ORCBRB – Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Time seemed to stand still.
Sang Shi'an's mind went blank, and hormones surged uncontrollably through her body. First, the lips she had kissed began to burn. The heat spread rapidly along her cheeks to the roots of her ears, leaving Sang Shi'an dizzy, her senses muddled. Then, her pupils gradually focused, landing on Jian Cenyu's eyes as she looked back at her.
Sang Shi'an looked at Jian Cenyu and asked in the calmest voice she had ever feigned in her life, "Is there an umbrella in the car?"
Jian Cenyu said, "There's one in the trunk, but it's buried under shopping bags. It would be a hassle to find."
Seeing that Jian Cenyu had no intention of letting her go, Sang Shi'an lowered her eyes. "Then forget it, let's just go back."
Jian Cenyu closed and locked the car door, then carried Sang Shi'an back along the tree-lined path at the community entrance, leaving a trail of footprints behind them. The bare tree trunks couldn't block much of the wind and snow, and snowflakes rustled down, dotting their intertwined long hair.
She remembered a line from a piece of fanfiction on the school forum—If we could be drenched in the same snow today.
But in this snow, it seemed she was the only one who was lost.
Just like the confession that had just slipped out.
That fleeting kiss.
The feeling of being ignored filled her heart intensely, causing Sang Shi'an's heart to beat even more violently. On the first day she realized she liked someone, Sang Shi'an understood another truth.
Liking someone isn't limited to possessing a part of them; it's a domineering desire to claim them entirely, to make every aspect of yourself the most special in their eyes.
As Jian Cenyu watched the path, Sang Shi'an stared intently at her, thinking: This person has to be mine.
By the time they finally entered the apartment building, both of their coats were soaked. Jian Cenyu noticed Sang Shi'an's gaze and looked down at her. "An'an?"
A few stray strands of hair were plastered messily to Sang Shi'an's cheek, making her face appear even paler from the cold.
As they entered the elevator, Jian Cenyu put her down, her voice softening. "We should have found an umbrella."
Sang Shi'an's legs were covered in snow. Dressed thinly, they were now genuinely freezing. When she was set down, she stared blankly at Jian Cenyu for a moment, then suddenly placed both hands on Jian Cenyu's right arm and silently let out a trembling breath.
Jian Cenyu's breathing instinctively lightened.
Since they had reunited, Sang Shi'an had never been this dependent on her, not even when she had a fever.
"Is your leg still hurting a lot?"
The elevator doors opened. Sang Shi'an didn't let go of Jian Cenyu's arm and said softly, "Could you help me a little further?"
After entering the apartment, Sang Shi'an went straight back to her room. The comfortable floor heating and the warmth inside quickly warmed her up.
The sound of Jian Cenyu's footsteps faded from her bedroom door. Sang Shi'an sat on the sofa for a moment, then raised a hand to touch her own lips.
After a while, she stuck out her tongue and licked them, only to freeze abruptly the next second.
So was she also going to become one of those crazy fools who go mad for love?
Sang Shi'an ran her hands through her hair in frustration.
No, she couldn't become that kind of fool yet.
—Because Jian Cenyu could very well become the other party in her brother's future marriage certificate.
—Because Jian Cenyu was now officially Kitty's girlfriend.
And she, Sang Shi'an, was just a younger sister Jian Cenyu had known for many years.
That was all.
After a long while, between "wife" and "girlfriend," Sang Shi'an chose to deal with the "wife" issue first.
Exposing Jian Cenyu's sexual orientation to her parents was obviously not very ethical. Plus, given Sang Shi'an's current realization that she was also very likely gay, the best course of action was to have either Sang Shiyue or Jian Cenyu take the initiative to refuse.
Between Jian Cenyu rejecting Sang Shiyue and Jian Cenyu being rejected by Sang Shiyue, for the first time ever, Sang Shi'an didn't side with her brother.
At worst, she would go to the company on the weekend to serve him tea and water, showing her filial piety a few more times.
Sang Shi'an frowned and switched her WeChat to her Kitty account.
Ever since Jian Cenyu was hospitalized, Sang Shi'an had been very perfunctory with her messages as Kitty, banking on the fact that Jian Cenyu didn't have a SIM card and couldn't log in to verify her WeChat.
On the chat screen, Jian Cenyu had only replied with a few brief sentences after being discharged, as if they were back to the early days when Kitty had first added her as a friend.
Sang Shi'an first sent a sticker of a cat peeking out: [Is Jiejie busy right now? Or are you already asleep?]
Jian Cenyu: [Not busy, just got home. What about you?]
Kitty: [Of course I was thinking about you, Jiejie. You haven't been online these past few days, so I could only watch dramas to pass the time.]
Jian Cenyu: [What drama did you watch?]
Sang Shi'an thought to herself that she had taken the bait: [It's a melodramatic drama where the main characters are forced to break up because one of them has to enter an arranged marriage for family responsibilities. Jiejie, in real life, do rich people also give up the person they love for the sake of an arranged marriage?]
After she sent this message, the other side of the screen went silent for nearly a minute.
Staring at the quiet screen, Sang Shi'an suddenly felt her question was a bit stupid. Was she expecting Jian Cenyu to lie and say they wouldn't?
[I'm being too idealistic. With so many rich people in arranged marriages, isn't the answer obvious?]
[If you love someone enough, you certainly won't let them be wronged.]
Their messages came out at the same time. When Sang Shi'an saw the words "love someone enough," her hand trembled violently, and her phone fell onto the sofa.
Jian Cenyu sent another message: [But the risks would be very high. In reality, not many people would go against their family's interests.]
