Chapter 81: The Scheming Green Tea Stepsister

The hot breath she exhaled was blocked. Jiang Li lowered her eyes and gazed at the index finger pressed against her lips, along with its owner. Lu Chaohuan seemed to have chuckled softly because of what Jiang Li had just said.

Whether Jiang Li had grabbed her wrist and pinned it against the door, or what she had said moments ago, Lu Chaohuan had simply worn a smiling expression throughout.

Her chin was still cradled in Jiang Li’s palm, and before her were Jiang Li’s rare cold eyes—eyes that stirred an irresistible secret delight, stripped of their usual gentleness.

“How could that be?”

Lu Chaohuan smiled obediently, her fingertip sliding gently across Jiang Li’s exquisitely sculpted cheek. She traced the drooping brows, the thin eyelids, the trembling lashes, and the deep gaze, pouring all her affection into the touch.

Even if it was just angry words, an opportunity handed to her by Jiang Li herself to send her away was something Lu Chaohuan would deny without fail.

How could she ever give Jiang Li that chance?

Hearing Lu Chaohuan refute her words, the chill on Jiang Li’s face showed no signs of melting. Instead, the strength in her grip tightened.

“How could it not? I saw you looking like you’d kick me away in the next second to go find that junior classmate.” Jiang Li laughed coldly as she lifted her higher. “You seemed thrilled about it.”

Such a sister was utterly captivating.

The corners of Lu Chaohuan’s eyes curved upward in a graceful arc, her heart filling with joy at Jiang Li’s performance—so different from her usual self.

Just like the time she had deliberately taken that couple’s photo, her closeness to Li Si this time had also been intentional.

The same tactic, but for a different goal.

Before, she had simply wanted Jiang Li’s body, wanted all her attention fixed solely on herself.

Now, she wanted Jiang Li to lose her rationality because of her, to reveal a side no one else had ever seen.

A side that belonged only to Lu Chaohuan.

From the start of the evening until now, Jiang Li had torn away her gentle facade and pinned her down with uncharacteristic ferocity. One wrist still pressed against the door carried a faint numbing ache.

Lu Chaohuan simply smiled.

The Jiang Li she had provoked into anger now had her lips pressed into a tight line, the corners of her mouth turned down in displeasure. Her bad mood was plain to see.

For this Jiang Li, whose emotions stemmed from her, Lu Chaohuan’s lips curved into a sly smile—joy utterly at odds with the coldness on Jiang Li’s face.

She tried struggling her arm free. Compared to the beginning, Jiang Li’s grip had gradually loosened, so Lu Chaohuan slipped out with just a slight tug.

With her wrist freed, Lu Chaohuan draped both arms lightly over Jiang Li’s shoulders and leaned in lazily, like a noble cat utterly indifferent to the scorching, oppressive aura surrounding her.

She ignored it all and continued with her plan, intent on fully unleashing the emotions Jiang Li kept buried.

“I won’t.” Her wrist hooked behind Jiang Li’s neck swayed idly as Lu Chaohuan nuzzled the fragrant nape. “Sister is sister.”

Her words were vague, her nuzzling intimate and flirtatious, as if she were murmuring the sweet nothings they usually exchanged.

But Jiang Li hadn’t forgotten what she had said earlier. At the sudden mention of “sister” now, her eyes darkened further. Her foul mood didn’t improve because of Lu Chaohuan’s words.

If anything, the agitation within her grew more intense.

This rare restlessness made her already shaky rationality even more precarious, rapidly eroding her usual patience.

She reached out decisively, her palm slapping shut around the pale, smooth wrist. Jiang Li’s voice held no trace of amusement. “What do you mean by that?”

“Sister is sister.” What position did that put her in?

The cool fingertip was soft and harmless as it glided delicately across her cheek, their dry, supple skin brushing to send a series of tingling sparks.

Accompanying the soft pad grazing her cheek was Lu Chaohuan’s lowered voice, deliberately curling around her tongue before being spoken slowly, as if to ensure Jiang Li heard every word clearly.

“It means that since Sister doesn’t want to go public, I naturally won’t make things difficult for you.”

The beauty wrapped in her strapless top pressed flush against Jiang Li, its presence keenly felt with every rise and fall of Lu Chaohuan’s breath.

Her snowy arms rested lightly on Jiang Li’s shoulders as a prop, her delicate, innocent face curved in a smile. Lu Chaohuan spoke as if earnestly offering advice for Jiang Li’s sake, appearing entirely compliant with her sister.

Her fingers teasingly traced the fine, pale skin while heavy breaths rained down from above—heavy breaths from Jiang Li, teetering on the edge of an emotional breaking point.

But it still wasn’t quite enough.

Why did Sister always have to restrain herself like this?

Though annoyed inwardly, Lu Chaohuan hoped Jiang Li would cast aside her reason, be rougher with her, and discard all her hidden worries.

As long as she thought only of her—only of her—it would be enough.

Tonight was the perfect opportunity—to make Jiang Li shed her gentleness and concerns before her, clinging to her with her whole being.

Jiang Li would no longer be gentle with her, because she herself had used jealous flames to scorch away that gentleness bit by bit, and she welcomed it gladly.

The grand finale she had prepared for Jiang Li was all set.

But she had to erase every last trace of tenderness Jiang Li held for her.

Lu Chaohuan was utterly certain of her goal for tonight.

So, gazing at that calm, unruffled cheek, Lu Chaohuan narrowed her eyes in a smile and cupped the face affectionately in her palms, ignoring the turbulent undercurrents hidden deep within.

She unsparingly tossed more dry tinder onto the already smoldering ember of emotion, urging it to ignite even faster.

“Wasn’t the original Sister hugging me because she wanted her obedient little sister to stay off the wrong path?” Lu Chaohuan nuzzled her cheek, feigning total dependence. “Things went wrong along the way, and now it’s putting Sister in a tough spot.”

“Tough spot” referred to Jiang Li’s refusal to publicize their relationship.

The words should have carried remorse, but Lu Chaohuan was clearly smiling. Her laughter lingered by Jiang Li’s tensed jaw and in her ear.

Every syllable seemed to consider Jiang Li’s feelings, placing herself in a low position. Yet when Jiang Li heard it, her expression didn’t improve—in fact, it grew uglier.

She wasn’t a fool. She understood exactly what Lu Chaohuan meant, both overtly and covertly—it was all blame directed at her.

Furious, the words stabbed mercilessly into her heart.

Jiang Li had no doubt about Lu Chaohuan’s ability to read people, but she had never imagined that this insight would be turned on her in such a moment.

At the very beginning, before she realized her own feelings for Lu Chaohuan, she had indeed held that mindset—not wanting her obedient little sister to stray into forbidden desires.

But! Jiang Li glared furiously at the smiling Lu Chaohuan. What nonsense was all that other crap?

Not wanting to go public, not making things difficult…

Regarding their relationship, Jiang Li had never intended to hide it from Father Jiang and her aunt forever. She had even been thinking about how to broach it from the very first time they went to bed.

That innocent face smiling at her only fueled Jiang Li’s anger more. Unable to hold back, she dug her fingers into the slender waist with real force.

This mere accident tonight, and this little rascal Lu Chaohuan was portraying her as such a person.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, the gaze she leveled at Lu Chaohuan’s face flickered with chill menace, like a warning. Jiang Li pressed her index finger to Lu Chaohuan’s lips, silencing whatever she had been about to say next.

She had a premonition about what Lu Chaohuan would say next—it absolutely wouldn’t be what she wanted to hear.

It might even drag her into an inescapable abyss.

A vague intuition, nothing more.

This intuition stemmed from Jiang Li’s understanding of Lu Chaohuan, from Lu Chaohuan’s near-mad obsession with her.

Even on the brink of death, Lu Chaohuan would upend fate itself, seizing her back from the god of death covered in blood and tears.

As she thought this, her body trembled faintly. Her rage-plagued thoughts seemed to transport her to another world, where she saw a shattered Lu Chaohuan.

In her arms lay a lifeless body—herself. Lu Chaohuan held her, shedding silent tears of blood. A world drenched in gore battered her with thick sorrow.

What shocked and enraged her most—

Lu Chaohuan slashed at her own severely wounded arm, bones gruesomely exposed, without batting an eye, then held it before her eyes.

“Li Li, I’ve hurt myself. So many wounds.”

“Curse me, hit me, or lock me in a room—anything.”

“Wake up, look at me, please…”

Blood dripped steadily as Lu Chaohuan wantonly ravaged her own wounds. Blood tears streamed down her face, chilling to behold, yet her eyes brimmed with profound grief. “Jiang Li” made no response.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her inner fury palpable. Every breath Jiang Li took seethed with uncontainable rage.

