Shadowed Love: A Lover Who Refuses to Let Go - Chapter 30.1

The New Wu Apartments loomed darkly in the night, with only a few amber lights glowing faintly. Yin Yunzhu carried Yin Xuan from the car onto her back, their shadows merging into a small mound on the ground.

The little girl was exhausted, dried tear tracks lingering at the corners of her eyes, her breathing steady against Yunzhu’s shoulder. She shifted restlessly, murmuring incoherently in her sleep.

“Jie-jie!” Her lashes fluttered slightly as her fingers fidgeted against Yunzhu’s neck.

Jiang Menghe tucked her hands into her pockets, using the other to smooth Yin Xuan’s hair. “Kids have limited energy, once they tire themselves out, they’re fine.”

The words reached Yin Xuan’s ears, and she slowly opened her eyes, her usually bright gaze now dull and hazy. Children were perceptive small, trivial things could linger in their memories, growing deeper roots as the years passed.

Especially in a home lacking warmth.

Yunzhu made sure to shield her from adult conflicts, sparing her unnecessary burdens. She adjusted the weight on her back, speaking softly, “We’re almost home. Wash up before sleeping.”

“Such doting care for your little sister, no wonder you’re so affectionate,” Jiang Menghe teased. Her demeanor tonight was off, giving off an unsettling, almost unreal air.

“She’s my only precious sister,” Yunzhu sighed.

The glass door of the apartment building was adorned with a bright red “Fortune” character, its gilded edges glinting under the light. It was New Year’s Eve, and most of the young residents nearby had already returned to their hometowns.

As the elevator doors opened, Yunzhu stepped in, swiping her card, only to see Jiang Menghe lingering outside. Her long coat accentuated her tall, slender frame, her hair loosely pinned up with a plain wooden hairpin, her delicate features like ink softly diffused on paper.

“Aren’t you coming up?” Yunzhu asked when she showed no sign of entering.

Jiang Menghe pulled out a cigarette case from her pocket, waving it lightly. “I’ll be up later.”

The warning about smoking being harmful to health stuck in Yunzhu’s throat. She couldn’t stand seeing the other woman’s self-destructive tendencies, even if it was just a difference in habits.

“I won’t leave the door open for you then.”

The words came out like a lover’s playful scolding, which Jiang Menghe seemed to take in stride. Glancing at the sofa by the wall, she shrugged helplessly. “If you don’t leave it open, I’ll be sleeping on the streets tonight.”

Not wanting to be the cruel one, Yunzhu muttered something under her breath before adding, “Hurry up.”

With that, she pressed the elevator’s close button.

As the red numbers flickered, Jiang Menghe tilted her head to watch before walking over to the potted plant by the entrance. The large monstera leaves swayed slightly, their edges curled and yellowing from lack of water.

She pulled out her phone, replying to a message she’d just received.

The crimson glow of her cigarette hid amidst the greenery, smoke curling around her face, blurring her features. Staring at the MMS on her screen, she exhaled deeply.

Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed as she stubbed out the cigarette, letting out a cold laugh. She waited downstairs until the scent of smoke had dissipated before slowly making her way up the stairs.

Just as Yunzhu had settled Yin Xuan in, she had to open the door again for Jiang Menghe. The faint smell of tobacco lingered in the air, and Yunzhu waved it away with a frown, lowering her voice. “That fast?”

“Listened to you only had two,” the woman replied with a light cough, adding unnecessarily, “I meant cigarettes.”

Yunzhu glared at her, her innocent thoughts muddled by the unnecessary clarification.

“Like I care what you do.”

“Has Xiaoxuan gone to sleep?” Jiang Menghe asked leisurely as she changed her shoes, taking off her coat and hanging it next to Yin Yunzhu’s.

“She’s in my room. Keep it quiet when you wash up later,” Yin Yunzhu reminded. After finally coaxing the little one to sleep, she didn’t want to have to comfort her again in the middle of the night.

The simple, domestic conversation added a touch of warmth to the room, filling the void left by earlier frustrations at home. The toiletries she had bought for Jiang Menghe last time, Yin Yunzhu hadn’t had the heart to throw them away were now placed back on the counter.

When she stepped out of the shower, the woman was bent over the sink, washing her face.

Leaning against the doorframe, Yin Yunzhu paused as she passed and asked, “Do you smoke a lot?”

She could tell Jiang Menghe wasn’t in high spirits today. Even though the woman rarely showed her emotions, the little details gave her away.

Could someone so easygoing and gentle really have worries?

Hearing the question, Jiang Menghe lifted her gaze to the mirror. The reflection showed thick brows blurred by water, lashes beaded with droplets, and eyes dark as ink deep and unfathomable.

