The Seductive Pretender: Sister-in-Law is Turning Gay - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Her Hand Rested Lightly on Zhong Manjing’s Back, Slowly Tightening to Complete This Comfort in the Rain.

Zhong Manjing was soaked to the bone; even under the umbrella, she remained drenched. She stared at Lin Yuqing without blinking, allowing the rainwater to stream past her eyes and fall drop by drop.

The Lin Yuqing holding the umbrella for her now overlapped with the Lin Yuqing from the video, yet they were entirely different. Zhong Manjing’s weeping was silent; she simply gazed at Lin Yuqing, biting her lip fiercely, her body trembling uncontrollably.

How could she explain her current loss of control? How could she tell Lin Yuqing what she was doing here? What should she do? What if she was asked? She hadn’t had time to prepare any of these answers.

In the next second, Lin Yuqing reached out and gently guided her, letting Zhong Manjing’s head rest against her shoulder.

“You forgot your umbrella at home, and it’s going to rain for a few more days,” Lin Yuqing said. “I came to bring it to you.”

The versions of Lin Yuqing from the video—the calm one, the numb one flashed before Zhong Manjing’s eyes like slides, finally settling on this gentle Lin Yuqing who was asking after her, pulsing within her heart.

Zhong Manjing pressed her forehead against Lin Yuqing’s shoulder as the tears finally began to flow audibly, sobbing with total abandon. Lin Yuqing remained motionless, letting her cry without asking a single question.

Only her other hand rose slightly, hovering over Zhong Manjing’s back. If she moved it just a bit lower, she could embrace the weeping girl.

It was a simple gesture, but now it held a different meaning for her. Lin Yuqing hesitated as raindrops and teardrops fell upon her body and heart, like a steady infusion of resolve. Her hand settled lightly on Zhong Manjing’s back, slowly tightening, completing this comfort in the rain.

“Cry,” she said. “I’m here. I’m with you.”

Zhong Manjing cried on Lin Yuqing’s shoulder for a long time, until she felt her eyes were so swollen she couldn’t open them.

She hardly realized she was being held. She lifted her head amidst the pitter-patter of rain on the umbrella and said in a raspy voice, “I…”

She wanted to say, Let’s go inside. But as soon as she spoke, she realized her throat was completely hoarse.

“I know. Let’s go, I’ll take you in.” Lin Yuqing’s hand moved to Zhong Manjing’s shoulder. Though she had originally come just to deliver the umbrella, she needed to see her safely to her room first.

She kept her arm around Zhong Manjing because the girl had cried so hard she had lost all strength; without support, she might have collapsed into the rain.

Zhong Manjing’s rationality began to slowly return.

Since coming back to life, she had never cried so recklessly. Having lived once more, she felt like a different person, severed from her former self.

The old her would cry often; she was the prominent socialite of the Zhong family, Zhong Suyuan’s most pampered sister. She would throw tantrums when things went wrong and demand whatever she wanted without caring if it belonged to her.

Now, she knew those were all phantoms and dreams. Having seen through the illusion of romance, she found she could neither laugh nor cry easily; she felt complicated in front of Lin Yuqing. Amidst that complexity, the only thing that remained simple was her heart for Lin Yuqing.

She had cried today, releasing the pressure in her heart. Tomorrow, she would still carry her umbrella when needed, soak in the sun when it was out, and cook when it was time. Nothing would change.

At the room door, Lin Yuqing closed the umbrella and stood there. Zhong Manjing looked back at her: “Come in.”

Lin Yuqing looked down. A circle of water was dripping onto the floor around her; her own clothes were wet too.

She only entered after Zhong Manjing insisted. Zhong Manjing downed half a bottle of water and placed a towel and slippers by Lin Yuqing’s side.

“Change out of those clothes and take a shower. Put both of our clothes in the washing machine later; they’re all soaked.” Once inside the room, Zhong Manjing seemed to return to her usual self, though her eyes were still puffy.

