Jiangg Ning dutifully followed the rules of the heart-fluttering game she had set for herself.

She was a woman of strong principles.

Naturally, she wouldn’t resort to the same little tricks as Jiangg Yao; in fact, she deeply disliked such behavior.

This was perhaps one of the most obvious differences in personality between the twin sisters.

But Jiangg Yao was different in this regard.

She not only cared a great deal about these little tricks but also believed they were the key to her victory. She was determined to take the initiative, to keep Chen Yuan completely hooked day after day.

Ningning longed for a love where both partners treated each other with mutual respect, supporting one another. A relationship where they would wake up each morning with their own ambitions to pursue, constantly striving to better themselves. Yet, when they were together, there would be a reserved clinginess, a married-couple dynamic where even being pushed onto the bed would elicit a soft whimper of “Oh, don’t…”

They would work from sunrise to sunset.

Holding hands, they would watch the seasons turn, until their hair turned white.

Sticking together through thick and thin—that was probably Jiangg Ning’s idea of the most perfect kind of love.

Yaoyao didn’t like that sort of thing. She wanted to be incredibly intimate with Chen Yuan. She wanted to sleep wrapped in his arms every night, to be showered with kisses and hugs and lifted high in the air the moment they woke up. She wanted to know his every move, to whisper all sorts of cheesy things to him, and to have him be childish with her.

To be lively, squishing their cheeks together to make funny faces for the camera with joyous laughter.

To secretly gaze at each other with eyes full of love in a crowded place.

To keep their childlike hearts and love each other with fiery passion.

Just then, Ningning was glaring at the shifty-eyed Jiangg Yao, the grip of her hand tightening steadily.

“Don’t… Stop pinching me.”

Jiangg Yao stumbled back a few steps and quickly used Chen Yuan as her shield.

“Chen Yuan is still on the video call! If you have a problem, you’ll have to wait until it’s over.”

“Hmph! I’ll let you off for now!”

Jiangg Ning shot her a glare, then simply walked over to a chair on the other side of the room and sat down.

Her action made Jiangg Yao feel a little guilty about continuing the call.

“Are you just going to sit there and watch?” Yaoyao asked.

“I wouldn’t have to supervise you if you were someone I could trust, Jiangg Yao.”

“Fine then, watch all you want. It doesn’t bother me anyway.”

Jiangg Yao shrugged and flopped onto the bed.

She picked up her phone, muttering to herself inwardly.

‘I know Jiangg Ning is just jealous. All this talk about trust is just her being stubborn.’

‘What a hypocrite.’

“I’m unmuting now!”

Yaoyao drew out her words. Seeing Jiangg Ning nod, she resumed her video call with Chen Yuan.

…

“I’m baaack, baby~”

Just a few seconds ago, Yaoyao had been speaking to her sister in a normal tone, but the moment she faced Chen Yuan, it was as if someone had flipped a switch on a voice changer. Her voice instantly became squeaky and cute.

Jiangg Ning rolled her eyes, completely speechless.

Then, Chen Yuan’s somewhat magnetic, youthful voice came through the phone, and Jiangg Ning propped her chin on her hand, unable to resist listening closely.

“Is this your bedroom? I’ve never seen you wear that type of pajama before.”

“Yep, it’s my bedroom.”

Jiangg Yao looked down at her clothes. Her style had indeed changed significantly since she returned to Mingzhu City.

Back in Lanjing, there was no one to boss her around, so she wore whatever was comfortable. She had several sets of vibrant, anime-style pajamas, and even a little dinosaur onesie.

But it was different at home.

Right now, she was dressed like an innocent little flower, her face free of makeup. She wore a pure white chiffon nightgown with a few lustrous pearls adorning the shoulders.

Chen Yuan had never seen the Jiangg Yao from years ago—frail, pale, and as delicate as a sheet of paper, someone who naturally evoked pity.

His confusion was understandable.

It was no exaggeration.

Back then, Jiangg Yao was practically the female lead of an indie youth film—a delicate, imprisoned princess.

Now… she had evolved into a woman who had mastered the art of the “green tea.”

“Wow, your bedroom is huge!” Chen Yuan exclaimed, blinking.

…

「Far away in Qishui County.」

Chen Yuan sat at his desk, a half-read book lying open beside him.

His bedroom was actually decorated very cozily.

Ever since the old alley was torn down and rebuilt into residential buildings, he and his parents had moved into a new apartment. It had three bedrooms, two living areas, one bathroom, and a large balcony—it was actually quite stylish.

The bedroom was not only tidy, but also had a guitar hanging on the wall. The desk and bookshelf were a single unit, and next to the wardrobe on the left side of the bed was a small shelf scattered with his childhood toys, graduation photos, and the like.

It was a typical boy’s bedroom.

However, when Chen Yuan saw the extravagant relief carving above his girlfriend’s headboard in the video, his curiosity was piqued, and he asked about it.

…

“It’s alright. Want me to give you a tour?” Jiangg Yao said nonchalantly.

“Sure!”

“Okay, I’ll flip the camera and show you.”

Jiangg Yao shot a glance at the wary Jiangg Ning, signaling for her to relax. Then, she flipped the camera around and panned across her bed and the other furnishings in the room, describing each one.

And, of course, the bay window she had loved to sit in as a child.

“See? From this window, you can see the river far in the distance. In the early morning, lots of birds fly around there.”

“I can’t see anything. It’s pitch-black.”

“Right, it is nighttime, after all.”

