"I don’t want to be so deliberately distant. That would be the real start of coldness and drifting apart. But you two are ruthless. You even deleted my face from the door lock."
Chen Yuan pulled a chair over and sat down, a bitter feeling churning inside him.
He’d been on the receiving end of this treatment for over a month. Not only had things failed to improve in the slightest, but his situation was getting worse.
Fortunately, he had kept Jiangg Ning by his side, where she could see his efforts. If he’d let her just walk away, all his hopes would have been completely extinguished.
He currently had no answers for Jiangg Ning’s questions—What would other people think? How would they judge the two sisters? If they had children, how could they possibly explain it to them? There was also the matter of legal standing... and their parents’ opposition.
But Chen Yuan was genuinely trying to find a solution.
He had recently learned that there were actually many countries in the world that didn’t oppose two women marrying the same man. And even under the current system, as long as it didn’t violate bigamy laws and was done with the full consent of the women involved, it wasn’t unheard of for three people to live together. The problem was that such cases were too rare to be a convincing argument.
Without a doubt, the true crux of the matter was their traditional nature and the friction between the two sisters.
On the other hand, he also had to prove he was truly capable of providing for both sisters, and that wasn’t something he could accomplish overnight. Even though his status was rising like a rocket, he was, in essence, still too naive and idealistic—a common flaw among students fresh out of the ivory tower without much real-world experience.
"I didn’t delete it," Yaoyao said, setting her phone aside. "First thing this morning, my sister went to mess with the door lock and told me not to let you in."
"And you agreed?"
"Why wouldn’t I agree?"
"Yaoyao... I know I’ve wronged you, and I’m not forcing you to get used to anything. I’m just saying that maybe, if you tried to see things from my point of view, you’d realize that this is painful for me, too."
’When it came to Yaoyao, Chen Yuan couldn’t use the same strategy he used for Ningning. He had to go on an all-out offensive and pull her over to his side, no matter the cost.’
’Only then would he have a tiny sliver of a chance to win.’
’Because while it seemed like one sister was strong and the other weak, with Jiangg Ning holding absolute authority, that wasn’t the case. After so many years of a love-hate relationship where they were evenly matched, it was fair to say that, in a sense, Jiangg Yao was the perfect counter to Ning.’
’She was, at the same time, one of Ningning’s weaknesses.’
Even though the sisters had been hostile toward each other because of him and had argued more than once over the past year of their relationship, Chen Yuan was only now realizing that, from start to finish, they were family. Sisters. Nothing could ever break that bond of blood, and their fights didn’t actually affect their underlying relationship.
’Jiangg Ning wouldn’t compromise for his sake, but compromising for Jiangg Ning’s sake... that was a distinct possibility.’
’In this three-person game, he was the biggest clown.’
’It was precisely because they both knew full well that their sisterly bond was unbreakable that they could fight over him so brazenly.’
Vaguely, Chen Yuan felt as if he had finally grasped the crux of the problem.
"You want me to see things from your perspective?" Yaoyao looked thoughtful for a moment before her brow furrowed. She crooked a finger at Chen Yuan. "Then why... can’t you see things from my perspective? Young Master, do you have any idea what it means for a girl to compromise on a matter of principle like this?"
「After a long while.」
Yaoyao had called him "Young Master" again.
But Chen Yuan’s heart felt not a shred of joy or warmth, only a cold draft blowing through him.
"But betrayal is also something that’s hard to accept," he said in a low voice after a long pause.
"What’s truly hard to accept is that you fell in love with two people. Don’t try to change the subject. You’re just trying to find a normal excuse for your absurd ideas, all while whining, ’Oh, I can’t betray Ningning, and I can’t betray Yaoyao~’ The truth is, you just want to marry two women. You want to live that kind of life. If that’s not being a player, then what is?"
"Those are two different things, and I’ve told you that countless times... Anyway, can we make a deal? Let me go restore my face on the lock."
"Even if you restore it, my sister will just delete it again," Yaoyao said, propping her chin on her hand. "This isn’t just my house, you know. It’s pointless."
"But even if I’m not here for your sister, I still have to come here for you."
"Hah. As if I care."
Yaoyao shot him a sideways glance and turned away. A moment later, she pulled her shoulder strap back up.
After being treated so coldly, a complex look flickered in Chen Yuan’s eyes for a few seconds. He didn’t leave, however. Instead, he propped his chin on his hand and watched her in silence.
The seconds ticked by, one by one.
In stark contrast to their usual noisy bickering when they were together, the atmosphere in the spare bedroom was now unbelievably quiet.
Before Chen Yuan could even grow accustomed to it, Yaoyao was the one who broke, turning her head back toward him.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
"What, am I not even allowed to look at you now?"
"Don’t you have your own things to do? I have a lot I need to get done, tons of prep work for my stream. I can’t work while you’re here."
"I saw the hiatus notice on your channel today. You’re taking a break for a while. What work are you talking about?"
