After Stealing a Kiss from My Sponsor Sister - Chapter 16

The logic was perfectly sound.

But Jiang Ya didn’t dare to look at Miss Yu.

Afraid that her eyes would betray her true feelings.

Then she heard a soft chuckle beside her, followed by an approving, “Not bad.”

“Put all that energy into your studies.”

For a moment, her vision blurred, and Yu Shuang’s voice came softly:

“Actually, I don’t really know what puppy love is either.”

Jiang Ya’s ears twitched. She looked up to see Yu Shuang, who had leaned in slightly, now straightening back up. Across the kitchen island, a beauty lounged lazily against the marble countertop, her skin glowing like a pearl under the dim light, radiant and luminous.

She wasn’t sure if Miss Yu was drunk.

Only that her heart was pounding. She lowered her head and took a sip of chilled wine, hoping to douse the fire in her chest.

It had the opposite effect—her throat burned even hotter.

Yu Shuang wasn’t drunk. She was just very relaxed.

Twisting a strand of hair around her finger, she was lost in some distant memory.

“Miss Yu must have had a lot of admirers, right?” Jiang Ya’s voice was hoarse.

“A lot? …I suppose so.”

“Was it because you were too busy with studies?”

The question made Yu Shuang laugh. She shook her head, still smiling. “I wasn’t like you—top of the class. And I didn’t even go to a public school back then.”

When she was in high school, studying abroad was all the rage.

Those who excelled academically had no shortage of resources to pave their way forward.

Those who didn’t were still sent abroad by their families to get a degree, just to make their résumés look decent upon returning.

She…

Fell somewhere in between.

She was supposed to go abroad. But she hadn’t fully decided where.

In truth, she hadn’t initially planned to seek out Madam Wen.

Wen Ying, her mother, had achieved modest success in the international art scene. Yu Shuang’s artistic talent must have been entirely inherited from her.

Later, when Madam Wen beckoned, she found herself lost in a world of colors and brushstrokes, eventually going to study under her.

Jiang Ya nervously curled her fingers. “Then didn’t you have more free time?”

“Yes. So I could fully indulge in my hobbies.” Yu Shuang tilted her head back for a sip of wine, her smile hazy. “Which made me even less willing to waste time on boring relationships.”

Yu Shuang used to think romance was dull.

Or, to put it another way, she simply couldn’t grasp its appeal.

Until she met Su Shu.

But looking back, she realized her feelings for Su Shu might not have been genuine either.

It was just that Su Shu’s aloofness and detachment had piqued her interest—she wanted to challenge, to conquer, to prove her own laughably overhyped, irresistible charm.

Coincidentally, she had also hit a creative slump around that time.

Madam Wen said her work lacked emotion and suggested she throw herself into a relationship—to abandon logic and immerse herself in raw feeling.

Madam Wen had never been short of lovers.

After her disastrous marriage to Yu Mingyuan, she seemed to have unlocked the essence of romance. Every relationship that followed was about savoring the moment, never seeking permanence.

Clearly, she had executed this philosophy with great success.

Countless affairs had inspired countless paintings brimming with intense love and hatred.

Madam Wen loved her creations more than the ever-changing partners by her side.

But Yu Shuang wasn’t like that.

She…

“Did I mess up?” He Minqian’s face surfaced in her mind again.

His tone, his heartbroken voice—all of it was still vivid in Yu Shuang’s memory.

“Don’t say that about yourself,” Yu Shuang had replied.

“These things depend on fate. I think we just didn’t have enough of it.”

“Am I still not as good as Su Shu in your heart?”

Yu Shuang felt a wave of exhaustion, her heart weary. “I’ve never compared the two of you.”

“Then…”

Yu Shuang found a middle ground for her words. “I just don’t want to start another relationship right now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Deep connections with people are too exhausting. I need a break.”

He Minqian: “But what you said before…”

Yu Shuang: “That was true.”

“I really do need time to move on from my last relationship. It’s for my sake, and for yours too.”

After parting ways with Su Shu, Yu Shuang traveled to many places, trying to dissolve the lingering sense of loss.

He Minqian had harbored feelings for her since high school. When they met again abroad, she was already with Su Shu.

After the breakup, He Minqian pursued her relentlessly.

From the shifting auroras of Northern Europe, to the snowfields of the Himalayas, and then to the lush rainforests of South America…

He was undoubtedly a great travel companion.

They got along well in conversation, too.

He was a friend Yu Shuang was quite satisfied with.

But there was no spark of romance.

When He Minqian confessed to her at their final stop, Yu Shuang was moved—enough to ask for time to consider it.

Had it not been for the absurd twists of fate after returning home…

Had Yu Mingyuan not played the fool by rushing to announce an engagement…

Honestly, under smooth circumstances, Yu Shuang couldn’t have predicted what choice she would have made.

“Are you… are you,” He Minqian struggled with his last question.

Yu Shuang gestured for him to continue.

His voice was hoarse as he asked, “Do you prefer women?”

Su Shu was a woman.

The question caught Yu Shuang off guard.

“I don’t know.”

It was the most honest answer she could give.

“My academic and professional environments aren’t particularly sensitive to these things.”

Besides, she had only ever liked one real person. “I’ve never thought about it.”

Initially, she had been drawn to Su Shu’s aura, not her gender.

