Soft fingertips landed in her palm, sparking a tingling itch.
Ji Yunxiao couldn’t help but feel a rush of emotion and looked up at Lin Qianwei.
Lin Qianwei was standing in the light and shadow, her skin porcelain white, her delicate brows like ink, her shapely red lips pressed together, and her slender swan neck slightly raised.
She didn’t look at Ji Yunxiao, and her cold, sidelong gaze was still intimidating.
But Ji Yunxiao knew she was far less calm than she appeared.
Because her fingertips were trembling, and Ji Yunxiao could feel it.
“Are you going to hold my hand or not?” Lin Qianwei got a little annoyed when Ji Yunxiao didn’t make another move.
Ji Yunxiao was the one who suggested holding hands, and now that Lin Qianwei had put her hand out, why wasn’t Ji Yunxiao grabbing it? Did she expect Lin Qianwei to take the initiative? Lin Qianwei didn’t want to, so she was about to pull her hand back, but just then, Ji Yunxiao tightened her grip on her fingers and lazily smiled, “Of course I want to.”
“Then let’s go.” Lin Qianwei lifted her chin, ready to keep walking.
At first, Ji Yunxiao just held her fingertips, but then her finger pads started to rub over the back of Lin Qianwei’s hand, slowly moving upward.
It was a perfectly normal gesture, but Lin Qianwei’s mind flashed back to that night a few days ago.
Back then, Ji Yunxiao had used these nimble hands to explore every visible and hidden part of her, over and over.
So Lin Qianwei’s cheeks started to burn.
She shot Ji Yunxiao a cold warning from the corner of her eye, “Keep your hands to yourself.”
Ji Yunxiao had wanted to find a chance to interlock their fingers, but after hearing that, she had to give up.
She said, “Okay, I won’t move.”
But her palm still instinctively pressed closer to Lin Qianwei’s.
Lin Qianwei glared at Ji Yunxiao but didn’t say anything else.
Hand in hand, they walked into the villa.
Lin Youran already knew Ji Yunxiao was coming tonight, so she obediently waited downstairs.
When she saw Ji Yunxiao, her eyes lit up and she ran over on her little legs.
“Xiaoxiao-jiejie!” Ji Yunxiao bent down to catch Lin Youran, picked her up, lifted her high, and spun her around a few times.
After spinning, Ji Yunxiao held the little girl in one arm, poked her soft cheek, and asked, “Why are you only calling me? Look who’s next to me.”
Ji Yunxiao turned with Lin Youran in her arms to face Lin Qianwei.
But Lin Qianwei seemed a bit dazed.
Hearing six-year-old Lin Youran call Ji Yunxiao “Xiaoxiao-jiejie,” a sense of familiarity suddenly surfaced in Lin Qianwei’s mind.
She was moved and tried to search her memory for the source of this strange feeling, but came up empty.
Lin Youran blinked in confusion, then cupped her hands and whispered in Ji Yunxiao’s ear, “Auntie is spacing out.”
Ji Yunxiao said, “Then call her, and she won’t space out anymore.”
Lin Youran hesitated a little.
Ji Yunxiao lowered her voice and coaxed, “I’m making you a full seafood feast tonight.”
Lin Youran wavered, biting her finger.
Ji Yunxiao pulled her finger out and kept tempting her, “The big lobster I brought looks really plump.
We’ll bake it with cheese, it’ll be delicious and juicy.
There’s lots of lobster roe inside, we can make lobster roe steamed egg, it’s super smooth and tasty.
If you just call her ‘Auntie’…”
This time, before she finished, Lin Youran piped up, “Auntie!”
Lin Qianwei finally snapped out of it.
The driver had already brought in the prepared ingredients.
Ji Yunxiao, worried others wouldn’t handle them right, handed Lin Youran over to Lin Qianwei and said, “I’ll go check on things.”
Ji Yunxiao went to the kitchen, leaving Lin Qianwei and Lin Youran staring at each other, big eyes meeting small.
Lin Qianwei really didn’t know how to entertain kids.
She thought for a moment, set the little dumpling down, and said coolly, “Why don’t you go play by yourself?”
Lin Youran looked up at her for a while, then pouted and walked away.
The little girl picked up her tablet, unlocked it with facial recognition, and saw a message from Ji Yunxiao.
Meanwhile, Lin Qianwei called the housekeeper over to ask about Lin Youran’s recent studies.
While they were talking, the adorable little girl came over with her tablet, tugged on Lin Qianwei’s skirt with her soft little hand.
Lin Qianwei lowered her eyes and asked, “What is it?”
Lin Youran held up the tablet and asked, “Auntie, can you play SpongeBob for me?”
Lin Qianwei took the tablet, searched for the video app, and handed it back to Lin Youran.
Lin Qianwei said, “Here you go.”
But Lin Youran didn’t take it.
She looked up with big, grape-like eyes and said, “Can you watch it with me, Auntie?”
Lin Qianwei was stunned.
Lin Youran kept tugging on her skirt, swaying and acting cute, “Auntie, watch it with me!”
Faced with this, Lin Qianwei really couldn’t stay cold-hearted.
Her tone softened a bit, “Okay.”
The two of them sat together on the living room sofa, the tablet on the table in front of them, a beautiful woman and a cute little girl both watching intently.
When something funny happened, Lin Youran couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
But since Lin Qianwei wasn’t laughing, Lin Youran tried to hold it in, sneaking glances at the cool, beautiful woman beside her, then imitating her and sitting up straight.
Lin Qianwei noticed something was off.
She squinted at the little girl and asked, “Why did you stop laughing halfway?”
Lin Youran didn’t want to answer at first, but remembering what Ji Yunxiao had told her, she said in a childish voice, “Because I’m a little scared of Auntie.”
Lin Qianwei was puzzled, “Scared of me?”
Lin Youran nodded.
Lin Qianwei didn’t get it, “Why are you scared of me?” She’d never hit Lin Youran, not even scolded her.
Lin Youran tilted her head, but couldn’t explain.
Just as the atmosphere was getting awkward, a message notification popped up on the tablet.
Xiaoxiao-jiejie: [Did you go find your Auntie?]
Lin Youran had a WeChat account—Lin Qianwei knew that—but she’d never really chatted with the little girl online.
Looking at Ji Yunxiao’s message, Lin Qianwei couldn’t help but wonder how Ji Yunxiao communicated with kids.
Thinking this, Lin Qianwei had the maid bring over two lollipops and bribed Lin Youran with one.
Lin Qianwei said, “I want to see what my wife sent you, is that okay?”
Lin Youran took a moment to react.
“Your wife?”
Lin Qianwei’s cheeks flushed a little, though she still kept a cold face, her voice softened a bit.
“Yeah, my wife.”
Seeing Lin Youran still looked a bit confused, Lin Qianwei continued, “That’s your Sister Xiaoxiao.”
For some reason, when she said “your Sister Xiaoxiao,” Lin Qianwei felt inexplicably annoyed.
But she held it in.
Lin Youran blinked twice, chose to take the lollipop, and handed the tablet to Lin Qianwei.
Ji Yunxiao often chatted with Lin Youran, quizzing her on math and pinyin, and asking about her health.
When Lin Qianwei scrolled to the bottom of the chat, she saw a recent message from Ji Yunxiao: [Youran, go ask your aunt to watch cartoons with you.]
Lin Youran replied with a voice message, her voice still soft and childish: “Would Auntie like watching cartoons?”
[She loves them,] Ji Yunxiao replied.
[Like Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, SpongeBob, she loves all of those.
Pick one you like and watch it with her.]
Lin Youran sent back an “OK” bear sticker.
Lin Qianwei poked the cute sticker with her finger and couldn’t help but smile.
Who likes watching cartoons? Ji Yunxiao is just making things up.
But the cartoons Ji Yunxiao mentioned were ones Lin Qianwei actually liked as a kid.
How did Ji Yunxiao know that?
Thinking about it, Lin Qianwei got a little lost in thought.
Seeing her silent, Lin Youran timidly asked, “Auntie, are you done?”
Lin Qianwei reached out and patted her head.
“Not yet.”
“Oh.” Lin Youran looked up at Lin Qianwei’s slender, porcelain-white wrist.
When it moved away from her head, she climbed off the sofa and turned on the TV herself.
Seeing how well-behaved she was, Lin Qianwei put down the tablet and asked, “Do you still want to watch SpongeBob?”
Lin Youran nodded.
Lin Qianwei helped her find SpongeBob and started playing it, then went back to her tablet.
She had to admit, Ji Yunxiao really knew how to handle kids.
