Was this really the daughter she knew? Why did the girl in front of her feel like someone else entirely?
Jianglai let herself be led, blankly, to the living room couch. She sat, uneasy, her mind still stuck on her daughter’s almost outrageous words.
Stepmom? Even as a joke, you don’t joke like that.
Hearing that, Jianglai moved like an elder should. She wanted her child to be more polite.
“Black tea, juice, or plain water? What do you want?”
“Ah, plain water’s fine…”
Right now, Jianglai felt like a robot. One question, one answer. While her daughter Jiang Leyi went to pour drinks, Jianglai and Yingyu Chi sat side by side on the sofa.
She had never seen her daughter treat an outsider like this. Questions piled up in her chest. “Why do you look like you’re not surprised at all?”
She could feel the curious gleam in Yingyu Chi’s eyes. Her sister-in-law looked completely used to it.
“Because this is Leyi’s true self. Bright, open, a little sun since she was small.”
Her words landed like a bombshell, overturning everything Jianglai thought she knew.
If there were a mirror, Yingyu would make her brother-in-law look. Head tilted, eyes full of questions—honestly, too cute for words.
To keep their whispers from reaching the daughter, Yingyu scooted closer. The gap between them vanished. She even rested her head on Jianglai’s shoulder. “By your side, she’s always hidden as a quiet, obedient kid.”
This father-and-daughter—now mother-and-daughter—pair had both badly underestimated the other’s love. Jianglai would give anything for her child. Jiang Leyi, in her own way, never wanted to trouble her dad.
And girls’ private matters aren’t things you tell a man. But now her brother-in-law had become her sister-in-law. Even if the truth comes out later, it’ll be easier with her niece.
“My brother-in-law, don’t you want to know your daughter better?”
Yingyu’s voice brushed her ear, slightly coaxing. Fingers laced together without thinking. With Jianglai nearby, Leyi had always been so well-behaved it felt unnatural. Like a puppet without a spark.
That’s not a normal family dynamic. A healthy parent-child bond doesn’t look like that.
“Of course I do. But I don’t know what to do… I tried hard to squeeze out time to be with her, but it didn’t help.”
Jianglai let out a soft sigh. Her brows and eyes drooped. A faint shadow settled over her. She looked so pitiful it hurt to see.
Yingyu watched her, moved in close, and set her right hand on Jianglai’s shoulder, soothing her.
To a third party, they looked tightly wrapped together. It was more than a little ambiguous.
Yingyu knew her brother-in-law only showed helplessness and fragility when it came to the child. That was her opening.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Brother-in-law. Leave it all to me next.”
She felt a bit sorry for her niece, but the aunt’s happiness depended on this assist.
Jianglai’s heart was full of nerves. Lying to her daughter made her uneasy. But if a gentle lie helps her understand the girl, maybe it’s worth it.
She desperately wanted to talk with Leyi. She hoped her daughter would share the big and small. If she started dating and kept her in the dark, then suddenly brought someone home, Jianglai would break.
In her mind, Leyi was the type who moved in silence. Low-key day to day, but once the wind stirred, she would shock everyone.
Even with mental prep, when Jiang Leyi came back carrying the cups, Jianglai was still unsettled.
Her daughter kept staring at her. Bare, unblinking, like she wanted to see right through.
Under that gaze, time felt frozen. Every second stretched. Her breath caught. Right now, she could only pin all hope on Yingyu Chi.
The living room turned into a weird little stage. Jianglai kept getting scanned up and down by her daughter. She couldn’t handle it, and her pleading eyes stayed on her sister-in-law.
Yingyu watched the two with a sunny smile, plotting who knew what.
Finally, Jiang Leyi couldn’t stand the awkward air. She cut in first. “Sis, why are you wearing my dad’s clothes?”
She hadn’t been home for months, but she could recognize her dad’s clothes.
They weren’t short on money now, but her dad never bought himself new clothes. If they weren’t torn, he kept wearing them. Leyi could spot those pieces at a glance.
“With a setup like this, the relationship’s definitely not ordinary. My dad’s stingy with himself, sure. But if it’s for someone else, you can relax.”
She kept studying the woman who looked about her aunt’s age, and she kept hyping up Jianglai. The woman in front of her was a total knockout, but her dad wasn’t lacking.
She hated to admit it, but even at his age, her dad still looked young. In looks, he could beat most celebs. Handsome and still charming.
There was that husbandly vibe, that mature pull. When he dropped her at the dorm at the start of term, within a few hours people were taking photos. They posted on the campus wall asking for his number.
If she weren’t shy, Leyi would ask her dad for his skincare secrets. Or she’d sell his contact on campus. Those were roads to freedom.
But once she grew up, she stopped scamming Dad. As a kid, she had sold his number to rich ladies. It got Jianglai harassed in all kinds of ways for a long time.
Handmade cakes sent out of the blue. Airtight packages of “original flavor.” And other things she couldn’t even say. Adults really play wild.
