The Amnesiac Omega Who Reels Me In Every Day – Chapter 61
by Little PandaDelicate
Jiang Jinyi was growing increasingly dependent on Jiang Youwan. Every day on the ride home, she would share everything big and small that happened at school — who she hung out with, what they played, who had annoyed her today, and so on.
So Youwan knew everything about her school life. Today she’d missed one thing she hadn’t told her, and Youwan wasn’t used to it.
“You should have told jiejie, you know.”
Jinyi sipped her milk tea and said, “The teacher only told us right before class ended. I just found out too.”
Hearing this, a smile surfaced on Youwan’s face. She smoothed Jinyi’s slightly messy bangs, and Jinyi leaned into her, tucking herself into her arms.
Youwan held her close, looking down at her small fan-like eyelashes, and asked softly, “Where is it to?”
“Apparently a little mountain village by the sea.” Jinyi took a big sip of the milk pudding and said, “The teacher said the scenery there is beautiful, really good for plein air sketching.”
“A little mountain village by the sea.” Youwan’s eyes dimmed slightly. She murmured, “Sounds so peaceful and lovely. I lived abroad before and went blind — couldn’t see anything — so I’ve never seen the sea.”
Youwan’s tone was light, but hearing it, Jinyi felt an inexplicable sourness and tightness in her chest, an ache that settled uncomfortably.
She couldn’t help wondering what Youwan’s life before had really been like. She’d never even seen the sea. When she first came home, she’d had injuries on her body — had someone been hurting her?
Looking back now, Jinyi felt so much regret over how terribly she’d treated Youwan when she first came home.
She’d already suffered so much, and then she’d come home only to endure Jinyi’s bullying on top of it.
Jinyi looked up and caught Youwan’s slightly darkened gaze, and her heart twisted like someone had pinched it.
What made her even more ashamed was that after all the ways Jinyi had mistreated her, Youwan had never uttered a single complaint. She’d been so good to her afterward — was still so good to her now.
Picking her up from school every day, bringing different treats each time, letting Jinyi lean against her however she wanted, for as long as she wanted.
Shame, regret, and a fierce desire to make it up to her.
Youwan noticed her looking and turned to meet her eyes, asking with a gentle gaze what was wrong. Jinyi asked, “Jiang Youwan, do you want to go to the sea?”
Want to go to the sea?
Youwan smiled and answered, “I’ve always had an inexplicable longing for the sea. I do want to see it.”
Getting an affirmative answer, Jinyi grew excited. “Then come with me in a few days! Parents are allowed to come along. Has work been really busy for you lately? Can you take time off? It’s just two days.”
At her words, a trace of a barely perceptible smile of triumph flashed through Youwan’s eyes. She thought for a moment and said, “Work hasn’t been too busy lately. Two days away shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll just call Mom when I get back and let her know.”
“I’ll call! I’ll tell her!”
Youwan said fondly, “If Xiao Jin is the one asking, Mom will definitely agree.”
This small request — Jiang Ningshu would never possibly refuse.
Having figured out how to make amends, Jinyi smiled sweetly, her eyes curving and dimples showing to express just how happy she was right now. She even shook Youwan’s arm, showing off: “Are you happy? I’m going to take you to see the sea!”
Xiao Jin is going to take her to see the sea.
That sentence sounded so wonderful. Youwan began to genuinely look forward to it.
Youwan said, “Very happy. Thank you, Xiao Jin, for helping me fulfill another wish.”
A wish…
So someone’s wish could be this simple.
Seeing the genuine, unmistakable anticipation in her eyes, Jinyi felt happy too — happy and a little heartsore, wanting to make things up to Youwan more and more.
“Why aren’t you drinking your milk tea?” Jinyi glanced at the cup Huo Qi had given Youwan, sitting off to the side, and asked in confusion.
Youwan looked at it, pursed her lips, and said, “I don’t really like milk tea.”
Don’t like milk tea?
How could anyone not like milk tea?
