Indulgence - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

"She's twenty-four this year, isn't she? Still acts like she hasn't grown up, so willful."

When she heard Jiang Yunyun say this, Yao Ran fell completely silent. She had just realized that Jiang Nian had been lying to her all along…

Seeing Jiang Nian walk over to her with a smile, a mix of emotions churned within Yao Ran. A tightness constricted her chest; everything was a mess.

After a brief greeting to Jiang Yunyun, she stood up to leave.

"Auntie, we'll talk next time." Seeing Yao Ran get up and leave, Jiang Nian said a quick word to Jiang Yunyun and hurried after her.

Jiang Yunyun raised an eyebrow, watching them leave together, sensing the subtle nature of their relationship. She knew Jiang Nian liked girls—the matter had caused a huge uproar at home. From the looks of it, Jiang Nian was most likely trying to pursue Yao Ran. She frowned, her own mood turning just as complicated. This little missy was getting more and more willful and outrageous… Yao Ran was only a year or two younger than herself.

Yao Ran left the noisy bar, still in disbelief. But the undeniable truth was right in front of her. From the very beginning of her pursuit, Jiang Nian had been deliberately deceiving her.

"We're about the same age."

"Maybe I just look young."

"Stop saying I'm childish. I'm actually quite mature."

…

Thinking about all of it, Yao Ran took a deep breath. What was this?

She must know. Jiang Nian chased after her anxiously. "Ranran."

The footsteps behind her grew closer. Yao Ran heard them but paid them no mind, her face grim as she continued down the back alley.

Jiang Nian was frantic. She caught up and grabbed Yao Ran's hand, stopping her from leaving.

Held tightly, Yao Ran turned and pulled her hand away, saying coldly, "Don't touch me."

Those three words made Jiang Nian's eyes instantly well up.

Looking at Jiang Nian now, Yao Ran was speechless for a long time. How was she supposed to face this? How was she supposed to deal with any of it?

After all this time, she had only just discovered that she'd been completely fooled by a girl nearly ten years her junior.

Jiang Nian's eyes were red as she said softly, "I'm sorry."

Yao Ran tried to even her breathing, to calm herself down. Though she did her best not to lose her composure, her voice still trembled slightly when she spoke again. "Was it fun tricking me?!"

Jiang Nian was only twenty-four, while she was almost thirty-four. This was what Jiang Nian called "about the same age." How could she have not suspected a thing? She should have realized Jiang Nian was lying long ago.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I've been wanting to explain, but I didn't know how to say it…" Jiang Nian had imagined Yao Ran's reaction to learning the truth, but the reality was far more tense and serious than she had anticipated.

"You've been lying to me from the very beginning," Yao Ran cut her off. If she had found out at the start, she would have been angry at most, thinking it was just a young girl messing around. But now, besides anger, she felt more disappointment, pain, and confusion.

"I was afraid you wouldn't give me a chance." Jiang Nian's eyes were wet as she explained earnestly, "If you knew how old I was… would you still have let me pursue you?"

Yao Ran was silent for a moment. The answer was obvious: she wouldn't have. The reason she had stopped running from Jiang Nian was that she felt they were both at a mature and stable age. But now…

"I just like you. I want to be with you. I was afraid you'd think I was too young and wouldn't give me the chance to like you."

Yao Ran was still furious. "So you can just lie to me?!"

Jiang Nian looked at her. "I know you must be very angry. You can be as angry as you want. I know I was wrong. This is the only thing I hid from you. I promise I'll never lie to you again. Please believe me."

Without even basic honesty, what else could be trusted? If she hadn't run into Jiang Yunyun, she didn't know how much longer she would have been kept in the dark. From the pursuit to them getting together, Jiang Nian had never once brought it up. If she were serious about their relationship, would she have done that?

Yao Ran had always detested deceit, and her emotions were now in turmoil. "If you can lie about your age, what can't you lie about?"

Her tone wasn't harsh, but the words were sharp.

Jiang Nian froze, then tears streamed down her face.

Seeing Jiang Nian's uncontrolled tears, Yao Ran fell silent and turned her head to look away.

Jiang Nian choked out, "I'm serious about you. Can you please believe me?"

Yao Ran didn't reply. She didn't want to face Jiang Nian right now and felt she needed to calm down. She walked to the intersection, hailed a taxi, and left Jiang Nian standing there.

Jiang Nian remained where she was, her sobs growing more intense.

