One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 31

Saturday, the weather was clear.

Ji Zhuozhou brought Xiao Shuangyu to the riverside, driving across the great bridge and parking at a riverside park.

August was more than halfway over, and the scorching weather was gradually cooling down. Even though the sun had begun to rise high, the river breeze still carried a distinct chill.

They planned to take a walk first.

Xiao Shuangyu instinctively tried to walk behind Ji Zhuozhou, but Ji Zhuozhou noticed. Her slender finger lightly poked Xiao Shuangyu’s waist, sending a ripple of itchiness through her.

“Lianlian, walk in front.”

Xiao Shuangyu blinked but obediently walked forward.

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t seem to be in high spirits.

It wasn’t that her mood had dropped only upon arriving here; rather, she had looked a bit quiet since before Xiao Shuangyu prepared to head to the bar around eight o’clock last night.

By the time Xiao Shuangyu returned after midnight, Ji Zhuozhou’s expression had become even more lonely, and she had hurried into her room to sleep without saying much.

Ji Zhuozhou looked much better this morning, yet she still seemed to have something on her mind.

Xiao Shuangyu had asked her several times, but Ji Zhuozhou always said it was nothing.

Xiao Shuangyu had originally wanted to cancel today’s outing and suggested it softly to Ji Zhuozhou, but she didn’t expect Ji Zhuozhou to refuse so decisively.

After she took a few steps, Ji Zhuozhou walked up from her side and walked parallel to her.

Ji Zhuozhou was wearing perfume; the elegant fragrance, mixed with the scent of rain and mist, slowly diffused and drifted over.

Xiao Shuangyu couldn’t help but turn her head to look. With a height difference of about one head, her gaze could fall directly onto Ji Zhuozhou’s face.

She peeked quietly at the back of Ji Zhuozhou’s ear, wondering to herself if the perfume had been applied there.

Ji Zhuozhou turned her head slightly and curved her eyelashes into a smile. “Let’s walk together.”

She added: “No falling behind.”

Xiao Shuangyu, who had instinctively wanted to slow her pace, froze for a moment and then walked obediently by Ji Zhuozhou’s side.

Neither ahead nor behind.

Her gaze was secretly glued to her peripheral vision, not even daring to turn her head to stare.

Standing beside her, Ji Zhuozhou’s mood seemed to have improved a lot.

Going out was the right choice.

However, for Xiao Shuangyu, it didn’t seem quite right.

She was about to melt in the sun.

It wasn’t because of the heat; it was entirely because it was too bright.

Xiao Shuangyu’s active hours leaned toward the night; even if she went out early, she would sneak around and hide in the shadows. How could she withstand the radiance of the sun?

Furthermore, under the sun, there were elderly people practicing Tai Chi, young people running, and children playing. The sound of laughter mixed with bird calls and the splashing of water—every single element was a match for the sun’s power.

Xiao Shuangyu wasn’t used to it.

Before they had walked very far, Ji Zhuozhou turned to look and saw that Xiao Shuangyu’s lips were turning white.

This confirmed Ji Zhuozhou’s previous suspicion: Xiao Shuangyu truly wasn’t suited for the sun.

Seeing her still forcing herself to endure, Ji Zhuozhou noticed a large lawn up ahead and pointed directly toward it. “Let’s go over there and sit for a while.”

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t object and nodded.

The two of them found a bench in the shade and sat down. Xiao Shuangyu’s melting seemed to slow down, and she couldn’t help but ask Ji Zhuozhou, “Does Sister come here often?”

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t look at her. Her deep green eyes gazed at the shimmering surface of the river on the other side as she spoke softly, “Mhm. Sitting down to feel the breeze makes all the thoughts in my head run away.”

Xiao Shuangyu pursed her lips, her gaze falling on a couple exercising together not far away. Watching the intimate interaction between the two, she almost couldn’t catch her breath.

She couldn’t help but wonder if the thoughts in Ji Zhuozhou’s head were about Xiao Mingyi.

Whether the person who used to come here often with Ji Zhuozhou was Xiao Mingyi.

Xiao Mingyi again.

Xiao Mingyi, whose presence was so distinct.

She was so jealous.

