When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 22

It was an understatement to say she wasn’t sad.

Jiang Yan watched Jiang Zhen’s retreating back and touched her chest, feeling a sharp, aching pain.

After waiting for three years, all she got was a sentence like that. No one could possibly be indifferent.

Even if she were heartless, her genuine feelings shouldn’t be treated so carelessly. So, she patiently decided not to go look for Jiang Zhen, to see if she would give in first.

What she waited for was the news that Jiang Zhen was about to move out of the General’s Manor.

Qiu Yue was still chattering non-stop, but Jiang Yan couldn’t hear a single sound. She was struggling with whether or not to go find Jiang Zhen.

‘It’s not a big deal to swallow my pride. Haven’t I been the one to give in first all these years? It’s already a regular occurrence.’

‘But this time, I really don’t want to be so humble. It wasn’t my fault at all, so why did she have to say such hurtful things?’

‘But if I don’t go now, Jiang Zhen might not even give me a chance to see her in the future.’

‘When we lived under the same roof, I had a geographical advantage, but it won’t be that easy once she moves to her own residence.’

‘It would be as simple as a single word from her to not see me.’

After all, Jiang Zhen was now a hussar general on equal footing with her father. Who would dare to defy her orders?

Having made up her mind, Jiang Yan let out a long sigh of relief, put on her shoes, and got out of bed.

Qiu Yue looked outside and asked, puzzled, “Young Miss, why are you getting up at this hour? To use the latrine?”

Jiang Yan casually put on a coat, her voice sounding a little helpless. “I can’t sleep. I’m going for a walk in the courtyard. Don’t follow me.”

Qiu Yue looked at her back and felt a sense of tragic grandeur, like ‘the wind whistles and the Yi River is cold.’

‘Does a walk need to be that dramatic?’

As Jiang Yan wandered around, she ended up at the Ningbo Courtyard. The light in Jiang Zhen’s room was still on, which made her even more anxious.

‘How should I explain?’ ‘This is a problem.’

Jiang Zhen hadn’t clearly said what she was angry about, so Jiang Yan didn’t know how to approach her.

Xiahe came out to close the courtyard gate and was startled when she saw a blurry figure. She immediately adopted a clumsy defensive stance.

“Hah! Where do you think you’re going, little thief!”

“It’s me,” Jiang Yan said helplessly, patting her forehead as she watched her trembling movements. “Xiahe, don’t ever tell anyone you’re Little General Jiang’s maid.”

Xiahe immediately stopped her movements and welcomed Jiang Yan inside.

“Why not, Second Young Miss? Is my Young Miss so shameful?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

‘That darn Qiu Yue! She should be teaching Xiahe how to read and write instead of doing all these useless things!’

“I’m shameful?”

A cold, distant voice rang out behind Jiang Yan. Her body froze, and she held her neck stiff, not daring to turn around.

‘What kind of luck is this lately? I can’t hear a single good word, but I hear everything I’m not supposed to.’

Jiang Zhen walked past Jiang Yan, a quick glance from the corner of her eye. Her voice had no emotional fluctuation. “It’s late. Lock the door and go to sleep. Xiahe, please show the extra person out.”

Xiahe quickly went to lock the door and “thump, thump, thumped” inside to make the bed for Jiang Zhen.

In her opinion, no one in this courtyard was “extra.”

The two sisters stood in the courtyard, neither of them speaking.

Finally, Jiang Yan couldn’t stand it anymore. She timidly asked, “Elder Sister, are you still mad at me?”

Jiang Zhen didn’t say anything, but her actions spoke for her.

Jiang Yan moved closer and hugged her arm, her voice full of affection. “I waited so hard for you to come back, and you just give me the cold shoulder when you get home. That’s not good at all. Can you please not be mad anymore? I have so much I want to say to you.”

Jiang Zhen let out a cold snort but still didn’t speak, planning to continue her silence.

‘It’s not just Jiang Yan who waited for three years. Yet this little thing actually found a substitute when I was away, and he’s a greasy playboy at that. How can I not be angry?’

‘In just over three years, she has grown into a charming, beautiful, and vibrant young woman. It’s not strange for people to fall for her.’

‘I had thought about this scenario, but seeing it with my own eyes is completely different.’

‘I don’t understand why I’m so angry. I don’t understand why my heart feels so panicked and jealous when I see her laughing and talking with someone else.’

‘Is this a normal feeling between sisters?’

‘If I can’t figure it out, then I won’t.’

‘It’s a good thing the Emperor granted me a new residence. After I move out, I can calm down and slowly sort things out.’

‘But I didn’t expect this little thing to come and cling to me again. Does she even know what she’s doing?’

‘She’s clearly hiding so many things from me, yet she looks so pitiful, making me want to pat her head and say with a smile, ‘It’s okay.”

Almost unconsciously, Jiang Zhen’s hand reached for Jiang Yan’s lips. She rubbed them softly, her voice low, like a siren bewitching a sailor.

“Yan’er, what is it that you want?”

‘What do you want from me?’

‘Are your feelings for me genuine or fake?’

Jiang Yan felt the touch on her lips, and her breathing hitched. She looked at Jiang Zhen. The words in her throat were on the verge of spilling out.

‘What I want, I already told you three years ago.’

‘I want you. It has always been you.’

“Young Miss, the bed is ready. You can come in and sleep now.”

Xiahe’s voice suddenly appeared. Jiang Zhen came to her senses, quickly pulled back her hand, and her voice returned to its usual coldness.

“It’s getting late. You should go back and rest. We can talk about this in the morning.”

‘If Jiang Yan doesn’t leave now, I don’t know what kind of uncontrollable things I’ll do next.’

‘After she grew up, this little thing seems to have a special kind of attraction, making me act so out of character.’

‘Just a moment ago, I actually wanted to taste those lovely, red lips. Even though it was a fleeting thought, it was enough to terrify me.’

Jiang Yan didn’t miss the shock and hesitation in Jiang Zhen’s eyes. She silently let go of her hand.

‘Perhaps she’s realized something, which is why she’s acting this way. I should give her some more time to slowly get used to it.’

She understood the principle of ‘haste makes waste.’

So, the young girl put on a beautiful smile, her bright eyes curving. “Then I’ll go back now. Elder Sister, you should rest early, too.”

As she turned around, Jiang Yan raised her hand to her lips, lingering on the spot where Jiang Zhen had touched her. She wanted to hold on to the tingling sensation left by her calloused fingers.

As she walked back, she felt a little regret. ‘I should have just kissed her when she was hesitating. Then, even if she wanted to go back on it, it would have been too late.’

Lost in thought, Jiang Yan didn’t notice that a person was following her from a distance, who then quietly slipped into the main courtyard.

Lying in bed, her mind was full of Jiang Zhen’s low voice and beautiful face. Jiang Yan was not only sleepless but also becoming more and more excited. She tossed and turned in bed until the sky was almost bright before she finally fell asleep.

When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She jumped up from the bed and anxiously asked Qiu Yue what time it was.

Qiu Yue put down the basin in her hand and replied, “It’s late in the afternoon.”

Jiang Yan’s heart sank with a “thud,” and she put on a mask of pain.

“Is the eldest young miss still here?” She had hoped that Jiang Zhen would wait for her.

Qiu Yue shook her head. “The eldest young miss left before dawn. She seemed to be in a hurry, as if she was hiding from someone.”

Jiang Yan’s hand, which was putting on her clothes, paused. The light in her eyes went out.

‘Hiding from… whom?’