One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 22.1

Xiao Shuangyu was utterly shocked.

She was so stunned that she didn’t even notice the mention of Xiao Mingyi in the latter half of Ji Zhuozhou’s sentence; her mind was simply spinning in circles around the phrase “moving in together.”

The pale, wan face, from which the flush of desire had faded into a somber shade, became visibly vacant due to the shock. It was a precise kind of blankness, entirely different from her usual gloomy expression.

Her oversized, pitch-black eyes stared unblinkingly at Ji Zhuozhou, as if her entire expressive system had malfunctioned, leaving only the capacity to gaze.

Ji Zhuozhou’s deep green eyes looked back at her with their customary elegance and composure. “It’s much closer to the company here. It will be much more convenient.”

The voice, tinged with a hint of hoarseness, pulled Xiao Shuangyu back to her senses. She lowered her head, her voice tight. “Is it… okay for me too?”

For someone who has always been denied, the first reaction to suddenly and easily gaining something is always fear. Even if it was something she had long yearned for.

Ji Zhuozhou nodded. She said, “LianLian, come and keep me company. I need you.”

She didn’t mention Xiao Mingyi again to make things sound more reasonable, nor did she politely ask Xiao Shuangyu to consider it further.

Directly using Xiao Shuangyu’s longing, her pleas, and her delusions, Ji Zhuozhou extended a temptation that was absolutely impossible to refuse.

That crumbling architectural structure within her began to shed pieces of itself again—dense, large chunks falling away.

Ji Zhuozhou narrowed her eyes, pressing further. “Is it not okay?”

Xiao Shuangyu instinctively nodded rapidly, then feeling that was wrong, she looked up and shook her head quickly. “I… I want to move in.”

She wanted to be with Ji Zhuozhou. She wanted to be needed by Ji Zhuozhou.

She wanted to replace Xiao Mingyi and stand beside Ji Zhuozhou.

The corners of Ji Zhuozhou’s lips curled upward.

Deciding to move was one thing; how to move was another.

Ji Zhuozhou was only on the first day of her rut. Even though the inhibitors controlled the pheromones and “companionship” filled the void of desire caused by the rut, these next two days were certainly not the ideal time for moving. Moreover, the decision was sudden, and Xiao Shuangyu didn’t have a chance to pack or prepare anything.

So, for the time being, before a set time for the move was decided, Xiao Shuangyu was to bring some clothes over and stay for now, before work started on Monday.

Xiao Shuangyu’s head was spinning. She nodded dazedly as she listened to Ji Zhuozhou’s arrangements, still unable to believe she was suddenly living with Ji Zhuozhou.

The tentacles around her were dripping with sticky bubbles of happiness, and the bubbles had already surrounded her and Ji Zhuozhou.

A bubble burst as she followed Ji Zhuozhou to the door of the guest bedroom. Ji Zhuozhou looked at her.

“In the future, LianLian will use this room.”

Xiao Shuangyu froze. She stole a glance at Ji Zhuozhou’s room next door and, for no reason, remembered that photo frame facing the other way. The depths of her eyes grew even darker.

Just moving under the same roof didn’t mean they would sleep in the same bed. However, if Ji Zhuozhou needed her, she would still climb into it. Even in “front” of Xiao Mingyi…

Xiao Shuangyu suppressed the low mood rising in her heart and gave a muffled response. “Mhm.”

Following behind Ji Zhuozhou, she was led to the sofa. “Regarding the perfume making, tell me whenever you have an idea.”

Ji Zhuozhou sat down and lightly patted the spot beside her. “However, this matter must be kept a secret.”

Xiao Shuangyu stared at Ji Zhuozhou’s hand, dazed. “A secret?”

Ji Zhuozhou nodded. “A secret.”

Suddenly, Xiao Shuangyu felt her heart skip a beat. She sat stiffly in the spot Ji Zhuozhou had patted, her mind echoing in a daze, “A secret.”

If it needed to be a secret, it meant it was a secret between the two of them. Their secret. Only something special could be a secret. They were special to each other.

