Li Youxi, Li You'en · chat.title

The thunder outside seemed to tear through the city's night sky as torrential rain poured down, lashing furiously against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Sitting on the living room sofa, I hadn't turned a single page of the book in my hands for half an hour. The wall clock pointed to one in the morning, and at long last, the faint beeps of the fingerprint lock echoed from the entryway. The door opened, and Li You'en walked in, carrying the damp chill of the rain and a faint trace of perfume. She wore her dark blue purser uniform, her silk scarf slightly askew. Her long, straight black hair, usually styled to perfection, was somewhat tousled from the exhaustion of a long-haul flight, with a few soft strands clinging to her fair neck, adding a touch of endearing charm. "Honey, I'm home." Seeing that I was still awake, the tired look in You'en's eyes instantly brightened. She kicked off her high heels, stepped onto the carpet barefoot, and dove into my arms like a cat returning to its nest. "Why aren't you asleep? Couldn't sleep without me home?" Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying her signature coquettish nasal tone as she wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, as if trying to melt herself into my very bones. I patted her damp back, and just as I was about to tell her to take a shower first, a set of brisk, firm footsteps approached from the doorway. "Sis, you left your keys on the entryway cabinet." Accompanied by a cool female voice, Li Youxi pushed the door open and stepped inside. Unlike her elder sister's gentleness, twenty-four-year-old Li Youxi exuded an unapproachable aura of dominance. She wore a sharply tailored black skirt suit, with waist-length wavy hair casually draped over her shoulders, swaying in sharp arcs along her waistline with every step. Behind her gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes held the discerning sharpness distinctive of a lawyer. Seeing the two of us embracing, Youxi's gaze lingered for half a second on my hand resting on her sister's waist, and the corners of her lips curled into an enigmatic half-smile. "Brother-in-law isn't asleep either? Looks like you're waiting for Sis... or are you waiting for me?" Li You'en, oblivious to the hidden undertone in her sister's words, let go of me and turned to take Youxi's hand. "Youxi, why didn't you use an umbrella either? Come inside, don't catch a cold." "I just finished court and stopped by to pick up some documents." Li Youxi slipped off her suit jacket and tossed it casually onto the sofa, revealing a silk camisole underneath. The tattoo faintly visible near her collarbone looked rebellious and dangerous. She walked straight to the armchair opposite me, sat down, crossed her legs, letting her long hair cascade over her shoulder, and fixed her gaze directly on me. "Brother-in-law, that villa blueprint you said you'd help me revise—can you show it to me tonight? I have to meet a client first thing in the morning." My heart skipped a beat. I had finished revising those blueprints long ago, but hadn't gotten around to sending them yet. "Right now?" I glanced hesitantly at Li You'en, who was untying her silk scarf. "Why? Is it inconvenient?" Youxi pushed up her glasses, the glare on the lenses concealing the emotion in her eyes. "Or does your time belong exclusively to Sis, Brother-in-law?" "Oh, come on, Youxi, your brother-in-law has work tomorrow," Li You'en said as she walked over and naturally sat down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder and linking her arm through mine in a clear display of ownership. "Can't you look at the blueprints at the office tomorrow?" "That client is difficult; I need to confirm the details tonight," Li Youxi replied calmly, yet with an undeniable firmness. "Sis, you know what work means to me. Just like what Brother-in-law means to you." The air seemed to freeze. Li You'en's smile stiffened for a moment before she turned to look at me, her eyes filled with innocence and inquiry. "Honey, how about... you go help Youxi take a look? I'm exhausted anyway and want to shower and sleep first." Relieved as if granted an amnesty, I was about to get up when You'en suddenly leaned in close to my ear. In a voice meant only for the two of us, she whispered with sweet, warm breath, "But come back soon, honey. I'll leave the bath running for you..." My body went rigid. Li Youxi across from us took in the entire scene. Watching my flustered reaction, she lightly tapped her fingers on the armrest of the sofa, the smirk on her lips deepening. Inside the study. I turned on the computer. Li Youxi walked in silently and clicked the lock behind her. The soft click of the lock sounded piercingly loud against the stormy night. I turned around to find Youxi already standing behind me. She leaned down, bracing both hands against the edge of the desk, trapping me between the chair and the desk. The crisp, cool scent of woody perfume enveloped me instantly. A few strands of her wavy hair tumbled down, brushing softly against the back of my hand and sending a faint tingle through my skin. "Brother-in-law," Li Youxi's voice was low and dangerous as her finger lightly traced across my computer screen before finally resting on the back of my hand, "what did Sis just say to you? Your face is so red." "N-Nothing..." I instinctively tried to pull my hand away, but Youxi pressed firmly down on it. "I'm a lawyer; I despise lies," Li Youxi whispered near my ear, her tone turning suggestive and cruel. "When Sis hugged you earlier, your heart was beating fast. Now... it seems to be racing even faster." She straightened up and took a document from her briefcase—not the blueprints, but a surveillance photo from the parking lot when I came home late from "working overtime" last night. "Brother-in-law," Li Youxi said, pressing the photo down onto the keyboard, her eyes gleaming with playful malice, "if you don't want Sis finding out about certain secrets, we might need to have a very 'in-depth' discussion about those blueprints tonight." Thunder roared outside, drowning out the increasingly ragged breaths inside the study.