Chapter 62: The Scheming Green Tea Stepsister

Her sweet little sister had messaged: Sister, I want to make love.

Jiang Li rubbed the screen helplessly with her fingers as she stared at the blunt message, a hint of panic flickering in her eyes. She had no idea what to say to Lu Chaohuan.

Should she tell her to focus on her studies and stop thinking about such things? But Lu Chaohuan was at that age when desires naturally arose. Last time they’d met, Jiang Li had caught her watching adult videos…

Besides, Jiang Li thought, this was Lu Chaohuan’s right as an adult.

But to outright tell her to go ahead?

Jiang Li recalled the words Lu Chaohuan had slipped into her texts about that girl—the classic type of heartless player she’d seen before. How could she let her little sister entrust herself to someone like that?

Worry flashed in her eyes. Jiang Li gritted her teeth, furrowed her brows, and hammered away at the keyboard, desperately trying to steer Lu Chaohuan toward better romantic choices. She advised from every angle she could think of.

Meanwhile, as Jiang Li typed away, Lu Chaohuan propped her chin on her hand and gazed at the message she’d sent, which had gone unanswered for so long. She blinked, then her fingers danced across the keyboard to fire off another one.

A thick smile spread across her face as she eagerly anticipated Jiang Li’s reaction on the other end.

A trace of regret flickered in her eyes—Lu Chaohuan was disappointed she couldn’t see Jiang Li’s expression in person.

Sister, what should I do~?

With a ding, a fresh message popped up in the editing window. Jiang Li’s fingers froze mid-type. Her neck stiffened as she read Lu Chaohuan’s words, and she didn’t move a muscle.

Lu Chaohuan had asked: Sister, I really want…

Want what? To make love? Or did she want her? Jiang Li stared at the ambiguous message, hesitating, but ultimately decided to take it as a continuation of the previous one.

As someone utterly devoted to Lu Chaohuan, Jiang Li would normally grab her by the hand, rush her to the city’s biggest singles mixer, and help her pick someone on the spot. She’d even arrange the wedding right away.

But!

Jiang Li thought in despair—she was Lu Chaohuan’s sister! Her sweet little sister must have been so pent up that she’d overcome her shyness to message her big sister about this!

Did she really have to agree to let her get together with that girl?

Her fingers trembled. Jiang Li’s hands hovered over the keyboard, unable to press send. Her mind kept replaying the image of Lu Chaohuan, heartbroken and too timid to tell her after being swindled for money and sex by that girl.

Her little sister, suffering a loss at someone else’s hands and too scared to tell the family. She’d just swallow it all in silence.

Jiang Li thought of how, in the original plot, Lu Chaohuan had been deceived by the male lead yet remained devoted to him. Her typing grew more resolute. She had to calm her sister down.

—Chaohuan, you’re an adult. Sister won’t mind your… activities.

I wish you would mind.

Lu Chaohuan’s expression cooled as she read the incoming message. The earlier amusement faded, replaced by irritation as she tapped the bedsheets. What had she been hoping Jiang Li would say?

—But… if you really want to, how about Sister takes you somewhere tomorrow?

Somewhere?

Lu Chaohuan sat up a little straighter, renewed interest sparking as she eyed the message. What kind of place could Jiang Li possibly take her? It couldn’t be a hunting ground for hookups or a matchmaking event, could it?

Jiang Li had piqued Lu Chaohuan’s curiosity. She asked a couple of follow-ups, but Jiang Li dodged vaguely, as if the place was too embarrassing to name.

No matter how much Lu Chaohuan pressed, Jiang Li wouldn’t budge. Figuring she’d find out tomorrow anyway, Lu Chaohuan held her patience.

As Lu Chaohuan’s replies tapered off, Jiang Li began frantically messaging 123 to scour the city for reputable stores. They had to be reliable—absolutely reliable.

【Thanks. You’re really broadening my horizons this lifetime.】

The sarcastic voice rang in her ear, but Jiang Li focused intently on the filtered recommendations on her phone. A City was huge, after all, and there were plenty of such shops. She scrolled through several pages without finding one that fit.

【I mean, are you sure it’s okay to take your little sister to a place like that?】

Jiang Li didn’t look up, her eyes sliding across the screen as she bookmarked options. “What’s the problem? She wants it, doesn’t she? I’m just helping her with her needs.”

123 fell silent.

Sure, you’re solving her needs, but I’m really worried you’ll regret this someday when the future you is spitting blood over it.

Watching Jiang Li diligently compare the recommended shops, 123 silently mourned for the Lu Chaohuan who might be furious tomorrow.

