After Jiang Jiang said that, she did not dare to look at Ji Xu'an's reaction at all. Her cheeks and earlobes were already completely red, and even her neck was covered in a spreading blush.
But Ji Xu'an did not make a sound. Jiang Jiang waited for a long time and still did not hear Ji Xu'an's reply. She had no choice but to muster her courage and raise her eyes to look at Ji Xu'an, only to meet Ji Xu'an's gaze directly.
The light in the room was not very bright. Ji Xu'an's face was half-hidden in the dimness, the emotions in her eyes tightly concealed. The expression in those black pupils was complex and hard to discern.
Jiang Jiang did not know what Ji Xu'an was thinking, but the fact that she had not rejected her immediately meant there was still room for negotiation.
She reached out and wrapped the quilt tighter around herself. Under the soft lamplight, Jiang Jiang's eyes were full of expectation. "When we were in the hospital a few days ago, Sister seemed to sleep very well."
"I think maybe Sister doesn't dislike sleeping with me?"
By the time Jiang Jiang said this, the blush on her cheeks had deepened. "I also felt like I slept more soundly than usual those few days. If Sister is there, I won't have nightmares at night."
Her voice was soft and gentle. When she spoke vaguely, it sounded like she was acting spoiled. "And if Sister goes back now, you might wake up little Yuan."
Not wanting to wake Ji Heyuan was, of course, only an excuse. Ji Heyuan slept very well; once she fell asleep, she would not be easily awakened.
Jiang Jiang might not know this, but Ji Xu'an knew it clearly.
Yet she did not say anything. Under Jiang Jiang's repeated attempts to keep her, Ji Xu'an seemed to finally compromise.
She nodded lightly, her low voice carrying a faint hoarseness that could not be explained. "Okay."
Jiang Jiang wriggled and shrank into the quilt, leaving only a pair of round eyes blinking without blinking as she looked at Ji Xu'an.
"Sister, come quickly."
It felt as if a cat's paw had lightly scratched Ji Xu'an's heart. She knew she should not do this, yet in the end, under Jiang Jiang's expectant gaze, she lifted the quilt and lay down beside Jiang Jiang in a proper, restrained posture.
Jiang Jiang did not mind. Even though Ji Xu'an's expression was so serious and cold that it did not look voluntary at all, Jiang Jiang pretended not to see it. She smiled at Ji Xu'an and said sweetly, "Good night, Sister."
"Mm, good night." Ji Xu'an silently let out a breath.
She already felt regret in her heart.
When they were in the hospital, the room had been cold and carried the distinct smell of a hospital, so Ji Xu'an had been able to remain calm and composed. She had thought tonight would be no different from those previous two nights.
But after lying down, Ji Xu'an realized she had been terribly wrong.
She was sleeping in Jiang Jiang's quilt, her entire body wrapped in Jiang Jiang's scent. Although Jiang Jiang was still keeping her distance and they were not even touching the corner of each other's clothes, Ji Xu'an still felt as if Jiang Jiang were holding her tightly.
She did not even dare to breathe, afraid that even the inside of her body would be invaded by Jiang Jiang's scent.
This warm, sweet fragrance was unique and clear, tightly surrounding Ji Xu'an. It intertwined and merged with the cool fragrance on Ji Xu'an's body, completely indistinguishable from one another.
Ji Xu'an felt as if she could barely breathe. Her body remained tense, unable to relax for a long time.
Jiang Jiang, on the other hand, slept very soundly. Ji Xu'an listened as her breathing gradually became long and steady; she was clearly already asleep.
She slightly turned her eyes to look at the person beside her. Jiang Jiang's slender body was completely curled under the quilt. Ji Xu'an could only see her long hair scattered across the pillow and the slight curve raised by the quilt.
There was someone asleep beside her. Her breath thoroughly dyed her with its presence. Yet Ji Xu'an did not dislike this feeling.
Reason told her she should withdraw and leave at this moment, but Ji Xu'an's body lingered on this warmth. As Jiang Jiang had said, she was accustomed to being alone year after year, but occasionally she would still crave the warmth and care given by another person.
Ji Xu'an closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink into the deep darkness. Lying beside Jiang Jiang, her difficulty falling asleep seemed to be cured as well. Sleepiness came to her quickly.
No one knew how much time had passed. Ji Xu'an had already fallen completely asleep, but at that moment, the previously sleeping Jiang Jiang opened her eyes.
Ever since she had agreed to let Ji Heyuan stay the night, Jiang Jiang had been waiting for this moment.
She slowly turned over and stared fixedly at Ji Xu'an's sleeping face. Ji Xu'an's sleeping posture was very proper. Her hands were folded over her abdomen, and beneath the quilt her straight legs were tightly closed together.
Ji Xu'an's sleep quality had always been poor. Even after falling asleep, she was easily startled awake. Jiang Jiang had already deeply experienced this back in the small partition room.
But now Ji Xu'an was sleeping very soundly. Even when Jiang Jiang propped herself up with her hand and slowly moved closer to her, Ji Xu'an did not notice at all.
Jiang Jiang did not go too far. If it were too obvious, Ji Xu'an would become guarded, and next time it might not be so easy to coax her.
She merely moved her body a little closer and gently rested her head in the hollow of Ji Xu'an's neck.
Being closer, Jiang Jiang could hear Ji Xu'an's shallow breathing. She tilted her head up to look at Ji Xu'an. The steady heartbeat and warm breath from Ji Xu'an's body were transmitted to her without reservation.
Jiang Jiang curved her lips upward. Maintaining that posture, she closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.
No lights were on in the room. The bright moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains into the bedroom, casting a thin, cool sheen over the entire space.
In the hazy faint light, one could vaguely see the two bodies pressed tightly together, drawing warmth from one another before sinking together into a sweet dream.
—
Ji Heyuan had drunk too much water before bed and was awakened at five-thirty in the morning by the urge to urinate. She yawned and sat up, afraid that turning on the light would wake her sister, and prepared to sneak to the bathroom using the moonlight.
Sleep blurred Ji Heyuan's vision. She only vaguely felt that the space beside her was somewhat empty.
Had her sister ended up sleeping on the edge of the bed?
Ji Heyuan did not think too much about it. She turned over and got out of bed, walking lightly toward the bathroom.
After using the restroom and returning, Ji Heyuan was already more awake.
Just now in the bathroom, she had been illuminated by the bright light. Now, returning to the dim room, she felt that everything around her was pitch-black. She fumbled to lift the quilt and lay back down, but the more she lay there, the more she felt that it was too quiet beside her. She could not even hear her sister's breathing.
Did her sister sleep this quietly?
Ji Heyuan shivered and suddenly felt something was wrong. No matter how quiet, it should not be so quiet that it felt as if no one were there at all.
She cautiously reached out to feel beside her. The quilt next to her was icy cold, not at all like someone had slept there. She kept reaching farther and farther, eventually even touching the edge of the bed, yet still felt nothing.
Where was her big sister?!
Ji Heyuan was completely awake now. She reached out and turned on the small nightlight by the bed, then turned to look beside her. The quilt next to her was indeed flat and undisturbed. The spot belonging to her sister was neat and tidy; there was not even a wrinkle on the pillow.
She had been worried about waking Ji Xu'an just now. When getting out of bed, she had accidentally kicked her own toe, the pain making her bare her teeth, yet she had not dared to make even the slightest sound. And in the end, after all that, she was the only one in the room!
Who had she been guarding against—ghosts?!
Ji Heyuan suddenly felt like an idiot. She glanced at the time on her phone. It was only five-thirty in the morning.
Had her sister gotten up this early??
A rare trace of guilt surged in Ji Heyuan's heart. Every day she only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, spending money freely, while her sister had to work so hard to earn money to support the family.
Just from the cold bed, one could tell that her sister must have gotten up long ago. What time had she gotten up—five? Perhaps even earlier.
Ji Heyuan suddenly could not fall back asleep.
She looked around Ji Xu'an's bedroom. The décor style was very simple. Although everything that should be there was present, it always gave people an unwelcoming feeling.
Because it was too neatly arranged, it lacked a bit of the atmosphere of home. It looked like a hotel room.
Living long-term in such a room, no wonder her sister's personality had grown colder and colder.
Ji Heyuan thought of Jiang Jiang again. Wherever Jiang Jiang lived, the style was obviously much warmer—for example, the rabbit pillow on the living room sofa, the wall paintings hanging on the walls, even the little cat sticker pasted on the lower left corner of the bathroom mirror. Every detail made people feel happy and relaxed.
A bold idea rose in Ji Heyuan's heart. If her sister slept with Xie Jiang Jiang, she definitely would not suffer from insomnia at night. But Ji Heyuan also knew that was impossible.
At the hospital was one thing, but now that they were home, her sister definitely would not agree to sleep with Xie Jiang Jiang. Even with her, her own biological younger sister, her sister felt somewhat unaccustomed—let alone with Xie Jiang Jiang.
Ji Heyuan could not help complaining in her heart. Their relationship was really too pure. Could it be that even after getting married, they would still maintain such a pure romantic relationship?
