One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 52

Xiao Shuangyu slept in a daze for an entire day, and by the time she woke up, it was already Saturday afternoon.

Her fever had subsided, and the discomfort at the back of her neck had mostly diminished, but her head still felt heavy and dull.

She picked up her phone and pressed the screen twice; it remained black, seemingly dead from lack of power.

Xiao Shuangyu struggled to recall, realizing that she had likely failed to notice it yesterday while huddled under the covers waiting for news from Ji Zhuozhou. Her battery hadn’t been high when she returned, and she hadn’t plugged it in before collapsing; it was only natural it had shut down. Of course, had the low-battery warning flashed at that time, she probably would have crawled up to charge it no matter how miserable she felt.

Aside from her phone, she turned her heavy head and glanced at the messy bedsheets. The bedding that should have been washed long ago had been covertly used by her for many days while Ji Zhuozhou was away. Yesterday, in the throes of her rut, she had even pulled them into her arms, rumpled them, and bitten them several times.

Ji Zhuozhou said she would be back tomorrow. And today was the banquet that Su Yuran’s mother had insisted she attend.

The sheets had to be washed.

Burying her face into the pillow one last time to deeply inhale the fading scent of rain and mist, Xiao Shuangyu reluctantly got up. She plugged in her phone, stripped the bed, and tossed the linens into the washing machine.

Returning to the bedside with a groggy head, she picked up her phone. After charging for a short while, it was able to power on. The moment she entered the interface, various red notification dots refreshed instantly.

There were quite a few new messages on WeChat. She froze for a moment, then clicked on Ji Zhuozhou first.

Sailing Boat: Good morning, Lianlian. What are you doing today?

This message had been sent at nine in the morning, nearly six hours ago. She had slept so long she had lost track of time; it was now far from morning.

She cautiously apologized to Ji Zhuozhou, explaining that her rut had started and she was tired, so she had overslept and her phone had died. However, she was fine now, well-rested, in good spirits, and planning to get something to eat.

Almost without delay, Ji Zhuozhou’s reply arrived.

Xiao Shuangyu only saw Ji Zhuozhou’s estrus once every few months, and Ji Zhuozhou, likewise, rarely saw her rut. It felt somewhat novel.

Sailing Boat: Lianlian’s rut is here? You must eat more, rest well, and definitely don’t push yourself if you feel unwell.

Xiao Shuangyu felt a surge of warmth in her empty heart. She hurriedly agreed and asked if Ji Zhuozhou was resting now.

Ji Zhuozhou said no, she still had things to do.

She didn’t continue the conversation, saying, “Sister, go ahead with your work.” Seeing a returned “Mhm,” she lingeringly exited the chat interface.

Next were the messages from the small group chat that stayed pinned at the top due to the volume of messages. Yesterday, on her way back, she had mentioned her rut to the other two and asked for leave. Both had been asking early on if she was awake and how she felt today.

She went to reply to them.

Afterward, she saw Wan Qiyan lamenting about how good domestic food was; despite saying she wanted to rest, she had managed to eat five meals in less than a day. She had sent photos of every single meal, all taken beautifully. By the time Xiao Shuangyu finished looking through them, her stomach was growling.

She smacked her lips and saw a message from the cook.

She remembered telling the cook in advance not to come today, but the cook had come yesterday anyway. Xiao Shuangyu had been sleeping so deeply she hadn’t noticed, and since she was sleeping quietly, the cook hadn’t noticed her either. The cook reported that the meal was prepared and left, attaching a photo of the dishes on the dining table.

Xiao Shuangyu got up again, washed up, and headed to the dining room.

The food that had been set out since last night was already stone cold. Fortunately, the current weather was such that food wouldn’t spoil even if left out for a day. She didn’t let it go to waste, heated it all up, and ate it. After all, she might not be able to eat much tonight, and having gone a whole day without food, her body might not hold up.

Thinking of tonight’s banquet, Xiao Shuangyu’s expression darkened a few shades.

Xiao Shuangyu appeared at the suburban villa. After changing her clothes there, she followed behind her mothers and sluggishly made her way to the hotel.

Before even stepping through the door, Su Yuran’s mother was already introducing her to others again.

Xiao Shuangyu dazed off with a heavy head, deliberately ignoring the voices adorned with praise. Her heart felt as stifled and heavy as her head.

Unexpectedly, just as Su Yuran’s mother was about to lead her to a third person, Wan Qiyan—who had claimed she wanted to rest for a few days—arrived.

As soon as she arrived, Wan Qiyan walked briskly to her side and patted Xiao Shuangyu on the shoulder from behind, giving her a startle.

Seeing her turn around, Wan Qiyan smiled at her and quickly called out to the mothers, “Auntie Su, Auntie Xiao, long time no see.”

Wan Qiyan had been abroad for several years and had recently tanned her skin; she had changed significantly. For a moment, the mothers failed to recognize her. Or rather, they had completely forgotten her. After all, Wan Qiyan was Xiao Shuangyu’s friend. The mothers didn’t care about Xiao Shuangyu, so why would they pay attention to her ordinary, “valueless” friend?

But being from the Wan family, even if she was an unremarkable Beta, the mothers still exchanged a few polite pleasantries with her. They even subtly inquired if she was single and remarked that Xiao Shuangyu was at an age where she should consider marriage.

Xiao Shuangyu suddenly spoke up from the side, her face as sour as ever, perhaps even darker: “Mommy, she has a girlfriend.”

The smile that had almost faltered on Wan Qiyan’s face became cheerful again. She quickly said, “Yes, yes, let’s not talk about that. I haven’t seen Lianlian in a long time either. Aunties, why don’t you let me have her today? I’ll take her over to the younger crowd to hang out.”

