It was because her feelings for him were so genuine that Jiangg Ning would look at that jewelry box again and again. Whenever she was bored, she would think of it, take out the gemstone earrings, and put them on, admiring herself from every angle in the mirror.
The smooth surface of the mirror reflected her cheeks and the sparkling earrings hanging from her rounded earlobes. They were so luxurious, but even more precious was the smile on a girl’s lips when she received a gift from the one she loved.
Giving two gifts didn’t mean Chen Yuan was simply using them as a tool to maintain balance.
Perhaps there was genuine affection.
But this genuine affection seemed so ironic and laughable when contrasted with the sisters’ actions: they did their utmost to hide the gifts, never daring to show them off, cherishing this bond only in secret.
The gifts were a tacit secret, a symbol of their unique place in his heart, and one of the few comforts in this twisted, complicated relationship.
At the same time, they also became the first spark that would light the powder keg.
She couldn’t count the days since then. The memory of Chen Yuan angrily scolding the two sisters for treating their relationship like a child’s game was still vivid. Yet when he himself experienced their emotional journey and became deeply entangled in it, the methods he chose were hardly honorable.
Conflict, estrangement, the light that ignited in their eyes only to be extinguished.
This pain that could never be resolved was hidden beneath a seemingly calm life, gradually becoming the sharpest thorn in her heart. It didn’t need to be touched; the mere thought of it was enough to pierce her entire heart.
That living, beating heart suddenly felt a hollowness.
Then, as if weeping, it began to drip blood.
"TICK—TOCK—"
"TICK—TOCK—"
The clock hanging on the living room wall—its second hand swung tirelessly.
As if she had gone deaf, Jiangg Ning picked up the watch from the coffee table. She stared at it blankly, seeing nothing else. She silently recited the brand name in her mind, each letter a stuttered pause in her thoughts until she had spelled it out completely.
Beside her, Jiangg Yao was rambling on, her explanations futile.
Jiangg Ning couldn’t hear a thing; she just watched her younger sister’s mouth open and close, over and over.
Her mind, like a muddy swamp, struggled to pull a single clue from the complex and frustrating information—a clue that pointed in one direction, and then to one person.
"He gave this to you?"
Jiangg Ning asked only that one question, and her sister fell silent.
She bit her lip, her gaze flickering about before she lowered her head and mumbled an "mhm" as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.
"Nice..."
Jiangg Ning said softly. She looked neither pained nor sad; her placid expression suggested she was merely thinking. But to Jiangg Yao, who knew her well, that expression was terrifying.
"What do you mean, ’nice’...? Sis, a gift doesn’t mean anything. Okay, so Chen Yuan and I did get a little closer, but that doesn’t mean you’ve lost. Just act cute and get him to buy you one too. All that matters to me is that I was first. Our competition is far from over... Hey, and this isn’t me pitying the loser, okay? It’s just... some weird feeling I have. I’m actually jealous that you two have so much to talk about. When it’s my turn, it’s always me pestering him. You’d better not go make a scene in front of him. He’s been working really hard lately, you know."
Jiangg Yao didn’t know what else to say. She rambled on nonsensically, stealing tentative glances at her sister’s expression.
Normally, she would have felt thrilled. They were, after all, playing a game of winner-take-all, loser-gets-lost. As long as you were at the table, you had to keep winning. But today felt different. Her sister’s reaction was strange, as if the layer of toughness wrapped around her had been stripped clean away, leaving only the softest weakness underneath.
One touch, and it would shatter.
In fact, she would have preferred it if her sister had acted tough and pretended not to care. That would have been normal.
Jiangg Yao had no idea what her sister was thinking at that moment.
’Without a doubt.’
’Jiangg Ning now knew. Chen Yuan had bought two gifts from the same specialty store and given them to the sisters, keeping the scales perfectly balanced. Judging by her sister’s frantic need to explain and the words she was saying, it was obvious Yaoyao had also been kept in the dark, completely unaware.’
’So why would Chen Yuan do that? What good would deceiving them both do him?’
’The answer was clear.’
’Even now, he still saw both sisters as his lovers equally. He hadn’t tried to distance himself from either one. He was contentedly enjoying this life.’