For Lu Chaohuan, who cared nothing for her own body.

The vision shattered, returning her to the dimly lit room.

Her boiling anger unrelieved, Jiang Li stared intently at the person before her. The rage from seeing Lu Chaohuan disregard her body merged with her current fury at the deliberate provocations.

Why provoke her this way?

Amid the anger, there lingered a deep-seated pang of heartache and fear from that vision, prickling and raw at the slightest touch.

Her heart pounded ahead of her in an unsettling, tightening rhythm. The person she had warned merely smiled faintly, the enchanting laughter in her eyes ensnaring her mind once more.

Her lips parted slightly, only to be blocked again. Lu Chaohuan gazed into the eyes before her, a mix of fury and anxiety, and sensed her own intent to speak—widening her smile unconsciously.

Sister was afraid.

Afraid of what? Afraid of what she was about to say next?

Her smile deepened. Lu Chaohuan reached out to soothe the unwittingly fearful Jiang Li before her, nestling her slender body fully into her embrace.

Letting Jiang Li feel her body heat—it was warm.

Then, just as Jiang Li’s body relaxed, Lu Chaohuan rose on tiptoe, wrapping her arms tightly around Jiang Li’s neck. The light in her eyes sparkled brilliantly, both innocent and seductive.

The girl’s soft, sweet fragrance wafted hot breath against Jiang Li’s ear.

Lu Chaohuan’s thoughts were wicked—she wanted to melt Sister into a puddle of spring water in her arms, then drag her into icy depths.

Balancing on a knife-edge cliff, she pushed it anyway.

The slim waist in her palm pressed tight against her. Uncertain, Jiang Li sought confirmation from Lu Chaohuan once more about her earlier words, her fingertips pinching harder.

Eyes like a winter night gripped by raging cold stared down the flower-like smile on Lu Chaohuan’s face—the two were polar opposites.

Her teeth gritted, Jiang Li fixed Lu Chaohuan with a fierce stare and demanded, word by word, “Say it again.”

Her lowered voice, warning tone, and contracted pupils all screamed at Lu Chaohuan—

You’re almost there.

So Lu Chaohuan met Jiang Li’s gaze head-on, her lips curving mockingly as she repeated her words.

“I said, isn’t it perfect for Sister’s wishes if we’re just bed partners now?”

Her fingertips curved slightly. Ignoring Jiang Li’s ashen expression, Lu Chaohuan trailed them admiringly over that flawless cheek and curvaceous form.

She poured out her desire for this body unabashedly until the finger neared the plunging neckline—and was stopped by a forceful grab on her wrist.

Ice-cold eyes with an unprecedented oppressive aura.

Ignoring the faint numbness from her wrist, Lu Chaohuan tilted her head with a laugh. This time, she leaned back against the door, relaxing her body, her words drifting lightly.

“Staying true to our bodily desires. We’re just ordinary sisters who go to bed together.”

A light scoff echoed. Looking at the wrist clenched in her palm, it had indeed obeyed its master’s command.

At the mention of “true to desire,” the fire in Jiang Li’s eyes could no longer be contained. A clear “snap” rang out—her taut string of reason stretched to its limit and broke completely.

“Lovers… ordinary sisters… perfect for my wishes.” She spat the words through gritted teeth, staring at Lu Chaohuan, who had decided their relationship on her own and defined it so callously.

A surge of fury rushed to Jiang Li’s head, burning her cheeks red, her breaths coming quick and heavy, each one fanning the flames higher.

Another low growl escaped her. Jiang Li glared at Lu Chaohuan, lounging lazily against the door and spilling one heartless line after another. Furious beyond words, she laughed instead. “Fine, Lu Chaohuan. You’re really something.”

She knew Lu Chaohuan was pissed tonight, but to sever their relationship with every word, refusing any proper talk—that was Lu Chaohuan too.

If Lu Chaohuan wouldn’t talk properly, Jiang Li thought, then she’d make her talk in another way.

The arms on her shoulders fearlessly toyed with her hair, the elongated eye corners laughing like a mischievous fox, thin water-pink lipstick highlighting the wickedly upturned lips.

A seductive butterfly drawn to flowers.

The wrist in her palm was released, forcing Lu Chaohuan’s head away from the door. Her neck was gripped and pulled forward, chests pressing tight.

Her eyes now swirled with red veins from Lu Chaohuan’s provocations.

“Lu Chaohuan, if you just want to be a body-only lover, then show some awareness of what that entails later.”

