One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 2

Around ten in the morning, Xiao Shuangyu was brought to a breakfast shop by Ji Zhuozhou.

The belated breakfast was still steaming hot. Xiao Shuangyu stared blankly at the fragrant meat buns in front of her, feeling as though she hadn’t truly woken up yet.

If this wasn’t a dream, it was hard for her to believe that she had actually go tten into Ji Zhuozhou’s car, sat by her side, and been genuinely cared for as she was led away from that annoying cemetery.

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t wear perfume, and there was no incense in the car, yet a misty rain-like scent seemed to emanate from her body, tightly enveloping Xiao Shuangyu within the small cabin, making her every breath cautious and cramped.

Now, sitting across from Ji Zhuozhou at the breakfast table, the increased space did nothing to diminish her awkwardness. Instead, she felt even more sluggish as she sensed that misty scent mingling with the warmth of the meat buns.

I must really be dreaming.

Opposite her, Ji Zhuozhou suddenly spoke, “Do you not like eating this?”

Xiao Shuangyu’s whole body stiffened. It took a moment for her to react, and she shook her head rapidly.

She hurriedly picked up a meat bun and buried her head, biting into it.

One large bite after another.

But she chewed very slowly, the food bunched up against her cheeks, making them look puffed out.

Ji Zhuozhou watched quietly as her cheek muscles moved. Long, lowered lashes hid those distinct “sanpaku” eyes and the deathly dark circles beneath them, giving the twenty-one-year-old Alpha a glimpse of the vitality she ought to have.

Poor child.

Losing her sister at such a young age, ignored by her mothers, so unwell her face was deathly pale, yet she remained unaware—solitary and unable to rely on others.

Ji Zhuozhou picked up the soy milk beside her and took a sip. The sweet taste soaked into the tip of her tongue, suppressing a sigh that came from nowhere.

In the low spots where Ji Zhuozhou couldn’t see, those pitch-black eyes quietly tracked her movements, trembling imperceptibly.

Xiao Shuangyu felt Ji Zhuozhou’s gaze.

That gentle look falling upon her felt almost hot enough to burn.

She wanted to look up and return the gaze, yet she didn’t dare.

She only dared to steal a quick glance during the gaps when Ji Zhuozhou raised her cup to drink, then immediately lowered her head again. Mimicking Ji Zhuozhou, she held the soymilk cup in her own hands, tilting her head slightly to take a small sip.

It was bitter.

The flavor of the beans was distinct, drawing more attention than the sweetness.

Xiao Shuangyu pursed her lips and took another sip.

She was the only one who hadn’t eaten breakfast. After buying the buns and soy milk for her, Ji Zhuozhou had only symbolically ordered a cup for herself, merely to keep her company.

To Xiao Shuangyu, this “merely” was a monumental grace. In the past year, she had never imagined she would be able to eat alone with Ji Zhuozhou like this.

Nor had she imagined they would ever “meet” face-to-face in this way.

Over the past year, she had seen Ji Zhuozhou many times—she saw Ji Zhuozhou, but Ji Zhuozhou did not see her.

And never this close.

Xiao Shuangyu finished her soy milk in small sips and stared blankly at the empty cup in her hands.

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice drifted over, “Are you feeling better?”

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice was very clear and cool, yet the end of her tones carried a hint of softness that tickled the ear and made one’s heart itch.

Xiao Shuangyu blinked and nodded, keeping her gaze lowered.

Now that her stomach was full, her body began to warm up. The discomfort in her head and stomach eased, and her pale lips finally regained a bit of color; she couldn’t hide it from Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes.

Ji Zhuozhou scanned her face to confirm, her gaze lingering for a moment on the small mole on the left side of Xiao Shuangyu’s nose, then nodded with satisfaction. “That’s good.”

It seemed they had run out of topics.

They weren’t exactly a sister-in-law and younger sister with a deep emotional bond; in fact, they fundamentally had almost no contact.

Everything had happened too fast. Their first meeting was at the wedding between Ji Zhuozhou and Xiao Mingyi; their second meeting was a month later at Xiao Mingyi’s funeral.

This time was the third, wasn’t it?

Ji Zhuozhou did a rough count in her head and spoke again, “I plan to go back to the house to take a look. Will you come with me?”

Xiao Shuangyu instinctively nodded, but then suddenly remembered what her mothers had said to Ji Zhuozhou at the graveside. She hurriedly shook her head. “I… I need to go to school first.”

