She’s Being Naughty - Chapter 6

The autumn weather had actually grown a bit chilly, but Xu Zhaoyi insisted on throwing a party by the swimming pool of her family villa.

Her reasoning was that her father had been so busy with company business lately that he often didn’t come home for days. The villa felt empty, and she was bored being alone.

Xu Jiancheng didn’t say much; he simply told her to be careful and not stay up too late.

Over thirty invitations were sent out, and nearly twenty people showed up. They were all friends from her social circle, similar family backgrounds, similar ages, and people she usually hung out with.

Starting at 4:00 PM, the poolside became lively.

The speakers were blaring, the music vibrating so loud it made people’s heads ring. Friends clustered in groups of twos and threes, some were splashing in the water, some were lounging on deck chairs drinking and chatting, and others were at the buffet table picking out food.

Xu Zhaoyi wore a black one-piece swimsuit with a back cut so low it nearly reached her waist. Below, she wore black shorts that hugged her long, slender legs. She didn’t go into the water but sat on a rattan chair by the pool, a glass of juice in hand, chatting idly with Zhou Xiaoxiao next to her.

However, out of the corner of her eye, she kept glancing involuntarily toward the second-floor balcony.

Jiang Yao was on the second floor.

Today, she wore a light beige long dress that flowed down to her ankles, topped with a matching knit cardigan. Her hair was loosely pinned back with a wooden hairpin. She sat in a rattan chair on the balcony with a book spread across her lap and a glass of red wine on the small round table beside her.

She was reading.

Nearly two hours had passed since the party began, and she had just sat there the entire time, occasionally turning a page or taking a sip from her glass.

She looked like an outsider.

“Hey, Sister Zhaoyi,” a young boy she had recently met approached, holding two glasses of wine. “Care for a drink?”

Xu Zhaoyi turned to look at him.

He was about seventeen or eighteen, quite clean-cut, with a hint of caution and a desire to please in his eyes.

She took the glass and smiled. “Thanks.”

The boy flushed slightly and sat in the chair beside her. “You look really beautiful today, Sister Zhaoyi.”

“Is that so?” Xu Zhaoyi took a sip of wine, her eyes drifting back to the second floor.

Jiang Yao remained in her original position, seemingly oblivious to the commotion downstairs. Or rather, she noticed it but simply didn’t care.

“Yeah,” the boy continued, his voice carrying the characteristic raw eagerness of youth. “Black really suits your skin; it makes you look exceptionally fair. Back at school, I always loved seeing you wear black. Every time you passed our classroom door, the guys in our class would…”

Xu Zhaoyi wasn’t really listening.

She was thinking about Jiang Yao.

Just how deep were that woman’s schemes? The things she whispered in her ear that night, the nightgown she took away, that phrase: “Your secret has been discovered by me”…

How could she sit there so calmly reading a book?

It was so noisy downstairs, the music was so loud, could she really not hear a thing?

“Zhaoyi?” Zhou Xiaoxiao nudged her. “I’m talking to you. Why are you spacing out?”

Xu Zhaoyi snapped back to reality. “Huh? What did you say?”

“I asked if you want to go singing later.” Zhou Xiaoxiao pointed to a few friends nearby who were already getting a bit tipsy. “They said they want to change venues and go to a KTV.”

“I’m not going,” Xu Zhaoyi shook her head. “I’m tired.”

“It’s barely even late and you’re tired?” Zhou Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, leaned in closer, and lowered her voice. “Hey, are you looking at the one upstairs?”

Xu Zhaoyi’s heart skipped a beat. “What ‘upstairs’?”

“Stop pretending.” Zhou Xiaoxiao jerked her chin toward the second floor balcony. “Your stepmother, right? You’ve looked over there at least twenty times since we started.”

Xu Zhaoyi’s face felt hot. “Who’s looking at her? I was just looking at the scenery.”

“Sure, sure, just the scenery.” Zhou Xiaoxiao didn’t call her out further, but she couldn’t help commenting, “But seriously, your new mom is something else. With all this racket down here, she can actually sit still. I’m impressed.”

As she spoke, she also looked up toward the second floor.

At that exact moment, Jiang Yao turned a page.

Her movements were slow and elegant, possessing a certain stillness that was completely at odds with her surroundings.

“By the way,” Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered something. “Didn’t you say last time that there’s nothing going on between her and your dad? I see your dad isn’t home much lately either. So why did he marry her? To use her as a decoration?”

Xu Zhaoyi remained silent.

This was exactly what she couldn’t figure out either.

