Seduced Me into a Deep Fall - Chapter 42

Song Yi directly pulled Ling Yue back to the home she had been sharing with Ling Xi.

“So you’re living here now?” Ling Yue looked at the standalone villa with a garden, trying to strike up a conversation with Ling Xi.

Ling Xi turned her head away and responded with a hum. “Don’t talk to me. I’m still mad.”

“…Little sister, it’s been years since you last saw me. Don’t you miss me at all? Why are you treating me like this?”

It had also been a long time since Ling Yue had to coax Ling Xi like this.

After elementary school, Ling Xi had always been well-behaved, following her older sister around, obedient and adorable. She was never this difficult to appease.

“Shy?” Song Yi grabbed Ling Xi by the waist, using her teeth to tug at the strap of Ling Xi’s top.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”

“Mmm, but showering is different…” Ling Xi murmured, though she didn’t resist anymore, simply letting Song Yi undress her.

“At worst, we’ll just take a longer shower.” Song Yi pressed her entire body against Ling Xi’s back.

The sensation left Ling Xi flustered.

They had played around plenty of times before.

But standing up like this was still new.

Especially with the water and steam of the shower adding to the atmosphere.

“My sweet little one… don’t you want to mark your sister?”

Ling Xi stepped into the hot spray, her lips lightly grazing the back of Song Yi’s neck. “I do…”

“Should I be gentle?” Ling Xi eyed the slightly swollen gland on Song Xi’s nape. “It looks a bit inflamed.”

“It’s just my heat cycle starting.” Song Yi relaxed her control over the gland.

The sudden rush of bergamot scent made Ling Xi’s legs go weak.

“Want to give your sister a permanent mark?” Song Yi tempted Ling Xi, who was already hazy from the pheromones.

“Mmm… now?”

“Yes. Just a little deeper. Bite harder, the way you like it best.”

She didn’t even need pheromones—just a single sentence was enough.

It wasn’t until Ling Yue remembered that Ling Xi’s obedience had been hammered into her by Ling Jingqiu, time and time again.

Her little sister had just gotten spoiled after marriage and reverted to her true nature.

“That was me, not you. You don’t even seem to miss me—you didn’t say anything. Why should I miss you?”

Before Ling Yue could respond, Ling Xi burrowed deeper into Song Yi’s arms.

Song Yi and Ling Yue exchanged a glance, and Ling Yue backed down.

Song Yi, however, was mulling over the sisters’ mention of “years apart.”

As far as she knew, Ling Yue had only been transferred out of China a quarter ago—before that, she had always been in Beijing.

The sisters had lived together. Even with school, they would have seen each other during holidays. How could it have been years?

Ling Xi seemed completely unaware that she had just exposed her reincarnation.

“Sister, you’re still the best.” She shamelessly clung to Song Yi, playing favorites.

Song Yi, recalling all the things she had kept from Ling Xi, didn’t dare respond. She could only ruffle Ling Xi’s hair.

Seeing Song Yi’s reaction, Ling Yue suddenly understood.

So Ling Xi’s wife had been hiding things from her too.

This was going to be entertaining.

When Ling Xi eventually found out and came crying to her, she would make sure to retaliate with icy indifference.

“This is the guest lounge. But since this is my private residence, I haven’t hosted anyone in a long time. Make yourself at home.”

Once inside, Song Yi still offered some basic hospitality.

“Sister, I know I’m the only one in your heart. And you’re the only one in mine. Don’t be mad, okay? Besides, when I wished for you and your partner to be happy together, wasn’t I also wishing for us to last forever?”

Song Yi was actually convinced by Ling Xi’s twisted logic.

Once inside the private room, she stuck close to Ling Xi, chiming in with random comments even as Ling Xi ordered.

“Pineapple buns?”

“Only if they have honey in them.”

Ling Xi scanned the menu. “Doesn’t seem like that’s an option here.”

“…Then pineapple buns are bad. Forget it.” Song Yi turned her head away.

Ling Xi finally got a taste of just how spoiled her sister could be.

She really was like a pampered young lady—though not in a domineering way, but rather in an endearingly bratty manner.

What Ling Xi didn’t realize was that Song Yi was just insecure.

She needed to confirm Ling Xi’s love for her in this way.

After her little tantrum, the unease in her heart faded, and Song Yi regained her usual composure—except for the fact that she never let go of Ling Xi’s hand.

“Are you the rose blooming amidst a sea of stars?” Ling Xi suddenly asked while they waited for their food.

Ling Xi followed Song Yi to the side to prepare tea and snacks for Ling Yue.

