Shadowed Love: A Lover Who Refuses to Let Go - Chapter 30.2

Whenever Jiang used her full name, it always carried a different weight whether during intimate moments or serious occasions like now.

“Hmm?” Yin Yunzhu pulled the blanket down to uncover her entire head.

Feeling warm breath against her forehead, she reopened her eyes to see Jiang’s shadow looming above as she leaned closer.

“What’s wrong?” Yin clutched the blanket, inexplicably nervous.

After what felt like an eternity long enough for Jiang’s muscles to ache from maintaining the position, Jiang kissed her forehead.

“Goodnight.”

Yin Yunzhu sensed she’d wanted to say something else, but Jiang had already withdrawn, leaving only warmth lingering on her brow.

“Goodnight.”

Facing Jiang, she whispered back.

What should have been a night of staying up late passed as lightly as a feather brushing by, fading away like a torn-off calendar page.

The next morning, Yin Yunzhu was awakened by Yin Xuan’s commotion.

“Jiang-Jiang! Look at my toothpaste, it’s the new blueberry flavor!” Yin Xuan proudly waved her toothbrush, tiptoeing beside Jiang.

Yin Yunzhu propped herself up, noticing the messy sheets beside her where the lifted corner let cold air seep through. No wonder she’d felt chilly Yin Xuan must have messed up the bedding when she got up.

“Must you be so noisy first thing in the morning?” Grumbling, Yin finally put on loose loungewear and headed to the bathroom.

Jiang Menghe stood in front of the mirror, gently patting toner and moisturizer onto her face while patiently responding to the little chatterbox.

“Sleeping in on New Year’s Day means you’ll be lazy all year,” Yin Xuan lectured like a little adult.

“Well said,” Jiang Menghe agreed, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“And you’re one to talk! If it weren’t for you yesterday, Xuan and I would’ve been back much earlier.” Yin Yunzhu only dared to act authoritative in front of Yin Xuan, the moment she faced Jiang Menghe, she reverted to a scolded student.

“Sorry,” came the lazy reply, devoid of any real remorse.

“It’s okay! I slept with Jiangjiang last night.” Yin Xuan, sensing the unbreakable atmosphere between the two, jumped up and down to get their attention.

The words snapped Yin Yunzhu back to reality. To outsiders, two Betas couldn’t possibly have done anything, but with a child’s sharp intuition and wild imagination plus overhearing their earlier argument it wouldn’t take much for her to piece things together.

Yunzhu pressed a hand to the girl’s head. “If Jiangjiang likes you, does that mean Jiali-jiejie doesn’t?”

Sure enough, the name “Jiali-jiejie” worked better than any reprimand. Yin Xuan froze mid-bounce, her smile fading.

“I don’t like her! She’s just like you always teasing me!” She shoved Yunzhu away and scampered off to the bedroom.

“Don’t get toothpaste everywhere!” Yunzhu called after her.

When she turned back, Jiang Menghe was watching her with a meaningful gaze. Their eyes met briefly before the latter tossed her cleansing wipe into the trash.

“You and that friend of yours,” she paused, as if choosing her words carefully, “have you ever slept together like we did last night?”

Beijiali and Yin Yunzhu had grown up together, their families close enough to exchange gifts during holidays. Even as their personalities diverged over the years, their bond never weakened.

But sharing a bed? Never. They lived so close that staying over would’ve been pointless.

“Not like that, no,” Yunzhu admitted. “But Xuan really likes her.”

Despite claiming to dislike Jiali, the moment the woman showed up with snacks, Yin Xuan’s attitude did a complete turnaround.

Jiang Menghe smiled faintly and turned back to the mirror.

“You two really are close.”

After breakfast, Yin Xuan had already dashed to the living room to watch cartoons, last night’s bad mood long forgotten. As Yunzhu prepared to take out the trash, she noticed Jiang Menghe slipping on her coat by the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked, holding two bulging garbage bags.

The woman adjusted her collar with effortless grace. “Ye-jie and the others aren’t in today, so I’m heading to the studio to organize things.”

Working on New Year’s Day? Jiang Menghe had never struck Yunzhu as the workaholic type in the entertainment industry.

