One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 27

Being a security guard meant one couldn’t see Ji Zhuozhou whenever they pleased.

After working at Huarui for over a month, Xiao Shuangyu had come to understand this fact clearly.

Security guards did have a certain level of flexibility and could go to various floors of Huarui. However, they were blocked by strict access controls. Every month required a shift rotation, and among the three shifts, only one overlapped significantly with Ji Zhuozhou’s working hours.

As for the remaining shifts, even the night shift, where she was free all day, she couldn’t simply walk into Huarui to meet Ji Zhuozhou at will.

Before her, Ji Zhuozhou’s voice was crisp, the end of her sentences softening. “It’s not just commuting; we can also have lunch together and go home together.”

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice exuded a sense of temptation. “Huarui allows internal referrals. Let me help Lianlian with a referral, okay?”

Xiao Shuangyu lowered her eyes.

She didn’t know what to say. She had just refused Ji Xunxia’s offer to help her change jobs, and coincidentally, Ji Zhuozhou had brought it up as well, even though it didn’t involve leaving Huarui.

But it required Ji Zhuozhou to provide an internal referral.

Her dark pupils sank a few fractions deeper. Her throat felt tight, and she struggled to make a sound. “I… I won’t do a good job.”

She wouldn’t do well.

She couldn’t do anything well.

She would mess everything up; she would drag Ji Zhuozhou down.

Ji Zhuozhou would shake off her hand, push her aside, and tell her to stay far away.

Just like… just like the mothers did…

“How could that be?”

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice brushed away the thick, sticky tentacles entangling her. Those deep green eyes shimmered with a clear light, searching for her gaze.

Ji Zhuozhou said, “Lianlian did a great job as a security guard. Didn’t you get your security certificate early on?”

The corners of her beautifully shaped lips curled up slightly. “Lianlian works hard to prepare for everything she does. You’ll definitely have no problem switching to a job in your major.”

Xiao Shuangyu unconsciously averted her gaze further; she could no longer see Ji Zhuozhou’s face even in her peripheral vision.

Ji Zhuozhou suddenly sighed. “However, after transferring, you won’t be able to wear the security uniform anymore. That seems a bit of a pity.”

Saying this, Ji Zhuozhou suddenly leaned toward her. “But I think Lianlian is very pretty and very handsome. You look handsome in everything; you’re handsome whether you wear the uniform or not.”

The scent of perfume had been completely washed away. As Ji Zhuozhou approached, the misty, rainy atmosphere became clear and intense, surging into Xiao Shuangyu’s heartbeat in an instant and bringing heat to the tips of her ears.

She stole a glance at the nearing Ji Zhuozhou, her breath nearly vanishing under the gaze.

Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes crinkled deeper, casting a smile into her eyes.

Xiao Shuangyu’s gaze darted away quickly, her eyes blinking unnaturally. “I… I’ll consider it.”

From inches away, the voice was soft. Ji Zhuozhou said, “Okay.”

In her peripheral vision, Ji Zhuozhou retreated slightly. “Lianlian, take your time considering it. Let’s sleep for now. Goodnight.”

Ji Zhuozhou stood up and walked toward her room.

Xiao Shuangyu hurriedly looked up, only managing to catch Ji Zhuozhou’s back.

She half-rose, then sat back down, saying nothing. She watched Ji Zhuozhou enter the room, turn around to give a small wave, and close the door.

Xiao Shuangyu’s dark gaze rested on the closed door for a long time. Eventually, she stood up and returned to the room next door.

The next day, Saturday.

Xiao Shuangyu stepped out of her room early, sporting a pair of dark circles under her eyes, and moved close to Ji Zhuozhou’s door.

Since there was no work, she wasn’t sure when Ji Zhuozhou would wake up. She waited there, attempting to be the first-person Ji Zhuozhou saw on the first day of August.

Even though she had done this every ordinary day in July as well.

At almost the usual time, Ji Zhuozhou opened the door.

Xiao Shuangyu’s eyes instantly crinkled. “Good morning, Sister.”

Her voice was a bit muffled, carrying the grogginess of someone who had just woken up—much like her smile, it was inevitably a bit gloomy.

Ji Zhuozhou wasn’t surprised at all and simply said, “Morning, Lianlian. Why didn’t you sleep a bit longer?”

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head. “I woke up.”

She was awake.

Ji Zhuozhou was also awake.

Ji Zhuozhou still couldn’t sleep.

Ji Zhuozhou needed her company.

Xiao Shuangyu successfully completed her logic loop and contentedly followed behind Ji Zhuozhou.

That lasted until Ji Zhuozhou said she had some things to handle and went into the study.

Through the gap of the closing door, a picture frame still sat face-down on the desk.

Xiao Shuangyu’s good mood collapsed.

Listless, Xiao Shuangyu sat on the living room sofa, facing the corner closest to the study. From time to time, she would lift her eyes to glance at the study door.

Even the music playing through her headphones felt chaotic.

As noon approached, Xiao Shuangyu hesitated for a while before finally knocking on the study door. Standing by the entrance, she asked Ji Zhuozhou at the desk, “Sister, what do you want to eat for lunch? Is that shop, okay?”

She mentioned the name of that shop again.

It was the shop Xiao Shuangyu had lied about visiting yesterday; she had said she would go there today, not realizing today was Saturday and Ji Zhuozhou would be home.

But in her sight, the face-down photo frame was still in its place, and Ji Zhuozhou looked as though she had just paused her work.

Her mood improved significantly.

Ji Zhuozhou looked down at the time. Just as she was about to speak, a knock came from the front door.

Xiao Shuangyu instinctively looked over and asked blankly, “Is it the person to change the lock?”

She only knew Ji Zhuozhou said someone would come to change the lock today, but she didn’t know when.

Ji Zhuozhou shook her head. Rising to walk toward her, she said, “It should be the cooking auntie. She took some leave a while ago, and I forgot to tell you.”

Ji Zhuozhou stood before her. “Does Lianlian want to eat at that shop? We could ask the auntie to go back, and we go out to eat there instead.”

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head hurriedly; her sticky gaze fixed intently on Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes. “Let’s eat at home.”

Those deep green eyes blinked softly, and Ji Zhuozhou replied, “Okay, then I’ll have the auntie make a little less. We’ll go out for dinner tonight.”

Xiao Shuangyu nodded. She started to follow but then hesitated.

She didn’t know if she should appear in front of the cooking auntie.

But Ji Zhuozhou said nothing, so she followed anyway.

The cooking auntie hadn’t been there for a while. What was supposed to be a few days had escalated, and it wasn’t until yesterday that everything was finally settled.

Even though she had already apologized to Ji Zhuozhou, the auntie still carried obvious guilt and gratitude when she saw her.

The auntie was carrying things and spoke before even putting them down. “I am so sorry. I didn’t expect it to be delayed for so long. Thank you for your understanding, Miss Ji. I will definitely work hard from now on.”

Ji Zhuozhou responded, “It’s fine.”

Only after Ji Zhuozhou responded did Xiao Shuangyu shift her gaze from Ji Zhuozhou to the auntie at the door.

Just then, the auntie turned her head and met her gaze. She froze for a second, then glanced toward the entryway. After confirming she couldn’t see that black-and-white photo, she nodded and greeted her.

“Hello.”

A simple greeting.

She didn’t ask about the relationship between her and Ji Zhuozhou, and Ji Zhuozhou didn’t introduce her. Everything seemed to happen naturally.

Xiao Shuangyu was stunned for a moment before responding vaguely.

My auntie went to cook.

Leaving Xiao Shuangyu in the living room, still not quite processing what happened, stealing confused glances at Ji Zhuozhou.

Ji Zhuozhou noticed and looked up, her eyes crinkling in a smile.

Xiao Shuangyu’s mind went blank instantly. She stopped thinking, her ears reddening as she looked down, only to steal another look once Ji Zhuozhou looked away.

The cooking auntie was fast. Not only did she finish a table full of food quickly, but she also cleaned from the kitchen all the way to the living room before finally leaving with a trash bag.

Ji Zhuozhou mentioned that the auntie comes once a day—in the evenings on weekdays, and on weekends, she prepares dinner along with lunch.

She then told Xiao Shuangyu to try the auntie’s cooking and that she could mention anything she wanted to eat in the future.

Xiao Shuangyu looked at the table laden with food and looked up amidst Ji Zhuozhou’s soft voice. “Are these… all things Sister likes to eat?”

Ji Zhuozhou was stunned for a moment, then showed a gentle smile. “Yes, the auntie knows my taste.”

Xiao Shuangyu lowered her head, took a bite, swallowed quickly, and said without looking up, “It’s delicious.”

She didn’t respond with “I want to eat” or “I love to eat.” She felt that being able to eat the food Ji Zhuozhou liked with Ji Zhuozhou was enough happiness.

And the auntie’s cooking was indeed excellent.

The person was also quite nice—very professional, just cooking without talking much.

Unaware that she had been mistaken for someone else by the cooking auntie, Xiao Shuangyu thought happily.

But it didn’t take long for Xiao Shuangyu to realize something.

In the afternoon, the locksmith arrived.

He removed the old lock, installed the new one, taught Ji Zhuozhou how to change the password, and left after Ji Zhuozhou confirmed the new password worked.

While Ji Zhuozhou was changing the password, Xiao Shuangyu suddenly wondered what kind of password she would use.

Would it be a date?

What date would it be?

Would it be Ji Zhuozhou’s birthday? Xiao Mingyi’s birthday?

Or their wedding anniversary?

Suddenly, Xiao Shuangyu remembered that black-and-white photo.

And suddenly, she remembered her own resemblance to the person in that photo.

If no one told you, who would think the black-and-white Xiao Mingyi was a funerary portrait?

Perhaps the cooking auntie had seen that photo and mistaken her for the person in it.

She stared intently at Ji Zhuozhou, feeling a strange sense of joy.

She had replaced Xiao Mingyi with another fraction.

Sending off the locksmith, Ji Zhuozhou turned back to see her with a somewhat distorted expression.

Ji Zhuozhou walked over. “What are you thinking about?”

