"Ahhh—"

Their eyes met. Jianglai, who hadn’t even been fully seen, gasped first. The bedsheets she’d been holding slipped from her fingers, fluttering to the floor. She fled back to her bedroom in such a fluster.

Yingyu Chi watched her brother-in-law scramble away. *If only he’d looked a little longer. He wouldn’t have angered me. If he felt he hadn’t seen enough… I’d have leaned even closer.*

When would he finally face the desire in his heart? Just like last night—skin against skin, breaths mingling, Jianglai’s intoxicating whispers brushing her ear.

Yingyu Chi picked up the dropped bedsheets. She inhaled deeply. That scent clinging to the fabric—unmistakably *his*—was her most potent aphrodisiac.

Deep down, she craved to claim him utterly, to make him wholly, irrevocably hers. This fierce possessiveness gnawed at her sanity. Only a sliver of rationality held her upright, keeping her composed.

She placed the sheets on the sofa. Still unclothed, she tapped lightly on the bedroom door. "Brother-in-law? I forgot my clothes. Let me in, okay?"

After a long wait, the door cracked open just a sliver. The moment Jianglai saw her step inside, she vanished beneath the covers in a flash, pulling the blanket tight over her head.

"Yingyu, don’t worry—I won’t look. Just change safely in here."

"Though honestly," Yingyu Chi murmured, eyes crinkling with playful warmth as she gazed at the lump under the quilt, "I wouldn’t recommend *you* looking either. After all, what I have… you have too. Maybe studying someone else helps you understand your own body better?"

She could bare herself without shame for Jianglai. Her heart was open. But Jianglai’s? It held no such longing. To her, Yingyu was only her sister’s little sister.

*Why can’t he see me as a woman?* Yingyu ached. *Why can’t my body stir desire in him, instead of trapping him forever in the role of ‘my sister’s husband’?*

Some titles, once claimed, became unbreakable chains between two people.

She longed to bury herself in Jianglai’s arms, to seek comfort without restraint, to pour every tangled emotion onto her.

But it was only a selfish dream. Between them lay a mountain—a chasm of ethics and morality. Impossible to ignore. Impossible to cross. One misstep, and she’d plummet into ruin.

"There’s takeout on the table outside," Yingyu said after dressing. She padded softly to the bed and gently peeled the quilt away from Jianglai’s tightly wrapped form. "I’d planned to wake you after my shower, but you woke earlier than I expected."

"I’ll be swamped this afternoon. Don’t wait for me for dinner tonight. Eat when you’re hungry."

Jianglai emerged, hair tousled, sleep clothes rumpled. Yingyu’s fingers brushed stray strands from her face, smoothing the fabric. A sheen of sweat glistened on Jianglai’s collarbone and shoulders. Yingyu’s hand lingered, tracing the damp skin. *He looks… unfairly alluring right now.*

She hated admitting it, but since last night—and even now—her mind had been flooded with filthy fantasies about her brother-in-law.

Part of her wanted to pin down this obedient, vulnerable Jianglai right here in the daylight.

*I’m human. Not a beast ruled by lust.* She’d warned herself endlessly: *Stop thinking of him, or you’ll lose control.* Yet all day at work, her thoughts had circled only Jianglai.

Some doors, once opened, couldn’t be shut. Some hungers, once unleashed, couldn’t be caged.

Yingyu’s mind painted Jianglai’s face again, replaying last night’s delicious transgression.

While Yingyu drowned in restless desire, Jianglai felt utterly light—mind and body free.

She’d showered at noon. That relentless inner fire? Gone. Vanished as if last night’s dream had extinguished it. Without its distraction, her focus sharpened like a blade.

*Was it because of that dream?*

Jianglai was an adult. She accepted bodily urges and stray thoughts as natural—just physiology, not monsters. If relief was needed now and then? She had no shame in granting it.

Refreshed, she’d spent the day productively: washing the damp bedsheets, scrubbing every corner of the apartment until it gleamed.

Outside, snow began to fall. Soft, silent flakes drifted gently, veiling the world beyond the window in a hazy white.

This year’s first snow came early. Southern snow looked gentle midair, but melted on contact, soaking through clothes like rain.

Seeing Yingyu leave without an umbrella, Jianglai grabbed one and hurried out.

The snow fell thick and fast. Wind stung her cheeks. She walked slowly under the umbrella, catching a snowflake on her palm—it melted into a bead of water before her eyes.

She’d meant to head straight to Yingyu’s office. But then she spotted a girl standing frozen on the sidewalk, snow plastering her long hair, soaked through as if she’d been waiting since the storm began.

She looked like a lost kitten. Jianglai’s heart clenched. She stepped closer, tilting the umbrella over the girl’s head.

The girl looked up, wide-eyed at the sudden shelter—and at Jianglai’s face. A flicker of shock crossed her features. *So… familiar…*

"Why stand out here in the snow?" Jianglai asked gently. The girl’s clothes were damp, her cheeks flushed red with cold, icy droplets clinging to her sleeves. *She’ll catch a chill.* Jianglai knew it wasn’t her place, but she couldn’t leave a girl her daughter’s age shivering in the storm.

"Come. Let’s warm up in the café nearby, okay?"