Chapter 7

Jiang Lai’s late night yesterday didn’t seem to affect her routine at all.

Just after seven, the alarm on her bedside table rang on time. Jiang Lai forced her bleary eyes open, hugged the blanket, and rolled around on the bed a few times, trying to shake off her sleepiness.

She fumbled until she found the nightstand, reached out with one long arm, and grabbed her phone. But the moment she lit up the screen, she froze.

In her unread messages, a line of text stood out in plain sight.

“I saw the news. If you’re not busy, give me a call. I’m very worried about you.

It was signed Zhao Dan.

The moment Jiang Lai saw that name, the last traces of sleep disappeared. Her grip on the phone tightened over and over.

After thinking for a long time, she finally resigned herself to calling. The person on the other end seemed to have been waiting for it; before the phone even rang twice, the call was answered.

“Alai.”

The voice on the other end was very pleasant. Just from the sound alone, one could imagine what kind of woman she was. But Jiang Lai didn’t feel the slightest ripple in her heart.

“What do you want?”

Her tone was utterly flat, as if she were speaking to a stranger. The woman on the other end, however, seemed used to the way Jiang Lai spoke and said gently, “Alai, what’s going on between you and Huaicheng? Why is the internet saying you broke up?”

“Yes, we did break up.”

The woman’s tone suddenly turned anxious. “Why? Did he bully you?”

“No. Don’t make wild guesses.”

Jiang Lai tightened her grip on the phone, unwilling to say much more. “Are you done? I still have things to do here, so I’m hanging up.”

“Alai, wait!”

The woman finally sounded flustered and stammered, “...If you have time, come home for a meal sometime. We all miss you.”

The air went quiet for a few seconds.

“Alai?”

The woman’s voice pulled her back. Jiang Lai came to herself. “I’ll go back when I have time. You and my dad take care of yourselves.”

After hanging up, Jiang Lai rubbed her hair in irritation.

Quiet voices drifted up from downstairs. Jiang Lai could hear them clearly, and one of the voices was Cheng Shuyang’s.

She pulled her robe tighter around herself, then stepped out of the room and into the living room. Just in time, she saw Cheng Shuyang setting breakfast on the dining table. When the woman looked up and saw Jiang Lai coming downstairs, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. “Alai, good morning!”

“Good morning, Aunt Cheng!”

Jiang Lai leaned over the table and took a deep breath, then looked up at her with bright eyes. “Wow, are we eating this well first thing in the morning?”

“Why are you so sweet today? Not nervous when you see me anymore?”

Cheng Shuyang tapped her lightly on the forehead and said considerately, “Hungry? Breakfast will be ready in a moment. You can sit first.”

Jiang Lai stuck out her tongue and reached out to take the bowls and chopsticks from Cheng Shuyang. “It’s fine. Do you need me to help?”

Cheng Shuyang shook her head. “No need. Sit down and eat.”

The two of them ate breakfast quietly. Now and then there was the soft clink of bowls and chopsticks. Jiang Lai looked up and stole a glance at the woman, feeling as if she were dreaming.

“Why are you looking at me? Eat your food.”

The woman rested a hand against her face, smiling at her.

Jiang Lai looked at the smile curving the woman’s lips. Her ears burned, and she hurriedly lowered her head. In a small voice, she said, “Aunt Cheng, don’t smile at me like that. I won’t be able to handle it...”

“What?”

The woman didn’t seem to hear clearly and leaned a little closer.

“Nothing!”

Jiang Lai leaned back slightly, her gaze darting away. Seeing that, the woman seemed to be in a very good mood and placed a peeled egg into her bowl. “Eat more.”

The girl lowered her head to drink her congee. A few unruly strands of hair kept slipping down her cheeks and brushing the tip of her nose. It itched a little. She lifted her head and tucked them back behind her ear, but as soon as she looked down again, those same strands seemed to tease her and fell right back down.

Every movement was caught in the woman’s eyes.

The person opposite her suddenly set down her chopsticks, got up, and came to stand behind her. Her fingertips, carrying a faint warmth, tucked those loose strands back behind the girl’s ear.

The motion was so natural it seemed as if she had done it a thousand times. Jiang Lai froze. When she looked up, she met the other woman’s smiling eyes. “Aunt Cheng?”

“You were having trouble drinking your congee.”

The woman said it in a low voice, then picked up her spoon and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Those slender fingers brushed through Jiang Lai’s long hair, and an unfamiliar feeling suddenly rose in her heart; every second seemed to drag on forever. Fortunately, Cheng Shuyang didn’t let her suffer for long.

“All right.”

Cheng Shuyang looked at her handiwork and smiled in satisfaction.

Jiang Lai couldn’t help pinching the ends of her hair, letting out a helpless sigh. “Aunt Cheng...”

“Mm? What is it?”

Cheng Shuyang lifted a brow with a smile.

“Forget it, nothing.”

“Then eat.”

With that, Cheng Shuyang sat down across from Jiang Lai and placed the milk beside her in front of Jiang Lai.

“Don’t we need to call Wanwan down to eat with us?”

“No need. When she’s at home, she usually doesn’t eat breakfast.”

“Oh..."