She handed Lin Yuqing a bottle of water and whispered, “Don’t leave tonight. Rest here with me. The rain is too heavy… we can go back together tomorrow, okay?”

Lin Yuqing looked at her and asked, “Did you finish your business?”

After a moment of silence, Zhong Manjing said, “I did.” She had achieved her goal; she knew what Lin Yuqing had suffered at the hands of the Lin family. She had succeeded perfectly, but succeeding felt worse than failing.

She wanted to smile to show Lin Yuqing she was okay, but her lips felt as heavy as lead.

Lin Yuqing took all the wet clothes from her, removed her own jacket to put in the washer, and asked, “Are you hungry? Where is the kitchen?”

“Downstairs.”

Zhong Manjing actually had no appetite, but Lin Yuqing unzipped her backpack and took out two insulated containers filled with toppings. The containers were wrapped in thick cotton cloth and encased in a plastic bag to ensure no leaks.

Lin Yuqing had been right to be careful; the bag had been jostled quite a bit during her run here.

“Rest here and wait for me.”

Lin Yuqing went down to the kitchen to cook noodles. She had even brought the fine handmade noodles from her shop, along with eggs and ingredients. She put the unopened water Zhong Manjing gave her into the fridge, grabbed a bottle of ice-cold water from the lower shelf, and brought the noodles upstairs.

Zhong Manjing was huddled quietly on the sofa, looking out the window.

She turned her head and saw two golden fried eggs resting on her bowl, along with a starch sausage sliced into a flower shape.

The noodles were topped with her favorites: minced meat with mashed potatoes, sour and spicy chicken gizzards, and beef brisket. The toppings were piled like a small mountain—oily and bright, fragrant with green onions, with pickled cabbage and sweet-spicy ginger neatly shredded.

Lin Yuqing: “Eat as much as you can. Eat first, then I’ll help you ice your eyes. Have you showered yet?”

Zhong Manjing: “No.”

“Eat first, then wash.” Lin Yuqing smiled at her. “Don’t worry about the laundry once it’s done; I’ll hang it.”

Zhong Manjing’s gaze lingered for a moment on the two umbrellas hanging in the entryway before she asked, “How did you get here?”

“The intercity bus. It’s very fast.” Yuhai County was indeed close to Yuqiu City; intercity buses were as frequent as local ones, connecting the stations and train depots directly.

Zhong Manjing slid off the sofa to sit on the plush rug and began slurping the noodles, taking large bites. She picked up a poached egg and raised a puzzled eyebrow.

Lin Yuqing said, “Sister Su told me that when children are unhappy, you should fry two eggs and a sausage for them it represents a score of 100. It makes them happy.”

Zhong Manjing’s chewing slowed. She looked at the eggs and sausage in the bowl, then lowered her head and continued eating until her cheeks were bulging. She didn’t say a word until she swallowed, then asked quietly, “Lin Yuqing, how did you find me?”

She hadn’t told her which hospital she was going to.

“When you called me last night, you said you were at a guesthouse. This is a top-rated one; it was the first result when I searched. I recognized the background behind you it was the same as the seller’s photos.”

Of course, there was one more thing Lin Yuqing didn’t say.

The moment she saw this guesthouse on the list, she was certain. Because she saw the location written below: Near West Zhou Mental Health Center.

She was extremely sensitive to those words and knew she had to come. Originally, she hadn’t just come to pick up Zhong Manjing; she had wanted to ask what was going on. But the moment she saw Zhong Manjing weeping in the rain, she didn’t want to ask anything anymore.

If the facts and the truth were so painful, she would rather drown in a dream. There were plenty of things in her own life she couldn’t figure out.

What could she figure out? She only knew one thing before rushing out to catch the bus, she had packed the food Zhong Manjing loved.