Wouldn't that be living like a widow?
The more Ji Heyuan thought, the further her thoughts wandered. She pondered whether she should help her sister. With her sister's steel-straight-woman personality, even if given a few more years, she might not necessarily be able to bring her wife home.
What if Xie Jiang Jiang found her sister too boring and was coaxed away by someone else's sweet talk?
Ji Heyuan was completely unable to sleep.
–
Ji Xu'an, on the other hand, slept very deeply this time. When she woke up, the sky was already bright.
She opened her eyes and, before she could move, clearly felt that her right shoulder was somewhat heavy.
Ji Xu'an's breathing lightened. Her body remained in the same position as when she had just woken up, unmoving, but her lashes lowered halfway as her gaze shifted toward her side.
Jiang Jiang was curled up against Ji Xu'an. From Ji Xu'an's angle, she could only see the top of Jiang Jiang's head, but she could clearly feel a faint warm breath continuously spraying onto her shoulder—it was Jiang Jiang's breathing.
The previous two times they had woken up, they had both remained properly in their original positions before sleep. But this time, Jiang Jiang was pressed tightly against her.
Ji Xu'an glanced toward the edge of the bed. Her body was still close to the edge, so it was Jiang Jiang who had crossed that invisible boundary and moved over to her side.
Ji Xu'an had no way to blame Jiang Jiang. After all, the entire bed belonged to Jiang Jiang. She was the one who had invaded Jiang Jiang's territory.
But their tightly pressed bodies were so obvious. Even the warmth from Jiang Jiang's body was clear and impossible to ignore. Although Jiang Jiang's hands and feet were well-behaved, Ji Xu'an still felt a suffocating sense of constraint.
Ji Xu'an took a deep breath. She gently pushed against Jiang Jiang's head and freed her shoulder.
Even after Ji Xu'an turned over and got out of bed, Jiang Jiang did not wake up. She merely murmured vaguely, rubbed her cheek against the pillow Ji Xu'an had slept on, and then continued sleeping soundly.
She was completely unaware of Ji Xu'an's thoughts, still sleeping sweetly, leaving Ji Xu'an standing alone by the bed, looking at her with a complicated expression.
Perhaps because they had already been in even more intimate positions before, Ji Xu'an quickly persuaded herself this time.
Jiang Jiang definitely had not done it on purpose. How could a person control their behavior after falling asleep?
Moreover, if she had really slept with Ji Heyuan last night, little Yuan would only have been even more unrestrained than Jiang Jiang.
Ji Xu'an reached up and rubbed her shoulder. It seemed that Jiang Jiang's warmth still lingered there. Ji Xu'an closed her eyes and suppressed the surging thoughts in her heart.
She did not wake Jiang Jiang and prepared to return to her own room to change clothes.
When Ji Xu'an pulled open the door, Ji Heyuan happened to walk out of the bedroom next door at the same time. When she saw Ji Xu'an, she looked as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes widened instantly, her lips trembling, unable to speak for a long time.
Ji Xu'an's expression was unnatural for a second, but she quickly returned to her usual calm composure. "You're awake this early?"
Ji Heyuan answered instinctively, "Couldn't sleep. I'm a little hungry."
Ji Xu'an nodded. "I'll have Aunt Zhou buy breakfast. What do you want to eat?"
Ji Heyuan rubbed her stomach, her gaze still somewhat blank. "Won… wontons?"
"Yes."
Ji Xu'an reached back and closed the bedroom door behind her. Ji Heyuan instinctively shifted her body aside, watching helplessly as her sister walked past her.
Only when Ji Xu'an was already about to reach the wardrobe did Ji Heyuan finally come back to her senses. "Holy shit, you you you…!!"
Ji Xu'an frowned and glanced back at her. "Keep your voice down, Jiang Jiang hasn't woken up yet."
Ji Heyuan quickly raised a hand to cover her own mouth. She hurriedly slipped inside as well, shut the door, and looked at Ji Xu'an's calm expression with a face full of accusation.
"Didn't you go to work?!"
Ji Xu'an was unbuttoning her pajamas. Her fair collarbone was faintly visible. Ji Heyuan instinctively turned her back, her imposing manner weakening for no reason.
"When did I ever tell you I went to work?"
Ji Heyuan froze. It seemed Ji Xu'an really had never said that. It had all just been her own guess.
But wasn't that even more infuriating?
She had been tormented by guilt all morning and couldn't fall back asleep!
"So you just came out of Xie Xiao's room? When did you go over there?"
