My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

Liu He immediately grabbed Chen Yuan by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back.

"Your father and I are both here. Where do you think you’re going? You’ve had a long day. Stay and chat with your mother for a bit," she said with a frown.

Chen Yuan immediately complained to himself.

’It’s precisely because they’re here that I need to get away. Why else would I bother going next door after such a long day? For kisses and cuddles with the sisters?’

’That’s obviously not going to happen right now. I’ll have all the time in the world for that once they’re gone.’

"Mom, I’m just going next door to grab something. I’ll be right back," Chen Yuan argued, his words not matching his thoughts. "Last time... last time the washing machine was broken, so I took a few clothes over. I need them for tomorrow, so I have to go get them now."

"Then have Ningning get them for you."

"Ningning," Chen Yuan said, looking at Jiangg Ning. "You’ve had a long day. You don’t want to go get them, right?"

He kept trying to signal her with his eyes, winking and contorting his face as if he’d gotten sand in them, but Jiangg Ning just looked back and forth between Liu He’s face and his, stuck in the middle.

She hesitated, clearly troubled.

’I really want to help Chen, but...’

"I can get the clothes for you. It’s just a short walk, anyway."

"..." Chen Yuan threw his hands up in defeat. "Forget it, I’ll get them tomorrow. You two should head home."

"Bye-bye, you two pretty girls. I had a lovely time with you today. Now, hurry home, shower, and rest. It hurts me to see you so tired."

Beaming, Liu He took Jiangg Ning’s hand in one of hers and Jiangg Yao’s in the other, walking them to the door.

Chen Yuan watched his two strongest shields depart. From that moment on, he knew he was a lamb to the slaughter, about to face a raging storm.

...

With a CLICK, the door shut.

Liu He still wore an amiable smile as she turned around. But the moment she saw Chen Yuan on the sofa, her expression changed in a flash, like a sunny day turning overcast.

Her face fell.

"Oh, Chen Yuan, Chen Yuan. You’ve left me so angry I have to laugh. I honestly don’t know what to say to you. You’ve given me a huge surprise, a complete and utter surprise. I’m just glowing with pride to have a son like you. You’re just wonderful."

As she spoke, her hands moved with the sarcasm. She spread them open, tilted her head back, and looked at the ceiling as if truly bathing in a glorious light.

Watching her perform, any good mood Chen Yuan had managed to hold onto vanished in an instant.

When a family closes the door and intentionally sends others away, it usually means it’s time to discuss serious matters.

The entire happy day, all its warmth and tranquility, had just been a facade. The two sisters and Chen Yuan had a lot on their minds, and so, of course, did the two elders.

But to save face, some things just couldn’t be said out loud in front of everyone.

Chen Yuan had banked on this. If he had managed to escape to Jiangg Ning’s place, he wouldn’t have come back, no doubt about it.

He would have waited until morning, sent the two august figures on their way, and considered the matter perfectly resolved.

But how could Liu He not see through his little scheme? She knew her son’s personality like the back of her hand; after all, she had raised him for nineteen years.

She probably knew him better than he knew himself.

Soft light filled the living room.

Chen Yuan leaned back, hugging a throw pillow. He wore an expression that clearly said ’in one ear and out the other’ and remained silent.

Liu He glanced at him and sneered inwardly. She had plenty of ways to make Chen Yuan talk, and it wouldn’t take much effort at all.

"Oh dear, Eldest Young Master Chen isn’t happy to listen. Does your mommy have to coax you into talking? My sweet baby, my good little boy, you’re so amazing, so good at keeping secrets from Mama."

"Mom, you don’t have to be like that," Chen Yuan couldn’t hold it in any longer and finally spoke. "If you have something to say, just say it. I’m listening."

"Listening my ass! If your father and I hadn’t come, how long were you planning to hide this? Were you going to wait until you brought two daughters-in-law home to make me look good, is that it?"

"..."

"Speak!"

"How could that be? I wasn’t. I was looking for the right time to tell you. And now you know, don’t you?"

Mr. Chen remained silent on the side, calmly observing the battle.

He usually would have tried to mediate, but the situation was different today, so he made a different choice.

"Yes, we know. But I’m very curious, why did you have to date two? Is Ningning not good enough for you? She’s highly educated—and I won’t even mention how beautiful she is—with such a great personality! To put it bluntly, you don’t even deserve her."

"Fine, fine, I don’t deserve her."

"It’s the same with Yaoyao. If you were dating her, I, as your mother, would give you my heartfelt blessing. But you insisted on dating two. They’re sisters, for God’s sake! Have you ever put yourself in their shoes and tried to think about it from their perspective? I didn’t teach you to do this, did I, Chen Yuan? And your father certainly didn’t. Who did you learn this from? You went off to college where no one could keep an eye on you, felt your wings grow, and decided to let yourself fly free? Started spreading your charm and becoming a playboy?"

Liu He’s words came like a barrage of cannon fire, cutting Chen Yuan off every time he opened his mouth to argue.

"Let me be clear, I’m not a playboy. Whether it’s with Jiangg Ning or Jiangg Yao, I’ve always been serious about our feelings for each other. Mom, you make me sound like I’m the worst person on earth. It’s not what you think, and I really don’t know how to explain it to you."

"Fine. Great. Don’t tell me, my sweet son, that you’re not in the wrong—you’re just giving each of them a home."

"Mom, where did you even learn that meme?"

"I heard it from those little brats in my class," Liu He said, waving her hand dismissively. "Don’t try to change the subject. Where I learn my memes is none of your business. You’d do better to worry about yourself."

"I don’t want it to be this way either! You think I’m enjoying this?" Chen Yuan frowned, not quite understanding.

"You look like you’re enjoying it to me," Liu He said with a dry laugh.

"I’m not! I’ve been agonizing over this, okay? But the problem is, they’re twins! If I make things official with Jiangg Ning, what would Yaoyao think? You’ve seen how good she is to me. And if I made it official with Jiangg Yao, which would be great because I really like her too, would that be fair to Ningning?"

"Don’t give me that nonsense. Isn’t that just how the world works? You have to give some things up to get others. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Did you forget everything you learned from your textbooks as a child? According to your logic, if you interviewed for two jobs and both companies treated you very well, would you work at one company today and the other tomorrow? Is that acceptable?"

"I..."

"You’re a grown man now. The first thing you have to learn when you grow up is to weigh the pros and cons, to learn how to let go. If you want one thing but can’t give up another, you’ll end up getting nothing and being badly hurt in the process. Is that the outcome you’re hoping for?"

"Okay, Mom, I admit everything you’re saying is right," Chen Yuan said with a deep breath. "But when it comes to feelings, who can really be certain? I can’t even explain it myself. At least, that’s how it is right now."

"I’ve never seen anything like it. You expect me to believe you can’t figure out who you like and who you don’t?"

"I like them both! I think they’re both wonderful."

"Oh. So you plan to just drag this out," Liu He said flatly.

"Maybe a solution will present itself in the future," Chen Yuan said helplessly, but he was revealing his true thoughts. That was exactly what he was thinking.

By not choosing, he could at least maintain this harmonious situation.

If he chose, it would undoubtedly be catastrophic. His life would change in unimaginable ways, and he wasn’t sure if he could withstand such a dramatic shift.

"’A solution in the future’... *You* have a future," Liu He said, her head bowed slightly and her voice cold. "You’re young. But what about those two sisters? Can their age support you dragging this out? Chen Yuan, don’t be so selfish. You’ve just started college and have youth to burn. You could waste years just playing at love. They’re already twenty-six years old."

The more she spoke, the paler Chen Yuan’s face became.

This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to stay home. He knew this was coming.

He had been afraid of Liu He since childhood, not because being naughty earned him a spanking—those didn’t really hurt, and Liu He would never have the heart to hit him so hard his backside was too swollen to get out of bed.

What he feared, and had always feared, was his mother’s merciless ability to pop every one of his bubbles of wishful thinking and fantasy. Her words, decisive and laced with sarcasm, were sometimes as sharp as a fabled sword that could cut through iron like mud.

When Chen Yuan didn’t do his homework, Liu He would wait until the last evening of the holiday, right before he went to sleep, and leave him with one sentence: "I heard your teacher is definitely checking homework tomorrow. You just wait for the scolding."

Then she would turn and leave.

When Chen Yuan wanted to sneak out to play, he would leave his door ajar and his desk lamp on to pretend he was home. When he tiptoed back in late at night, Liu He would be sitting in the living room. She would look up at him and say, "You don’t have to fool me. As long as you can fool yourself, everything’s fine."

Then she would tidy up and go to her room.

It was an indisputable kind of emotional violence, but also a driving force. His mom understood him too well. She could shatter his little heart with a simple flick of her fingers. This was also what had caused Chen Yuan to get through middle and high school with such single-minded focus, moving toward his goals without the slightest hesitation.

"I can try not to be selfish, and I don’t want to waste their time. But right now, I just want to run away from it. At least until tomorrow, or the day after... I’ll have an answer one day." After thinking for a long time, Chen Yuan stopped pretending and laid his cards on the table.

’What’s wrong with running away?’

’It might be shameful, but it’s surprisingly effective.’

He had discovered in his strange relationship with the twins, Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao, that just giving up and letting things be was actually wonderful, because it was pure bliss.

He’d had a taste and was now addicted.

’How could anything in the world be this wonderful?’

Being with the two sisters, spending time with them, watching them bicker—every day was so much fun. He could feel the beauty of life, a real and tangible happiness. Every night, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. Every morning, he’d open his eyes to the sight of Ningning and Yaoyao, and no matter if it was sunny, overcast, or a typhoon was raging outside, it was always a bright day for him.

Being in a relationship with either Jiangg Ning or Jiangg Yao would, without a doubt, bring a person true happiness.

But that kind of happiness was different from the love, the atmosphere, that existed when he was with both twins together. Only when they were together did this love feel right, complete, the thing that warmed him from the depths of his soul. Only when they were together was his world at peace.

It was like how he loved scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Once he got used to scrambled eggs with tomatoes, he didn’t want just fried tomatoes, and he didn’t want just scrambled eggs. And he certainly didn’t want tomatoes with cucumbers, or green beans, or eggplant... He had fallen in love with scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

If they were a book that made Chen Yuan turn on his lamp to read tirelessly, night after night.

Then Chen Yuan would hope that book would never end.

He wouldn’t want it to be missing a single page, because if he couldn’t see the full picture, he would be left forever in suspense.

And that was why he didn’t want to choose.