Ji Zhuozhou tapped her phone to check the screen. “It’s still early. I’ll drop you off.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s reaction slowed down again, as if she didn’t understand what was being said.

Just then, a staff member came over to clear the tableware. Xiao Shuangyu lowered her head and quickly gathered the items, handing them over. The staff member laughed lightly, “Thank you.”

Xiao Shuangyu looked at the worker and responded uncomfortably, “You’re welcome.”

As her awkward hand rested on the table, her fingertips unexpectedly brushed against soft knuckles.

The knuckles beneath her fingertips stiffened slightly but did not pull away.

Xiao Shuangyu corrected her gaze, looking at where her fingers were lightly overlapping with Ji Zhuozhou’s. Her brain suddenly went blank.

As if possessed, her hand moved forward, getting closer and closer, sliding into the gaps between the long, slender fingers, almost interlocking with the entire hand.

Warm body heat was transmitted through the close contact; her fingertips felt only softness and smoothness.

Opposite her, those emerald-like eyes seemed to look at her with confusion.

Suddenly, she yanked her hand back and stood up abruptly.

After a moment’s pause, she turned and ran out of the shop door, running continuously until she threw herself onto a bus going in an unknown direction.

The low-hanging sky was still leaden, showing no sign of rain. Xiao Shuangyu stood by the bus door for a long time before remembering she needed to pay.

She tapped her phone against the card reader, walked all the way to the back, and sat in an empty seat.

She lowered her head, cupping her own fingers, carefully bringing them to her nose to sniff. Suddenly, she broke into a smile.

The smile spread, uncontrollable, as she laughed like a maniac in the empty bus carriage.

It took Xiao Shuangyu some effort to get back to school.

By the time her mood had finally calmed, the bus going in the opposite direction had already taken her across half the city. It had been a long time and a long journey.

So when she rushed to the Academic Affairs Office in a hurry, it was already locked.

Fortunately, she wasn’t particularly pressed for time. Her original intention was simply to avoid seeing Ji Zhuozhou return home and enter Xiao Mingyi’s room, the room that was supposed to belong to both of them.

Perhaps the mothers wouldn’t allow Ji Zhuozhou to enter again, but perhaps they wouldn’t succeed.

The seemingly fragile Omega was more persistent than expected.

She didn’t want to see such a scene. She even hoped her mothers could successfully stop Ji Zhuozhou, disregarding everything to oppose that brief marriage.

Xiao Shuangyu found a place to sit, staring blankly as she rubbed her fingers.

I’m so jealous.

If it were Xiao Mingyi, she would be able to hold that hand without any reservations. Even tracing every single line on that soft palm wouldn’t be strange.

Ji Zhuozhou wouldn’t look at Xiao Mingyi with such a strange expression; she would probably smile tenderly, say it tickled, and joke around with her.

I’m so jealous.

Maybe she shouldn’t have run away so suddenly.

She really wanted to know why Ji Zhuozhou had tolerated her transgression. She really wanted to know what expression Ji Zhuozhou had on her face afterward.

Why hadn’t she been able to look up, even for a single glance?

I regret it so much.

Her full stomach gradually became empty as the sun shifted. Before the afternoon classes at school ended, Xiao Shuangyu went to the Academic Affairs Office and picked up her graduation and degree certificates.

By the time the sky had turned completely dark, she had moved herself to the villa district on the outskirts of the city and dragged her feet back home.

The lights were already on inside. Xiao Shuangyu stood outside the door, poking her head in and sniffing. Confirming there was no scent of food, she felt inexplicably relieved as she pushed the door open.

She closed the door, changed her shoes, and walked straight toward her room without looking aside. However, as she passed the living room, her body suddenly stiffened.

A gaze was unashamedly following her.

Her mothers weren’t downstairs. Sitting on the living room sofa was Ji Zhuozhou, who surprisingly hadn’t left yet.

She hadn’t expected to see Ji Zhuozhou for a second time today. Her fast-paced steps came to an immediate halt.

She turned around, hesitantly looking up to meet those silent, deep green eyes.

She didn’t know what had happened at home during the afternoon. The living room was filled with an atmosphere like the aftermath of a battle, but it didn’t seem to have affected the Omega on the sofa.

The Omega sat elegantly and naturally on the sofa, a half-empty water glass on the coffee table in front of her. She looked as though she had been sitting there for quite a while.

