She’s Being Naughty - Chapter 5

After that day, Xu Zhaoyi barely went downstairs for several days.

She shut herself in her room reading, watching movies, and playing video games, pretending to forget what had happened under the dining table that night, and pretending to forget Jiang Yao’s remark. “The more I find it interesting.”

But every night before bed, she would stare at the chair in the corner for a long while.

She stared at that wine-red silk nightgown she had retrieved from the trash can.

It just lay there haphazardly. As the days passed, she neither touched it nor thought about throwing it away again. She let it stay there like a reminder.

A reminder of her pathetic state that night.

A reminder of that woman’s unpredictability.

On the morning of the fifth day, the housekeeper knocked on the door, saying there was a delivery for her downstairs.

Only then did Xu Zhaoyi remember that she had bought a few clothes online a few days ago.

She went downstairs to sign for it. As she was walking back carrying the delivery box, she happened to run into Jiang Yao returning from outside.

Today, Jiang Yao was dressed in sportswear: light gray tight leggings and a matching sports top. Her hair was tied high in a ponytail, revealing her slender neck and smooth forehead. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and the hair at her temples was a bit damp, as if she had just come back from a morning run.

“Zhaozhao, up so early?” She stood at the door changing her shoes, looking up to smile at her.

Xu Zhaoyi’s grip on the box tightened. “Mm.”

“What did you buy?” Jiang Yao finished putting on her slippers and walked over, leaning in to glance at the label on the box. “Clothes?”

Her scent, a mix of sweat and body wash, wafted toward her in a wave of warmth.

Xu Zhaoyi took half a step back. “Mm.”

“Want to try them on?” Jiang Yao tilted her head, her ponytail swaying gently with the movement. “I can help you take a look.”

“No need.” Xu Zhaoyi turned around and headed straight upstairs.

Jiang Yao’s soft laughter echoed behind her.

Back in her room, she placed the box on the floor but didn’t rush to open it. She sat on the edge of the bed and dazed off for a while, her gaze uncontrollably drifting toward that chair in the corner again.

The nightgown was still there.

Over the past few days, every time she passed by, she would catch that faint fragrance. It was like the scent on Jiang Yao’s body, yet seemed even lighter and more persistent, as if it had already seeped into every corner of the room.

Even her own pillow seemed to have caught a tiny bit of it.

It was probably psychological.

It had to be psychological.

She shook her head, stood up, and began to unbox the delivery.

They were all basic items: white t-shirts, jeans, and a black hooded sweatshirt. She casually tossed the clothes onto the bed, planning to wash them in a few days.

At lunchtime, Xu Zhaoyi finally went downstairs.

Because her father had messaged her in the morning saying he was coming home for lunch and insisted she come down.

In the dining room, the dishes were already laid out. It was a home style meal of three dishes and a soup.

Xu Jiancheng was already seated at the head of the table, and Jiang Yao was serving him soup. Seeing Xu Zhaoyi come down, she smiled and waved her over. “Zhaozhao, come quickly. I made the sweet and sour pork ribs you love today.”

Xu Zhaoyi’s footsteps faltered.

When had she ever said she loved sweet and sour pork ribs?

But there was indeed a plate on the table, bright red, glossy, and overflowing with aroma.

She pulled out her chair and sat down, silently picking up her bowl.

The meal proceeded quite peacefully. Xu Jiancheng asked about her recent life and mentioned some things about the company. Jiang Yao occasionally chimed in, her tone gentle and soft.

As they were finishing, Jiang Yao suddenly spoke up. “Zhaozhao, is your room a bit messy? I wanted to go wake you up this morning and saw your door was open, it looked like you have quite a lot of things.”

Xu Zhaoyi’s chopsticks paused. “You went into my room?”

“No.” Jiang Yao blinked. “I just caught a glimpse from the doorway. It looked like there were quite a few clothes piled on your bed.”

Xu Jiancheng frowned at Xu Zhaoyi. “Not even cleaning your own room. You’re twenty years old; what does this look like?”

Xu Zhaoyi didn’t speak; she just stared at Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao smiled at her. “How about I help you organize it this afternoon? I don’t have anything to do anyway.”

“No need,” Xu Zhaoyi rejected her almost instantly. “I’ll clean it myself.”

“If she wants to clean it herself, let her,” Xu Jiancheng said with a wave of his hand, picking up his soup bowl for a sip. “Don’t spoil her too much.”

