CHAPTER 334: 320 SLEEP ON BROTHER-IN-LAW’S BED

"Eh?" Nie Xiaoqian? Yao Yu leaned forward to take a closer look and exclaimed excitedly, "Sangsang-jie!"

"Well, I’m heading out first. I don’t know..." His expression suddenly became peculiar, and he let out a mischievous chuckle.

Zhao Chun glared at him, "A-Yu, help me find a bicycle." What kind of look was that! No respect at all!

"Alright, no problem!" Yao Yu quickly ran back to school.

"Let me take you home. There aren’t any cars on the road right now," Zhao Chun said.

"No need, I’ll walk back," Tian Sangsang said. "I want to be alone with my solitude."

Σ(⊙▽⊙"a She actually said that... Zhao Chun shook his head and frowned, "No way, I can’t let you go back by yourself. Since I’ve seen you, I can’t just ignore it."

"If you take me home, you’ll be walking back alone afterward, and that’s not safe. At this hour, with the darkness all around, accidents happen frequently. If anything happens to you, I’ll carry the guilt for eternity." Tian Sangsang straightened her posture, her indignation righteous and unwavering.

Zhao Chun, puzzled, remained calm, "That’s nothing. I’m a grown man; what’s there to be unsafe about?"

"See, that’s where you’re clueless!" Tian Sangsang raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and said, "Let me tell you, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman—it’s all the same. But the thing is, you’re not just a man; you’re a man that’s easy on the eyes. On a night as dark and windy as this, when thugs roam, you might as well wave a flag. Got it?"

Zhao Chun blinked twice, utterly confused. Her gaze gave him a chill. His face flushed slightly, and he spoke weakly, "No, the most dangerous thing is right in front of me."

"Zhao, Chun," Tian Sangsang narrowed her eyes, reached into her pocket, and threw something at him, "Looking for trouble, huh?"

Zhao Chun tried to dodge, couldn’t avoid it, and ended up catching it. He was surprised to find he’d caught... a piece of nougat candy. Wrapped in transparent packaging.

He froze, "For me?"

Tian Sangsang snorted coldly. A bowl of small wontons for a piece of candy.

At that moment, Yao Yu returned, leading an old-fashioned bicycle.

"You’re the one insisting on carrying me, so if something happens, I won’t take responsibility. Mind you, I am a married woman..." Tian Sangsang said teasingly, deliberately playing cool.

Zhao Chun unwrapped the transparent packaging, popped the nougat candy into his mouth, and crunched it. Looking at her with his clear eyes, he said, "Get on."

When they arrived home, the world was hushed, with only the scattered lights of the military district base in the distance. Tian Sangsang carefully unlocked the door. The living room was pitch black, and she sighed with relief, feeling a bit like a trespasser.

She tiptoed to her bedroom and suddenly caught sight of a figure in the shadows. She gasped.

However, the man emerging from the study merely glanced at her indifferently, said nothing, passed her, and walked into the bedroom, carrying with him a subtle smell of smoke.

Smoking again?

Meeting a smoker in the dead of night. Luckily, he didn’t ask anything, or the two of them would have quarreled again. Tian Sangsang patted her chest lightly and sulked back to her room, opened the quilt, and lay down.

The night passed without words, dreams, or sleep.

**

In the quiet night, clouds floated in the sky, and just one drifted to obscure the moon.

"Brother-in-law." Ji Yao’er stood in the courtyard of Lu Chi’s house, calling softly toward the door.

Usually, one utterance was enough for her brother-in-law to come and open the door. But tonight, she called four or five times, and there was still no response.

It was silent, too silent.

Yet the lamps inside were clearly lit.

"Brother-in-law, are you home?"

Ji Yao’er couldn’t resist lightly touching the door handle. With just a slight push, the door opened. She stepped inside, greeted by the thick smell of alcohol. The table was covered in green bottles of beer.

Brother-in-law had been drinking—was he troubled by something?

Water splashing echoed from the bathroom; he was likely taking a shower?

Ji Yao’er hesitated, her delicate face flashing a hint of embarrassment.

This was the first time she’d encountered such a situation, leaving her at a loss.

After all, her brother-in-law was married; and she herself had a boyfriend.

Alone with a man late at night—it wasn’t right.

Ji Yao’er regretted, quietly berating herself for choosing tonight to visit her brother-in-law, only to stumble into such an awkward moment. She turned to leave, but just as she did, Lu Chi’s hazy, drunken voice called from within, "Qiong’er!"

The voice was hoarse and continued, "Qiong’er, towel! Bring me a towel!"

Ji Yao’er froze, her steps halting in place.

What—what was she supposed to do now?

"Qiong’er! Why are you dawdling!"

Brother-in-law was truly drunk and muddled; her cousin was far away in Beijing, yet he was calling for her cousin.

Thinking of her cousin Li Qiong’er and the kindness Li Qiong’er had extended to her, Ji Yao’er’s heart wavered.

Seeing a towel on the bed, Ji Yao’er reluctantly picked it up. She walked to the bathroom door and knocked three times, "Brother-in-law, it’s Yao’er. Here’s the towel you asked for."

As soon as she finished speaking, the bathroom door opened, revealing a sliver of space.

Ji Yao’er reached out and handed the towel inside.

A pair of male hands suddenly gripped her wrist tightly and dragged her forcefully into the bathroom!

"Qiong’er, I feel awful." Lu Chi, unaware of who the person was, held Ji Yao’er in his arms and buried his head into her shoulder.

"Brother-in-law!" Ji Yao’er was pale with fright, desperately pushing him away. "Brother-in-law, it’s me, Yao’er! You’ve mistaken me for someone else!"

Lu Chi still buried his face in her neck, hugging her tightly.

Ji Yao’er dared not move a muscle. "Brother-in-law, you’re drunk. Please let go of me!"

"I’m not drunk!" Lu Chi grumbled discontentedly, releasing her and pressing his hands against her shoulders. Through the swirling mist, he stared at her dazedly, then chuckled softly, "You’re not Qiong’er."

Ji Yao’er met his eyes directly. "I’m not Cousin Qiong’er; I’m Ji Yao’er. Brother-in-law, you—"

"Kunling, you’re Kunling." Lu Chi murmured, then embraced her tightly again.

Wha—what Kunling. Was he talking about Guan Kunling? The one who caused Cousin’s miscarriage?

"Kunling..." He whispered lowly, as though trying to fuse her with his very being.

"Brother-in-law." Ji Yao’er struggled to breathe under his grip, her face growing paler.

"Kunling."

"No... Brother-in-law, let go of me." Ji Yao’er fought hard to break free, feeling nothing but humiliation. She and her brother-in-law—but the more she fought, the more uncontrollable he became, finally pressing his lips to hers and silencing her entirely.

Before long, the bathroom was filled with a man’s growls and a woman’s cries...

**

By dawn, Lu Chi finally sobered up.

The moment clarity returned, he immediately realized the gravity of his mistake. He had confused his sister-in-law with Li Qiong’er—or rather, with Guan Kunling.

Ji Yao’er sat slumped on the floor beside the bed, her clothes disheveled, her pale face blank, and her eyes staring vacantly ahead.

Lu Chi chuckled softly, his anger bristling. It was all this woman’s fault. If she hadn’t come to his house late at night uninvited, how could he have made such a foolish mistake?