Ji Heyuan thought of the neat, icy-cold bed she had seen that morning. She was certain that before she fell asleep last night, Ji Xu'an had still been sitting beside her reading.
Thinking of this, Ji Heyuan's eyes suddenly widened. Listening to the rustling sounds behind her, she felt like her brain was about to explode.
"So after I fell asleep last night, you went to find Xie Xiao?!"
Ji Heyuan felt like a clown. While she had been worrying that her sister didn't know how to date, her sister might have been happily hugging her girlfriend and dreaming!
Ji Xu'an did not speak. Ji Heyuan knew this was a silent admission.
She was like a bird with ruffled feathers, hands on her hips as she demanded, "You two teamed up to bully me, didn't you!"
"Last night you made me sleep with Xie Xiao, then made me sleep with you. Actually, all of it was just to cover up the fact that you two wanted to sleep together!"
Ji Heyuan felt extremely wronged. "You could've just said you two wanted to sleep together! Would I not have made room for you?"
Ji Xu'an had been ignoring her the whole time. Only now, hearing that Ji Heyuan seemed almost on the verge of tears, did Ji Xu'an helplessly explain, "I had a bit of insomnia last night. Jiang Jiang also couldn't sleep, so we chatted for a while."
"And then? Chatting and chatting and you ended up in bed together?"
Ji Heyuan's tone still sounded angry, but on the face turned away from Ji Xu'an was clearly written pure gossip.
At first she had indeed been a little shocked and aggrieved, but thinking about her sister and Xie Xiao secretly dating behind her back, Ji Heyuan suddenly felt like it was kind of exciting?
Hehe.
"You were already asleep at the time. I didn't want to wake you."
Ji Xu'an did not say that it had been Jiang Jiang's suggestion. She took all the responsibility onto herself.
Ji Heyuan pouted. Her sister's excuse was way too lousy. After she fell asleep, whether she was easy to wake or not—wouldn't her sister know?
As expected of a heartless big devil. Even at a time like this, she was still thinking of pushing the blame onto her.
"Yes, yes, yes, it's all my fault. You and Xie Xiao were both forced into it, okay?"
Ji Xu'an was tidying the sleeves of her shirt. Hearing that, her expression did not change. "It's fine if you just say that to me."
The unspoken meaning: don't go looking for Jiang Jiang.
Ji Heyuan clicked her tongue. "You're making it sound like I'm some kind of big villain who specializes in sabotaging the relationship between the protagonists."
Ji Xu'an: "Read fewer novels."
Ji Heyuan was just about to retort when she suddenly remembered that she had invested in Zheng Zhouzhou's new movie. Afraid that her sister might also recall that matter, she immediately fell silent.
When Aunt Zhou brought the wontons, Jiang Jiang still had not woken up. Ji Heyuan and Ji Xu'an sat facing each other at the dining table eating breakfast.
Aunt Zhou placed Jiang Jiang's portion to the side. "Miss Xie hasn't woken up yet?"
Ji Heyuan was looking at her phone, replying absentmindedly, "She was probably too tired last night. Don't worry about her."
Hearing Ji Heyuan's tone, Aunt Zhou felt that she did not seem to care much about Jiang Jiang, but what did that first half of the sentence mean?
"Too tired?"
Perhaps the confusion on Aunt Zhou's face was too obvious. Ji Heyuan let out a strange little laugh. "That, I don't know. You'll have to ask my sister."
Ji Xu'an shot her a glance, her eyes full of warning.
Ji Heyuan grinned mischievously, not afraid of her at all. But Aunt Zhou was different. Even if you gave her a hundred times more courage, she wouldn't dare question Ji Xu'an.
Ji Xu'an merely cast her a light glance, and Aunt Zhou's heart tightened in fright. She immediately did not dare ask any more.
She always felt that the eldest young lady seemed to know everything; all her little thoughts were completely exposed in Ji Xu'an's eyes.
After breakfast, Ji Xu'an went to work. Ji Heyuan had nothing to do and could only sprawl on the sofa playing with Little Bread. Little Bread still ignored her. Ji Heyuan felt like a pathetic simp.
Just as she was feeling bored, Zheng Zhouzhou suddenly called.
Ji Heyuan immediately sat up straight. "Zhouzhou?"
On the screen, Zheng Zhouzhou's face looked tired. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
"What's wrong, Zhouzhou? What happened?"
Zheng Zhouzhou bit her lip and refused to speak for a long time. Only after Ji Heyuan repeatedly pressed her did she softly say, "Little Yuan, does President Ji have a problem with me? I know I had some unpleasantness with Miss Xie before, but I really didn't mean any harm."