“I just feel bad for her,” Jiang Yao said softly. “Girls Zhaozhao’s age, which one doesn’t love beauty, which one doesn’t love cleanliness? If the room is a mess, she won’t sleep well at night.”

She spoke with such concern, her eyes appearing sincere.

Xu Zhaoyi gripped her chopsticks tightly.

This woman was acting again.

After lunch, Xu Jiancheng went back to the office. Xu Zhaoyi stood up to go upstairs but was stopped by Jiang Yao.

“Zhaozhao,” she stood at the kitchen door, holding a plate of freshly washed fruit. “Want some strawberries? I just bought them this morning; they’re very sweet.”

“No need.” Xu Zhaoyi turned and left.

Returning to her room, the first thing she did was lock the door.

Then she stood at the entrance and surveyed the entire room.

The curtains were drawn, the bed was a bit messy with a corner of the quilt hanging on the floor. Several books were strewn across the desk, the wine-red nightgown was draped over the chair, and the recently opened delivery box was piled in the corner.

It… did look a bit messy.

But she didn’t want Jiang Yao to see it.

Especially that nightgown.

She walked to the corner and leaned down, intending to pick up the nightgown. When her hand touched the slick fabric, her movements paused.

Forget it.

She withdrew her hand, turned around, and sat on the edge of the bed.

In any case, the door was locked. Jiang Yao couldn’t get in.

She thought this, but the unease in her heart didn’t diminish at all.

In the afternoon, Xu Zhaoyi slept for a while.

Perhaps due to the accumulation of insomnia over the past few days, she slept exceptionally deeply. When she woke up, the sky outside was almost dark, and the room was shrouded in dimness.

She stretched and sat up from the bed.

Then she noticed that something seemed different in the room.

The books on the desk were neatly stacked. The chair had been pushed back to its original position. The delivery box in the corner was gone.

And…

Her gaze suddenly froze.

On the chair in the corner, that wine-red silk nightgown was gone.

In its place was a neatly folded gray sweater, one she had worn once last winter and casually tossed there.

Where was the nightgown?

She practically leapt out of bed and rushed to the chair.

Nothing.

She searched everywhere in the room under the bed, in the closet, in the desk drawers, even in the trash can. Nothing.

That nightgown had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Xu Zhaoyi stood in the middle of the room, feeling a chill crawl from the soles of her feet all the way to the top of her head.

Jiang Yao had been inside.

She must have come in.

The door was locked, how did she get in?

Xu Zhaoyi rushed back to the door to check the lock. The lock was perfectly fine, with no signs of being tampered with.

That meant… she had a key?

Aside from her father, only the housekeeper had a key to her room.

Jiang Yao must have gotten it from the housekeeper.

She must have slipped in while she was asleep, “organized” the room for her, and then… taken that nightgown.

She had found it.

She realized that Xu Zhaoyi hadn’t thrown the nightgown away, but had instead picked it back up and hidden it in her own room.

She knew everything.

Xu Zhaoyi found it difficult to breathe.

She grabbed a jacket, threw it on, pulled the door open, and rushed out.

The door to the master bedroom on the third floor was closed.

She raised her hand and pounded on the door…bang, bang, bang! hitting it with enough force to punch through the wood.

There was no movement inside.

She hammered a few more times and was just about to kick the door when it suddenly swung open from the inside.

Jiang Yao stood at the threshold, still in her pajamas. Her pale pink silk robe was loosely tied, revealing a matching camisole nightgown underneath. Her hair was draped over her shoulders, and her face carried the grogginess of someone who had just woken up.

“Zhaozhao?” She rubbed her eyes, her voice soft. “What’s wrong? Why the rush?”

“The nightgown.” Xu Zhaoyi’s voice was terribly hoarse. “Did you take it?”

Jiang Yao blinked, taking a moment to process before understanding dawned on her. “Oh, you mean the red one? Yes, I took it.”

She spoke so naturally, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

A breath caught in Xu Zhaoyi’s chest. “What right do you have to enter my room? What right do you have to take my things?”

“I went into your room because the housekeeper said your father had the key. He came home this afternoon, and I told him I wanted to help you tidy up, he agreed. ” Jiang Yao said unhurriedly. “As for the nightgown… Zhaozhao, that belongs to me.”

Xu Zhaoyi opened her mouth but found herself speechless.

It was true.

It was Jiang Yao’s item.

It had been from the very beginning.

“So,” Jiang Yao took half a step forward, leaning against the doorframe and tilting her head to look at her, “why did you pick it back up? And why hide it in your room?”

