After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 5

Ye Wenjin froze, unsure how to react.

Even though she had just been consumed by dark thoughts, believing that dragging the Yin family down was better than running away, facing Jian Mo soberly now left her mind completely blank. She didn’t dare entertain a single thought.

This close distance far exceeded normal social boundaries, she had never been this close to anyone before.

Realizing this, Ye Wenjin instinctively leaned back, wanting to put at least some space between herself and Jian Mo.

But she forgot she was on a bed, with a wall right behind her. Predictably, she bumped her head against it with a loud “thud.”

“Ah!”

It hurt so much!

Well, at least the pain from her own stupidity knocked some sense back into her.

The woman beside her seemed to let out a soft chuckle. Ye Wenjin paused, wondering if she had misheard.

But when she looked up, Jian Mo appeared unchanged. Still, Ye Wenjin couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

The main issue was that neither of them was wearing anything. Though she had covered her vital areas with the blanket, her movements had caused Jian Mo’s side to slip, barely concealing anything.

The atmosphere was undeniably intimate, yet Ye Wenjin didn’t dare let her mind wander Jian Mo’s overwhelming presence, even while lying down, made it impossible to meet her gaze.

Perhaps because Jian Mo hadn’t immediately demanded answers upon waking, Ye Wenjin found herself staring at that mesmerizingly beautiful face. Then, in a moment of recklessness, she blurted out, “P-Please… Please marry me!”

The words left her mouth before she even processed what she had just said.

That single sentence drained all her courage. Ye Wenjin immediately lowered her head, too afraid to look at Jian Mo again.

She didn’t know why she had said it, it was as if she had been bewitched. No matter how she spun it, the request was far too bold. And besides…

Jian Mo would surely refuse, right? After all, this was just a one-night stand. Aside from having recently presented as an Alpha, Ye Wenjin had no other advantages. And even that wasn’t necessarily a good thing for her.

Her body stiffened as she awaited her judgment. But the expected rejection never came. Instead, she thought she heard,

“Okay.”

The voice was slightly hoarse, the tone lazy. Yet that single word was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard, like music from the heavens.

Ye Wenjin couldn’t believe her ears. Dazed, she lifted her head to look at the woman now reclining against the headboard and stammered, “Y-You agreed?”

She desperately wanted to ask why, but fear held her back. She didn’t dare push further, terrified that Jian Mo would say it was just a joke. All she could do was timidly confirm whether it was real.

Their statuses were far from equal, but that didn’t matter as long as she could escape the Yin family.

She couldn’t stay there any longer. If she did, Yin Yu would eventually bleed her dry, leaving her with nothing.

And…

Ye Wenjin had to admit that when Jian Mo agreed to her proposal, she couldn’t contain her joy.

After all… if she married Jian Mo, she wouldn’t have to enter a political marriage or sacrifice herself for the Yin family’s gain.

Especially since the one agreeing to marry her was Jian Mo.

The very same Jian Mo who was her stepsister’s unattainable white moonlight.

Just thinking about it made Ye Wenjin’s heart swell with happiness.

Isn’t this a form of revenge in itself?

Ye Wenjin lowered her eyes, looking somewhat innocent. She knew she couldn’t hide her thoughts, so she simply avoided letting the other person see them.

This was her only chance to escape the quagmire, and Ye Wenjin didn’t want to miss it, even if… she felt guilty for concealing her own unsavory motives. Yet, she did it anyway.

Jian Mo didn’t say much, appearing not to notice the shift in her expression, and simply asked, “When do you want to get married?”

Ye Wenjin naturally wanted it as soon as possible, but she wasn’t sure if she should say so, hesitating visibly.

But in that brief moment of hesitation, Jian Mo had already set the wedding date.

“Then one week from now.”

Ye Wenjin nodded without thinking. “That’s fine. You… can decide.”

Jian Mo’s brows furrowed slightly but smoothed out almost instantly, so quickly that Ye Wenjin thought she might have imagined it.

Afraid that the other woman might be displeased, Ye Wenjin’s heart tightened with anxiety. “Ms. Jian… if there’s anything about me that you’re unhappy with, could you let me know? I…”

She was somewhat slow at picking up on others’ emotions so slow that her roommate Rong Yunshu often said she was too naive and easy to take advantage of. Others also whispered behind her back about how dull she seemed.

Ye Wenjin knew her shortcomings well, which was why she feared upsetting Jian Mo by failing to grasp her intentions.

Jian Mo’s expression was hidden in the dim light, making it hard for Ye Wenjin to discern, only deepening her unease.

“Don’t call me Ms. Jian from now on. Use my name.”

It suddenly dawned on Ye Wenjin, she had addressed her as “Ms. Jian” directly, which meant Jian Mo must have realized she already knew who she was.

Would Jian Mo think she had deliberately sought her out?

Ye Wenjin wanted to explain, but since Jian Mo had already agreed to marry her, it seemed intentional or not didn’t matter much to her.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder, why had Jian Mo agreed to marry her in the first place?