You give your sister desire, and she returns you a paradise.

Jiang Li had never delved into this before, but since she’d promised to take Lu Chaohuan shopping tomorrow, she had no choice but to cram. She studied the basics urgently.

A parade of images and descriptions assaulted her: round and clever ones, curved lengths, ovals… Jiang Li’s eyes blurred from the options. She murmured specs aloud, preparing for tomorrow’s trip with Lu Chaohuan.

The next day dawned bright and clear. Puffy white clouds jostled like playful children across the sky, splashed against a vast canvas of spilled blue ink.

Lu Chaohuan had dressed especially breezily that day—so much so that when Jiang Li stepped out of the car, she nearly turned back home to fetch a sun-protective cover-up for her.

The sleeveless tank top clung to her slender frame, her collarbone and shoulders gleaming like warm jade in the sunlight. A short black skirt that barely skimmed her thighs revealed long, straight legs.

She leaned lazily against the roadside railing, her posture dipping to flash a glimpse of her slim waist, drawing the eyes of every passerby.

In the short distance from the car to Lu Chaohuan, Jiang Li spotted several high school boys staring at her in a daze, nearly tripping over their friends’ heels.

On the other side, a few stylish girls had quietly positioned themselves behind Lu Chaohuan, phones raised to snap photos of her. They lingered without leaving.

She was a human magnet, unreasonably pulling every gaze in the mall toward her.

As more eyes turned their way, Jiang Li’s worry for her little sister surged. She hurried over and pulled Lu Chaohuan into her arms like a protective hen shielding her chick, her glare fixed on a middle-aged man who kept photographing her.

Jiang Li’s eyes were sharp and unyielding as she stared the man down.

His shots differed starkly from those of the girls. He aimed his phone squarely at Lu Chaohuan’s legs or upper body, brazenly zooming in on sensitive spots with his other hand.

Jiang Li watched him for a moment, but he didn’t care. He kept filming her shamelessly—not with the innocent admiration of ordinary folk.

The lecherous glint in his eyes made it nauseating.

“Sir, if you point that phone at us again, I’ll have my lawyer discuss privacy rights with you.” Jiang Li’s voice was icy as she warned him, tucking Lu Chaohuan’s face against her chest.

Poised and elegantly dressed, with talk of lawyers on her lips, she clearly spelled trouble he couldn’t afford. He muttered curses and slunk away, head down.

“Sister, he’s way too much.”

The faint rose scent flooding her nostrils left no doubt—Jiang Li must have used rose essential oil last night. Delicate and profound, it wafted in silken threads. Lu Chaohuan twitched her nose slightly.

Nestled in Jiang Li’s embrace, her face pressed to her midriff—higher than usual, probably because Jiang Li was in heels today. Beyond the roses, there was the subtle milky fragrance of a woman’s skin. Lu Chaohuan’s keen nose picked it up easily in such close quarters.

Safely held, Lu Chaohuan obediently wrapped her arms around Jiang Li’s lower back. Jiang Li wore a fitted white maxi dress today, cinched at the waist with a thin metal belt. Lu Chaohuan’s hands rested right there.

Creamy fabric filled her vision, while Jiang Li’s warning to the man echoed in her ears—her usual gentleness locked away, replaced by overt aggression.

Lu Chaohuan’s fingers curled. Complex emotions flashed in her eyes, laced with a thread of self-disgust.

Look at her—stirring up extra thoughts from something so simple. But Jiang Li had a girlfriend.

Amid her self-loathing, Lu Chaohuan felt the tightening grip at her waist and turned resentful toward Jiang Li. Why treat her so well when she had someone? It only bred these needless feelings.

Jiang Li could have just dragged her away, but no—she had to pull her close and confront the creep.

Lu Chaohuan thought anyone would assume jealousy… if you weren’t my sister, if you didn’t have a girlfriend.

After the girls left, having snapped mostly side profiles and full-body shots of Lu Chaohuan, Jiang Li noted their nervous faces. She softened her expression and apologized gently.

“Thank you for liking my sister. I overreacted just now. Sorry.”

Her features eased, eyes curving into warm smiles like a spring breeze that soothed the girls’ lingering unease.

Faced with this stunning sister protectively cradling her “little sister,” one bold girl flushed and asked, “Sister, can I add your WeChat?”

The hand at Jiang Li’s waist clamped down hard. Lu Chaohuan wrenched free, pulling her face from Jiang Li’s embrace and turning to show it fully.

“Sorry, Sister doesn’t add strangers on WeChat.”