Ling Yue, meanwhile, was sizing up the house, estimating its value.

Her sister had landed herself one hell of a sugar mama.

Just this set of tableware alone was worth six figures.

When she caught sight of Song Yi, her heart suddenly raced, the pain making her wince.

“Xiao Xi. You misheard—it was honey. I told your friend that Yun Fengzhi bought new honey and suggested she scam some out of him.”

While Tan Nijun was distracted, Song Yi had already slipped past her and entered the room.

“Oh…” Ling Xi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Tan Nijun watched as Song Yi’s expression instantly shifted into something delicate and vulnerable, as if begging for Ling Xi’s affection.

“Going home?” Song Yi reached out to Ling Xi.

“You’d better not have done anything. Tch. Always making me clean up your messes. Disgraceful.”

The woman tapped on her tablet with elegant precision, betraying no sign of the fierce battle she was waging against her opponent.

Mu Jie lowered her eyes without a word.

“Oh, getting angry now? This is just the beginning. Mu Jie, Mu Jie. Don’t even get me started—your mother, at your age, single-handedly took down an auction house and intercepted high-grade goods.” The woman reclined her seat, tilting Mu Jie’s chin up.

“And you? Utterly useless. With the Song family’s protection, you had every advantage, yet all you did was plod through university. The only lab you could boast about lasted what, a few days? If not for my help, you wouldn’t have survived a single move against your aunt. And now, you’ve even let yourself become this pathetic over some ‘elite’ with pheromones.”

“If I didn’t remember the pain of carrying you for ten months, I’d seriously doubt you were my daughter.”

“…Do you two really have to cling to each other like this?” Ling Yue stared mournfully at the lovey-dovey couple practically stacked in front of her.

“You’re the one talking, yet you’re stopping me.” Ling Xi stuck her tongue out at her.

Song Yi appeared calm and indifferent on the surface, but every gesture radiated possessiveness, deliberately flaunting their intimacy in front of Ling Yue.

“Shouldn’t I at least count as family?”

“We’re already legally married.” Ling Xi grumbled but finally detached herself from Song Yi.

“Go on. What’s your connection to Song Lian and Mu Jie? And what do you know about the Tiancan Organization?”

Ling Yue took a sip of tea and sighed.

“We’re not close to Song Lian. But Mu Xunzhi used to be our mother’s superior.”

Hearing those two names, Song Yi’s brow furrowed slightly.

“At that time, we didn’t know… or rather, my mother and mom didn’t know her true nature. They thought she was just an ordinary self-made entrepreneur and even admired her for a time.”

“Through my mother’s introduction, mom also got to know Mu Xunzhi, and the two became very close, often dining together.”

“I’d met Mu Xunzhi too. I was about fifteen then, already presenting as an S-class. With both mom and mother being high-level, my rank wasn’t surprising. We never thought to hide this fact from Mu Xunzhi.”

“Though no one could sense any pheromone fluctuations from her. Even if she was a natural null, having built an enterprise of that scale meant no one would dare mock her to her face. We all considered it unimportant. Besides, she seemed completely harmless back then—just a gentle, kind older sister.”

Hearing this, Song Yi began flipping through photos. “Mu Xunzhi, is this her?”

Ling Yue nodded.

“It’s almost laughable—mom even babysat for Mu Xunzhi once. She showed me photos, and I later saw that Mu Xie from a distance.”

Who would have thought it was all because of Mu Xunzhi.

Ling Yue shook her head. “It’s ridiculous. During my illness, Mu Xunzhi even came to apologize in person. But mother no longer trusted her. Perhaps mother had already discovered more by then.”

“So she was… she was from the Natural Null Organization…”

At this point, the conclusion was obvious.

“Likely the second leader. Including her company, which was inherited from the previous one.”

Ling Xi finally understood why her family had suffered such treatment.

Not because of her, not just because of Mu Xie.

But because her mom and mother might have stumbled upon Mu Xunzhi’s secret one day.

Mu Xunzhi needed to silence them permanently.

Even Qi Zhen’s imprisonment was self-preservation.

“These are just conjectures. Actually, mom and mother never directly revealed they knew Mu Xunzhi’s identity—they resigned citing our education as the reason. Mu Xunzhi showed no signs of suspicion then. Who knew she’d wait several years?”

Ling Yue covered her face, trembling. “Xiao Xi, do you know what she was waiting for?”

Ling Xi was stunned.

But Song Yi had an idea and tightened her grip on Ling Xi’s hand.

Song Yi frowned. “That must have been unbearable.”

