My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

"Before you go to Lanjing, give him a call. Ask when our son is free so we don’t rush over and get in his way. It’s easy enough for us to swap classes with another teacher," Mr. Chen said, turning his head as he started the car’s engine.

"He’s a student. What could he possibly have going on? It’s just classes and hanging out," Mrs. Chen said as she pulled out her phone.

"Still, it’s always better to let him know beforehand. If you don’t want to call, I can do it."

"Forget it," Mrs. Chen said, putting her phone down. "I’ll have a proper talk with him when we get home. I need to rest for a bit. After a long day like this, my shoulder is starting to act up... Sigh."

"I’ll recline the seat for you. Get some rest."

Half a minute later, the little car that had been with Mr. Chen for so many years was on its way home, rolling over the fallen leaves at the side of the road as it drove steadily into the twilight.

...

While the old couple at home had been busy all day, Chen Yuan hadn’t been idle either. He was currently in a shopping mall, carrying eight or nine bags.

He had arrived full of energy, but now his eyes were glazed over and he could only shamble along. His once-straight posture was now slightly stooped, and he felt like he had to stop for breath every three steps.

And this was even after Jiang Yao had taken a share of the bags from him.

When a person is doing something they love, they don’t feel tired. That’s why Jiang Yao still had so much energy. If what they were doing right now had been playing video games, Chen Yuan would have been back to full health in an instant.

But Jiang Yao had kept him company for so long yesterday, and to be fair, Chen Yuan felt he couldn’t just take without giving something in return.

No matter how tired he got, he didn’t let it show on his face.

Fortunately, it was getting late. The sun was about to disappear on the other side of the city, and Jiang Yao was gradually starting to feel hungry. Plus, one look at all their bags told her they had bought just about everything they needed.

"Should we go downstairs and see if there’s anything to eat, or should we head out and find a place?" Jiang Yao asked, leaning closer to Chen Yuan.

"Are we finally done?" Chen Yuan’s stooped back straightened in an instant. Full of hope, he asked, "Does that mean we can leave now?"

"Yes, but we should eat something first."

"Anything’s fine. I just want to find a place to rest."

"Okay, then. Let’s go check the first floor."

The two got off the elevator, and Chen Yuan’s steps became light and energetic. For him, the pleasure of buying things, no matter how much, couldn’t compare to staying home and playing video games. Even going to the courts for some pickup basketball would be great. Perhaps this was just the difference between guys and girls.

He’d played a few tense, exciting ranked matches yesterday.

Even in his dreams that night, Chen Yuan was laning, positioning, and looking for the perfect damage-dealing position in team fights.

If you don’t play a game for a while, you start to feel indifferent to it. But once you find that thrill again, the addiction comes right back. And that wasn’t even mentioning how comfortable the gaming room was—the one Jiang Yao, that little heiress, had custom-built for the two of them.

Chen Yuan had already decided to put all other trivial matters—like his company and school—out of his mind over the weekend and pick one day to just relax and enjoy himself.

He was growing a bit weary of the endless calls and unending tasks he had to deal with every day; he really needed a good rest.

He figured that if his biological father, Jiang Zhengfeng, found out about this, he would just let out a soft laugh and tease Chen Yuan for not enjoying the good life of a second-generation heir, insisting instead on forging his own path. Now he was reaping the bitter consequences.

It wasn’t a path most people could walk. Not only was it covered in thorns, but the constant, mountain-like pressure could suffocate a person.

That’s why those self-made entrepreneurs were so admirable—they were people of incredible fortitude and perseverance.

The fact that someone like Jiang Zhengfeng could go from being a poor, diligent student to a captain of his industry offered a glimpse into the hardships he must have endured.

Compared to him, Chen Yuan’s life was a happy one.

The proof was right there: Chen Yuan’s hands were too full to hold Jiang Yao’s, so she obediently reached out, took hold of the corner of his shirt, and followed him like a little tail.

It was six o’clock, right when people were getting off work. The mall was teeming with people, a constant hubbub of noise. If you walked too fast, you risked bumping into the shoppers ahead.

Parents with children in tow would tell their little ones not to wander off, that it was best to hold on to the corner of their shirt.

Jiang Yao overheard this and, as a matter of course, decided that she must be Chen Yuan’s "little one," which made her tugging on his shirt seem especially cute.

The two of them wandered around for a bit. The first floor had foods like roasted durian, spicy dry pot, steak, and grilled fish. They smelled amazing, but Chen Yuan just wasn’t in the mood for any of it.

He found it all a bit too greasy, so he led Jiang Yao along as they continued to browse.

Reaching the center of the mall’s main hall, Chen Yuan looked up at the winding staircase and hesitated. They had just come down, and climbing all the way back up would be tiring. The elevator, on the other hand, was out of the way, and navigating to it with so many bags would be a hassle.

He was just thinking about settling for the grilled fish when he found a random spot to sit, setting down the shopping bags he was carrying.

"Why’d we stop walking?" Jiang Yao asked curiously.

"My shoelace is untied. I’m going to tie it and think about what to eat while I’m at it."

"Which foot is it? I’ll tie it for you."

Before Chen Yuan could react, Jiang Yao had already squatted down in front of him. She carefully examined his shoe, her slender fingers earnestly pulling at the laces.

"I know how to tie a bow. My older sister taught me. To be honest, I didn’t learn how until I was sixteen. It’s kind of funny."

Jiang Yao chattered on, her smile radiant.

She didn’t seem to think there was anything the least bit inappropriate about her actions.

