“Big Sister, Brother-in-law.”
Qiao Yihuan and Qiao Jinglin were a pair of twins, just turned twenty this year, still in school.
They had originally come back during the National Day holiday to attend their aunt’s wedding, but unexpectedly, the marriage had fallen to their older sister instead.
However, no matter who married into the Zhou family, it did not affect them much.
They only needed to change how they addressed him—from “uncle-in-law” to “brother-in-law.”
The two did not say much. After greeting respectfully, they took their seats at the lower end of the table.
Zhou Yannan glanced at them lightly and nodded in acknowledgment.
Qiao Shuran, however, only stared at the plate in front of her, expressionless and unmoved.
Thinking she had not heard, Qiao Yihuan directly took out a brocade box from her pocket and leaned toward her.
“Big Sister, this is the wedding gift I prepared for you. You left early yesterday, so I didn’t get the chance to give it to you.”
“Thank you.” Qiao Shuran’s stiff expression softened slightly.
“Big Sister, don’t you want to open it?” Seeing that her sister responded, Qiao Yihuan happily opened the box.
Qiao Shuran lifted her eyelids and glanced at it—it was a blue diamond bracelet of considerable value.
The price was secondary; more importantly, this style required complex craftsmanship and took time to custom-make.
She took it into her hands and examined it carefully.
“Where did you get this?”
“It was a birthday gift from Dad recently. I didn’t wear it—I saved it for you…”
Hah!
Qiao Shuran let out a cold laugh.
That old man was indeed blatantly biased!
When it came to her dowry, he could not even be bothered, leaving everything to the old madam.
But when picking out a birthday gift for his younger daughter, he put in considerable effort.
“Alright, I’ll take it.”
Qiao Shuran closed the box and casually tossed it aside.
She had long been used to such things.
Since childhood, anything good was always given to the twins first.
Only after they had picked what they wanted did it come to her.
But she was not someone who tolerated being at a loss. If no one gave her anything, she would simply take it.
They could pick first—but after they finished, she would go in and “reorganize” everything.
Over the years, the siblings had memorized her tactics well.
Whenever they got something valuable, they would first offer it to their older sister.
Yet even as the exquisite box lay on the table, Qiao Shuran did not spare it another glance.
What she cared about was never gold or silver, nor who got more or less.
She only wanted to use those unusual actions to remind her father that he still had a daughter.
But it was useless. Qiao Yuanshan was not unaware, nor forgetful—he simply could not be bothered to maintain that father-daughter relationship, nor to put on any appearances.
But Qiao Shuran was stubborn by nature.
If he wanted to ignore her, she would make sure to stir up trouble right in front of him.
If she was unhappy, no one would get to feel at ease.
The more he looked down on her, the more she would carve out her own path.
And if she failed, she would not make things hard for herself.
When she saw a ladder, she would climb it. When she saw a high branch, she would latch onto it…
Now that she had married Zhou Yannan, she had only succeeded halfway.
The other half—the subject called “marriage”—still required further study.
But that was fine. She would take it step by step.
While she was lost in thought, Zhou Yannan was not idle either.
The man leaned lazily against his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips, his gaze shifting.
For once, a trace of expression appeared on his cold face.
He was finding the person beside him more and more interesting.
She clearly did not like it, yet she insisted on taking it.
But what was she taking it for?
He was a smart man—some things required only a glance to understand.
Glancing at the brocade box on the table, he picked it up and played with it in his hand.
After a moment, he suddenly tossed it back in front of Qiao Yihuan.
“Keep it yourself. From now on, your sister won’t lack things like this.”
The young girl froze for a moment and quickly looked at her sister.
Qiao Shuran was also stunned. “Someone gave me a gift—what does it have to do with you?”
“That was from your father. Remember this—we don’t take secondhand goods.”
Zhou Yannan’s arm draped over the back of the chair, lightly resting on her shoulder.
His expression remained indifferent, but his tone carried a rare gentleness. “Whatever you like, I’ll have it custom-made for you when we get back.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
She had never deprived herself of anything—naturally, she lacked nothing.
Still, she had only asked him to put on an act, yet he was playing the role quite convincingly.
From now on, she would also have to honor her side of the deal—giving him enough freedom.
Qiao Shuran had not eaten breakfast, and the banquet started late at noon.
As soon as the dishes were served, while the men were still drinking, she quickly filled herself up.
Just as she was sitting there bored, a servant approached and leaned close to her ear.
After whispering a few words, she stood up and walked outside.
Passing through the front hall, she made her way to the quiet backyard.
Near the artificial landscape, a fair-faced, overly groomed young man stood waiting.
The moment Qiao Shuran saw him, her brows furrowed.
“Why are you here?”
“I—I came to find Sister ChuChu. Where is she?”
The young man held a ring in his hand. “I only found out yesterday that she was getting married, so I went to the Zhou residence. But I couldn’t even get close before I was beaten.”
“You even went to the Zhou residence? Why didn’t they beat you to death!”
Qiao Shuran glanced at his face. Even under the thick makeup, bruises were still visible.
“Why are you looking for her?” she asked coldly. “She ran away from the wedding. Didn’t you know?”
“She… ran away?” The young man looked unconvinced. “Then who married into the Zhou family?”
“That would be me—your so-called aunt-grandmother.”
Qiao Shuran flicked the hem of her bright red qipao. “Can’t you tell? Always on your phone, never paying attention to the news.”
“The media only said the Zhou and Qiao families formed an alliance. They didn’t say who got married.”
The young man seemed noticeably relieved. “So it was you… then where did Sister ChuChu go?”
“How would I know?”
Qiao Shuran glanced at the ring in his hand. “She was just playing with you. Why take it seriously? What’s with the ring—planning to crash the wedding?”
“She wasn’t playing with me,” he argued. “She said she truly cared about me…”
“She says that to everyone.”
Qiao Shuran waved her hand impatiently. “Just leave. If someone sees you, you might get beaten again.”
“I’ll go, but please—help me give this ring to her.”
He pushed the ring toward her. “It’s my sincerity.”
“I’m not getting involved in her mess,” Qiao Shuran refused. “Keep it. Give it to her when she comes back.”
“No, I can’t reach her. You’re the only one I know in your family—you have to help me.”
Before she could respond, he shoved the ring into her hand and ran off.
“Hey—”
By the time Qiao Shuran reacted, he had already disappeared.
“What is this nonsense!”
She stomped her foot in frustration. When she looked up, she met a sharp gaze not far away.
It was Zhou Yannan, standing on the second-floor balcony of the front building, smoking.
His tall figure leaned casually against the railing, smoke curling around him. For a moment, Qiao Shuran could not clearly see his face.
So what?
This troublesome admirer wasn’t hers—why should she be afraid?
With a flick of her hand, the ring was tossed high into the air, landing somewhere among the flowers.