After some playful roughhousing, Jiang Huai and Jiang Ning were both lying on the bed, panting.
The young girl’s cheeks were flushed red. She turned on her side, her eyes fixated on Jiang Huai, her dark irises filled with an emotion that was neither resentment nor shyness. After a long moment, she poked his forehead with her fingertip. “I’m hungry.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Let’s cook some instant noodles.” Jiang Ning poked his chest again. Jiang Huai flipped over and went to the small kitchen in their rented apartment. He opened the refrigerator, finding two tomatoes inside.
He used the gas stove to boil some water, then scalded the tomatoes to peel off their skins. After cutting them into small pieces, he added a little oil to a pan and stir-fried them until they melted. Then he added water and put in two instant noodle blocks, using only half of the seasoning packet and a tiny bit of oyster sauce. After cooking, he turned up the heat, fried two crispy eggs, and called Jiang Ning to help him carry it out. They sat at the small round table and began eating lunch.
At this moment, Jiang Huai felt a little unaccustomed to it instead.
After his rebirth, he had tasted all sorts of delicacies. He usually cooked in the courtyard, using the finest ingredients, but this bowl of instant noodles now brought a hint of nostalgia.
He had learned this method of cooking instant noodles in tomato broth from the internet. Jiang Ning loved it. Usually, if there were any tofu, mushrooms, or green vegetables, he’d cook them all together. But the refrigerator was empty at the moment. When it was a little cooler in the afternoon, he would have to go down with Jiang Ning to buy groceries.
Whether she was eating or doing anything else, Jiang Ning was always boisterous in front of him. In no time, she finished her meal and was looking at him, her chin propped on her hands. Her dark eyes blinked innocently, clearly indicating she wanted to shirk the responsibility of washing dishes with a bit of playful defiance.
So, the obedient, sensible, well-behaved, and gentle sister found in stories simply doesn’t exist; it’s all a lie.
Jiang Huai put down his chopsticks. “It’s your turn to wash the dishes today.”
“Let’s leave them for later. I’m too full after eating. I’ll wash them later.”
“Shameless dog.” Jiang Huai carried the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen. He knew that when Jiang Ning said that, it meant the dishes would remain there until one of them couldn’t stand it anymore and washed them. He washed the bowls and chopsticks and came back. Jiang Ning was already back on the bed, playing with his phone.
“We need to go buy groceries later; we’ve finished everything in the fridge. We’ll buy some dried noodles and dumplings too…”
“Oh.” Jiang Ning agreed, then heard Jiang Huai ask, “Are there any places you want to go recently?”
“To play?” When it came to playing, Jiang Ning’s eyes lit up, but a moment later, she slumped back onto the bed, her voice weak. “It’s too hot outside. Let’s go out tonight.”
“Where?”
“Let’s go to the snack street!”
“Okay.” Jiang Huai sat down. The air conditioning was on in the room, and Jiang Ning still carried the scent of shower gel.
The sky outside was scorching hot, like a bright piece of glass. But the room was perfectly cool. Jiang Huai suddenly felt his heart begin to calm down.
The world suddenly became very quiet. Jiang Huai lay down too, the silence of the room filled only by their breathing.
After not long, Jiang Ning sat up again and reached out to poke Jiang Huai’s chest repeatedly. As soon as Jiang Huai looked up, she leaned in immediately. The loose neckline of her dress also drooped, revealing the edge of her white lace underwear, her slender collarbone protruding.
“What are you doing again?” Jiang Huai blinked at her.
“I’m so bored.”
“It’s so hot, and you don’t want to go out. Just play on your phone. What else do you want to do?”
“We could do something fun.” Jiang Ning’s delicate pink tongue licked her lips again. Jiang Huai reached out and pinched her face. “Like what?”
“Like… want to practice kissing together.”
“You really seem to want a spanking lately.”
“Huh?” Jiang Ning tilted her head. “What are you talking about? Jiang Huai.”
“Huh?” Jiang Huai pinched her soft face. “I said you’ve been very improper lately.”
“What! You already became my boyfriend last month!” Jiang Ning sat up suddenly, hands on her hips, breaking free from his grasp. She puffed out her cheeks and glared at him angrily. “Shouldn’t you be doing bad things to me now? Ew… don’t tell me you secretly watch hentai in bed every night and overindulge, becoming…”
“Wait.” Jiang Huai was stunned for a moment. “When did I become your boyfriend?”
“My, birth, day!” Jiang Ning said word by word, her eyes beginning to show annoyance. “You clearly admitted that you also saw me as a woman, and you promised to be with me for the rest of my life!”
“No, no, that never happened. Don’t lie to me. Damn it, if I had to spend my life with you, I’d rather die.”
Just as Jiang Huai finished speaking, Jiang Ning suddenly lunged forward and grabbed his neck, muttering, “Scumbag, ahhhh!!!”
It took Jiang Huai a while to snap back to reality. Fragments of memories flashed through his mind. In those memories, before the last Tribulation of Inner Demon ended, he had confessed his feelings for Jiang Ning, and then they had kissed in bed and slept in each other’s arms… Damn it, is this Tribulation of Inner Demon turning into a TV series?
Jiang Huai slowly came back to his senses. “It actually happened.”