Their relationship had, in fact, reached that level of intimacy.

Plenty of people were coming and going, and some of the male students who noticed the scene shot looks of intense envy and jealousy at Chen Yuan, astounded by his imperial status in his own home.

Chen Yuan looked down at Jiang Yao’s expression and found himself in a bit of a daze.

’This is the second girl, besides my own mother, to ever tie my shoelaces...’

"All done. What do you think?" Jiang Yao asked, getting up and sitting beside him.

"It’s great. Very pretty..."

"So, Young Master, have you decided what we’re eating?"

"Don’t rush me, I’m thinking."

Chen Yuan propped up his chin with his hand. Suddenly, he felt that just sitting here for a bit was actually quite nice.

His hands were a little red from the strain of the bags, and as blood flowed back into them, his palms began to feel hot.

His gaze drifted around aimlessly before settling on an object in the middle of the mall. They must have held an event there a few days ago; there were lots of leftover balloons, and a beautifully painted piano was on display.

"What are you looking at, Young Master?" Jiang Yao asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes when she saw him staring intently.

"I was wondering if that piano is real or fake."

"It’s definitely real. You can tell by the quality. Besides, why would a mall bother to make such a big fake piano?"

"I never told you this before, but back in middle school, I actually thought about signing up for piano lessons. But I only thought about it for one night before giving up on the idea."

"Why?"

"Because I went to a school in another city for middle school, and all the kids there were really talented. Some could play the violin, some the recorder, some the saxophone. So I thought I should have some talent to talk about, otherwise I’d have no way to make friends with them. But after I woke up the next morning, I suddenly thought, ’Why do I have to be friends with them?’"

"Hee hee, that’s a good point. What happened then?"

"And then, after I grew up, I started to regret it a little. It was the one talent I had the opportunity and the desire to learn, and I didn’t. Seeing that piano just reminded me of it."

"It’s not too late to learn now," Jiang Yao said, a confident smile blooming on her cheeks. "Find a teacher to teach you, and you’ll learn in no time."

Chen Yuan glanced at her, not quite understanding her meaning.

"Go sign up for a class?" he said casually.

"You don’t have to. Is there any chance... that a ready-made teacher is sitting right in front of your eyes?"

Jiang Yao crossed her arms smugly. The conversation had finally drifted into a domain she excelled in. It wouldn’t be right to just come out and say she could play, so she kept shooting him meaningful glances.

"Where? Where?"

Chen Yuan looked left and right, up and down, and even turned his own pockets inside out.

"Hey, Young Master, you’re being a little too dramatic. What’s the deal with looking in your pockets?"

"You don’t mean to say... you know how to play?"

"What about it? You don’t believe me?"

It was more than disbelief; his eyes were filled with deep suspicion. He could imagine Ningning sitting there quietly, her slender fingers gently caressing the piano keys. The image would surely be a beautiful one.

But the lively and energetic Yaoyao and the quiet, stoic piano had personalities that were just too much of a mismatch.

"I don’t believe you. And let’s get one thing straight, being able to play a few notes doesn’t count. I can plunk out ’Do-Re-Mi-Fa’ myself."

"It seems that if I don’t show you what I can do, you’re going to underestimate me forever."

Jiang Yao narrowed her eyes, stuffed her phone and handbag into Chen Yuan’s arms, and rolled up her nonexistent sleeves. Then she stood and walked bravely toward the piano in the center of the mall.

Chen Yuan watched in amazement as she walked over and sat down with great poise.

Jiang Yao sat up perfectly straight, her posture looking quite professional. People were coming and going, but no one paid any particular attention to her as she gracefully sat down.

The pure black piano and her white skirt complemented each other beautifully. At first glance, Chen Yuan was inexplicably reminded of a seabird perched on a reef, its belly full of white, downy feathers.

He leaned back on his hands, watching with great interest as Jiang Yao studied the piano, fiddling with one part and then another.

He figured there was an eighty percent chance Jiang Yao couldn’t actually play and was just for show. With a mischievous smirk, he waited for her to come back in defeat.

’What in the world... Looks like she was just putting on a brave face after all.’

Chen Yuan was about to wave her over and tell her to stop pretending to inspect it when, in the next second, a cascade of piano notes—like a rushing stream over pebbles—rang out, and his expression froze.

After a moment’s adjustment, Jiang Yao’s slender fingers began to fly across the black and white keys. An elegant and moving melody flowed through the hall.

Some passersby glanced over, while others stopped in their tracks.

The music was at times gentle and delicate, at others melodious and pure, and at still others, a tight succession of notes that hammered at the eardrums.

Her shoulders swayed with the melody, and the sight of her profile was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her long, well-proportioned legs beneath her white skirt were like the slender ribs of a parasol. She looked like a girl who had stepped right out of a comic book.

Chen Yuan was dumbfounded. He didn’t know much about music, but just by listening to the quality of her playing, he could tell that Jiang Yao didn’t just "know how to play"—she was exceptionally skilled.

Jiang Yao only played a short piece. When the last note ended, she pressed her hands onto the keys, turned her head, and raised an eyebrow at him.

Immediately after, she glanced around, and her head instantly started to spin.

A circle of countless onlookers had formed around her. Some were even holding up their phones, snapping away. A blush immediately flooded Jiang Yao’s delicate little face. She lowered her head, scurried over to Chen Yuan’s side in a flurry of small steps, and tugged on his sleeve.

"You really know how to play?"

"Never mind that! Let’s get out of here! Run!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!