Chapter 76: The Scheming Green Tea Stepsister

Their footsteps intertwined in the night, mingled with the noisy chatter of those around them. The two figures gradually faded away beneath the hazy glow of the bar street lamps.

After pulling her out of the bar, Lu Chaohuan had fussed the whole way back, but she stayed just within the bounds of Jiang Li’s patience—playful rather than unruly.

Jiang Li supported Lu Chaohuan as they stepped into the elevator. The drunk girl practically slumped her full weight against her, and she really was heavy in her inebriated state. Jiang Li had to keep swatting away those wandering hands every few moments.

Inevitably, Jiang Li’s steps grew heavier, and her arm tightened around the girl.

On this early autumn night, Lu Chaohuan felt like a scorching furnace in Jiang Li’s arms. Their bodies pressed close, her heat seeping steadily into Jiang Li.

A cool breeze swept through the garage, carrying a hint of chill, but it couldn’t dispel the flushed warmth radiating from Lu Chaohuan’s face.

The sweet, cloying scent of alcohol carried a subtle sugary note, like ripe grapes gently fermenting in the sun, releasing an intoxicating aroma.

Her breath against Jiang Li’s cheek was hot and laced with strong liquor. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was irritating enough to make Jiang Li furrow her brow.

“Be good and stop fidgeting,” Jiang Li said.

She knew drunk people rarely listened, but propping Lu Chaohuan up in the elevator had already drained her energy. Her steps felt leaden.

The girl in her arms kept rubbing against her sensitive waist, backing her right up against the elevator wall, still restless. Jiang Li had no choice but to try coaxing her.

Her soft, gentle words floated near Lu Chaohuan’s ear. Who talks to a drunk like that? A pair of eyes buried in the crook of her neck sparkled with amusement, confirming yet another thing that delighted her.

Lu Chaohuan pulled back slightly. Jiang Li gazed at her delicately beautiful face, mere inches away, her watery eyes drooping with a touch of hurt.

Jiang Li’s fingertip brushed over the small of her back beneath her shirt, and Lu Chaohuan’s sensitive body shivered clearly.

She had meant to shift those hands from her waist, but as soon as Jiang Li loosened her grip, Lu Chaohuan nuzzled closer and murmured.

“Sister, you’re back…” Her arms around Jiang Li’s waist tightened slowly as she accused her of recent neglect. “Mmm, it’s so mean of you not to contact me at all!”

Lu Chaohuan repeated “mean” twice, her soft voice stirring guilt. Her dark, glossy eyes fixed on Jiang Li with unwavering determination, shimmering with unshed tears.

Jiang Li sighed. Those genuinely hurt eyes made her feel a flicker of blame, even though Lu Chaohuan had been the one to wrong her first.

“You’re really something, playing the victim like that.”

Lu Chaohuan didn’t reply. Instead, she just grinned foolishly, wrapping her arms around Jiang Li’s neck and nuzzling into the crook of her neck like a clingy little puppy.

Silly.

Her wine-scented breath grazed Jiang Li’s skin. Her waist was pinned firmly between those arms, tight enough to cause discomfort.

“Loosen up a little, okay? I can’t move at all like this.”

Jiang Li tried to ease Lu Chaohuan’s embrace, but the drunk girl’s strength was surprisingly immense. She only held on tighter.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Lu Chaohuan whined, her voice laced with coquetry.

A wave of helplessness washed over Jiang Li. She chalked up the doll-like clinging as a way to placate a drunk, though the sticky affection softened something in her heart.

After all, she hadn’t accepted any of Lu Chaohuan’s video calls since that night.

Drunk as she was, nothing Jiang Li said would make her obey. As long as Lu Chaohuan stopped squirming, she could cling all she wanted.

“Alright, alright. I know you missed me. How about when we get home, you rest quietly? I’ll stay with you,” Jiang Li said gently.

Lu Chaohuan was already firmly in her arms, but it wasn’t enough for her. Her dark eyes stared intently at the flushed skin she’d been nuzzling.

