Then she thought about how, every time they met, she was the one digging up everyone else's secrets. She had practically stripped that crowd of gossip lovers down to their underwear, and they all feasted on one another's gossip, leaving precious little privacy between them. With that in mind, she no longer felt upset at all.
Though Chu Youning seemed genuinely no longer upset, Jiang Wanrong still did not let her go.
"That's still different. At least the unhappiness you felt when you first learned about it was real, and so was the fact that I wasn't there beside you."
She held Chu Youning for a long while longer.
Only then did Jiang Wanrong close the box of hair ornaments she had brought for Chu Youning and set it on the bedside table. The sisters slipped beneath the covers together.
After that...
Jiang Wanrong began by telling her about everything that had happened while she was away.
Then Chu Youning told her what she had been doing since Jiang Wanrong left.
Before they knew it...
The first to fall asleep was not Jiang Wanrong, weary from her journey home, but Chu Youning, who closed her eyes in contentment after hearing all her stories.
Listening to Chu Youning's steady breathing, Jiang Wanrong gently stroked her head.
She spoke softly. "Good night, Ningning. Every day from now on, I'll protect that beaming smile of yours."
In the blink of an eye...
The day of Jiang Li's wedding arrived.
The past few days had been unusually clear, with bright sunshine overhead.
Although the weather was not exactly warm...
Fortunately... the ground and rooftops were dry, and there was not a trace of melted snow anywhere.
Early that morning...
People streamed in and out of the Jiang Residence. Jiang Huai'an and Lin Xiangyin