Xie Chuanyan had just finished a meeting. He took the documents from Assistant Hao and waved his hand, signaling him to leave.
“Tired?”
Yan Jiaojiao bit her lip, not expecting his first words to be this question.
“Not tired.”
How could she not be tired? She had been pampered since childhood, used to a life of comfort. It was her first time cooking on a show, waking up on time, and taking care of children. Back at home, she could stay in bed all day without lifting a finger, with delicious food delivered right to her mouth.
Xie Chuanyan knew she was being sarcastic. Given her delicate nature, it was surprising enough that she had managed to stick it out for two days. “If you’re tired, just quit. I’ll cover the penalty fee.”
“No!”
Yan Jiaojiao instinctively retorted. After recording the first episode, she found it quite interesting—definitely better than staying at home after graduation, only to be bullied by him.
Besides, she even had a few fans now.
Xie Chuanyan understood her well—the more you opposed her, the more determined she became. He sighed. “Suit yourself.”
“My car is here. I’m hanging up.”
Yan Jiaojiao hung up without hesitation, cutting off the man’s “Okay” mid-sentence.
This time, the person picking her up was the woman who had delivered the durian pizza last time. She hadn’t slept well the night before and had turned off her phone without checking her messages. By the time she woke up, the car was already waiting outside the airport.
An hour later, Yan Jiaojiao landed at the capital airport. Xie Kejia stood in a conspicuous spot, waving. Yan Jiaojiao walked over to her. “How thoughtful of you to come pick me up.”
“Um… my brother told me to come.”
Yan Jiaojiao’s smile froze on her face. “Big-Headed Jia! We’re such good friends, and you only came because some stinky man told you to? Let’s break up!”
Seeing her anger, Xie Kejia hurriedly followed behind her, trying every trick in the book to apologize. Yan Jiaojiao, wearing high heels, walked briskly with small, quick steps. Even in flats, Xie Kejia couldn’t keep up.
“Jiaojiao, my dear, I know I was wrong. Forgive me.”
Xie Kejia followed Yan Jiaojiao into the car, leaning against her shoulder and whining. “Jiaojiao, my dear…”
Yan Jiaojiao was scrolling through her phone messages. The latest one was from Golden Detective. As she scrolled up, her expression grew increasingly grim. An inexplicable anger surged in her chest, suppressed and with nowhere to vent.
Xie Kejia was still whining in a high-pitched voice, making Yan Jiaojiao’s arms break out in goosebumps. She pushed her away in disgust. “Act normal.”
“So you’re not mad anymore?”
Yan Jiaojiao stared at her coldly, narrowing her eyes slightly. “I’m so understanding—how could I bear to be angry with you?”
“However, there’s something I need you to do.”
“Go ahead.”
“Clean up your guest room. I’m staying over tonight.”
“Huh?”
Not only was Xie Kejia shocked, but even Liu Wen, who was driving, flinched. Seeing her hesitation, Yan Jiaojiao pressed with an intimidating tone, “Hmm?”
Her anger was palpable, and the murderous look in her eyes was terrifying. Xie Kejia involuntarily swallowed and nodded. Only then did Yan Jiaojiao ease her anger slightly before turning to Liu Wen. “Take us to her place.”
Liu Wen took a sharp breath. “Miss Yan, President Xie asked me to take you back to Morning Garden.”
Yan Jiaojiao’s tone hardened. “I said, take us to her place.”
Her stern face and icy tone were unnerving, resembling Xie Chuanyan’s demeanor by about seventy percent. Even Xie Kejia didn’t dare provoke her, unsure what had happened.
Xie Kejia obediently gave the address of her apartment. When she tried to discreetly tip off Xie Chuanyan, Yan Jiaojiao caught her and warned, “If you dare, I’ll tell him it was you who encouraged me to stay at your place.”Xie Kejia’s brows were tightly knit, looking at the unreasonable little demon before her with a mix of helplessness and frustration.
