The Seductive Pretender: Sister-in-Law is Turning Gay - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: You’re Peeking at Me While I’m Bathing.

The last crop of watermelons of late summer was a gift from her neighbor, Sister Su, yesterday. In return, Zhong Manjing had given her two bunches of sweet and sour local green grapes.

She had been living here for a month and a half. With her sweet-talking nature, she got along well with all the neighbors.

Returning home, she glanced at the oversized calendar hanging on the door. The number “28” was circled in red—a bold, conspicuous stroke she had made in advance.

September 28th. She blinked and looked down at her own arm. There were no scars; it was frail, thin, and very pale. Despite spending time on the rooftop tending to her vegetable seedlings recently, she hadn’t tanned at all.

Even though it was noon and the cicadas were buzzing incessantly, she had been lying in bed for half the day unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the howling heights of a skyscraper, or a surreal night filled with the long wail of sirens.

“President Lin, she… she has no heartbeat.”

“I told you to keep trying to resuscitate her!”

“Ms. Zhong is already dead…”

“Beep— Beep— Beep—”

They say that after death, a person retains a brief moment of clarity where they can hear the voices of those around them. Zhong Manjing hadn’t believed it before, but now she did. More than that, she believed there truly was a soft-hearted deity in this world.

Otherwise, how could she have come back?

Zhong Manjing got out of bed and meticulously applied sun protection, covering her face and body completely. She went downstairs, pushed out the second-hand mountain bike she had bought, and rode toward the back alley path.

Today was the 28th. The “Xiaoying Noodle Shop” at No. 002 Lingnan Street would reopen today. The name “Xiaoying” would be crossed out with two ‘X’s, and the owner would scribble a random name over it, renaming it “Whatever Noodle Shop.”

There, she would see the person she needed to see.

The weather was hot, so few people were outside. The entire town felt lazy and quiet. Zhong Manjing pedaled her mountain bike fast along the dirt road.

Drenched in sweat, she finally took a shortcut to the “Luoluo Swimming Pool” by the reservoir. Her phone was mounted on a bracket on the handlebars. She double-checked the staff schedule that Meng Luo had sent her this morning and sent a message: “Has your new part-time employee arrived?”

Meng Luo: “She’s here! I’m letting her get familiar with the place today, so she isn’t officially on duty yet. She was in the hall just now, but she’s out at the moment.”

Meng Luo: “Word got out that I have such a beautiful lifeguard here, so many people have come by to ask. I thought you didn’t know; are you here to see her too?”

Zhong Manjing felt reassured. She replied: “No, it’s a small place, word gets around naturally. I was just asking casually.”

Luoluo Swimming Pool was right next to the reservoir, essentially a wild plot of land by the water that had been fenced off. After Meng Luo returned to town and leased the reservoir, she opened this pool while also handling some of the reservoir rescue work. The facility constantly needed lifeguards, who were usually locals.

Zhong Manjing put away her phone and turned her gaze toward the back of the swimming hall. There was a small, secluded wild lake with clean water. Meng Luo had mentioned before that one could swim there, though Zhong Manjing had never gone alone.

“Gougou! Wait for me!” “You can’t catch me anyway! You have to wear a swim ring just to get in the water, aren’t you ashamed?!” “My mom said we can’t go… if we go, we must bring the swim ring.”

A few minutes later, two children ran past. One was holding an inflated swim ring. The other boy, about seven years old, was wearing striped shorts.

“You little rascal, where are you taking Chenchen?” Zhong Manjing grabbed Su Xiaodong. With her other hand, she pulled out her phone and started a video call with Auntie Su.

“Don’t call my mom! Don’t! Ah, Big Sister, it was Chenchen who told me to take him swimming. Look, he has a swim ring, don’t pull my ear, ahhh…”

Sister Su’s face appeared on the screen. Su Xiaodong immediately acted like a withered quail, weakly muttering “Mom.”