Xiao Shuangyu snapped back to reality and blinked hurriedly. “Nothing.”

The two returned inside. Ji Zhuozhou told her the password.

Unlike her assumptions, it was just a string of seemingly unrelated numbers.

Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes crinkled slightly. “You have to remember it.”

Unconsciously, Xiao Shuangyu nodded.

She couldn’t help but repeat that string of numbers in her mind over and over.

This was great.

This was wonderful.

Returning from dinner with Ji Zhuozhou, watching Ji Zhuozhou input that string of numbers right in front of her without any hesitation, Xiao Shuangyu still couldn’t help but feel emotional.

A password that even Xiao Mingyi couldn’t know, Ji Zhuozhou had told her.

Told only her.

How wonderful.

Truly wonderful.

The weekend passed quickly, and a new week began.

Regarding the job transfer, Xiao Shuangyu didn’t decide immediately.

Throughout the following week, she still woke up early, still followed behind Ji Zhuozhou to the gates of Huarui, still started her shift at 4 PM, and still said goodbye to Ji Zhuozhou at 6 PM.

And she still returned to Ji Zhuozhou’s home after finishing work at midnight, entering a string of random-seeming numbers to open the lock, talking to Ji Zhuozhou, using Ji Zhuozhou’s bathroom to wash up, wearing Ji Zhuozhou’s pajamas, and saying goodnight to her.

Then she would silently squat by Ji Zhuozhou’s door, eyes closed in sleep, waiting to see Ji Zhuozhou as soon as she woke.

This relationship went unnoticed by anyone—unknown, secretly occurring between her and Ji Zhuozhou.

Only a black-and-white photo watched, understood, and remained silent.

After the Huarui exchange meeting, and with Ji Xunxia’s earlier concern for her job, she took a half-day off on Wednesday and another on Friday.

On Saturday afternoon, she left Ji Zhuozhou’s home to practice and went to TH bar afterward. This week, she had a perfect attendance record at TH bar.

Yet after finishing, in the early hours of Sunday, she returned to Ji Zhuozhou’s home with a faint scent of alcohol, rushed straight to Ji Zhuozhou, and said, “I want to try.”

Before her, Ji Zhuozhou smiled. “Okay.”

It was so fast, it left Xiao Shuangyu dazed.

The mountain of words she had prepared vanished. Her dark sanpaku eyes stared at Ji Zhuozhou, blinking. “I… I meant the job transfer.”

Ji Zhuozhou nodded. “Correct.”

Xiao Shuangyu pulled her gaze away and looked to the side. On her pale face, the dark circles under her eyes were prominent.

She looked up again, seemingly finding her rhythm at last. “I mean, I want to try it myself. No internal referral.”

Ji Zhuozhou tilted her head slightly, her emerald-green eyes flashing with brightness. “Why?”

Xiao Shuangyu froze. She couldn’t say.

It wasn’t that she didn’t know; she just didn’t know how to say it out loud.

Because she was the one who wanted to commute with Ji Zhuozhou, she was the one who wanted to have lunch with her, and she was the one who wanted to go home with her.

She lowered her head. “I want to see if I can do it.”

Those dark pupils rolled up to look at her. She said, “Sister… can you cheer for me?”

The expression on Ji Zhuozhou’s face paused briefly.

Xiao Shuangyu gritted her teeth. “My sister would also…”

“I will.”

Ji Zhuozhou interrupted her. A gentle smile bloomed on her beautiful face as she said, “I will cheer for Lianlian.”

“Including your sister’s share.”

Xiao Shuangyu… Xiao Shuangyu didn’t even have time to be happy before she was immediately unhappy.

However, she was the one who tried to use moral kidnapping first; now she could only suck it up.

Besides, it was true that Ji Zhuozhou said she would cheer for her.

She thought this way until she watched Ji Zhuozhou return to her room.

Until the door closed tight and not a single trace of Ji Zhuozhou remained in sight.

The tentacles that had tried to stay dormant suddenly lashed out, shrieking sharply in every corner of the living room.

She was an idiot!

The world’s number one biggest idiot!

Clearly… clearly Ji Zhuozhou hadn’t even remembered, she was the one who brought it up.

It was all her fault!!!

She hugged her legs, trying to squeeze herself into the corner of the sofa, wishing she could leave no trace at all, as if she had never come back tonight.

But in the next moment, she stood up abruptly. Surrounded by the sticky embrace of her tentacles, she went to Ji Zhuozhou’s door.

She knocked.

Without waiting for Ji Zhuozhou to answer, she turned the handle and squeezed inside, rushing to the side of Ji Zhuozhou’s bed.

She squatted by the head of the bed, her dark gaze falling into the dim light filtering through the narrow crack of the door.

She looked up at Ji Zhuozhou, who was propping herself up, and spoke amidst Ji Zhuozhou’s confusion.

She said, “Sister needs to give me a little more.”

A hand rested on her head, stroking down her hair bit by bit, then gently hooking under her chin.

The light was dim, and in that dimness, the green eyes appeared murky.

She heard Ji Zhuozhou say: “Come up.”