4
At the sound of the word “sister,” Jiang Siyu subconsciously furrowed her brows.
Ever since Jiang Yiruan and her mother had been brought back to the Jiang family, that form of address had clung to her like a maggot burrowing into flesh.
It wouldn’t kill Jiang Siyu, but it sickened her every single moment.
Especially—
Her father, who had once doted on her and held her in the palm of his hand, had, ever since bringing Jiang Yiruan and her mother back, most frequently said:
“For the sake of not affecting your college entrance exams, Yiruan and her mother have endured hardship outside for eighteen years. They were willing to endure that long for your future, so why must you quibble with her over something so worthless now?”
“Besides, you’re the older sister. What’s wrong with giving in to your younger sister as the older one?”
Bullshit younger sister!
Jiang Yiruan’s so-called date of birth was less than two months later than hers.
And what was this nonsense about Jiang Yiruan and her mother not being brought back because it would affect her college entrance exams?
The real reason they hadn’t been brought back was that her maternal grandparents, upon learning of the affair, had secretly pressured Jiang Dingbang behind the scenes.
If Jiang Dingbang wanted to secure the position of Group Chairman, he absolutely needed the support of the major shareholders. And Jiang Siyu’s maternal grandfather happened to be the company’s second-largest shareholder, with numerous supporters within the company. Without her grandfather’s backing, Jiang Dingbang becoming chairman was nothing more than a pipe dream.
So even after Jiang Siyu finished her college entrance exams, Jiang Dingbang still didn’t dare bring Jiang Yiruan and her mother back.
Not until her grandfather died in a car accident, and her grandmother, unable to bear the tragedy, suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away…
After that, Jiang Dingbang became the Group Chairman, and Jiang Yiruan and her mother were naturally brought back.
At these thoughts, Jiang Siyu’s right hand, hanging at her side, unconsciously clenched.
Noticing Jiang Siyu’s halted footsteps, Fu Lin looked at her sideways with confusion:
“Ah Yu, what’s wrong?”
Fu Lin was a few years older than Jiang Siyu, and her earlier “sister” had just been teasing.
Now, noticing that Jiang Siyu’s mood had shifted, Fu Lin almost instantly guessed the reason.
She opened her mouth, about to apologize, when Jiang Siyu reached out and ruffled the head nestled against her:
“Our big star sounds so sweet calling me ‘sister.'”
It was the same form of address, but when Fu Lin said it, it was soft and coquettish with a hint of playfulness!
Mm… adorable with a certain charm.
Unlike Jiang Yiruan, who was just plain nauseating.
Hearing the teasing in Jiang Siyu’s tone, the guilt in Fu Lin’s heart was smoothed over.
Fu Lin probed cautiously: “When are you planning to go back to the Jiang family?”
“No rush.” Jiang Siyu replied. “I’ll go after I’ve eaten my fill.”
She would definitely return to the Jiang family, but it wouldn’t be on her own initiative.
The moment Jiang Dingbang got word that she and the DY President were attending the gala together, he’d scrambled to get in contact with her. After confirming she was returning to the country, he’d put on the act of a devoted father, booking her flight tickets—even going so far as to have a phone and SIM card prepared and delivered to her before she even landed.
So eager and thorough in his efforts—if Jiang Dingbang expected her to believe it was because he missed his daughter after years apart, Jiang Siyu wouldn’t buy it for a second.
So the more Jiang Dingbang wanted her back at the Jiang family, the less Jiang Siyu was in a hurry to go.
It wasn’t her who stood to gain anything.
“Miss Fu, you’ve arrived.” As they spoke, the floor manager came up to greet them.
The two followed him toward the private room. As they passed one of the doors, it suddenly slid open.
The melodious sound of a piano drifted out, along with a startled exclamation.
“Jiang Siyu?!”
The air seemed to freeze in an instant. The group inside, each doing their own thing, turned in unison to look toward the door.
Jiang Siyu, who had been passing by, stopped in her tracks and turned slightly, her gaze sweeping past the girl who had opened the door to look inside.
With a limited view, there wasn’t much Jiang Siyu could see, and she couldn’t even make out who had been the one to shout her name so dramatically.
Just as she was about to casually withdraw her gaze and continue on her way, the girl blocking her view stepped aside and opened the door fully.
As the obstructed view cleared, the people inside rose to their feet in unison and moved toward the entrance, eager to confirm whether the person outside was really Jiang Siyu.
And standing at the very center of the group was Ji Yanheng.
The piano music inside had stopped at some point.
Jiang Siyu’s gaze, which hadn’t fully shifted away, settled on Ji Yanheng.
Neither the excitement nor the resentment one might expect upon reuniting with an old acquaintance appeared. Jiang Siyu simply looked at Ji Yanheng with a calm, unreadable expression—his own face betraying no clear emotion either.
A few seconds later, she lifted her lips in a composed smile.
“Long time no see.”
“Long… long time no see.” Ji Yanheng spoke, his voice catching for a brief moment.
A man who was always unflappable found himself at a loss in this moment.
His gaze locked tightly onto the person a few steps away. He took a quiet, deep breath, steadying the frantic rhythm of his heart before walking up to Jiang Siyu with the same composed demeanor as always.
Ji Yanheng: “Craving the food here?”
Jiang Siyu let out a soft “mm,” seemingly answering Ji Yanheng’s question, but her peripheral vision lingered on the face in the private room that could barely conceal its resentment and jealousy.
Jiang Yiruan… it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other too.
The curve at the corners of her lips deepened.
The moment that smile bloomed, her already striking face became impossible to look away from.
Ji Yanheng gazed deeply at the smile on her face. “What would you like to eat? I’ll have someone prepare it.”
Jiang Siyu withdrew her gaze and looked up at the man now standing before her, shaking her head:
“Today, I’m the host treating our superstar Fu to a meal, so—sorry.”
“In that case,” even after being rejected, Ji Yanheng maintained his gentle and warm demeanor,
“as a friend, could Ah Yu include me in the invitation as well?”
“Huh?” Jiang Siyu looked at Ji Yanheng, who seemed unchanged from years ago, with a hint of confusion, then lightly scoffed:
“You stood me up, and you still have the nerve to eat my food?”
As she said this, she gave a faint pout. The words seemed to carry a hint of grievance, yet her casual tone suggested she didn’t truly care about the matter.
After finishing, she turned and walked away without giving Ji Yanheng the slightest chance to respond.
But as she brushed past him, her shoulder deliberately collided with Ji Yanheng’s arm, causing him, caught completely off guard, to stagger slightly.
Watching Jiang Siyu disappear into another private room without looking back, Ji Yanheng found himself unable to tear his gaze away for a long time.
“Ah Heng, is sister angry?” Jiang Yiruan walked up beside Ji Yanheng, looking at the slowly closing door with self-reproach:
“It’s all my fault. If I had gone home by myself yesterday, you wouldn’t have stood up sister because you came to pick me up.”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
Ji Yanheng rubbed the spot where Jiang Siyu had bumped into him—it was numb, and a little sore.
With that much force, it was clear she was still angry with him.
Realizing this, a ripple of amusement spread through Ji Yanheng’s eyes, which were usually devoid of emotional fluctuation.
“Ah Yu wouldn’t get angry at someone unimportant.”
He paused, then continued with certainty: “The one she’s angry at is me.”