Zhong Manjing smiled with squinted eyes. “Auntie Su, I caught Xiaodong trying to take Chenchen to the wild lake by the reservoir for a swim. Didn’t his teacher start giving lectures on drowning prevention this month? This little guy didn’t take it to heart at all. I just happened to catch him. Should I bring him to your shop, or will you come get him?”

“You little brat, you wait right there! Manjing, I’m coming over immediately.” Hearing this, Sister Su panicked. she closed her shop and rushed out. Within half an hour, she arrived on her electric scooter, tucked both kids under her arms, and took them away, promising to give Xiaodong a good scolding.

Zhong Manjing waved goodbye with a smile before letting out a sigh of relief.

In this world, she was the only one who knew. If Su Xiaodong had taken Chenchen swimming today, he would have stepped into water weeds, choked, and drowned. Chenchen would have been fine because of the swim ring. Fortunately, a new lifeguard sleeping in a large tree on the shore would have saved him just in time—but Xiaodong would have developed a high fever afterward that led to meningitis.

As for that lifeguard…

Zhong Manjing rode back to the shore and looked around. She saw nothing. A breeze rustled the woods by the lake. The wild trees here grew very tall; if someone were hiding in them, they would be impossible to see.

She really knows how to hide.

She pulled a bottle of perfume with a light, medicinal herb scent from her backpack and sprayed it on her arms and behind her ears. Then, she unzipped her sun-protection jacket.

Kicking off her shoes, Zhong Manjing let down her hair and slowly walked forward. The cool lake water gradually surged past her ankles, calves, waist… and finally, she dove into the water.

Comfortable.

The wind rustled, sending a leaf from a tall tree in the distance drifting into the swaying lake. Zhong Manjing, playing freely in the shimmering water, looked like an elf curiously observing the world from beneath the surface. She was an excellent swimmer; droplets rolled off her pale face like transparent pearls.

Suddenly, she paused.

“Who’s there? Come out!” Zhong Manjing looked toward an ancient tree by the shore and spoke up warily. “How long have you been there?”

No one answered. Only a cuckoo bird chirped and flew away.

“…” Zhong Manjing remained in the water, staring ahead in disbelief. “You’re peeking at me while I’m bathing!”

It was a statement, not a question.

Up in the tree, Lin Yuqing rubbed her eyes. Her vision was blurry, and she could only see a small head in the middle of the lake. The tone of the voice actually made her laugh from irritation.

Am I the kind of person who peeks at people bathing? Judging the age by the voice, Lin Yuqing figured it was a young girl.

She had just finished her onboarding paperwork at the swimming hall and had slipped out the back door to sleep in a tree by the lake. The scenery was good, and she hadn’t even fully woken up before someone accused her of peeking.

Lin Yuqing frowned and glanced that way. A small pebble struck the trunk of her tree. The person shouted again:

“You’re still looking!”

What a temper. And she didn’t even run away after being “discovered.”

Lin Yuqing answered lazily, “I can’t be bothered to look. Get back to shore quickly, it’s dangerous.”

Although the lake was clear and refreshing, there could be undercurrents and tangled weeds at the bottom. The closer to the center of the lake, the more dangerous it became.

Zhong Manjing was already walking toward the shore, her eyes wide with feigned anger. “You’re staring at me, how am I supposed to get dressed? You female rogue!”

“I wasn’t looking just now,” Lin Yuqing’s cool voice drifted down. “My eyes are closed. Get dressed and leave quickly.”

After a long silence with no response, Lin Yuqing sat up on the branch. She didn’t suddenly choke on water, did she?!

“You in the tree, I…” the young girl’s voice carried a hint of hesitation. “The wind blew my clothes away. I can’t reach them. They’re right under the tree you’re sleeping in. Can you help me pick them up?”

Lin Yuqing gave a cold scoff. “You’re asking a ‘female rogue’ to help you pick up your clothes?”