Her lie exposed so easily, Yaoyao’s cheeks turned red. A moment later, she glared at him with her big, glistening eyes.
"If I say I have things to do, then I have things to do!"
"Actually..." Chen Yuan began, resting his chin on his hand and speaking softly. "It’s not that I don’t have things to do. On the contrary, it’s precisely because I’m so busy that I wanted to stay here with you for a bit. Otherwise, where else am I supposed to get a moment to breathe? Seeing you is what makes me feel a little bit happier."
"Are you really that busy?"
"Well, with the recent promotion and raise... I’m now the General Director for Jiang Energy’s northern region, responsible for planning energy projects across nearly three hundred prefecture-level cities. Tonight, I was supposed to go meet my new colleagues, and tomorrow... no, the day after tomorrow," he counted on his fingers, "I have meetings for when I officially take up the post. Then I’ll have to go drinking and dining with a bunch of people I don’t know... At the end of the day, our society runs on personal connections. This stuff is unavoidable."
When he was done speaking, Yaoyao stared at him for a long while without a word.
"You’d better not drink so much you get a beer belly. It would be so ugly if you turned into one of those greasy guys with a huge gut," she said suddenly.
"I won’t."
Yaoyao didn’t comment, turning away to fiddle with her phone again for a while.
"Inheriting your dad’s company and dealing with all these social obligations... that’s probably not what you enjoy, right?"
"It’s fine, really. I think you don’t have to love what you do, as long as you don’t hate it. To quote Pei from my company, how many people wish they had my opportunities and don’t get them? When I was a kid, I actually wanted to be a scientist, wear a lab coat and do research in a lab. But that’s a childish dream, and you have to be more realistic when you grow up. I was really moved after I came to understand my dad’s dream of distributing resources equally across all tiers of society..."
For once, Yaoyao didn’t interrupt, listening attentively to him for a while.
Chen Yuan cherished this feeling—sharing his recent thoughts and realizations with the person he loved. Life is composed of countless specific and tedious things, and talking nonsense is a great way to de-stress. He’d been dying to talk, especially since neither Jiangg Ning nor Yaoyao had been willing to listen to him recently.
Finally, he summed it all up in response to Yaoyao’s question: "Besides, it’s every man’s duty to strive to grow up, don’t you think?"
"I remember you being pretty stubborn. Why are you suddenly willing to compromise?"
"Of course, it’s because..."
"You don’t have to say it. I already know why."
"Fine, then I won’t say it."
"Sigh..." Yaoyao hesitated, wanting to speak several times before finally blurting out, "If you hadn’t been so greedy, would things have ended up like this? I like you, and you weren’t willing. My sister likes you, and you weren’t willing either. This is all your own fault."
"I will be true to my heart," Chen Yuan replied.
"Then let me ask you one more time," Yaoyao said, staring intently into his eyes. "This cold war has gone on for over a month. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for you. Are you still going to insist on what you said that day?"
"I—"
"Don’t answer so fast! Can’t you think about it seriously? Do you really have to make all three of us this miserable? It doesn’t have to be like this! Don’t you get it?" Yaoyao suddenly became agitated, her brows knitting together as she spoke in a rush.
"I’ve thought about it many, many times. Nobody wants to make things this ugly. But have you ever considered that for me, giving one of you up would be the greatest torment? That guilt would probably follow me for my entire life."
Chen Yuan’s mind suddenly conjured the future he had imagined a month ago—on the day both sisters had lost their tempers with him—the life he would lead if he were to compromise.
A thorn, lodged in his heart for the rest of his life, that could never be worn away.
’When he thought about it, that was the kind of pain he truly feared.’
"Fine... As long as you don’t regret it."
Yaoyao let out a deep breath and didn’t pursue the topic. The small, warm space of the spare bedroom once again fell into a long silence.
Chen Yuan felt he ought to say something to relieve the suffocating atmosphere.
"By the way, I have that inauguration ceremony in a few days, right? Do you want to go? You’re on break, after all. It must be boring staying home all day."
"Why would I go? It’s enough that my sister will be there with you."
"You’re my girlfriend. Of course you should go."
"Then what about my sister? She’ll be by your side as your secretary. If other people see me there too, aren’t you worried they’ll start gossiping?"
"It’s fine. Let them talk. Maybe after they get used to it, it won’t be a big deal," Chen Yuan replied with a smile.
After a long pause.
Yaoyao murmured, "Hah. You’re unbelievable."
...
After busying herself in the kitchen for some time, Jiangg Ning finally finished preparing lunch. Though it was late, Yaoyao didn’t mind the time; she was happy to eat whenever her sister finished cooking. Recently, with Jiangg Ning getting off work late, she had gotten into the habit of waiting for her sister to return at one or two in the afternoon so they could eat together.
Lunch consisted of three dishes and a soup, and the rice was steamed.
However, Jiangg Ning had only set out two small bowls, clearly having no intention of letting Chen Yuan stay for the meal.