One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 23

With a soft creak, the door swung open quietly.

In the room devoid of much light, a pair of dark eyes searched straight for Ji Zhuozhou on the bed.

The bed was so large that Ji Zhuozhou appeared tiny beneath the humped covers.

The scent of rain and mist enveloped her; Xiao Shuangyu did not catch the scent of any pheromones.

She didn’t step forward, nor did she leave; she simply stood by the door as if planning to stand guard until dawn.

But then a thought occurred to her: she should be closer so that she could detect Ji Zhuozhou’s pheromones the very instant they appeared.

Xiao Shuangyu stood by Ji Zhuozhou’s bedside.

She crouched down, leaning close to Ji Zhuozhou’s pillow, holding her breath as she gazed at Ji Zhuozhou’s sleeping face, so quiet she seemed to melt into the silent air.

Ji Zhuozhou was sleeping peacefully, appearing unlikely to open her eyes anytime soon.

Xiao Shuangyu blinked, then cautiously stood up and began to climb onto Ji Zhuozhou’s bed.

Fortunately, Ji Zhuozhou’s position was relatively near the middle, leaving enough space on the side for Xiao Shuangyu to squeeze in. If she lay on her side, there would even be a small gap between her and Ji Zhuozhou.

Mm, theoretically there’s enough room, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to lie down silently and seamlessly in practice.

Xiao Shuangyu was careful enough—no sound, no breathing—climbing into the bed without a peep.

But the sinking of the mattress could not be prevented, and the Ji Zhuozhou before her opened her eyes.

Propping herself up on her arms, not yet fully lying down, Xiao Shuangyu froze in place. Facing Ji Zhuozhou, her dark gaze met the indistinct green eyes in the darkness.

After a moment, she moved again.

She didn’t get up, and she didn’t run. Amidst Ji Zhuozhou’s brief silence, Xiao Shuangyu let out a “pah” as she flopped herself down onto the mattress.

Then she closed her eyes, firmly pretending to be dead.

Warm, soft fingertips pressed against her brow. Ji Zhuozhou’s voice held a hint of drowsiness from having just woken up. “What are you doing?”

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t say a word, quietly pretending to be dead.

The finger on her brow shifted, poking her cheek. “Rut period?”

Beneath her tightly closed eyelids, her eyeballs twitched.

Ji Zhuozhou poked the tip of her nose, right where that little mole was.

“Are you acting spoiled?”

Xiao Shuangyu’s lips tightened.

Ji Zhuozhou’s gaze lowered, her finger poking at her Cupid’s bow. “Go back to sleep.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s eyes snapped open.

In the dimly lit room, Ji Zhuozhou wasn’t very clear, but with those eyes resting on her, Xiao Shuangyu hurriedly averted her gaze.

She didn’t move an inch, her body tensing secretly to prevent Ji Zhuozhou from kicking her out all at once. She said, “I want to sleep with Sister.”

Her voice was very raspy, dry, and full of tension.

The finger on her lip applied a bit more pressure, and Ji Zhuozhou’s tone grew heavier. “Go back to sleep.”

Her soft lip was piteously flattened by the finger. Xiao Shuangyu pouted, her protruding lip almost kissing Ji Zhuozhou’s fingertip.

Xiao Shuangyu lay through her teeth with her eyes wide open, her throat tight. “My sister used to sleep with me.”

She was talking about Xiao Mingyi; the factual credibility was zero.

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She shouldn’t have proactively mentioned Xiao Mingyi in front of Ji Zhuozhou. It was never her intention to make Ji Zhuozhou remember Xiao Mingyi.

But the finger on her mouth suddenly froze, losing its strength after a moment.

A moment later, Ji Zhuozhou moved inward a bit. “Only for today.”

Xiao Shuangyu could hardly believe her ears. She didn’t care about Xiao Mingyi anymore; her heart was thumping wildly, and she nodded rapidly.

Seeing the distance between them suddenly increase, Xiao Shuangyu hesitated for a long time. Watching Ji Zhuozhou lie on her back and close her eyes again, she cautiously edged forward.

She stared straight at Ji Zhuozhou, pushing her luck as she spoke in a small voice, “My sister said it’s more comfortable to sleep while holding each other during special periods.”

Ji Zhuozhou gave a silent sigh, turned over, and put her arm around Xiao Shuangyu’s back, pulling her close.

Xiao Shuangyu’s naturally cool body temperature rose with every bit of ground she gained, turning her into a little furnace.

Holding the increasingly hot Xiao Shuangyu, Ji Zhuozhou couldn’t help but think.

Xiao Shuangyu is almost cooked through.

She hadn’t expected Xiao Mingyi to be so useful, nor had she expected Ji Zhuozhou to actually hold her.

The marks left from earlier had not yet faded. Now that they were close, in the dim light, the dark spots on Ji Zhuozhou’s collarbone were almost right in front of her eyes, bringing back a wave of ambiguous memories.