After a long mutual silence, Sang Shi'an asked: [Then one day in the future, would Jiejie reject an arranged marriage for me?]
Jian Cenyu: [Don't overthink it.]
So it hadn't reached the point of "loving enough."
In other words, Jian Cenyu didn't like Kitty that much yet.
Sang Shi'an's heart, which had been gloomy all evening, finally felt a bit lighter.
After chatting a little more, Sang Shi'an used the excuse of catching a cold from the drop in temperature to say goodnight to Jian Cenyu.
Her clothes had already been dried by the heating. Sang Shi'an grabbed her pajamas, intending to take a bath in the main bathroom with the tub. As she stepped out of her room, she heard a clear, gentle voice call her, "An'an, come here for a moment."
Sang Shi'an turned her head and saw Jian Cenyu by the tea bar. The sleeves of her shirt were partially rolled up, and a slender silver spoon stirred against the side of a cup, making a faint clinking sound.
Sang Shi'an casually placed her pajamas on a nearby cabinet and walked over. "What is it?"
"I just boiled some ginger soup. You should have a cup too, to warm up."
Sang Shi'an paused for a moment, then took the cup Jian Cenyu handed her. The brown sugar in the ginger water masked the spiciness, and she took a sip. It wasn't bad.
The two of them drank their ginger tea quietly in the pantry. Jian Cenyu finished first and turned to wash the pot.
No matter how aloof a person was, they always showed a touch of domestic warmth in the kitchen. However, Jian Cenyu rarely entered the kitchen. During their time living together, Sang Shi'an had only seen her there when she was clearing the dishes after a meal.
Sang Shi'an deliberately dawdled for a while. Only when Jian Cenyu was putting the cup back on the rack did she slowly walk over to the sink.
Jian Cenyu very naturally took her cup. Her wet fingers were fair and clean, and even the lines on her knuckles were faint. She truly resembled a fairy who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world.
But who would have thought that privately, Jian Cenyu would like a passionate and bold girl like Kitty.
As Jian Cenyu turned off the faucet, Sang Shi'an averted her gaze, planning to go take her bath.
But then she suddenly heard Jian Cenyu ask, "That boy you like, is he from our university?"
Sang Shi'an became alert, like a little puppy that stops halfway through gnawing on a chicken leg to guard its food. "What are you doing?"
"Just asking." Jian Cenyu dried her hands and walked over.
"She's pretty great," Sang Shi'an replied perfunctorily. Under Jian Cenyu's calm gaze, she deliberately added more, "She's not the kind of person you all imagine is suitable for me. Especially my brother. If he finds out, I might get kicked out of the house, but I just really like her."
Jian Cenyu shook her head. "Your brother isn't that kind of person."
Hearing Jian Cenyu defend Sang Shiyue, Sang Shi'an immediately took the bait, defending her one-percent-progress love. "That's because you don't know my brother. Don't be fooled by how he changes female companions like he changes clothes. When it comes to me, he's terribly old-fashioned. Liking someone is like committing a crime in his eyes."
Jian Cenyu asked, as expected, "Your brother has many ex-girlfriends?"
"How would I know if he's just playing the field or actually in a relationship?" Sang Shi'an had achieved her goal and clammed up.
"Let's get back to you. Your family won't approve of the person you like, yet you still want to be with him?" Jian Cenyu's speech was unhurried, slow and methodical.
Sang Shi'an didn't dare to look at her. Pretending her legs were tired, she went to the living room sofa and casually grabbed a throw pillow to hug. "I don't plan on confessing to her for now."
Jian Cenyu followed, her steps faltering slightly. "Why?"
Her fingers tightened around the pillow. Sang Shi'an looked up at Jian Cenyu, who was walking over, her beautiful, obsidian-like eyes fixed on Jian Cenyu's face.
In her past twenty years, there was almost nothing she wanted that she couldn't get. A wealthy family background meant she was never troubled by material things. Excellent grades and an outstanding appearance brought her many kind friends. She could even easily have the older brothers and sisters that everyone yearned for as a child.
Having no experience with romance always kept Sang Shi'an extremely calm. Even watching those around her fall in love, she could shamelessly deny all the love in the world.
And yet, this time, she had actually fallen for Jian Cenyu.
"Her family has already arranged a very good marriage partner for her."
After she said this, a trace of surprise flashed across Jian Cenyu's face. "He's married?"
For a moment, Sang Shi'an couldn't tell if she wanted Jian Cenyu to guess or if she didn't want her to notice.
She didn't quite dare to look at Jian Cenyu, so she lowered her head and fished out a nail clipper from the coffee table. "...He will be soon, I guess."
"Is the person you like in a marriage of convenience, or was it his own choice?" Jian Cenyu bent down, picked up the trash can, tightened the bag, and walked over to place it by Sang Shi'an's slippers.
"None of that is very important, is it? The important thing is she probably doesn't like me." Sang Shi'an looked up, her gaze calmly meeting Jian Cenyu's. "I've known that older brother for many years. Put yourself in my shoes. If you had a younger brother you've known for many years, and he confessed to you right before your wedding, would you reconsider? So I think I don't need to make a useless effort."
Jian Cenyu's breath caught almost imperceptibly. Beneath her calm exterior, it was as if someone had plucked at her heartstrings. She closed her eyes and said very, very softly, "Maybe I would."
Sang Shi'an was surprised. "Why?"
Jian Cenyu raised her hand and ruffled Sang Shi'an's hair. "Probably because that younger brother is very brave."
In Chinese, "he" (他) and "she" (她) are both pronounced "tā" but distinguished in writing, while spoken context clarifies gender, hence the misunderstanding.
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