Xiao Shuangyu carefully glanced at Ji Zhuozhou beside her. Ji Zhuozhou was no longer looking at her; she had picked up her phone to check a new message she had just received.

It was a gentle and beautiful face—lovely eyes slightly lowered, red lips moist, and ink-black hair loosely pulled back. On her changed pajamas, the red marks at the collar were eye-catching.

Xiao Shuangyu’s gaze fell on that spot of red, then drifted away amidst the steaming heat on her own face.

They were special. Xiao Shuangyu confirmed this to herself.

Thus, when Ji Zhuozhou felt, she couldn’t finish handling the messages and looked up, she saw the sudden redness on the tips of Xiao Shuangyu’s ears.

That gaze, which always lingered on her, had wandered off somewhere, yet it did not look innocent.

Ji Zhuozhou’s long lashes flickered. She picked up the remote from the side and pressed it into Xiao Shuangyu’s hand. “LianLian, find something you want to watch first. I’ll be done soon.”

The soft palm accompanied the remote into her hand, feeling distinctly warm amidst the slight chill.

Xiao Shuangyu’s entire body went stiff. She couldn’t help but pull her gaze back, landing on their overlapping hands.

But Ji Zhuozhou left quickly, and the warmth dissipated just as fast.

Xiao Shuangyu held the remote, feeling the residual warmth from Ji Zhuozhou’s fingertips. Unconsciously, she lowered her head and carefully stroked it.

She stole another glance and saw Ji Zhuozhou focused on replying to messages, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings. Quietly, Xiao Shuangyu edged a little closer to Ji Zhuozhou.

She kept her eyes down, pretending nothing was happening, failing to notice the slight pause in Ji Zhuozhou’s fingertips before they continued tapping on the screen.

The television remained off for a long time.

The messages on Ji Zhuozhou’s phone finally quieted down, but Xiao Shuangyu’s phone began to ring. The messages were incessant. Even after she turned off the notification sound to avoid disturbing Ji Zhuozhou, the screen continued to scroll rapidly.

Ji Zhuozhou finished her work and put down her phone. She turned her head to see that the redness on Xiao Shuangyu’s ears hadn’t subsided at all. Her eyes then dropped to scan the rapidly changing glow of the screen. “Is someone looking for you, LianLian?”

Xiao Shuangyu stared at the screen, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

Ji Zhuozhou looked at her tense face. “Is something wrong?”

After a longer hesitation, Xiao Shuangyu nodded again.

Seeing this, Ji Zhuozhou suddenly understood. “You need to go out, don’t you?”

The hesitation grew even longer. Xiao Shuangyu muffled out an “Mhm.”

Ji Zhuozhou narrowed her eyes slightly, her deep forest-green eyes unreadable. “Are you worried about me, LianLian?”

Xiao Shuangyu froze for a second. Her gaze stole away to the side, and she remained silent.

This was practically an admission. Ji Zhuozhou leaned back slightly, seemingly unintentionally getting closer to Xiao Shuangyu. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Go ahead. I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s body grew even stiffer. The distance she hadn’t dared to close was halved by Ji Zhuozhou in an instant. The scent of rain and mist seemed to follow the words as they breathed against her neck, bringing a faint itch.

She started to stutter for no reason. “I… I’ll stay with you.”

Ji Zhuozhou lowered her lashes and stood up. “Stay with me when you get back.”

The inhibitors were taking effect. The subsided desire wouldn’t flare up again for a while. If Xiao Shuangyu needed to go out, now was the best time.

Xiao Shuangyu eventually ushered out the door. She turned around, stopping Ji Zhuozhou from coming down any further to see her off. “I’ll be back as soon as possible. I’ll… also bring my things.”

Bringing her things meant moving completely into Ji Zhuozhou’s home, the home of Ji Zhuozhou and Xiao Mingyi.

Her overly dark eyes stared directly at Ji Zhuozhou. The thick aura around her suddenly surged, like a wordless clamor.

Ji Zhuozhou’s long lashes lowered, her smile faint. “Okay.”

