The air still carried the scent of alcohol that Lin Yuan had brought in.
Just moments ago, this place was filled with a woman’s hysteria, but now everything had quieted down.
Ji Yunxiao gently held Lin Qianwei, lowering her gaze.
Ji Yunxiao’s eyes darkened, but her voice was soft as water as she asked Lin Qianwei, “What did you say?” Lin Qianwei clenched her fingers, suddenly feeling embarrassed as she realized what she’d said.
She pushed Ji Yunxiao away and straightened up, planning to say something else to brush it off, but Ji Yunxiao just repeated what she’d said earlier: “You want to protect me, is that it?” Lin Qianwei’s ears burned, but she forced herself to look cold and explained seriously, “You’re my wife in name, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to protect you?” Ji Yunxiao gave a lazy smile.
“Only in name?” Lin Qianwei’s breath caught.
A few days ago, she could have answered with a straight face that it was just a relationship in name.
But now, after she and Ji Yunxiao had gotten much closer, Lin Qianwei didn’t know how to define it anymore.
All Lin Qianwei could do was glare at Ji Yunxiao.
Seeing her eyes misty and beautiful as she pouted, Ji Yunxiao felt a wave of emotion and a lot of indescribable thoughts.
But Ji Yunxiao didn’t dare tease her any further, afraid of really making her angry, so she reined in her smile and pretended to be serious.
“Alright, let’s not talk about that for now.
Do you want to go check on Mom?” Lin Qianwei nodded.
She walked to the stairs, then suddenly stopped as if she remembered something, turned around and said, “No matter what, my mom was wrong to get drunk and take it out on you today.
When she sobers up tomorrow, I’ll give you an explanation.”
After saying that, Lin Qianwei turned and went upstairs.
Her skirt fluttered in the air, drawing a beautiful arc.
The red tea roses printed on the fabric looked even more vivid under the lights, as if they were blooming right there.
Ji Yunxiao watched for a couple of seconds, smiled, and followed after her, asking, “So how are you going to explain it to me?” Lin Qianwei kept a straight face and said seriously, “I’ll have her apologize to you.”
Ji Yunxiao laughed again.
Lin Qianwei frowned and asked, “What are you laughing at?” Ji Yunxiao told her gently, “If you do that, it’ll just make things worse between you and your mom.”
Lin Qianwei’s lips tightened, her expression clearly unhappy.
“So you’re just supposed to be wronged for nothing?” Ji Yunxiao looked at her, her eyes soft.
“Because you’re standing by my side and defending me, I don’t feel wronged at all.”
Lin Qianwei: “Really?” Ji Yunxiao: “Yeah.”
Ji Yunxiao naturally took Lin Qianwei’s hand and led her upstairs, analyzing as they went, “Even though your mom doesn’t like me, she’s been much more polite since Old Lady Liu’s birthday banquet.
Things between us have eased up a lot.
For her to suddenly act like this today, there must be a reason.”
Lin Qianwei didn’t even have time to feel awkward about holding hands.
She frowned.
“But you’ve been fine lately, you haven’t offended her…” As she said this, Lin Qianwei realized what was going on.
Her expression turned cold.
“You mean someone’s stirring things up?” Ji Yunxiao nodded.
Lin Qianwei went to check on Lin Yuan first.
After the auntie helped Lin Yuan to bed, she called the driver to ask about Lin Yuan’s schedule that day.
When she heard the driver say that the person drinking with Lin Yuan was none other than Ji family’s Ji Liuliu, Ji Yunxiao snorted on the spot.
Her dear little sister just couldn’t give up, could she? “Ji Liuliu?” Lin Qianwei looked a little confused.
“What’s her goal in doing this?” Ji Yunxiao dismissed the driver, and once it was just the two of them in the room, she sighed, “It’s all because my wife is too beautiful—there are just too many people who want her.”
Lin Qianwei was a little annoyed.
“What nonsense are you talking about now?” Ji Yunxiao told her directly, “Ji Liuliu likes you.”
Lin Qianwei was genuinely surprised.
“I didn’t know about that,” Lin Qianwei said.
“She’s never said anything to me.”
“Maybe she’s just more reserved, not like me—I wish I could tell you I love you a hundred times a day,” Ji Yunxiao said, deliberately looking aggrieved.
