Jiang Zhiwu felt like she was starting to understand.
Could it be that this kid heard she was sick and immediately decided to behave himself and become obedient?
Jiang Yanzhou was completely unaware of his sister’s thoughts. He sniffled slightly, as if afraid his voice would crack, and spoke in a low, hushed tone, “What… exactly is wrong with you? Is it serious?”
Jiang Zhiwu didn’t bother to explain in detail. “It’s nothing major. Just some stomach issues lately.” She paused, deliberately keeping her tone casual. “You know how it is, when I get busy I always forget to eat.”
Those few simple sentences were enough to spark Jiang Yanzhou’s imagination, and his eyes turned even redder.
“…I’m sorry,” he suddenly forced out three words.
Jiang Zhiwu was stunned to see him lower his head like this—it was unprecedented. “Sorry for what?”
“For earlier… I shouldn’t have been mad at you.”
He remembered how he had sulked and complained about her being late before the shoot. Now, that petty resentment was completely drowned out by a wave of guilt.
The boy hung his head, his bangs damp with tears sticking softly to his skin, his shoulders trembling slightly like a small animal that had made a mistake.
Jiang Zhiwu was completely stunned.
She had never seen her brother show such obvious vulnerability. This was the same teenager who had always been as stubborn as a rock, who would rather grit his teeth than bow his head. Yet now, over an imagined “serious illness,” he was clumsily and anxiously apologizing to her.
Something deep inside her heart seemed to ache, and she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
She was just about to explain when her efficient assistant hurried over and opened the car door. “Madam Jiang, let me hold the digestive tablets for you?” Unaware of the tense atmosphere inside the car, he added helpfully, “The doctor said to take two tablets half an hour after meals. Don’t forget.”
“Digestive… tablets?” Jiang Yanzhou murmured, his voice dry and rusty. He looked down sharply, staring fixedly at the plastic bag.
Through the semi-transparent frosted material, the small characters “Stomachic Digestive” on the side of the box were clearly visible.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The color drained completely from the boy’s face, then rushed back with a vengeance, spreading from his neck all the way to the tips of his ears. Embarrassment, shame, anger at being tricked… countless emotions exploded in his eyes.
He threw the bag onto the seat as if it were a burning hot iron, growling through clenched teeth, “Jiang Zhiwu! Are you messing with me?!”
But his voice still carried the faint remnants of a sniffle, completely lacking any real menace. He looked nothing more than an angry cat whose tail had been stepped on, trying desperately to look fierce.
Jiang Zhiwu finally couldn’t hold it back any longer and burst out laughing.
Looking at her flustered brother, she reached out to ruffle his messy hair. “I told you the truth.”
“You, you…” Jiang Yanzhou was beside himself with embarrassment. He suddenly turned his head and glared fiercely at the assistant outside the car door. “Don’t you dare tell anyone about this!”
The assistant, who had been caught in the crossfire for no reason: “?”
Had he… come at the wrong time?
The next day, the production team of *When I Open the Door, It’s You* eagerly released the guest list.
There were four groups of permanent guests this time: the comedian siblings Li Bai and Lele; the popular artist Shen Yu and the gold-medal producer Wen Jing; the rising star Huang Zhihe and her half-brother Jiang Ting; and finally, the top star Jiang Yanzhou and his sister, Jiang Zhiwu.
As expected, the list sparked massive discussion online the moment it was released.
[Ahhhh I heard rumors Jiang Yanzhou was joining, and it’s actually true!]
[But wait, did we know he had a sister?]
[Hahaha, probably just a partner they found at the last minute to be on the show! I knew he was joining this show just to whitewash his image.]
[Oh look, know-it-all upstairs again? Open your eyes and look at the promotional photo, okay? They look so alike it’s like they have a shared filter. If they aren’t related, then what are they?]
[As we all know, pictures can be Photoshopped.]
[That sister is edited way too much. I can’t wait to see her face when she goes live and the filter disappears lol.]
…
As the most anticipated pair, the Jiang siblings were undoubtedly the center of controversy.
Jiang Zhiwu didn’t care much about the speculation regarding her appearance. She frowned and scanned through Weibo, noticing that the majority of the hostility was actually directed at Jiang Yanzhou.
Anti-fans attacked everything from his personality to his moral character. Some even pretended to be his fans, stirring up conflict between his fanbase and the fans of other guests.
While it was normal for celebrities to face criticism, the scale and intensity directed at Jiang Yanzhou went far beyond simple “fame comes with haters”.
Jiang Zhiwu couldn’t help but suspect that someone was deliberately manipulating public opinion.
Was it Shen Yu, who was also on the show and had a grudge against him?
She couldn’t be sure yet. Although Shen Yu and Jiang Yanzhou disliked each other, they didn’t have any direct conflict of interest. It seemed unlikely Shen Yu would go to such great lengths for something so thankless.
Then who else could it be?
While Jiang Zhiwu usually ignored others’ opinions, someone else was clearly burning with rage on her behalf.
Jiang Yanzhou had just finished a performance. Before he could even remove his stage makeup, he stormed into the dressing room, his fingers flying across his phone screen with such force it looked like he might break it.
The first time Zhang Wenshi looked over, he saw Jiang Yanzhou using a secret account to aggressively argue with people who were badmouthing Jiang Zhiwu.