Ji Zhuozhou seemed more at ease than she was. Upon making eye contact, she asked softly, “Have you eaten?”

Xiao Shuangyu instinctively shook her head, her voice still a bit hoarse. “I’m not hungry…”

Only after the words left her mouth did she realize the person in front of her was Ji Zhuozhou. She felt that Ji Zhuozhou might want to settle the score for what happened at the breakfast shop this morning. Feeling that she couldn’t stay here any longer, she couldn’t help but feel sad.

Just as she was thinking this, Ji Zhuozhou stood up and walked toward her, her tone a bit dejected. “Is that so? I was planning to wait for you to come back so we could eat together.”

After speaking, she changed direction and headed toward the dining room, no longer paying her any attention, nor mentioning the morning incident.

Xiao Shuangyu blinked blankly. Her brain, which hadn’t caught up on sleep all day, reacted slowly, guessing that Auntie Tong must have told Ji Zhuozhou she was coming back.

After all, she hadn’t been back for some days and needed to give a heads-up so Auntie Tong could air out her room.

Her mothers wouldn’t be willing to eat with her, yet Ji Zhuozhou was thinking of waiting for her.

The June days were long. Even with the heavy clouds making the sky look darker than usual, it was already past normal dinner time.

Though it was possible her mother’s also didn’t want to eat with Ji Zhuozhou, and perhaps Ji Zhuozhou didn’t want to eat alone today, she had still included waiting for Xiao Shuangyu as an option and followed through with it.

Whether it was for Xiao Mingyi’s sake or something else, it was enough to make Xiao Shuangyu feel deeply moved.

She lowered her gaze, then raised it again, turning to stare at the pinned-up ends of Ji Zhuozhou’s hair. “I… I can eat a bit more.”

Ji Zhuozhou stopped in her tracks immediately, looked back at her, and curved her eyelashes in a faint smile. “Okay.”

And so, they sat down at the dining table together.

Xiao Shuangyu had lied. She wasn’t “not hungry.” Her stomach had long been letting out low rumbles, which became even more obvious once Auntie Tong brought the dishes to the table.

She stole several glances at Ji Zhuozhou. Seeing that Ji Zhuozhou didn’t seem to notice and didn’t intend to say anything to her, she simply buried her head and ate, her cheeks bulging.

In her peripheral vision, Ji Zhuozhou was just eating. Unlike her own ungraceful and crude movements, every gesture of Ji Zhuozhou’s was incredibly elegant.

Xiao Shuangyu paused, then shook off most of the rice she was about to pick up with her chopsticks, bringing only a tiny bit to her mouth. She tried to adjust her movements to mimic Ji Zhuozhou, an awkward imitation.

After eating a few bites like this, her dark gaze crept further forward from her peripheral vision, crawling toward Ji Zhuozhou’s hand, then quietly moving upward to rest on Ji Zhuozhou’s lips.

Unconsciously, she wanted to take in every inch of Ji Zhuozhou’s beautiful and glamorous face.

The next second, those beautiful lips opened slightly. “Don’t force yourself to eat too much.”

Xiao Shuangyu was startled. She quickly retracted her gaze to the bowl in front of her, clutching it closer with both hands, and shook her head.

Then, feeling that wasn’t right, she hurriedly picked up the bowl and returned to her state of eating in large gulps, stuffing her cheeks full. She looked up to prove to Ji Zhuozhou that she wasn’t forcing herself.

Ji Zhuozhou looked at her, her beautiful green eyes narrowing slightly. “Thank you. Watching you eat seems to make me able to eat more, too.”

There was a shallow smile in her words.

Xiao Shuangyu’s head buzzed, and her heart seemed to skip a beat. She hurriedly lowered her head again, but the tips of her ears instantly flushed red.

After finishing the meal, Auntie Tong came to clear the dishes.

Perhaps the surge of happiness and fullness had dissolved her tension; in just this short while, the long-neglected sleepiness crept back. Xiao Shuangyu could barely keep her eyes open, sitting in the chair in a daze.

Ji Zhuozhou noticed. “Go back and rest if you’re tired. You don’t need to stay with me.”

Xiao Shuangyu raised her sleepy, distorted eyes and blinked, an unspoken question.

Ji Zhuozhou clearly understood her meaning but shifted her gaze away. “I’ll… stay a while longer.”

Xiao Shuangyu followed her gaze. It was directed at the living room.

In the living room stood the offering table.

It was for Xiao Mingyi.

Loathsome.