“Qianwei, I’m so blunt, you don’t find me annoying, do you?” Lin Qianwei’s lips twitched up, then flattened again.
She said, “You’re so annoying.”
Ji Yunxiao looked hurt.
“Qianwei…” “But even if you’re annoying, I’m not planning to divorce you,” Lin Qianwei said coldly.
“Ji Liuliu is nothing, and she dares to try to stir up trouble between my mom and my wife?” Ji Yunxiao laughed, holding her hand.
“That’s why we can’t let Ji Liuliu get her way.
She’s just hoping for a fight between me and your mom.
If you make your mom apologize to me tomorrow, even if she agrees, she’ll secretly resent me, and that’s exactly what Ji Liuliu wants, isn’t it?” Lin Qianwei asked, “So what should we do?” Ji Yunxiao reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
Lin Qianwei was half convinced, still worried.
“Are you sure you don’t need me to step in?” Ji Yunxiao smiled lightly.
“No need.
Trust me, I can handle the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.
If you get involved, it might backfire.”
Lin Qianwei: “And Ji Liuliu…” Ji Yunxiao: “Leave her to me, too.”
Lin Qianwei agreed.
She thought for a moment, then took out her phone and, right in front of Ji Yunxiao, blocked all of Ji Liuliu’s contact info.
Ji Yunxiao raised her eyebrows.
“What’s this?” “Even if you’re handling it, I still have to show where I stand,” Lin Qianwei said coldly.
“This is my attitude.”
After saying that, Lin Qianwei went to check on Lin Youran.
Ji Yunxiao watched her graceful figure from behind, feeling her heart flutter again.
It was a tingling, sweet feeling that made her want to pull her wife into her arms and cuddle her.
Lin Youran had already finished eating, her little belly round and full.
Lin Qianwei was about to ask the auntie to take her for a walk to help her digest, but Ji Yunxiao suggested, “Why don’t we take Youran for a walk ourselves?”
Lin Qianwei was a little surprised.
“Us?” “Yeah, you hold her left hand, I’ll hold her right, and we’ll take her outside for a stroll,” Ji Yunxiao said.
Lin Qianwei agreed.
But once they got outside, she wasn’t so happy, because a six-year-old was just too short, and Lin Qianwei had to keep bending over.
Ji Yunxiao had the patience for this, but Lin Qianwei didn’t.
Sensing Lin Qianwei’s slight annoyance, Ji Yunxiao said to the tired Lin Youran, “Want me to carry you for a bit?” Lin Youran immediately hugged her thigh and said in her childish voice, “Yes.”
A smile spread across Ji Yunxiao’s lips.
She bent down and picked up little Lin Youran, holding her with one arm, and used her free hand to hold Lin Qianwei’s.
Lin Qianwei lifted her beautiful eyes and met a pair of deep, starry ones.
She looked at Ji Yunxiao, and her heart skipped a beat.
“So happy,” Ji Yunxiao said just then.
Lin Qianwei quickly looked away, trying to sound calm.
“Happy about what?” “Holding the little one in one arm and you in the other—I think this kind of life is simple and happy.”
Moonlight poured down like water, the dark night sky dotted with twinkling stars.
The evening breeze was cool, carrying the scent of flowers, and you could faintly hear the rustling of leaves in the wind.
If she could keep walking hand in hand with Ji Yunxiao like this, it really didn’t seem so bad.
Lin Qianwei’s eyes just started to curve in a smile, but then she remembered what Ji Yunxiao had said earlier.
She started to feel jealous again.
“Why do you have so many little treasures?” The jealousy came out of nowhere.
Ji Yunxiao choked, then quickly corrected herself.
“I said it wrong.
You’re my only treasure.”
She leaned in close to Lin Qianwei, her voice husky.
“Not even Youran counts.”
Lin Youran was still in her arms. Although she was a little drowsy, she reflexively rubbed her eyes when she heard her name and asked, “Xiaoxiao-jiejie, are you calling me?”
Lin Qianwei answered for her, “No, I wasn’t calling you.”
“Oh.” Lin Youran lay back down on Ji Yunxiao’s shoulder, ready to go back to sleep.
Lin Qianwei suddenly realized that this little dumpling at home was really easy to coax.
She pulled her hand out of Ji Yunxiao’s, walked to the back, poked the little girl’s soft cheek, and called her, “Hey.”