Their bodies stayed pressed together. The girl’s eyes drifted down, catching Lu Chaohuan’s hand at Jiang Li’s lower back—intimate and clingy.

Jiang Li looked helpless but unmoving, watching Lu Chaohuan, who stared coldly at her. The bold girl got the message.

Ah, sister play between lovers. Her bad for misunderstanding.

As the girls drifted away, the hand at her waist still didn’t loosen. Jiang Li’s breathing grew labored. She looked at Lu Chaohuan, puzzled. “Chaohuan?”

Lu Chaohuan knew exactly why she was calling. She didn’t release the belt—instead, she tugged harder.

Yanked forward, Jiang Li stumbled awkwardly into her. Lowering her gaze to Lu Chaohuan’s cool expression, she grew even more confused. Who had upset her?

“Does Sister always attract this much attention?”

Unnoticed by herself, jealousy simmered in Lu Chaohuan’s eyes. Her chest felt stuffy and unbearable, her gaze toward Jiang Li turning steely with a misty chill.

She’d only gone out with Jiang Li twice, and both times, people hit on her right in front of her face.

Lu Chaohuan’s brows furrowed in frustration. Even with her standing right there, it happened. What if she weren’t?

In an instant, the chill in her eyes intensified. Her grip on Jiang Li’s waist tightened as an infuriating thought resurfaced.

Right—Sister had a girlfriend. Pursuers going to the heavens and back weren’t her business. What right did she have to care?

It was infuriating and disgusting.

Lu Chaohuan’s gaze darkened. She forced down the bitterness bubbling up, lowering her face in a rare show of evasion, avoiding Jiang Li’s eyes.

Then, a soft hand lifted her chin, raising her face until they met eye to eye.

Her lashes trembled, veiling her emotions. Jiang Li gazed at those eyes too shy to meet hers, deepening her impression of her sister’s bashfulness. She worried how she’d guide her through picking toys at the shop later.

So shy—would she even know how to use them? Jiang Li wondered blankly.

“Chaohuan says I’m attracting people, but did you forget why I came over to talk to those girls?” Her fingertip brushed Lu Chaohuan’s cheek, lingering slowly on the soft skin.

Finally, Jiang Li tapped those alluring eyes, her tone plaintive. “You drew them over first.”

“Eating vinegar for no reason, wrongfully accusing Sister.”

Jiang Li wore heels today and habitually leaned down to speak, her heart hovering near Lu Chaohuan’s ear. Each word vibrated straight into it.

Lu Chaohuan lifted her lids to meet Jiang Li’s gaze, momentarily stunned. At last, with a light flick to her forehead and a laughing murmur—”Little rascal.”

There was genuine annoyance there. Jiang Li still smarted over Lu Chaohuan ditching her at home after 123’s message that day—despite her eagerly asking to learn cooking the day before, only to leave her an empty house the next.

The flick didn’t hurt, but as Lu Chaohuan stared into Jiang Li’s starry, laughing eyes, which curved deeper in indulgent affection, her own corners stung.

Daylight, yet she saw stars.

That soft term of endearment… like a gentle accusation.

Her heart quaked. Lu Chaohuan released her hold on Jiang Li and tossed out, “Let’s go into the bookstore first,” before striding away hurriedly.

Under the golden sun, a butterfly fluttered from her heart. Lu Chaohuan walked briskly, glancing down to catch its golden shimmer dodging her view.

Awakened by another’s tenderness, the butterfly danced—yet its owner desperately ignored it.

Suddenly left behind, Jiang Li wasn’t angry. She smiled and jogged after her, delight at her successful mischief gleaming in her eyes.

She’d caught it—Chaohuan’s eyes had gone red with shyness as she fled.

What an easily embarrassed little sister.

Inside the bookstore, Lu Chaohuan did want the novel she’d come for. After asking a clerk for its location, she went to fetch it while Jiang Li browsed.

With book in hand, Lu Chaohuan sought Jiang Li. If she remembered right, Jiang Li had been crouched by the building block display.

Sure enough.

Lu Chaohuan returned to find her still squatting there, chin in hand, scrutinizing the blocks’ details. Lu Chaohuan knelt beside her, hugging her book and keeping her company.

By Jiang Li’s side, Lu Chaohuan keenly sensed a gaze sweeping over her from behind now and then. She stood, eyes narrowed, scanning until she locked on a boy in a white shirt.

Caught, heily averted his eyes and shuffled off. But the jealousy Lu Chaohuan had just quelled boiled up again.

Sister’s magnetism.

“What’s wrong? Think that boy looks good?”