Youwan must have never tried it, so she didn’t know how good it was.
Jinyi reached over and picked up the cup. Youwan thought she was going to drink it, but instead Jinyi held it up and examined it. She clicked her tongue. “It’s full-sugar. You definitely can’t get used to it being this sweet.”
“Drink mine instead. Mine is half-sugar, not as sweet.” Jinyi held her own milk tea up to Youwan’s lips. For some reason, today she just wanted Youwan to drink milk tea — wanted her to know how good it tasted.
She should like milk tea. That was how it should be.
Youwan glanced at Jinyi, saw the particularly determined look in her eyes wanting her to drink it, and simply couldn’t refuse her.
So the person who’d just said she didn’t like milk tea wrapped her lips around the straw Jinyi had bitten, took a sip, then pulled back and offered her verdict: “It’s good…”
“See? No one doesn’t like milk tea.” Jinyi hummed triumphantly. Under Youwan’s gaze, she put the same straw — the one Youwan had just drunk from — back in her mouth and took a big gulp.
That night, Jinyi texted Huo Qi that she couldn’t share a room with her anymore, because Youwan was coming too and she needed to room with Youwan.
After sending the message, Huo Qi didn’t reply right away. Jinyi spotted Xiao Yu wandering over from not far away, and her attention was immediately hijacked. She dropped her phone and went to catch the cat.
Xiao Yu was truly adorable — the cutest cat she’d ever seen in the world. Ditzy, silly, big-eyed, a total airhead, the kind anyone could lure away with a random feather wand.
She was so lucky to have found a silly cat like Xiao Yu!
Even luckier that Xiao Yu was still just a little kid who could keep her company for a long, long time.
Huo Qi never replied to that message. On Friday evening, she came to Jinyi’s house.
She said it was to see the cat.
Jinyi was thrilled that Huo Qi had come to see her cat. She wanted to show off her cat to everyone, let everyone know she had such a beautiful cat.
She’d thought Huo Qi would be so envious, but Huo Qi only casually petted Xiao Yu twice before leaving the cat alone. Instead, she brought up something else entirely.
“Jiang Eldest Miss, are you really bringing that sister of yours along?” Huo Qi asked.
Jinyi’s eyes were on Xiao Yu crawling around on the ground. She nodded and answered casually, “Yeah.”
“Tsk.”
Jinyi heard that click of the tongue and frowned, turning to look at her. “What?”
Huo Qi looked at her, exasperated, and sighed. “Come on, Jiang Jinyi. You finally get to go on a trip and you’re dragging your sister along? Isn’t she controlling you enough already? Bringing a parent on a school trip, bringing someone to manage you — that’s seriously lame. Don’t you think it’s suffocating? You won’t even be able to have fun.”
“What are you talking about?” Jinyi was genuinely confused by the complaint. “When has Jiang Youwan ever controlled me? Why wouldn’t I be able to have fun?”
Jinyi was truly bewildered and wanted to know why Huo Qi would say such a thing. Youwan had never controlled her — she’d been spoiling her, taking care of her, practically turning her into a useless person.
“Jiang Youwan has never made me feel suffocated. Why would you say that?”
Huo Qi’s eyes darkened slightly, hidden currents beneath the surface. She gave Jinyi a look that was hard to read. “You really don’t feel like she’s controlling you?”
Jinyi blinked and shook her head.
“Then let me ask you this — how long has it been since you came over to my place? How long since you went out with the group? You don’t even dare order a cocktail anymore. And you’re telling me she isn’t controlling you? Even when your mom was home, she wasn’t this strict.
With that brain of yours, someone could sell you and you’d still help them count the money, wouldn’t you?”
The first few sentences had actually made Jinyi pause and think about why that might be, but Huo Qi’s last line was too much. Huo Qi had just called her stupid.
Jinyi fired back, “You’re the stupid one! You’re the one who’d get sold and still help count the money!”