The gates of greed in her heart yawned wider, demanding she lock this woman away for her eyes only.

How could she ever let go of a sister like this, a gentle Jiang Li?

The elevator dinged to a stop, and they finally reached the door.

Jiang Li unlocked it and half-carried the girl—who was still wrapped tightly around her—straight into the bedroom, her steps heavy.

First, she pried Lu Chaohuan off and laid her on the bed. Hearing her mumble, Jiang Li paused, then turned to fetch a glass of water.

When she returned with the water, Lu Chaohuan was lying obediently in the same position, eyes half-closed, breathing steady.

Setting aside her earlier clinginess, Jiang Li had to admit Lu Chaohuan held her liquor well—no fussing, no tantrums, no wild antics.

She placed the glass on the nightstand, then sat gently on the bed. She pulled the drunk girl into her lap and reached for the water to hold it to her lips.

“Chaohuan, drink some water first. Your throat sounds hoarse.”

Lu Chaohuan blinked her eyes open groggily. Seeing Jiang Li’s concerned gaze, the corners of her eyes curved up as she squinted, sipping obediently in small gulps.

Her docility put Jiang Li at ease. She figured she could just wipe her down later and call it a night.

After half the glass, Lu Chaohuan pushed it away, frowning. She patted Jiang Li’s arm insistently, mumbling about feeling bloated and refusing more.

“Alright, I’ll leave the glass here. If you’re thirsty later, get up and drink,” Jiang Li said softly, setting it back on the nightstand.

A drop of water slid from Lu Chaohuan’s lips to the corner of her mouth. She squinted her eyes and tilted her face up toward Jiang Li, exposing her delicate collarbone and a stretch of pale neck.

“Sister.”

Hm? Jiang Li naturally lowered her gaze. The glistening droplet hung at the corner of her mouth, on the verge of falling—as if from the water she’d just drunk.

Lu Chaohuan only lifted her face higher, eyes hazy, cheeks flushed with a persistent blush. The hand on Jiang Li’s thigh rubbed against it with the back of her knuckles.

Teasing, enticing, or perhaps just drunken instinct.

Only the tingling trail on her thigh knew the truth.

“Sister,” she murmured again and again, the word slurring sensually from her lips. She said nothing else, just letting that shiny trail of water catch Jiang Li’s eye repeatedly.

A soft chuckle escaped as the shadow over Lu Chaohuan bent down, blocking the overhead light.

A faint woody scent grew richer in her nose. Stray strands of hair slipped through Lu Chaohuan’s open collar, brushing itchily over her bare skin.

Her moist lips pursed slightly. Her long, thick lashes fluttered shut, and those eyes—which had been eagerly watching since earlier—closed obediently.

But the anticipated softness never came.

Instead, something dry wiped past the corner of her mouth—a fingertip—and a low laugh followed.

Jiang Li swept away the droplet clinging to Lu Chaohuan’s lip. Dissatisfied, Lu Chaohuan’s eyes snapped open, her lashes trembling.

Meeting those amused eyes, her own flashed with clear discontent. She pinched a loose strand of Jiang Li’s hair and tugged lightly. “Sister, you’re so mean.”

She knew exactly what Lu Chaohuan wanted but refused to give it, teasing her on purpose.

“Am I?” Jiang Li arched a brow. She’d seen right through Lu Chaohuan’s thoughts. Still, the “gift” from their last encounter lingered vividly in her memory.

Jiang Li wasn’t especially vindictive, but she harbored a few petty thoughts buried deep.

Compared to Lu Chaohuan’s schemes, though, they were nothing.

Yet… The light in her eyes dimmed. Jiang Li’s gaze lingered on Lu Chaohuan’s still-pouted lips, parted slightly to reveal the tip of her red tongue.

These lips, the ambiguous sounds they cooed—they were captivating. Sweet to taste, coquettish when those wet eyes looked up at her.

Everything about them was perfect.