From the chat, she could feel how much Lin Youran liked and depended on Ji Yunxiao.
And Ji Yunxiao had said a lot of good things about her, too.
Between the lines, Lin Qianwei could clearly see that Ji Yunxiao genuinely wanted to help her get closer to Lin Youran.
Knowing Ji Yunxiao’s intentions, Lin Qianwei thought she should try harder, too.
She cleared her throat and tried to talk to Lin Youran, who was watching SpongeBob next to her.
“Um, Youran…”
Lin Qianwei wanted to say, maybe I can help you unwrap the lollipop, but before she could finish, Lin Youran had already unwrapped it herself and popped it into her mouth.
Lin Qianwei had to change what she was going to say.
“Do you… want me to hold you while you watch?”
Lin Youran even stopped eating her lollipop, looking surprised and delighted.
“Really?”
Seeing the joy in her eyes, Lin Qianwei suddenly felt a little guilty.
She wasn’t good at or fond of building close relationships, so she’d turned Lin Youran down many times when the girl tried to get close to her.
Now, Lin Qianwei adjusted her mood, smiled gently, and said to the little girl, “Of course.”
Lin Youran immediately opened her arms, looking full of anticipation.
Seeing this, Lin Qianwei picked her up and held her in her arms.
When Ji Yunxiao came over, she saw this warm, beautiful scene.
A stunningly beautiful woman in a soft French dress sat on the sofa, holding a cute little girl with rosy lips and white teeth in her arms. Both of them had lollipops and were staring intently at the TV.
Ji Yunxiao came over and rubbed the little girl’s cheek, then asked Lin Qianwei, “Are you tired?”
Lin Qianwei immediately straightened her back and shot her a look.
“What’s so tiring about this?”
“How about we stop watching cartoons?” Ji Yunxiao leaned in close, almost whispering in her ear.
“Come watch me make a seafood feast, okay?”
Ji Yunxiao smiled.
“I’ll livestream it for you.
Want to watch?”
Lin Qianwei couldn’t help but scoot away, her ears turning red.
Ji Yunxiao was talking about livestreaming her cooking a seafood feast, but for some reason, Lin Qianwei’s mind went elsewhere.
What popped into her head was Ji Yunxiao as a camgirl, all dolled up in heavy makeup, wearing something hot and sexy, dancing on screen, and her throwing huge tips, asking the streamer to take off another piece of clothing.
“Qianwei?” Ji Yunxiao called her.
Lin Qianwei quickly shoved Lin Youran into Ji Yunxiao’s arms and said hurriedly, “You… you take Youran to make seafood, I’m going to the bathroom.”
Ji Yunxiao said, “Okay.”
Even though there was a chef helping, Ji Yunxiao still spent over an hour preparing.
During that time, Lin Qianwei never showed up, so Ji Yunxiao got a little worried and sent Lin Youran to check.
Lin Youran bounced over and came back to report, “The butler said Auntie went back to her room.”
Ji Yunxiao was busy with oysters and didn’t think much of it, just asked, “Did you go check her room?”
Lin Youran answered obediently, “I did, but the door was locked.”
Locked?
When Lin Qianwei finally came out, she’d changed out of her fresh, grass-green dress and into a red tea rose floral dress.
She walked down the stairs gracefully, her expression still cool as ever, looking no different from usual at first glance.
But as she got closer, Ji Yunxiao noticed the slight redness at the corners of her eyes and the glimmering, watery look in them.
Ji Yunxiao picked up a strand of her hair draped over her shoulder and touched it, finding it still a bit damp.
She asked, “Did you just take a shower?”
Lin Qianwei’s expression stiffened a little, her ears turning pink.
She dodged Ji Yunxiao’s touch and said coldly, “Yeah, I spilled juice on my dress.”
Ji Yunxiao just smiled, not saying anything.
Afraid Ji Yunxiao would ask more, Lin Qianwei changed the subject.
“My mom’s not back yet?”
Ji Yunxiao sighed.
“Mom’s always avoiding me.”
Lin Qianwei frowned.
“I told her this afternoon there’d be a family dinner tonight and asked her to keep her schedule clear.
She agreed.”
Ji Yunxiao said, “Want me to call her?”
“No need,” Lin Qianwei, worried her mom would give Ji Yunxiao a hard time, said, “I’ll call.”
It took a while for the call to connect.
