Crossing the Line – Chapter 58
by Little PandaCan’t Take It
Gently pushing open the hospital room door, Lin Xuebo saw that there was now an extra person in the bed.
Xiao You had actually come back overnight.
Earlier, Xiao You had asked about Siyi’s condition over WeChat and told her the fever had broken, telling her not to worry—yet she had still come back.
So clingy, Xiao You.
And hugging her wife so tightly.
She had clearly brought her a blanket, but she wouldn’t use it—she had to share the same one as her wife.
Lin Xuebo pressed her lips together, suppressing a smile, and sneakily took a photo of her children sleeping in each other’s arms.
Then she slipped back out, closing the door as silently as she had opened it.
Qiao Jin, standing behind her, saw the covert photography and shook her head with a click of her tongue.
“What kind of mother secretly photographs her daughter sleeping?”
Lin Xuebo looked at her phone screen, smiling until the creases around her eyes showed.
“Not only did I take it, I’m setting it as my phone wallpaper.”
Qiao Jin covered her mouth and stifled a small yawn.
“Alright, your precious daughter-in-law’s fever is mostly gone, and your daughter is back. Should be nothing left for me to do. I’m off.”
Lin Xuebo said, “Drive safe on the way back. Afternoon tea next week is on me.”
Qiao Jin curved her lips slightly and headed toward the elevators.
She passed by the smoking area in the fire escape stairwell.
In the darkness, a flame flared up.
Genuinely tired, Fan Qing tilted her neck from side to side, joints cracking with a series of crisp pops.
She planned to smoke a cigarette to take the edge off, then go back to sleep.
Before the lighter could even touch the cigarette, a voice came from behind her:
“So young, and you don’t want your lungs anymore?”
Fan Qing turned around and saw Qiao Jin standing at the elevator landing, arms folded, watching her.
It seemed like no matter when, at what hour, she saw Qiao Jin, the woman was always elegantly upright—not a trace of slackness or languor to be found on her.
She was beautiful in a natural, flawless way, possessing a charm that young people couldn’t fake. It was the kind of ease and candor that only came with time.
And it was precisely this elegance that kept her allure from being worn down by the years, not fading in the slightest.
Teased by Qiao Jin, Fan Qing paused mid-motion with the cigarette between her fingers, set it down awkwardly, and stuffed it back into her pocket.
She walked over to stand in front of Qiao Jin.
“Here with your bestie?”
Qiao Jin, of course, caught the awkwardness in Fan Qing’s phrasing.
She used to call Lin Xuebo “Auntie Lin.”
Now, as if avoiding something, she had switched to “bestie.”
Her way of speaking had also become more like that of a peer.
No matter how much she internally thought of Qiao Jin as a “frivolous auntie,” when face-to-face, she absolutely refused to use that age-gap address.
Even Lin Xuebo’s “auntie” seniority had been stripped away.
Qiao Jin tilted her head slightly to look at this tall, slender young woman, not calling her out on it.
“How come you’ve gotten thinner again after just a few days?”
“Work.”
Fan Qing, who was confident and spirited everywhere else, could only squeeze out one word at a time in front of Qiao Jin.
“Does it still hurt?”
Qiao Jin looked at her waist.
“Last time you went horseback riding with me.”
Horseback riding was one of Qiao Jin’s few hobbies, and the one constant over all these years.
That trip to Europe had been a thoroughly satisfying ride, which left Fan Qing’s lower back aching for days. In the end, it was Qiao Jin’s massage that brought some relief.
There was no way a young person was going to be outdone by an auntie. Fan Qing smiled easily:
“It stopped hurting a long time ago.”
Qiao Jin gave her a “sure, I believe you” look, then asked, “Off work?”
“Yeah.”
“Have a drink with me.”
Fan Qing told herself: don’t be tempted.
Don’t become one of those pets who, fed a single delicious little cookie, couldn’t get enough of her.
But her mouth was one step ahead, agreeing immediately:
“Sure, let’s go.”
Walking into the elevator together, Fan Qing looked at her own reflection in the cabin panels with complicated feelings.
Speechless. Stupid mouth, do I still have any control over you?
