Yingyu Chi stared fixedly at the computer screen, not daring to blink. She couldn’t afford to miss even the tiniest flicker of Jianglai’s movements.

The drowsiness she’d shown when first arriving home had completely vanished. Her heart hammered against her ribs, threatening to burst free.

Yingyu Chi had always been a light sleeper—any unusual sound would jolt her awake. It was instinct.

She’d actually woken up while Jianglai gently removed her makeup with cotton swabs and wet wipes earlier. She just hadn’t let her brother-in-law notice.

Every alluring glimpse Jianglai had caught? Yingyu Chi had deliberately offered them. Even that subtle shift in her sleeping position was meant to look more enticing.

Outwardly cool, even aloof—beneath that composed face lay decades of pent-up longing. Yingyu Chi hadn’t been an innocent girl for a long time. She was a woman burning with desire.

On screen, Jianglai wrestled with his own hunger. He kept splashing cold water on his face and body, desperate to douse the fire within.

But his struggle only ignited Yingyu Chi’s own flames. She knew better than to enter the bathroom. Her brother-in-law would be mortified—too ashamed to face her. That would ruin everything.

After all, she’d worked so hard these past nights to push him to this edge.

Late in her room, watching Jianglai sleep on the sofa, she’d steal close under cover of darkness. Truly observing him like this was rare. Back when they lived together, she’d sneak peeks too—but always fearing his daughter might catch her. Now? She could indulge freely.

Darkness bred both fear and endless yearning.

Since she couldn’t see him clearly at night, she’d trace her fingers over the patches of skin exposed by his restless sleep. His skin felt like firm, dewy jelly. Sometimes she’d bury her face in his long hair, breathing in his scent. They used the same shampoo and body wash—yet on him, it smelled intoxicatingly sweet.

Bold yet cautious, she moved like a shadow-dweller, terrified of waking him. She felt like a creature of the dark, greedily stealing moments of Jianglai’s beauty—never daring to claim them openly.

Even now, watching this feverish scene, her mind fogged with lust, she didn’t dare burst into the bathroom to embrace the damp, scorching man inside. She could only watch as Jianglai’s hand slowly drifted downward on screen…

Reason drowned in darkness. Morals, etiquette, principles—all twisted and rotted into a single, shattering need. Her imagination seized the figure on the screen.

——————

——————

Jianglai splashed cold water on his face again and again. He dabbed his overheated skin with a damp towel, wiping away the sticky sweat. Only after ten minutes did his pulse finally slow.

Stepping out of the bathroom, embers still glowed faintly in his veins. He returned to the bedroom.

Yingyu Chi lay on the bed, cheeks flushed, breathing slightly quickened. Jianglai checked the AC—it wasn’t set high. Why was she so overheated?

He gently shook her shoulder. As she stirred awake, soft, tempting whimpers escaped her lips. When had Yingyu Chi become so utterly captivating?

Jianglai couldn’t meet her eyes as she sat up. Flustered, he stared at the wall. "Dinner’s ready. Come eat."

Yingyu Chi ached to cup that flushed face in her hands and kiss it fiercely.

The mysterious woman today had sparked real panic in her. That moment when the stranger carried Jianglai in a princess carry—his trusting dependence was something Yingyu Chi had never seen, never earned.

She knew she ranked second only to his daughter in his heart. But that position meant nothing—it was just borrowed from her sister.

Sometimes she laughed at herself. This familial tie forced her to hold back. Without it, age gap be damned—she’d have charged forward without hesitation. Maybe even taken him by force.

But Jianglai would care. Yingyu Chi might disregard her own reputation, but she couldn’t ignore his. She refused to let him drown in endless judgment. That single label—"sister-in-law"—could destroy them both.

Except now? That barrier was gone. He was free. He could be her wife. Her beloved. No one could object.

Watching Jianglai leave for the dining room, Yingyu Chi slowly rose from bed. Her legs trembled weakly from what she’d done alone in the room. *Shouldn’t have gone so hard on myself*, she scolded inwardly.

She shuffled out and wrapped her arms tightly around Jianglai from behind. Her voice, thick with shyness and allure, brushed his ear:

"Just let me lean on you for a moment, shifu. My head’s still spinning."

Jianglai understood post-nap dizziness. But why was his sister-in-law panting right against his neck?! The fire he’d just tamed roared back to life.