“I’ve forgotten how it felt. Actually, it wasn’t so bad. My mind was filled with only one thought—I needed release.”

Song Yi seemed to sense Ling Xi tracing something on her skin and chuckled.

“Xiao Xi. You’re lucky. Biting your tongue has a very low success rate.”

“Aside from meeting Mu Xie, I’ve had good fortune in both lifetimes.” To be reborn and coincidentally meet Song Yi, to be saved by her—Ling Xi was satisfied with her luck.

Gazing at her flawless lover holding her hand, sudden unease gripped her heart.

Such a perfect ending… could it be real?

Was this all just a dream?

So she pinched Song Yi’s cheek.

“Ow. What was that for?” Song Yi scowled.

“Did it hurt?”

Song Yi shot her a look. “What kind of question is that? You didn’t even use force.”

She retaliated by pinching Ling Xi’s arm. “Did it hurt?”

“…A little.” Song Yi was the one with kitten-like strength. Even though she’d been so forceful just moments ago…

But if she could still feel pain, then this definitely wasn’t a dream.

“Shall we sleep?” Ling Xi relaxed comfortably against Song Yi’s side, closing her eyes.

“Let’s sleep. Goodnight, my love.”

“She’s waiting for you to differentiate.” Ling Yue let out a long sigh.

“The longer you delay differentiation, the bigger the gap in her sample data will be. In her calculations, you should be an S-class alpha, just like me. That way, she’d have a pair of genetically similar sisters as reference data.”

“After everything we’ve been through, we absolutely can’t let you get hurt again. It might be because we repeatedly refused to let you interact with her that she finally decided to eliminate us.” Ling Yue glanced subtly at Song Yi after speaking.

The reason she accepted Song Yi so quickly was simply because she knew exactly how much effort it would take for someone in her situation to return to Yanjing.

That Song Yi would do so much for Ling Xi without even telling her was proof enough of her sincerity.

Ling Xi felt dizzy again from all this. “But I’m only B-class, and an inferior one at that.”

Even without Ling Yue saying anything, Song Yi had to refute this. “Sweetheart. I know your classification better than anyone. There’s no way you’re only B-class. You should be close to S-class A.”

“Eh?” Ling Xi still couldn’t quite believe it.

Song Yi whispered in her ear. “How could someone who made me lose control like that only be B-class?”

Ling Xi’s ears turned red.

“Now that you’re involved with Mu Jie and Mu Xunzhi too… I’m really afraid…” Ling Yue clenched her fists, trying to control the tremor in her voice.

“We didn’t mean to hide it from you, Xiao Xi.”

After a moment’s silence, Ling Xi stepped forward and took her sister’s hand.

“But sister, what’s done is done. Even if you hide things from me, will they really let me go?”

She glanced back at Song Yi’s worried face.

“It’s better to tell me so we can figure it out together.”

“You’re right.” Ling Yue shook her head with a bitter smile.

“I’ve said everything I know. Xiao Xi, could you step out for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with Song Yi.”

Ling Xi paused, not moving. “What can’t I hear?”

She’d just told Ling Yue not to keep things from her.

“…Just a few words of sisterly advice. I’d feel awkward saying them with you here.”

Only then did Ling Xi reluctantly leave the room.

“Madam.” Ling Xi ran into Housekeeper Zhao waiting outside the door.

She startled. Even after over a week of marriage, she still wasn’t used to being addressed as “Madam” by Housekeeper Zhao.

After exchanging greetings, Ling Xi quickly hurried away.

Inside the room, Ling Yue met Song Yi’s gaze.

“Go ahead, since you insisted on sending her away. But you should know I’ll tell her if she asks later.” Song Yi was doing her best to restrain her aura.

While showing affection was one thing, scaring off her wife’s sister was another matter entirely.

“I just want to ask—are you confident you can protect her? After all, you’re the one who caused her pheromones to be exposed.”

Song Yi held her gaze for a moment before looking away.

“I’ll do everything in my power. My mother was also a victim of the Tiancan organization. So was my friend’s family. She joined the police force, and the higher-ups are paying close attention to this matter too.”

“I want to resolve this by pulling the weeds out by the roots.”

“As for Ling Xi… I can’t give a hundred percent guarantee. But I hope you’ll believe that I love her more than myself. Without her, there wouldn’t be the person I am today.”

Ling Yue was satisfied, yet found Song Yi’s words somewhat strange. “Forgive my bluntness, but you’ve known my sister for less than two months, haven’t you?”

Song Yi lowered her eyes and shook her head gently. “One thousand, nine hundred and seventy-eight days.”