Jiang Li rose, following Lu Chaohuan’s death glare to the boy who kept stealing glances back at them.

A face-value fanatic, Jiang Li assessed him. “He’s pretty decent—well-proportioned features, even layout. Seems like he’d be…”

The boy hesitated in place, then steeled himself and started toward them.

Lu Chaohuan swiftly switched her book to the other hand, grabbed Jiang Li’s wrist, and spun away. “Sister, let’s check out.”

She wanted no extra flies buzzing around her and Sister.

Jiang Li had been mid-analysis when Lu Chaohuan yanked her, nearly sending her tumbling into an embrace scented with fresh allure—close for an instant, then gone.

Irritation flashed in Lu Chaohuan’s eyes before vanishing, replaced by aloof deterrence.

With her chilling beauty, the self-checkout clerk nearby skipped the sales pitch and kept her distance.

“Sister mentioned yesterday about taking me somewhere, right?”

Clear of prying eyes, Lu Chaohuan turned, curiosity alight as she recalled Jiang Li’s offer—right after her plea to make love.

So, what place did her thoughtful sister think would ease such urges?

Seeing the in Lu Chaohuan’s eyes, Jiang Li averted her gaze evasively. Umms and aahs escaped her; her earlobes reddened under scrutiny.

Describing the destination to Lu Chaohuan proved impossible.

Jiang Li seized her hand instead and towed her to the car without looking back. “You’ll see when we get there.”

As the car rolled along, Jiang Li set the navigation only to the general area, too chicken to input the shop name outright.

Deep down, she had a hunch: reveal it early, and Lu Chaohuan would bail.

In truth, halfway there, a cool voice drifted from the passenger seat.

“The place you’re taking me isn’t some restaurant, is it?”

Jiang Li’s hands trembled on the wheel. Panic slid through her eyes; this chillier Lu Chaohuan forced her thoughts to worst-case scenarios.

Her throat quivered. Jiang Li coughed twice, struggling to feign calm. “Just wait a bit, Chaohuan.”

Heh.

Lu Chaohuan glanced at the address, searched it vaguely on her phone, and connected it to last night’s chat. She instantly knew the shop.

The thud of her phone hitting the dash was stark—the most overt frustration Lu Chaohuan had shown since they met. Jiang Li’s eyes blinked rapidly, dread rising.

Maybe change the destination to a restaurant? Food could kinda sorta maybe address physical needs persuasively…

Jiang Li agonized internally. Seeing her anxiety, Lu Chaohuan’s anger ebbed slightly.

But picturing the place, her emotions swelled like rising tides, cresting toward an unstoppable crash.

“Sister, not parking yet? You’ll miss it.”

Her reminder carried a smile, like any casual outing—provided Jiang Li ignored the cold veil over her eyes. The usual sweetness was packed away, swapped for distance and walls.

Her gaze darkened with an aura that unnerved Jiang Li, snuffing out any detour ideas. She pulled up at the original spot.

They stood before the shop.

Jiang Li clutched her palm, avoiding Lu Chaohuan’s face. Arms crossed, Lu Chaohuan coldly read the sign aloud, syllable by syllable.

“Chen Yuan Women’s Adult Toys Store.”

She turned to Jiang Li, who wouldn’t meet her eyes. Her anger seeped through gritted teeth, dark clouds nearly spilling from her gaze.

“A sister taking her little sister to browse sex toys…”

“Is this Sister’s solution to my desire to make love?”

Rebuked, Jiang Li threw caution to the wind. She lifted her head, eyes reddened with shame. “Yeah! Better you handle it yourself than jump into bed with some sleazy girl!”

Mimicking Lu Chaohuan, she crossed her arms to look tougher.

“Besides, if you don’t know how, Sister will teach you!”

Muttering that, Jiang Li forgot she was a total novice herself.

But she noticed Lu Chaohuan perking up at her words, softening as she strode into the store with alarming eagerness.

“Okay~ Then I’ll have to trouble Sister a lot from now on.”

Watching the swift attitude shift, Jiang Li felt an ominous premonition. It thickened when Lu Chaohuan picked up an item and asked her opinion.

Jiang Li raised her arm to confess her inexperience, but recalled last night’s message—and that obvious player of a girlfriend.

Her hand shook in midair before dropping to her side.

Worst case, teach her! She was the big sister—what was there to fear?

The next instant, staring at the item Lu Chaohuan held before her and hearing the soft question, she feared.

“Sister, is this one for two people to use together?”

Lu Chaohuan’s eyes shone innocently. “If I buy this, will Sister teach me?”