After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 77

Ye Wenjin knew she was fortunate to have met Jian Mo. Since their encounter, her luck had changed—no one bullied her anymore, and the constant verbal put-downs ceased.

Despite her many flaws, Jian Mo had always guided her, tolerating her insecurities and helping her become more cheerful and confident.

But Ye Wenjin never imagined Jian Mo’s mental state could be so fragile.

The mere fact that her façade had been exposed in front of Ye Wenjin had driven Jian Mo into such distress. She withdrew into her own world, as if triggered by trauma.

Ye Wenjin couldn’t bear to think about it—had Jian Mo been suppressing her true self every moment they spent together? Had she been trapped in the delusion that Ye Wenjin might leave her?

And because of that fear, she had crafted such a perfect disguise.

This state of mind was undeniably unhealthy.

Ye Wenjin had initially thought Jian Mo’s only issue was her pheromones being disrupted by past trauma. But now, she realized the real problem wasn’t her pheromones—it was her psyche.

Unable to hold back any longer, Ye Wenjin pulled Jian Mo into her arms, gently patting her back in reassurance. “Sister, I’m here. Can you hear me? I’m right beside you. I haven’t left.”

Perhaps the repetition of Ye Wenjin’s words had an effect, because Jian Mo gradually emerged from her nightmare-like trance.

When she finally came to, the first thing she saw was Ye Wenjin’s worried eyes.

“A-Jin…”

Jian Mo murmured.

Only then did Ye Wenjin truly understand—no matter how strong Jian Mo appeared to outsiders, she too had vulnerabilities. She could feel fear and insecurity. She wasn’t perfect.

Ye Wenjin kissed her brow and said solemnly, “Sister, let’s talk properly.”

Jian Mo stiffened slightly at the suggestion, but the echo of Ye Wenjin’s earlier reassurances kept her grounded.

Taking a deep breath, she finally nodded.

“A-Jin, let’s go home.”

Jian Mo believed that if they were going to have a serious conversation, the office wasn’t the right place. Only at home would she feel at ease.

At first, Ye Wenjin didn’t think much of it. When Jian Mo suggested going home, her initial concern was whether it would affect her work. But then she reconsidered—Jian Mo wasn’t in the right state of mind to focus anyway. It was better to leave.

While Ye Wenjin was still thinking, Jian Mo had already swiftly called her secretary, issued a few instructions, and then pulled Ye Wenjin out of the office.

Less urgent tasks could be postponed. Anything truly important could be handled at home later that night.

But right now, Jian Mo had no mood for work. The priority was to… come clean with Ye Wenjin.

Yes, Jian Mo had made up her mind. Since Ye Wenjin had already seen through her mask, she might as well take this opportunity to lay everything out.

She understood this much—Ye Wenjin might overlook it once, but not necessarily a second time.

After all, this wasn’t the only thing she had hidden from A-Jin.

Her A-Jin had a soft heart. Even after being deceived, she had chosen to forgive. Jian Mo knew she couldn’t push her luck.

Moreover, under her guidance, Ye Wenjin had also begun to grow more resolute.

Jian Mo truly didn’t want the things she had taught Ye Wenjin to be turned against her.

Yet, choosing to confess was a decision that required immense courage from Jian Mo.

The two of them were quieter than usual on the way back, each lost in their own thoughts.

It wasn’t until the car drove through the gates and the vibrant flowers outside the window came into view that Ye Wenjin belatedly realized what she had forgotten.

Oh no!

That morning, she had been busy preparing a surprise for Jian Mo. According to the plan, the surprise was supposed to unfold in the afternoon after they returned from work. Ye Wenjin had never anticipated any mishaps.

She had intended to signal Aunt Wu before they returned from work to kick off the surprise.

But now that the car had already entered the villa grounds, it was clearly too late to notify anyone.

Because… Jian Mo had already noticed.

Ye Wenjin: “…”

She nervously clasped her hands, her gaze flickering uncertainly.

At first, Jian Mo didn’t react, her mind preoccupied with what she was about to say. It wasn’t until the corner of her eye kept catching flashes of bright colors that she snapped out of it. But when she finally took in the scenery outside the window, she froze in shock.

The villa had an open plot of land that Shen Xiyun had once used to grow flowers and plants. However, after her passing, the greenery had quickly withered away.

Back then, Jian Mo would often stare blankly at the withered plants, feeling that after Shen Xiyun’s death, even the villa had become desolate.

Since that was the case, she didn’t force anything, and the plot had remained empty ever since.

Jian Mo had never imagined that one day, this land would bloom with such vibrant flowers again.

Under the sunlight, the flowers were in full bloom, brightening up the otherwise somber villa. The sight alone was enough to lift one’s spirits.

Seeing that Jian Mo had already noticed and there was no point in hiding it anymore, Ye Wenjin gave up on secrecy.

She scratched her cheek and said softly, “Actually, I’ve been working on this for the past few days, planning to surprise you today.

Since it took a lot of time, I deliberately didn’t go to the company with you this morning. I thought we’d come back at dusk, when the sunset would perfectly complement the flower field…”

“The original plan was to enjoy that scenery with you, but…”

Ye Wenjin scratched her head, never expecting that her first attempt at a surprise would go awry.

Now, with the sun high in the sky, visiting the flower field was hardly ideal. Not to mention, some of the other planned decorations hadn’t even been set up yet. What was supposed to be a grand surprise had turned into a half-hearted affair.

Ye Wenjin sighed quietly, feeling that she really wasn’t cut out for romance.

With Jian Mo discovering it so early, the element of surprise was undoubtedly ruined.

Yet, Jian Mo instructed the driver to take the car toward the flower field. She then stepped out of the car, gazing at the revived land in a daze.

