The Seductive Pretender: Sister-in-Law is Turning Gay - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: “I Am Becoming Your Accomplice.”

Both of them slept exceptionally well that night. Perhaps because it was the first time having company, coupled with the comfortable room temperature, Lin Yuqing didn’t even dream. When she woke up precisely at 4:00 AM, Zhong Manjing’s leg was still draped over her waist.

They hadn’t known each other long, yet they were this intimate.

Lin Yuqing sat up soundlessly. She didn’t get out of bed immediately; instead, she moved slowly, pulling the thin blanket back over Zhong Manjing.

The young woman on the bed slept deeply, giving Lin Yuqing the illusion that they had been close for years. Otherwise, given the actual duration of their acquaintance, they should still be strangers.

Lin Yuqing wasn’t a fool. she had spent a long time reflecting but couldn’t recall a single memory regarding Zhong Manjing. Before arriving here, she had already forgotten many things.

After waiting about ten minutes, Lin Yuqing climbed out of bed, took her wallet from the cabinet, and stared repeatedly at the address on her ID card.

Yibei City, Lin Yuqing.

Was that really her?

She knew she had lost part of her memory, but a strange instinct the same one that brought her to this small southern town was preventing her from going back. It felt like a natural, deep-seated resistance. She knew it was better not to touch those memories, but she wondered: was she really going to stay here forever?

A brain that has just woken up isn’t suited for deep philosophical questions. Lin Yuqing went downstairs; she had to go to the harbor to buy fresh live crabs.

“Xiao Lin is here! Top-tier seafood caught just this morning, guaranteed to satisfy. Take a look!” The pier market was already bustling. Several stall owners she frequented called out to her. This young, tanned fellow was Zhang Xiaolei, accompanied by his equally tanned ten-year-old sister, Zhang Xiaohua.

Lin Yuqing had made an appointment with them yesterday. She walked over, thought for a moment, and pulled a custard bun she’d taken from the shop out of her pocket to give to Xiaohua while she inspected the crates.

The crabs were lively, jumping in the seawater, each weighing at least 200g.

Good stock.

Zhang Xiaohua thanked Lin Yuqing before chirping, “Sister Yuqing, my brother kept these specifically for you. They’re great. Two restaurant owners asked for them earlier, but we wouldn’t sell.”

“Thank you, I’ll take them all. Why aren’t you in school today?” Lin Yuqing asked casually. Xiaohua replied shyly, “I’m heading to school as soon as we finish selling these.”

Lin Yuqing paid with bills. Zhang Xiaolei tried to give her a discount, refusing to take the last 20 yuan.

“No, no! You even brought food for Xiaohua, we can’t take this,” Zhang Xiaolei insisted. He looked at the golden bread, knowing it wasn’t cheap. Lin Yuqing didn’t argue; she simply stuffed the crumpled bill into Xiaohua’s pocket. “Go buy some candy.”

She started to leave, then paused and turned back. “Eat it without worry. I didn’t buy it; Xiao Zhong made it. If you want to thank someone, thank her.”

She lifted the box of swimming crabs and stepped through the messy, wet ground, her expression unchanged. Under the bright floodlights, familiar faces called out to her.

“Business must be good lately, Xiao Lin! You look like you’re in a great mood. Much more spirited. You’ve changed a lot.”

Lin Yuqing: “Business is okay. Have I changed?”

the man laughed. “A huge change! When you first came, you never chatted. You’d just move your stuff and leave in under ten minutes. As the young people say, you were very ‘cold and aloof’.”

Lin Yuqing stood still for two minutes, replaying that sentence in her mind.

Only then did she realize that her action of putting food into Xiaohua’s hand—and the way Xiaohua’s eyes lit up was exactly how Zhong Manjing acted when “feeding” the neighborhood children.

Zhong Manjing woke up at 7:00 AM. She stared blankly at the ceiling for five minutes, checked her phone, scrolled through a few cat and dog videos, and finally felt awake.

That’s right, she was in Lin Yuqing’s rental house.

Another happy day begins! Zhong Manjing skipped barefoot to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Perhaps Lin Yuqing had noticed her bad habit of walking around without shoes; a soft, square rug had been placed exactly where she needed to stand by the sink.

A toothbrush had been unpacked, laid flat on her new cup, with toothpaste already squeezed onto it. The vanity wasn’t large; her toiletries sat snug against Lin Yuqing’s.

“I’m in your care,” Zhong Manjing whispered to her reflection. She was becoming more certain that her approach was right.

Lin Yuqing was a kind person by nature. Otherwise, why would she have helped her back when she supposedly “loathed” her?

