After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 8

Returning to the dormitory, Ye Wenjin felt a quiet joy. She had tried her best to mask her emotions on the way back, but the improvement in her mood after her outing was simply too obvious.

Especially since she was carrying something in her hand.

“You’re back. I—wait, what? Why do you seem in such a good mood after going out?”

Chu Yunsheng had been keeping an eye out, wanting to observe Ye Wenjin’s state the moment she returned, sensing something was off.

But instead, she was met with a visibly cheerful Ye Wenjin.

Chu Yunsheng froze, wondering if she was seeing things.

Rong Yunshu, however, was far more perceptive. She noticed the gift bag in Ye Wenjin’s hand almost immediately.

Her eyes flickered slightly, though her expression remained perfectly natural. “Huh? Wenjin, did someone bring you something?”

Ye Wenjin stiffened for a moment, flustered, but forced herself to nod calmly. “Yeah… a sister helped deliver something to me.”

Chu Yunsheng’s straightforward nature didn’t allow for overthinking. At first, she was just surprised. “A sister? You have a sister?”

Ye Wenjin rarely spoke about her family, so hearing her mention a sister made Chu Yunsheng assume it was a relative.

Ye Wenjin hesitated again but quickly nodded. “Yes, she’s my sister.”

She didn’t elaborate, just wanting to brush past the topic.

Fortunately, Chu Yunsheng didn’t press further, simply sighing in relief. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried you’d still be upset.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize she’d slipped up. Offering Ye Wenjin an apologetic smile, she quickly ducked her head back down.

Relieved that no more questions followed, Ye Wenjin relaxed slightly.

But when she turned and met Rong Yunshu’s gaze, her heart suddenly lurched, sending a jolt of panic through her.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Rong Yunshu smiled. “Nothing. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Ye Wenjin nodded and returned to her seat, unpacking the contents of the gift bag.

Aside from her phone, there was also cash. When she pulled it out, her hands trembled slightly.

A thick stack, as thick as a finger all in red bills.

A sudden wave of guilt made her shove the money back into the bag. It took her a while to calm down before she could think clearly again.

She pressed her lips together.

This was… too much.

Why had Jian Mo stuffed so much money into the bag? And it was just an ordinary gift bag at that. Had she known there was so much cash inside, she would’ve been a nervous wreck the entire way back.

Ye Wenjin blinked, suddenly grateful she hadn’t known.

But the amount was still excessive…

After a long moment of hesitation, she took out three bills and carefully stored the rest away, intending to return it to Jian Mo the next time they met.

For now… she’d treat it as a loan.

Rong Yunshu watched all of this unfold, her brow furrowing slightly in thought.

The weekend passed in unexpected quiet. Ye Wenjin had assumed the Yin family would come looking for her.

Yet nothing happened. Though she found it strange, she was relieved not to be bothered. Still, a lingering unease remained in her heart.

But today, she had more important matters to attend to, so she set her doubts aside for now.

Morning classes were all theory-based, so Ye Wenjin woke up early, planning to report her secondary gender differentiation before lectures began.

Just as she was about to leave, Rong Yunshu suddenly called out to her, “Wenjin, let me go with you.”

Ye Wenjin was slightly surprised. “It’s fine, I can manage on my own. You go ahead to the classroom, don’t you have class soon? Save me a seat.”

Rong Yunshu smiled and didn’t insist further. “Alright then. But are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”

There was a hint of concern in her expression. Ye Wenjin shook her head. “It’s no problem. I know where to go to register. You go ahead, see you later.”

With that, Ye Wenjin opened the door and left.

Perhaps because it had rained again earlier, there was some fog this morning, but it looked like it would clear up into a sunny day.

As she walked, Ye Wenjin couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

She had extracurricular practice in the afternoon, but she had promised Jian Mo that they would go get their marriage license today. So…

After the first class, she would have to hurry out, or else she wouldn’t make it in time for the afternoon.

Thinking this, Ye Wenjin quickened her pace toward the academic affairs office.

When she explained her reason for registering, the teacher in charge frowned slightly and looked at her with some skepticism.

But that was understandable, secondary differentiation was a rare occurrence, and who would have thought she’d end up experiencing it?

Still, she wasn’t entirely used to it after the differentiation, and the gland at the back of her neck had been feeling uncomfortable these past couple of days. She wasn’t sure if it was because her differentiation had come late.