She tilted her head slightly. “I…”

A hand pinched her mouth shut, cutting off the rest of her sentence.

Ji Zhuozhou said, “Sleep.”

Xiao Shuangyu blinked. She didn’t make another sound. Her hand, placed over her own heart, moved down several times, hovering near Ji Zhuozhou’s waist, but she never summoned the courage to let it rest there.

She wanted to sleep while holding Ji Zhuozhou, too.

But she had just decided not to keep using Xiao Mingyi as an excuse; unfortunately, she couldn’t say it herself.

Suddenly, a warm hand grabbed her wrist and placed her hand steadily on that slender waist.

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice sounded by her ear. “Be good, go to sleep.”

Xiao Shuangyu was completely dazed. Not just the hand on Ji Zhuozhou’s waist, but her entire person went stiff.

After a long while, she cautiously embraced that waist.

She squeezed herself into Ji Zhuozhou’s arms.

Arms that were soft, warm, and filled with a fragrant scent.

Xiao Shuangyu slept for a very long time.

She slept deeply, to the point of being unable to breathe.

Xiao Shuangyu opened her eyes dazedly, only to find herself buried against Ji Zhuozhou’s chest, blocked from light and sound. Her nose was full of a teasing, light fragrance, and the scent of rain and mist was excessively thick within the soft crevices.

She seemed not quite awake yet, her mind sluggish as she stared, failing to react for a long time.

Above her, a familiar voice spoke, the tone crisp but with a soft trailing end. “LianLian is awake?”

Xiao Shuangyu looked up to see Ji Zhuozhou, who had woken up at some unknown time, putting down her phone. A faint smile played on her features. “Did you sleep well?”

The dark pupils were clouded with a misty daze. She blinked slowly, and her mind finally cleared a bit as she remembered what happened last night.

The tips of her ears suddenly turned red. She nodded and spoke bashfully, “Ji… Sister, have you been awake for a long time?”

Ji Zhuozhou narrowed her eyes slightly. “It was alright.”

She added, “It seems your sister was right. I slept very well.”

Xiao Shuangyu lowered her gaze. She didn’t find hearing about Xiao Mingyi first thing in the morning pleasant at all.

Even though it was a lie she had made up herself last night, and even though she had slept very well within that lie.

Or rather, she had slept too well.

When she realized the time was nearly eleven o’clock, Xiao Shuangyu was still shocked.

After washing up, there was no need for breakfast; they were going straight to lunch.

She hadn’t realized she was such a heavy sleeper.

Ji Zhuozhou merely said, “LianLian should sleep more anyway.”

Those deep green eyes fell on the area below her eyes, landing on her dark circles, making Xiao Shuangyu instinctively want to cover her eyes.

She wanted to hide.

She felt Ji Zhuozhou might have minded.

She was afraid Ji Zhuozhou would mind.

Fortunately, Ji Zhuozhou soon looked away and continued walking forward.

Without hesitation, Xiao Shuangyu continued to follow.

They had already left that soft, comfortable bed and were headed toward the bathroom.

Xiao Shuangyu’s very low gaze lifted secretly, peeking at the back of Ji Zhuozhou’s neck—peeking at the scent-blocking patch there.

Just now, while still in bed, she had asked, and Ji Zhuozhou said it was over.

It shouldn’t be the heat period, as the heat usually lasts three to five days. But if she was referring to the time when the reaction was most intense, then there was no problem.

Ji Zhuozhou had used suppressants in time, so the pheromone reaction wouldn’t be too strong. Once the desire subsided, it could indeed be said to be over.

But beneath the patch, that tiny gland would still secrete pheromones.

She couldn’t taste them.

What a pity.

The regretful Xiao Shuangyu didn’t wait outside for Ji Zhuozhou to come out. She followed her inside, squeezing in beside Ji Zhuozhou, taking her tooth mug and toothbrush and handing them to her.

Ji Zhuozhou glanced at her face, seeing her furtively dodging, and couldn’t help but ask, “What is it?”

Xiao Shuangyu was quiet for a moment, then shook her head.

But she didn’t turn her head back.

As if she had hesitated for a long time, she told another lie: “My sister said my dark circles are very pretty, too.”

Her eyes flicked back, looking cautiously at Ji Zhuozhou through the mirror.

Ji Zhuozhou laughed, even bending slightly from the laughter.

Her gentle features became even more vivid and beautiful because of the smile.

Those eyes, as clear as emeralds, turned from the mirror toward her, looking at the eyes that were stealing glances.

Ji Zhuozhou said, “Your Zhouzhou-sister thinks so, too.”

She added, “But not the dark circles. It’s LianLian.”

She said, “LianLian is pretty.”

Xiao Shuangyu—Xiao Shuangyu ran away.

Stunned for a moment, she then spun around and ran out of the bathroom without hesitation.

In the retreating figure she left for Ji Zhuozhou, her ears were red enough to bleed.

Xiao Shuangyu was fine; Xiao Shuangyu was doing great.