When she went downstairs, the shop was full of children eating either hot noodle soup or tomato broth noodles. Su Xiaodong and Chenchen immediately made room on their bench. “Sister!”

Zhong Manjing squeezed in between them. Lin Yuqing brought out a bowl of Crab Roe Lo Mein and some warm jasmine tea. Zhong Manjing’s bowl was clearly a special custom version, piled high with pre-shucked crab meat.

Lin Yuqing: “Didn’t sleep well? Why are you up so early?”

Zhong Manjing smiled. “It’s because I slept too well. Go on, get back to work. I’ll play with the kids for a bit.”

Lin Yuqing checked the clock. “There’s a bus to the school at 7:30. Don’t let them be late.”

Zhong Manjing teased, “You’re such a nag, Lin Yuqing… Alright, alright, little ones, did you hear that? Eat up. Why don’t you have anything?”

Zhong Manjing noticed a little girl sitting across from her with an empty space in front of her. She was thin but looked sturdy with tanned skin.

Zhang Xiaohua gave a shy smile. “Sister, the bread you made was delicious. Thank you.”

She pulled out the remaining half-bun from her backpack; she had planned to save it for lunch. Zhong Manjing exchanged a look with Lin Yuqing in the kitchen and understood what had happened.

Chenchen whispered loudly in Zhong Manjing’s ear, “That’s Zhang Xiaohua from third grade. She’s super tough! Even Tang Yifeng hides from her. He says she’s a little bully.”

Xiaohua said anxiously, “I’m not! It’s just that Tang Yifeng peed on the wall and I saw him. He told me not to tell the teacher, then he hit me first, so I kicked him in the butt.”

Su Xiaodong was wide-eyed. “He fought with you?”

Zhong Manjing couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you talking about? Xiaohua was just protecting herself. You can’t let people bully you, but blind violence isn’t the way. You two finish up; Xiaohua is waiting for you to go to class.”

By the time they left, Chenchen and Su Xiaodong had decided to recognize Xiaohua as their “Big Sister,” with Zhong Manjing acting as the witness.

Zhong Manjing happily accepted the role and gave them each a lollipop, sending them off to school.

The bus stop was lined with sweet osmanthus trees. Overnight, the branches had become heavy with silver blossoms, releasing a delicate fragrance. The early osmanthus was blooming; making osmanthus honey needed to be put on the schedule. She had a lot to do.

Although it wasn’t cold yet, it would start raining in a month or so. It was time to prepare for autumn.

She glanced at the small alley next to the noodle shop. While she was pondering with her phone in hand, Lin Yuqing suddenly appeared beside her. “Blind violence is not the way,” she said.

Zhong Manjing jumped, looking at Lin Yuqing in shock. Does this woman have mind-reading powers? I just took one look and she knows what I’m thinking?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Boss Lin. I never fight,” Zhong Manjing replied with a smile. Lin Yuqing smiled back. “I was just repeating what you taught the children. Don’t panic.”

Who’s panicking? You’re talking nonsense. Zhong Manjing felt Lin Yuqing was bluffing. She steadied herself. “I have things to do today. I’ll have Brother Li bring over the ‘mother liquid’ for the pickled cabbage later.”

With that, making sauerkraut in the shop wouldn’t be so troublesome; they could just toss cabbage into the jar with the starter.

“And don’t you dare say no. If you refuse, how can I feel comfortable mooching your bed at night?” Zhong Manjing didn’t give her a chance to object. “The weather is nice today; remember to wash my pajamas for me.”

Lin Yuqing nodded. “If you don’t mind, you can bring some things you need for sleeping and keep them here.”

Zhong Manjing didn’t disturb her further and walked back home. At the gate, she met Su Yun watering flowers. After a night of rest, Su Yun looked radiant and recovered.

“Morning, you’re back. Another batch of vegetables on your roof is ripe; go check them,” Su Yun pointed upward. “I found an old loofah on the ground this morning. It’s too tough to eat; see if you want to keep the seeds.”

“I’ll dry it out to use as a scrubber for dishes,” Zhong Manjing took it and asked, “Sister Su, I want to order some wild honey. Do you have a lead?”

“Xiangxia, who runs the silk quilt shop next to mine her husband is a beekeeper. I’ll ask for you.” Su Yun remembered something else. “Oh, before you got back, Xie Sihe from Old Feng’s Appliances came looking for you. He asked if you wanted an AC installed. I figured our place is fully equipped and nothing needs fixing.”

Zhong Manjing said, “It’s nothing, I’ll go check on it later.”