There was indeed no physical intimacy between Jiang Yao and her father. On the wedding night, she had kept her ears pressed to the wall all night; the master bedroom upstairs had been dead quiet.

In the days since, when her father was home, the two of them interacted normally at most a handshake or a touch on the shoulder. Even a hug was rare.

Why would the thirty-year-old Jiang Yao marry her father, a man nearing fifty?

For money? She didn’t seem like that kind of person.

Then for what?

Zhou Xiaoxiao was still rambling on with her analysis. “Maybe it’s a political marriage? Does your father’s company need some kind of connection? Or maybe… hey, does your family have any big projects lately?”

Xu Zhaoyi shook her head.

“That’s strange then.” Zhou Xiaoxiao rubbed her chin. “It couldn’t really be for love, could it?”

She laughed at her own suggestion.

Xu Zhaoyi didn’t laugh.

She stared at that quiet figure on the second floor balcony, her mind a mess.

Right then, Jiang Yao suddenly moved.

She set her book down and picked up her wine glass. Instead of drinking immediately, she turned her head and looked directly down at Xu Zhaoyi.

Across a distance of a dozen meters, through the glass windows, and through the steam and music rising from the poolside.

Their gazes locked in mid-air.

Xu Zhaoyi’s heart tightened violently.

Her instinct was to dodge, to turn her eyes away, to pretend she hadn’t been looking at all.

But Jiang Yao’s gaze was like a hook, pinning her in place so she couldn’t move.

Then, Jiang Yao raised her glass toward Xu Zhaoyi and gave it a gentle swirl.

It looked like a greeting.

Or perhaps… a toast.

From such a distance, Xu Zhaoyi couldn’t see her expression clearly. But she could imagine it, those eyes must be curved, the corners of her mouth turned up in that knowing, gentle smile.

As if she had seen through her thoughts.

Seen through her disguise.

Seen through the real purpose of why she threw this party today.

Xu Zhaoyi felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, her face flushed instantly.

She jerked her head away and took a massive gulp of her juice.

The icy liquid slid down her throat, but it did nothing to dampen the internal heat.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhou Xiaoxiao looked at her. “Why is your face so red? Are you hot?”

“No, I’m not.” Xu Zhaoyi set the glass down, her palms slick with sweat.

She didn’t dare look at the second floor again.

“Hey, it looks like your stepmother is waving at you,” Zhou Xiaoxiao added suddenly.

Xu Zhaoyi gritted her teeth, stood up from the rattan chair, and tossed out a quick “I’m going for a swim” before walking briskly to the edge and diving into the water as if escaping.

Splash!

The water sprayed high.

The chilling pool water instantly enveloped her body, slightly easing the burning in her face.

She dove to the bottom, held her breath, and opened her eyes to stare at the blue tiles.

Yet, her mind was still stuck on that moment.

The way Jiang Yao looked at her through the glass.

The gesture of the remote toast.

And that feeling of shame and panic from being seen through.

She stayed underwater for a long time until her lungs began to ache, then she burst through the surface.

She gasped for air.

Her friends were still playing by the pool, and the music was still deafening. Someone jumped into the water, creating a massive splash, while laughter and screams merged into one.

But Xu Zhaoyi couldn’t hear any of it.

She leaned against the edge of the pool, her eyes drifting uncontrollably back toward the second floor balcony.

Jiang Yao was gone.

The rattan chair was empty, leaving only the book still spread open.

The wine glass was gone, too.

She had left.

When did she leave? After she had jumped into the water?

Xu Zhaoyi couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart. It was like a sigh of relief, yet also… a bit of a letdown.

“Sister Zhaoyi,” that young boy from before approached again, squatting by the pool and handing her a bottle of water. “Are you thirsty?”

Xu Zhaoyi took it and thanked him.

“You’re really amazing, Sister Zhaoyi.” The boy looked at her with sparkling eyes. “That dive just now was incredibly cool.”

Xu Zhaoyi forced a smile and climbed out of the pool while drinking the water.

Droplets trailed down from her hair and body, leaving a string of wet footprints on the tiles. She took a bath towel handed to her by someone nearby, wiped herself down haphazardly, and then went to sit in her original rattan chair.

The party remained lively, but she no longer had the heart to participate. Her mind was a chaotic mess, filled entirely with Jiang Yao’s eyes and that gesture of raising the glass.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Xiaoxiao leaned in. “Did she really get to you?”

“What do you mean ‘get to me’?” Xu Zhaoyi gave her an annoyed look.