Consciousness returned from a hazy blur. When Jiang Siyi woke again, her mind was much clearer.
She wanted to check her temperature, but the person beside her sensed the movement, pulled her back in, and rested her chin against her forehead, nuzzling lightly.
“Your fever’s gone. I checked an hour ago—36.5 degrees.”
Lin Ji’s eyes were still closed, still drowsy. Her voice was very soft, carrying that distinctive morning rasp.
Enfolded in Lin Ji’s arms like this, it took Jiang Siyi a long moment to remember to blink.
Lin Ji had really come back… It wasn’t a dream.
She had thought she was just so miserable from being sick that she’d dreamt Lin Ji coming back to hold her, to kiss her.
And that she’d kissed her back, no less, because it wasn’t enough.
Jiang Siyi, your courage keeps growing, and you keep knowing less and less satisfaction.
Even as she scolded herself internally, she noticed the clock on the wall.
Just past six.
An hour ago meant the temperature had been checked around five-something.
Had Lin Ji taken it for her?
Had she been watching over her the whole time?
A sweetness washed through her heart at being cared for—but threaded through the sweetness was a faint, swelling ache.
Lin Ji’s breathing was steady, as if she had fallen asleep again.
Taking advantage of her being asleep, Jiang Siyi rested her hand on Lin Ji’s waist.
What a perfectly mutual embrace it formed.
When she next woke, it was nearly nine.
She had sweated a lot and felt a bit weak, her body sticky and uncomfortable. Jiang Siyi wanted to take a shower.
Lin Ji stopped her.
“It’s best to wait until you’ve gone a full day without a fever before showering,” Lin Ji said. “If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll wipe you down with a towel.”
Jiang Siyi put in a request: “I can do it myself.”
Lin Ji didn’t stop her again and went to wring the towel for her.
Jiang Siyi was still thinking to herself—she actually didn’t object at all?
She soon found out why.
The areas she could reach—her neck, her arms—she could indeed manage on her own.
But for someone whose arm injury still very much made its presence felt, her back was far more difficult.
Especially since the pajamas she was wearing were a relatively fitted style.
Jiang Siyi strained to reach behind herself with the towel, looking a bit comical.
Without turning to face Lin Ji standing behind her, Jiang Siyi could still feel her gaze fixed on her increasingly flustered self.
Lin Ji: “Do you need help?”
Jiang Siyi had no idea what posture or expression Lin Ji was wearing right now.
Her imagination supplied an image of her leaning against the side of the bed, thoroughly enjoying her predicament.
Jiang Siyi: .
She could only surrender in silence.
Lin Ji received the signal of surrender, took the towel, and ran it through warm water once more.
Before helping wipe Jiang Siyi’s back, she asked:
“Should I undo the buttons?”
Jiang Siyi was wearing a two-piece pajama set with button closures.
And it wasn’t particularly loose-fitting.
Undressing directly in front of Lin Ji still carried quite a lot of pressure.
“No, I don’t think so,” Jiang Siyi said.
Lin Ji gave an “mm” and said, “Then my hand will go inside your clothes.”
Jiang Siyi: .
It was true that both of them knew perfectly well what was about to happen.
But somehow, hearing it come out of Lin Ji’s mouth felt a bit strange…
Lin Ji approached from behind, her body heat and signature cool fragrance tracing her silhouette, the sense of presence unmistakably clear.
It wasn’t intentional—just that in this position, her breath couldn’t help but waft against the back of Jiang Siyi’s neck.
In waves, making the pace at which her heart contracted easily captured, controlled.
She pulled up the hem of Jiang Siyi’s top.
“I’m coming in.”
Four words that made Jiang Siyi tremble involuntarily.
The towel swept across her back, tracing along her spine toward her shoulder blades.
Lin Ji’s gaze fell on her ear.
Small, thin, and unnaturally red.
“So red.”
Lin Ji tapped it with her other hand.
“Poor little thing.”
Jiang Siyi had been focusing all her attention on her back, but that tap sent a tingling, ticklish sensation shivering through her heart.
Not just red, but warm, too.
