◎ I Probably Can’t Stay at Home Anymore (Part 2) ◎
Le Qing subtly sniffed the air, making sure there was no trace of alcohol in the car—otherwise, why would Jiang Suizhi say something so intoxicating?
She could only find an excuse for herself, trying to ease her guilty conscience: "You don’t want to bear the responsibility of being your brother’s substitute?"
Then I’ll just…
"Do I have to tie everything I do to Jiang Yan?" Jiang Suizhi opened the mini fridge, took out a bottle of ice-cold water, and drank half of it in one go, washing away the impulsive heat from half a minute ago. The bottle crumpled slightly in his grip.
Never before had he felt like this—selfishly unwilling to even mention Jiang Yan.
He didn’t want Jiang Yan to be forgotten, yet right now, he wished he could erase him entirely.
No wonder people said death was the most indelible filter—because the person left at the peak of your love for them would forever remain the version you cherished.
Commonly known as the "white moonlight."
How damn cruel.
Le Qing hadn’t expected Jiang Suizhi’s reaction to mentioning his brother to be so intense. It seemed he truly cared deeply about Jiang Yan.
But she had no choice.
From Nora’s words, she had pieced together a possible truth.
Back when she first transmigrated into this world, she had wondered—even if the original host was the sister of the children’s biological mother, it made no sense for the mother not to know her own sister’s true personality, yet still entrust her children to the original host on her deathbed.
Moreover, if the original host was raising the two children, the mother should have told her who their father was.
At the time, Le Qing assumed the mother and the original host weren’t close, and the mother had been deceived by appearances, trusting family blindly.
But now, another possibility emerged.
What if the original host had undergone plastic surgery to impersonate the children’s aunt, tricked the dying mother into handing over a massive inheritance and the children, then brought them back to the country only to neglect them? That would be fraud.
Fraud worth tens of millions…
Le Qing didn’t dare imagine what would happen if this came to light. Would she end up behind bars? Forget about being friends with the man in front of her.
But this was just her speculation. The details would only become clear after meeting Nora.
"Le Qing."
Jiang Suizhi’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She realized they had already arrived at the hotel and murmured, "I’ll head up first. I won’t disturb your late-night snack."
Her dejection was painfully obvious.
So the moment she moved to leave the car, Jiang Suizhi reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Le Qing’s nerves were already stretched thin, and her reaction was even more extreme than his—she practically jumped, banging her head against the car roof with a loud thud before collapsing back into her seat with a hiss of pain.
Yet even that couldn’t mask the shock in her eyes. "Are you having another episode?"
Jiang Suizhi hadn’t expected her to react so strongly. He stared at her for a few seconds before letting go, but then his palm turned upward, gently rubbing the spot where she’d hit her head.
Now Le Qing was genuinely frightened.
Whether it was Jiang Suizhi pulling her back without explanation or this unexpectedly tender gesture.
And when she looked up, his expression was downright terrifying.
Not angry, exactly—just an unfamiliar softness and complexity that sent chills down her spine.
For a moment, Le Qing wondered if Jiang Suizhi had people tailing her. Did he already know about Nora? Was this his way of giving her a "last meal"?
The woman before him had the panicked gaze of a startled rabbit, looking at him like he was a stranger. Jiang Suizhi’s throat moved slightly before he turned to Secretary Chen in the front seat and gave him a look. The secretary promptly exited the car, walking as far away as possible.
A conversation that required the secretary to leave? Tsk.
And he still claimed he wasn’t here to see Le Qing.
The car remained silent for a long time, yet Jiang Suizhi still didn’t release her. His gaze lingered on the soft crown of her head.
Le Qing scooted back slightly, feeling increasingly uneasy. At first, she thought it was just her own tension—but then she noticed Jiang Suizhi’s hand trembling slightly. This man was pushing himself despite his condition.
To ease his discomfort, she spoke first. "It doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you."
