When the locked bedroom door clicked open, Jianglai—who hadn’t been sleeping—quietly pulled the blanket higher, burying her face deep into the pillow. She hoped this cocoon of fabric would shield her, prevent anyone from taking liberties again.

Jianglai thought this fortress of blankets would make the woman retreat. Instead, she heard that terrifying sound once more: the soft *click* of the lock turning. Her heart hammered against her ribs, threatening to burst free. She’d double-locked the door tonight. Yet here they were.

A mere lock could never stop her. Not after all the days she’d lived in this house—plenty of chances to copy every key.

Jianglai felt like a sparrow trapped in a cage, forever unable to escape that woman’s grasp. *Why… why would she do this?* She’d watched this girl grow up. Didn’t she owe her sister better than this?

Moonlight spilled through the curtains, silvering the room in quiet luminescence. In that hazy glow stood a slender figure.

"Sister-in-law… are you asleep?"

The voice was soft, almost brittle. Yet that simple silhouette gripped Jianglai’s heart like a fist, stealing her breath. Tears seeped from beneath her closed eyelids. She couldn’t understand why her sister-in-law, Yingyu Chi, would do such things.

*She still calls me her sister’s partner. She hasn’t forgotten.* But did Yingyu Chi’s actions honor that title at all?

When Jianglai didn’t stir, Yingyu Chi boldly climbed onto the bed. Gently, she peeled back the blanket, exposing Jianglai’s face. Moonlight traced her curled form—a sleeping beauty, heartbreakingly lovely.

Ever since her brother became her sister-in-law, Yingyu Chi had watched woman after woman enter Jianglai’s life. Until her own heart rebelled. *Why can they touch you… but not me?*

"Jianglai… are you awake?"

Silence swallowed the small room. Yingyu Chi leaned closer in the moonlight, studying every detail. Jianglai’s fluttering lashes betrayed her. *Pretending won’t save you.*

Jianglai felt Yingyu Chi’s gaze linger. No movement followed. *Is she leaving?* Just as relief flickered—

Warmth pressed against her back. Yingyu Chi slid beneath the covers, arms snaking around Jianglai’s waist, holding her tight.

*Is she staying the night?* What if her niece saw them at dawn? Her sister’s own daughter…

Jianglai’s chest tightened. Night after night, this secret assault. If discovered, they’d both be ruined. How had the gentle, polite girl she knew become this demon?

Tonight, Yingyu Chi grew bolder. Her hands roamed freely. Jianglai’s body shifted, turned like a doll—from curled on her side to pinned beneath her.

Hot breath brushed Jianglai’s cheek. Fingers slipped under her nightgown, tracing upward until they found the clasp of her bra. Yingyu Chi paused, curious. *Why wear this to bed? It’s so uncomfortable.*

As her fingers began to unhook the clasp—

Jianglai jerked upright, seizing Yingyu Chi’s wrist. "Yingyu Chi! How can you face me? How can you face your sister?"

Why did she treat Jianglai like a stranger? They shared no blood, but years of family meals, shared laughter—they were kin. Why this betrayal? Tears welled in Jianglai’s eyes. If not for her daughter sleeping next door, she’d have shouted the truth.

"Yingyu," she whispered, voice trembling. "I’ll pretend tonight never happened. Go to bed. Forget these past nights."

"If you were awake all along… were you enjoying my touch, Jianglai?"

Yingyu Chi ignored her plea, inching closer. Jianglai’s cheeks burned. She turned away, hair spilling over her shoulders like shattered silk. Nausea churned in her stomach. *This crude stranger isn’t the girl I knew.* Tears brimmed, unshed.

"Enough. Say one more word, and you’ll never be welcome in this house again."

Jianglai shrank back, feeling Yingyu Chi’s possessive stare. But strong arms pinned her wrists, slamming her against the wall. The next words crushed her.

"This is your home with my sister, yes. But I know you’ve been with other women here. If they can have you… why not me?"

The secret laid bare shattered Jianglai’s resistance. She watched, tears streaming, as Yingyu Chi undid her nightgown buttons one by one. A broken sob escaped. "Yingyu Chi… we can’t do this."

*How did everything spiral so fast?* Since becoming a woman, the world had twisted. There was no going back.