In the back of the taxi, Yao Ran rubbed her forehead, trying to clear her head. A moment later, her phone rang. She glanced at it and immediately declined the call. It rang again. She silenced it and placed it face down.

The alcohol and the stuffy car made Yao Ran frown, a heavy feeling pressing on her chest.

A little over ten minutes later, she arrived home. As soon as she opened the door, Si Mao greeted her, tail wagging. After Jiang Nian moved in, Si Mao had come with her.

Yao Ran didn't play with Si Mao as she usually did. She walked straight to the bedroom, wanting to take a shower. As the hot water from the overhead shower poured down on her, she absentmindedly washed herself. Looking down, she saw the dense pattern of love bites on her body and froze for a moment…

Suddenly, she found it somewhat laughable. She felt like a fool, being played by a young girl, yet she had taken it seriously and fallen deeper and deeper.

Not long after, Jiang Nian also returned. Si Mao was lying listlessly by the door, as if sensing the tense atmosphere in the house tonight.

The sound of a hairdryer came from the bedroom.

Jiang Nian walked to the bedroom and saw Yao Ran drying her hair after her shower. She tried to approach as she normally would, wanting to take the hairdryer and help her.

Before she could get close, Yao Ran said in a low, cold voice, "Get out."

Jiang Nian stopped in her tracks. "I know I was wrong. What can I do for you to forgive me?"

Yao Ran listened, paused for a moment, then repeated the same two cold words, "Get out."

Jiang Nian knew she was furious right now and wouldn't listen to anything she said, so she had no choice but to obediently wait outside the door.

Yao Ran simply closed the bedroom door. Out of sight, out of mind.

Met with a closed door, Jiang Nian stood there with her head down, waiting distractedly.

Lying in bed, Yao Ran naturally couldn't sleep. She found it hard to trust people. She had seen too much hypocrisy and had experienced it herself; she knew that affection and deep love could be easily faked. She hadn't been able to trust Jiang Nian at first either, but Jiang Nian's relentless pursuit had made her unable to control her fluttering heart and growing feelings. She had convinced herself not to be so realistic and pessimistic, to try and believe in Jiang Nian. After they got together, she had even thought she had met the most suitable person for her, hoping they could continue on like this forever.

But now she had learned that the person she wanted so badly to trust had been lying to her all along, and was a girl eight or nine years younger than her… Yao Ran squeezed her eyes shut, her nose stinging as she sighed. What a mess.

Jiang Nian was still waiting outside the door.

Yao Ran didn't open the door all night. She had never been this angry.

The next day, when Yao Ran came out of the bedroom, she found Jiang Nian asleep on the sofa. Her makeup wasn't removed, as if she had kept watch all night.

Si Mao barked twice.

Jiang Nian opened her eyes. Seeing Yao Ran, she sat up from the sofa.

Yao Ran noticed her eyes were swollen.

Jiang Nian started to say something.

But Yao Ran turned her head and walked straight out the door without a word.

She was really angry this time. Jiang Nian stood there, at a loss. So, she can't accept me? This was the worst outcome she had imagined.

Yao Ran went to the office and numbed herself with work for the entire day. At noon, Jiang Nian sent her a WeChat message as usual. She didn't reply.

She worked overtime that evening. When she took the elevator to the underground garage, she found a familiar figure waiting for her by her car.

Jiang Nian had waited for a very, very long time, so long that her legs were sore. When she saw Yao Ran, she walked toward her, but her sore and numb legs gave way, and she nearly stumbled.

Yao Ran immediately stepped forward to steady her.

Seeing her chance, Jiang Nian fell directly into her arms, holding on weakly and refusing to let go.

Yao Ran was speechless.

Once in her arms, Jiang Nian wrapped her own around Yao Ran's waist, shifting to hold her even tighter.

Yao Ran frowned and looked at Jiang Nian. "Let go of me."

"No." Jiang Nian pressed her face into the crook of Yao Ran's neck and took a breath, murmuring softly, "You haven't spoken to me all day…"

And you have the nerve to act wronged. Yao Ran's frown deepened. This shameless, coquettish act—how could she have ever thought this person was mature? She was clearly just a willful little girl.

"You can be angry with me however you want. You can yell at me or hit me. I'll wait for you to cool down, no matter how long it takes. But please don't ignore me…" Jiang Nian tightened her hold on Yao Ran's waist and mumbled in a rush.

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