“Awareness?” Meeting the fury-filled eyes, Lu Chaohuan provoked without mercy. “Hasn’t it always been Sister who’s not up to par?”

Jiang Li’s breath hitched. She tamped down the fire in her brows even harder, staring into those flickering eyes. Her voice dropped low, brewing an oncoming storm. “Fine.”

With that one word, the sea of desire surged.

Laughter and cheers from Christmas night seeped intermittently through the window into the steam-filled room. The deep, melodious tones sounded especially clear in the darkness.

As Lu Chaohuan was pinned hard against the door and kissed senseless, she heard the jingle of bells outside—a familiar celebratory tune ringing in her ears. Only then did she suddenly remember—

This was their first Christmas together since meeting.

Without these little interludes, they would probably be strolling happily down the streets right now, enjoying a thoroughly cozy night.

Her lips were sucked hard again, pulling Lu Chaohuan’s mind back from Christmas thoughts. A slight chill touched her skin; her long dress had been yanked off and tossed aside.

She was stark naked, while Jiang Li remained fully dressed.

Jiang Li merely tossed her one line—”Didn’t you say as long as it feels good, it’s fine?”—before turning to “work” on her body.

Wasn’t she the one not up to par?

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Li treated herself as nothing but a tool for her relief. She aimed to make Lu Chaohuan beg beneath her, to draw beautiful tears, to elicit endless pleasing moans.

Their lips and tongues battled for breath, Jiang Li gaining the upper hand.

Practice was the best teacher, the best source of experience.

Jiang Li applied everything Lu Chaohuan had done to her right back on Lu Chaohuan. Large patches of flush spread from her cheeks, heat building and simmering.

“Does Sister only know how to kiss?”

Her breaths unsteady, the pale swells glowed faintly in the night. Lu Chaohuan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her other wrist still pinned to the door.

Her lips were sucked swollen and red. Part of the lipstick had been eaten by Jiang Li, the rest used as paint, turning Lu Chaohuan’s body into a canvas of watery pink.

Now, Jiang Li watched Lu Chaohuan’s fingertips wander over the traces of lipstick she had just drawn.

The thin pink hue, drawn from her lips, carried its owner’s stubborn edge.

A long red thread swayed like in rippling water, pale and faint, flowing over the light blush straight to her heart.

Atop her heart, lightly etched was the shape of a pear.

The mark lingered where the fingertip paused.

As Lu Chaohuan started to lower her eyes for a look, her waist was lifted impatiently. Her legs easily hooked around Jiang Li, her head forced down onto a shoulder, not allowed to move.

It seemed Jiang Li was displeased at her wandering thoughts, demanding her full surrender.

Still, recalling Jiang Li’s expression while drawing on her heart—the flushed earlobes in her peripheral vision—Lu Chaohuan smiled softly.

Sister really was… so pure yet so erotic.

Knock, knock, knock.

Rhythmic knocking sounded, the door vibrating against her back. At the same moment, Jiang Li’s probing fingertip paused, coinciding with Father Jiang’s puzzled call from outside.

“Li Li, what are you and Chaohuan doing in there?”

The sudden voice from the door made Jiang Li tense instantly. In a flash, she looked toward the naked Lu Chaohuan.

Her eyes widening slightly, Jiang Li tried to set Lu Chaohuan down to fetch a robe for her. But the girl in her arms refused to cooperate—in fact, actively dragged her back.

“Have you gone mad? Dad’s right outside!”

Their lips neared for a kiss, but Jiang Li hurriedly blocked them with her hand, whispering fiercely in Lu Chaohuan’s ear with furrowed brows.

In contrast to her panic, Lu Chaohuan seemed perfectly at ease, leisurely trying to kiss her anyway.

No footsteps sounded outside the door, meaning Father Jiang hadn’t left.

Yet here they were, embracing in the most intimate pose: Sister holding her naked little sister. Mere moments ago, on the heel of the knock, they had been on the verge of explosive passion.

But it seemed Sister had no intention of continuing now. How could that be?

This was the grand play she had so carefully prepared for Sister.

“Uncle’s standing outside the door, and inside, you’re on top of me.”

“Sister, how’s that? Thrilling sister-lover action.”

“Am I doing it right now?”

Lu Chaohuan made no effort to hide her wicked intent, bending her brows in a smile amid Jiang Li’s darkening gaze.

Come on, Sister. Let me see what you’ll do.