Zhong Manjing didn’t ask further. She finished every bit of the noodles, then lay on the sofa rubbing her belly to digest, while using the ice water Lin Yuqing brought to reduce the swelling in her eyes. Neither mentioned what had happened earlier. Lin Yuqing washed the dishes and went to hang the laundry. Zhong Manjing listened to the rain and sent a few messages on her phone before saying, “Lin Yuqing, let’s rest after we’ve showered.”

In the office on the other side of town, Wu Liyuan and her colleagues finished reviewing the treatment records. Once the logging was done, they fell into a collective silence.

This silence happened every time they finished a review; they were used to it.

Wu Liyuan spoke first: “When we called the second time, Yuqing hung up. But she doesn’t remember it. One possibility is that she didn’t hang up because of the plan, but because she truly wants to live her own life.”

She finally brought out the bag she had set aside. Cui Ran caught the scent: “Is this the late-night meal you prepared for us? Not bad, much better than what you used to get. Smells great… wait, what does this have to do with Yuqing?”

Wu Lishan recognized it: “Ms. Zhong sent it.”

The surname triggered Cui Ran’s alertness. Wu Liyuan took everything out of the bag and said flatly, “We never actually knew what kind of life Yuqing is living now.”

“You don’t mean it’s that person from the Zhong family by coincidence, do you?” Cui Ran frowned deeply, the coffee cup frozen at her lips without her taking a sip. She looked at the food on the table: “Sour and spicy, sweet pastries, butter cookies… from whom?”

These were all things Lin Yuqing liked; her favorite flavors.

“Zhong Manjing, Zhong Suyuan’s sister. She is also in Yuhai County. Forty minutes ago, I had Lishan take her to the consultation room next door.” Wu Liyuan finally opened the paper bag, revealing the sketch of Zhong Manjing and Lin Yuqing together. Her gaze fixed on the words Eight Immortals Noodle House at the bottom. “I want to go to Yuhai County. We must go see for ourselves.”

Late at night, the rain began to lighten. There was no moonlight, only the streetlights filtering in, casting long shadows.

Zhong Manjing got out of bed quietly, propping her head up to look at the sleeping Lin Yuqing beside her.

She couldn’t sleep. Although her heart had returned to its numb state, whenever she closed her eyes, scenes she didn’t want to see would appear. It was better to just stay up and look at Lin Yuqing.

Watching the breathing, living Lin Yuqing before her kept the nightmares at bay.

She reached out, wanting to touch Lin Yuqing’s eyes, but stopped halfway. Her hand hovered just above the tips of Lin Yuqing’s eyelashes, never quite landing.

The person who was supposed to be sound asleep reached out and grasped her wrist. When Lin Yuqing opened her eyes, her lashes brushed against Zhong Manjing’s palm. Lin Yuqing’s eyes were bright, with no hint of sleepiness.

“What are you thinking about?”

Zhong Manjing smiled. “I thought you were fast asleep.”

“I was woken up by you staring at me.” Lin Yuqing guessed she couldn’t sleep. “Your day-night reversal is getting worse. What’s wrong? Still unhappy?”

Though autumn hadn’t fully arrived, the rain had caused a sudden drop in temperature; there was no need for air conditioning.

Lin Yuqing was wearing long-sleeved pajamas, her body well-covered. Her sleeping posture was very disciplined sleeping flat on her back, waking up flat on her back.

Zhong Manjing sat up. “No, the bed is just too big. I’m not used to it.”

She laughed at herself. “I slept better on that tiny bed at your place. Maybe I feel safer squeezed together.”

Lin Yuqing was about to sit up too, but upon hearing this, she pulled Zhong Manjing into a tight embrace as she lay back down: “Does this help you sleep better?”

Zhong Manjing said, “Try patting my back, like you’re soothing a child.”

Even knowing Zhong Manjing was pushing her luck, Lin Yuqing did it anyway. She gently patted Zhong Manjing’s back, her mind weighing what she needed to say. Only when she felt Zhong Manjing’s breathing become steady did she lower her head, letting out a small sigh.

“Actually, the call I got that day wasn’t a scam.”

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