“Forget it, let’s stop the tour. Let’s just keep talking.”

Chen Yuan was quiet for a moment, then he suddenly sighed and said in a low voice, “It’s so lonely without you here. I wish I could be holding you while I sleep right now. I miss you so much.”

“Is that so… Young Master.”

Jiangg Yao listened to his slightly provocative words.

She should have been happy, but her expression was a little unnatural.

She glanced over at Jiangg Ning, only to see that Ningning’s face had instantly fallen…

“Yeah, definitely. At first, when you insisted on cuddling while we slept, I was really uncomfortable. But after a while, I started to feel really secure. And that feeling of being pressed against you is actually pretty nice… you smell so good…”

Chen Yuan said, a little bashfully.

He remembered the time at the hotel when Jiangg Yao had insisted he sleep while buried in her ample bosom.

They had tried it a few times and found it quite nice.

Moreover, Jiangg Yao would pat his back and softly hum him to sleep, as if singing a lullaby.

Chen Yuan remembered that moment vividly. For a still-innocent young man like him, it was an incredibly impactful experience.

Hearing his words, Jiangg Yao slightly lowered her gaze.

A moment ago, she would have been more than happy to discuss this topic, with a million things to say. But now… she peeked at Ningning, whose cheeks were flushed with restrained anger…

Jiangg Yao cleared her throat and said in an especially soft and charming voice, “Then from now on, that’ll be our official sleeping position.”

After she said that, Chen Yuan nodded and replied, “Okay.”

But Jiangg Yao’s heart was now pounding countless times faster than it ever had during their previous intimate moments.

‘This is so thrilling…’

‘Doing this stuff with Chen Yuan right in front of Ningning… it’s just too exciting!’

Jiangg Ning’s fists were clenched tightly, her gloomy face filled with suppressed fury. She narrowed her eyes and stared at her sister. If Jiangg Yao had shown even a hint of smugness at that moment, Jiangg Ning probably would have exploded.

A swelling flame seemed to ignite the blood in her heart.

It made her whole body grow hot.

At that moment, Jiangg Ning couldn’t lash out physically, nor could she curse out loud. She was absolutely miserable from holding it all in.

She took a forceful deep breath, grabbed a cup from the nearby table, and gulped down two mouthfuls of tea.

But in her haste, she knocked over a cosmetics bottle on the table. The bottle went CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER as it rolled a few times before falling to the floor.

CRASH!

It shattered into pieces.

“What was that noise? Is there someone else in your room?” Chen Yuan’s confused voice came from the other end of the line.

“Oh… it’s my cousin,” Jiangg Yao explained hastily. “I went to open the door for her earlier, remember?”

“Huh?” Chen Yuan froze awkwardly. ‘Does that mean she heard what I said!?’

His face instantly flushed red. He froze for a moment, then turned his head away and fell silent.

“Let’s leave it at that for now. We can talk on Green Bubble.”

Afraid that Chen Yuan might realize something, Jiangg Yao quickly ended the video call.

After she hung up, Jiangg Ning hadn’t even had a chance to speak before Yaoyao launched a preemptive strike. She got off the bed, planted her hands on her hips, and glared at Ningning.

“Hey, can’t you be a little more careful?! If Chen Yuan finds out, we’ll both be in deep trouble!”

But Ningning said nothing. She sat with her legs crossed, watching her with a cold gaze… just watching…

In just a moment, Jiangg Yao felt herself shrinking… her confidence rapidly draining away.

After being stared at for a while, she felt like she could crawl into a crack in the floor.

“I was wrong…”

She promptly knelt on the floor.

“Heh,” Jiangg Ning stood up, shot her a glance, and walked out of the room. “Just keep playing your little games. I don’t care if you take it too far one day and let Chen Yuan see how cheap you and I both are.”

Her long, fair legs carried her out of sight, disappearing through the doorway.

Leaving a red-faced Jiangg Yao behind, frozen in place, pouting.

…

「The night had grown deep.」

Chen Yuan yawned sleepily, turned off his desk lamp, deftly stripped off his shirt and draped it over a chair, then hopped into bed.

Outside, the moon was bright and the stars were few, and gusts of cold wind blew.

But it was perfectly warm under the covers.

After settling in comfortably, Chen Yuan picked up his phone from the desk and glanced at the time.

11:03 PM.

The phone screen was still open to his “good night” exchange with Jiangg Yao.

Staring at that final “good night,” Chen Yuan suddenly started to think.

He had never paid much attention to his girlfriend’s family or her past before… He’d always been focused on the little details of their relationship, savoring the heart-fluttering moments of being in love.

But now, from the moment they got back together until the present…

He was starting to feel a bit puzzled.

Why did Jiangg Yao never talk about her past or her family? It was as if there was a barrier between them, as if she were deliberately hiding everything from before.

It had been fine before; he hadn’t felt this way.

But now, Chen Yuan was clearly starting to notice.

He had a persistent feeling that his girlfriend had a lot of secrets.

‘Shouldn’t the process of getting to know each other as a couple be more honest?’

‘Jiangg Yao was originally from Mingzhu City, so why did she insist on coming to Lanjing to teach? And why had she been single all those years without dating anyone…’

Before, Chen Yuan had thought he could uncover the answers slowly over time.

But even now, Jiangg Yao showed no intention of revealing anything.

‘Is it that she doesn’t trust me enough? Has our relationship not reached that stage yet?’ Chen Yuan thought to himself.

Perhaps it was time for him to take the initiative and ask.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep