One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 6

The early shift for Huarui Security begins at 8:00 AM, an hour earlier than most other positions.

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t head to that high-end residential area today to wait early for a meeting with Ji Zhuozhou. Instead, she arrived at the company early to hand over shifts and joined Wang Ran at the first-floor lobby for sentry duty.

She was still following Wang Ran to get familiar with the workflow today. Taking advantage of the fact that no one had arrived yet, Wang Ran was explaining some precautions to her and told her to focus on recognizing faces later.

Xiao Shuangyu memorized every word. Hearing Wang Ran say she could follow her lead in greeting people later, her spirits lifted slightly.

Since she could greet people, could she also follow along and call Ji Zhuozhou “Teacher Ji”?

That title, used by so many people, was one she had never uttered herself. The mere thought of it made her feel disgruntled.

While she was quietly stewing in her own thoughts, Wang Ran suddenly stopped. Out of the corner of her eye, Xiao Shuangyu saw Wang Ran staring at her with a frown.

Xiao Shuangyu raised her gaze slightly to meet Wang Ran’s eyes and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Wang Ran spoke bluntly, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make any other expression.”

Panic flared in Xiao Shuangyu’s heart. She didn’t know why Wang Ran would say that, or why she was paying attention to her expressions.

But twenty-one years of experience told her that what followed might be accusations and loathing. She… she would lose this job.

Because of her gloomy looks, because she was always subpar, because she… wasn’t good enough…

Her dark pupils sank along with her heart. her throat tightened, her body went stiff, and even her breathing became shallow and rapid.

Say something.

Say something quickly.

She couldn’t be fired like this. She hadn’t even waited for Ji Zhuozhou to start work. She…

“But I feel like you’re actually quite suited to being a security guard. You just look a bit like a pushover. Why don’t you try looking fierce?”

Huh?

The thoughts in Xiao Shuangyu’s head cleared instantly. She blinked, failing to react to what she had just heard.

She looked up stiffly. “Fierce?”

Wang Ran nodded cheerfully. “Right, like this.”

Having said that, Wang Ran’s face tightened instantly. She transformed from a kind older sister into something like a hitman boss; a single expression was enough to deter any wrongdoer.

Xiao Shuangyu’s jaw nearly dropped. She stood there with her mouth slightly agape in a daze, feeling as if a new world was beckoning her.

It wasn’t that there hadn’t been similar training when she was getting her security license, but no teacher had ever given her this feeling.

Of course, with her sanpaku eyes, a direct gaze naturally carried a sharp edge. No teacher had ever specifically pointed her out and called her a “pushover” either.

As someone approached, Wang Ran immediately switched her expression and called out, “Manager Li.”

Xiao Shuangyu snapped back to reality and hurriedly followed suit with a greeting.

Once Manager Li had walked a bit further away, Wang Ran quickly introduced Manager Li’s background in a few sentences, then turned back and tilted her chin at Xiao Shuangyu. “Continue, continue. Look fierce.”

Xiao Shuangyu was still nodding along to Wang Ran’s introduction. The transition was so fast she couldn’t react in time; she blinked and then tried to tighten her face, mimicking Wang Ran.

Even without a good sense of self-awareness, objectively speaking, Xiao Shuangyu was quite good-looking.

Her hair was black and silky; her figure was lean but not scrawny. She had a small face with large eyes, fair skin, and delicate yet distinct features. She had beautiful, wide sanpaku eyes, a small mole on the left tip of her nose, and two more closely set on the same cheek.

It was a face that would never get lost in a crowd.

But as an Alpha, her fairness was a pale pallor. There were traces of covered-up dark circles covered under her eyes. She lacked confidence, appearing timid and sullen, and her face always seemed to wear a bit of a pout.

At this moment, her face was tightened unnaturally, which actually dissipated that unique sharpness. Instead, she looked a bit more obedient, appearing even more like a pushover.

Wang Ran couldn’t help it and burst out laughing. “Oh my, that’s not fierce at all.”