When Jiangg Ning recalled the words Chen Yuan had said when he gave her the gift by the river, her brow furrowed.
She had been so moved at the time, not once suspecting that Chen Yuan was playing such a game.
’Looking back and piecing it together now... no wonder he’d said, "Don’t you dare let Yaoyao know" when he gave me the gift. He was afraid of being exposed.’
What unsettled her even more was the thought: ’Has this only happened once?’
Jiangg Ning had sensed it for a while now.
He had sworn up and down that he would find a way to resolve the situation, that when the time was right, he would make things clear to Yaoyao, even if the outcome was heartbreaking. But that promise had vanished without a trace after she’d successfully become his secretary, never to be mentioned again.
Jiangg Ning could only tell herself not to be impatient, to try and give him more time.
’Aren’t mutual understanding and patience the most precious qualities in a relationship?’
’But where was the reward for all that patience...?’
’Nowhere in sight.’
One month dragged into the next, and life went on as usual. He, on the other hand, deliberately avoided similar topics and did his best to create situations where the three of them were together.
It seemed he was trying to turn this routine into an indelible habit, until everyone got used to each other’s presence and a tacit, unspoken balance was naturally reached.
’Was he really trying to fulfill his promise?’
Jiangg Ning asked herself.
’No.’
’Of course she couldn’t find any signs, because there were none. So what exactly was Chen Yuan "working so hard" on? Now she saw it.’
’But she had gone to great lengths to find all sorts of reasons to make excuses for him, just like her stammering sister was doing right now.’
’What a great and foolish love this is.’
’Why had Yaoyao never felt like she was losing, never feared Chen Yuan leaving? Why was she always so cocky, with the smug face of a winner? She understood now.’
’But even now, she couldn’t bear to assume the worst of the person she loved, just like the oblivious Jiangg Yao.’
’What firm, unshakeable trust this is.’
"Sis, why aren’t you saying anything? You aren’t actually crushed by this, are you? Don’t let a little thing like this destroy your confidence. I’ve given Chen Yuan so many gifts, it’s only right that he gives me something in return. Otherwise, he’d seem too heartless, wouldn’t he... I..."
"You think I’m unhappy because of this gift?" Jiangg Ning suddenly turned and asked.
"Huh? Aren’t you?"
"If only it were that simple."
Jiangg Ning put down the watch, stood up, and walked to the study. She pulled open a drawer and from a pile of jewelry boxes, took out the earrings Chen Yuan had given her, then walked back out with them.
She looked straight at the slightly stunned Jiangg Yao and shook the object in her hand.
"The exact same brand," Jiangg Ning said, biting her lip, her expression complex. "You don’t have to make excuses for him, Yaoyao... Did you know? Have you seen this? Take a good look now."
Nothing more needed to be said.
Her sister didn’t know she had gone to work at Bauhinia Company as Chen Yuan’s secretary.
Her sister didn’t know she had also received a gift and promised not to show it off.
Her sister didn’t know about the secret promises she and Chen Yuan had made.
So how many promises had Chen Yuan made to her sister? How many times had he engaged in this kind of two-sided deception?
Neither of them knew.
It was a very, very large debt. Maybe it could be calculated, maybe not, but the one who owed it definitely knew the full extent.
Jiangg Yao hesitantly took the jewelry box from her sister. She sat on the sofa, brushed back her messy hair, and with a CLICK, opened the box. Instantly, the deep, dazzling gemstone was reflected in her pupils.
"Did he tell you not to mention the gift, or else it would make me angry?" Jiangg Ning asked.
"...He did."
"Did he tell you that he would choose you, but he didn’t know how to tell me, so you should just be patient for now?"
"?"
"Then did he tell you that he likes you the most?"
「At this very moment.」
Faced with her sister’s questions, even if Jiangg Yao were a complete fool, she would have understood by now. Chen Yuan hadn’t just said those things to her; he had repeated the exact same lines to her sister.
"...That bastard!"
Her tightly clenched fist represented the boundless grievance and rage in Jiangg Yao’s heart.
Her fury.
WHOOSH! It ignited!