Not wanting to pry, Yunzhu simply said, “Be careful,” and watched her leave.

Outside, thick snowflakes blanketed everything in white, erasing all depth from the landscape. Underdressed, Yunzhu rubbed her reddened hands together and hurried upstairs.

Yin Xuan was gleefully mauling a stuffed fish, occasionally giggling at the cartoon. As Yunzhu bent to change shoes, she spotted an access card on the console.

Its surface was worn, but the lower left corner still bore the engraved words: “Yunyu Culture.”

How careless.

Unlike other items, losing this card would mean Jiang Menghe couldn’t even enter her own studio. Yunzhu considered texting her but decided to chase after her instead, she couldn’t have gone far.

“Xiao Xuan, stay home and watch TV. Don’t answer the door for anyone,” she said while retying her shoelaces, crouched down.

“Okaaay!” came the drawn-out response from the child in the living room.

After changing into a thick coat, Yin Yunzhu left the apartment. The streets on the first day of the Lunar New Year were eerily quiet, the air crisp with the scent of frost and snow. Following her map’s directions, she arrived at Yunyu Culture’s studio.

It was precisely because no one would be around that she dared to come here. Secretly, she also wanted to see what Jiang Menghe’s workplace looked like.

Located near the business district, Yunyu Culture stood modestly compared to the towering office buildings around it. Despite the festive season, the clean glass facade showed no signs of celebration.

Parking her car downstairs, Yin Yunzhu sent a message:

Little Bamboo: 【You left your access card at home. I’m downstairs at the studio want to come get it?】

Logically, Jiang Menghe should have been the one to message first, but there had been no response, as if her words had vanished into the sea.

Growing anxious, Yin Yunzhu got out of the car. Seeing no one around, she tucked the access card under a potted plant and sent a photo.

Little Bamboo: 【Card’s here. Come get it when you can [photo]】

Just as she was about to leave, movement on the steps caught her eye.

A man in his fifties, wearing a faded gray jacket, his dark face flushed from years of heavy drinking, paced back and forth, hands stuffed into his jeans pockets. When their eyes met, he looked away, as if just a passerby.

A deep unease settled in her bones, the sensation of being watched lingered like a stubborn illness. Cautiously, she retrieved the card and slipped it back into her sleeve. If some stranger took it, the consequences would be unthinkable.

By the time she stood up again, the man was gone.

Hopefully, she was just being paranoid.

Back at Xinwu Apartments, as she entered the lobby, someone called out from behind.

“Yunyun.”

Shan Songyue, no longer as disheveled as the night before, sat on the waiting area sofa, her voice as loud as when she scolded Yin Xuan. She rubbed her hands between her knees and stood up immediately upon seeing Yin Yunzhu.

“Mom!” Yin Yunzhu exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“You were still asleep, what difference would it make?” Shan Songyue followed her into the elevator.

Yin Yunzhu had so much to ask about her mother’s sudden appearance like the outcome of her argument with Dad but her throat felt stuffed with damp cotton, unable to voice a single word.

After all, it was an unpleasant memory, no different from picking at old wounds.

Noticing her hesitation, Shan Songyue smoothed her short hair and forced a light tone. “Why so gloomy during the New Year? You’ll jinx the whole year like that.”

Her mannerisms were exactly what Yin Xuan had picked up.

“Don’t worry. Things will work out as they should it won’t affect you,” she paused, then added, “If we really do divorce, Xiao Xuan!”

“I’ll prepare her for it.”

Last night’s words had become prophecy.

As they walked and talked, Yin Yunzhu reached her door and was about to take out her keys when Yin Xuan swung it open, a stepping stool left behind her.

“Mommy!” The little girl’s voice echoed brightly through the hallway.

“I told you not to open the door carelessly,” Yin Yunzhu tapped Yin Xuan’s head, who quickly covered it and ran away, sticking out her tongue from a safe distance.

“It was Xiaoyu who suddenly ran to the door. I only opened it after checking the peephole and seeing it was you!”

The explanation was reasonable, leaving Yin Yunzhu with no rebuttal.