Lin Youran, half-asleep, yawned and replied in a sweet, childish voice, “Auntie~”
If it were anyone else, their heart would have melted at this scene, but Lin Qianwei was unmoved and kept poking the girl’s cheek as she asked, “You call me Auntie, so what do you call her?” Lin Qianwei pointed at Ji Yunxiao with her other finger.
Lin Youran’s grape-like eyes were full of innocence.
“I call her Xiaoxiao-jiejie.”
Lin Qianwei kept a straight face and used a cold tone again.
“Do you know what our relationship is?”
Lin Youran was a little startled by this version of Lin Qianwei and sobered up a bit.
She sat up and obediently said, “I know, Xiaoxiao-jiejie is Auntie’s wife.”
Lin Qianwei asked, “So is that the right way to address her?”
Lin Youran looked at Lin Qianwei in confusion, then turned to Ji Yunxiao for help.
Ji Yunxiao couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Even though she didn’t think it was necessary, to please her wife, Ji Yunxiao still said to Lin Youran, “From now on, you can call me Auntie too.”
Lin Youran’s eyes widened in shock.
“But Xiaoxiao-jiejie, you’re so young, how can I call you Auntie?”
Ji Yunxiao was amused, but Lin Qianwei’s face darkened.
Lin Qianwei crossed her arms and snapped coldly, “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m old?”
Lin Youran replied weakly, “Auntie is very young too.”
Normally, Ji Yunxiao should have told Lin Qianwei not to scare the kid, but she loved Lin Qianwei so much that she didn’t care about right or wrong anymore.
Instead, she said to Lin Youran, “What should we do? Your Auntie is sulking, we need to cheer her up.”
Recently, Ji Yunxiao had been teaching Lin Youran that Lin Qianwei was so beautiful and pretty, and even when she was angry, she was like a gorgeous little cat with its fur standing on end.
She deserved to be pampered and spoiled, and it was only right to cheer her up.
So now, Lin Youran didn’t think it was strange for a kid like her to comfort an adult.
She just piped up, “Auntie, don’t be upset.
You’re not just super young, you’re also super pretty.”
Lin Qianwei turned her cold eyes slightly.
“Heh.”
Ji Yunxiao quietly coached Lin Youran, “Change how you address her, call her jiejie too.”
Lin Youran obediently changed it, “Qianwei-jiejie!”
Ji Yunxiao kept coaching, “Compliment her.”
Lin Youran raised her voice and said with full energy, “Qianwei-jiejie, are you a fairy? I learned two phrases the other day: ‘sinking fish and falling geese, eclipsing the moon and shaming flowers’—that’s totally you, right?”
Lin Qianwei couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted, “Enough.”
Lin Qianwei glared at Ji Yunxiao in annoyance.
“Is this what you teach the kid all day?”
Ji Yunxiao just laughed and shoved the soft little girl into Lin Qianwei’s arms, lifted her chin, and said, “Give her a kiss.”
Lin Youran pouted, but when she saw Lin Qianwei’s cold and distant expression, she got a little scared.
Lin Youran turned to Ji Yunxiao for help and admitted, “I don’t dare.”
Ji Yunxiao encouraged her, “What are you afraid of? Your Auntie goes soft with just one kiss, and she smells so good.
Don’t you really want to give her a kiss?”
Lin Youran was completely swayed.
She wrapped her arms around Lin Qianwei’s neck, quickly planted a kiss on Lin Qianwei’s fair cheek, and then, embarrassed, buried her head in Lin Qianwei’s shoulder.
Lin Qianwei’s face was flushed red with embarrassment and anger.
She stomped her foot.
“Ji Yunxiao!”
Ji Yunxiao smiled, her eyes curving.
“I’m here.”
Lin Qianwei scolded her, “What nonsense are you spouting all day?”
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Ji Yunxiao walked over to the beautiful woman and stood in front of her.
Lin Youran had already lifted her head and kept glancing back and forth at Ji Yunxiao and Lin Qianwei’s faces.
Under the little girl’s gaze, Ji Yunxiao gently cupped Lin Qianwei’s chin, leaned in, and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Lin Qianwei’s lips.
“She really is fragrant and sweet.
I’m not making it up.”
The courtyard lights reflected the heat in Ji Yunxiao’s eyes.
Lin Qianwei felt like she’d been burned, her legs going a little weak.