Her voice was light, each word landing on Xu Zhaoyi’s heart like a feather.

Then, she suddenly leaned in close.

So close that Xu Zhaoyi could smell the fragrance of her recent bath and see the clear alertness in her eyes, devoid of any actual sleepiness.

“Zhaozhao,” Jiang Yao leaned into her ear, her voice dropping even lower, audible only to the two of them, “I’ve discovered your secret.”

A warm breath brushed against the shell of her ear.

Xu Zhaoyi’s entire body stiffened.

She wanted to retreat, to run, to push her away, but her body felt nailed to the spot, unable to move an inch.

Jiang Yao laughed softly.

The laughter was light and gentle, carrying a certain sense of realization and pleasure.

“Did you know?” She pulled back slightly, looking into Xu Zhaoyi’s eyes. “The day I picked it out of the trash, I was wondering if you would really throw it away.”

“Turns out, you really did take it back.”

As she spoke, she turned and walked back into the room, pulling the wine-red nightgown from her wardrobe.

The silk fabric shimmered with a soft luster under the light, like a pool of flowing wine.

Holding the nightgown, Jiang Yao walked back to Xu Zhaoyi.

“Look, it’s wrinkled.” She reached out to smooth the creases in the silk, her movements as gentle as brushing dust off a flower petal. “It’s all your fault for stuffing it into such a small corner.”

Xu Zhaoyi stared at the nightgown, her throat dry.

She wanted to say something to explain, to deny but she couldn’t utter a single word.

“But it’s okay.” Jiang Yao smiled again, gently placing the nightgown into her arms. “I’ll wash it for you.”

The nightgown felt cool and slick in her hands, like a living creature lying quietly in her embrace.

It radiated Jiang Yao’s scent.

“Remember to give it back to me tomorrow,” Jiang Yao said tenderly. “I’ll take it to be laundered.”

Then she raised her hand and gently patted Xu Zhaoyi’s head.

Like patting a puppy.

“Goodnight, Zhaozhao.”

She stepped back and softly closed the door.

The door panel shut in front of Xu Zhaoyi’s eyes.

She stood there frozen, clutching the wine-red nightgown, her mind a total blank.

The surroundings were silent.

The hallway held only the dim yellow light of the wall lamps, the occasional chirp of insects from outside, and her own frantic heartbeat.

Thump. Thump.

It vibrated until her eardrums ached.

Xu Zhaoyi didn’t know how she made it back to her room.

She only knew that by the time she snapped out of it, she was sitting on her bed, still clutching the nightgown.

Under the light, the wine-red silk emitted a haunting glow.

Her hands were shaking.

Why were they shaking?

She didn’t know.

She just stared at the nightgown, staring at the slight, subtle wrinkles at the chest, staring at the faint trace of perfume on the cuffs.

Then, she suddenly stood up, rushed into the bathroom, turned on the cold water tap, and buried her face in the water.

The icy water stung her skin.

She lifted her head, looking at her reflection in the mirror, water droplets everywhere, eyes panicked, lips pale.

And then she smiled.

It was a light, cold smile.

She turned and walked out of the bathroom, picked up the nightgown from the bed, gave it one look, then opened her wardrobe and dug out a vacuum-sealed storage bag from the very back.

She stuffed the nightgown inside and zipped it shut.

Then she turned on the vacuum machine.

The machine hummed, and the air inside the bag was quickly sucked out. The wine-red nightgown was pressed flat, clinging tightly together.

Holding the flat bag, she pulled open the storage bin under her bed and shoved it into the deepest part.

The bin contained other items she rarely used: thick winter quilts, seasonal clothes, old photos, and various odds and ends.

She closed the bin and pushed it back under the bed.

Only after finishing did she stand up and brush the dust off her hands.

The sky outside was completely dark now.

She walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.

The lights in the garden were all on, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the swing moved gently.

In the distance, the windows of the master bedroom were also lit.

A warm yellow light, soft and inviting.

Xu Zhaoyi stared at that window for a long time.

The wind blew in, feeling a bit chilly.

She reached out to close the window, pulled the curtains shut, and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

Inside the storage bin under the bed lay that wine-red nightgown.

Vacuum sealed, flat, breathless.

Like a secret that had been sealed away.

She lay down, turned off the light, and closed her eyes.

In the darkness, she heard the sound of her own heartbeat.

And Jiang Yao’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind.

“I’ve discovered your secret.”

So what if she found out?

She had sealed the secret away and hidden it in the deepest depths.

No one would ever take it out again.

No one.