Now that he could tell the sisters apart, Chen Yuan experienced one clear benefit: he was finally starting to understand their true selves, dispelling the hazy, muddled feeling he'd had before. Standing by the fridge, he frowned, holding the painfully cold can of Coke. He chugged a couple of mouthfuls, the carbonation sending a thrilling shiver across his tongue.

Meanwhile, his mind was racing.

'It's obvious Jiangg Ning is the one with the biggest difference between her private and public personas; she's just too shy to show it. Jiangg Yao is quirky and full of life. I understand Yaoyao much better now, but large parts of Ningning are still a mystery to me.'

'Yaoyao is infuriating in a straightforward way, but Ningning… she's not straightforward at all. That cool professor persona is just a disguise. So the person who acted all cutesy, put on a coy voice, and talked to me on the phone for hours wasn't just an effect of the two of them taking turns.'

'Ningning really did call me "husband" on the phone and even asked me to tell her stories to lull her to sleep. But in person, that side of her has almost never come out.'

'Except for that one night… when the mood was right, she suddenly revealed her true self. She didn't just hide in my arms, she even stuck out her tongue… I can confirm, that was Ningning.'

'One sister is in charge of acting cute, playing dumb, and being adorable. The other is the true queen, managing the whole situation from the shadows, enjoying and manipulating how things unfold. With an eight-year age advantage, on top of the naturally intricate and complex minds of women, I'm sure I can't outplay these two sisters.'

'Thinking about it, if a crack hadn't appeared between them, I probably would have never even had the chance to discover their twin disguise. It's the same today. If Yaoyao hadn't gotten angry enough to cause a scene, I would have never realized that trailing me was Ningning's idea.'

'Right now, my understanding of the opposing side—the two sisters—is superficial at best. But they've already figured me out completely.'

'So, what I need to do now is be on high alert around Ningning, too. Maybe beneath that poised and steady exterior hides an even more sinister "Jiangg Ning." She's the complete opposite of what she seems!'

'This is terrifying!'

'Such a complete one-eighty.'

'It's absolutely chilling.'

'Dealing with one girlfriend with a hidden side like Jiangg Yao was already enough for me. I never expected the real final boss was waiting in the wings. I didn't even get to face her before being knocked back to the starting level. Only now has this terrifying monster barely revealed the tip of the iceberg.'

'It's entirely possible.'

What Chen Yuan didn't know was that his imagination had run wild, cloaking Jiangg Ning in an impossibly mysterious aura. In reality, Ning wasn't nearly that terrifying. She had simply been constrained her whole life by the strict upbringing of a girl from a respectable family. Perhaps she did have a younger, girlish side to her, and a subtle hidden depth, but it was nowhere near the level of a 'sinister queen controlling everything.' She herself wasn't even aware of what kind of relationship dynamic she truly wanted. Everything was an experiment, a process of exploration. After all, this was her first-ever romance, and according to her conventional family upbringing, a couple should simply be sweet together, supporting each other through thick and thin.

Chen Yuan's imagination had turned her into the Great Demon King pulling the strings from behind, a complete and utter misjudgment.

He also had no idea that while he was lost in thought, the two sisters had already started fighting.

A moment later, half the can of Coke was gone. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the living room, followed by a CLATTER as something hit the floor.

That had to be Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao's handiwork.

Worried they were going to tear apart his newly rented apartment, Chen Yuan hurried over to take a look.

"What do you two want to drink?"

He called out into the living room.

It was pouring rain outside, so they had no choice but to take shelter in his small apartment for a while. Chen Yuan really wanted to treat them like they were invisible.

But he couldn't.

There's probably no relationship in the world more distant, yet more impossibly tangled and unbreakable, than the one with an "ex-girlfriend."

If there is one, it's probably "ex-wife."

"Do you have any tea? Or I can just have some hot water, if that's too much trouble," Jiangg Ning said, poking her head out.

A faint, radiant smile graced her cheeks, making her look dazzling.

Her hand was forcefully pushing back Jiangg Yao's head as her sister tried to peek out too, showing no mercy.

"It's no trouble." Chen Yuan searched the cupboards for the tea he'd brought. He thought it was the same tea Jiangg Ning had brought to his old place, which he'd then tossed into his suitcase.

But before he could find it, he heard a THUD.

Jiangg Yao scrambled out from beside her sister's legs. "I'll have… have a Coke… Jiangg Ning! You kick me one more time, I dare you!"

"When did I kick you...? Yaoyao, how could you say that about your sister? You clearly fell on your own. Chen saw it too, right? What an outrageous accusation."

Jiangg Ning covered her mouth, feigning shock with a deeply wronged expression.

"What are you pretending for?! You damn phony! I'm going to strangle you!"

"You… you can strangle me, Yaoyao. If being violent with your sister makes you happy, then I'll accept anything."

"Fine, fine, fine. Let's see you not fight back then."

"As long as you have the heart to strangle the sister who's always taken care of you! The sister who's been as patient with you as a mother! Go on, strangle me!"

As soon as Jiangg Ning finished speaking, Yaoyao lunged forward. She grabbed her by the neck and started shaking her, muttering, "Like hell I don't have the heart! You think I'm some harmless little kitten just because I don't show my claws?"

"AGH—COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—"

On the receiving end of such violence, Jiangg Ning collapsed to the floor in a heap. Her face was flushed red as she coughed nonstop, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That's enough. You're giving me a headache. Can't you two just be quiet for a minute?"

"Young Master!" Jiangg Yao cried out, looking utterly baffled. "She hit me just now, so why aren't you saying anything to her?"