The Seductive Pretender: Sister-in-Law is Turning Gay - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: “I Cannot Betray This Trust, I Cannot Bow my Head to Take a Bite.”

Lin Yuqing went to ask Meng Luo and the others for their opinion. They were all having a great time; as soon as they heard they could stay overnight, they got excited and unanimously agreed not to return. Consequently, they called the children’s parents one by one to report in, explaining they would stay for the night and bring the children back the next day.

The electric scooter was still charging. Zhong Manjing told Lin Yuqing that there were many narrow paths in these mountains where a scooter would be more convenient than a car, just in case of an emergency.

Together, the two of them brought down several sleeping bags. Lin Yuqing looked at the various sizes in surprise. “Did you know long ago that all of us were coming?”

Otherwise, the sleeping bags were just too perfect some large, some small. Feng Xiangxia and Wang Cheng’s family would sleep in the nearby hut, so they didn’t need to worry about them. The three other children shared two sleeping bags, while Meng Luo and Zhang Pingrui each had their own.

Zhong Manjing and Lin Yuqing were to sleep on the air mattress, which was already made up.

Zhong Manjing said, “I didn’t know. I just like excitement and hoarding things. I happened to have them in the trunk.”

Her words weren’t very convincing, but Lin Yuqing didn’t press further.

Once the tent was tidy, the BBQ feast outside was ready to begin. The children took out the honey bread its bottom baked to a perfect crisp—and continued to run around tirelessly. Wang Cheng and Zhang Pingrui took on the primary grilling duties. Meng Luo held two small honey buns, munching away. “The taste of childhood.”

“Not going back was the right call.” Meng Luo beckoned Zhong Manjing and Lin Yuqing to sit. “We should just close the swimming center and open a homestay in the mountains.”

Zhong Manjing replied, “Don’t just act on a whim. If the swimming center closes, Lin Yuqing loses her part-time job. That’s not allowed.”

Zhang Pingrui shouted, “Are we pouring the wine? Xiao Zhong brought wine!” When they set out, Zhong Manjing had brought two jars. One was self-fermented green grape wine, which was quite strong. The other was osmanthus glutinous rice wine—low in alcohol, incredibly fragrant, and tasted like a soft drink.

“Oooooh! Alcohol!” Su Xiaodong ran over acting like a little adult. Zhang Pingrui shooed him away. “Kids can’t drink. Go find Sister Yuqing and pour yourselves some Coke or Sprite.”

Chen-chen asked, “Why can’t kids drink? My mom has a glass every dinner. She says it’s for ‘beauty.’ I want beauty too. What does beauty mean?”

Zhong Manjing said, “Beauty means turning Brother Zhang Pingrui into Sister Meng Luo.”

Chen-chen nodded solemnly. “Oh! Turning the not-pretty into the pretty.”

“What are you teaching the kids?” Zhang Pingrui wanted to find a mirror; he was the class heartthrob in college, okay!

“There are many things kids can’t do,” Zhang Xiaohua said. “But my brother says you can once you grow up. I often want to jump into the sea to swim, but he says no, the sharks will eat me.”

Xiaohua laughed at herself. “My brother is lying. I’m ten years old; how could I meet a shark just by taking a swim?”

Zhong Manjing said, “Your brother isn’t lying. There are also orcas in the sea. Do you know about orcas?”

Zhang Xiaohua: “The little overlords of the ocean!”

“No, no, no. They are the ‘street thugs’ of the ocean. They’ll take any disobedient children and toss them into the air to play with.” Zhong Manjing wore a mysterious smile. “Even sharks are afraid of them.”

Chen-chen: “Wow, so cool! Can I be a thug when I grow up?”

Zhong Manjing: “You can be a thug whenever a shark tries to attack you.”

Meng Luo: “…What kind of picture books did you read as a kid? Were they misprinted? Is this how you teach children?”