“Your stepmother,” Zhou Xiaoxiao lowered her voice. “I took a good look just now. That kind of aura isn’t something just anyone can have. Elegant, composed, it’s like she wouldn’t even blink if the sky fell. No wonder your dad married her so quickly.”

Xu Zhaoyi didn’t say anything.

Zhou Xiaoxiao continued, “But I think she probably doesn’t have any ill will toward you. Did you see how gently she smiled when she greeted you just now?”

Gentle?

The corner of Xu Zhaoyi’s mouth twitched.

Was that gentleness? It was the composure of someone who saw through everything. It was a condescending gaze from on high. It was… teasing. Like a cat playing with a mouse.

“By the way,” Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered. “You said last time that she and your dad don’t have any physical intimacy?”

“Yeah.”

“Then what could she be after?” Zhou Xiaoxiao frowned. “At your dad’s age, he’s not exactly a supermodel. Even though he’s rich, she doesn’t look like she’s lacking money. With that aura and those looks, a thirty-year-old woman should have plenty of men chasing her.”

This was also the part Xu Zhaoyi couldn’t figure out.

But she soon stopped thinking about it because people at the party began to clamor for a game of Truth or Dare. Being forced into the game, Xu Zhaoyi quickly found she had no time for such thoughts.

The game was played wildly. After a few rounds, several people had been forced to do various embarrassing things. Someone had to sing at the top of their lungs in the pool, someone went to the neighboring villa’s entrance and jumped three times; someone else was sent to ask a passerby for their contact info.

When it was Xu Zhaoyi’s turn, she drew a Dare.

She pulled a small slip of paper from the drawing tube. On it was written: Send a message to the first person in your contacts saying “I miss you so much.”

The friends around her began to hoot and cheer.

“Quick, quick! Let’s see who the first person is!”

“Will it be some handsome guy?”

“Oh man, what if it’s her dad? That would be hilarious.”

Xu Zhaoyi picked up her phone, unlocked it, and opened her contacts. Then, she froze.

The first name in her contacts was sorted alphabetically. It started with an ‘A’.

Jiang Yao.

She didn’t know when she had saved Jiang Yao’s number. It might have been on the wedding day when her father insisted they exchange numbers, she had saved it casually and never deleted it.

“Who is it? Who is it?” Zhou Xiaoxiao leaned over to look, then let out an “Ah!” “This contact name… Jiang? Is it…”

The people around them fell silent, their eyes all fixed on her. Xu Zhaoyi stared at the name, her hands trembling slightly.

“Send it! Send it!” someone urged.

“Exactly, a bet’s a bet.”

“Don’t stall, Sister Zhaoyi.”

Xu Zhaoyi took a deep breath and opened the chat window. She and Jiang Yao had almost never chatted; the window only contained a message forwarded by her father, asking her to save Jiang Yao’s number. It was empty.

She tapped the input box and typed.

“I miss you so much.”

Four words. She typed them, then deleted them. Typed them again, then deleted them.

The friends around her started a countdown: “Three, two…..”

She closed her eyes and pressed send. Then she immediately exited the chat and slammed the phone face down on the table.

Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her throat. The friends around her erupted in cheers and continued the game, but Xu Zhaoyi couldn’t hear anything anymore. Her mind held only those four words and the person who was about to receive them.

What would Jiang Yao think? Would she think she was crazy? Would she think it was a provocation? Or would she… reply with something?

The phone suddenly vibrated.

She snatched it up. The screen was lit. It was Jiang Yao’s reply.

There was only one word:

“Mhm.”

Then another message followed:

“Have fun. Don’t be out too late.”

It was followed by a smiley face emoji.

Xu Zhaoyi stared at those two messages, her entire body paralyzed.

“She replied! She replied!” a sharp-eyed friend next to her saw the screen. “What did she write?”

She immediately turned off the screen.

“Nothing.” She stuffed the phone back into her bag. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Having said that, she stood up and walked quickly into the villa. She crossed the hallway, went upstairs, and returned to her own room.

She leaned against the back of the door, her hand gripping the wood, gasping for air. The party outside continued, the muffled sound of music drifting through the glass. Yet she felt it was incredibly quiet, so quiet she could only hear her own heartbeat and that one word echoing repeatedly in her mind.

“Mhm.”

So calm, so natural. As if she were truly just responding to a sentiment of longing.

But how was that possible? Between them, how could there possibly be any “missing” each other?

Xu Zhaoyi slowly slid down to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her head. Her swimsuit was still wet, clinging to her body with an icy chill. Yet she didn’t feel cold at all.

Her face, her ears, and her neck were all burning hot, as if they had been scorched by that single word.