voice. “One day, you’ll realize I’m not as wonderful as you imagine. I have sides that other people don’t know about too...”

Jiang Lai was about to ask more when a gust of wind suddenly blew by, and she caught Cheng Shuyang’s body shivering.

Frowning, she took off the cloak she was wearing, stood up, and walked over to Cheng Shuyang to put it on her. Jiang Lai was fairly tall, so the clothes looked a little loose on Cheng Shuyang. The faint scent of mint immediately drifted to the tip of Cheng Shuyang’s nose.

“That should keep you from being cold...”

She looked up at the girl opposite her, who was smiling as brightly as a flower, and something inside her suddenly softened for no reason. She took two steps forward and gently wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist, then stood on tiptoe and leaned close to Jiang Lai’s ear to speak softly.

“Alai, good night. May your dreams no longer contain those things that make you unhappy.”

Jiang Lai’s face turned so red it looked as though blood might drip from it. She felt the temperature of her whole body rising, and her hands were so tense she didn’t know where to put them.

“Then, Aunt Cheng, good night.”

Author’s Note:

Once Auntie starts flirting, she really is lethal!