With a soft sigh, Ling Yue heard Song Yi add, “I’ve known her for that long already.”

“It’s just… she forgot about me.” Song Yi gave Ling Yue a bitter smile.

“If… she ever mentioned it to you. Did she tell you about someone she met during the summer vacation of her second year in high school?” Song Yi rarely spoke to others about this matter.

She also wanted to confirm that those memories weren’t just her own delusion.

“I see.” Ling Yue looked Song Yi up and down. “Wait, she told us she met a beggar girl back then.”

“…Everyone has their low moments.” Song Yi forced composure, though internally she was struggling to hold it together. For a fleeting moment, she even thought it might be better if Ling Xi never remembered.

“Ahem. Anyway, try to look on the bright side. She went through a lot afterward—not to mention the physical and mental effects of suppressing her pheromone levels, and then there was Mu Xie, and…” Ling Yue trailed off, changing the subject.

“It’s normal to forget things from a summer vacation long ago.” The underlying message was clear: don’t blame Ling Xi for forgetting.

“You’re joking, sister.” Song Yi followed Ling Xi’s lead and called Ling Yue “sister,” making the latter’s lips twitch.

“If I blamed her, how could I love her this much? I… I’ve already moved past it.”

It didn’t matter if the past was forgotten—they would have a future, and many more days ahead.

Blaming Ling Xi for her amnesia was a thing of the past.

“Let’s exchange WeChat.” Ling Yue had nothing more to say and pulled out her phone.

Song Yi scanned her QR code, and the two added each other as contacts.

“If you find any clues about Mu Xunzhi, remember to tell your sister. It would be very helpful for the police investigation.”

For now, Ling Xi’s family was their only lead in dealing with Mu Xunzhi.

“I thought telling you directly would be faster.” Before leaving, Ling Yue turned back to look at Song Yi.

“Not at all. I’m not in charge of the case. Besides, your little darling wants to know. Here’s some advice—stop treating her like a child. She’s twenty-two, has a job, and earns her own money. She deserves to know what she needs to know.”

“…I’ll consider it.” As she spoke, Ling Yue fished something out of her bag.

“Xi Bao, I almost forgot. Happy birthday!” She found Ling Xi sketching in the living room and handed her the gift.

“You actually prepared something. Thank you!” Ling Xi had thought Ling Yue, trapped abroad, wouldn’t be able to celebrate her birthday this year.

It had only been a month since her birthday—still within the acceptable timeframe.

“Of course I’d get my sister a gift. Though it was a bit rushed—just something I grabbed that you’d like. I’ll make it up to you next year.” Ling Yue patted her head. “I’m off.”

Ling Xi still walked her to the door.

“What did you two talk about?” Back inside, Ling Xi unwrapped the gift while asking Song Yi.

“She asked if I was confident I could protect you.” Song Yi leaned against her.

“Actually, she was quite a good sister.” Unlike Song Lian.

…Or perhaps, between the two sisters Lian and Yi, she was the one who wasn’t good enough.

“Why are you suddenly speaking up for her?” Lingxi’s attention was caught by the latter part of the sentence.

Song Yi stayed silent against Lingxi for a long while.

Only after Lingxi finished unwrapping the package and took out a shiny seashell-shaped scented candle did Song Yi finally speak, her fingers brushing the candle and leaving behind the scent of lavender. “Maybe… because I don’t have a sister anymore.”

From the moment Song Lian joined the Tiancan organization and harmed innocent people, Song Yi could no longer acknowledge her as a sister.

“About Song Lian… is there any chance there’s more to the story?” Lingxi fished out a lighter from under the coffee table and lit the candle.

The fragrance was one Lingxi liked—soothing and sleep-inducing. The shape of the candle was also delicate.

Lingxi was very pleased with the gift.

Song Yi shook her head. “Song Lian’s pheromone level matched yours after suppression. We weren’t close, but I knew our family treated us differently. I was the heir; she was just… expendable. It’s no surprise she grew resentful, joined Tiancan, even willingly gave up her pheromones.”

She just regretted it.

Lingxi’s sister would protect her, consider her, carefully pick gifts for her.

But Song Yi no longer had anyone who would shield her in times of danger.

Even Lingxi. Song Yi believed Lingxi loved her.

But Lingxi was still just a young woman new to society.

No power, no influence—just a heart full of passion.

Song Yi didn’t want Lingxi to get hurt protecting her.

“Still…” Song Yi hesitated before continuing.

“I recently received a secret report. It said our genetic match wasn’t strong enough to prove we were sisters. Especially since our X chromosomes didn’t come from the same mother.”

