Crossing the Line – Chapter 46

Wife.

Drawn by Lin Ji’s words, Jiang Siyi’s attention fell entirely on the ear that had been bared for her.

The warm yellow light spilled from the other end, illuminating this expanse of pale, delicate skin.

            

The cartilage had a somewhat translucent quality, like a sweet, soft gummy candy.

It looked so pleasant to touch. Jiang Siyi’s fingertips twitched involuntarily.

Lin Ji’s beautiful eyes blinked slowly.

            

Watching her from an extremely close distance, inviting her.

Jiang Siyi thought, Is it really okay?

At the same time, her hand had already lifted, making contact with Lin Ji’s ear.

            

Warm and smooth, even softer than she had imagined.

Lin Ji lay down, turning her body toward her, making it easier for her to reach.

Without a word, she even closed her eyes.

            

Slender fingers hesitated at first, then very politely and gently stroked the outer ridge of her ear.

Tracing along the bony ridge, back and forth in tentative exploration.

The cartilage was supple and resilient, exquisite to the touch.

            

She wanted to touch her earlobe—she sensed it would feel even better—but felt too shy.

Sensing that Jiang Siyi’s movements kept hovering near the upper ear, hesitating.

Lin Ji, with her eyes closed, said softly:

            

“You can try somewhere else.”

“Somewhere… else?”

“Mm. Anywhere.”

            

Jiang Siyi’s gaze stilled for a moment.

The bedroom was too quiet; the thumping of her heartbeat filled her entire hearing.

With permission granted, her fingers grew bolder, moving downward, gently pinching Lin Ji’s earlobe.

            

When she first held it, the earlobe was soft and cool, like a smooth, polished piece of jade.

It felt as though Lin Ji’s earlobes were several degrees cooler than anyone else’s.

As she kneaded and rolled gently, it quickly warmed, gradually growing hot.

            

With the change in temperature, Lin Ji’s earlobe—cool like its owner—became increasingly soft and warm in her hand.

The familiar touch evoked a grounding sense of security.

In the quiet atmosphere, comfortable drowsiness was slowly seeping into Jiang Siyi’s mind.

            

Before falling asleep, she silently prayed that she would sleep well tonight.

That she would not, on the very first day of living together, end up touching Lin Ji’s legs.

Otherwise, how would she ever face her again under the same roof, in the same bed…

            

Exhale…

Her breathing steadied.

Jiang Siyi fell asleep.

            

Lin Ji slowly opened her eyes. Only after confirming that the girl beside her was sleeping soundly did she carefully remove her hand from her ear.

She held onto it lingeringly, not letting go immediately.

Her ear tingled and burned from Jiang Siyi’s touch.

            

Lin Ji had lived twenty-eight years and only now discovered that her ears were an erogenous zone.

When she had let Jiang Siyi do as she pleased just now, a strange tingling sensation had flashed from her ear throughout her body.

A peculiar sensation—and yet, because it came from Jiang Siyi, it was deeply comfortable, deeply welcome.

            

She thought the heat in her ear would keep her awake tonight.

Unexpectedly, because of Jiang Siyi’s presence, an invisible barrier rose in the perilous darkness, shutting out malicious negative thoughts.

She did not even know when sleep had captured her.

            

She could not remember the last time she had fallen asleep smoothly before midnight.

The night breeze stirred through the courtyard.

In the middle of the night, she suddenly woke from a dream.

            

Lin Ji opened her eyes without warning, drawing a deep breath.

In the dream, her ears had been sealed shut, her mouth gagged closed—she could not hear, could not speak.

She could only watch helplessly as that girl turned her back and walked away step by step, while her own throat could produce nothing but muffled whimpers.

            

Upon waking, the loneliness and helplessness still saturated her chest.

Once she distinguished dream from reality, the joy of packing Jiang Siyi’s belongings during the day flooded her mind, along with the happiness of carefully preparing dinner for her.

She immediately turned over and, in the dimness, saw Jiang Siyi sleeping soundly beside her.

            

The night light illuminated the curve of her waist as she lay on her side, rising and falling like graceful mountain ridges.

The sleeping girl’s long lashes were like butterflies with folded wings, resting quietly in place.

Her cherry-pink lips were slightly parted; behind the full curve of her lip, glimpses of white teeth appeared and disappeared.

            

The pure, beautiful sleeping face of the person in her dreams was right there before her.

Real and tangible, right before her eyes.

The loneliness in her chest was dissolved, bit by bit, into the night by the nearness of Jiang Siyi and her even breathing.

            

…

The next morning, the first thing Jiang Siyi did upon waking was to look down immediately.

Confirming that her hands were honestly resting at her sides, not touching any legs they should not be touching.

