After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 76

The reception room fell silent, and Ye Wenjin finally had the chance to properly assess the current situation.

But perhaps it was because the environment was too quiet—just as she was about to gather her thoughts, her mind became a tangled mess, and she found herself unsure where to even begin.

So she simply sat there on the sofa, staring blankly, appearing deep in thought while actually thinking of nothing at all.

Ten minutes passed, and though Ye Wenjin was no longer as shocked as before, the initial jolt still left her somewhat dazed.

As time ticked by, a soft sigh escaped her lips in the quiet room.

In the end, she realized, it all came down to how little she truly knew about Jian Mo.

Throughout their time together, it had always been Jian Mo who accommodated her shortcomings, guiding her to become better and more confident.

Yet, when it came to Jian Mo, she knew very little and had never made an effort to truly understand her heart.

If she had been more attentive, if she had made Jian Mo feel safe enough to open up to her, perhaps things wouldn’t have reached this point—where Jian Mo felt the need to keep things from her.

After turning it over in her mind, Ye Wenjin even concluded that Jian Mo hadn’t really deceived her—she had simply chosen not to share certain things.

Besides, people were multifaceted. It was completely understandable for someone to behave differently around strangers compared to those they were close to.

So…

This was actually normal!

Once she reached this realization, the heavy weight in her chest lifted instantly, leaving her feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

She had already decided—once Jian Mo returned, they would sit down and talk this through properly.

Ye Wenjin firmly believed that problems should be addressed promptly to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

She knew all too well the consequences of leaving conflicts unresolved.

She didn’t want something like this to create distance between them, so she resolved to share her thoughts with Jian Mo as soon as she came back.

After all, this was exactly how Jian Mo had always treated her—Ye Wenjin was simply following her example.

With everything settled in her mind, she relaxed into the sofa.

And as she did, drowsiness gradually crept in, her eyelids growing heavy. She wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but she knew she had slept deeply.

Perhaps it was because she had been so tense lately, preoccupied with planning a surprise for Jian Mo while trying not to let her notice. The stress had left her restless for days.

Then, after the emotional upheaval earlier—though she had quickly made sense of it—now that the matter was resolved, the accumulated exhaustion finally caught up with her.

Feeling safe in her surroundings, she didn’t resist and simply let herself drift off.

When she next stirred, it was already late afternoon. The sun had dipped low in the sky, its rays slanting through the window and falling directly onto her face, uncomfortably bright.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes, but it didn’t help much. With a faint, discontented hum, she cracked her eyes open slightly before closing them again.

But the next moment, someone drew the curtains, blocking out the harsh light. Sensing the dimmer glow, Ye Wenjin finally managed to open her eyes fully.

Only then did she realize that the person who had pulled the curtains for her was none other than Jian Mo.

Ye Wenjin blinked in surprise. “Jiejie? Is the meeting over? When did you get here?”

Jian Mo remained silent, simply staring at her with an unfathomable emotion swirling in her eyes.

But the earlier sunlight had left her vision blurred with halos, so she didn’t notice the strangeness in Jian Mo’s gaze at all.

She only felt a flicker of confusion when Jian Mo didn’t respond, but before she could speak, Jian Mo stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Ye Wenjin didn’t think much of it, assuming she just wanted a sudden hug.

After a brief hesitation, she still said, “Sister, I think we should have a proper talk—”

Her words were cut off as Jian Mo’s arms tightened around her with crushing force, making Ye Wenjin feel as if she were being coiled by a python, suffocating under the terrifying pressure.

Before she could react, Jian Mo’s voice sounded beside her ear—but the moment it reached her, Ye Wenjin froze.

In her memory, Jian Mo had always been gentle and composed, even in her voice. She had never heard Jian Mo sound so broken and desperate before.

Her voice was soft, as if afraid of startling her, yet the tone was shattered and pleading. “A-Jin… don’t leave me…”

Ye Wenjin was stunned, rendered speechless by Jian Mo’s sudden words.

For a moment, her mind went blank, unable to process what was happening.

But the fragile voice beside her ear didn’t stop, trembling so faintly that Ye Wenjin could hear the fear in it.

Snapping back to her senses, Ye Wenjin struggled to free herself from the embrace.

Yet when she saw the expression on Jian Mo’s face, she froze again.

“Sister…”

Ye Wenjin reached up, brushing away the tear at the corner of Jian Mo’s eye.

Her eyes were rimmed red, glistening with unshed tears—but there was no trace of pitifulness, only despair.

Ye Wenjin was shaken. She had no idea why Jian Mo had suddenly become like this, and panic instantly seized her.