"I can apologize to Miss Xie. Can you ask President Ji to show mercy and let me off?"
"Huh?" Ji Heyuan was confused. "My sister? What did she do?"
That didn't make sense. If Ji Xu'an had really done something, would she not have told her?
The grievance on Zheng Zhouzhou's face deepened. She looked full of forbearance and compromise, but where the camera could not see, her nails were already digging into her palm.
"You know about the new movie I invested in and joined recently. I truly like it very much, that's why I asked you for help."
Ji Heyuan nodded. "And then?"
Zheng Zhouzhou could hear the confusion in her tone. That meant she hadn't believed what she had just said. Between her and Ji Xu'an, she still trusted Ji Xu'an more.
"For my role, originally the director and screenwriter favored another actress. But later, because of your help, the director and the others still chose me."
Zheng Zhouzhou bit her lip. "I also feel very sorry toward that actress. But this kind of thing really can't be easily yielded, and I believe my acting skills are no worse than hers."
Ji Heyuan did not speak, only silently looked at her.
Zheng Zhouzhou had always thought Ji Heyuan was easy to fool, but for some reason, at this moment she actually felt nervous.
Zheng Zhouzhou had wanted to further express her apology, but under Ji Heyuan's gaze, she was momentarily speechless. In the end, she honestly stated her true purpose.
"That actress was supposed to withdraw, but I only found out this morning that she will still play the female second lead in this movie."
Zheng Zhouzhou was truly panicking.
No one knew better than her how popular this movie would become in the future. The actress who played the female lead in the film would leap from an unknown newcomer to a blazing top young star.
It wasn't enough that Zheng Zhouzhou had used underhanded means to snatch the other party's role. She also wanted to completely crush her into the dirt, best if she didn't even have the slightest chance to rise.
Zheng Zhouzhou hadn't believed in fate before, but ever since being reborn, she believed in destiny more than anyone.
Although this time the other party's role had changed from female lead to female second lead, what if?
What if the one who became famous was still her? Then what would she do?
Zheng Zhouzhou had thought of continuing to use Ji Heyuan's name to threaten the director, but the director, who had previously been very respectful toward her, was unexpectedly tough and stubborn this time.
However, in the end he still revealed a piece of information to Zheng Zhouzhou: this was Ji Xu'an's decision.
Ji Heyuan was wealthy, and everyone was willing to give her face. But the one truly in charge of Linghai Group was Ji Xu'an. With Ji Xu'an's support, that actress entering the production was already a done deal.
Only then did Zheng Zhouzhou panic. If she hadn't truly had no other way, she wouldn't have called Ji Heyuan.
If not for the special circumstances, Zheng Zhouzhou did not want to confront Ji Xu'an so easily. But this opportunity concerned whether she could become explosively popular. Zheng Zhouzhou would rather offend Ji Xu'an than let someone snatch away her fortune.
"President Ji invested in this movie and let that actress play the female second lead. Is it because she's very dissatisfied with me?"
Ji Heyuan was also a little puzzled, but she did not believe Ji Xu'an was making things difficult for Zheng Zhouzhou.
"Don't panic. It's just the female second lead, not the female lead."
The most outstanding role in this movie was still the female lead. The female second lead's character setting was also very good, but ultimately still slightly inferior.
"If my sister were really targeting you, you would've already lost the female lead role. Maybe she read the script too and felt this movie was worth investing in?"
Ji Heyuan didn't think this was a big deal. Her sister had a sense of proportion. If she wanted to target someone, she would do it openly and aboveboard, never through this kind of small trick.
But Zheng Zhouzhou was far less broad-minded. She was certain that Ji Xu'an wanted to prop someone up to compete against her. Perhaps later the female second lead's scenes would greatly increase, and she, the female lead, would instead become a supporting character.
Was this Ji Xu'an's goal?
Making things difficult for her, while also ensuring Ji Heyuan wouldn't harbor even the slightest resentment.
Looking at the oblivious Ji Heyuan on the other side of the screen, the unwillingness and anger in Zheng Zhouzhou's heart nearly drowned her. Ji Heyuan, this useless waste!
She wasn't even comparable to a single finger of her sister's. A person like that—if she hadn't just happened to be born into the Ji family—would probably have long been devoured until not even bones remained!
The greater the gap between Ji Heyuan and Ji Xu'an, the more unwilling Zheng Zhouzhou felt.
If the one who had gained Ji Xu'an's favor had been her, she might have already become a new-generation top star. Why would she need to nitpick over such a small role like now?
A trace of gloom flashed through Zheng Zhouzhou's eyes. If only Xie Xiao didn't exist…
—
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