My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister - Chapter 393 - 254: Who to Love After All: Ningning or Yaoyao?

At the sink, water gushed from the faucet.

Chen Yuan leaned over the sink, splashing water on his face and trying to sort through the chaotic thoughts left by the nightmare. He did this over and over until the front of his shirt was soaked.

Water dripped from his chin.

Chen Yuan pushed his bangs back and stared at his reflection.

He was shocked that he could have such a ridiculous dream. Dreaming about taking a trip was normal enough, but marrying both Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao? What was that all about? In the dream, he hadn’t realized how absurd it was… and in the end, they were stranded on a deserted island and had a bunch of miniature versions of the two of them. ’I guess I’ve really been tormented lately. What you think about by day, you dream of by night.’

’Thank God it was just a dream!’

Still shaken, Chen Yuan swallowed hard, grabbed a towel, and walked out of the bathroom, drying his face as he went.

“What time is it?”

As he stepped out, he met the two sisters’ concerned gazes and asked casually.

“It’s only 7:10,” Jiangg Ning said, turning her head. She was gathering her clothes and putting them in a paper bag. “Chen, did you sleep okay last night?”

“Not really. I’m not used to sleeping on the couch… But it’s nothing serious, I’m just a little sore.” Chen Yuan looked at Jiangg Ning’s face, and hazy fragments of the dream flashed through his mind, causing his own face to instantly flush red.

For someone who had never experienced *that* sort of thing, Ningning’s seduction in the dream had been a bit too much. The mere fragment of a memory flashing through his mind sent his heart racing and made him feel hot all over.

It was common for teenagers to have dreams like this. People need an outlet, and if they don’t find one for themselves, the body will automatically find a way to maintain its hormonal balance, harmonizing its internal energies.

It was perfectly normal.

Chen Yuan hadn’t had a dream like that in a long time. His puberty was long past; the last time had been the summer before his junior year of high school.

That was why he couldn’t face Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao now. He averted his gaze, deliberately turning his head so he wouldn’t have to look at them.

“I’m so sorry, Chen, for causing you trouble again.” Jiangg Ning’s voice was full of apology. Seeing Chen Yuan avoid eye contact, she thought he was angry, and the guilt she already felt only intensified.

If she and her sister hadn’t insisted on following him, last night never would have happened, and Chen Yuan might have actually gotten a good night’s sleep.

“It’s fine. Looks like the sky’s cleared up outside. In any case, we made it through the night, what with all the thunder and rain,” Chen Yuan said, walking to the window and glancing out. The sunlight was rather dazzling, and the sky was washed clean, a completely different world from yesterday. “You two should hurry and get back. I have to go to class soon… The weather’s really cleared up nicely.”

“We’re leaving?” Jiangg Yao asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “Doesn’t our Young Master want to have breakfast together?” she whispered.

“No, I’m not hungry. I don’t have any appetite. Since it’s morning, let’s just go about our own business.”

“Okay…”

As unhappy as Jiangg Yao was, she could only accept it.

She could see that Chen Yuan looked haggard from lack of sleep, so she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. It wouldn’t be right to ask for anything else. For today, she would just have to let him go so he could get some proper rest… ’Although, rest is probably a luxury, since he has to go to class right away.’

Jiangg Yao was incredibly expressive. As she crouched down to tie her shoelaces, she bit the corner of her lip, a strange little smile playing on her face. In truth, she wanted her sister to leave first so she could stay with Chen Yuan a little longer. The thought was a bit audacious, like someone who takes what they can get and then plays innocent—she clearly only remembered the treats, not the scoldings.

Then she remembered Chen Yuan saying yesterday that he liked her more, his words seeming to echo in her ears.

That was why her smile was so sweet.

“Hee hee…”

Ningning didn’t notice Jiangg Yao’s quiet giggles because, at that moment, she was actually eager to leave. The bizarre outfit she was wearing would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention outside; people might think she was some kind of performance artist. At seven in the morning, few people were up besides the early-rising seniors. Office workers were likely still squeezing in a few last minutes of sleep, making it the perfect time to make their escape.