“Sister? What’s wrong? I… I never said I was leaving you? What’s going on? Don’t cry, talk to me, okay?”

Frantically wiping away Jian Mo’s tears, Ye Wenjin tried to gently ask what had happened.

It felt like something must have occurred while she was asleep—otherwise, why would Jian Mo be like this the moment she woke up?

She had never seen Jian Mo like this before, and her own panic grew. But Jian Mo seemed lost in her own world, unable to hear her, only repeating the same plea over and over.

Her heart ached with each repetition. Seeing that she couldn’t pull Jian Mo back to reality, Ye Wenjin leaned in and kissed her.

It was a long, bitter kiss.

Whenever they had kissed before, Ye Wenjin had only tasted sweetness. But now, all she could sense was despair and brokenness.

She guessed that Jian Mo might have been trapped in some kind of nightmare, overwhelmed by some unknown shock, and grew even more desperate to wake her.

Time stretched endlessly. Only after what felt like an eternity did Ye Wenjin slowly pull away, carefully studying Jian Mo’s face. Her complexion had improved—at least she no longer looked as utterly despairing as before.

“Sister? Can you hear me? How do you feel now?”

It took a long moment before Jian Mo finally responded, her voice fragile. “A-Jin…?”

Ye Wenjin quickly nodded. “Yes, sister, look at me. I’m right here in front of you. I haven’t left, and I won’t leave. Will you believe me?”

Jian Mo reacted somewhat slowly, her gaze taking a while to focus again.

“A-Jin… you didn’t leave…”

Unable to resist, Ye Wenjin gently touched her cheek. “Of course I didn’t leave, and I never will. Sister, I’m right here in front of you. Look at me, okay? Don’t overthink it.”

As she spoke, Ye Wenjin couldn’t help but ask, “Did something happen just now? Why did you think I would leave?”

Jian Mo slowly closed her eyes, her voice weary and hollow. After a long pause, she whispered, “Before… Mom told me to go to school properly and visit her when I came back on Friday. She said she was fine in her room and not to worry…”

“I did as she said—went to school, studied hard, and looked forward to seeing her on Friday. But… when I finally made it to the next Friday and went to find her, she had already left me.”

“A-Jin… you also say you won’t leave, but will you really not leave me? Are you… really not lying to me?”

Just like Shen Xiyun, who had promised to stay with her, reassuring her that she was doing fine and not to worry.

Yet in reality, she had hidden her suicidal thoughts so well. Just a mere ten minutes later, the Shen Xiyun who had vowed not to leave her had closed her eyes forever.

No one knew what had gone through her mind when she agreed to let Ye Wenjin leave the reception room for a meeting.

Reason told her she shouldn’t have left, shouldn’t have let Ye Wenjin stay alone—it was far too dangerous. By the time she returned, Ye Wenjin might have been gone.

Dark thoughts swirled in her mind over and over, but in the end, Jian Mo couldn’t bring herself to treat Ye Wenjin that way.

Just believe her this once.

That was what Jian Mo told herself.

Even if Ye Wenjin was gone by the time she returned, it wouldn’t matter. Then she would have a reason to keep Ye Wenjin by her side forever—never leaving, always staying with her.

Though her A-Jin would surely be angry, there was no other choice. If she didn’t do this, A-Jin would leave.

So when she opened the door and found the room empty, Jian Mo’s expression remained blank, leaving only the thought:

Just as I expected.

A-Jin…

Just like her mother, a liar.

She couldn’t let her leave. She had to make her stay.

Such thoughts flashed incessantly in Jian Mo’s mind until a faint sound at the edge of her hearing slowly pulled her back to reality.

The noise came from the sofa behind her.

Jian Mo’s gaze sharpened as she quickly stepped forward—only for the sight of a sleeping Ye Wenjin to fill her vision.

Her cold, still heart suddenly began beating again, but a voice in her head whispered that this wasn’t her A-Jin, just a figment of her imagination.

Jian Mo refused to believe it. She leaned down, studying Ye Wenjin for a long time, until the sunlight shining directly on her finally made it impossible to sleep any longer.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she struggled against the harsh light.

So, Jian Mo straightened up, retreating slowly to the window and mechanically drawing the curtains shut. Then she watched as Ye Wenjin rubbed her eyes and sat up, squinting slightly from the brightness.

Jian Mo stared at her unblinkingly, her gaze fixed yet vacant, as if unaware of her own actions.

Only when the other person’s lips pressed against hers did she suddenly feel warmth.

So it wasn’t an illusion after all—the person before her was real. It was her A-Jin.

“I thought… A-Jin had left me too, just like Mom…”

Those words shattered Ye Wenjin’s restraint, and tears streamed down her face.

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