            

She breathed a small sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, before that sigh could even finish, she discovered that while her hands were well-behaved, her leg had draped itself over Lin Ji without any restraint, her entire body sprawled expansively across the spacious bed.

Lin Ji had been pushed to the very edge, practically sleeping pressed against the bedframe.

            

Jiang Siyi: …

No wonder she had slept so comfortably. She had been far too audacious.

While Lin Ji was still asleep, she quietly retracted her brazen leg and soundlessly fled the scene.

            

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This standalone villa had three floors.

Logically, the master bedroom would typically be on the second floor, but Lin Ji’s home was unconventional—it was on the first floor.

She had not yet been upstairs to see how the upper two floors were laid out.

            

Jiang Siyi maintained her self-awareness as a guest; without Lin Ji’s permission, she stayed where she was supposed to and did not wander around.

In the rectangular mirror above the sink, the reflection of a girl’s face appeared, eyes lowered in puzzlement.

There were two sinks, with an electric toothbrush on each side.

            

One blue, one pink.

Lin Ji could not possibly use both toothbrushes herself.

So… one of them was prepared for her?

            

While Jiang Siyi was pondering this, footsteps sounded behind her.

Lin Ji walked up behind her, her slender arm reaching forward past Jiang Siyi’s shoulder.

This motion brought their bodies nearly flush together.

            

A faint warmth and outline brushed against Jiang Siyi’s back. Before she could even tense, Lin Ji had already picked up the blue toothbrush and walked to the other sink.

“The pink one is yours.”

Lin Ji placed the toothbrush head beneath the automatic toothpaste dispenser.

            

The toothpaste emerged like the ice cream machine Jiang Siyi had played with yesterday, depositing a dollop of translucent pink gel onto the brush head. It looked quite appetizing.

But no one paid attention to the pretty toothpaste. Standing side by side, the two exchanged a glance—brief and fleeting.

Jiang Siyi said, “Thank you,” and picked up her toothbrush.

            

Amidst the buzzing, Xueqiu—who had woken with a head full of messy fur—heard Jiang Siyi’s voice. The little dog gave a wide yawn, padded over, and settled at her feet, wagging its tail contentedly.

Jiang Siyi brushed her teeth with extraordinary focus, eyes fixed straight ahead.

It was not until Lin Ji finished rinsing and began washing her face that Jiang Siyi stole a glance at her.

            

Mm-hmm. She had time to prepare a dog bath and matching couple toothbrushes, but no time to prepare more conservative sleepwear.

Mm-hmm.

…

            

Lin Ji said she would handle breakfast and dinner, and she truly kept her word—she made breakfast with her own hands as well.

After breakfast, Jiang Siyi checked the time. It was getting late.

Her first thought was—oh no, she had not walked Xueqiu yet!

            

Lin Ji, placing dishes into the dishwasher, said:

“Xueqiu already took care of business in the courtyard.”

“Ah? Then…”

            

Pressing the start button and shutting the dishwasher door, Lin Ji leaned one hand on the counter, her smile captivating.

“Rest assured. I have already bagged the remains and disposed of them.”

Having lived alone for so long, Jiang Siyi had always handled everything herself. She had never experienced someone taking care of big and small matters before she even had to ask.

            

So this was what it felt like to have someone catching you.

“Thank you,” Jiang Siyi said.

Lin Ji grabbed a sun-protection jacket and said, “It is only right.”

            

It is only right.

As Jiang Siyi headed out, those three words kept echoing in her mind unbidden.

Not “no need to thank me,” but “it is only right.”

            

How could even casual words invite such endless contemplation?

Lin Ji offered to drive her to work. Jiang Siyi said, “No need.”

“It is only a fifteen-minute walk. I can just walk there myself—”

            

“I am going that way anyway.”

Jiang Siyi: .

It seemed like Lin Ji always had the better argument, and she always ended up following along.

            

Today’s temperature was high—the weather forecast said 37 degrees.

Lin Ji did not drop her off at the Jiashibi building and leave. Instead, she drove directly into the underground garage.

The Jiashibi building’s underground garage was crowded. They circled several times before reaching B1, where they were even stuck in a brief jam.

            

Lin Ji, despite being such a busy person, showed no trace of road rage. No matter how slow the progress, she drove with steady composure.

And she timed it perfectly, delivering Jiang Siyi right to the elevator.

From home to the office, she had not been exposed to a single ray of sun.

            

While parking, Lin Ji said, “You have fifteen minutes. That is enough time to go up.”

Today, Lin Ji was wearing sunglasses. Uncharacteristically, her makeup was not in cool tones—her lips were vivid, making her whole person strikingly radiant.

A beauty so bold it was hard to look away.

            

Jiang Siyi’s gaze lingered on that alluring smile for a moment before suddenly realizing she was staring too directly. She quickly averted her eyes and got out of the car.

“Siyi.”

Jiang Siyi turned.

            

The woman in the car leaned her head out, red lips parting slightly—overlapping with a memory from years ago.

Years ago, she had seen Lin Ji nearly run over a competitor at a café, leaving her with a sizable psychological shadow.

But this time, through the same half-open car window, the same cool-featured woman said to her—

            

“Remember to come home for dinner tonight.”

“Okay…”

Used to living alone, suddenly cohabiting—having another person in her life—Jiang Siyi had assumed it would take some time to adjust.

            

She had not expected to be smoothly guided into this new life by Lin Ji without any awkward adjustment period.

And the house was so large, and Lin Ji was so quiet. Apart from mealtimes, it was not even easy to randomly bump into each other at home.

Sometimes even Xueqiu had to circle the house several times before finding Jiang Siyi.

            

Perhaps the spatial breathing room also eased the pressure of such a sudden life change.

The jewelry Lin Xuebo had given her was retrieved from the bank safe and handed over entirely to Lin Ji.

Lin Ji, in front of her, slowly and methodically placed each piece into the display cabinet.

            

Occasionally, when offering small suggestions for her daily outfits, she would have Jiang Siyi put something on.

When Jiang Siyi felt too shy to wear the pieces, Lin Ji would say, “These are Lady Lin’s dowry to you. No one else can wear them but you.”

Lin Ji was not good with words, yet every time she spoke, she left Jiang Siyi with no rebuttal.

            

Beyond the dowry, there was also a pair of red diamond rings placed side by side in the central island display case of the walk-in closet.

It was impossible to wear 5-carat red diamond rings to work—too extravagant, too impractical.

Lin Ji shared the same thought, so the identical red diamond rings appeared together in the display case.

            

When they swapped out the red diamond rings, their ring fingers were temporarily bare.

Jiang Siyi looked at her finger—wearing the ring for only one month had already left a mark.

She had gone from being unaccustomed to wearing a ring, to being unaccustomed to not wearing one.

            

After switching out the red diamond ring, Lin Ji naturally put her plain band back on.

The pair of earrings Jiang Siyi had given her also made appearances from time to time.

The Shi Shi Ru Yi¹ persimmon pendant hung from her handbag every single day.

            

Lin Ji willingly let Jiang Siyi’s scent envelop her.

Jiang Siyi also continued wearing her plain band, commuting between home and the office.

Most of the time, Lin Ji personally drove her. When she truly could not, Jiang Siyi rode a shared bike to work.

            

Summer was hot, but the route to the office was shaded by trees, so it was not unbearable.

This was a period of wandering in the scorching heat, yet pleasant and content.

Living alone and working had cultivated her habit of preparing ahead; she rarely lived like this—without planning the road ahead, wanting only to immerse herself in the vivid, fleeting bubble of the present.

            

One day in late August.

Jiang Siyi was to host an antique appreciation lecture, located on the second floor of an office building in J City.

The lecture was a regular event. With the autumn auction approaching, advertisements for it were also placed at the entrance.

            

Manager Wu looked at the promotional materials and asked Jiang Siyi, “Is this too utilitarian? Using your lecture to drive traffic.”

Even Jiang Siyi, who was always the most detached, said, “This is work.”

Hearing her say that, Manager Wu felt reassured. She did not leave, staying to support Jiang Siyi at the venue.

            

If clients had questions about the auction, she could help answer them.

Today, Duan Ning was hosting the daily auction and could not come. A few other colleagues from the Gold, Stone, and Jade Department were present.

The lecture had not yet started. Manager Wu and a short-haired female colleague stepped out to the fire escape for some air.

            

The short-haired colleague lit a cigarette, gazing at the blue sky and floating clouds beyond the glass wall, and sighed:

“Ahh—Little Jiang got married, what a shame.”

Manager Wu did not smoke; she just scrolled through her phone, checking recent corporate updates, and casually asked the short-haired colleague:

            

“What is there to regret? Do you have a crush on Little Jiang?”

“Huh? No—once she got married, Zhao Yong stopped delivering snacks to our department. The cafeteria food is terrible, and we have to go out for lunch every day. In this heat, we are dying out there.”

“Can you not order delivery?”

            

“Did you see that video? Some restaurants will…”

“Stop—” Manager Wu wanted to clap her hand over her mouth. “Do not finish that sentence, thank you very much. I still have to eat later.”

“Fine, fine, I will not say it. I am starving too. But speaking of which, who is Little Jiang’s marriage partner anyway? Manager Wu, do you know?”

            

As they spoke, she sensed someone walking down from the upper floor in her peripheral vision.

Manager Wu was saying, “Even if I knew, I would not tell you,” and glanced over casually.

With that one glance, she locked eyes with Lin Ji.

            

“Manager Wu.” Lin Ji greeted her politely.

Manager Wu, who had been standing somewhat slouched, straightened up involuntarily.

“Chairman Ji, what a coincidence?”

            

“There is a forum upstairs.”

Lin Ji spoke as she naturally pushed open the second-floor fire door and stepped inside.

Jiang Siyi’s lecture was about to begin.

            

Lin Ji found a seat in a corner.

Today, Jiang Siyi was wearing the Jiashibi staff uniform—summer version: a white blouse with dark trousers.

On anyone else, it would have felt like a throwback to the 1980s.

            

But Jiang Siyi wore it with exceptional elegance and grace.

The forum Lin Ji was attending today was upstairs. She had not told Jiang Siyi she would come to the lecture, precisely because she did not want to make Jiang Siyi uncomfortable if she knew in advance.

She came quietly, found an inconspicuous spot at the very back, and sat down to take photos and videos for her.

            

Jiang Siyi was now quite at ease handling lectures.

She no longer clenched her fists until her fingers ached from nerves, the way she had during her first time on stage.

She could even interact with the collectors in the front row occasionally.

            

She remained focused, however, and did not notice Lin Ji in the corner.

When the lecture ended and Jiang Siyi was looking down to gather her papers, a bouquet of flowers so vivid it was blinding landed before her eyes—Floyd roses.

Jiang Siyi looked up and met the gaze of a beautiful young woman.

            

“Hi, do you remember me?”

The girl pressed her lips together slightly, hands tucked into her jacket pockets, waiting for Jiang Siyi’s reaction.

Hard to forget. Aside from her distinctive mermaid-blue hair, this girl had thoroughly tested Jiang Siyi’s on-the-spot composure during an auction she had hosted.

            

The heiress who had bid on Wang Tai Tai’s Shoushan stone paperweight for her grandfather’s birthday—Shen Miao.

Roses, pressed lips, an unnatural shyness.

These elements combined made it inappropriate for Jiang Siyi to answer her question too casually.

            

“Is there something I can help you with?” Jiang Siyi responded with a faint smile.

Even though she felt her advance had been deflected with effortless grace, Shen Miao was still momentarily dazzled by Jiang Siyi’s beautiful, gentle smile. Her heart raced wildly. She took a deep breath before speaking:

“Little Jiang Jiejie, last time… thank you so much. Could you have dinner with me? My treat—anything you want.”

            

Shen Miao’s flushed cheeks and the admiration shining in her eyes confirmed Jiang Siyi’s suspicion.

An unmistakable romantic pursuit.

Jiang Siyi’s smile stiffened slightly.

            

She could not blame Shen Miao for not knowing she was married.

They moved in different circles, and Shen Miao had been out of the country.

The Shoushan stone paperweight she had bought for 24 million at auction had not made her grandfather happy on his birthday—it had nearly sent him straight to the afterlife.

            

When her grandfather heard the outrageous price, he had almost had a heart attack.

Fearing that seeing her again might prevent him from living to his next birthday, the Shen family had swiftly sent her abroad to let the storm blow over.

She had only returned in the past couple of days, after her grandfather’s mood and health had improved.

            

So, as a newly rich heiress and an outsider to J City’s social circles who had just been banished abroad, Shen Miao had returned with only one thought—how to pursue the older sister she admired—completely unaware that the object of her affection had already married.

Jiang Siyi picked up the roses with her ringed right hand and handed them back to Shen Miao.

“Thank you, but I cannot accept this.”

            

Shen Miao, however, had been staring at Jiang Siyi’s face the entire time and completely missed the wedding band on her right ring finger.

“Why?” Shen Miao asked in disappointment.

Jiang Siyi: “I am married.”

            

Shen Miao was stunned.

“That is impossible. I asked your colleagues last month, and they all said you were single. How could you be married so soon?”

Jiang Siyi had no words.

            

She was thinking of how to reject this overeager young woman thoroughly but gracefully.

When suddenly, she spotted Lin Ji in the crowd.

She did not know what Lin Ji had heard. Lin Ji was simply watching her quietly.

            

Without a single word, Jiang Siyi seemed to hear a thousand.

Shen Miao was about to say something more, but Jiang Siyi could only interrupt, albeit rudely.

“Excuse me.”

            

Shen Miao’s gaze—and the gazes of every other colleague and collector present—followed her as she walked swiftly toward the edge of the crowd.

She walked up to a woman taller than herself and, as if no one else existed, linked arms with her.

Their bodies pressed together, their eyes met—intimate and inseparable.

            

Jiang Siyi gazed into Lin Ji’s eyes and blurted out:

“Wife.”

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The author has something to say:

            

Lin Ji: Day… of wife-pampering. Wait, it seems like she was pampered by her wife today.

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