“Don’t think you can get away with it by pretending to be stupid!” Jiang Ning’s head buried itself in his chest, turning around. “I’ve already told several of my close friends that I have a boyfriend, and I’m planning to show you off to them in a few days. Don’t try to play dead.”
“No, wait…” Jiang Huai reached out and propped up Jiang Ning’s head, which was still nuzzling him like a little pig. “You know, with the mindset… it needs to shift a bit. After all, we’ve been acting like brother and sister on the surface for so many years. Don’t you think so?”
Jiang Ning looked up indignantly. “Kiss me.”
Jiang Huai looked at her as she closed her eyes. Her white and tender cheeks were bathed in the light from the window, her eyelashes seeming to sparkle. Her lips were as clean and delicate as flower petals, but inexplicably, Jiang Huai found himself instinctively unable to move.
Suddenly kissing Jiang Ning, who had been his sister for so many years, was indeed too surreal for him.
“I’m a little… unaccustomed to it.”
“You’ll get used to it slowly. Everything is difficult at the beginning.” Jiang Ning didn’t open her eyes, only speaking softly in a sweet voice. Jiang Huai gently held her shoulders, hesitated for a good while, and then finally leaned closer, lightly pecking her cheek.
Jiang Ning opened her eyes, but there was no shyness as Jiang Huai had expected. Instead, she rolled her eyes at him. “So perfunctory, you coward, you pitiful worm who’s never kissed a woman!”
“As if you’ve kissed a man.”
“Hmph, I will in a moment.” As soon as Jiang Ning finished speaking, her body pounced on Jiang Huai like a little leopard. Before Jiang Huai could say anything, she had pushed him down and was kissing him. The girl’s body was soft and warm, like the sweetness of strawberry cake. Jiang Huai’s heart suddenly raced, and for a moment, he didn’t even know where to put his hands.
Damn it, he had already mastered the secret technique of making a girl’s body weak with a kiss, but being kissed so forcefully by Jiang Ning like this, he was the one who felt instinctively flustered and uneasy.
Jiang Ning’s lips pecked him lightly, then again, and then she lay on his chest, poking his face with her finger. “Why are you so stunned?”
“You hooligan!”
“Hmph, because you’re a coward. If I don’t take the initiative, you’ll probably only see me as a sister for the rest of your life.” Jiang Ning drew circles on his chest with her finger. Jiang Huai reached out and wiped his lips. This instinctive action made her eyes widen, and she immediately leaned closer. “How dare you dislike me?!”
“No, it’s not that…”
Before Jiang Huai could say anything further, Jiang Ning’s face came close again. This time, besides kissing him, her delicate pink tongue awkwardly and clumsily pried open his teeth. Jiang Huai heard her mumble indistinctly, “I’ll make you dislike me! Drink my saliva!”
Her adorable demeanor made Jiang Huai unsure whether to laugh or cry. He finally adapted a little. It was perhaps because he knew this was an illusion that the guilt in his heart lessened by half. Almost instinctively, he gently hugged Jiang Ning’s waist and stroked her back, soon calming her down. Then, it was his turn to lean in and kiss Jiang Ning, playing with her delicate and smooth tongue. In a short while, Jiang Ning’s cheeks were flushed, and she lay on his chest, panting heavily, like a tamed kitten.
But after only about ten seconds, Jiang Ning suddenly lowered her head and bit his chest.
Jiang Huai slapped her butt lightly in return. “What are you biting me for?”
“Tell me! Why are you so proficient!” Jiang Ning finally mustered enough strength to sit up a bit, reaching out to pinch his neck. “Tell me quickly! Are you secretly flirting with other women behind my back!”
“Talented and skilled, I know it all instinctively.” Jiang Huai winked at her. He couldn’t explain it to her, so he wouldn’t. Jiang Ning puffed out her cheeks, staring at him for a while before curiously looking around. “You don’t secretly watch all sorts of kissing tutorials every day, just waiting for this day, do you?”
“Exactly.” Jiang Huai reached out and gently pinched her earlobe, softly saying, “Your ears are so hot.”
“It’s because you’re kissing me.” Jiang Ning pouted and poked his chest several more times with her finger, her cheeks becoming even more flushed. After a long while, she finally sat up, stretching lazily in the sunlight. Her dark hair shimmered.
Jiang Huai watched her bathed in the sunlight, lost in thought for a moment. Seeing her turn back, she said earnestly, “You have to kiss me every day from now on.”
“Come on, it’s not a romance novel.”
“I don’t care.” Jiang Ning tilted her head slightly. “If I forget any day, I’ll jump off the thirteenth floor.”
“Isn’t your script a bit too crazy?”
Jiang Ning smiled innocently, a slight curve at the corner of her lips. She tilted her head. “Isn’t the yandere sister script more exciting?”
“Not kissing me and threatening to jump is not yandere, I think it’s just stupid.”
“You’re the stupid one!” Jiang Ning couldn’t help but stomp her white and tender little feet angrily a few times on Jiang Huai. Until he grabbed her ankle, and from his line of sight, he could see her white lace-trimmed little pants under her skirt hem, following the flow of her skirt.
He quickly turned his face away, preferring to stare at the sun outside the window.
Damn it, what did this Tribulation of Inner Demon want him to do this time?