“I smoke when I’m upset,” she paused, thinking Yin Yunzhu disapproved. “If you don’t like it, I’ll quit.”

This kind of change, made for another person, might be touching enough to bring tears in a love story but it didn’t suit the two of them now.

Yin Yunzhu flustered. “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to mind my opinion.”

With that, she clutched the collar of her bathrobe and hurried back to the bedroom.

The living room was unbearably cold, the un-dried water on her face sending chills down her spine. Jiang Menghe averted her gaze and set her toothbrush snugly beside Yin Yunzhu’s.

The gesture brought her no comfort, if anything, it felt rash and invasive. And Jiang Menghe knew Yin Yunzhu, reserved and quiet, didn’t care for sharp-edged people.

The two of them were nothing alike.

In the master bedroom, the curtains were half-drawn, revealing the jagged skyline of distant high-rises. Yin Yunzhu rested her chin in her hand, watching Yin Xuan’s sleeping face.

Even in sleep, the little girl was restless, her brows furrowed, waking repeatedly and forcing Yin Yunzhu to read her fairy tales to soothe her back to sleep.

Jiang Menghe tugged the blanket up, tucking it under Yin Xuan’s chin. A sliver of pale light stretched across the room, merging with the silent night.

She could guess well enough, on a night meant for family reunions, Yin Yunzhu bringing her sullen little sister over likely stemmed from some trivial domestic quarrel.

“Fight with your family?” She lay down beside Yin Xuan, looking at Yin Yunzhu.

Logic told her she shouldn’t pry, but emotion always won out. The question seemed casual, but her curled fingers betrayed her tension.

Jiang Menghe remembered Yin Yunzhu mentioning “family pressure” back in Pingcheng.

In the dead of night, emotions hidden during the day surged like wild beasts. Yin Yunzhu’s mind was foggy, exhaustion creeping in.

“Just the usual bickering between my parents. Nothing serious.”

She tried to downplay it, framing it as something too mundane to warrant suspicion or pity. Besides, what marriage didn’t have its share of chaos?

“What about you?” Yin Yunzhu patted Yin Xuan’s belly and countered, “Why come over on New Year’s Eve?”

She didn’t think Jiang Menghe was the type to be driven by lust, even if all those saccharine sweet nothings had long since worn her ears out.

“Can’t I visit on New Year’s Eve?” Jiang Menghe arched a brow, tossing the question back. “Who made that rule?”

“What about your family? Don’t they need you?” Yin Yunzhu muttered.

The scales in her heart tipped once again as she gazed at Yin Xuan sandwiched between them. It suddenly occurred to her that the other woman had never mentioned her family in front of her.

Apart from Zheng Xinyue and Ye Xiyang, Jiang Menghe seemed to have a simple social circle. Yet when the woman infiltrated more intimate distances, it felt like a drop of oil unable to blend with clear water.

“Same as you, we fought.” The woman’s simple answer left her speechless.

“So that’s why you’re hiding at my place?” Yin Yunzhu kicked her under the covers.

Jiang Menghe endured it silently, her still-damp hair glistening in the light. She emitted two soft hums from her nose, like a small animal being lifted by the scruff of its neck.

“I’m homeless now,” she said with unclear sincerity before reverting to her usual playful demeanor, “Won’t you take pity on me?”

The sudden fragrance of gardenias mixed with the fresh scent of shower gel. Jiang abruptly leaned in, her eyes locked onto Yin Yunzhu’s lips.

That reward-seeking tone was irresistible, her gaze as blatant as a hook. Yin Yunzhu swallowed uncomfortably, her eyes sliding from the other’s brows down to the peaks of her lips.

Like they’d been licked, the pale pink lips looked plump. Jiang slowly parted them, revealing the tip of her tongue.

They kissed naturally, completely different from their previous fiery passion this was delicate, tentative, as if they truly were lovers deeply in love.

So absorbed were they that Yin Yunzhu didn’t even notice she was pressing down on Yin Xuan’s hair.

It was Jiang who pulled away first, carefully wiping the transparent saliva from Yin’s lips with a faint smile.

“The kid’s still here. Let’s sleep.”

Shifting all blame for the impending adult situation onto herself, Yin Yunzhu sulked and turned off the bedside lamp.

As her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she saw Jiang’s slender silhouette leaning against the bedside. With faint light reflecting in her eyes, Jiang seemed to be watching her.

“Yin Yunzhu.”

Though such a scene should have been startling, knowing it was Jiang Menghe made Yin relax into her soft pillow.

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