But Jiang Suizhi curled his fingers slightly and let out a low chuckle.
"Le Qing," he called her name again, his voice so quiet it sent shivers down her spine.
"Like you said—no Jiang Yan, no children, just friends." His eyes locked onto hers. "From now on, treat me as just an ordinary man. How about that?"
"?"
Even someone as dense as Le Qing could tell something was off about those words.
"Jiang Suizhi," she tried to find a reasonable explanation for him but came up empty. "What are you talking about?"
The man’s expression softened, his smile so gentle it made him seem like a completely different person from the one who had raced her on horseback that day.
"London doesn’t have good late-night snacks," he said slowly, enunciating each word. "But I wanted to see you."
Le Qing’s breath nearly stopped. Her world had always felt fractured—before she could process one thing, another would emerge, leaving her overwhelmed.
She fled the car. Jiang Suizhi didn’t chase after her.
At the last second before entering the hotel, she couldn’t resist glancing back. The car door was closed, but the window remained open.
Jiang Suizhi sat exactly as before, his gaze still fixed on her, a silent reminder of what had just happened.
She couldn’t see his expression clearly now, but Le Qing felt an eerie sensation of being watched.
He’s insane. Jiang Suizhi has lost his mind.
Is this some new form of revenge?
The original novel mentioned Jiang Suizhi finding a stepmother for the children—so why was this suddenly directed at her?
Le Qing had no way to respond to Jiang Suizhi. Right now, she didn’t even have the right to reject him. All she could do was run.
Only after sprinting back to her room did her breathing gradually slow, allowing her to piece together some semblance of understanding about tonight’s events.
After a long while, she finally settled on an excuse and sent Jiang Suizhi a WeChat message.
"Sorry, but I think you should consult a doctor. Maybe because I’m the only one who knows about your condition, there’s been some misunderstanding."
His replies came almost instantly, as if he’d been waiting by his phone.
"I’m 26 years old."
"This isn’t puppy love."
"I know what I’m feeling."
Three messages in a row, each one sinking Le Qing’s heart further.
In the end, she could only reply with two words.
"Sorry."
Things had taken a terrible turn, she thought.
—
With too much weighing on her mind, Le Qing didn’t sleep all night. When Jiang Suizhi sent his usual breakfast photo the next morning as if nothing had happened, her already chaotic thoughts grew even more tangled.
She typed out a reply: "You can send these to Le Jia from now on. He’ll see them."
His response was swift: "Then why didn’t I send them to him in the first place?"
Le Qing: "..."
It seemed Jiang Suizhi hadn’t listened to a single word she’d said yesterday.
She typed again: "There’s no possibility between us."
This time, Jiang Suizhi didn’t reply with text. Instead, his call came through immediately.
Le Qing was about to hang up, but then it occurred to her that avoiding him wouldn’t solve anything—they would inevitably meet again. Steeling herself, she answered the call but remained silent.
Jiang Suizhi waited a couple of seconds, undeterred by her lack of response. "I’m not trying to pressure you," he said, his voice eerily calm, as if their conversation were nothing more than casual small talk—no trace of the heartache or anger one might expect after a rejected confession. "But last night, you were the one who brought it up first."
Le Qing couldn’t hold back. "What did I say?"
She definitely hadn’t confessed to him!
"Regardless of Jiang Yan and the child," Jiang Suizhi replied. "I kept my word. Did you?"
Le Qing was speechless.
Was that really what she’d meant?
"You misunderstood me," she insisted, scrambling to explain.
"I’m not demanding that you like me," Jiang Suizhi said, his tone softening with a quiet resignation. "Just keep your word. Can you do that?"
Le Qing tightened her grip on the phone.
She wished she could, but it was impossible.
Unless none of it had ever happened.
When she didn’t answer, Jiang Suizhi didn’t push further. Instead, he smoothly changed the subject. "A server will bring breakfast to your room soon. I have a meeting to attend, so I’ll head back first. The license plate number of your security detail will be sent to your phone. See you later."