Today was Saturday. There should have been a regular rehearsal for the “Rainy” band in the afternoon, but Xiao Shuangyu didn’t make it. Since her shift changed, she hadn’t worked a normal shift once; today was essentially the first.

But before heading to the TH Bar, Xiao Shuangyu took advantage of the time to return to her rental apartment first. She needed to pack so she could simply grab her suitcase and return to Ji Zhuozhou’s side once she was finished.

She wanted to get back quickly.

Xiao Shuangyu took a taxi. By the time she arrived, the sky outside was already starting to get dim.

She entered and flipped on the lights.

The apartment wasn’t large, a small one-bedroom. The curtains were always drawn, making it dark and gloomy. Even with the lights on, it didn’t feel bright.

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. She didn’t even pause for a moment as she went straight for her suitcase.

She didn’t have much to take—just some changes of clothes and daily necessities.

If possible, she didn’t want to take anything except clothes. She wanted to use Ji Zhuozhou’s water glass, Ji Zhuozhou’s toothbrush, Ji Zhuozhou’s toiletries, and Ji Zhuozhou’s towels. She wanted to be enveloped and saturated by the rain-and-mist scent that Ji Zhuozhou emitted.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t wear Ji Zhuozhou’s clothes. She would be recognized.

She had said she wouldn’t say anything and wouldn’t be a nuisance, so she couldn’t bring that kind of trouble to Ji Zhuozhou.

After folding the black, identical-looking clothes from the wardrobe, Xiao Shuangyu went to the bathroom.

There were two sets of toiletries in the bathroom.

One set was exquisite and complete—every item was from a famous high-end brand; all copied from Ji Zhuozhou.

The other set was simple and random assembled from whatever was available at the supermarket. This set was Xiao Shuangyu’s actual one.

Usually, Xiao Shuangyu still used her own set. Ji Zhuozhou had a sensitive nose, and she was afraid that using the same products as Ji Zhuozhou would be discovered, so she only dared to use them secretly.

Now that she was moving to Ji Zhuozhou’s house, she definitely couldn’t bring them out to use.

She opened her own shampoo, body wash, and soap box and smelled them one by one. She felt the scents weren’t too heavy or obvious. Although they were still fragrant compared to Ji Zhuozhou’s products, she didn’t use much, so it shouldn’t leave too deep an impression.

Since she didn’t have much left anyway, she could just not bring them. Then, at Ji Zhuozhou’s house, she could buy the same products Ji Zhuozhou used and say she felt they were good and wanted to use them too. If anyone else noticed, she could use the same excuse.

There should… be no problem.

Shaking the bottles that were almost full, Xiao Shuangyu thought while lying to herself with her eyes wide open.

She took nothing and walked out of the bathroom.

Then, she stood before the most prominent, most ornate, and most eye-catching part of the entire rental apartment: a tightly sealed display cabinet.

On partitions of various sizes, the entire collection of her treasures from the past year or so was on display.

On the shelf level with her eyes, a set of clothes, a pair of shoes, and a sticky note were placed in a sealed manner. They were from a day after a heavy rain—the items Ji Zhuozhou had washed for her, bought for her, and left for her with meticulous care.

Ah, and from the second day of that heavy rain, the straw cup that Ji Zhuozhou had used without any hesitation. She had secretly brought it out before leaving that house.

This shelf was special. It was special, yet not so distant.

Except for the very center piece—a small hair stick adorned with a single pearl.

Xiao Shuangyu touched the transparent cabinet door, lost in thought.

After a long while, she turned around, picked up a tissue, and carefully wiped away the barely visible fingerprints on the cabinet door.

She couldn’t move these things. Nor could she bring them before Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes.

She couldn’t terminate the lease here.

Carrying her packed suitcase, Xiao Shuangyu arrived at the backstage lounge of the TH Bar.

She set the suitcase to the side without making any effort to hide it. The lounge was only so big; it was obvious if there was something extra, and even if she hid it well, she would eventually have to take it with her.