Once Su Yun left, Zhong Manjing changed clothes and went to the rooftop to water and harvest. In just two days, the eggplants, cucumbers, and climbing beans had all matured. Tomatoes were tucked between them like bright red gems.

Luckily, she had harvested the green grapes two days ago to ferment for wine, or they would have rotted by now.

The asparagus in the large pots was growing in thick patches. Zhong Manjing used ribbons to tie the tender top sections she harvested, leaving the bottom to continue growing. She filled her bamboo basket and picked a few yellow-fleshed mini watermelons before heading down with her haul.

For lunch, she made a simple stir-fry of mushrooms and asparagus with sugar-marinated tomatoes over Panjin rice. It was a satisfying, light meal.

In the afternoon, she set off with a bag of items, heading first to Boss Feng’s second-hand appliance shop. Under the scorching sun, Xie Sihe was repairing an outdoor AC unit.

Seeing her, he hurriedly pulled off his dusty white gloves, sweat pouring down his face. Before he could speak, Zhong Manjing placed a chilled mini watermelon on the table. “Xiao Xie, you’re all alone in the shop? Here, have some watermelon.”

Xie Sihe went inside, wiped off his sweat, and washed his hands before taking the melon. “The Master and Xiao Zeng went to install a unit. I’m watching the shop. This melon… oh, yellow-fleshed? It tastes like the ones from my childhood.”

“I grew it myself.” Zhong Manjing didn’t beat around the bush. “Sister Su said you came looking for me this morning. What’s up?”

Xie Sihe’s eating slowed. He looked around cautiously, then lowered his voice. “Miss Zhong, did you… did you offend someone?”

Zhong Manjing noted that during the AC installation, Xie Sihe had called her “Sister,” but now he used a formal title. She knew she had guessed correctly.

At seventeen, Xie Sihe was still young easy to bribe, easy to scare. In other words, if she was the one to “buy” his loyalty first, everything would be different.

“What happened?” Zhong Manjing looked at him blankly, her basket of vegetables on her arm. Xie Sihe felt that Zhong Manjing looked like those ethereal rural bloggers who were popular online; she looked nothing like the descriptions in the magazines.

He had heard her name from his Master, always in praise—saying she was polite and brought in business. The neighbors all liked her.

After hesitating, Xie Sihe pulled a thick magazine from his toolbox, flipped to a folded page in the middle, and showed her.

“Someone stopped me on the road this morning. I thought he was a nutcase, but then he pulled out this magazine and asked if I’d seen you.”

Zhong Manjing took the book. It was a gossip magazine she knew well, but the title read: Yibei Elite.

Starting from the middle, the rest of the magazine was filled with the latest news from the gossip circles. This publication had high sales locally. This was last month’s issue. On the divider page was a solo photo of her. It was as clear as a professional portrait.

—If you ignored the fact that she was sitting in a VIP booth, throwing a torn, fluffy diamond skirt onto the floor while several employees bowed low on the ground.

Her expression in the photo was arrogant and lazy, like a spoiled princess.

The headline was in large, bold red font: LITTLE PRINCESS’S LUXURIOUS CARNIVAL NIGHT: 300 ROUNDS OF BATTLE! LONG ABSENCE FROM PUBLIC EYE SUSPECTED ARREST? ZHONG FAMILY RESPONDS: NONSENSE! The exclamation point was oversized.

The inner pages described in detail how Zhong Manjing, the youngest daughter of the Zhong family, had been spoiled since childhood. It listed her “bad habits”—fighting, drinking, smoking. It claimed she would pull a knife if things didn’t go her way, and that she had once slashed her brother’s arm during a tantrum. It painted a tragic story of how her half-brother, Zhong Suyuan, had enabled her until she committed a “great mistake.”

Zhong Manjing let out a “tsk” of disbelief. Honestly, looking at this report, even she found herself wondering if it were true.

Xie Sihe watched her carefully, his chewing becoming very slow.

Zhong Manjing flipped forward a few pages and saw an even more striking headline: LIN FAMILY EQUITY STRUGGLE REACHES FEVER PITCH: HONEST SECOND SON LIN YUESHAN BECOMES DARK HORSE, LIKELY FINAL HEIR.

She glanced at Xie Sihe. He froze, his body visibly tensing. Zhong Manjing knew he likely hadn’t read the later pages. She closed the magazine and smiled. “Xiao Xie, how old are you?”

Xie Sihe’s voice dropped. “…Seventeen.”

“You’re a smart guy, no need to lie to me. I know you just turned sixteen. If you get the chance, you should go back to school.” Zhong Manjing looked at him with a smile, but Xie Sihe stopped moving entirely. Despite the heat, he was break out in a cold sweat.