“Just listen when your sister speaks. Why argue back?” Shan Songyue stepped into the living room while changing her shoes. “Would I ever do you harm?”

Madam Shan’s arrival instantly livened up the home, filling the empty apartment with warmth.

The master bedroom door was wide open, revealing everything inside. Rushed out of bed earlier, the messy sheets hadn’t been tidied just in time for Shan Songyue to notice as she passed by.

“Goodness, look at this mess. Living alone and already so sloppy whoever ends up with you will be unlucky.”

At that moment, Yin Yunzhu was refilling Xiaoyu’s food bowl. Hearing the remark, she hastily set down the measuring cup.

“Mom!” She rushed over, stopping her mother’s busy hands. “This is my private space. I’ll clean it up myself later.”

“I’m already here, might as well help.” Shan Songyue brushed past her and pulled back the blanket.

The wrinkled sheets still held warmth, with two matching pillows side by side only the throw pillow in the middle stood out, brought from the sofa the night before for Yin Xuan.

Jiang Menghe’s worn robe even hung over the chair nearby.

“Why so many pillows?” Madam Shan frowned, fluffing the flattened throw pillow.

“Xiao Xuan said the bed pillows were uncomfortable, so I grabbed this one as a quick fix,” Yin Yunzhu lied, trying to smooth things over.

The TV volume in the living room suddenly lowered. Yin Xuan, holding a squirming Xiaoyu, pricked up her ears.

She listened more intently than during class, desperately signaling Yin Yunzhu with her eyes. The earlier warnings were fresh in her mind, and the usually loudmouth stayed silent as a mouse.

The excuse left Shan Songyue skeptical. As she smoothed the bed and picked up the throw pillow to leave, she casually grabbed the robe from the chair.

From the folds of the white cotton robe, something purple slipped out.

Yin Yunzhu watched helplessly as Madam Shan bent down, picked it up, and examined it closely.

The deep purple fabric was edged with lace, extending from the neckline inward. Jiang Menghe, outwardly prim and proper, had a particular fondness for this style both alluring and sensual in bed, easily igniting passion between them.

It was unmistakably not something Yin Yunzhu would buy.

“This,” Shan Songyue’s frown deepened. “This isn’t your bra, is it?”

Panic set in for Yin Yunzhu, especially when her mother held it up against her, as if exposing her relationship with Jiang Menghe to the world.

She considered toughing it out and claiming it, but Shan Songyue spoke again.

“The size doesn’t seem right, does it?” The woman’s expression shifted from doubt to sternness.

Yin Yunzhu was an A-cup—petite and delicate, easily cupped in one hand. Wearing Jiang Menghe’s lingerie would leave gaps. Plus, since starting work, she’d always bought undergarments in person, never online.

“Tell me the truth are you seeing someone?”

Shan Songyue’s biggest fear was Yin Yunzhu picking up the reckless habits of high society and mingling with unsavory types.

“What are you thinking?” Yin Yunzhu held her breath, keeping her expression neutral. “Xiao Xuan was here last night. How could I have brought anyone home?”

Under the weight of her mother’s scrutinizing gaze, she replied calmly.

“It might not have been brought back yesterday. Maybe it was there earlier.” Shan Songyue’s aggressive questioning was impossible to withstand.

She couldn’t imagine that the well-behaved girl she had watched grow up under her own eyes would hide something like this being with another woman behind her back.

Perhaps an Alpha, or maybe an Omega, those elites who look down most on ordinary Beta commoners. If they were together, Yin Yunzhu would surely suffer hardships. Maybe this job wouldn’t be enough to support her, forcing her down a wrong path.

Just yesterday, she had a huge argument with Chen Haidong at home. Now, Ms. Shan was growing increasingly paranoid and suspicious.

Yin Yunzhu didn’t know how to explain. After much deliberation, she decided to take a risk.

“Just a regular friend. She’s a Beta.”

The moment the words left her mouth, both fell silent. Shan Songyue’s expression was especially dramatic, gradually turning awkward.

She let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes.

“You should’ve said so earlier. Had me jumping at shadows for nothing.”

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