Because Jiang Siyi had just wiped her own face and neck.
Her ear still carried the redness she had caused herself.
Who knew how hard she had scrubbed while wiping down.
Not an ounce of tenderness toward herself.
Lin Ji’s hands had just been wringing a hot towel, so they were also warm—no help at all in cooling that poor little ear.
She wanted to soothe the tormented, pitiful little ear.
A cool cheek pressed against it.
Soft, ice-cool skin meeting a burning-red ear.
The shock of cold meeting heat caught Jiang Siyi’s breath in her throat, her fingers clenching the hem of her own top.
Her face brushed against that ear, then tilted back, folding the ear again in the process.
Lin Ji: “Don’t bully it.”
Her hand was still on her back. Jiang Siyi struggled to maintain control over her body’s trembling.
Who exactly was bullying it right now?
She kissed it tenderly.
Not enough. The kiss traveled from the side of her ear inward.
Lips brushing lightly against the reddened, thin cartilage.
Tracing upward along its contour.
“Mm…?”
Jiang Siyi’s body, guided by the scorching, soft sensation at her ear, finally couldn’t hold back the trembling.
A strange, tingling numbness arose from she didn’t know where, nearly coaxing an unbearable hum from deep in her throat.
Hot breath swept heavily across, and her earlobe was taken in, gently sucked.
Electricity flashed from the place she was kissed.
The melting softness deep in her bones layered itself, one stratum upon another.
Accumulating into an indescribable wetness and heat.
And yet the woman behind her kissed with unhurried deliberation.
Between licking and sucking, the electricity flashed ever more densely.
She couldn’t take it anymore. Jiang Siyi turned her head.
Eyes glistening with moisture, not a word spoken, and Lin Ji still knew what she wanted.
Parting lips and teeth that offered no resistance, easily hooking the small tongue that didn’t know what to do.
Arms like soft snakes climbed up her body, clinging tightly in silent infatuation, savoring the intimate closeness of possessing her.
She was becoming somewhat accustomed to Lin Ji’s airtight kisses, nearly learning how to maintain steady breathing while kissing.
There was clearly progress—and yet every time they kissed, the rhythm always fell apart.
Footsteps sounded outside the room. This door could be pushed open at any moment.
That apprehension heightened the thrill.
When Lin Ji pressed her against the bed, Jiang Siyi’s lifted throat swallowed unstably under the kiss.
Desire deepened steadily.
But Jiang Siyi had just had a fever.
Mindful that she was still a patient, this kiss was noticeably less aggressive than usual—but it was a different kind of tender entanglement, a different flavor.
…
The kiss still left Jiang Siyi somewhat drained, her gaze a little unfocused, her face flushed red.
Lin Ji wiped her glistening lips, then reached up to feel her forehead.
Warm—but not the warmth of a fever.
Not knowing what she looked like after being kissed, or whether the longing in her eyes would be noticed at such close range, Jiang Siyi quickly seized on a universal topic.
“I didn’t go home last night. I wonder how Xueqiu is doing.”
“Ms. Lin said she went to the house to take care of Xueqiu.”
“Hm? Auntie Lin, she…”
“She really likes dogs.”
Lin Ji paused, thinking of some things from the past.
“It’s just because of me that we never kept one. She’s very good with dogs. Xueqiu will like her.”
Lin Xuebo was the majority shareholder of this private hospital, so Jiang Siyi could stay directly in a VIP suite.
Originally, Siyi had just wanted Lin Xuebo to help look at her arm. Now that she was admitted, she still needed to have it examined.
Ms. Lin not only took care of Xueqiu at home but also brought Jiang Siyi clean, fresh clothes.
After changing clothes, Lin Ji accompanied her downstairs for the examination.
Jiang Siyi was a bit worried. “Weren’t you on a business trip? Weren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow? Will it cause problems if you came back early?”
“Don’t worry. I’m capable of arranging my work. I’ll just make up a meeting later.”
Jiang Siyi felt Lin Ji was making a bit too big a deal of things.
It was just a fever—she caught a cold or ran a fever every year.
A twisted arm was even more common; you could twist one just from sleeping in a bad position.