So, under Wang Ran’s encouragement, Xiao Shuangyu made several more attempts—furrowing her brows, pursing her lips, and tucking her chin.

Looking left and right, Wang Ran encouraged her again: “A bit fiercer!”

Xiao Shuangyu felt the muscles in her face trembling. She really couldn’t think of any other part of her face she could intensify.

Very suddenly, Xiao Shuangyu bared her teeth.

Like a threatened small animal with its fur standing on end, she finally bared her teeth as a warning.

Wang Ran’s brows lifted, wearing a look of great satisfaction—or perhaps an effort to suppress laughter.

In the next moment, while Xiao Shuangyu was waiting for instructions, Wang Ran suddenly looked to the side. “Good morning, Teacher Ji.”

Xiao Shuangyu spun around instantly, so shocked she forgot to relax her expression.

Consequently, what fell into Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes was a “fierce face” that was even more obvious than when viewed from the side.

Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes crinkled slightly as she looked at Xiao Shuangyu’s crumpled face and spoke. “Morning. What are you two doing?”

Xiao Shuangyu immediately dropped the expression, feeling utterly mortified.

The smile in those deep green eyes was indeed directed at her, but it seemed to be only because of her stiff expression.

Wang Ran, however, was very happy to introduce the situation. She had noticed Ji Zhuozhou standing not far away watching for a while and found it amusing herself. “I’m training with Lianlian, getting some eye exercises in.”

Ji Zhuozhou gave a slight nod and didn’t press further. “I need to go to the warehouse to pick up some things. Can I have Lianlian come with me?”

She had specifically named her.

Xiao Shuangyu was just about to let her gaze crawl toward Ji Zhuozhou’s face when she realized what she had heard. Before she could react, Wang Ran had already pushed her forward.

“Of course. Young people have plenty of energy; a few extra trips are no problem.”

Ji Zhuozhou was already standing close to them. Being pushed like that by Wang Ran, Xiao Shuangyu ended up almost pressed right in front of Ji Zhuozhou.

The height difference between them was about fifteen centimeters—nearly half a head’s gap. Her dark pupils looked directly into the deep green eyes, and in her shock, her mind stalled.

Too… too close.

Xiao Shuangyu involuntarily held her breath. The scent of rain and mist still spread gently, wrapping around her neck with a tender dampness.

Ji Zhuozhou’s eyelashes were long and thick, fringing the top of her emerald-like eyes soft down, fluttering almost imperceptibly.

Everything outside of those eyes seemed to blur. Xiao Shuangyu felt as if her brain was starting to lack oxygen.

Five seconds, or perhaps eight, passed before Ji Zhuozhou was the first to drop her gaze from this strange staring match and walk forward. “Alright, thanks Ran-jie. Let’s go.”

The last sentence was meant for the stunned Xiao Shuangyu.

The soft, light tone of her voice took a turn in Xiao Shuangyu’s mind before it finally summoned her spirit back.

Xiao Shuangyu shot a quick look at Wang Ran and hurriedly caught up, her mind still a total blank.

Huarui’s warehouse is located on the first basement level. Inside, it stores a very complete range of essences and fragrances categorized systematically, with neatly coded retained samples and waste samples on the other side.

Following half a step behind Ji Zhuozhou and staring intently at Ji Zhuozhou’s fair and beautiful profile, Xiao Shuangyu wondered vaguely: did I see any warehouse staff come into work just now?

Even with the ventilation system constantly running, the air in the basement still felt slightly damp and stuffy, which wasn’t pleasant.

But she was so close to Ji Zhuozhou. With every breath, the scent of rain and mist washed over her, preventing her from feeling any resentment.

Ji Zhuozhou wasn’t in her special period. Her slender, fair nape was smooth and clean, showing no trace of a gland.

Yet, under the influence of the scent, Xiao Shuangyu suddenly felt curious about the smell of an Omega’s pheromones.

