Lin Ruoyan glanced back, a little puzzled.
Was her sister-in-law being overly cautious?
There were only the two of them and The Auntie in the house.
The Auntie was in the kitchen and shouldn't be able to hear them.
What was so important that they couldn't discuss it at home and had to go outside?
Was this matter really that important?
She had people keeping an eye on Xu Jingyi recently, but nothing major seemed to be happening.
Despite her doubts, she nodded and stood up. "Sure, should we go now?"
Xu Jingyi's eyes lit up. She quickly stood up as well.
."I'll go upstairs and change. Wait for me."
She was afraid Lin Ruoyan would change her mind, so she hurried upstairs. She hadn't expected to go out after dinner, so she was dressed casually, which was obviously unsuitable for going out, even for a walk.
When she came down after changing, Lin Ruoyan was still sitting at the dining table, not even having moved her chair. She only stood up when she saw her.
The two of them left together.
Xu Jingyi walked ahead, thinking about Lin Ruoyan's behavior just now. She usually seemed quite serious, but she hadn't expected her to be so rigid, even stiff at home.
She wouldn't even lean back on the sofa while waiting for her.
Just sitting there, straight as a board.
Even at night, it was still a bit hot outside, although much better than during the day.
The temperature was slightly lower, and there was a gentle breeze, making a walk pleasant.
They paused mid-sentence, and a moment of silence passed between them.
After walking for a while, Lin Ruoyan spoke first, "Sister-in-law, is there something you wanted to talk about?"
Xu Jingyi frowned, not understanding what the other person meant, and turned her head to ask, "What is it?"
Lin Ruoyan also fell silent.
How would she know what the matter was?
Wasn't it the other person who had called her out? They'd used the excuse of a walk to do it. Surely, they weren't just walking?
She didn't reply for a long time. Xu Jingyi looked at her again, puzzled, "Huh? Should I have something to say?"
Lin Ruoyan fell silent again.
"Or, does Ruoyan have something she wants to tell me?"
Xu Jingyi asked again.
She was very relaxed now, and even the corners of her mouth curved slightly as she spoke, not noticing anything strange about their conversation.
Lin Ruoyan shook her head, "Nothing." After she finished speaking, she tentatively asked, "So, Sister-in-law, you called me out for a walk?"
"Just a walk," Xu Jingyi said, raising her arm and stretching, pulling at her shoulders.
She looked a bit like one of the older men exercising in the park.
"Just a walk?"
Perhaps the questioning was too obvious. Xu Jingyi realized something was off. Their relationship wasn't close enough to warrant an evening stroll after dinner.
The reason she'd agreed earlier was probably because she thought Xu Jingyi had something to say to her, and the walk was a polite way of bringing it up.
Oh, a misunderstanding.
Having figured out why the other person seemed strange, Xu Jingyi sighed softly, walked two steps to Lin Ruoyan's side, instantly closing the distance between them, and looped her arm through hers, saying a little bashfully.
"Well, I ate a bit too much tonight.
Now that I'm getting older, I'm afraid of gaining weight, so I wanted to go for a walk."
She kept watching Lin Ruoyan's expression. Even though it didn't change much, Xu Jingyi saw her frown slightly.
Her expression didn't change, "It's boring to walk alone, so I asked Ruoyan to come along.
We can chat."
Walking alone was indeed a part of the reason, but another reason was that Xu Jingyi wanted to get closer to her.
They lived under the same roof, and they would be spending a lot of time together in the future.
It wouldn't hurt to have a more harmonious relationship.
Since the other person was cold and straightforward, she would take the initiative.
Including the act of linking arms with Lin Ruoyan was a deliberate move, designed after figuring out what was off with her.
They were both women, so linking arms was perfectly normal.
Based on her past social experience, this action could quickly bridge the distance and bring them closer.
"Is that so?"
Lin Ruoyan subtly relaxed her slightly stiff body.
"Then I misunderstood you, Sister-in-law."
Now that they had cleared things up, she smiled awkwardly. "Let's continue, shall we? Our walk."
It really was just a walk. She had been overthinking things.
Xu Jingyi didn't let go of Lin Ruoyan's arm, continuing to walk with her arm linked.
"I used to go for walks too. Sometimes, Her Brother would join me, but most of the time, I was alone."
Lin Ruoyan didn't respond.
"He's too busy.
He usually only comes home at night."
The walk brought back memories, and she began to ramble.
"Someone takes care of things on my side.
I don't have much to worry about, so I have a lot of free time."
"My Brother… will he help you handle things?" Lin Ruoyan asked.
"No, he avoids getting involved in matters here; I handle everything."
"Mmm."
Lin Ruoyan considered the recent clues she'd been following, and didn't say much, but her heart grew heavier.
The villa area was large, and they'd been walking for nearly an hour.
Xu Jingyi felt she had almost burned off the extra rice she ate, and she happily returned home.
"Ruoyan, thanks for walking with me tonight."
"You're welcome, Sister-in-law."
"Want to watch some TV together?" It wasn't time for bed yet.
"No, I'll go back to my room and read."
"Okay, get some rest then."
"You too."