Whether it was Lin Ji or Auntie Lin, they took her minor discomforts this seriously.
She ran these thoughts through her mind, yet couldn’t deny that being cared for felt genuinely wonderful.
Excessive attention was even harder to refuse.
There was someone in the examination room, so they waited outside for a bit.
While Jiang Siyi stood with her hands in her pockets, she felt her phone.
It had been brought along with the clothes Lin Xuebo had someone deliver that morning.
Lin Xuebo knew that young people nowadays couldn’t separate from their phones for work or life—she herself was never without hers.
Having been unconscious for most of the day, she didn’t know if she’d missed anything important.
She took out her phone and glanced at it, pupils dilating.
“Huh??”
Lin Ji: “What is it?”
Jiang Siyi looked shocked.
“My sister says she’s on a flight back to China. She sent the WeChat last night.”
Jiang Siling was Lin Ji’s old classmate—they’d been in the same class for two years in high school, though they hadn’t truly seen each other in a long time.
Lin Ji: “Then she’ll be arriving soon.”
Jiang Siyi typed a quick reply to her sister while puzzling over it. “This is so sudden… Why would she come back now?”
Jiang Siling’s commercial flight had WiFi, and the reply came quickly.
Ochre: 【Miss you, Baby. Want to come back and see you.】
Jiang Siyi knew her sister too well. Between those evasive lines, there was definitely something being hidden.
And not very well, at that.
But it had been so long since they’d seen each other. Having her finally come back to China, Jiang Siyi was genuinely happy.
Sanzhuang Tusi: 【Puppy spinning in circles.gif】
Sanzhuang Tusi: 【What time do you arrive in J City?】
Ochre: 【Landing in two and a half hours.】
Jiang Siyi said to Lin Ji, “My sister says she’s landing in two and a half hours.”
Lin Ji: “I’ll go with you to pick her up.”
Lin Ji was coming too…
About her marriage to Lin Ji, Jiang Siyi had originally planned to tell her sister after some time passed.
With this sudden ambush, there was no hiding it anymore.
Sanzhuang Tusi: 【We’ll come pick you up together.】
Sitting alone on the plane, Jiang Siling’s spirits lifted when she saw this message.
“We”?
Who else could it be but Sen Yifan.
She was coming too… Was she really about to face that Sen woman so soon?
A little nervous. A little panicked.
Jiang Siling downed a glass of wine to fortify her courage.
Don’t be afraid. You’re the older sister.
If you’re scared, what’s Baby going to do?
No matter how awful this Sen Yifan was, she had to summon her big-sister authority and give her a proper talking-to.
Otherwise, they’d really think Baby had no one in her family to back her up.
The patient in the examination room came out, and Jiang Siyi went in.
While Lin Ji waited for her outside, Fan Qing arrived.
Fan Qing reported to her that the matter of continuing to employ a private bodyguard had been handled—she’d already contacted Sister Xia.
Sister Xia’s full name was Xia Buqing, the eldest and most respected senior sister in Fan Qing’s hometown association.
The two had grown close because they both had the character “Qing” in their names and shared similar personalities.
After leaving their hometown to make their own way in the world, they had stayed in touch.
Due to their particular backgrounds, it wasn’t easy for fellow townsfolk who wanted to walk the straight path and live a decent life.
Xia Buqing was the first among them to have a stable job and a substantial income. Cold as she might be, she was good to her fellow townsfolk. Whatever help she could provide, she always lent a hand.
Zhou Ni was someone Fan Qing had met through Sister Xia.
When Fan Qing reached out to her this time, Sister Xia recommended three candidates.
As an excellent assistant with a million-yuan annual salary, Fan Qing gave Lin Ji the bottom line directly:
“I ended up contacting Zhou Ni again.”
Sister Xia’s first recommendation was thirty-year-old Ah Hui, male.
Fan Qing passed on him in half a second.
The second, Xiao Ren, was at least a proper girl with solid skills—but she had OCD, to the point that when eating watermelon, she had to line up all the seeds in a perfect row. She was also socially stiff. Once, when her employer was playing cards with friends, a friend joked, “There’s a mole, abort the mission.” Xiao Ren actually hoisted the employer onto her shoulders and ran. The employer’s head cracked against the door frame, and she was fired that same day.