Lin Yuqing sat beside Zhong Manjing. She was pouring wine, listening and smiling. She also prepared the children’s drinks Sprite for Xiaohua and Xiaodong, and AD Calcium milk for the younger Chen-chen and Nuoyan.

The BBQ was served. First came a plate for each person of honey-glazed pork ribs, grilled at a precisely controlled low temperature. Every bite was juicy.

The flavor had melded deep into the meat. Zhong Manjing finished her plate in no time, took a sip of the rice wine, and turned to Lin Yuqing. “Why are you also drinking the rice wine?”

Lin Yuqing said, “I’m not a good drinker.”

“You’re not a good drinker? How is that possible?” Zhong Manjing blinked, looking at Lin Yuqing’s serious face.

She remembered Lin Yuqing having a very high tolerance. Back at the Zhong house, she had seen Lin Yuqing drink a lot. The drunker Lin Yuqing got, the more solemn and calm her expression became—like a lifeless, humorless statue. Zhong Suyuan found it incredibly dull, saying it was less fun than teasing a dog.

Only when Zhong Manjing entered that room later did she realize Lin Yuqing was simply a late bloomer when it came to the effects of alcohol.

“Swap with me.” Zhong Manjing took Lin Yuqing’s cup and naturally poured it into her own. She poured the clear green grape wine for Lin Yuqing, adding a splash of Sprite. “Drink this instead.”

“I’ll go help out,” Zhong Manjing said naturally, finishing her cup before going to fetch grilled eggplant and black tiger prawns.

Lin Yuqing was left staring at Zhong Manjing’s empty cup specifically the rim, where there was a faint lipstick mark.

The rice wine… I just took a sip from that. She didn’t manage to say it before Zhong Manjing finished the drink. Seeing Zhong Manjing’s casual demeanor, Lin Yuqing told herself not to overthink it. Close friends act like this.

Scallops with vermicelli bubbled on the grill with fragrant garlic. Tomahawk steaks showed beautiful Maillard browning. Chicken cartilage, salt-baked hairy crabs, oysters, grilled corn, crispy chicken skin, and duck tongues were all ready. The usual chicken wings and pork belly skewers were there too. The air was thick with dominant, savory aromas; it was hard to decide what to eat first.

Everyone sat at the table and raised a glass.

“This wine goes down easy. How long was it aged?” Wang Cheng downed half a glass. Zhong Manjing said, “Brother Wang, I suggest you pace yourself. I used 45% white spirit to steep this. It’s been aging for over a year.”

She had brought this jar when she first moved to Yuhai County. The longer it aged, the less “stinging” the alcohol became, blending perfectly with the fruit which is why it went down so smoothly. But this kind of wine often makes people drunk without them noticing.

“It’s like a juice, I won’t get that drunk. Drink up!” Zhang Pingrui clinked glasses with Lin Yuqing and drained his in one go. “This is our swimming center’s first team dinner. Bottoms up!”

Zhong Manjing didn’t touch the crabs or prawns anything that required peeling. She focused on her lamb chops and steak. That is, until Lin Yuqing pushed a plate of perfectly peeled crab and shrimp meat in front of her, right in front of everyone.

Across the table, Feng Xiangxia saw this and punched Wang Cheng. “Can’t you learn a thing or two? Open your squinty eyes and look! Have you ever peeled anything for me?”

Wang Cheng could only laugh sheepishly. “Yes, yes, I only have eyes for you…”

The children all held out their bowls to Lin Yuqing. “I want some too!” All eyes were on her. Lin Yuqing said, “Children must learn to take care of adults. Why don’t you peel some shrimp and crab for her bowl? That way, the moon won’t come to clip your ears tonight.”

“Ah!” The children cried out, clutching their ears in terror.

Meng Luo said, “You and Zhong Manjing… you two share the same fairy tale system, don’t you?”

Zhong Manjing noticed that Zhang Xiaohua had the least food in her bowl; she was the most reserved. The other children came from better backgrounds and were pampered by parents, acting like typical kids. But Xiaohua and her brother depended on each other; at ten, she was already like a little adult. She knew this food was expensive and was too embarrassed to take it, only eating when an adult placed something in her bowl.