“So, this is what A-Jin has been busy with all this time…”

Jian Mo murmured the words, almost to herself.

Ye Wenjin, standing close by, heard her and nodded sheepishly.

Though most of the surprise had been lost, she still intended to say the words she had prepared for so long.

After some thought, Ye Wenjin decisively said, “Actually… I prepared all this because I realized that after being together with you for so long, it’s always been you surprising me, while I just passively accepted everything.”

“This kindness makes me feel undeserving. I could never understand why you treat me so well—because you’re just that extraordinary, while I… feel like I don’t deserve you.”

“Jie, do you know? At first, when that accident happened, deep down, I was relieved. Because I knew you could pull me out of the mud. I had selfish motives.”

“But later—I fell in love with you. Falling for you was the most natural thing, but I didn’t want us to start something so vague and undefined.”

“Before, I said a permanent mark is a very important thing, so…”

Ye Wenjin suddenly grew nervous, but her gaze toward Jian Mo never wavered. “I’d like to ask this Miss Jian… if she’s willing to be with Miss Ye forever and establish a deeper, more intimate relationship?”

After pouring out everything she wanted to say in one breath, Ye Wenjin felt her heartbeat quicken uncontrollably, as if it might leap out of her chest.

She didn’t dare look directly at Jian Mo, yet she couldn’t bear to look away either. Her mind raced with self-doubt—had she been too impulsive?

After all, their return had been so abrupt, and there had been tension between them earlier. Bringing this up now seemed ill-timed.

But Ye Wenjin also knew that since things had come to this, she had to speak her mind. Perhaps this would make Jian Mo trust her more, knowing she would never leave.

Still, unease gnawed at her. She had no idea how Jian Mo would react, and with each passing second of silence, her anxiety grew heavier.

Just as she was about to speak up and explain, she noticed Jian Mo’s eyes reddening.

Ye Wenjin panicked. “Jie? What’s wrong? If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I just thought that after being together for so long, we lacked a sense of ceremony. And since a permanent mark is so important to you, I wanted to be more deliberate about it. That’s why I chose this way to surprise you.”

“I know this flower field was left by Aunt Shen. I’m sorry for altering it without permission. If you’re angry, you can scold me. I’m sorry.”

Her expression drooped pitifully.

Seeing this, Jian Mo reached out and ruffled her hair, as if comforting a guilty puppy.

“I love this surprise, A-Jin. You didn’t do anything wrong. The one who’s wrong… seems to be me.”

For the second time, the shadows in her heart were dispelled by Ye Wenjin.

Jian Mo gazed at the flower field, her eyes tinged with sorrow, and spoke slowly. “Losing Mom hit me too hard. Back then, my heart was filled with nothing but hatred. All I wanted was revenge, and that hatred reached its peak when I saw Jian Li bring her lover to Mom’s funeral.”

“Can you imagine? The legal wife had just passed, and before the first week of mourning was over, Jian Li shamelessly showed up at the funeral with her lover. That was my mother’s funeral—how dare she!”

“So I caused a scene at the memorial, and I took Mom’s ashes away. She shouldn’t have been trapped there any longer. I knew she wouldn’t have wanted her remains controlled by Jian Li either.”

Jian Mo’s tone was calm, but her eyes held an inescapable sorrow.

Ye Wenjin hadn’t expected there to be such a past, and her heart ached even more for Jian Mo. But what she truly didn’t anticipate was that she herself had a role in this story.

When she heard Jian Mo say they had met before, Ye Wenjin could hardly believe her ears.

“Ah? What? You met me? We saw each other back then?”

Ye Wenjin’s face was blank with confusion. She searched her memories but still couldn’t recall anything.

Jian Mo let out a soft laugh. “Let’s go, we’ll talk back home.”

She took Ye Wenjin’s hand and didn’t let go the entire way back to the villa.

When the butler, Wu, saw the two suddenly appear, he was startled, but upon sensing the atmosphere between them, he tactfully withdrew.

Though plans couldn’t keep up with changes, the outcome didn’t seem so different after all.

Ye Wenjin was now burning with curiosity, eager to hear about the time Jian Mo had met her. Her impatience was practically overflowing.

Fortunately, Jian Mo had no intention of keeping her in suspense. After pouring them each a glass of water, she continued, “A-Jin, I’ve known you for a long time. But judging by your reaction, you must have forgotten.”

Jian Mo’s lips curved slightly. “Don’t worry, it’s only natural you don’t remember me. After all, I was quite different back then compared to now.”

At that time, she had taken Shen Xiyun’s ashes but had no idea where to go. Wandering aimlessly, she eventually reached the riverbank and scattered the ashes into the water.

Suddenly, heavy rain began to pour, as if even the heavens couldn’t bear to watch Shen Xiyun’s suffering in death.

Jian Mo had left in a hurry and hadn’t brought an umbrella. Numbly, she trudged through the downpour, unaware of where she was going.

When she finally looked up again, through the curtain of rain, she caught sight of a dance studio’s sign and froze, staring at it for a long while.

Then, abruptly, the rain above her stopped. Slowly, she turned and saw a girl.

The girl was still wearing her practice clothes, her expression somewhat downcast, as if she wasn’t in the best mood. Yet she held an umbrella over Jian Mo, her eyes carrying a trace of concern.

“Staying in the rain too long will make you sick. Here, take this.”

Once the rain above her was shielded, the storm in her heart seemed to quiet under the shelter of that umbrella.

But after speaking, the girl pressed the umbrella into her hands and ran off.

Jian Mo stood there dumbly, holding the umbrella, watching as the girl disappeared into the distance.

That was the first time she had ever seen Ye Wenjin.

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