“Sister.” Lu Chaohuan’s gaze clung to her face, sweeping over it tenderly. She loved when Jiang Li looked at her like this. Her teeth grazed her lower lip, drawing the stare as desired.

She took Jiang Li’s hand and guided her fingertip to her soft lips, pressing gently on the plump curve. Tilting her chin, her warm breath puffed over the dry pad.

Her thick lashes quivered as she glanced up innocently, suppressing the longing in her eyes—everything seeming accidental.

“Kiss it.”

Her words breathed out hotly, moistening the fingertip. Jiang Li faltered, pressing harder into the lower lip, slipping inside just a bit.

Touched by wetness, she snapped back to herself.

Again. She’d let Lu Chaohuan lead her so easily once more.

“Hm? Sister?” Lu Chaohuan tilted her head, threading her fingers through Jiang Li’s and locking them tight.

Her long, wavy hair stuck to her sweaty neck like vines twining around a white wall, waiting for gentle hands to unravel them.

Cup after cup of alcohol—even with her good tolerance—had veiled Lu Chaohuan’s once-clear eyes in a thin mist.

What does a drunk do when rejected?

She pinned Jiang Li’s hand to the bed and braced against her thigh, heedless as she leaned her full weight down and planted a loud smooch on her cheek.

A crisp smack echoed between them.

Jiang Li blinked in haste, her hand fluttering to the kissed spot. A faint tooth mark remained, and her face inexplicably flushed hot.

It was strange—truly strange.

She and Lu Chaohuan had done far more intimate things before. Yet now, a simple kiss on the cheek—right over the bite mark she’d made—embarrassed her more intensely than anything prior.

A possessive bite mark. The warmth of the kiss. Their clasped palms. Not a deep, lingering French kiss, nor a thorough tumble in bed.

No soul-shaking thrill plunging her into the abyss. No toe-curling ecstasy making her calves cramp.

Just everyday coquetry, like any couple.

She and Lu Chaohuan right now—like ordinary lovers.

Not sisters, not just scratching an itch, but truly dating. Her heart fluttered.

The thought had barely settled when Lu Chaohuan’s weight pressed down. She sprawled in Jiang Li’s arms, index finger to her lips in a gentle “shh,” her eyes earnest.

“Sister, I’ll tell you a secret no one else knows.”

“But you absolutely can’t tell… mm, can’t tell Jiang Li, okay?”

Her cheeks had cooled from their earlier blush. Watching the little drunk solemnly share a secret she couldn’t tell Jiang Li herself, Jiang Li nodded leisurely.

To humor Lu Chaohuan’s secrecy, she tilted her ear toward her. Lu Chaohuan cupped her soft hand into a makeshift ear trumpet, blowing into it first as if warming it up.

Jiang Li flinched from the tickle, bursting into laughter—as if delighted by her own prank’s success.

As Jiang Li moved to pull away, Lu Chaohuan lunged, recapturing her ear and trapping it in her “trumpet.”

“Hey! That was just playing around with Sister! You can’t be such a stingy ghost.”

The familiar drunken whining—Jiang Li had heard plenty from Lu Chaohuan that night, calling her mean, calling her stingy.

Yet now she insisted on confiding in this mean little stingy ghost.

Jiang Li couldn’t help curving her lips. The drunk Lu Chaohuan murmuring in her ear seemed adorably silly right then.

Her pretty jaw traced a serious line before her. She pinched the soft earlobe, her heart pounding for the words to come—never had Lu Chaohuan felt more lucid.

“The secret I’m telling Sister is—”

“I super super super—like, super like—Jiang Li!”

The voice in her ear was soft, but it poured every ounce of throat into it: full of laughter, unmasked adoration.

A grand firework burst before her eyes, shooting straight into the boundless sky—like a hundred flowers blooming in the night, her heartbeat racing near suffocation.

Jiang Li had never imagined—

Lu Chaohuan’s drunken secret was how much she liked Jiang Li.