“Why?”

As he spoke, warm air from the hairdryer passed through his fingers and onto her hair.

Outside the window, a steady rain was falling, and the trees rustled in the cool wind.

The soft light of the bathroom enveloped them, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere.

“Because I never considered it. Younger guys are usually pretty immature—actually, older ones can be immature too. Anyway, if I had a list of criteria for a partner, I’d definitely set a flexible range for age, but eight years younger wouldn’t have been in the running,” she said.

“But younger is good!” Chen Yuan blinked, stroking the hair on top of her head.

“What’s good about it?”

“Er… I’m in good shape.”

“Pfft!”

Jiangg Ning burst out laughing. After a moment, she shot him a glare, trying to suppress her amusement, but the smile on her lips refused to fade.

“You perv,” she said, her face flushing. “Just think about it. By the time you finish college, I’ll be thirty. Thirty! That’s when women start to get old! I might not be pretty by then.”

“You won’t. You’ll never have a day where you’re not pretty. And even if you did, I’d still love you. It’s just a face,” Chen Yuan said softly, his tone sincere.

“That’s what they all say, but I’m still scared of that day.”

“Then you should just marry me quickly. You won’t have to worry about me leaving. We can have the wedding first and then get the official certificate when we’re old enough.”

“…Marry you,” Jiangg Ning repeated the two words, as if they held some infinite charm. “No way. People don’t cherish things they get too easily. I’m going to make it so you can’t live without me. Then you’ll propose, and I’ll say yes.”

“Okay.”

Chen Yuan’s voice rang out, echoing in her reddened ears.

…

As the night grew deeper, Jiangg Ning savored every single second she spent with her young boyfriend.

She had completely forgotten her agreement with Jiangg Yao.

Only a few dozen meters and three or four rooms separated them.

Jiangg Yao was waiting, growing extremely anxious. For some reason, her sister wasn’t replying to her messages, and she was gradually losing patience.

‘Damn it, I can’t take this anymore!’

Jiangg Yao frantically scratched her hair for a moment. She had no idea her sister was so blissfully happy that she had forgotten all about her.

She decided to take the initiative and directly called her sister’s phone.

…

Meanwhile,

Jiangg Ning was lying on the sofa with a book in her hands while Chen Yuan was working on a game walkthrough. Suddenly, her phone vibrated.

She picked it up and looked.

Jiangg Ning’s back instantly straightened.

‘Oh no!’

‘I completely forgot about Yaoyao!’

She hesitated, wondering if she should answer. Glancing back at the screen, she saw over a dozen messages. The screen was filled with Jiangg Yao’s questions, and she felt a sudden wave of pressure.

‘I’ll just answer, whisper a few words, and then hang up.’

She pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear.

But Chen Yuan suddenly called out, “Babe?”

“What is it, sweetie…”

“Nothing, just wanted to call your name.”

Jiangg Ning gave an awkward laugh, because the call was already connected.

“Hello! I—”

“Babe?”

“Ah, what is it? Go on, sweetie.”

“The weather should be okay tomorrow afternoon. We can have them deliver the car then, or should we have the rental company send it in the morning?”

“The morning is fine.”

“Okay, babe.” Chen Yuan made an “OK” sign with his hand.

He had no idea that his few “babes”…

…had silenced Jiangg Yao on the other end of the line.

Already angry, Yaoyao was sitting on a chair in her hotel room. She had just been about to demand an explanation when she heard Chen Yuan’s voice. That grating “babe” made her brows shoot up… Then came the exchange—his “babe” for her “sweetie.” Yaoyao’s eyelid twitched violently, and her fingertips, clutching the phone, turned white from the force of her grip.

Her chest heaved up and down as she struggled to contain her anger, her expression constantly shifting.

A few seconds later, Jiangg Yao hung up.

SLAM—

She hit the table in a rage.

“Go die, die, die!!!”

…

“Did I just hear thunder outside?” Chen Yuan asked in confusion, looking up from his research.

“I think so. I heard it too.”

Jiangg Ning pressed a hand to her forehead, wondering how she was going to explain this to her sister later.