As for the third, Sister Xia probably didn’t know her track record, or she wouldn’t have recommended her. Every employer she’d ever had, she’d slept with, and things always ended in an ugly split. She only behaved herself in front of Xia Buqing.
None of the three were reliable. After some thought, Fan Qing decided to try contacting Zhou Ni.
Zhou Ni and CEO Wei seemed to be having issues again, but at least Zhou Ni was absolutely uncompromising when it came to work. Top-tier capability.
Fan Qing just hoped she’d be merciful enough to come back.
Lin Ji: “She agreed?”
Fan Qing nodded. “She agreed. She seems to really need money again.”
Lin Ji: “Fight with CEO Wei again.”
Fan Qing maintained her smile.
As expected of BOSS—not a question, but a statement.
“Siyi should be used to her by now. When can she start?”
“Zhou Ni has always been highly action-oriented. Today works.”
Lin Ji’s phone kept vibrating. Fan Qing’s gaze drifted down to her pocket as she spoke.
Recently, Huanwei had been in a state of flux.
Overseas business expansion needed to break through resistance, and internal technology iteration also required her attention.
Lin Ji was busier than anyone could see.
Fortunately, her energy had improved somewhat, otherwise it was unclear whether she could have held up.
Lin Ji answered a call, eyes closed, and said “mm” three times.
After hanging up, she said to Fan Qing: “I need to go back to HQ. The meeting was moved up.”
Her original plan had been to accompany Jiang Siyi through the examination, confirm everything was fine, and then go back.
Lin Ji could only send Jiang Siyi a WeChat explaining her sudden departure, that she couldn’t go with her to pick up Jiang Siling.
She had Fan Qing take her place and treat both sisters to dinner that evening.
Fan Qing nodded. “I’ll have everything prepared. I’ll also keep an eye on Miss Jiang’s condition.”
When Jiang Siyi came out of the examination room and saw the WeChat, Lin Ji had already left.
Fan Qing said, “BOSS asked me to go with you to pick up your sister.”
Not seeing Lin Ji left her a little deflated.
Jiang Siyi smiled. “Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”
Fan Qing: “What did the doctor say?”
Jiang Siyi: “The doctor said it should be fine. Rest for a while and see. If it doesn’t improve, I can come back.”
Fan Qing: “Alright, then let’s head to the airport.”
Time was tight. They set off immediately.
At the airport, they waited less than ten minutes before Jiang Siling emerged from the international arrivals exit.
The sisters’ last meeting had been during Spring Festival two years ago.
Her sister had lost weight, her whole being cooped up in a studio, her skin carrying an unhealthy pallor.
Spotting Jiang Siyi from afar, her eyes lit up. She abandoned her luggage cart entirely and broke into a jog toward her little sister with open arms.
Caught in her sister’s full embrace, her face was cupped, lips squished into a pout.
Jiang Siling kissed her sister’s cheeks, again and again.
“Baby, how did my Baby get even prettier? Let me look at you. So beautiful, so, so beautiful. Whose Baby is this beautiful?”
Jiang Siyi’s face was pressed tight against her sister’s, her whole body nearly squished out of shape.
And she was thoroughly embarrassed by the praise.
“Jiejie… there are so many people around.”
Having absorbed enough of her sister, Jiang Siling released her, then suddenly remembered her luggage behind her.
They both turned around. Fan Qing stood holding the fully loaded luggage cart, smiling.
Jiang Siyi’s phone rang with an incoming call. She answered while making a quick introduction:
“Jiejie, this is Xiao Fan. Hello… Manager Wu?”
Jiang Siling’s heart skipped a beat.
Xiao Fan.
Her guess was right after all. The one eyeing her little sister really was Sen Yifan.
Tall, lean, a scar on her face…
She swallowed quietly.
Even more intimidating than she’d imagined.
The author has something to say:
Lin Ji: Wife-pampering phase number… why does it feel like someone is trying to replace me in pampering my wife 🤔❓
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