5
Jiang Yiruan, the “irrelevant” one, was confused: “?”
She was this close to pointing at her own nose and asking, “Who’s the irrelevant one? Me?” But she quickly suppressed her displeasure and kept the flawless innocent smile on her face:
“In that case, take this time to properly win my sister over. I’ll obediently wait for you to finish your business.”
Jiang Yiruan’s words were only meant to maintain her persona, said casually, but Ji Yanheng actually took them seriously.
After a moment, he nodded. “You’re right. A’yu has been abroad for so many years, and now that she’s back, I really should spend some quality time with her.”
With that said, Ji Yanheng turned and walked toward the private room where Jiang Siyu and the others were.
As for Jiang Siyu’s earlier rejection, Ji Yanheng didn’t take it to heart.
She was always a bit softer toward him than toward others.
With that thought in mind, Ji Yanheng quickened his pace.
Just as he was about to reach the door of Jiang Siyu’s private room, the elevator doors suddenly opened, and a man hurried over.
“President Ji.”
The voice halted Ji Yanheng’s steps.
He turned to look at the man running toward him. “What is it?”
The man stopped in front of him and lowered his voice. “The one from the Bo family is upstairs.”
The Bo family?
Bo Siye!
Ji Yanheng frowned and glanced at the private room door so close at hand, but the next moment he turned and headed for the elevator.
The others were baffled by his actions—hadn’t he just been about to go coax Jiang Siyu?
Why did he suddenly leave?
Meanwhile, inside the private room, Fu Lin, who had been observing the scene outside through the one-way glass on the door, also frowned in confusion.
She looked back at Jiang Siyu, who was sitting calmly and scrolling through her phone.
“Ji Yanheng left.”
Jiang Siyu: “Mm.”
“You don’t care?” Fu Lin asked with a strange expression.
“Why would I care?” Jiang Siyu didn’t even lift her gaze from her phone.
Fu Lin studied her but couldn’t find a trace of hurt or sadness on her face.
Although Jiang Siyu had mentioned yesterday that she’d been in a relationship, the fact that she’d returned home the moment she heard about the Ji and Jiang families’ impending marriage alliance made Fu Lin skeptical that she’d completely let go of Ji Yanheng.
But Jiang Siyu’s current behavior made Fu Lin doubt her own speculation.
After a moment of thought, Fu Lin asked, “Didn’t you come back because you heard the Ji family was going to form a marriage alliance with the Jiang family?”
“I know about that.” Jiang Siyu looked up, slightly puzzled. “But what does that have to do with me coming back?”
Under her dear father’s leadership, the Jiang family had been on a downward slope for quite some time.
Choosing a marriage alliance was one of the ways to keep Jiang Dingbang firmly seated as chairman of the group—and the easiest one at that.
So Jiang Siyu wasn’t surprised by the news at all.
“Tsk—” Fu Lin stopped caring about what was happening outside and quickly walked over to sit beside Jiang Siyu:
“Everyone’s saying you came back because of the marriage alliance between the two families. After all, if you hadn’t returned, the one marrying into the Ji family through the alliance would’ve been Jiang Yiruan.”
But now that Jiang Siyu was back, and given Ji Yanheng’s behavior just now, it was anyone’s guess which of the two would end up as the Ji family’s marriage partner.
“I told you, it’s just a rumor.” Jiang Siyu shrugged indifferently, lowered her head, and continued reading the materials about the current head of the Bo Corporation.
Seeing how completely unconcerned she was, Fu Lin grew a bit anxious:
“So you’re just going to let them spout nonsense? That’s giving that bastard Ji Yanheng way too much face!”
Hearing Fu Lin’s indignant tone, Jiang Siyu finally deigned to look up from her phone.
“Darling, don’t you see? As long as I don’t care, it’s not me who’s bothered. But there’s one person who will definitely care a lot.”
Fu Lin blinked, then her eyes lit up. “Jiang Yiruan?!”
“Mhm~” Jiang Siyu’s lips curved upward. “Whether her feelings for Ji Yanheng are genuine or fake, my return will make those mother and daughter lose sleep for quite some time to come.”
“Looking at it that way, there really is no need to explain anything.” Fu Lin’s eyes sparkled as she imagined the look on Jiang Yiruan’s face when she could no longer maintain her fake expression.
But… she glanced at Jiang Siyu, the question in her heart never quite making it out.
The old Jiang Siyu had been proud and sharp-tongued. Her status had attracted plenty of people who wanted to befriend her.
But after getting to know her, those people would leave—either because they got nothing out of it or because they couldn’t handle her thorny personality.
Fu Lin herself had been driven to tears by Jiang Siyu’s sharp tongue several times back then, yet she’d still stubbornly insisted on becoming her friend.
She’d seen the kind and passionate heart beneath Jiang Siyu’s acerbic exterior, so she hadn’t wanted to give up easily.
Fortunately… in the end, she’d succeeded in enjoying all of her gentleness.
But whether before or after Fu Lin came into her life, the only person Jiang Siyu had ever been truly close to was Ji Yanheng.
With that kind of favoritism and devotion toward him, could she really let go?
Fu Lin wasn’t sure, and she didn’t dare ask Jiang Siyu, afraid that bringing it up would only hurt her again.
While she hesitated, the dishes the two had ordered were already brought to the table.
Seeing Jiang Siyu already seated at the table with her chopsticks in hand, Fu Lin didn’t want to ruin her appetite any further.
But just because Fu Lin didn’t want to, didn’t mean others felt the same.
Jiang Siyu had barely taken her first bite when the door to the private room was knocked on.
Though such clubs were known for their privacy, as entertainment venues, even VIP room doors could be pushed open directly—there were just waiters stationed outside to keep watch.
Fu Lin assumed it was a remaining dish being served, so she pressed the call button on the table.
The next second, the door to the private room was pushed open.
But the person who entered first wasn’t a waiter bringing food.
It was Jiang Yiruan.
Behind her were some of the people from their earlier private room.
The display was just like a show of force, as if they’d come to back Jiang Yiruan up.
Seeing them, Fu Lin bristled like an angry cat. “What are you doing here?!” she demanded loudly.
Jiang Yiruan, however, didn’t respond. Instead, she looked at Jiang Siyu, who was sitting there continuing to eat as if nothing was wrong.
After waiting a moment and seeing that Jiang Siyu still showed no sign of acknowledging her on her own, a flicker of coldness passed through Jiang Yiruan’s eyes before she finally spoke up on her own:
“Sis, are you coming home with me later?”
The chopsticks Jiang Siyu was using to pick up food paused almost imperceptibly after Jiang Yiruan finished speaking. She chewed slowly, swallowed the food in her mouth, and only then raised her eyes to look at Jiang Yiruan.
“You really want me to come back?”
“Of course I want you to come back, Sis. Mom and Dad miss you a lot.” Jiang Yiruan smiled sweetly.
But the emphasis on “Mom and Dad” was filled with an intangible sense of provocation.
Jiang Siyu looked at the malice in her eyes and smiled softly.
In the past, if Jiang Yiruan had provoked her like this, her palm would already have landed on the girl’s face.
But now… she lowered her head and continued eating, then casually said in passing:
“Since you want me to come back so badly, why don’t you agree to one thing for me first.”
Jiang Yiruan’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, feeling that Jiang Siyu was up to no good.
But she was the one who had spoken first, and she couldn’t very well not respond now.
After a moment of silence, she put on a generous and considerate air. “Go ahead. Whatever I can do for you, Sis, I’ll do it.”