On the other end, Lin Yuan sounded a bit drunk.
“What is it?”
Lin Qianwei frowned even deeper.
“Xiaoxiao’s making a seafood feast at home today.
You said you’d come back.”
Lin Yuan immediately sounded aggrieved.
“Can’t I change my mind?”
Lin Qianwei asked coldly, “Where are you?”
Lin Yuan sneered, “Don’t bother.
Why do you care? You don’t care about me anymore anyway.
All you care about is that little vixen Ji Yunxiao.”
What’s with this again?
Lin Qianwei tried to talk to her, but it was pointless, so she just hung up and called the driver.
Ji Yunxiao saw Lin Qianwei still standing by the window and came over to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.
My mom’s not coming.
Let’s eat.” Lin Qianwei didn’t look too happy as she said this.
Because of what happened earlier, her right hand was still a bit sore, so she switched hands to hold her phone and shook out her wrist.
Ji Yunxiao noticed and couldn’t help but smile.
Ji Yunxiao took Lin Qianwei’s hand, gently holding her fingers in her palm, and asked softly, “Are you upset?”
Lin Qianwei tried to pull her hand back, but Ji Yunxiao didn’t give her the chance, so she gave up.
Lin Qianwei looked away.
“I’m not upset.”
Ji Yunxiao called her out.
“Liar.”
Lin Qianwei glared at her and said nothing.
“Yoran, you eat by yourself first.
Your aunt and I will be back in a bit.” Ji Yunxiao said to the little one at the table who was happily eating.
Lin Yoran swallowed a whole garlic oyster and mumbled, “Okay.”
Ji Yunxiao then pulled Lin Qianwei into the bathroom.
Once the door was closed, Ji Yunxiao pinned the beautiful woman against the wall, kissed the corner of her eye, and said in a husky voice, “How about we do something that’ll make you happy?” As her skirt was about to be lifted, Lin Qianwei seemed startled and grabbed Ji Yunxiao’s hand.
She panicked, “What are you doing?”
Ji Yunxiao looked serious, “Give me ten minutes, I can make you forget all your worries.”
As she spoke, she was about to kneel under Lin Qianwei’s skirt.
This time, Lin Qianwei was really scared.
She hurriedly pulled Ji Yunxiao up, her delicate face flushed red, and she was almost stammering, “You, I… are you crazy?”
Ji Yunxiao blinked innocently, “Didn’t you just do something naughty too?”
Lin Qianwei denied it in embarrassment and anger, “I did not!”
She scolded Ji Yunxiao, “You’re so dirty-minded! Your head is full of that stuff! You’re filthy! You’re shameless!”
Ji Yunxiao raised her eyebrows slightly.
“I didn’t do anything, so don’t let your mind wander.
It really was just juice spilled on my clothes, so I… I just took a shower and changed into a new dress…” Lin Qianwei tried hard to keep a straight face and glared at Ji Yunxiao, “That’s what happened, I’m telling the truth.
If you keep thinking about those messy things, I’ll… I’ll ignore you!”
“Sorry.” Ji Yunxiao apologized immediately.
She sounded sincere, “I’m a jerk, I’m a pervert, I’m shameless.
I just worry… are your fingers still sore?”
Lin Qianwei was so embarrassed and angry she wanted to slap Ji Yunxiao.
But in the end, she didn’t.
She just shook off Ji Yunxiao’s hand when she tried to massage her fingers, and snapped, “Don’t touch me!”
Ji Yunxiao was kicked out of the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Lin Qianwei came out too.
The blush on her face had faded, and she was back to her cold, expressionless self.
She sat down to eat, not smiling at all, looking like some ascetic saint.
But Ji Yunxiao knew exactly what this “saint” had secretly done behind a locked door.
Ji Yunxiao smiled at Lin Qianwei, peeled some crayfish for her, put it on her plate, and pushed it over.
“I’m not eating.” Lin Qianwei was still embarrassed and annoyed.
She just passed the plate to Lin Yoran, gritting her teeth, “Here, for you.”
Lin Yoran was too busy enjoying her food to care about the tension between the adults.
She just picked up the crayfish meat, dipped it in the sauce, popped it in her mouth, and smiled with satisfaction, “So yummy!”
Ji Yunxiao sighed, “Kids are just adorable.”
Lin Qianwei shot her a cold look.