Breakfast remained quiet. Neither of them spoke. Jiang Lai took a sip of the milk Cheng Shuyang had handed her, then raised her eyes to study Cheng Shuyang quietly.

Cheng Shuyang’s manner at the table was exceptionally elegant. Compared with that, Jiang Lai seemed a little rough.

The latter lifted her head without warning, and their eyes met. Seeing Cheng Shuyang’s beautiful features, Jiang Lai’s face reddened at a visible speed, and the flush only deepened.

It wasn’t the first time she and Cheng Shuyang had looked at each other, and yet every time, Jiang Lai’s heart would start pounding wildly, completely out of control.

It was just like... the feeling Xia Wanwan had described to her the first time she saw Yin Zheng...

That was a feeling she had never had for Qin Huaicheng...

Could it be... Impossible!

Jiang Lai shook her head hard. Impossible! There was no way she could possibly fall for her best friend’s mother. Maybe it was just the normal reaction of a little fan suddenly finding the idol she’d admired for years standing right in front of her as her friend’s mother. Yes, that had to be it!

Thinking this, Jiang Lai still refused to believe it and, full of fighting spirit, looked at Cheng Shuyang again. But the result... she still failed miserably and blushed.

“Alai?”

“Mm?”

Jiang Lai jerked her head up.

Cheng Shuyang stood with one hand resting on the table, the other holding a tissue as she gently wiped the corner of Jiang Lai’s mouth. “You got milk on your lip.”

That closeness between them made Jiang Lai lose again.

Cheng Shuyang even leaned in a little farther, startling Jiang Lai so badly that she jerked back. Fortunately, Cheng Shuyang reacted quickly and caught the chair behind her, preventing Jiang Lai from falling.

Their posture was somewhat ambiguous. Cheng Shuyang had one arm around Jiang Lai, almost holding her in her arms. Jiang Lai placed both hands in front of her chest and couldn’t help thinking it was lucky no one else was in the living room at the moment. Otherwise, whoever saw this would never be able to explain it clearly.

“You... seem to really like sneaking looks at me?”

Cheng Shuyang’s voice was a little husky. Her short hair covered part of her face, making her expression hard to read.

Jiang Lai glanced around, not daring to look up. “It’s mainly because Aunt Cheng is beautiful...”

“Is that so?”

Cheng Shuyang frowned. She had only meant to steady Jiang Lai so she wouldn’t fall, but she suddenly realized the distance between them seemed a little too close...

She withdrew her hand without showing it on her face, and Jiang Lai subconsciously let out a breath of relief.

“You seem to be... even more likable than Wanwan said.”

After saying that, Cheng Shuyang sat back down.

“Likable... Aunt Cheng said I’m likable?”

Yet in Jiang Lai’s heart, a storm had already been whipped up, impossible to calm for a long while...

And so breakfast ended in this strangely subtle atmosphere...

After breakfast, Cheng Shuyang picked up the script for her next project and started reading. Jiang Lai, meanwhile, held a magazine. The living room was silent, and the scene was peaceful enough to resemble a quiet, happy moment.

It was almost ten when Xia Wanwan finally came downstairs. She still looked half asleep.

“Mom, good morning!”

“Alai, good morning!”

As soon as she said that, she kicked off her slippers, bounced onto the sofa, and put her head in Jiang Lai’s lap, stretching out with utter comfort. “I still really want to sleep. What am I supposed to do?”

Jiang Lai smiled indulgently and adjusted her sitting position so Xia Wanwan would be more comfortable.

Cheng Shuyang lifted her gaze from the script and looked at Xia Wanwan, frowning. “What time is it already, and you’re still saying good morning? Also, sit properly. Don’t keep bullying Alai.”

“Oh, Mom, you don’t understand!”

Cheng Shuyang shook her head. “I really can’t do anything about you.”

“Bleh!”

Bored, Xia Wanwan fiddled with her fingers for a while, then seemed to remember something. “Alai, do you have work next month? If not, let’s go out and have some fun.”

Jiang Lai thought for a moment. “I think I do. Xiaonan mentioned it to me; she got it for me, but I don’t really know the details.”

“Aw..."

Xia Wanwan pouted pitifully. “Alai...”

“What now?”

Jiang Lai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Why did Xia Wanwan seem like such a child whenever she was with her?

“My closet is empty...”

The second Xia Wanwan said that, Jiang Lai understood immediately. Xia Wanwan was very picky; she only wore clothes designed by Jiang Lai. Jiang Lai lightly tapped her on the head. “I’ve got sketches in my suitcase. If you like any of them, just tell me.”

“Alai, you’re too good to me!”

Xia Wanwan held Jiang Lai’s face and kissed her, then happily ran upstairs.

“Alai, Wanwan, she...”

Cheng Shuyang spoke with some apology.

“It’s fine, Aunt Cheng. Wanwan and I have been friends for more than ten years; I understand her.”

Jiang Lai smiled and waved it off, flashing a mouthful of bright white teeth.

Cheng Shuyang paused, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly too.

“In that case, then I’ll trouble you to take good care of her.”

Author’s Note:

Our Aunt Cheng is way too good at flirting; Alai says she really can’t take it.