Even after two days of adjusting to her new identity as an Alpha, Ye Wenjin still felt somewhat out of place.

Lost in thought, the teacher noticed Ye Wenjin’s dazed expression and sighed, raising her voice slightly. “Ye Wenjin.”

“Here!”

Ye Wenjin instinctively responded before snapping back to reality, realizing the teacher had called her name.

“Teacher? Is something wrong?”

The teacher scrutinized her again and reminded her helplessly, “Even though you’ve undergone secondary differentiation, because it happened late, you need to undergo a full medical examination. Have you done that yet?”

Ye Wenjin let out an “Ah,” looking blank. “N-no, I forgot.”

Truthfully, no one had told her about this. The differentiation period typically occurred between the ages of 16 and 18, and those who hadn’t differentiated by then were considered Betas.

Human genetics were complex. While it wasn’t impossible for someone to undergo secondary differentiation after adulthood, the risks of failure were high. So, if someone didn’t differentiate during the usual period, they were generally considered settled.

Few people paid attention to secondary differentiation, it was such an uncommon event.

And since Ye Wenjin had shown no signs of differentiation during the usual period, Ye Shuyao had long assumed she was a Beta and hadn’t bothered to remind her about these things.

Even Ye Wenjin herself, deep down, still thought of herself as a Beta and hadn’t fully shifted her mindset.

On top of that, she had encountered unexpected circumstances during her secondary differentiation. Ye Wenjin had assumed that once the differentiation succeeded, that was the end of it, she hadn’t even considered the need for a follow-up examination.

Now, reminded by the teacher, Ye Wenjin said sheepishly, “Got it, teacher. I’ll remember to get it done.”

The teacher nodded. “Good. Bring the examination report along when you come back to register. Your records are incomplete for now, so we won’t make any changes yet.”

Ye Wenjin hadn’t realized that reporting a secondary differentiation required medical documentation. She nodded, bid the teacher farewell, and hurried off to class.

Once the first class ended, Ye Wenjin hastily handed her textbooks to Rong Yunshu, asking her to take them back to the dorm, then rushed off to request leave.

Rong Yunshu had originally intended to call out to her, but Ye Wenjin was in too much of a hurry. By the time she looked up, Ye Wenjin was already gone.

As class time approached and there was still no sign of her, Rong Yunshu frowned and sent her a message.

Meanwhile, Ye Wenjin was waiting at the school gate for Jian Mo to arrive.

Just as she received the message, Jian Mo’s car slowly pulled up, so Ye Wenjin didn’t have time to reply.

Even after two days apart, Ye Wenjin was still stunned by Jian Mo’s beauty.

Today, Jian Mo was dressed in a simple white blouse, her hair casually draped over her shoulders, exuding an effortless, lazy elegance.

In contrast, Ye Wenjin looked at her own outfit, an extremely ordinary set of casual clothes and felt like a child standing next to an adult.

Her toes curled inside her shoes, a wave of inexplicable embarrassment washing over her.

When she noticed Jian Mo’s gaze suddenly fixate on her, Ye Wenjin froze, unsure how to react, and could only let her look.

After what felt like an eternity, Jian Mo finally averted her eyes and said to the driver, “Pull over at the nearest mall.”

The driver immediately complied, heading toward the nearby shopping center.

Ye Wenjin was momentarily dazed, taking a while to process what Jian Mo had said.

Hesitantly, she asked, “Sis… aren’t we… aren’t we going to get our marriage license?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her face flushed red, it sounded as if she were impatient.

Would Jian Mo misunderstand? Think she was too eager?

Regret hit her within seconds, but before she could dwell on it, Jian Mo replied, “Your outfit isn’t right. We’ll buy clothes first.”

Ye Wenjin glanced down at her own attire, then stole a look at Jian Mo’s, and suddenly remembered something crucial.

For the marriage license, both parties needed to wear white shirts.

Jian Mo was already dressed in one, while she…

In her rush to leave that morning, she had thrown on whatever was handy without a second thought.

Her toes curled again in embarrassment.

She nodded meekly. “O-okay.”

After uttering those two words, she pretended nothing was wrong and turned away, as if she weren’t the one feeling utterly mortified.

But her ears, exposed and burning red, betrayed the turmoil beneath her calm facade.

Too embarrassed to look up, she missed the fleeting smile in Jian Mo’s eyes.

