Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 76

The two people quietly leaned against each other, tightly absorbing the warmth from the other’s body, fingers intertwined, as if seeking endless courage from each other’s eyes

To face this world veiled in glamour, to tear away the superficial disguise, and confront all injustice and hardship head on.

Yi Liang lightly asked, “Sister, if I were to marry you… are there any requirements from your family?”

Xu Luwei paused for a moment, as if she had never considered this question before. She leaned back against Yi Liang’s chest and thought seriously for a long time, finally pouting playfully, “None.”

“Liar,” Yi Liang exposed her mercilessly. “There definitely are.”

“If there are, so be it,” Xu Luwei rarely showed a childish pout, her beautiful face almost pleading, “Can we not think about this for now? Shall we go to sleep?”

She immediately changed her mind and said urgently, “No, let’s stand for a while longer. Hold me, hold me, okay?”

Perhaps because she had been pushed too hard, this was almost the first time Yi Liang had seen the usually calm and measured Xu Luwei appear so fragile and dependent, as if she couldn’t live without him.

Even though they were already pressed tightly together, she still tried her best to cling to him, as if afraid Yi Liang would turn around and abandon her.

Yi Liang had to reach out and hold Xu Luwei’s waist. The woman before him was as fragile as a sandwich cookie, emitting a rich, delicate fragrance. The stern dignity in her eyes was gone, replaced only by deep reliance.

Perhaps worried that this was the last night, or perhaps because she was opening her heart for the first time, Xu Luwei’s eyes blinked, staring fixedly at Yi Liang, and in a short while, a mist formed in them.

Yi Liang patiently comforted her in a way he never had before, his hands careful, as if the person in his arms was an exquisite, fragile porcelain doll: “Okay, I’ll hold you, and I won’t let go, alright?”

Xu Luwei bloomed into a joyful yet shy smile. Caught in the struggle between reason and emotion, she wished she could resolve everything in one go, but she knew that was impossible no matter how she thought about it, the road ahead was long and arduous.

It wasn’t that her parents were bad people; they had never held any bias toward sons over daughters, or treated them differently, nor did they have any bad habits. Even in the circle of fame and fortune, the Xu parents always conducted themselves honorably and gently; even their enemies had to praise them for their noble character.

Xu Luwei had been deeply influenced by her parents’ upbringing. They were very strict with her and Zhizhi, but the harshest punishment was only being forbidden to leave the house for a few days; they had never been angry. Most of the time, they let them make their own decisions according to their will.

Xu Luwei never faced any coercion regarding which school to attend, what major to choose, or what job to take. In recent years, there had been occasional attempts to push her toward marriage, but it was only to arrange a few blind dates. If Xu Luwei didn’t go, that was the end of it.

Because of this, Xu Luwei felt especially guilty and uneasy.

If it were just her liking women, it would be one thing, but Zhizhi was so young and also…

It was already hard enough for parents to accept that their child was homosexual if both children were like this, they might collapse on the spot.

Xu Luwei was always thoughtful and meticulous in her planning. As long as there was any room for maneuver, she would not easily reveal her emotions.

However, in this matter, there was absolutely no room for negotiation.

She wanted to be with Yi Liang, but Yi Liang was a girl. It was that simple. She would inevitably hurt some of the people she held dearest and most loved.

Xu Luwei had originally thought without hesitation that cutting off their feelings while the relationship was not yet solid was the best choice, to avoid putting herself in a position of disloyalty.

But when Yi Liang arrived so boldly, she truly realized she was both hypocritical and selfish.

For a moment, she felt utterly out of place, feeling unworthy of being Xu Luwei.

Xu Luwei should have been perfect, but she too had moments of hesitation, sensitive and delicate in a way unlike herself.

She could only stay obediently in Yi Liang’s arms, eyes tightly shut, her long lashes trembling with tension, pain etched onto her cheeks.

Yi Liang felt the slight tremor of the body beneath her hands and couldn’t help but frown: “Sister, didn’t I tell you not to think about these things?”

She sighed and closed her eyes as well, “Can’t we just have one happy night?”

Xu Luwei whispered sorrowfully, “We always have to face it.”

Yi Liang quickly cut her off: “I don’t need a title, I just need you to have me in your heart.”

“Even if… even if you marry some man, I won’t mind,” Yi Liang said calmly and restrainedly, reaching out to caress Xu Luwei’s smooth, flawless face, her eyes infatuated, “I just need you, my Weiwei.”

Her previous anger, annoyance, and even her resolute decision to leave were all because she felt Xu Luwei didn’t like her. Now that she knew Xu Luwei had her in her heart, her mind settled peacefully, having no other desires.

Xu Luwei, however, shook her head seriously: “But, if I can’t even protect the woman I love openly…”

She gently touched her chest: “I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Yi Liang followed by placing her hand there, feeling Xu Luwei’s heart beat rhythmically. She smiled self-deprecatingly: “Sister, my business was bad before, and I didn’t know every day if I’d have a next meal. I’m used to living like that; seizing the day is my principle.”

Having Xu Luwei was already the greatest joy in the world; as for the future, she never cared. Whether openly or secretly, as long as her heart belonged to her, her physical presence didn’t matter much.