She looked down. Sure enough, a light, soft primrose-yellow cotton shirt was lying on the grass, with a mountain bike nearby.

Zhong Manjing softened her voice. “It’s only because you’re the closest. I have no choice. Can you help me? Remember to keep your eyes closed after you come down! If we meet again, I might consider not calling you a rogue.”

She switched effortlessly between being overbearing and acting soft. Now that she needed a favor, her voice was sweet and pleading. Even though Lin Yuqing knew the girl was acting, she moved.

“What a troublemaker,” she muttered as she climbed down.

With her back to the lake, she landed steadily on the grass and bent over to pick up the shirt. To her surprise, underneath were a zip-lock bag containing underwear and a white cotton skirt.

Lin Yuqing: “…”

As she held the shirt, a faint, gentle medicinal fragrance drifted into her nose. It had a base note of wormwood—a very unique and warm perfume, quite unlike the girl who had been snapping at her.

“I’m coming out now. Have you closed your eyes?” Zhong Manjing approached the shore like a fish. Her voice sounded nervous. She stared at the person’s back, her heart beating like a drum.

The hand Lin Yuqing used to hold her clothes was well-defined, with long, beautiful fingers. Zhong Manjing felt a tingling sensation in her waist, as if the touch of those fingertips had landed on her skin rather than just her clothes.

Lin Yuqing’s voice was steady. “They’re closed. Hurry up.”

Zhong Manjing: “Turn around, walk three steps forward and stop. I’ll grab them, get dressed, and leave. You are not allowed to open your eyes until then.” She splashed the water to show she was watching.

Lin Yuqing did as she was told, standing still with her arm extended. She held the clothing bag firmly between her index and middle fingers, her pinky curled slightly, dangling the shirt carelessly. Even with her eyes closed, Zhong Manjing could sense the casual, roguish air about her lips.

Zhong Manjing stepped onto the shore dripping wet. Water droplets hit the ground, shining like crushed diamonds in the sun. She walked soundlessly, step by step, drawing closer to Lin Yuqing. Finally, she stopped two paces away.

She reached out her hand. Her pale fingertips stopped abruptly just as they were about to touch Lin Yuqing’s cheek.

Zhong Manjing desperately wanted to touch her face, but if she did it now, she would definitely be seen as a pervert. The overwhelming longing she felt upon finally seeing her in person was nearly unbearable. Her eyes grew moist, but she pinched her palm to restrain herself. Her fingers traced the air over the ID badge pinned carelessly to the woman’s chest. That name had long been engraved in her heart.

The clothes were snatched from her hand. Lin Yuqing smelled the medicinal fragrance again—it was much stronger and more assertive now as the girl moved close.

Is she here? She felt the proximity of the heat, which carried a faint, buzzing sensation like an electric current. It felt like someone was about to poke the space between her eyebrows, only to stop 0.1 centimeters away.

What is this girl doing? Lin Yuqing frowned. Then she heard the person ask: “What’s your name?”

The voice was full of cheer and teasing. Lin Yuqing heard the girl climb onto her mountain bike to leave, the handlebars accidentally bumping her hip in the process.

“Lin…”

Lin Yuqing didn’t offer a reminder, and of course, she hadn’t opened her eyes yet. As she was about to say her name by some strange impulse, a gust of wind brushed past her, and the medicinal scent drifted away.

She snapped her eyes open. She saw the back of a spirited, lively girl. The primrose-yellow shirt was exceptionally bright in the sunlight, and her white skirt fluttered behind her in the wind.

As if sensing the gaze from behind, the person on the bike raised a fair arm and waved. A voice tinged with laughter was carried back by the wind.

“I was just teasing you, and you took it seriously? Lin Yuqing, see you later—”

Lin Yuqing arched an eyebrow and looked down at her ID badge. Her name was written right there.

Who is this girl? She’s far too arrogant.

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