After Mistakenly Marking My Ex’s Older Sister, the Disabled Alpha Stood Up - Chapter 19

“Yunxi-jie, have you forgotten me?”

The soft-voiced girl asked through tears, clutching tightly at Jin Yunxi’s collar.

“Yunxi-jie, Yan Qingruo is a bad woman. Don’t believe her…”

Yan Qingmei’s face suddenly surfaced in Jin Yunxi’s dream.

When she awoke, she had the distinct sense that she had dreamed something important—yet she couldn’t recall what exactly Yan Qingmei had said. Only the image of that anxious face remained, as though someone was desperately trying to warn her of danger.

Jin Yunxi’s arms were wrapped around the fragrance of night-blooming jasmine. Yan Qingruo was nestled in her embrace. At once, Jin Yunxi withdrew her arm, though the pulse at the nape of her neck throbbed restlessly, reluctant to let go.

Jin Yunxi’s body felt unusually light, as if she had soaked all night in hot spring water. The word “water” alone brought back shameful memories. Flustered, she touched the bedsheet with her fingertips—then let out a tiny sigh of relief.

“Ah Yun, are you feeling the bedsheet?”

The woman’s voice was still heavy with drowsiness, languid and teasing.

Opening her eyes, Jin Yunxi found herself face-to-face with the woman sharing her bed. Yan Qingruo’s bright eyes sparkled with mirth as they lingered on her.

“I wasn’t,” she denied flatly.

“Really?” Yan Qingruo raised a brow, stretched out her hand to mimic the gesture, then widened her eyes in mock surprise.

“Mm? Why is it wet here?”

Jin Yunxi’s chest tightened. She jerked the blanket up to cover herself.

Yan Qingruo chuckled, rising gracefully. Her robe slipped from her shoulder as she reached for the teacup on the nightstand.

“Sorry. I was thirsty last night and spilled a little water on the bed.”

A little? After this long, it should’ve dried.

Which meant Yan Qingruo was clearly baiting her.

“Yan Qingruo, you—!”

Jin Yunxi flushed, storming into the washroom. She stood too quickly to notice—her limp was gone. She hadn’t needed a cane at all, something that until now only happened on warm days and short distances.

“This upset already?”

Yan Qingruo followed, slipping her arms around the Alpha’s waist.

“Because I lied to you?”

She had just coaxed Ah Yun into softening a little last night—she couldn’t let her get angry again.

“Don’t be mad, okay~?” Yan Qingruo’s voice was sticky-sweet, practically pleading.

Jin Yunxi frowned. She wanted to push Yan Qingruo away, yet those arms only tightened.

Worse, her glands at the back of her neck responded strangely—as if, like a cat that had gorged itself on food yet still wanted more, she was hungry for it again.

“I didn’t lie to you.” Yan Qingruo leaned to her ear, her breath warm and suggestive.

“The sheets aren’t wet because of Ah Yun. They’re wet because…” She paused. Jin Yunxi’s ears pricked.

The last word drifted low, coy and deliberate:

“…because I made them wet.”

The word “made” was whispered so softly it nearly disappeared.

Jin Yunxi froze, continuing to brush her teeth as though nothing had been said. If Yan Qingruo claimed she had spilled water, then fine—she had spilled water.

After rinsing, Jin Yunxi meticulously swished mouthwash. Yan Qingruo immediately pouted.

“Mm~ this is all your fault~.”

Jin Yunxi: …

________________________________________

The ripples spread far.

Abroad, Yan Qingmei hurled a glass of wine against the wall.

At home, Jin Hua’s fury burned hot—but even he wasn’t as resentful as another. In the Jin household, Jin Yunhan clung sweetly to the old matriarch, whispering at her ear:

“Grandmother, Sister hid this so well. I didn’t even know she had changed wives. I want to meet my new sister-in-law.”

“Don’t you want to test her as well? Otherwise, how could she possibly be worthy of your eldest granddaughter?” Jin Yunhan added.

“Very well,” the frail but sharp-eyed old woman agreed, stroking Jin Yunhan’s face with feigned affection.

And so, an invitation arrived for Yan Qingruo—an equestrian banquet among the great families.

Yan Qingruo prepared to drive herself, but Lu Ge insisted on coming along. “I want to see the spectacle too. Even if I can’t get in, I can at least watch.” Thanks to Yan Qingruo, Lu Ge even managed to add Jin Yunxi on WeChat, beaming so brightly it was as though she had won the lottery.

Lu Ge hadn’t expected to run into Jin Yunxi at the gate. Immediately, she straightened and solemnly handed her best friend over to the secretary-general herself.

Each family could only send one representative, someone who had never competed before. Jin Yunhan had already done so; Jin Yunxi could not.

Thus, Yan Qingruo would ride in Jin Yunxi’s stead.

“It’s fine if we don’t go,” Jin Yunxi said earnestly. She herself had little interest in such occasions, but Yan Qingruo had wanted to attend—and she couldn’t keep relying on Jin Yunxi to shield her forever.

What Yan Qingruo longed for was a bit more certainty, a bit more tenderness. She wanted to be worthy of standing beside Jin Yunxi, so she was willing to work for it, one step at a time.

In the end, it wasn’t the audience she cared about—it was Jin Yunxi’s attention.

“I want to try. Ah Yun, just watch me from the sidelines,” Yan Qingruo said with a smile.

The sun poured over the vast riding grounds.

Jin Yunhan approached, looping her arm through Yan Qingruo’s with a saccharine smile.

“Sister-in-law, I heard you’re skilled at riding. You must put on a good show for us today.”

Her grin was honeyed—but her eyes glinted cold.