He took a deep breath and pulled a stiff card with a phone number on it from his toolbox. “This was written by the person who stopped me. I haven’t hidden anything else from you… Sister, I swear.”

Zhong Manjing took out a lighter and burned the familiar phone number right in front of him. The ashes fell neatly into the trash can.

“I’ll come back for you this afternoon. I need you to do something for me. I’m taking this magazine.” Zhong Manjing left him two more mini watermelons. “Give these to Old Feng and Xiao Zeng.”

Because of those words, Xie Sihe was anxious all afternoon. He thought he was completely finished. He wasn’t afraid of a beating, but the fact that Zhong Manjing didn’t hit him or scream at him created immense psychological pressure.

In the afternoon, Zhong Manjing returned with Boss Feng, carrying a bottle of clear wine. There was no label; it looked homemade.

She looked at Xie Sihe again. He was so nervous he instinctively stood at attention—a muscle memory from his time in juvenile detention.

Boss Feng said, “Oh, you didn’t have to be so polite! It’s just a small favor, and you brought wine. Stay for dinner!” He uncorked it and took a sniff. “Fragrant!”

“It’s a bit tart, steeped a month ago. It’s about 40% alcohol, good for having with a meal. I won’t stay for dinner; I’ll just have Xiao Xie help me with something and then he can come back to rest,” Zhong Manjing said.

Normally, fermentation wouldn’t be this fast, but she had added fruit wine yeast to assist. With the recent hot weather, it had fermented exceptionally quickly.

Boss Feng said, “Xiao Xie, Sister Zhong needs help moving some quilts. You have the night off.”

Xie Sihe: “Huh?”

He hadn’t expected the thing he’d been dreading all afternoon to be this. He followed Zhong Manjing to the silk quilt shop in a daze and moved five quilts. Two 2.5kg ones, one 1.5kg one, and one 0.5kg one.

By the time they reached Zhong Manjing’s courtyard, it was dark. She told him to take one of the 2.5kg winter quilts with him.

Xie Sihe said, “Sister, please don’t do this, I’m actually getting scared. What do you want me to do? Just say it, I’m begging you…”

At 8:30 PM, Lin Yuqing received a message from Zhong Manjing saying she was making cakes at home and would be over later.

The shop wasn’t busy. Lin Yuqing hadn’t seen Zhong Manjing all day and thought she wasn’t coming. She replied: Any good news to celebrate?

Nothing much, just felt like a good day. I asked Sister Feng if I could go camping in the mountains with her husband for a few days, and she said no problem. I also ordered some new quilts, I’ll bring them over in a bit.

This was followed by: Hahahahahahahaha

Winter quilts? Don’t bring them, I’ll help you get them if you need them later, Lin Yuqing replied. It’s almost nine. The square dancers finished early today, it’s already quiet. I’ll come pick you up in a bit.

Zhong Manjing’s chat didn’t show “typing,” but Lin Yuqing heard a dull thud from the alleyway nearby. Before she could react, there was a loud scream. Then, silence. As if it had been an illusion.

She put her phone away and closed the shop door, observing her surroundings. There were few people on the street; it seemed no one noticed the commotion deep in the alley.

But Lin Yuqing knew it wasn’t an illusion. Her senses were sharp.

The alley was secluded. Lin Yuqing was very familiar with the paths here. She turned into another small alley and saw the dilapidated sign of a guesthouse and a dark surveillance camera nearby.

Turning into the alley, she heard something being dragged. She ran forward and found a small, portable Bluetooth speaker. Xie Sihe had used a burlap sack to cover a man’s eyes, leaving only his nose and mouth exposed.

The man’s mouth was gagged. His face was swollen he had clearly been slapped a few times. He was tied to a sturdy stool with thick rope, his hands struggling behind his back. Xie Sihe was holding an electric shaver, shaving the man’s head.

The man made angry, muffled low growls. Every time he made a sound, Xie Sihe would punch him in a place that wouldn’t show a bruise.

Nearby, Zhong Manjing who had claimed to be making cakes was sitting in a rocking chair, drinking Thai lemon tea while watching the show. When she saw Lin Yuqing appear, her world went silent.

Watching Lin Yuqing walk over without a word, Xie Sihe’s face went pale; he forgot what he was doing. But Lin Yuqing took the electric shaver from his hand, shaved Wang Dingchun’s head clean in one go, and then expertly tightened the ropes so the man could no longer struggle.

Zhong Manjing stopped drinking her tea. “What… what are you doing?”

Lin Yuqing sighed helplessly. “What else? I am becoming your accomplice.”

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