She had assumed they’d just grab any white shirt at the mall, but to her surprise, Jian Mo led her straight into a store that screamed expensive.

Ye Wenjin stiffened, overwhelmed by a sense of not belonging. In contrast, Jian Mo moved with effortless grace, completely unfazed.

Sweating nervously, Ye Wenjin hesitated, unsure what to say.

Before she could gather her thoughts, a shop assistant, following Jian Mo’s instructions, gestured toward the fitting room with a polite smile.

Ye Wenjin pointed at herself, bewildered.

The assistant nodded. “Miss, please follow me.”

She glanced at Jian Mo, who gave a slight nod of approval, before reluctantly trailing after the assistant, looking back every few steps.

Fortunately, Jian Mo had chosen a simple outfit, but her impeccable taste transformed Ye Wenjin entirely, the old her vanished, replaced by a radiant new version.

Jian Mo had a keen eye for bringing out the beauty in her. The outfits she chose weren’t extravagant, but they complemented Ye Wenjin perfectly, making her stand out in the best way.

Ye Wenjin stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling uneasy all over. She turned to Jian Mo with a pleading look in her eyes.

Unexpectedly, Jian Mo’s lips curled slightly in satisfaction, and without hesitation, she turned to the shop assistant and said, “Pack up the clothes she came in.”

That meant she was expected to leave wearing this outfit.

Ye Wenjin froze in place, then took small steps toward Jian Mo, tugging lightly at her sleeve. “Sister, this outfit… I…”

She wanted to say it didn’t suit her, that it was too expensive and she couldn’t afford it.

But Jian Mo’s expression was calm, her eyes even carrying a hint of approval.

“What’s wrong?”

Ye Wenjin hesitated.

Truthfully, she felt completely unfamiliar with this version of herself, her first instinct was that it didn’t fit. But Jian Mo didn’t think so. She was satisfied with the look, and under her gaze, Ye Wenjin felt a flicker of confidence growing within her.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally whispered, “I… I don’t think this outfit suits me.”

Jian Mo studied her carefully before concluding, “I think it suits you perfectly.”

Hearing this, Ye Wenjin felt a spark of happiness, but beneath it lay a deeper pang of bitterness.

The clothes were too expensive. They weren’t meant for someone like her…

But when she looked up and saw the faint displeasure in Jian Mo’s eyes at her hesitation, Ye Wenjin quickly relented, murmuring softly, “Thank you, sister.”

Jian Mo gave a quiet hum, her gaze sweeping across the store.

Ye Wenjin nervously fidgeted with her fingers, afraid Jian Mo might buy her more clothes but also worried she was overthinking it. After a long internal struggle, she decided to stay silent, simply watching Jian Mo with wide, expectant eyes.

Fortunately, Jian Mo soon withdrew her gaze, seemingly unimpressed by the other options. Ye Wenjin finally let out a quiet sigh of relief, missing the fleeting trace of regret in Jian Mo’s eyes.

After purchasing the clothes, the two set off again. Along the way, Ye Wenjin suddenly remembered her household registration wasn’t with her, which meant they couldn’t register their marriage. Panicked, she turned to Jian Mo.

“Sister, I… I didn’t bring my household registration with me.”

Her voice grew quieter as she spoke.

It had only just occurred to her that marriage registration required the household registration booklet, but hers was still at the Yin family’s home.

The silver lining was that she had moved her household registration out when she started university. At the time, Ye Shuyao had tried to stop her, but perhaps realizing that Ye Wenjin would no longer be her burden once she left, she had eventually relented.

The problem was that Ye Wenjin hadn’t taken the booklet with her when she left.

If only she had known the three of them were up to no good, she would have taken all her belongings when she walked out.

Now, she had no choice but to go back.

The thought of not being able to register their marriage today, and worse, wasting so much of Jian Mo’s time, filled Ye Wenjin with guilt and unease.

The atmosphere grew tense for a moment, but soon, Jian Mo’s calm voice broke the silence. “It’s fine. We’ll go for the premarital checkup first.”

Sister wasn’t blaming her. She still intended to marry her and they were even going to…

The premarital checkup!

Though it was just a normal term, Ye Wenjin felt heat rushing to her face. Unconsciously, she began twisting the hem of her clothes, crumpling the poor fabric beyond recognition.

But this was the premarital checkup!

All her guilt and anxiety vanished in an instant under Jian Mo’s words. Ye Wenjin’s face burned uncontrollably.

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