Adopting Myself from the Young Heiress - Chapter 9

Yan Ciwei was seeing a side of herself she had never known before.

She knew she desired An Chixu deeply.

From a young age, her gaze had frequently lingered on An Chixu’s fingertips, the tip of her nose, her jawline, her chest and abdomen…

She craved An Chixu’s body, but even more, she yearned for her to descend upon her.

She had dreamed such dreams before.

It was during her senior year of high school. Having been born six months earlier, she had already turned eighteen.

That day, An Chixu came to celebrate her birthday. They huddled together in her rented room, hiding under the covers to watch a horror movie.

When the ghost appeared on screen, An Chixu threw herself into Yan Ciwei’s arms, pretending to tremble as she clung tightly to her.

A strand of An Chixu’s hair, fragrant like lotus blossoms, brushed against Yan Ciwei’s nose, tickling her until she lost her composure and sneezed, collapsing into An Chixu’s embrace.

They turned off the thrill-seeking horror movie and, bathed in the intimate atmosphere, began smearing each other with whipped cream.

That night, An Chixu slept beside Yan Ciwei.

Yan Ciwei held her close, her dreams filled with absurdity.

In her dream, An Chixu stayed by her side, adorned with accessories shaped like pieces of a cream cake.

She pinched off a dollop of cream and smeared it across An Chixu’s collarbone.

An Chixu sat obediently, her eyes glistening with moisture. She gazed at Yan Ciwei with wide, watery eyes, transforming her into a guiding older sister.

Yan Ciwei crooked a finger at An Chixu. “Come kiss me.”

In the dream, An Chixu smeared the cream Yan Ciwei had personally applied across her collarbone all over Yan Ciwei’s body.

After that, Yan Ciwei hadn’t dreamed of An Chixu for a long time.

They had spent six peaceful years together before a fierce argument erupted in their seventh year.

An Chixu accused Yan Ciwei of harboring resentment for years, but Yan Ciwei had been completely unaware of it.

After their breakup, Yan Ciwei suppressed her longing, unwilling to disturb An Chixu, using pain as a suppressant.

Nights filled with relentless pain left her no room to invite An Chixu into her dreams.

Yet in recent days, An Chixu had been appearing far too frequently.

Aside from Yan Ciwei’s self-deception, they kept running into each other at the company.

The elevator encounters were carefully calculated coincidences.

She had initially intended it to be a one-time indulgence, warning herself to allow only that single moment of weakness.

But she had truly seen An Chixu—not a photo, a memory, or some vague online acquaintance.

Unable to suppress her longing any longer, she had come face-to-face with An Chixu.

It was rather pathetic. They had promised not to disturb each other, and An Chixu had painstakingly drawn a clear boundary between them. Yet here she was, humiliating herself in front of An Chixu again.

The carefully maintained distance between them had widened once more.

This time, even seeing An Chixu brought her no comfort.

Yan Ciwei dragged her weary heart home and reattached the IV drip.

She scratched the spot on her left hand where the needle had been inserted. The itch made her brow furrow.

Night had fallen again.

Her staff reported that today’s promotional event had gone smoothly, and An Chixu had left an hour earlier.

By now, An Chixu should be home, washing up and relaxing.

Yan Ciwei collapsed onto the bed, sprawled out carelessly, her eyes vacant.

Her phone buzzed beside her. Annoyed, she tossed it onto the bed.

Without checking the messages, she turned it off and closed her eyes.

Only by thinking of An Chixu as she drifted off could she find peace.

An Chixu accompanied Shen Jibai through her promotional activities before returning home.

Today’s schedule went smoothly. Even though only a few fans showed up, Shen Jibai was in excellent spirits.

She even broke character, stepping off the stage to sincerely thank her longtime supporters.

Genuine people deserve genuine rewards.

In the forty minutes since An Chixu had arrived home, a video of Shen Jibai interacting with fans was already trending, having garnered over 100,000 likes.

The video was filmed by a genuine fan—judging by her profile, she seemed to be a group stan, with Zhou Yanxi as her favorite member, but she also attended events for other members.

The company’s staff hadn’t finished editing their own video yet, but they’d likely rush to capitalize on the buzz by posting it as if they were ordinary fans.

This was a good sign. Shen Jibai had taken her first step toward reclaiming her true self, even if only for five minutes.

Those who truly loved her wouldn’t be deterred by her authenticity. After all, Shen Jibai was inherently a lovable girl.

Yet An Chixu’s mood remained low, unaffected by her professional success.

Too despondent to eat dinner, she drank a glass of cold water before going to wash up.

Orange kept meowing at her side, so An Chixu could only give him some cat food before locking herself in her room. She lacked the energy to give the poor cat any extra affection.

Orange scratched at the door, but An Chixu couldn’t respond. She lay listlessly on the bed until he finally left.

Slowly, she got up and retrieved Yan Ciwei’s cloth doll.

She knew Yan Ciwei had one that looked like her. It was their first-anniversary gift from their college days—a pair of lovebirds so in sync that they had independently prepared the same gift for each other.

An Chixu had sewn herself and received Yan Ciwei in return.

She imagined Yan Ciwei must have kept her doll safe as well.

An Chixu stroked the doll’s face, tenderly rubbing its recently washed cheeks several times.

The fabric felt stiffer than it had back in their freshman year. But since it was a gift from Yan Ciwei, An Chixu couldn’t bear to throw it away.

Today, however, An Chixu had seen Yan Ciwei stabbing that very doll.

An Chixu placed the doll on the bedside table, staring blankly at the red mole that had once belonged to her beloved.

How could she describe the emotions that surged through her when she saw Yan Ciwei stabbing the cloth doll?

Even after their breakup, their relationship remained a tangled mess, impossible to untangle.

Yan Ciwei must have hated her, venting her anger on the doll that resembled her.

Yet An Chixu found herself feeling dejected by this scene.

They had loved each other for so long, only to end up in such a bitter entanglement. She had been the one to propose the breakup, making her the one who had wronged Yan Ciwei.

She deserved this.

So, she resolved to stop thinking about Yan Ciwei.

An Chixu’s emotions gradually cooled, sinking to the bottom of her heart.

She picked up her phone and realized Pei Yuxi hadn’t replied to her messages all day.

What could have happened?

Unbeknownst to her, Pei Yuxi was equally puzzled by the absence of new videos from Orange.

In a couple of days, after her most challenging exam, she would have time to care for the cat.

She needed to find a way to retrieve Orange from this fake cat owner. With that in mind, she sent a message:

Sister, I’d like to take Orange for the weekend in a few days. Would it be convenient to arrange a handover? I’ll bring him back to your place on Monday.