Ji Yunxiao quickly corrected herself, “Of course, our Qianwei is even cuter.”
Lin Qianwei glared at her again before continuing to eat.
Even though Lin Qianwei was still a little annoyed, the tom yum seafood hotpot was just too delicious.
As she enjoyed the food, she gradually got into it and forgot about her earlier embarrassment and anger.
Just as the atmosphere was getting cozy, the sound of a car engine came from outside.
Lin Qianwei glanced at her phone, saw that the driver had brought the drunk Lin Yuan back, and got ready to go downstairs to meet her.
“My mom’s back,” Lin Qianwei told Ji Yunxiao.
Ji Yunxiao stood up with her, “I’ll go with you.”
Lin Qianwei didn’t refuse.
A few aunties stayed behind to look after Lin Yoran, while Ji Yunxiao and Lin Qianwei went downstairs one after the other and came to the door.
Lin Yuan was already swaying from drunkenness, but when she saw Ji Yunxiao, she still managed to stand up with the driver’s help, pointed at Ji Yunxiao, and yelled, “What are you doing at our house again? Get out! Get out!”
Lin Qianwei frowned at this.
She knew she shouldn’t argue with her drunk mother, but Lin Yuan got even more aggressive, came over and grabbed Ji Yunxiao by the collar, and yelled right in front of her, “You’re really scheming, Ji Yunxiao.
You’ve got my granddaughter and daughter wrapped around your finger, and now you’re quietly pushing me out.
Are you planning to kick me out of this house next?”
Lin Qianwei stepped forward, pulled Lin Yuan away, and stood in front of Ji Yunxiao.
She said coldly, “Mom, what are you doing now?”
“I’m making trouble? Yeah, it’s all me,” Lin Yuan started crying on the spot, completely losing her usual composure.
She wailed, “Looks like I won’t have a place in this house soon.
Ji Yunxiao, you must be happy, right? Stealing my daughter and granddaughter, you’re thrilled, aren’t you?”
Ji Yunxiao smiled, “Mom, maybe you should sober up first?”
Lin Yuan exploded, “Don’t call me mom! I’m a postdoc, how could I have a daughter-in-law with just a high school diploma! I can’t stand this shame!”
Ji Yunxiao was pretty helpless.
She had a good education in her original world, but unfortunately, she couldn’t bring her degree certificate here to show Lin Yuan.
What a pity.
Ji Yunxiao showed a bit of regret on her face.
Lin Qianwei thought she was hurt and got a little anxious, “Don’t listen to my mom’s nonsense.”
Lin Qianwei turned to Lin Yuan and said, “No matter what, Ji Yunxiao is the wife I chose.
Can’t you show her some respect?”
“Why should I respect her? Does she deserve it? Think about all the awful things she’s done before.
She even hit and scolded Yoran…”
Seeing Lin Yuan about to start listing grievances, Lin Qianwei immediately cut her off coldly, “Can you stop clinging to the past? I think the Ji Yunxiao now is great.
She’s not the same person she used to be.”
Hearing this, Lin Yuan started crying even harder, her makeup running down her face as she wiped her tears, “You’re being mean to me, Lin Qianwei, you’re being mean to me.
For a woman, you treat your own mother like this.
How could you? What did I do to deserve a daughter-in-law like this? Can’t a bolt of lightning just strike Ji Yunxiao down?”
Lin Qianwei’s face turned pale.
Ji Yunxiao didn’t care.
Nothing Lin Yuan said could really hurt her, but she couldn’t stand seeing Lin Qianwei upset.
She pulled Lin Yuan off of Lin Qianwei, told the butler to take Lin Yuan away, and then put her arm around her wife’s shoulders.
“It’s okay now.” Ji Yunxiao curled her finger and brushed Lin Qianwei’s cheek, telling her, “Our mom’s just drunk and ranting.
I won’t take it to heart.”
Lin Qianwei lowered her eyes and said seriously, “No lightning will strike you.”
Ji Yunxiao, “Hm?”
Lin Qianwei pressed her lips together and said solemnly, “Because I won’t allow it.”
It felt like a feather brushed her heart.
Ji Yunxiao smiled and pulled the beautiful, cold woman into her arms.
Ji Yunxiao teased gently, “President Lin is so domineering.”
Lin Qianwei leaned on her shoulder, cheeks a little red, and whispered, “I’ll protect you.”