Xiao Mingyi, who surrounded Ji Zhuozhou in every corner.

She was so jealous.

Jealousy burned fiercely, clutching her heart.

Her excessively dark pupils were gloomy and lusterless, as if she wanted to stare through that irrelevant couple as if they were Xiao Mingyi.

But those deep green eyes suddenly turned toward her at that moment.

Ji Zhuozhou looked at her, her voice soft and light, accompanied by the perfume scent carried by the river breeze.

“The inspiration for a perfume I was working on a while ago was found just like this. If it passes, maybe the data after its release will be handled by Lianlian.”

Xiao Shuangyu was startled. She lowered her head in a panic, her voice somewhat muffled. “It will definitely pass.”

It will pass.

And then, she must transform the memory of the perfume into a memory belonging to her and Ji Zhuozhou.

She desired it earnestly and devoutly.

Leaving the riverside park and walking to the car, Ji Zhuozhou reached out to open the car door. Xiao Shuangyu secretly hooked her hand on the other side.

When Ji Zhuozhou turned to look, she kept her head lowered very low, her voice also very small. “Next time, can I come here with Sister again?”

Ji Zhuozhou looked at her pinky finger, which was only hooked cautiously, then she stuffed her entire hand into Xiao Shuangyu’s palm and gave it a firm squeeze. “You can.”

Xiao Shuangyu snapped her head up.

Even though Ji Zhuozhou withdrew her hand quickly, she still sat in the passenger seat harboring happiness. Carrying a smile that wasn’t exactly sunny, she watched Ji Zhuozhou type the name of a restaurant into the navigation.

This restaurant was Xiao Shuangyu’s decision.

She was determined to treat Ji Zhuozhou to a meal this time. Ji Zhuozhou couldn’t refuse, and since she didn’t have anywhere specific, she wanted to go, she left it to her to decide.

She chose a private kitchen restaurant by the river, and Ji Zhuozhou didn’t object.

Along the way, Xiao Shuangyu secretly touched her own palm. She chatted intermittently with Ji Zhuozhou about the scenery on the road, taking the opportunity to steal glances at her.

Ji Zhuozhou had opened the window; the wind passing through brought a faint fragrance into her nasal cavity.

It was the smell of the perfume on Ji Zhuozhou and the scent of rain and mist.

It smelled so good.

She couldn’t help but adjust her sitting posture, trying to face the direction of the wind to sniff more of the scent.

Her movements caught Ji Zhuozhou’s attention.

Ji Zhuozhou glanced over. “Lianlian, if you aren’t sitting comfortably, you can adjust backward.”

Xiao Shuangyu paused, wanting to explain that she wasn’t uncomfortable, but she couldn’t speak.

After explaining, she couldn’t exactly say she just wanted to smell more of Ji Zhuozhou’s scent, could she?

So she said: “It’s fine.”

Then, after finishing her sentence, she reached out to touch the adjustment button beside the seat.

She had changed her mind.

Ever since the first time she sat in Ji Zhuozhou’s passenger seat, she had never changed the position of the seat, and the seat position had always remained at the same angle.

It was hard to say that it wasn’t adjusted by Xiao Mingyi last time, and Ji Zhuozhou had kept Xiao Mingyi’s adjustment.

Xiao Shuangyu adjusted it loudly with a ka-da-da, moving it backward then forward, downward then upward. Even if the result looked no different from before, she ensured that the previous traces were completely destroyed.

Ji Zhuozhou did not stop her, nor did she even give her half a glance.

Only after her malicious satisfaction did Xiao Shuangyu steal a glance at Ji Zhuozhou, inexplicably letting out a sigh of relief.

“Has Lianlian been to this place before?”

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice suddenly rang out. The breath Xiao Shuangyu had let out immediately caught in her throat again, her heart thumping.

She suddenly froze, and it took her a while to process Ji Zhuozhou’s question before she told the truth: “I’ve been there twice.”

Ji Zhuozhou let out a sound of curiosity with a long trailing tone, then asked: “With whom?”

Xiao Shuangyu blinked. “A friend.”

It wasn’t A-Nan and the others, but another friend.

Ji Zhuozhou: “Also an Alpha?”