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t feel uncomfortable, and she didn’t feel like vomiting.

She kept her head down while helping Ji Zhuozhou wash vegetables, kept her head down while eating the samples Ji Zhuozhou handed to her, and kept her head down while finishing lunch with Ji Zhuozhou.

When she finished washing the dishes with her head down and huddled back to Ji Zhuozhou’s side, Ji Zhuozhou couldn’t help but laugh. “LianLian, do you not plan on looking at me at all today?”

Xiao Shuangyu secretly lifted her eyes, looking over cautiously, and said in a small voice, “No.”

Those green eyes were still watching her, her expression unchanged.

Xiao Shuangyu glanced to the side and then back. Her voice was even lower, muffled, as she confirmed carefully, “Zhouzhou-sister.”

Ji Zhuozhou gave a slight nod. “Mm, what is it, our Lian Lian-sister?”

Steam seemed to rise from Xiao Shuangyu’s ears. She stood up abruptly, stammering, “I… I’m going to pack my luggage.”

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t stop her, her green eyes watching without much ripple as Xiao Shuangyu rushed back to the room next door with her head down.

Behind the wall, temporarily isolated from Ji Zhuozhou’s gaze, Xiao Shuangyu was finally able to breathe.

She reached out to cover her ears; the burning heat immediately scorched her palms.

Before she could digest the heart-fluttering address, it had already increased. She never expected her ears to be so happy.

Her happy ears heard a soft voice from the living room. Ji Zhuozhou asked from a distance, “Do you need help?”

Xiao Shuangyu was startled and immediately replied, “No need!”

Her voice cracked, taking several unknown turns.

Xiao Shuangyu covered her mouth.

In the living room, Ji Zhuozhou’s voice carried a hint of a smile. “Call me whenever you need.”

Xiao Shuangyu nodded repeatedly, then remembered Ji Zhuozhou couldn’t see her and hurriedly called back loudly, “Okay!”

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice didn’t come again. Xiao Shuangyu cautiously lowered her hands and moved lightly toward her suitcase.

She opened the suitcase and, while Ji Zhuozhou wasn’t around, secretly stuffed the wine bottle hidden in her coat pocket into the depths of the wardrobe.

She had brought wine after all.

It wasn’t that she was addicted to alcohol, but more often than not, she needed a little bit of it to fall asleep.

Last night’s situation was unexpected.

Without a single drop of alcohol, she had overstepped and slept in Ji Zhuozhou’s arms.

Only that evening, the situation was completely different.

Xiao Shuangyu was shut out of the bedroom door by Ji Zhuozhou, just as she had been shut out of the study earlier in the afternoon when she unconsciously tried to follow her in.

Ji Zhuozhou said, “Once is once, no playing foul.

Ji Zhuozhou also said, “Sleep well, see you at the company tomorrow.

Tomorrow was Monday. She was still on the middle shift, starting work at 4:00 PM.

Ji Zhuozhou told her to sleep a lot, ideally until the afternoon, so she didn’t plan for her morning at all.

Xiao Shuangyu stared straight at the closed door in front of her. From her dark eye sockets, distorted and slimy tentacles seemed to drop out.

I want to go in.

Can’t go in.

I want to sleep with Ji Zhuozhou.

Ji Zhuozhou rejected her.

I want to open this door.

Can’t go in.

Can’t go in.

Can’t go in…

After a long while, Xiao Shuangyu moved.

Like some large, rusty pieces of machinery, her movements were stiff and slow.

Xiao Shuangyu slowly sat down in front of Ji Zhuozhou’s door, leaning her head against the door frame. Deeply inhaling the scent of rain and mist leaking from the gap in the door, she closed her eyes.

Early the next morning, her heat period having almost vanished and her whole body feeling light, Ji Zhuozhou walked out of her room, only to find Xiao Shuangyu already standing at her door.

Her eyes were dark, her face pale. She slowly curled her lips into a gloomy smile and said in a heavy, muffled voice, “Good morning, Sister.”

Ji Zhuozhou looked at her face helplessly. She didn’t ask why she had gotten up so early, only saying, “What would you like for breakfast?”

She asked what she wanted to eat, not if she wanted to eat.

Xiao Shuangyu’s smile deepened. “Anything is fine.”

Anything.

She didn’t care what she ate; she could eat anything as long as it was with Ji Zhuozhou.

Ji Zhuozhou nodded, allowing her to float behind like a ghost as she washed up, changed, went downstairs, and drove out of the community to buy breakfast.

After eating, Ji Zhuozhou dropped her off back downstairs, handed her the house keys, and said goodbye. “Be good, LianLian. Go back and sleep a bit more. I’ll see you later.”

Xiao Shuangyu pursed her lips and nodded, watching the car window slowly rise, taking Ji Zhuozhou further away.

Once the car disappeared from sight, she set off, following the direction in which Ji Zhuozhou had left.

Ji Zhuozhou wasn’t there; she didn’t want to be “good.”