“Jiaojiao, what’s really going on with you?”
Yan Jiaojiao silently gazed out the window, the atmosphere growing heavy. Her long lashes drooped, her eyes shadowed and dim.
Xie Kejia didn’t quite understand her sudden shift in mood but could tell she was upset. She swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and didn’t mention anything to Xie Chuanyan, even though she already had her phone in hand.
Yan Jiaojiao gave everyone the impression of a spoiled, willful troublemaker, indulged to the point of lawlessness.
She was simple and pure, like a bright little sun—rarely showing a gloomy side. Even Xie Kejia seldom saw her vulnerable, suppressing her sadness like this.
In the past, she would have chosen to vent and make whoever upset her suffer. She even dared to provoke Xie Chuanyan. But what was happening now?
Yan Jiaojiao closed her eyes. Just as the car was about to stop, Xie Kejia saw her wipe away the tears at the corner of her eye.
The guest room at Xie Kejia’s home was cleaned daily by the housekeeper, so Yan Jiaojiao could move right in. She put on a new set of Xie Kejia’s pajamas and murmured a listless “goodnight.”
Before Xie Kejia could ask the questions swirling in her mind, the bedroom door closed.
Lying in bed, Yan Jiaojiao sniffled softly. Ever since receiving the detective’s message in the car, she hadn’t been herself.
Knowing that Tian Wei was truly alive, that she was real, her world was exactly as described in that book. Xie Chuanyan’s kindness to her was all fake. He’d probably be overjoyed if he knew Tian Wei was still alive.
Should she tell him?
Her tears flowed even harder, a sharp pain twisting in her heart. If she told him, he’d be happy—but she would be miserable.
Why should he cruelly take everything back? What had she done wrong? Why was she treated as someone else’s replacement, turned into a laughingstock?
Her eyes turned crimson, and uncontrollable thoughts sprouted in her heart. She refused to kindly inform Xie Chuanyan. Preventing herself from meeting the fate described in the book was actually quite simple.
At worst, she could just stay away from Xie Chuanyan and Tian Wei. The detective said Tian Wei’s health wasn’t fully recovered, so her return date was uncertain.
A cold glint flashed in her upturned fox-like eyes. She let out a scornful laugh, clenched her fists, and spoke in a hoarse, chilling voice, “Daring to use me as a substitute, Xie Chuanyan—just you wait!”
If she didn’t make him suffer, she wouldn’t be worthy of the surname Yan!
With her fair skin, beautiful face, slender waist, and long legs—how could she be someone else’s stand-in? The thought made Yan Jiaojiao burst into tears again, overwhelmed by indignation.
It was nothing short of blatant humiliation!
If Xie Chuanyan refused to let her go, then she wouldn’t tell him about his beloved white moonlight either. Who wanted to see him happy? A scumbag like Xie Chuanyan deserved to suffer just as she did. She’d make sure to thoroughly annoy this destined true love pair!
Let them brace for her wrath!
After reaching this realization, Yan Jiaojiao took several hundred deep breaths to suppress her anger.
About ten minutes after she fell asleep, Xie Chuanyan arrived. Xie Kejia had been waiting in the living room, knowing he would come. His expression was dark and unreadable. “She’s not in a good state tonight. Don’t… bully her.”
Xie Kejia’s fear of Xie Chuanyan wasn’t just due to familial hierarchy—it was more about his innate ferocity and oppressive aura that kept people at a distance.
Tonight, Yan Jiaojiao truly wasn’t herself, and Xie Kejia worried Xie Chuanyan might torment her fragile frame. After all, absence made the heart grow fonder…
Xie Chuanyan opened the bedroom door. The girl’s breathing was steady, already deep in sleep. His thumb gently brushed the redness at the corner of her eye, his gaze darkening.He walked to the window and made a phone call.
Assistant Hao was busy looking after the child. As soon as the phone rang, he quickly put down the toy, afraid of missing any instructions.
“Find out what happened to her.”