Le Qing snapped back to reality. "No, we won’t!"
A low chuckle came from the other end of the line. "Alright, we won’t."
Just as she let out a relieved breath, his voice returned, unhurried and deliberate. "You don’t have to see me. I’ll come to you."
"..."
"Le Qing," Jiang Suizhi murmured from inside his car, tilting his head slightly to gaze up at a particular window in the hotel. A faint sigh escaped him. "I’ve inherited every flaw of the Jiang family."
"What?"
But this time, he didn’t answer.
He was selfish and obsessive. Even though he knew the timing was wrong, he still wanted to force Le Qing to confront her own feelings.
He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
Even if she loved Jiang Yan, he would find a way.
Jiang Suizhi slipped on his glasses, masking the darkness in his eyes. "I’m leaving now. Don’t forget to eat."
He was leaving?
Had he been at the hotel this whole time?
This was a five-star establishment—meals were delivered on schedule if requested. Why had he gone out of his way to arrange breakfast for her?
Before Le Qing could make sense of it, the doorbell rang.
She opened the door to find a server holding a tray of traditional Chinese breakfast dishes. While the hotel offered international cuisine, their Chinese fare was far from authentic. Yet the spread before her was exactly what she often made at home.
Her breath caught. Where had Jiang Suizhi gotten this?
And how did he even know her room number?
Closing the door behind her, Le Qing had no appetite for the carefully prepared meal. Her mind was fixated on something else entirely.
If Jiang Suizhi wanted, he could track her every move. Her security detail was always watching.
She didn’t resent it—after what had happened to the Jiang family, it made sense that he wouldn’t want those close to him in danger again. Having bodyguards around was reassuring.
But that reassurance didn’t extend to today. Not when she was about to meet Nora.
If she left the usual way, the guards would notice. After a moment’s hesitation, Le Qing decided to disguise herself and sneak out to meet Annie.
Who would’ve thought she’d end up acting just like Jiang Suizhi?
By the time she slipped into the car, even Annie had picked up on her odd behavior. "Is someone after you?"
"Cough—no, no!" Le Qing’s exaggerated coughing fit only made it worse.
Annie raised an eyebrow. "Why so jumpy?" Then she asked, "Where’s your friend from yesterday?"
Le Qing deflected. "He had work. We parted ways last night."
She could only be grateful Annie couldn’t see her face right now—her expression would’ve given everything away.
Luckily, aside from her overreaction, her tone was steady enough that Annie didn’t press further. "The place belongs to a friend of mine. Everyone inside is trustworthy, and security will be stationed nearby. I’ll stay in a private booth next door—just ring if you need me."
From what Lvy had said, Annie’s lifestyle wasn’t exactly conventional—singing and bartending in underground bars wasn’t something most people did. So Le Qing wasn’t surprised when they arrived at a rowdy nightclub.
Their booth was semi-private, offering a clear view of the floor below while maintaining enough seclusion for safety.
Nora was already there, but Le Qing didn’t go in right away. Instead, she followed Annie into the adjacent booth.
Annie leaned in slightly. "After we left last night, I had someone look into her. She’s unemployed but frequents nightlife spots, targeting the wealthy for survival."
The club’s owner added, "She’s been here a while, alone. She’s been exchanging contact info with a lot of people."
So Annie had been keeping tabs on Nora from the start.
A conflicted feeling settled in Le Qing’s chest. Logically, she knew Annie was still practically a stranger, no matter how kind she’d been.
Yet emotionally, she couldn’t deny how much Annie had already done for her. She wanted to trust her.
Caught between reason and instinct, Le Qing was lost in thought until Annie’s voice pulled her back. "What’s worrying you?"
"Nothing," Le Qing started to say, but the moment her eyes met Annie’s, she changed her mind.
What was the worst that could happen? Losing people again? She’d survived it before.