The second time he looked, Jiang Yanzhou was writing a long essay, praising Jiang Zhiwu from her facial features to her bone structure, describing her as if she were the most beautiful woman to ever exist on earth.
If Zhang Wenshi hadn’t been smart enough to confiscate his main account earlier, Jiang Yanzhou would probably have charged straight into the battlefield using his verified Blue V account to fight the anti-fans head-on.
Watching his fingers move so fast they left afterimages, Zhang Wenshi was deeply confused.
So… were these two actually close or not?
While anti-fans were busy making a fuss about the siblings, that same evening, a seemingly ordinary behind-the-scenes clip from the photoshoot was released. Like a bomb dropped into a lake, it instantly blew up the Weibo trending charts.
Trending Topic: #JiangYanzhouGotHit 🔥
Clicking in, it was a thirty-second high-definition video accidentally captured by one of the cameras on site.
The video started with Jiang Yanzhou talking to the host. The top star had his hands in his pockets, looking cold and indifferent as he stated that he and his sister weren’t close.
Anti-fans smelled blood like sharks, instantly ignited by the words “not close”. A flood of malicious comments filled the screen—
[I told you! It’s just a marketing stunt!]
[Fake sibling relationship confirmed! I knew it, where did this partner suddenly come from?]
[Jiang Yanzhou admitted it himself! Stop trying to whitewash it, fans!]
But the very next second, Jiang Zhiwu walked in wearing high heels and without hesitation, flicked her brother hard on the forehead.
What followed was footage of Jiang Yanzhou clutching his head looking wronged and pitiful.
Every movement was natural and hilarious.
[Confirmed real sister! Only a biological sister has this kind of authority!]
[Hahaha when I saw the title I was wondering who dared to hit the big devil Jiang Yanzhou! Oh right, his sister. Never mind then.]
[OMG, did Jiang Yanzhou smile at the end?]
[That silly happy smile, I can’t breathe.]
Amidst all the laughter, a large number of beauty admirers spoke up.
[Are you guys all just laughing? I was staring at the sister’s face the whole time and couldn’t look away!]
[The moment she walked in, I was literally speechless from her beauty.]
[Ugly? Anti-fans come out and explain this!]
Amidst the overwhelming praise for her looks, only a few stubborn haters persisted:
[Maybe the video has filters too.]
[What proof is thirty seconds of video? Wait till they face the unforgiving HD cameras of *When I Open the Door, It’s You*!]
Three days later, the highly anticipated *When I Open the Door, It’s You* finally premiered.
As soon as the stream went live, netizens who had been waiting flooded into the Jiang siblings’ channel, eager to see Jiang Zhiwu’s real face and observe how the two interacted in private.
[The other rooms are already greeting the crew, why are they still driving?]
[Probably busy touching up their makeup! Scared of looking ugly without filters?]
[Don’t expect them to have manners. Look at how arrogant Jiang Yanzhou is, his sister must be uneducated too.]
[Why are they driving for so long?! Are they taking a detour on purpose to hide where they live? What are they ashamed of? It’s not like they live in the Forbidden City, are they afraid we’ll find out they live in a run-down apartment?]
…
Amidst the heated debate in the comments, the car turned a corner.
The wheels rolled over a road as smooth as a mirror. On both sides were vast lawns, trimmed perfectly to look like green velvet, shimmering gently in the sunlight.
Huge hydrangea bushes bloomed like a painter’s palette, layers of blue, purple, pink, and white. Beneath elegant rose arches, precious varieties of flowers nodded gently in the breeze. Further away, tall, majestic trees stood beside crystal-clear pools, their reflections mirroring perfectly on the water’s surface.
Some viewers started to notice something was wrong.
[Wait, did the crew drive into a park?]
[Hmm, doesn’t look like a park… looks like someone’s private garden.]
[Don’t tell me they were driving around inside their own property this whole time?!]
The debate continued until the white van drove down the long driveway and stopped in front of a stunning modern mansion.
Sunlight streamed through the glass walls, casting sharp, clean shadows on the polished floors.
[OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. Do they actually live here?!]
[Hahaha, probably borrowed from some sugar daddy just to look rich for one day! Do they think netizens are stupid?]
[This location and size… it’s worth billions. You think you can just borrow a place like this?]
[It’s not just about money, you have to have the status too.]
[At this point, I don’t even care if the sister is pretty or not… I could never even dream of a place this luxurious!]
Just then, the heavy, designer dark wood doors slid open silently.
A middle-aged man in a suit walked out.
He moved with steady, quick steps, wearing a professional yet respectful smile. He walked directly towards the crew vehicle and said gently, “Thank you all for your hard work. The young master and miss are waiting inside.”
The camera crew, feeling slightly intimidated, followed him in.
In the shadow of the living area, Jiang Yanzhou was the first to stand up.
He was wearing a simple white silk shirt, the sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing his sharp wrist bones. Although it was just comfortable homewear, he managed to look effortlessly regal and expensive.
The moment he raised his hand to greet the staff, the camera panned accidentally to the other side of the sofa.
A woman was sitting sideways on a velvet armchair reading a book. Sunlight fell perfectly on her long lashes, gilding them with a soft golden edge.
Hearing the noise, she closed the book and looked up, revealing a face that was elegant, cool, and gentle all at once.
The live chat suddenly went completely silent.