106 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

The chapter from the web novel describes a series of interactions between various characters, focusing on relationships and playful banter. Here's the meticulous translation preserving the narrative style: "It's all for your own good, isn't it? After just a short workout, your mental strength threshold must have improved a lot. We should practice like this regularly," Jiang Yan Xin said while gently wiping Chen Wan's sweat, coaxing her partner. "Do we really have to do it regularly?" Chen Wan looked at Jiang Yan Xin with a hint of grievance. She couldn't boss her wife around inside, yet her wife always seemed to get the better of her. Seeing her alpha being so adorable, Jiang Yan Xin reached out to stroke Chen Wan’s cheek, lightly kissing the corner of her lips as she consoled, "Don't feel wronged, okay? My alpha is the best and would never be angry with me, right?" Chen Wan nodded sullenly. She was indeed well-behaved, but after all, she was supposed to be the strong A! She planned to conserve some energy and later show Jiang Yan Xin a good match in the evening. In the mental realm, her wife might win, but in the real world, she was quite formidable. She figured she'd have to negotiate with Zai Zai to stay with grandma or aunt that night. Unaware of Chen Wan's plotting, Jiang Yan Xin rested comfortably against her partner's shoulder, occasionally poking Chen Wan’s cheek with her slender fingers. If Chen Wan had any energy left, she'd resist right away. Meanwhile, Yi Yi had been chatting away with Jiang Wan Ning before the latter was called away by Ye Lan. Apparently, Zai Zai had woken up and wanted a story from his aunt, prompting Jiang Wan Ning to head upstairs to spend time with the little guy. As Jiang Wan Ning stood up, Yi Yi watched her with anticipation. Jiang Wan Ning was in good spirits, so she ruffled Yi Yi’s hair affectionately. "I'll come and keep you company after I'm done with Yang Yang. Just hang around by yourself for a bit." Yi Yi nodded but felt slightly off about it. She didn't need someone to coddle her like Yang Yang; she simply lacked someone to chat with. With Jiang Wan Ning gone, Yi Yi seized the opportunity to research this human concept of "jealousy." Do people only get jealous in romantic relationships? Could friends feel jealousy as well? And how was one supposed to comfort someone who was jealous? These were crucial topics Yi Yi intended to study thoroughly. She leaned back on the sofa, closing her eyes to focus on a learning video from her lightbrain. The video showed two girls arguing because one was upset that the other spent too much time talking to another girl and ignored her. The shorter one refused to listen to explanations, so the other had no choice but to pull her into a hug and kiss her. After a few kisses, they made up. Yi Yi scratched her head, thinking this couldn't be how she should comfort Jiang Wan Ning. So she switched to another video. The second video was even more dramatic. The comforting girl had the other girl against a wall and kissed her as well. Murmuring softly to herself about how weird this seemed, Yi Yi decided romantic videos were a bad idea. She needed to be careful not to get misguided. With this realization, she chose a video focused on friend comfort, thinking it'd be about the so-called 'straight girl friendship.' In the clip, the girl on the left leaned against her friend on the right, tried kissing her cheek when her friend ignored her, then kissed her nose when that didn’t work. Finally, when she kissed the friend’s lips, the friend smiled, indicating she was appeased. While the video showed everything was well and good, Yi Yi was bewildered—do humans really comfort friends with kisses? Deciding she'd better ask Qin Ke or Chen Wan for clarification, she went to find Qin Ke. Qin Ke was engrossed in a school-themed novel and gave Yi Yi a curious look when she arrived. "What’s up? Finished talking with your girlfriend?" Yi Yi almost reached out to cover Qin Ke's mouth, "Don't say that! Jiang Wan Ning and I are just good friends." Lying leisurely on her bed, Qin Ke glanced at Yi Yi, "Pretty close friends, though. A few more days and you might just turn into girlfriends." Yi Yi felt even more confused. Humans were just too complicated for her to grasp. She recounted the video scenes to Qin Ke, who, even with her usual calm demeanor, laughed for quite a while. "Seems your lightbrain library is quite comprehensive, even includes these types of guides?" Qin Ke asked, holding back her laughter. "Of course! It's no biggie. My lightbrain is almost as good as a computer. Those comforting videos are nothing. I've even got descriptions for... well, other stuff." "So, do you think the method in the video is accurate? Is it common for your ‘straight’ female friends to kiss each other to comfort?" Yi Yi asked with genuine curiosity. Still laughing, Qin Ke explained, "Yes, this method is straightforward and effective. Sometimes, as you keep kissing, things might change. Try it if Jiang Wan Ning gets upset, but not with others. This approach is exclusive to Jiang Wan Ning." Yi Yi scrutinized Qin Ke’s earnest face and hesitantly returned to the small dining area, contemplating whether she should adopt such a method. Elsewhere, Chen Wan had already drifted off in Jiang Yan Xin’s arms, having expended as much mental energy as when controlling zombies. Zai Zai, after playing upstairs for a bit, hurried downstairs with Jiang Wan Ning, looking for his mom and mommy. Not finding them outside, he ran to the door. His tiny body couldn't reach the handle, so he turned to Qin Ke for help. "Auntie, open the door for me." "Coming," Qin Ke got up and opened the bedroom door, allowing Zai Zai to rush in and find his mommy and mom napping without him. He felt rather left out and trotted to the bedside by Jiang Yan Xin, but couldn’t get up. Gently, he tugged on Chen Wan's finger, pleading in his little voice, "Mommy~ play with me, hold me." Awakened by Zai Zai’s voice, Chen Wan blinked awake to see the little troublemaker gazing at her expectantly. She rubbed her eyes and softly said, "Darling, give Mommy a moment." Concerned she might wake Jiang Yan Xin, Chen Wan carefully adjusted her, letting her rest against a pillow, then slipped on her shoes and picked up the little one from the floor. Being scooped up by his mommy brought instant joy to Zai Zai. As they went outside, Chen Wan tickled Zai Zai’s hand, playfully saying, "Happy now that you woke Mommy?" "Yes!" Zai Zai nuzzled against Chen Wan, playful. Chen Wan took Zai Zai to the passenger seat, planning to confide her little scheme. Zai Zai, wiggling excitedly, thought they were going for a ride. "Drive, drive," Zai Zai pointed eagerly at the steering wheel. "Sure, let’s drive," Chen Wan switched to the driver’s seat, placing Zai Zai on her lap. Zai Zai clutched the wheel, turning it energetically. Having seen his mom and aunt drive before, he’d long wanted to try. Chen Wan watched, amused, as the serious little guy focused on the task, giving his cheek a gentle pat. "Our baby is so smart, driving like a pro!" Thrilled with the praise, Zai Zai glanced up to smile at Chen Wan. Seizing the moment, Chen Wan carefully proposed, "Darling, can we discuss something? How about spending tonight with Grandma or Auntie? Mommy and Mom have some things to do." Zai Zai scratched his head, puzzled. "Busy again? But I want to sleep with Mommy and Mom~" Chen Wan, somehow, produced two strawberry candies, though she was cautious not to spoil Zai Zai with too much sugar. "Sweetheart, if you agree to sleep with Grandma just for tonight, Mommy will give you two strawberry candies tomorrow besides the crystal cores. Just once, and then you can join us again." Eyeing the candies, Zai Zai instinctively licked his lips. "Alright, but only for tonight with Grandma." "Yes, yes, I knew Yang Yang is the sweetest. Let Mommy peel one for you," Chen Wan smiled, peeling one candy for Zai Zai. He plucked the candy from her palm, delightedly kicking his legs as he continued to play with the wheel. "But darling, we must keep this a secret from your Mom, okay? Mommy won't mention the extra candies either. Deal?" Chen Wan added while Zai Zai was in high spirits. Earnestly, Zai Zai nodded, having conspiratorially agreed with his mommy, "Deal!" When Jiang Yan Xin came out, she saw the pair of them—one big, one small—sitting in the driver’s seat, engaged in some activity. As she approached, it became apparent that Chen Wan was holding Zai Zai while they pretended to drive. Jiang Yan Xin settled herself into the passenger seat. "Is Yang Yang driving? Let Mommy see." Immediately, Zai Zai puffed up his little chest, gripping the steering wheel with even more enthusiasm. "That's amazing! When you grow up, how about taking Mommy and Mama out for a drive?" Jiang Yan Xin asked with a smile. "Yes, I'll drive!" Zai Zai replied confidently. For dinner, Ye Lan and Jiang Zhaoyuan took charge of cooking, while Chen Wan and the others helped. Yi Yi took on the task of keeping Zai Zai entertained. Today, Ye Lan and Jiang Zhaoyuan decided to make dumplings. Chen Wan had a good stock of various seasonings, though they lacked items like green onions and garlic. They improvised by using pickled vegetables with beef, which served to both reduce gaminess and enhance the nutritional value. However, Jiang Wan Ning couldn’t eat those, so Ye Lan prepared dumplings filled with luncheon meat and pickled vegetables for her. Ye Lan and Jiang Zhaoyuan rolled out the dumpling skins while the younger ones, including Chen Wan, took on the task of wrapping them. As she rolled out the dough, Ye Lan chuckled and looked at the young folk. "You know, back when we were at the base, we never dared to dream of days like these. It feels like those times were in a past life." "Indeed, we’re lucky Chen Wan and the others came to find us," Jiang Zhaoyuan added with a smile. Jiang Wan Ning, smiling brightly, glanced at Yi Yi. Truly, it was thanks to her sister and the others coming to the base that she’d had the chance to meet Yi Yi. "It's what we should do," Chen Wan responded with a smile as she wrapped dumplings.