…

If she didn’t follow through on their agreement, who knew what kind of chaos would erupt. Jiangg Ning had no desire to be the first to break their sisterly pact, so while Chen Yuan was busy with his research, she messaged Yaoyao to discuss how they could switch places without being noticed.

She claimed she was thirsty and wanted a drink, so she ordered delivery.

In less than fifteen minutes, the drinks arrived.

Chen Yuan was about to get up, but Jiangg Ning quickly stopped him. She threw on a coat and said, “I’ll get it. You can just stay seated.”

“Alright then.”

Jiangg Ning lowered her head and scurried to the door, then opened it.

She took the drinks from the hotel’s smart delivery robot, then turned and ran in the other direction.

She frantically knocked on the door of room 9209.

The moment the door opened, she was met with a glare from Jiangg Yao, whose resentment was almost palpable.

Jiangg Ning knew she was in the wrong and didn’t dare speak. After closing the door, she said obsequiously, “Yaoyao, um… I just couldn’t find a chance to switch. I didn’t look at my phone while I was showering. You must have been waiting anxiously, right?”

“Heh, why would I be anxious… I’m not important, after all. As long as you two are all lovey-dovey, that’s all that matters. I could drop dead and no one would care,” Jiangg Yao’s lips twisted into a smirk. She shot her sister a sidelong glance, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Isn’t that right, ooh, *babe*~”

“…”

Jiangg Ning was speechless. She took off her coat, revealing the slip dress she was wearing underneath.

Jiangg Yao’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the outfit.

“Hold on, what the hell are you wearing???”

“Pajamas.”

“Whose pajamas are this revealing?! Look at this, does it even cover your butt?! And what’s with this lace?” Jiangg Yao’s face was a mask of disbelief as she pointed here and there.

Her face flushed red with agitation!

‘This is not how you compete!’

‘That was my idea! I haven’t even gotten to wear my seductive outfit, and you’re already wearing something like it.’ Jiangg Yao was dying on the inside.

“There’s nothing wrong with it… Stop nitpicking. I faked getting drinks just to switch with you. Hurry up and change! If we take too long, Chen Yuan will get suspicious! And let me be clear, I kept my promise and came to switch, so don’t you dare say I didn’t play by the rules later.”

Jiangg Ning took off her slip, hurriedly stuffed it into her sister’s arms, and then scrambled to find something else to cover herself. With her sister rushing her, Jiangg Yao didn’t have time to make any more sarcastic comments, even if she wanted to.

“I can’t believe you. It’s already eleven o’clock. Why didn’t you just wait until morning…”

Yaoyao grumbled under her breath as she slipped on the silk nightgown.

But as soon as she put it on, she felt it pull tight around her rear.

‘Crap!’

‘The size is a little small!’

‘My butt is bigger than my sister’s!’

“When you get back there, remember to keep up the act for a little while. Don’t switch back to your usual self right away. It’d be bad if Chen figures it out.”

“I know… Why is this dress so small? The waist is tight too.”

“If it’s tight, just deal with it. I told you to lose weight, but you wouldn’t listen. Don’t you know how obvious it is when you gain a couple of pounds?”

With that, Jiangg Ning ushered her sister out the door.

THUD—

The door closed.

Only then did she let out a sigh of relief. Her surroundings fell completely silent.

Standing there for a moment, Jiangg Ning was suddenly struck by the immense loneliness that followed her brief happiness. Her shoulders slumped, and a faint, bittersweet smile touched her lips.

Finally, a sigh escaped her.

‘The frightening thing was never the lack of warmth, but having it and being forced to constantly give it up just to get it back again.’

‘Where in the world could you find something so strange?’

‘This has to be a first.’

Jiangg Ning turned around, her resolve to win the “heartbeat game” stronger than ever. She knew she had truly fallen in love with Chen Yuan, and there was no room for anyone else in her heart.

When she was with him, time passed so lightly…

…

Out in the hallway, Jiangg Yao surged forward, her pace quickening until she nearly spilled the drinks she was carrying.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep