Looking at the clock, it was just past three. Why did my sister come back so early today?

Could it be... that she came back early on purpose to prepare for getting the marriage certificate tomorrow?

Rubbing her temples with both hands, Qin Ruoying was about to respond through gritted teeth, but the words got stuck in her throat. She turned over, facing away from the door, pretending to be asleep.

There was no helping it; she was feeling so guilty right now, so guilty that she didn't dare to meet Qin Ruojing's eyes.

"Ruoying?"

Qin Ruojing called out again, making Qin Ruoying feel even guiltier. Her body gave a slight tremor. She quickly took a deep breath. Even though she knew that Qin Ruojing wouldn't see her face even if she came in, she kept her eyes tightly shut.

Although Qin Ruoying herself knew that she was just avoiding the issue, eventually, she would have to face it, but she really didn't know whether she should confess to her sister.

If she confessed… what kind of consequences would that lead to? They could be severe, right?

Qin Ruoying was almost going crazy with worry.

"Creak"

Qin Ruojing opened her sister's bedroom door.

As Qin Ruoying lay on the bed, her heart tightened, and she dared not move, instinctively holding her breath. She even felt like she could hear her own heartbeat, pounding like a drum.

"Did this girl stay up all night gaming? It's amazing she's not up yet."

Qin Ruojing muttered to herself, then gently closed the bedroom door, removed her wet clothes, and went into the bathroom.

Hearing the sound of running water in the bathroom, Qin Ruoying buried her fingers into her hair and scratched with agitation, unable to keep up her pretense of sleep. She sat up weakly, got out of bed, and began pacing back and forth.

Having not eaten all day, Qin Ruoying soon felt a bit dizzy and finally sat down dejectedly at the edge of the bed.

A quick death or a slow one, it's all the same in the end. At this point, I might as well be honest. Even if my sister is going to be angry, it's better than being found out later.

Thinking of this, Qin Ruoying left the bedroom, walked to the dining table, and started eating the breakfast that had gone cold long ago. After finishing, she sat properly on the sofa, as if waiting to face execution, waiting for her sister to finish her shower.

Whether for leniency or to come up with a plan together, she couldn't hide this any longer. However, to say she wasn't nervous would be a lie. She really wished her sister's shower would last longer and longer.

Unfortunately, in less than twenty minutes, which seemed like the blink of an eye to Qin Ruoying, Qin Ruojing came out of the bathroom.

"Huh? You're awake? What time did you go to bed after gaming last night? You actually managed to sleep this late?"

After finishing her shower, Qin Ruojing came out. Since there were no outsiders at home and it wasn't cold, she didn't bother dressing in a hurry. Holding a dry towel, she tilted her head and wiped her jet-black hair, catching sight of her sister sitting on the sofa, and said slightly reproachfully,

"Uh... not too late."

Qin Ruoying chuckled awkwardly, not daring to meet her sister's eyes, her gaze flitting sneakily around her sister.

Feeling her sister's gaze, Qin Ruojing felt a bit uneasy, "What are you looking at? We look exactly the same; nothing you haven't seen, so what's so fascinating?"

"How could it be the same? I'm still a single young lady, while you're not—you're engaged. Strangely enough, I don't see any changes happening there, right?"

Qin Ruoying scratched her head. Since her sister asked, she decided to be forthright. Half-jokingly, she said something on impulse and then stood up from the sofa, walking over to her sister with a smile.

This topic, she was troubled over how to bring it up. Since it came up, it seemed like a fitting opening for her confession.

"Oh come on, who says such shameless things? And you dare say them out loud?"

Qin Ruojing blushed, giving her sister a glance, before turning to head back to her bedroom to get dressed. In her embarrassment, she didn't notice the hint of unnaturalness hidden in her sister's smile.

"Oh, we're not kids anymore. We're both 25. In the countryside, we'd have kids running around by now. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Qin Ruoying laughed it off, following her sister into the bedroom. Seeing that Qin Ruojing was about to get clothes from the wardrobe, she grabbed her sister's hand.

"Sis, you're still not completely dry. Wait a while before putting on clothes. Let me take another look, okay?"

Qin Ruojing turned to look at her sister, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Qin Ruoying, what are you up to?"

Ever since Chu Ge's birthday, Qin Ruojing felt something off about her sister, and today, it was especially evident, to a downright peculiar extent.

"I'm… not up to anything."

Qin Ruoying already felt guilty, and being called by her full name by her sister made her feel even guiltier. Her gaze became evasive again. Even though she planned to confess, when the words reached her lips, it still didn't feel like the right moment. She felt incredibly conflicted inside.

"No, you definitely have something going on." Qin Ruojing increasingly felt that her sister was acting strange. She paused putting away her clothes, turned around, and looked at Qin Ruoying face to face, her expression becoming serious.

"I..." Qin Ruoying turned her head, rubbed her nose, and under Qin Ruojing's gaze, she finally gave in, letting out a rare sigh, "Alright, I do have something, but, sis, can you not make the atmosphere so serious, it's just like dad."

Qin Ruojing sat down on the edge of the bed, "Go ahead, what mischief have you gotten into this time?"

"Actually... it's not really mischief, hmm... how do I put it?" Qin Ruoying turned around to face her sister, "Well, sis, have you and brother-in-law ever been intimate?"

Qin Ruojing was taken aback. She really didn't expect that after all this time Qin Ruoying would come up with something like that, "Why are you asking this? Such matters have nothing to do with you, right?"

Qin Ruoying immediately said, "It matters, of course it matters!"

"Hmm?" The casual way her sister blurted it out made Qin Ruojing feel even stranger. She looked at Qin Ruoying suspiciously, "How does it matter?"

"Sis, don't ask so many questions right now. It just matters, okay?" Qin Ruoying looked conflicted, pursing her lips, "Did you two actually sleep together?"

Although she didn't know what was on her sister's mind, from her expression and tone, it was not hard to tell that the answer to this question seemed genuinely important to her.

Qin Ruojing hesitated a moment, then finally nodded, "We probably... have."

Hearing the word "probably", Qin Ruoying felt flustered and raised her hand to rub her forehead.

"What does 'probably' even mean? You either did or didn't. I'm your sister, stop brushing me off with ambiguous answers. This matter is really important for you, for me, and for brother-in-law."

Sensing her sister's genuine anxiety, Qin Ruojing's mind began racing. Could it be that her sister was still interested in Chu Ge? Otherwise, why would she be so tense about whether she and Chu Ge had slept together?

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Ruojing finally nodded, "We did. Now, can you tell me what's going on?"

To Qin Ruojing's surprise, Qin Ruoying continued to press about her and Chu Ge being intimate, immediately asking again, "How many times?"

"Qin Ruoying, you..."

"Sis, don't ask so much, just tell me, how many times?"

Qin Ruojing felt quite uncomfortable being repeatedly asked about such things. But before she could say anything, Qin Ruoying interrupted her, looking more serious than her usual playful self.

Qin Ruoying wasn't trying to make things difficult for her sister; she had her own concerns. This question was indeed very important to her, as the answer would determine whether she needed to come clean.

If possible, she'd rather let the truth of this matter rot inside her and never let anyone know.

Qin Ruojing hesitated again for a moment, pursed her lips, turned away from her sister's gaze, and gave Qin Ruoying the answer.

"Once."

Qin Ruoying's heart sank. Although she had anticipated this answer, she still harbored a bit of hope. When she actually heard it from her sister's mouth, that bit of hope was completely shattered, and she felt quite bothered.

"Was it on brother-in-law's birthday?"

Qin Ruojing didn't respond. That attitude was as good as confirming it.

"Sis, actually..." Qin Ruoying twisted her fingers, hesitating to speak.

Qin Ruojing didn't rush her, patiently watching her sister. She believed that since so much had been said, her sister wouldn't keep teasing her. However, in this silence, she felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

"Sigh..."

Qin Ruoying remained silent for more than a minute, finally letting out a long sigh, slumping onto the chair opposite Qin Ruojing, and with great difficulty, shared a secret she had kept for many days.

"Sis, I'm sorry, you and brother-in-law didn't actually sleep together; it was just your misunderstanding. Even though you slept in the same bed that night, nothing happened."

Qin Ruoying's body was tense, avoiding her sister's gaze. She expected Qin Ruojing to jump up in disbelief and question her.

But, to her surprise, Qin Ruojing didn't have much of a reaction. She just looked at her with a strange expression and asked in an uncertain tone, "After all this effort, you... just wanted to tell me this?"

Qin Ruoying saw that her sister didn't seem to believe her, and she immediately became anxious, "Sis, I'm not lying to you, I'm telling the truth, you guys..."

"Xiao Ying, you're my sister, I know what you're thinking. Just like you said, everyone has the right to pursue happiness, so even if you like your brother-in-law, I won't blame you for this."

Qin Ruojing shook her head with a slight smile, interrupting her sister.

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