One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 15

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t think she would get a response.

The lights upstairs were dark; Ji Zhuozhou should have already been asleep and wouldn’t see her message. Her message was intended for Ji Zhuozhou who would wake up tomorrow.

An alpha guest should have the self-awareness of a guest—or so Xiao Shuangyu thought.

But just as she slotted the key into the lock, the door suddenly swung open on its own, instantly spilling out a large expanse of bright light from within, accompanied by the rushing scent of rain and mist.

Ji Zhuozhou’s deep green eyes looked up at her. “You’re back.”

She paused. “Lianlian, did you drink?”

Xiao Shuangyu was in a complete daze, feeling a mix of happiness and trepidation. Why was Ji Zhuozhou awake? Why was the living room lit up?

She parted her lips, and it took a long time to find her voice. “Did I wake you?”

Ji Zhuozhou left her inside first, then turned to walk further in. “No, I just happened to see the message and got up. How are you? Do you feel sick?”

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head. She followed behind Ji Zhuozhou and watched as she poured a glass of warm water and handed it to her. Taking it in her hands, she remembered Ji Zhuozhou hadn’t seen her earlier gesture and shook her head again.

Knowing she was being followed, Ji Zhuozhou noticed her silence as she simply held the glass. “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Shuangyu continued to shake her head, tilting her head back to drain the water in one go. “I’m going to wash up.”

Ji Zhuozhou watched her leave, assuming Xiao Shuangyu would recover a bit after washing up. Unexpectedly, even after freshening up, Xiao Shuangyu continued to trail behind her.

Xiao Shuangyu was still wearing the same pajamas as last night’s loose, half-bathrobe style in two pieces. Even though their sizes were different, they didn’t look small on her. However, it was glaringly obvious that they weren’t her clothes; they weren’t her style.

It was time for bed.

Ji Zhuozhou couldn’t get an answer as to why Xiao Shuangyu was following her, so she temporarily set her confusion aside. She stopped in front of Xiao Shuangyu’s bedroom door and turned around. “Go to sleep, it’s late.”

Xiao Shuangyu kept her head down, appearing exceptionally hesitant. Then, she suddenly looked up. “Are you… unable to sleep?”

Ji Zhuozhou froze slightly.

Xiao Shuangyu seemed to take this as confirmation, and her speech quickened. “I can stay with you. No matter how late it gets.”

Ji Zhuozhou looked at the dark circles under her eyes—a bruised indigo hue set against a pale, bloodless face. Coupled with those excessively dark, lightless pupils, she looked like a cold, inorganic object.

Perhaps she really could stay with her, no matter how late.

But that seemed… abnormal.

Xiao Shuangyu was being very serious. The slight dizziness from the alcohol hadn’t clouded her thoughts; she felt Ji Zhuozhou was lying to her. That “just happened to see it” was clearly an excuse for being unable to sleep.

She slept here last night too. She had gone to bed early, but when she woke in the middle of the night, Ji Zhuozhou had suddenly opened her eyes to find her standing by the bed, which was likely to have only just fallen asleep.

It was the same this morning. Ji Zhuozhou had woken up before the alarm she had set for her own schedule.

As for the matter of Ji Zhuozhou mistaking her for someone else and holding her half the night, she hadn’t mentioned it and Ji Zhuozhou hadn’t asked. Surely Ji Zhuozhou found it unexpected as well.

She looked at her, her dark pupils trembling imperceptibly. The Omega before her seemed isolated by the entire world.

The outrageous rumors among colleagues, a wife who died alongside her lover, no relatives, no friends, and not even acknowledged or accepted by the mothers…

That was why Ji Zhuozhou clung so dearly to the memory of Xiao Mingyi—even though Xiao Mingyi died just one month after the wedding, and even though Xiao Mingyi had revealed her true nature by seeking out a lover within that short month.

The emotions in Xiao Shuangyu’s eyes shifted repeatedly, finally settling into a look of pity as she waited for an answer.

The wait wasn’t long. Ji Zhuozhou saw everything in her eyes.

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t know what she had conjured up in her head; she didn’t ask, nor did she explain. She played along with Xiao Shuangyu’s imagination: slender, fragile, and with no one to lean on.

She asked, “Just stay with me?”

Xiao Shuangyu lowered her gaze, struggling, confused, and thinking. She didn’t quite understand the question.

But in her peripheral vision, Ji Zhuozhou suddenly took a step forward. She reached up to pinch her chin, gently, and kissed the corner of her mouth.

Soft, warm, with a hint of moisture—carrying the damp breath of the rain and mist.

Xiao Shuangyu’s dark eyes flew open, trembling violently.

Ji Zhuozhou pulled back slightly, her voice soft and light. “Like this… will you stay with me then?”

Those eyes, like emerald gemstones, looked up at her—clear, yet profound. Her slightly parted red lips fell into her line of sight, very close, so very close.

In an instant, Xiao Shuangyu’s gaze dropped rapidly, her heart rate spiraling into chaos.

Yet, carrying that heartbeat, she stepped forward. She carefully wrapped her arms around Ji Zhuozhou’s slender waist, lifted her head, and pressed against her lips.

Softness met softness, breaths turned scalding. Ji Zhuozhou reached out and hooked her arms around her neck.

Xiao Shuangyu’s heart skipped a beat. She pried open her teeth, striving to seek the soft tongue.

A faint scent of alcohol diffused, blending with a sweet fragrance. The ethereal mist and the viscous tentacles became tightly entangled.

They held each other closely, kissing deeply.

Everything was exactly the same as that delusional dream.

Xiao Shuangyu kept her eyes closed, her head spinning. It felt as if a long time had passed—so long that she could no longer distinguish between dream and reality.

Slap—

A crisp sound rang out, and a red mark immediately appeared on Xiao Shuangyu’s face.

Before her, Ji Zhuozhou’s cheeks were flushed, her breathing slightly ragged. The hand that had struck her turned to pinch her cheek. “Breathe.”

As the darkness in her vision slowly receded, Xiao Shuangyu’s gaze blankly fell upon Ji Zhuozhou’s slightly swollen lips. Unconsciously, she licked the corner of her own mouth.

She reached up, cupping the fingers that were pinching her cheek, and gave them a soft kiss. She looked up.

“Does it hurt?”