Ji Yunxiao quickly steadied her.
Lin Qianwei took a moment, took a deep breath, hugged Lin Youran tightly, then turned and strode away.
Her back looked a bit hurried, like she was running away.
Ji Yunxiao could only remind her, “Slow down.”
Lin Qianwei ignored her.
Luckily, it wasn’t far from here to the front door.
After Lin Qianwei took Lin Youran back inside, she put her down.
That night, Lin Qianwei and Ji Yunxiao helped Lin Youran take a bath, carried her to bed, and told her a bedtime story.
Lin Youran, full and tired from playing, was so sleepy that she started snoring before Ji Yunxiao could even finish the story.
“Isn’t it kind of fun to take care of a kid?” Ji Yunxiao whispered to Lin Qianwei.
Lin Qianwei was tucking the blanket around the little one and replied coldly, “Not fun.”
Ji Yunxiao knew she was just being stubborn and didn’t argue, just left the room with her.
On the way back, Lin Qianwei didn’t let her hold hands.
When they got home, Lin Qianwei closed the door and snapped at her, “How could you do that?”
Ji Yunxiao stood up straight, looking sincere.
“If I did anything wrong, please point it out, Miss Lin.”
Lin Qianwei’s cheeks were still burning as she remembered.
“How could you kiss me in front of the kid?”
Ji Yunxiao asked humbly, “You can’t accept that?”
Lin Qianwei replied coldly, “I can’t.”
“Sorry,” Ji Yunxiao apologized quickly, lowering her eyes, her long lashes casting a small shadow at the corner of her eyes.
“I got carried away.”
Ji Yunxiao chuckled softly.
“Today, in front of Mom, you stood up for me.
Later, you blocked Ji Liuliu for me and said you wouldn’t divorce me.
I just couldn’t help myself.”
“You’d better control yourself.” Lin Qianwei pressed her lips together and decided to make things clear.
“I just said I don’t plan to divorce you for now.”
Ji Yunxiao looked at her, eyes pleading.
“Don’t ever leave me, okay? Let’s never get divorced, ever.”
Lin Qianwei’s eyes curved.
“Depends on how you behave.”
Ji Yunxiao let out a long breath, her smile dazzling.
“I’ll behave myself.”
Seeing her like this, Lin Qianwei started to wonder if she was just being too sensitive again.
But so what if she was? Lin Qianwei thought about it—Ji Yunxiao had said before that she could do whatever she wanted in front of her.
So right now, Lin Qianwei just wanted to be a little dramatic.
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin.
“And in the bathroom, don’t you think you were out of line too?”
Ji Yunxiao thought back to what happened then and couldn’t help but smile.
She asked, “How was I out of line?”
“It was already time to eat, but you dragged me into the bathroom and then you even…” Lin Qianwei trailed off, unable to finish.
She paused, took a breath, the corners of her eyes tinged with a pretty blush, but her tone was especially serious.
“You even bit me.
Couldn’t you control yourself?”
Ji Yunxiao almost burst out laughing.
She wondered who was the one who couldn’t control herself, playing alone in the room for almost an hour until her fingers were sore.
Of course, Ji Yunxiao wouldn’t call her out on it.
Watching her beautiful wife try so hard to act innocent was actually pretty entertaining.
So Ji Yunxiao played along, just as serious.
“It’s all my fault.
I was too restless.
I just can’t help myself when I see you.
When you come close, I get all kinds of wild thoughts.
When you talk to me, my imagination just runs wild…”
Even though Ji Yunxiao was talking about herself, Lin Qianwei felt like every word was hinting at her.
She was both embarrassed and annoyed, so she came over and covered Ji Yunxiao’s mouth.
“Stop talking.”
Ji Yunxiao pulled her hand down, holding those soft, pale fingers in her palm, looking at her with puppy eyes.
“So are you still mad at me?”
Lin Qianwei bit her lip, sounding justified.
“I am.”
She said, “You did bite me and make it swell, right?”
Ji Yunxiao felt a little guilty.
“Did it swell?”
Ji Yunxiao asked in a low voice, “Want me to check again?”
Lin Qianwei’s face was burning, her tone a little flustered.
“It’s already healed, what’s there to see?”
Ji Yunxiao cleared her throat, moved a little closer, and said, “That morning you just left without giving me a chance to take care of you, so…”
“Don’t make excuses.