“Well, we’ll get going then. If I head to campus later, I’ll call you. Remember to pick up, okay?” Jiangg Ning said, looking at Chen Yuan with anticipation.

“I know, I’ll answer.”

“Thanks, Chen.” Jiangg Ning pressed her lips together for a moment, then gave a shy smile.

She picked up the bag she’d brought last night, grabbed her sister with her other hand, and, still dressed in a white shirt, dragon-print boxers, and high heels, dashed out the door to call the elevator.

Last night, their efforts had clearly yielded tangible results. At the very least, Chen Yuan hadn’t intentionally given them the cold shoulder or said harsh things to keep them at a distance. This left both sisters feeling encouraged.

At the end of the day, a girl pursuing a guy was never that easy; it depended on both of their personalities. But as long as one was willing to be bold, any difficulty could be overcome—it was just a question of how long the pursuit would take. As Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao stepped into the elevator, their inner thoughts were not entirely aligned. They each felt they were the one with a commanding lead and would easily be the one to ultimately win.

Of course, after the previous night, both felt they had made their own gains.

The sisters glanced at each other, and both offered a polite smile.

“After you, Sis.”

The elevator reached the underground garage and slid open with a DING. Jiangg Yao gestured politely.

“No, you first, little sis.”

“No, no, no, you first, Sis.”

“Alright then.”

Jiangg Ning dropped the pretense of politeness and took a step. But just as she was about to exit the elevator, Jiangg Yao cut in front of her, skipping out gleefully. She even turned back to wave, her eyes crinkling as she said, “Fooled you! Did you really fall for that, Sis?”

“Childish.”

Jiangg Ning lifted her chin, shot her sister a scornful glance, and strode toward their parking spot with a poised, steady gait, not bothering to bicker with Jiangg Yao.

With each step, her dragon-print boxers swayed, flashing glimpses of her long, pale legs.

It created a rather unique allure.

…

While yesterday had been a blur of mist and torrential rain, today was different. Chen Yuan walked down the street, taking in the sight of a city ravaged by the storm. The roads were littered with broken branches and fallen leaves. The tallest trees along the road seemed to have suffered the most; countless thick limbs had been snapped at the base by the fierce winds, with long strips of fresh bark torn away to reveal the smooth wood beneath.

Sanitation workers were busy clearing the garbage piled up over the storm drains. The plastic, bottles, and cans had clogged the grates, leading to large puddles that made the sidewalks impassable.

Chen Yuan also spotted a broken umbrella, stuck crookedly in a planter. All of its ribs were snapped. The sight alone was enough to imagine the miserable plight of some unlucky person the previous night.

The low-lying plants in these planters, however, were not only unharmed but seemed even more verdant after the rain, glistening with a watery, jade-like green as if they’d been carved by a master.

They stood tall in the morning light.

’Goes to show that being tall isn’t always a good thing. When the sky falls, the tall ones are the first to get crushed,’ Chen Yuan mused to himself. He could have driven today, but once he stepped outside, it felt like a waste not to walk on such a beautiful day. Besides, after last night, he was, to be honest, a little sore all over.

With that, he decided to jog for a bit to the bus stop outside his apartment complex. He figured he could still make it to the university on time.

Chen Yuan stopped looking around. The bus stop was right in front of him, and he walked over quickly. The bench was too wet to sit on, so he stood waiting patiently, occasionally pulling out his phone to check the time.

More students and commuters arrived to wait, and the area gradually grew crowded.

He moved to the very edge of the waiting area, no longer as relaxed as when he’d first arrived. He opened a short-video app on his phone, habitually turning the volume down so only he could hear it.

On the surface, Chen Yuan was watching short videos, but his mind wasn’t on them at all. ’Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao really left me a mess last night. It’s starting to seem like completely breaking free from them is an impossible task. As long as I’m still in Lanjing, living in the same city, I’ll never be able to avoid them.’

’And what’s more, I’m suddenly realizing that after apologizing and being forgiven a few times, I’m not that angry anymore.’

’This heart of stone is just an act. You can’t hide genuine affection like this. No matter how I try to fool myself, the truth slips out the moment we’re together, and I end up doing all sorts of things that go against my own words.’

Chen Yuan felt himself sinking into a state of utter conflict. He was already considering it—if he really couldn’t escape them, then between Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao, who did he actually like more…?

’This is terrifying. Every time the question flashes through my mind, I force myself to stop thinking about it, but then a little while later, I’m at it again.’

’Who do I really, truly like more?’

He couldn’t find an answer. One moment, he felt Jiangg Ning was his ideal type. The next, he felt that Yaoyao had given so much that she was the one who truly deserved to be loved. Besides, Jiangg Yao was his personal ray of sunshine.

’In the end, “liking” someone is such a superficial emotion. It’s easy for a person to like someone else. If you spend enough time together, you’ll develop feelings for even a dumb dog, a silly cat, or a little turtle.’

’What I should be considering is love, the kind of love that can last a lifetime, through thick and thin. As far as I can see, both Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao love me deeply, so trying to judge based on their efforts is pointless. The most absurd part is that even in my dream, I ended up marrying both of them…’

Chen Yuan turned his head away, troubled. It was a secret worry that brought both joy and endless frustration.

「7:38 in the morning.」

The 827 bus, route Lanjing University City West Road to Flower Sea Avenue, pulled up smoothly to the stop. The female driver, wearing a sun visor, brought the bus to a halt, and after the doors opened, passengers began to file on.

Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded, so Chen Yuan managed to snag a seat near the front without having to jostle for it. He usually hated taking the bus because the drivers were too aggressive, and sitting in the back always made him carsick. A trip halfway across the city was enough to make him puke ten times over.

After getting on, Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and silently began scrolling through short videos.

Lil’ Meng’s Fun Facts: Why do men like looking at women’s feet? A survey found that among the wide and complex range of human fetishes, an astonishing 47% involve a preference for feet. Moreover, the stronger a person’s podophilia, the higher their level of education tends to be, with self-confidence levels also following a normal distribution…

On the screen, a cute, anime-style educational vlogger was spouting this nonsense with a completely straight face, which made Chen Yuan’s brow furrow.

’The more I think about it, the more terrifying it is,’ he thought. ’Big data has been eavesdropping on my conversation with Jiangg Yao, hasn’t it? Why else would the very first recommended video be about foot fetishes, and even connect it to education level… So ridiculous!’

Chen Yuan snorted in disdain and casually tapped the “like” button.

’Speaking of which, I really don’t understand why I like looking at Jiangg Ning’s and Jiangg Yao’s feet,’ he wondered. ’Is it a perversion or is it normal? Forty-seven percent is pretty common, so it turns out this many guys have a similar “condition”… Wait, what the heck is “foot shame”?’

Chen Yuan’s eyes widened in astonishment as he scrolled through the comment section.

THUD!

The female driver slammed on the brakes. Every passenger on the bus lurched forward, scrambling to grab anything nearby to keep their balance.

In the sudden lurch, Chen Yuan grabbed the seat next to him, his whole body tipping to the right. His head hit his own arm with a WHACK, and his phone nearly flew out of his grasp.

“That damn geezer, running a red light on a tricycle! Does he have a death wish?!”

The driver blurted out the curse in shock. She’d almost had an accident first thing in the morning; she looked like she wanted to roll down the window and scream at him. Every passenger on the bus saw the old man on the pedicab leisurely crossing the road behind them. All the cars were swerving to avoid him, but the old man remained perfectly calm, utterly unconcerned.

Chen Yuan didn’t dare look at his phone anymore. His stop was only two minutes away anyway. The damn sudden stop had made him feel a little nauseous, so he just gripped the handrail tightly and waited to arrive.

…

There are many ways to shake off fatigue. When he got to the university, Chen Yuan didn’t even have time to worry about being drowsy in class before he was dragged to a tree-lined avenue for some hard labor. He worked up a full-body sweat, and the weariness vanished completely.