“Maybe she was never my sister to begin with.” Song Yi smiled faintly after saying this.

“That is strange, now that you mention it. If my abnormal pheromone level was due to being drugged, then what about Song Lian? Your mother’s level couldn’t have been low, right?” Lingxi had also considered this.

Before Lingyue told her about the suppression, Lingxi hadn’t given it much thought.

She had assumed genetic mutation alone could account for the difference in pheromone levels.

“Mother and I were the same. I never questioned it before. But the evidence and witnesses are here now.” The “witness” Song Yi referred to was Lingxi herself.

“But how could that even…?” Lingxi pondered. “Could she have been switched at birth?”

“It’s possible. Either way, it’s better to just accept that I never had a sister.”

Having said what she wanted to say, Song Yi relaxed into Lingxi’s embrace, lulled by the lavender scent.

The two dozed off together on the sofa.

When they woke, Song Yi left for a video conference while Lingxi wandered around the house.

After moving in, Lingxi had gotten lost a few times and had since been too cautious to explore, only memorizing the route to her own room.

Now that she was more familiar with the place, her confidence grew. Remembering the conference room she had never seen, Lingxi decided to properly acquaint herself with the house today.

But the moment she took a step, she was lost again.

Staring at the vaguely familiar decor, Lingxi pulled up the notes she had taken when Song Yi first gave her a tour, trying to find the right path on her own.

This was her and Song Yi’s home. How could she possibly get lost in her own house?

Ling Xi flipped through for a while before realizing that Song Yi hadn’t been very clear when showing her around earlier.

Could it be intentional, wanting her to get lost?

What would be the point?

Ling Xi hadn’t figured it out yet.

But soon, she spotted an oddly placed wooden sign at the corner, likely put up recently.

[“This is Activity Room 224 in the North Zone of the second floor.”] Judging by the handwriting, it seemed to be written by Song Yi herself.

“Where are you? Did you go out?” Song Yi’s voice sounded a bit urgent.

“No, no. I was just wandering around the house. Right now, I think I’m in… Activity Room 302 in the East Zone.” Ling Xi read the words on the wooden plaque nearby.

Song Yi let out a sigh of relief. “Do you know how to get downstairs? Should I come find you?”

So Ling Xi had finally noticed the signs she had put up earlier.

Originally, Song Yi had planned to renovate, but since this house was in the most convenient location—moving would make Ling Xi’s commute difficult—and with both of them living here, a full renovation wasn’t feasible in the short term. The only solution was to label each room, indicating what it was and where it was located, to prevent Ling Xi from getting lost again.

“I wanted to try finding my way back first. Give me five minutes. If I can’t, I’ll call you.”

For the next five minutes, Ling Xi genuinely tried to find her way back to the living room.

Unfortunately, the house was too big, and five minutes was too short.

She admitted defeat and called Song Yi. “Jiejie… I give up. I’m in South Zone 210 now. Come get me.”

She heard Song Yi let out a very obvious snort of laughter.

Ling Xi wiped away nonexistent tears and pretended to sniffle.

“I’ll give you a proper tour when I have time,” Song Yi’s voice came from behind her.

Ling Xi turned around and ran toward Song Yi. “Jiejie… why is your house so big?”

Ling Xi felt that Song Yi’s house was even more confusing than her middle school building.

“When I bought it, I was thinking of the old courtyard house, so I thought bigger was better. But later, I realized I wasn’t used to it and that an apartment-style layout is the most convenient, especially since it was just me.”

“How about we move to a new place together later?” Song Yi said softly. “Something like the small place we live in now.”

Ling Xi followed her while trying to memorize the way. “Then wait for me to save up. I want to buy it with you.”

“Sure. We might even have to think about a children’s room by then.”

Song Yi had said it casually, but Ling Xi actually started thinking about it.

If they were to have children, they’d definitely want a pair of sisters, right?

One for her, one for Song Yi. It could even make up for Song Yi’s regrets.

“By the way, Jiejie, those signs were all written by you, right?”

“Yeah. After you got lost that time, I wrote them and put them up in the rooms. But you never wandered around on your own before, so you never noticed.”

Song Yi hugged Ling Xi and let out a light chuckle.

“Turns out, even with the signs, you still get lost.”

Ling Xi sighed helplessly. “This might be hereditary. My mom used to get lost all the time, and Mama had to go pick her up.”

When they finally reached the dining table, Ling Xi suddenly clung to Song Yi.

“Jiejie, that time you gave me a tour… did you deliberately not explain the rooms and zones clearly?”