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head. “No, she… is a Beta.”

It was precisely because she was a Beta that she would hang out with a gloomy, invisible person like her.

Ji Zhuozhou gave an “oh” in response and didn’t ask further. The space between her brows as she faced sideways still seemed slightly tense, though it wasn’t very distinct.

Xiao Shuangyu wasn’t very sure. “Has Sister been there?”

The light turned red. Ji Zhuozhou finally looked at her, her gentle face showing no abnormality. “No. What do they have there?”

Xiao Shuangyu wasn’t too sure either, only saying: “They don’t have a fixed menu there; they usually only make seasonal dishes. We can go and ask, but…”

She glanced at Ji Zhuozhou. There was a permanent specialty there, though it wasn’t a dish, but a drink.

House-brewed fruit wine.

The alcohol content wasn’t high, and the taste was very good; once you drank it, you couldn’t forget it.

It was because of this that Xiao Shuangyu thought of it amidst her confusion in choosing a shop.

Xiao Shuangyu spoke about it softly.

Ji Zhuozhou nodded. “Then we should definitely have a taste.”

But one of them had to drive, and the other had to go and play drums elsewhere soon; it wasn’t suitable for drinking.

The light turned green. Ji Zhuozhou started the car again. “Forget it for now. Let’s buy some to take back.”

Those beautiful green eyes glanced toward her. “We’ll drink at home later.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s eyes lit up.

After dinner, Xiao Shuangyu and Ji Zhuozhou parted ways at the subway entrance.

Xiao Shuangyu had chosen exactly the right shop; Ji Zhuozhou expressed that she liked it very much.

Because Ji Zhuozhou ate happily, Xiao Shuangyu was also very happy. She took one of the two carrier bags to the rehearsal room and, in high spirits, distributed the fruit wine from the bag to A-Nan and Nie Siyu.

Both of them loved alcohol more than she did, especially Nie Siyu. As soon as she got it, she couldn’t put it down. She opened a bottle almost immediately and took a sip. “Refreshing!”

A-Nan, however, could still maintain some restraint. Watching her put away the portion left for Ji Xunxia, she couldn’t help but feel suspicious. “Lianlian, why did you suddenly think of buying wine?”

Xiao Shuangyu curled her lips into a smile. “Coincidence.”

She hadn’t spoken about the matter between her and Ji Zhuozhou, so she didn’t mention their date.

Yes, a date.

Xiao Shuangyu ultimately characterized her outing with Ji Zhuozhou this way.

Going for a drive together, eating together, how was that not a date?

It was a date.

Nie Siyu, holding the half-empty bottle, swayed over. “It’s a date, isn’t it?”

Xiao Shuangyu froze.

A-Nan followed with a nod. “Right. This is only sold in that private kitchen. You bought it after finishing your meal, didn’t you?”

Xiao Shuangyu froze even more.

The two of them indeed loved alcohol more than Xiao Shuangyu, and they indeed knew the alcohol distribution of this city better.

Xiao Shuangyu gave a dry denial. The two of them leaned forward to poke their cheeks. Even though they hadn’t drunk much yet, they already acted as if they had drunk too much.

“Who is it, who is it? Do we know them? How long has it been?”

“It couldn’t be someone from your company, right? A workplace romance?”

“Too fast, too fast. We should put it this way: what stage have you reached?”

“Workplace romance needs careful consideration.”

Xiao Shuangyu was asked until she was dizzy. She suddenly raised both hands holding drumsticks and forcefully separated them. “No, it’s not like that. Don’t talk nonsense. Rehearsal!”

It worked, but not by much.

Until after midnight, when Xiao Shuangyu picked up her bag to leave, A-Nan and Nie Siyu had already changed their tune and were shouting at her back.

“Don’t be fooled by a bad woman~”

Xiao Shuangyu ran fast, leaving their voices far behind her.

She’s not a bad woman.

How could Ji Zhuozhou be a bad woman?

She returned home. When Ji Zhuozhou, with a flush of wine on her face, fell limply into her arms, she smelled the faint scent of fruit wine and perfume on Ji Zhuozhou and felt that way once again.

She’s definitely not a bad woman.