Curious as she was, Ye Wenjin knew better than to pry. She resolved to be even more cautious around Jian Mo.

Though Jian Mo had said to call her by name, Ye Wenjin hesitated before tentatively asking, “Can I… call you ‘sister’?”

No one saw it, but Jian Mo’s fingers curled slightly under the blanket, though her expression remained unchanged.

She simply gave a slight nod. “You may.”

Ye Wenjin finally exhaled in relief, but the atmosphere between them had grown undeniably intimate. Only now did she belatedly feel a wave of embarrassment.

Especially when she noticed the scattered red marks on Jian Mo’s exposed skin, making Ye Wenjin’s scalp tingle.

She had been… so shameless!

Not daring to look further, Ye Wenjin hurriedly slipped out of the bed to dress, but her movements froze when she saw the clothes on the floor.

Flustered and at a loss, she scrambled for a solution, but before she could think of one, Jian Mo spoke. “There’s a bathrobe in the bathroom. Go put it on. Someone will bring fresh clothes later.”

Ye Wenjin murmured an acknowledgment before bolting to the bathroom. Only after wrapping herself in the bathrobe did she finally feel at ease.

After a moment’s thought, she grabbed the other bathrobe and placed it beside Jian Mo. “Sister, I… brought you a bathrobe too.”

Jian Mo’s cool, beautiful face showed no change in expression, merely gesturing for her to leave it.

Ye Wenjin tactfully nodded and then turned to go wash up in the bathroom.

Though they had already done everything, she knew her boundaries. After all, they were still strangers at the end of the day, and some discretion was necessary.

As she washed up, chaotic thoughts swirled in her mind. By the time she finally composed herself and stepped out, she saw that Jian Mo had already put on a bathrobe and was sitting primly on the sofa, making a phone call.

However, upon hearing footsteps, she hung up immediately.

“I’ll take you back after breakfast. I’ll pick you up again on Monday,” Jian Mo said tersely.

Ye Wenjin was puzzled. “Monday? Is there something going on?”

A flicker passed through Jian Mo’s eyes. “To get the marriage certificate.”

Ye Wenjin suddenly understood. Of course, getting married required registering their marriage. Since it was the weekend now, the civil affairs bureau wouldn’t open until Monday, so they had to wait until then.

“Alright, I understand,” Ye Wenjin replied obediently.

While Jian Mo was freshening up, there was a knock at the door. Ye Wenjin opened it to find someone delivering clothes.

She felt a bit awkward, but this person must be someone Jian Mo trusted otherwise, they wouldn’t have been sent to deliver the items.

Fortunately, the person remained polite from start to finish, showing no unusual expressions.

Ye Wenjin was the first to put on her new clothes. To her surprise, they fit perfectly.

Her emotions were complicated.

She gently ran her fingers over the fabric, reminded of an old memory.

After Ye Shuyao brought her to the Yin family, she once received a set of clothes, but they were too big for her.

At the time, she thought Ye Shuyao might not have paid much attention, but she was still happy to have new clothes.

That was until she wore them and ran into Yin Feifei, who informed her that what she thought were new clothes were actually hand-me-downs discarded by Yin Feifei but deemed still wearable by Ye Shuyao, who then passed them on to her.

Ye Wenjin didn’t know how to describe how she felt in that moment. But she didn’t argue with Yin Feifei, nor did she ask Ye Shuyao why. She simply went back to her room and changed out of them.

Those clothes were then tucked away at the very bottom of her wardrobe, never to be worn again.

From that point on, Ye Wenjin stopped expecting anything from Ye Shuyao.

Because nine times out of ten, it would just be Yin Feifei’s castoffs.

The reason Ye Shuyao acted this way was because of her fr gal habits from harder times. Yet, unwilling to deprive herself again, she spent most of her money on skincare and clothing, leaving little for Ye Wenjin.

Ye Wenjin didn’t blame her. After all, Ye Shuyao was her own person first, and only then her mother.

But she wasn’t a saint, either she couldn’t accept it without resentment. Her original plan had been to move out on her own after graduation. As for Ye Shuyao, she wouldn’t be leaving with her, because only in the Yin family could her mother have the life she wanted.

But now, everything had changed.

The last shred of love she held for Ye Shuyao vanished completely the moment her mother tried to push her into a marriage alliance in place of her stepsister for personal gain.

Ye Wenjin considered herself honest, but she wouldn’t let others humiliate her like this.

Perhaps proposing to Jian Mo was the boldest and most correct decision she had ever made.

Even if the road ahead was still an abyss, she had resigned herself to it.

But…

Ye Wenjin stared blankly at the perfectly fitting clothes on her body. Standing close, she could even catch the faint floral scent lingering on the fabric. They must have just been washed, warm against her skin, still carrying a trace of residual heat from the dryer.

Perhaps, Jian Mo wasn’t the abyss after all.

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