Xu Luwei gave a bitter laugh: “You are always so optimistic.”

Her perpetually inexhaustible vitality, a vigorous flame; holding her, one’s whole body would warm up.

Yi Liang’s voice suddenly sharpened: “Oh, so Sister plans to change her heart in the future?”

Xu Luwei shook her head, letting out a small laugh: “It has nothing to do with changing my heart. I just want… the woman of my Xu Luwei must be protected honorably.”

Otherwise, what was the meaning of living so conventionally for so many years?

Yi Liang coldly reminded her: “If you want to take back your words, there’s still time now.”

She abruptly cut off the rest of the conversation, her phoenix eyes flicking up, appearing somewhat annoyed.

But ultimately, she felt heartache. She lifted Xu Luwei into her arms, carried her to the bed, kissed her on the cheek, and turned off the light with an air of finality: “I’m leaving first, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Xu Luwei shrank under the warm, soft covers, but her body grew cold inch by inch.

She couldn’t understand why Yi Liang suddenly got angry, just as Yi Liang couldn’t understand why she insisted on being so cautious and persistent.

In truth, they both wanted to be together, but in completely different ways.

Yi Liang only wanted a simple commitment, and then they would adapt as needed, struggling through whatever came she feared nothing, her life force forever burning brightly. Whereas Xu Luwei wanted either nothing at all, or everything to be perfectly arranged, seeking only peace and longevity, like deep, still water.

What was worse was that the commitment Yi Liang could make, she couldn’t make now, and perhaps never would in the future.

Marry her… what were the standards? Standards could be met. But what if there were no standards at all?

Xu Luwei smiled faintly, unable to tell if it was self-mockery or self-inflicted suffering.

Her body was not yet warm, and her legs were still weak, but Yi Liang was like that after trying her best and not getting what she wanted, she turned and left, never lingering over illusory things.

And Xu Luwei had always thought too much.

She closed her eyes in self-mockery. Now there was no need to worry, because before dawn, she had once again severed the affection between herself and Yi Liang with her own hands.

On the same night, Xu Luzhi saw Yi Liang off and stared listlessly at Lin Qingyue.

Lin Qingyue was also lying lazily on the sofa and drawled, “What do you think will happen between Yi Liang and Weiwei tonight?”

Xu Luzhi looked over vigilantly, shaking her head like a rattle drum: “I’m a child, I can’t think about such things.”

The young girl in front of her, who was charmingly smiling, looked utterly irresistible when she acted docile.

Lin Qingyue laughed and gently tapped her head: “I didn’t ask you to think that way. I meant, do you think they can reconcile?”

Xu Luzhi sighed sadly: “Difficult.”

Just one word accurately summarized the current situation.

Lin Qingyue became interested: “Tell me about it.”

Xu Luzhi played coy, smiling slyly: “Sister can’t just listen for free, can she?”

Lin Qingyue paused, remembering that when she played the guzheng, Xu Luzhi also required a ticket to enter.

She then smiled in understanding: “Zhizhi wants something again?”

“Nothing this time,” Xu Luzhi corrected solemnly, smiling charmingly, “I don’t want Sister’s things. Um… if I tell you, will you go to a place with me?”

The girl had an appearance of innocent ignorance that made people feel protective. Lin Qingyue naturally agreed immediately but kept her response vague: “That depends on whether what you say makes sense.”

Xu Luzhi took a sip of juice from Lin Qingyue’s hand to moisten her throat, then analyzed with mock seriousness: “Feelings established through body and heart are inherently unstable, let alone that the two of them are completely different. My sister wants lifelong stability but cannot provide it, so she can only escape…”

Lin Qingyue interrupted her, her peach blossom eyes full of smiles: “Why escape?”

Xu Luzhi looked up in surprise: “Because that’s just the way Sister is. She always wants everything to be the best; that’s because she assesses the situation and never does things she’s not good at.”

If she were with Yi Liang but couldn’t come out publicly or marry, Xu Luwei would go crazy. She couldn’t accept spending her whole life hiding, so she would rather choose a clean break.

Lin Qingyue wasn’t as meticulous. Hearing this, she just shook her head: “Weiwei overthinks things too much and hasn’t experienced adversity, so she naturally only wants to maintain the status quo.”

To maintain what one already has is difficult enough, unlike her, who has nothing left to lose, so she acts entirely on instinct, transcendent of the mundane.

“And Yi Liang, naturally, is like her master, sharing the same temperament as Sister,” Xu Luzhi said mischievously, refusing to continue, just tapping the table and delivering her verdict: “They are definitely going to be entangled for a long time.”

In her innocent gaze, there was a hint of sympathy, and a flicker of fear.

Xu Luzhi naturally hoped her sister and Yi Liang could be together happily, but she was also aware of Xu Luwei’s considerations, a major one being that she liked Lin Qingyue.

It was already difficult for one family to accommodate one homosexual; accommodating two… this was why Xu Luwei was so resistant to coming out.

She felt heartache for her sister and was willing to let herself be wronged first.

Xu Luzhi’s heart ached, and her gaze intensely fixed on Lin Qingyue.

She certainly had her own means to protect her sister; not to the point of great wealth, but at least enough for a comfortable life. She didn’t need Xu Luwei to sacrifice for her.