If I’d stayed, who knows if you would’ve just worn me out…” Lin Qianwei was too embarrassed to finish, glaring at Ji Yunxiao before heading back to her room.
Ji Yunxiao sent her a text to apologize: [It’s all my fault.]
Ji Yunxiao said: [I’ll be more careful next time.]
Lin Qianwei didn’t reply, and the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Ji Yunxiao guessed Lin Qianwei was taking a shower, so she went to another bathroom to shower too.
When she came out, she knocked on Lin Qianwei’s door.
Lin Qianwei only messaged her: [We’re sleeping separately tonight.
I’m not letting you in.]
Ji Yunxiao glanced at her phone and smiled.
“Then how about you come out? I just want to talk, nothing else.”
After a while, Lin Qianwei opened the door.
Her hair was loose and shiny, her voice still cold.
“What do you want to say?”
“Come with me.” Ji Yunxiao walked over to the sofa and sat down, beckoning Lin Qianwei over.
When Lin Qianwei sat down, Ji Yunxiao opened a delicate little gift box.
She slowly unwrapped it, and inside was a moonstone anklet.
Unlike the deep blue moonstone from before, this anklet was adorned with white moonstones, their glow gentle, cool, and pure—like bright moonlight.
Lin Qianwei instantly panicked a little.
“I, I…”
She didn’t know what to say, but Ji Yunxiao lifted her ankle, gracefully kneeling at her feet.
“I know you lost that moonstone anklet and couldn’t find it.
So now I’m giving you a new one.
Let me put it on for you, okay?”
Maybe it was Ji Yunxiao’s gentle voice, or maybe she just had a way of getting under her skin, but Lin Qianwei didn’t refuse—she just nodded.
Lin Qianwei’s ankles were already fair and pretty, and with the white moonstone anklet, they looked even more eye-catching.
Ji Yunxiao stared for a long time before finally looking away.
Lin Qianwei stammered, “I, I… I did lose it…”
Ji Yunxiao smiled, sat back down next to her, and said, “It’s fine if you lost it.
If it makes you happy, I can buy you a thousand more to lose.”
Lin Qianwei stared at her beautiful face, dazed for a couple of seconds before confirming again, “You’re not mad?”
Ji Yunxiao said, “I just feel bad that you went looking for it in the middle of the night and cut your wrist.
That’s what I’m upset about.”
Lin Qianwei said, “Oh.”
She was happy inside, like she was walking on clouds, like she’d melted into honey.
But Lin Qianwei didn’t know how to express it.
She felt shy and wanted to run away.
“If you’re not mad, then that’s it.
I’m going to bed.”
Lin Qianwei was about to slip away, but Ji Yunxiao grabbed her wrist.
Lin Qianwei’s voice changed, the end of her sentence sticky.
“What are you doing?”
Ji Yunxiao coaxed her, “I gave you this one, so how about you give me the custom blue moonstone anklet? Deal?”
“That’s what this is about?” Lin Qianwei shot her a look.
Ji Yunxiao said softly, “Let’s swap.”
Lin Qianwei went to the drawer, took out the box, tossed it to her, and said, “Here, now we’re even.”
“Yeah, even.” Ji Yunxiao opened the box, took out the anklet, and thought, this counts as a couple’s accessory now.
Ji Yunxiao looked up, planning to watch Lin Qianwei go back to her room, but Lin Qianwei stopped at the door.
Ji Yunxiao asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Qianwei thought for a moment, decided she should say it, and came over to Ji Yunxiao, telling her everything about how Bai Ying had arranged for them to meet that day.
“So that’s what happened.” Lin Qianwei looked away.
Ji Yunxiao smiled.
She asked Lin Qianwei, “So you heard everything I said that day?”
Lin Qianwei fiddled with her fingertips, looking up.
“Yeah, I heard it all.”
Ji Yunxiao raised her eyebrows.
“Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”
“No, I’m going to bed.” Lin Qianwei turned to leave, but when she got to the door, she came back and asked Ji Yunxiao, “You said you could chase me slowly, that you could wait.
Does that still count?”
Ji Yunxiao looked at her intently, her eyes gentle.
“It counts.”
Lin Qianwei kept her face cold, but her ears were bright red.
She said softly, “Then I want you to chase me.”