The moment she realized it, Xiao Shuangyu averted her gaze.

She was very unhappy.

Such a thought easily reminded her of someone else. But right now, this moment should belong only to her and Ji Zhuozhou.

The warehouse door was tightly shut, and no warehouse employees were waiting outside.

Ji Zhuozhou stopped and turned to look at her. “Looks like we’ll have to wait a while.”

Xiao Shuangyu lowered her head and nodded, mimicking Ji Zhuozhou by standing against the wall, regardless of whether they looked like elementary schoolers being punished.

She didn’t have any topics to chat about with Ji Zhuozhou. Silence spread through the empty basement corridor, making time feel as if it had slowed down.

However, the silence broke a minute later. Ji Zhuozhou’s tone carried a forced lightness. “In this past year, we haven’t had the chance to get to know each other properly.”

She added, “Since you’ve come to Huarui, let’s talk more in the future.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s gaze snapped back to center, then her pupils shifted, glancing again at Ji Zhuozhou’s fingers folded in front of her.

The slender fingers were interlaced. The fingertips and joints were slightly flushed pink. Just looking at them, one could imagine the texture of these hands—soft and delicate. Xiao Shuangyu had touched them before.

Xiao Shuangyu nodded.

Long before the words “talk more,” Xiao Shuangyu had already been trying to understand Ji Zhuozhou on her own.

As soon as she returned to her rented room yesterday, Xiao Shuangyu had opened Ji Zhuozhou’s WeChat.

The avatar, the nickname, the Moments—Xiao Shuangyu enlarged and looked at them over and over again.

Ji Zhuozhou’s Moments were sparse. The earliest was from over four years ago, with only thirty-two posts in total. Nineteen were work-related, and the marriage certificate with Xiao Mingyi appeared among the remaining thirteen.

Xiao Shuangyu’s eyes had turned bloodshot as she watched, wishing she could snap her phone in half, yet she couldn’t bear to lose the Ji Zhuozhou inside the phone. Eventually, she took it out on the two old drumsticks lying nearby.

Lying in bed, Xiao Shuangyu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She ended up sitting back up to favorite, save, screenshot, and screen-record everything, preserving Ji Zhuozhou’s Moments and their day’s chat history.

Including that photo of the marriage certificate, which was as red as her own eyes.

Right now, by her side, the rain and mist spread. It was clearly time belonging to the two of them, yet that bright red certificate inexplicably surfaced in Xiao Shuangyu’s mind.

Haunting.

Hateful.

Her dark pupils grew even gloomier, and it felt as if many thick, murky tentacles were rustling and emerging around her, silently creeping and reaching toward the source of the rain and mist.

“Lianlian, do you feel bored?”

Ji Zhuozhou’s voice suddenly rang out, echoing in the empty basement corridor. Her soft voice somehow sounded ethereal.

Xiao Shuangyu jolted, the strangeness around her mostly dissipating. She shook her head quickly, then thinking she might be shutting down Ji Zhuozhou’s topic, she hesitantly nodded.

The slender fingers she had been watching immediately changed direction as Ji Zhuozhou turned fully toward her.

“Do you want to continue the training from now? I’m also quite curious about how you usually train.”

Xiao Shuangyu blinked and looked up blankly, seeing a faint tease in the depths of those green eyes.

Ah, she was talking about “looking fierce.”

Xiao Shuangyu lowered her gaze and shook her head. She parted her lips, her voice a bit tight. “It’s not good-looking.”

Beside her, Ji Zhuozhou took a step forward. The already small distance between them narrowed even further, and it felt as if even body heat was being transferred. “How could it not be?”

Xiao Shuangyu involuntarily turned her body away, unnaturally taking half a step back. “No…”

Ji Zhuozhou pressed closer, her eyes—so beautiful they almost seemed surreal—narrowing slightly. She leaned in, as if casting a spell.

Her breath brushed against Xiao Shuangyu’s neck; it was a bit itchy.

“Just once. Only once.”