“If I ever find an answer, I’ll tell you—assuming you still want to know by then.”

Yu Shuang spoke with a rationality that bordered on detachment.

He Minqian, however, said, “I’m about to join the He family business.”

Yu Shuang: “Congratulations.”

She knew he had been hesitating over this for a long time.

“For the next few years, I’ll be very busy. Probably no time for romance. Once things settle down, if you’re still alone by then…”

Yu Shuang understood his unspoken implication and replied coolly, “We’ll see how fate plays out.”

He Minqian’s breath hitched for a moment before he nodded. “Alright. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

The farewell was still dignified.

Yu Shuang shared fragments of the conversation with Jiang Ya, omitting the finer details, keeping it vague.

Jiang Ya said sourly, “So he’s liked you for a very, very long time?”

Yu Shuang leaned back in her armchair and answered earnestly, “It might sound harsh, but I think he might just admire the freedom he sees in me—how I don’t care about others’ opinions and do whatever I want. He’s been constrained by rules since childhood, so he’s drawn to people who break them.”

“Even now, his every move isn’t entirely his own. So…”

“Maybe he doesn’t actually like me as a person.”

Jiang Ya: “I don’t really get it.”

Yu Shuang smiled. “It’s fine. I haven’t figured this out very well myself.”

Her cup was empty. She set it aside, making no move to refill it.

Changing her posture, Yu Shuang draped herself over the back of the chair, her inky curls cascading from her cheeks down to her shoulders and knees. In the dim, golden light, she smiled faintly at Jiang Ya, like a seductive spirit lurking in the shadows of the night.

“So,” she began, “you’re such a pretty little thing. You’ll probably have plenty of admirers in the future, won’t you?”

“Do you have a type you like?”

Jiang Ya took another sip of her drink. The ice had mostly melted, leaving the taste almost like water. Yet, her throat still burned.

“I do.”

“Ooh, what kind?”

Jiang Ya lowered her lashes, trembling slightly. “Probably not the type Miss Yu would expect.”

“Hmm?”

The syllable rose teasingly as Yu Shuang twirled a strand of her hair around her pale fingers. The stark contrast between black and white created a breathtaking beauty.

“What does the type you like have to do with me?”

Perhaps finding it amusing, Yu Shuang actually laughed.

Jiang Ya: “It’s just a feeling.”

No—it was inevitable. Yu Shuang would never want to hear her answer.

“Then tell me. Let’s see if I’m right.”

Jiang Ya stayed silent.

“Shy, are we?”

Jiang Ya took another sip, her glass now empty. As she set it down, only the clink of ice against the rim remained.

When no answer came, Yu Shuang glanced at the ceiling, then turned, her shoulder strap slipping down.

Jiang Ya caught the movement and swallowed unconsciously.

“Ah, youth—so innocent,” Yu Shuang mused.

That wasn’t it. She was just afraid of exposing her filthy thoughts.

“Alright, drinks are done. Time for bed. Goodnight.” Yu Shuang, now drowsy, stood and bid Jiang Ya farewell.

Jiang Ya didn’t dare look up, murmuring softly, “Goodnight, Miss Yu.”

“I’ll clean the glasses.”

“Thanks.”

Yu Shuang left without a second thought.

Jiang Ya took a moment to steady herself before rising to tidy up. She quickly washed her own glass. When she picked up Miss Yu’s, a trace of liquor still lingered at the bottom. Under the kitchen light, Jiang Ya stared at it for a while—then, as if possessed, she let the water run while bringing the rim, marked with lipstick, to her own lips.

Gulp.

The last drop vanished between her teeth.

She couldn’t discern any flavor, but the thought that Miss Yu had drunk from the same spot earlier… slowly turned Jiang Ya’s face crimson.

Miss Yu’s lips were so full—would they feel good to kiss?

Jiang Ya didn’t know, but she couldn’t shake the indecent thought.

After dawdling over washing both glasses, she paused by the island counter, stopping beside the fabric armchair where Miss Yu had lounged.

Bending down, she helplessly inhaled the lingering scent on the seat.

Like the liquor, she couldn’t detect anything distinct—but her heart pounded wildly.

If only Miss Yu had left her robe behind, there’d be enough of a scent to savor.

Realizing she’d taken another deep breath, Jiang Ya startled and stumbled back several steps.

What was she doing?

How had she suddenly…?

Jiang Ya fled to her room like a criminal.

Buried under the blankets, the unstoppable thoughts in her head refused to fade.

Damn it.

She really was a pervert.

As her mind involuntarily sketched the curves of Miss Yu’s waist and chest, Jiang Ya gave up and despised herself.

–

A few tumultuous days later, just as Yu Shuang was removed from the family trust by her grandmother, Jiang Ya’s school arrangements were finalized.

Yu Shuang was beyond frustrated.

Without hesitation, she threw herself into the school selection process for the child, seeking a brief respite from the daily domestic grind.

“All three of these schools have expressed interest in you.”

“This one in particular is very eager and has offered many favorable conditions. What do you think?”

Yu Shuang asked Jiang Ya.

Jiang Ya replied, “Let me look them up first and get a better understanding.”

Yu Shuang gave an “OK” gesture and pointed at one of them. “Start with this one. I plan to take you for a visit later.”

Jiang Ya glanced at it—a prestigious public high school that sent over a hundred students to top universities each year.

“Alright.”