The living room was brightly lit.

The mahogany furniture gleamed with a deep luster. Four chairs and a sofa encircled a tea table, and the fresh scent of tea filled the air.

On a soft cushion, Jiangg Ning leaned against a Chinese-style screen, resting against the corner of the sofa. Her hair was down, spilling over one shoulder.

With the soft rustle of each turning page, time flew by.

Jiangg Ning was engrossed in a financial management book, a subject she hadn’t delved into much before. As she read, she unconsciously twirled a strand of her hair and muttered to herself. At times, her brow would furrow slightly, clearly contemplating what she was reading.

Normally, she would have gone to bed by now.

But this rather obscure book had successfully sparked her desire to learn. The abstruse vocabulary and progressive business logic intrigued her; she had always been somewhat interested in the subject.

It was just that back then, she was busy earning her official degree and didn’t have enough time to study it in depth.

After graduation, she had to deal with Jiangg Yao’s affairs. On top of that, teaching at Landa University demanded her full attention, so it was hard to find a moment of peace in her hurried life to truly focus on anything else.

‘Alright, those are just excuses.’

‘You can always make time. You just have to push yourself a little harder, and then a little harder still.’

Jiangg Ning had always been a planner. Whether it was planning out the entire next day the night before, or making long-term plans for the next few years, she needed to set clear goals for herself. She had to be constantly and steadily advancing toward those goals, otherwise she would feel like she was wasting her life.

‘Twins really are a strange phenomenon. She and Jiangg Yao were born only five minutes apart and raised by the same mother, yet their personalities were completely different.’

Jiangg Yao couldn’t even look at her schedules. The mere sight of one would make her skin crawl.

Jiangg Yao hated making life so serious and regimented, turning it into some kind of school day classroom. The bell would ring right on time, and if you were a minute late, the teacher would glower at you with a face as black as soot.

Wasn’t it great to lie on the school lawn until dusk without a care in the world? Wasn’t it fun to see a gale blowing or heavy snow falling and immediately drop everything to run wild outside?

When you felt it, you didn’t have to worry about being reserved; you could just tell that boy loud and clear: “I like you.”

Wasn’t that romantic?

In over twenty years as sisters, Jiangg Ning had never changed Jiangg Yao, and Jiangg Yao had never tried to change her.

The two of them went on like that—bickering and squabbling, but loving each other dearly—as if nothing on earth could ever tear them apart.

‘Still, the most unimaginable thing was that they would both fall for the same person.’

If they hadn’t been jointly playing the role of “girlfriend,” and if Jiangg Yao hadn’t come up with the brilliant lie about a split personality, Chen Yuan probably would have found them out within six months of meeting in person.

Because the contrast between them was just too stark.

Without the “mental illness” excuse, it would have been nearly impossible to explain.

Jiangg Ning’s long legs were crossed as she lay on her side, one hand propping up her cheek. If not for the occasional flip of a page, she could have been a captivating statue. It was a pity no one was there to appreciate the beautiful sight.

When her eyes finally began to feel sore, she closed the book. She picked up the now-cold tea, took two sips, and then, book in hand, turned off the living room lights and headed upstairs.

She didn’t go straight to her bedroom.

Instead, she went to the study on the second floor.

She walked in and switched on the desk lamp.

Working from memory, she picked up a nearby pen and flipped through the pages, searching for the parts she hadn’t understood. She turned on her computer, her nimble fingers tapping on the keyboard.

The shadow of her pen trembled slightly on the desk under the lamplight.

As if it would never stop.

…

“Alright, let’s call it a night. I’ve been busy all day, I should get to sleep…”

On the other side of the video call, Chen Yuan let out a huge yawn, a few tears squeezing from his eyes.

“Alright…”

Although she didn’t want to hang up, Jiangg Yao didn’t want to keep pestering Chen Yuan either. In fact, he had said he was tired half an hour ago, but she just hadn’t wanted to let him go.

After he’d complained several times, “You’re being so needy,” she started to feel a little embarrassed.

“Good night, then.”

“‘Good night’ is fine, but can you say it with a little more feeling? A little softer.”

“Good night~”

“That sounded way too fake.”

“Alright, alright, alright! Good night~ My adorable baby, my beautiful girlfriend, now let me go.”

“Deal. From now on, you have to say that every time we hang up, until I get sick of it. Okay?~” Jiangg Yao blushed; she just loved listening to Chen Yuan talk.

She could never get enough of his youthful, boyish voice.

‘Every time they called, she would internally shout with anticipation, “Young Master, mic on please!”‘

Then Chen Yuan’s voice would come through, sending a pleasant shiver through her entire body, from head to toe.

One word: Bliss!

“Piss off. You’re so damn demanding every single day,” Chen Yuan said, his tone suddenly turning cold with annoyance.

CLICK—

The call disconnected.

The blissful smile on Jiangg Yao’s face instantly froze.

After half a minute, she licked her dry lips, her toes curling tightly into the bedsheets.

‘If anything, that was even more of a thrill!’

Chen Yuan rarely cursed at her. But when he got really annoyed by her pestering, a harsh word would sometimes slip out. This occasional burst of aggression was like the crack of a whip during an otherwise sweet encounter, and it always let Jiangg Yao experience the alternative thrill of masochism in love.

‘Love was strange like that. If it was all gentle, all the time, it would gradually start to feel bland and tasteless.’

‘On the other hand, insults and degradation… that was stimulating.’

Jiangg Yao deliberately pestered Chen Yuan, hoping to break through his defenses. A moment of rough treatment from him was like a hidden bonus in a prize bundle!

She rolled around on the bed by herself like a wriggling grub, then grabbed a pillow and gnawed fiercely on its corners like a puppy.

She shot up to her feet like a lunatic.

Her hair was a mess and her cheeks were flushed as she savored the memory of Chen Yuan’s curse.

“My little Young Master~”

Jiangg Yao shyly flopped onto the bed and lifted her head, as if gazing lovingly at someone.

“N-no… you can’t treat me like this.”

“Ah~ no, don’t.”

She was playing both parts. After speaking her lines, she suddenly switched positions, pointing imperiously at the spot where she had just been lying.

“On your knees! Now crawl over here!”

With a whimper, she got back on the bed and began to crawl forward, trembling.

CLICK—

Suddenly, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Jiangg Ning walked in, drying her hair. She stared, expressionless, at her younger sister, whose cheeks were flushed and whose tongue was sticking out.

The two sisters stared at each other.

“…”

“…”

“What are you doing?” Jiangg Ning asked.

“Per… performance art,” Jiangg Yao answered.

“How many times have I told you? Don’t use my face to act like a lunatic.”

“Why?”

“‘Because watching it makes me feel…’ Jiangg Ning’s expression was strained. It took her a long moment to force out the words, ‘…very uncomfortable.'”

“Is that so, my dear sister? It’s not like I want to look exactly like you, either.”

Jiangg Yao slid off the bed. Barefoot, she advanced on her sister, one step at a time.

“What are you… What are you doing?!”

“Don’t run away.”

“AHHH!!!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep