President Jiang had booked Jiang Qing a first-class window seat.
After settling in, Jiang Qing opened her newly bought book, On the Professional Conduct of an Award-Winning Actress, and began reading.
Passengers passed through the aisle, chatting casually. None of it disturbed her concentration.
That was until a long shadow stretched from the aisle and blocked the light, lingering without moving.
Jiang Qing shifted her fingers slightly from under her chin and turned her head to look.
Under a bright purple hat, a woman with light chestnut hair stood slightly bent over in the aisle. Her hair was parted into two neat braids that rested over her chest. She appeared to be preparing to lift her suitcase.
Her fingers were extended, but they hovered in the air as if frozen, unmoving for several moments.
Liu Yijing was closely studying the suitcase, trying to figure out how to lift the heavy thing without damaging her freshly done iridescent pink manicure.
“Hey, could you move faster? First class doesn’t mean you get to hold up everyone behind you!”
A male Alpha behind her shouted impatiently.
Liu Yijing rolled her eyes, then remembered she had sunglasses on. She pushed them up onto her forehead with one hand, turned around, and gave him another eye roll.
“First of all, I’m not ‘hey.’ Second, are you sure there’s someone behind me? Because I don’t see anyone.”
The man looked behind himself. The space was empty.
He pointed at his chest and said, “Are you blind? I’m standing right here.”
“You can’t even be bothered to help an Omega in trouble. Honestly, what kind of man are you?”
Neither one backed down. Their voices grew louder, and soon they were arguing openly.
The commotion drew the attention of the flight attendants, who hurried over to intervene, but neither party was listening.
The surrounding passengers turned their heads to watch, clearly entertained by the scene.
Eventually, the male Alpha ran out of things to say. His vocabulary failed him.
Flushed and out of breath, he stammered out one final insult. “Shrew.”
After that, he gave Liu Yijing a shove and squeezed past her.
Jiang Qing reached out and caught Liu Yijing, who had lost her balance and nearly fallen.
With the aisle now clear, a flight attendant quickly lifted the suitcase and placed it in the overhead compartment before things could escalate further.
“What kind of manners was that? Just wait. I’m calling my brother to deal with you.”
Still unsteady, Liu Yijing pulled out her phone and angrily typed a message. Only after the screen flashed to confirm it was sent did she switch it off with a scowl.
She sat down with frustration, and just as she turned around, she caught a glimpse of Jiang Qing—the one who had helped her earlier.
“Hey, thanks for that. I’m Liu Yijing. What’s your name?”
Jiang Qing looked up. Her eyes briefly paused at the bite-resistant Omega collar on Liu Yijing’s neck before meeting her gaze. Her tone was polite and friendly.
“My surname is Jiang. Jiang Qing.”
Liu Yijing noticed her glance and smiled proudly. She flipped her hair back to better show off her collar.
“Nice, right? The collars they give out here are all so ugly. I had this one custom-made in the States.”
“It looks great.”
The red collar was made from soft lambskin leather. The stitching was fine and even, and the material was smooth and well-finished.
The clasp was shaped like a snake spine and made of platinum, with a few small pink diamonds delicately embedded along the bottom edge.
It looked luxurious and elegant.
The collar was thinner than the standard Omega models, which made her neck look especially slender and graceful.
In comparison, the free collars distributed by the domestic ABO Rights Protection Bureau looked plain and unimpressive.
“Are you thinking about ordering one for your Omega?”
Jiang Qing paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head.
“I don’t have an Omega.”
“Really?” Liu Yijing’s brown eyes sparkled with interest. “Since you’re single, can I add you on WeChat?”
Jiang Qing immediately noticed the curiosity and subtle affection in her voice.
“Sorry. I’m not interested in dating.”
Her reply was firm and straightforward.
She had always been the kind of person who stopped any romantic feelings before they could begin.
She had never experienced a crush, never wanted to fall in love.
The future she envisioned for herself ended in solitude.
Of course, she planned to have friends. The kind who would visit her, chat with her, maybe even go dancing with her in the park when they got older.
But she never saw herself having a lifelong partner to lean on.
“That’s fine. I wasn’t trying to push anything. We could just talk. It would be nice to have a friend.”
Liu Yijing was persistent but not pushy.
In the end, Jiang Qing nodded.
Liu Yijing seemed to understand where her boundaries were, so adding her on WeChat should be fine.
Halfway through her book, a flight attendant brought over the first-class meal.
Jiang Qing marked her page with a bookmark, closed the book, and slipped it back into her bag.
After finishing her meal, she didn’t immediately take the book out again.
She sat for a while, thinking. Then she turned to Liu Yijing, who was chewing gum beside her.
“When we land, could you send me the contact info for the studio that made your collar?”
“…Didn’t you say you don’t have an Omega?”
“I don’t. But I have a friend who is one.”
Even though she wasn’t sure if that friend would ever actually wear one.
During the meal, Jiang Qing had suddenly remembered the cream-colored blazer she left behind.
She wondered whether Song Qin Ning had received it.
That calm, quiet face flashed through her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she believed that someone like Song Qin Ning, with her gentle heart behind a cold exterior, would suit something bright and elegant like a custom collar.
After landing, Jiang Qing was met by Secretary Liang.
Secretary Liang explained that President Jiang was still working and couldn’t come to pick her up in person.
Jiang Qing arrived at the restaurant and waited for thirty minutes before President Jiang finally showed up. She came in late, still talking on the phone about work as she opened the door.
Less than ten minutes after ending the call, her phone rang again.
“Right now?” she asked.
President Jiang frowned and looked back and forth between the dishes on the table and Jiang Qing sitting across from her.
“Alright, give me a moment. I’ll head over.”
After hanging up, she rubbed her forehead and said, “Xiao Qing, I’m sorry. There’s a dinner meeting tonight. A very important potential investor will be there. I know you’re not a fan of these kinds of events, so I’ll ask someone to—”
“I’ll go with you, Sister. I want to,” Jiang Qing said, cutting her off gently.
President Jiang blinked in surprise. “You want to come?”
Jiang Qing closed the menu with her slender, pale fingers.
“Yes. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. I want to make the most of this chance.”
The truth was, Jiang Qing didn’t really know how to interact with family or elders.
She had grown up in an unhappy home, with a father who didn’t care and a mother who showed no affection.
From a young age, she had learned to survive on her own. She made it through childhood and into adulthood by stumbling through life alone, covered in bruises, pain, and tears.
She would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous about meeting her sister.
But once she sat down with President Jiang, she realized her fears were unnecessary.
She did not need experience in family bonding to talk with her sister. The conversation flowed naturally. She felt comfortable, even drawn in.
As they talked, a quiet sense of envy began to grow inside her.
Even someone like the original Jiang Qing had a relative who loved her so deeply.
Why had she, who always tried to behave and be sensible, never had anyone who truly loved her?
President Jiang had no idea what Jiang Qing was thinking.
But she was genuinely happy that her sister wanted to join her at the dinner.
To her, this moment felt like a new beginning between them.
After their parents died suddenly, President Jiang had to take on the enormous pressure of saving the family business. Because of that, she had little time or energy to care for her younger sister.
By the time she finally looked back, she realized Jiang Qing had already lost her way. She had become a spoiled and reckless young woman, only interested in partying and making trouble.
When she tried to step in, it was already too late.
Someone must have gotten into Jiang Qing’s ear, filling her with resentment and distrust.
Jiang Qing began to hate her, push her away, and see her as the enemy. She treated her like the person responsible for their parents’ deaths and the villain who would stop at nothing to steal the inheritance.
One time, during a heated argument, Jiang Qing had even shouted at her, saying, “Why don’t you just die?”
President Jiang had never been good at expressing emotions. It was like all her intelligence had been focused on business. The more she tried to fix things, the more distant her sister became.
She pushed her glasses up slightly, trying to hide her nervousness.
It had been almost ten years.
Finally, her sister had grown up. She had learned to understand her and was now willing to get along.
President Jiang silently hoped it was not too late.
They arrived at the restaurant.
President Jiang noticed Jiang Qing looked a little uneasy and gently reassured her.
“You don’t have to be nervous. Tonight’s dinner is not formal. It’s just a casual meal to build rapport with a potential investor.”
“Most of the people there are long-time partners and good friends of mine.”
She pushed open the private dining room door.
President Jiang stepped inside first and introduced her warmly.
“Good evening, everyone. Tonight, I’ve brought my younger sister, Jiang Qing.”
“Hello, everyone. I’m Jiang Qing,” she said with a gentle smile.
The partners in the room greeted her cheerfully.
They had all heard that President Jiang had a younger sister she cherished, but none of them had ever met her before. Today was finally the day.
With almond-shaped eyes and elegant brows, Jiang Qing was striking and full of life. She was a stunning beauty.
“Wait, Jiang Qing?”
A familiar voice spoke with surprise and joy.
Liu Yijing blinked her brown eyes and called out with delight.