She had promised to trust Annie. It was time to be brave—even if she ended up regretting it.
"Actually," Le Qing said suddenly, "maybe it’s better if you meet her in my place."
Annie paused, then a slow smile spread across her lips. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Le Qing clenched her hands, staring straight at her. She remembered the inexplicable sense of familiarity she’d felt when they first met and smiled back. "You’re my sister, after all."
From the very beginning, she had trusted Annie without reason, drawn to her in a way she couldn’t explain.
Annie reached out and ruffled her hair gently. "Alright. I’ll handle it."
With Annie taking over, things became much simpler.
Le Qing opened her phone to a video call with Annie, watching from the next booth as her fate was decided.
Nora, growing impatient, was about to call when the door swung open. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of Annie.
Why would someone like Annie be here? Hadn’t Le Qing wanted to keep her past hidden?
Nora could only gape as Annie took a seat across from her.
A bodyguard personally stepped forward to pour her a drink, placing the glass in her hand before silently retreating.
Annie merely sipped her wine without a word.
Nora grew increasingly restless. She was used to toying with ordinary rich kids, but facing a true authority figure like this made her instinctively want to flee. "What do you want?" she finally asked.
"You're Nora," Annie drawled, though her gaze never lingered on her.
Even knowing the woman was blind, Nora still felt a sting of being looked down upon.
"Yes."
"Do you know why I'm here?" Annie chuckled.
Nora swallowed hard. "No."
"Within three hours of you leaving yesterday, someone delivered all your information to me," Annie said with a faint smile. "Including your recent flings and how much money you’ve taken from them."
At that, Nora shot to her feet, panic flashing in her eyes. "What are you trying to do?!"
Annie didn’t even lift her eyes, her voice calm but commanding. "Sit down."
The words were soft, yet impossible to disobey. Remembering the bodyguard who had poured the wine, Nora reluctantly sat back down, unease gnawing at her.
Seeing she’d been sufficiently intimidated, Annie finally set her glass aside and raised her head, her tone leaving no room for defiance. "I ask, you answer. Understood?"
"Y-yes."
"When, where, and how did you meet Le Qing?"
Le Qing?
So this was about Le Qing!
Recalling how terrified Le Qing had been yesterday at the thought of Annie discovering her past, Nora realized the truth must have come out. She was no loyalist—she knew the difference in power between them. Without hesitation, she replied, "Eight years ago, at a bar where we both worked. We shared tips on wealthy clients."
If someone had money, they’d find a way to get close.
"What about the plastic surgery?"
"She got it done as soon as she had the cash," Nora said. "And there was this... bizarre template. The craziest thing I’ve ever heard. She claimed she once knew a child who was stunningly beautiful, so she kept trying to reshape her face to match that child’s features."
"A child?" Annie’s heart skipped, the image of that little girl from her visions flashing in her mind. Keeping her voice steady, she asked, "Why not model it after how the child would’ve looked grown up?"
"Because the kid died young—never got the chance to grow up," Nora explained. "Le Qing became obsessed, fantasizing about how the child might’ve looked as an adult and altering her face accordingly. But I guess the kid really was beautiful, because after the surgeries—Eve, I mean Le Qing—became incredibly popular."
"And then? How did you two part ways?"
"One day, she came to me for money." Nora scoffed, as if recalling the act of a madwoman. "She said she’d met someone—the child’s older sister. Rumor was the sister was wealthy, pregnant, and alone abroad. Le Qing wanted one final surgery to get close to her."
"But if the child was dead, wouldn’t the sister be suspicious, even if the resemblance was uncanny?"
Nora shook her head. "According to her, the sister was deeply attached to the memory of her sibling. Even a passing likeness would be enough to exploit. And..." She hesitated.
"And what?"
Nora glanced up, uncertain if she should continue.
As if reading her mind, Annie smirked. "If I don’t get the answers I want, it doesn’t matter how tight-lipped you are. I’ll pry them out. Unless you’d prefer a more... hands-on approach?"