Saying this, regardless of whether the mothers agreed, she grabbed Xiao Shuangyu and turned to leave as if escaping.

They didn’t see Xiao Jingning’s mother snort coldly behind them, nor Su Yuran’s mother’s brow furrow slightly. Both clearly disliked Xiao Shuangyu’s talking back and Wan Qiyan’s behavior. They hadn’t even noticed Wan Qiyan calling her “Lianlian.”

However, the mothers didn’t stop Wan Qiyan from taking Xiao Shuangyu away. They were glad to have someone take her to meet more young people.

On the other side, the abducted Xiao Shuangyu was listening to Wan Qiyan ramble about how she ended up there. Wan Qiyan said she was exhausted and didn’t want to come at all, but her family pressured her, and she only came after hearing Xiao Shuangyu would be there.

Xiao Shuangyu thought of the photos of the five meals and seriously suspected Wan Qiyan’s reluctance to come was actually a desire to fit in two more meals.

Was food abroad really that bad?

She thought it, and she asked it.

Wan Qiyan’s face crumpled. “It’s a long story.”

Wan Qiyan clearly didn’t want to continue that topic and asked instead if her rut was okay. It was only the second day—wouldn’t she be very uncomfortable?

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head. On the contrary, Wan Qiyan’s arrival made her feel a bit more relaxed.

Wan Qiyan sighed and commented on her clothes. “Why must they make you wear such unsuitable formal wear? You look stiff.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s dress was still the type her mother’s prepared—the kind Xiao Mingyi used to wear. Large patches of bright colors and sequins were bold and flamboyant, making the gloomy Xiao Shuangyu look as if she were about to melt away. She had intended to pick a set from her own sparse collection of formal wear, but she hadn’t expected to be met with this outfit the moment she walked into the house.

The ill-fitting dress and the insincere praise where why Xiao Shuangyu were so stiff.

The two walked further away, failing to notice another car arriving at the entrance.

From the car, a familiar person stepped out.

It was Ji Zhuozhou.

When the sound of an argument broke out, Wan Qiyan was leading Xiao Shuangyu toward the back kitchen.

Before this, Wan Qiyan had very quickly scanned all the food at the banquet with a side-eye, feeling heartbroken by the mostly Western-style snacks, deciding none of it was edible. She insisted they had to eat something good, which led to this trip to the kitchen.

If she remembered correctly, the last meal Wan Qiyan had sent a photo of was only two hours ago. Xiao Shuangyu was truly a bit scared; she wondered if Wan Qiyan actually had a stomach to hold all that food.

However, hearing a distant cry of “How did an argument start?”, curiosity triumphed over appetite, and Wan Qiyan immediately changed direction. She was so fast that Xiao Shuangyu barely had time to react.

But when she followed Wan Qiyan back to the front hall and saw that familiar figure in the center of the crowd, she sprinted forward faster than Wan Qiyan.

Ji Zhuozhou.

It was Ji Zhuozhou.

The Ji Zhuozhou she missed, the one she wanted to see, the one she hadn’t been able to see for so long.

The scent of rain and mist drew closer—that gentle, moist atmosphere that belonged to Ji Zhuozhou.

Ji Zhuozhou.

Ji Zhuozhou, Ji Zhuozhou, Ji Zhuozhou…

“Mingyi has only been gone for a year, and you’re already so impatient to go on blind dates? Do you have any respect for Mingyi!”

Xiao Shuangyu came to a sudden halt.

It was the voice of her mother, Xiao Jingning.

Her dark, sanpaku eyes rolled toward the space in front of Ji Zhuozhou, where she saw her mothers. And standing between Ji Zhuozhou and her mother’s was another person.

She had some impression of him. At the last banquet, Su Yuran’s mother had introduced him to her. It seemed he was called “Little Manager Yu.”

The young and talented Little Manager Yu of Kova Optoelectronics.

Blind… date?

Who was on a blind date?

With whom?

Blind date?

Xiao Shuangyu’s head buzzed. Her already heavy head felt so weighted down she wanted to sink into the floor. She steadied herself and saw Su Yuran’s mother quickly holding back Xiao Jingning’s mother, whose lips were trembling with rage, while the eyes she turned toward Ji Zhuozhou were full of malice.

Whispers rose from all around like invisible blades, stabbing one by one at Ji Zhuozhou in the center.

Wan Qiyan, trailing a few steps behind, caught up. “Ah, why did you run so fast all of a sudden? Hey, isn’t that your mom and your sis—”

Nameless irritation and jealousy instantly occupied her empty heart. Xiao Shuangyu didn’t finish listening to Wan Qiyan and stepped out again.

Little Manager Yu’s voice was still ringing out: “…It was I who wanted to get to know Miss Ji.”

Xiao Shuangyu walked toward her mothers, faintly shielding the space in front of Ji Zhuozhou, and said in a low voice, “Mom, Mommy.”

After speaking, she paused. She didn’t know what to say to them.

However, she didn’t expect Su Yuran’s mother to suddenly shove her shoulder. “Don’t make a mess, go aside.”

The unsuitable clothes and shoes ultimately failed to provide her with balance. Her foot twisted, and she instantly fell to the side.

In the chaos, a pair of hands reached out from behind her, but they failed to catch her steadily. Instead, the person followed her down, letting out a low cry.

It was Ji Zhuozhou.

The moment she realized this, Xiao Shuangyu twisted her leg, turned around, and took Ji Zhuozhou into her arms.

But Ji Zhuozhou seemed to have hit something regardless; her gentle face winced immediately.

Xiao Shuangyu’s heart skipped a beat. “Sister, where are you hurt?”

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t speak, only shook her head slightly.

Xiao Shuangyu grew even more panicked. She hurriedly picked Ji Zhuozhou up in her arms and rushed toward the exit.