Zhong Manjing put lamb and beef on Xiaohua’s plate. “Not eating more? Look at Xiaodong and Chen-chen. Does anyone still bully them at school?”

Zhang Xiaohua: “No. Anyone who says bad things about them can’t beat me in a fight.”

“So you need to eat more. Lead your ‘little brothers’ to eat and get strong. That way no one can bully you. Don’t waste food.”

Xiaohua finally nodded, looking relieved. After gnawing on a lamb chop, she looked up. “When I grow up, I want to eat lots and lots of delicious food.”

Zhong Manjing said, “As long as you grow up well, you’ll have all of that.”

“Really? Everything?” Xiaohua thought seriously, then looked up. “Then when I grow up, can I also have a ‘Sister Manjing’ by my side?”

Before Zhong Manjing could answer, Meng Luo leaned in. “Why a Sister Manjing? You could wish for a Sister Lin Yuqing.”

Zhang Xiaohua said, “Because if you have Sister Manjing, Sister Yuqing will follow. But if you have Sister Yuqing, you might not necessarily have Sister Manjing.”

Lin Yuqing looked at the child in shock. Zhong Manjing burst out laughing. “You’re quite clever. How did you reach that conclusion?”

Zhang Xiaohua said, “Because you are so good to Sister Yuqing. You’re always bringing her food and staying by her side. Every time you come to the shop, Sister Yuqing is so happy, and the portions of food she serves get much bigger.” This was a secret she had quietly discovered.

Meng Luo laughed. “In that case, it’s Sister Manjing who follows Sister Yuqing around.”

Zhang Xiaohua shook her head. “But, if one day Sister Manjing stops making good food and being nice to Sister Yuqing, Sister Yuqing will have nothing. But the proactive Sister Manjing wouldn’t lose anything; she could just be nice to someone else, and that person would also be very happy.”

The others took it as a child’s cute babbling, laughing and joking. Only Lin Yuqing took the words to heart. She actually felt the child was right.

When a relationship starts and when it ends is usually in the hands of the more proactive one. When did it start between her and Zhong Manjing? It started when she was sleeping in a tree, and Zhong Manjing spoke first.

The charcoal in the grill crackled. Lin Yuqing remained silent, drinking cup after cup. The surrounding voices seemed to fade, leaving only the sound of her own heart racing, accelerated by the alcohol.

Thump. Thump. Thump-thump.

“How much have you had?” When Zhong Manjing’s voice appeared near her ear, Lin Yuqing shuddered without warning. It was as if she had found a direction in a hot, thick mist. She turned her head sharply, and Zhong Manjing’s features were inches away.

Beautiful eyes, delicate lashes, lovely lips. Her gaze was like melting milk candy—not focused on a single point but constantly drifting, making it hard to catch, like a trap waiting for prey to jump in voluntarily.

Lin Yuqing knew clearly she should avoid this trap, but she didn’t; her movements were half a beat slow. Her gaze followed Zhong Manjing’s eyes as she said slowly and calmly, “Not much. Maybe 100ml or 150ml.”

“You’re drunk. You look a bit uncomfortable. Come closer, let me see.” Zhong Manjing’s fingers pressed against Lin Yuqing’s temples, massaging gently. She leaned in even closer, tilting her head to see if she was pressing the right spot.

Lin Yuqing’s vision finally focused on a single point: Zhong Manjing’s neck, graceful like a swan. Her skin was so pale, fragile, and thin. Lin Yuqing could already feel the pulse underneath the same rhythm as her own—exposed before her without any defense.

How can Zhong Manjing trust me like this? Lin Yuqing thought with a very clear head. I cannot betray this trust. I cannot bow my head to take a bite, nor can I grip this most fragile place to make her retreat.

She thought she must have been wrong just now.

How could a person who trusted her so much treat her as prey?

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