Nora paled, regretting ever agreeing to meet Le Qing here.
"After her face healed, she tracked the woman down," Nora blurted, eyes squeezed shut. "The woman had secretly given birth but was badly injured. Le Qing 'saved' her but didn’t take her to the hospital—not until she was on the verge of death. Then she promised to care for the two children in exchange for a fortune. But the woman was being hunted. With the kids in tow, Eve—Le Qing—didn’t dare stay in England."
"She told me the children’s father had to be wealthy, so she brought them back to China, hoping to find him and extort more money. She even changed her name because of it. After that... I never saw her again. You know the rest."
In the neighboring private room, Le Qing sat frozen, the revelation hitting her like a thunderbolt.
She stared blankly at her phone screen, her surroundings fading into oblivion.
Annie, however, zeroed in on the inconsistency. "That child—was she really the woman’s biological sister?"
"Of course not," Nora hurriedly clarified. "Eve grew up with them in an orphanage. She said the kid was so beautiful that many wanted to adopt her, but some of the other children bullied her out of jealousy. Then one day, the kid brought back an older girl from outside. From then on, that girl protected her like a real sister."
"But later, the older girl was adopted, the child died, and the orphanage kids were all scattered."
Annie pressed, "That child’s name was Le Qing?"
"Yes," Nora stammered. "So Eve changed her Chinese name to Le Qing too."
When Annie showed no reaction, Nora grew frantic. "That’s all I know! We haven’t spoken in years—she vanished after returning to China. I swear I don’t know anything else!"
"But you knew the past." Annie stood, clapping her hands. Bodyguards streamed in, surrounding Nora.
Terrified, Nora sobbed. "I didn’t do anything! This has nothing to do with me!"
"Why so nervous? I’m helping you," Annie said lightly. "Plenty of others will come looking for you, and they won’t be as... polite as me. For your safety, I’ll relocate you somewhere secure. Consider it a job opportunity—no need to thank me."
As Nora was dragged out, too dazed to comprehend why anyone else would pursue her, one thought screamed in her mind:
What kind of monster has Le Qing crossed?!
When Annie returned to the original room, her hand met empty air where Le Qing had been sitting.
Frowning, she called, "Le Qing."
After a long pause, a hoarse whisper came from the corner. Annie followed the sound and found Le Qing curled into a ball on a small sofa, arms wrapped tightly around herself—a portrait of shattered security.
"It wasn’t me," Le Qing rasped, her voice raw with disbelief.
"I know." Annie stroked her face reassuringly and smiled. "I've touched your face—how could it be fake?"
Not just her—even Chelles wouldn’t be interested in a model who’d undergone so many cosmetic procedures.
Feeling the coolness on her face, Le Qing clutched Annie’s hand like a lifeline. "Don’t you think I’m strange?"
"Do you think I’m strange?" Annie countered. "That fortune-teller said I had a creditor—it was true. Before meeting you, I didn’t believe it, but afterward, I did. Would you think it’s weird for someone you’ve only met a few times to treat you like this?"
Le Qing thought seriously, then shook her head. "No."
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have trusted Annie so much.
"So I don’t think you’re strange." Annie sat beside her, pressing Le Qing’s head against her shoulder in comfort. "But what about you? How do you feel?"
Le Qing didn’t dwell on it.
She wouldn’t force the original owner’s actions onto herself, nor would she blame herself for them—after all, she wasn’t the original owner, just someone who’d crossed over by chance and borrowed the identity of the missing woman.
But the moments she’d shared with the children these past days were real. The friends she’d made were real. Even the concern from Second Uncle and Grandpa was real.
And Jiang Suizhi, whose relationship with her had shifted last night—their past interactions were real too.
She couldn’t bear to lose these people.
But she couldn’t gamble on it. She didn’t have the same special bond with them as she did with Annie, and she didn’t dare bet on whether they’d believe her the way Annie did.
Worse still… now she didn’t even have an excuse to stay by the children’s side.
Even as a fake identity, she wasn’t their real aunt.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Le Qing’s phone suddenly rang. She picked it up—it was a video call from the kids.
It was time for their scheduled call.
Her finger hovered over the "decline" button, hesitating for a long time—until the call came through a second time.
Soon, the children would go to bed, and she’d become the aunt who broke her promise.
Le Qing steadied her expression and emotions, then swiped to answer.
The children’s bright voices immediately filled the air, their faces squeezed together on the screen. "Auntie~ Good evening, Auntie!"
"Did you eat well today?" Le Qing asked.
"We did!" The little ones clamored to show off the dances they’d learned in kindergarten and the little red flower stamps their teacher had given them. "Brother doesn’t have as many as An’an! He didn’t nap properly!"
"Who says I didn’t? I was doing math!"
"What math?"
"Calculating when Auntie will come back. I’ve watched all her videos already."
"On the weekend." An’an patted her brother’s shoulder, comforting him like a wise elder. "Auntie said she’ll be back by the weekend! An’an saved lots of candies from the teacher to share with Auntie."
The two began chattering excitedly, comparing who had more candy. Le Qing’s lips curled unconsciously, grateful for the dim lighting in the private room—at least the kids couldn’t see her expression.
But the little ones were far too sharp.
"Auntie, are you sad?" An’an leaned closer, peering at her.
Le Qing instinctively shifted back, avoiding her clear gaze. "No."
Something felt off to the perceptive child—she’d definitely seen the unhappiness in her auntie’s eyes!
She decided to cheer her up with some happy news and whispered, "Auntie, I’ll tell you a little secret, okay?"
Le Qing forced herself to focus. "What is it?"
"A new grandpa came to our house."
"A new grandpa?"
"Um…" Little Le’an struggled to explain the family relations, so she recited a nursery rhyme instead. "Dad’s dad is grandpa. That grandpa."
Le Qing immediately straightened. "What? Grandpa came to our house?"
"Yep! He brought lots of toys and snacks—even more than Great-Grandpa!"
Her brother chimed in, "But Great-Grandpa grabbed his ear and threw him out. Why?"
Because Great-Grandpa’s whole family believes your grandpa wronged your mother.
A sudden unease settled in Le Qing’s chest. "What did Grandpa say?"
The two children shook their heads in unison—Grandpa hadn’t gotten a chance to say much before Great-Grandpa tossed him out.
But An’an, who could sense others’ emotions, knew a bit more. Blinking her big eyes, she said, "Grandpa secretly took some of Auntie’s hair to give to a doctor. He was super careful. Is Auntie’s hair sick?"
Hair…
Le Qing’s breath hitched.
Sister Wang came to hurry the kids to bed—if left unchecked, they’d cling to the phone until they fell asleep.
Le Qing prepared to end the call.
"Auntie~" The two lively children instantly deflated, especially An’an. She felt like her "happy surprise" had only made her auntie sadder.
Her eyes brimmed with worry. Was Auntie really sick? "Auntie, come back soon. An’an will take you to the doctor."
Le Qing’s hands trembled, her throat tight. This time, she couldn’t give a firm reply—only a hoarse whisper. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Auntie~"
After hanging up, Le Qing collapsed into the sofa, drained.
Annie, who’d stayed silent until now, finally turned to her, frowning. "Their grandpa wants a DNA test?"
"Most likely, yes."
"What does it matter? You’ve taken care of those kids for so long—so what if you’re not blood-related?"
"But I’m not that Le Qing," Le Qing said firmly. "Not everyone is like you and me."
Annie froze.
A few seconds passed before she asked, "What do you want to do? I’ll help you."
"I might…" Le Qing lowered her head, her eyes red where no one could see.
She forced out the words, "have to leave that family."
Jiang Suizhi: ???!!!