The banquet guests turned to Yan Qingruo as if she was on stage. Some gazed in envy, more in disdain.

“Her? Compete with us?”

“The Yan family’s just nouveau riche. What tradition of horsemanship could they have?”

Whispers circled, dripping with contempt.

Taking the reins, Yan Qingruo’s palms dampened, though her expression betrayed nothing.

On the dais, the old matriarch narrowed her eyes, studying her granddaughter-in-law with faint expectation.

Beside her, Jin Hua folded his arms, face twisted with disgust. From the moment he learned Yunxi had married this plain Yan daughter, he’d been scheming to embarrass her.

Now, watching the competitors—a line of pampered Omega socialites and strapping Alpha men—he realized they had deliberately set Yan Qingruo up.

Startled, he glanced at the matriarch. Could it be her design? If so, all the better. Once Yan Qingruo failed, he could humiliate her and her family thoroughly.

Yan Qingruo mounted. Black leather riding gear hugged her waist; tall boots lengthened her legs. She swung around in the saddle and flashed a dazzling smile at Jin Yunxi.

Her chestnut curls tumbled freely, framing amber-bright eyes.

“She’s a fox spirit,” someone muttered in the crowd.

Now they understood why Jin Yunxi had chosen the elder Beta sister over the younger S-class Omega.

A breathtaking beauty—finer even than Yan Qingmei. Too bad she was a Beta, a perfect porcelain vessel missing that one elusive spark.

Lifting her chin, Yan Qingruo’s gaze swept the crowd. Their scorn only fanned her fighting spirit.

She smiled, radiant as spring bloom, stroked the horse’s mane, and whispered softly before raising her head to wink boldly at Jin Yunxi.

“She’s insufferable! Does she think the riding field is her runway?” fumed a cluster of noble girls who adored Jin Yunxi, grinding their teeth.

“Brother, teach her a lesson.” One sister whispered. The Alpha beside her snapped his whip in answer.

The old matriarch chuckled, shaking her head.

“Xi’er, you trust her to carry Jin family’s name?” she asked.

“I do,” Jin Yunxi answered, gaze never once leaving Yan Qingruo.

The matriarch narrowed her eyes just as Yan Qingruo threw another flirtatious glance. To her surprise, the ice-cold granddaughter’s lips twitched ever so slightly upward.

So the iron tree could bloom after all. She studied Yan Qingruo more closely.

“Secretary Jin, your relationship with Ruoruo seems enviable,” Lu Ge whispered nearby.

“She told me before—she admired you for years. In fact, she noticed you three years ago.”

Jin Yunxi’s grip on her cane whitened.

“…Three years ago?” Her voice dropped cold.

Lu Ge nodded quickly. “Yes, it was love at first sight. Every time she mentioned you, she couldn’t stop smiling.”

But at once, she felt the air grow frigid around her. Did she say something wrong?

Jin Yunhan, watching from the side, noted every flicker on her elder sister’s face, her own expression sinking.

The competition began.

At first, Yan Qingruo’s riding seemed unremarkable—even inferior to the other Omega girls. Laughter and mockery rippled through the stands. A male Alpha deliberately swung his whip close enough to nearly strike her face.

But she ignored them, adjusting her rhythm until she and her horse moved as one. Bit by bit, she surged ahead, stunning the crowd.

Then disaster struck. Her horse stumbled violently, nearly throwing her. The reins—someone had tampered with them.

Jin Hua smirked coldly. This was it.

“Stop the match,” Jin Yunxi barked. “Where are the safety officers?”

“They… took leave,” someone stammered.

Too late.

“Jie, what are you doing?”

Jin Yunhan’s eyes widened as her sister pulled something from her pocket, swallowed it in one motion, then vaulted over the railing. She seized the male Alpha’s horse and shouted:

“Get down!”

The Alpha gaped. Had Jin Yunxi’s crippled leg… healed?

Hooves thundered. Yan Qingruo’s heartbeat roared in her ears. Then, cutting through the chaos, came the rapid beat of another set of hooves.

A rider on a black steed surged forward, fierce as the wind.

“Yan Qingruo—take my hand!”

The figure was tall, commanding, radiating strength and reassurance.

Her Ah Yun?! Was she dreaming?

As the horses aligned, Jin Yunxi’s arm shot out, muscles taut, seizing Yan Qingruo’s wrist and pulling hard.

A powerful force lifted her off the faltering horse. She clung instinctively to Jin Yunxi’s arm before tumbling safely into her embrace.

Her back pressed against Jin Yunxi’s chest. Fear and adrenaline twisted into a new kind of breathless heat.

Their breaths mingled. Yan Qingruo’s heart still raced. She tilted her head slightly.

“Ah Yun, your leg… is it all right?”

“Mm.”

“I’m fine,” she whispered, leaning back. The Alpha’s strong arms circled her waist. She found herself shifting closer, wanting the hold to tighten—but Jin Yunxi eased off, as if afraid to suffocate her.

“…Mm.”

Another short reply.

A pang of disappointment bloomed in Yan Qingruo’s chest. Still, the firm embrace and sense of utter safety wrapped her like clouds.

In Jin Yunxi’s arms, she felt weightless.

The Alpha’s pale hands gripped the reins, veins standing out faintly. Yan Qingruo’s gaze lingered on those clean, perfectly trimmed nails that glinted faintly in the sun.

“Why is your heart beating so fast?” For the first time, Jin Yunxi spoke more than a word, curious.

“Were you frightened?”

“Mm~.”

This time, Yan Qingruo’s answer was soft, drawn-out, laced with shy sweetness—her voice trembling with heat, ripe with the kind of unspoken thoughts that burned past innocence.