“Tsk.” Huo Qi stopped dancing around it and said directly, “My point is, this trip is our thing. Can you not bring an adult and kill the vibe? Do you really want someone in your ear saying you can’t do this, can’t do that, telling you to be careful about everything?”
“Kill the vibe?”
Jinyi found the phrase particularly grating. She stood up and said angrily, “Huo Qi, if you think it kills the vibe, then go hang out with them yourself. I really don’t get it — how exactly does Jiang Youwan affect you?”
Did Youwan not even have the right to go on a trip with her? She had to be pushed out too?
Jinyi didn’t want to argue with Huo Qi anymore. She dropped that line, scooped up Xiao Yu, and walked away.
Huo Qi sat alone on the swing, frowning. Sensing a gaze, she turned toward the villa and saw Jiang Youwan standing on the balcony. She couldn’t make out Youwan’s expression or the look in her eyes.
She only saw her turn away the next second, going to meet Jinyi as she came inside to find her.
Huo Qi clenched her fists, gathered her expression, and walked away.
The day of the outing arrived quickly. Everyone had to gather at the school gate by seven. Jinyi had stayed up late the night before and fallen asleep on Youwan’s lap in the Maybach. When Youwan tried to wake her, she was grumpy and had to be coaxed onto the school bus with gentle words.
The drive from the city center to the little seaside village took over an hour. After getting off, the group followed the teacher to learn about the local area and was taken to explore the beach.
From the moment she stepped off the bus and heard they were going to see the sea, Jinyi was electric with excitement. She grabbed Youwan’s wrist and led the group from the very front, barely able to stop herself from running, completely abandoning her aloof heiress persona. No matter how people called after her, she didn’t respond.
She was going to make Youwan the first person to see the sea!
Blue sea, blue sky — the boundary between them nearly impossible to distinguish. The sea wind tangled her hair, and the roar of it filled her ears, making her even more excited.
This coastline was nothing like the city’s seaside. Quieter, more beautiful, more serene.
She turned her head and shouted at Youwan, “Jiang Youwan! Right now, are you super happy?”
Just like that, Jinyi’s radiant smile filled Youwan’s eyes, which had until then been gazing at the sea. Youwan lost herself for a long moment, looking at this beautiful girl. Her body nearly moved on its own, about to pull Jinyi into her arms.
It took everything Youwan had to suppress the impulse. She smiled and answered, “So happy.”
Lunchtime came quickly. They didn’t go to a restaurant — there weren’t any in the village. Each class was divided into six groups, and each group hauled out pots, pans, bowls, and ingredients to cook over an open fire on the beach.
Jinyi was a pampered young lady who’d been carried in the palm of every hand — she didn’t know how to do any of this. She sat off to the side watching, and nobody in her group said a word about it.
Because her jiejie had taken over all of her work — and then some. She guided everyone on how to set up the stove, how to start a fire, and even stepped in as head chef, stir-frying every dish for the entire group.
Jinyi watched her do all this in astonishment. It was incredible.
How did Youwan know how to do everything?!
With Youwan being like this, the group members couldn’t help but praise her — saying things like: your sister is amazing, your sister is so great, if it weren’t for your sister, we’d probably still be running around like headless flies. Who would’ve thought — they’d assumed your sister was one of those career-focused professional types, but she could cook too, and she was so thoughtful. Someone even said they totally wanted to marry her!
Jinyi listened to the praise looking perfectly calm on the surface, but secretly delighted inside. She basked in it for a good while before catching herself, turning her head, and telling that classmate with a completely serious face: “Don’t even think about it!”
Youwan couldn’t be taken home to marry by them. Youwan had to stay home forever, being her jiejie.
Actually, not long ago, when the teacher had announced the rules through a megaphone, Jinyi had already prepared herself to go hungry and skip lunch. After all, she was a young lady — she ate meals prepared by top chefs. Student-cooked outdoor food? Just thinking about it made her want to pass.
She was quickly proven wrong.
She was now sitting at a little folding wooden table, perched on a plastic stool, eating the food Youwan had cooked.
Having the time of her life.
After lunch came sketching time. The art students gathered their supplies and each found a spot they liked — drawing the woods, drawing the sea.
It was a long stretch of time. Youwan once again became Jinyi’s model, sitting on a reef as the sky shifted from blue to orange-red. Jinyi painted her into the picture.
This drawing became her first WeChat avatar. She used it forever, never once changing it.
Jinyi had been very well-behaved today — she’d been willing to ride the school bus, even willing to eat outdoor-cooked food. But there was one thing she absolutely could not tolerate.
Truly could not tolerate.
That night, the students and teachers returned to the only small inn in the village. Two students per room. Jinyi walked into her room and stood frozen for three seconds.
This… this was way too shabby, wasn’t it?
Jinyi had always stayed in the finest hotels. She’d never stayed in a place like this — two beds separated by a single desk, with only a small sofa beside them.
She immediately wanted to turn around and leave, but there was no way around it. It was already past nine at night, and this was the only inn. She had nowhere else to go…
She dug out her toiletries and pajamas from her suitcase and went into the bathroom to shower. The moment she stepped in, she was revolted. The bathroom and toilet were connected together with no dry-wet separation — a bit dirty, with a faint weird smell.
Jinyi forced herself to endure the nausea and finished her shower.
After coming out, she was so tired she wanted to collapse on the bed immediately. She pulled back the covers on one of the beds and took one look — and that was it. She couldn’t take it anymore.
So dirty. So dirty, so dirty!
It completely shattered her endurance.
Jinyi was done. She absolutely couldn’t take it. She threw on a jacket and turned to leave. Youwan caught her arm, and she tugged at Youwan, trying to drag her along too, complaining in total breakdown: “I really can’t take it anymore! Look at that bed — never mind that it’s hard and lumpy, there’s hair on the pillow, and stains, and the sheets too! It’s disgusting!”
Youwan opened her mouth, but before she could get a word out, Jinyi cut her off. “I’m telling you, I would rather die than sleep in a bed like that. Don’t you dare try to stop me!”
Who knew what had happened on that bed before she came in? Who knew if a rundown little inn like this even changed or washed the sheets?
Just thinking about it made Jinyi sick.
Angry and aggrieved, she saw that Youwan wouldn’t leave with her, so she yanked her hand free, determined to walk out the door.
Seeing she couldn’t hold her back, Youwan stepped forward and pulled her into her arms, refusing to let her act recklessly.
“There are no streetlights in the countryside. It’s pitch black outside — it’s dangerous.” Youwan’s voice was helpless. Jinyi was adamant. “I’ll have Mom send someone to pick me up. I’m not doing this anymore. I’d rather die than sleep in that bed!”
Saying that, Jinyi started struggling again. Youwan naturally tightened her hold and, after a moment’s thought, offered a solution: “I brought one of Xiao Jin’s blankets. How about we spread it over the sofa? Xiao Jin can sleep on the sofa tonight, and tomorrow we’ll have Mom send someone to pick you up. How does that sound?”
Jinyi followed Youwan’s suggestion and turned to look at the sofa. It was wooden — the old-fashioned kind. Jinyi could easily imagine that if she actually slept there, she’d wake up the next morning with her entire body aching, miserable to death.
She frowned and shook her head. “It’s too hard. I don’t want to!”
What a fussy little thing.
Youwan sighed helplessly, held her even tighter, and pressed her closer, nuzzling against her. Before Jinyi could figure out what was happening, Youwan leaned in from behind, her cheek against Jinyi’s, and asked softly, “Is jiejie soft, then?”
Her back against Youwan’s chest, asked a question like that, Jinyi’s mind went blank.
“Wh-what did you say?” She couldn’t quite process why Youwan would ask something like that.
“Jiejie is asking you — is jiejie’s body soft?” Youwan’s voice was slightly husky. “If you sleep holding jiejie, sleeping on jiejie’s body, would it still be uncomfortable? Little Fusspot?”
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