Mingzhu City, Jingjiang District.
Inside a small villa, a gorgeous woman stretched her body, contorting into a variety of difficult poses in a form-fitting yoga outfit. Her hair was tied up, and though her makeup was light, her eyes held a foxy glimmer. A distinct beauty mark under the corner of her eye only added to her charm.
Jiangg Ruxue was already forty-five. Wrinkles had appeared at the corners of her eyes, and her skin could not resist the ravages of time, having grown slightly slack.
But she had always been meticulous about her upkeep.
Over the years, she had held herself to extremely high standards regarding her face and figure, to an almost pathological degree, and had spared no effort in maintaining them.
And while no amount of skincare could make her look like a truly young and beautiful woman, Jiangg Ruxue was still quite attractive once she put on her makeup.
A picture-perfect, sophisticated rich woman.
CLICK—
While she was doing yoga, there was a light knock on the door, and then a young woman walked in.
Her eyes and brow bore a slight resemblance to Jiangg Ruxue’s, but her aura was quite different. If Jiangg Ruxue’s presence was one of alluring temptation, then this young woman had the air of a well-bred lady.
To dare to enter directly after knocking was against the rules Jiangg Ruxue had set for the villa’s maids.
The visitor was undoubtedly someone extremely close to her.
It was Jiangg Ning herself.
"Mommy." After arriving, Jiangg Ning first offered a respectful greeting, then found a random spot to sit down.
"Have you been to your uncle’s place?"
"I have."
"How was that man surnamed Kong?"
Jiangg Ruxue spoke as she continued her yoga, her tone indifferent, so cold it was as if she weren’t speaking to her own daughter.
"Underwhelming. His personality is awful, and his intelligence seemed... lacking. I barely managed a few words with him before saying I was busy and coming back."
Jiangg Ning was putting it nicely.
In reality, the thirty-year-old man her uncle had introduced was not only ill-tempered but also hideously ugly, with a crooked mouth and shifty eyes. He spoke with a greasy air, as if he thought himself utterly charming.
"Idiots always flock together. Your uncle is blind enough to insist on introducing such low-class people. It’s good that you rejected him."
A sneer appeared on Jiangg Ruxue’s face. Even when speaking of her own younger brother, she made no effort to hide her contempt.
It was as if she had always been a cut above everyone else.
Her words dripped with a thick sense of superiority.
The first order of business on this trip back to Mingzhu City involved her uncle. He had a friend from a well-off family who had insisted on meeting Jiangg Ning. It was essentially a blind date. Since both parties were no longer young and their families were close, it had been impossible to refuse.
So, at her uncle’s urging, Jiangg Ning had agreed.
She had only planned to go through the motions.
But in the end, the man was so greasy that she couldn’t even finish going through the motions and had to make a hasty retreat.
Jiangg Ruxue, naturally, disapproved of the whole affair. If she was going to marry off her daughter, she already had a few well-vetted candidates in mind.
She would never let her marry some second-rate nobody.
"Mommy, did you call me here for something else?"
"Mhm," Jiangg Ruxue said, pointing to the table. "Your paternal grandmother’s family is holding an important banquet. You’re invited, but the invitation was sent to me."
As she spoke, she turned her head and gave Jiangg Ning a brilliant smile.
For a moment, her refined features combined with the unique charm of a mature woman were surprisingly captivating.
"That old hag, she did this on purpose. Her son is dead, and she still holds a grudge against me... She really should have died along with him."
Even though these were vicious words coming from her own mother’s mouth, Jiangg Ning had experienced this countless times.
Still, she couldn’t help but frown slightly.
’How disgusting.’
But Jiangg Ruxue, completely oblivious to how inappropriate her words were, continued, "I’ve seen the invitation. Your cousin is getting married. I’ve prepared a gift for you. Go tomorrow."
’So that’s what this is about!’
Jiangg Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
She had thought her mother, in her frantic rush to get her on a plane back home, was about to stir up some new trouble.
Since it was just a normal happy occasion, there was no need to worry too much.
"I’m going to go rest now, Mommy. I’ll let you get back to it."
"Alright... Oh, right. I heard that Jiang Zhengfeng, the chairman of Shengda, will be there, along with a few other important figures. I want you to make contact with them for me, leave an impression."
"Jiang Zhengfeng?"
Jiangg Ning nodded first. As she closed the door and left the room, she silently repeated the name to herself.
’Why does that name sound a little familiar?’
’I think he’s a pretty famous entrepreneur.’
...
「In the blink of an eye, night had fallen.」
Jiangg Ning had a simple dinner by herself and returned to her bedroom.
The two maids at home had actually been delighted to see her return, probably because dealing with Jiangg Ruxue all day was too stressful.
They chatted and laughed for a bit, and the maids even asked her about her life in Lanjing.
They even asked with concern how Jiangg Yao was doing now.
Back in her bedroom, Jiangg Ning looked around, feeling a little dazed.
Everything in this room was so familiar. In the past two years, she had hardly returned, and the one time she did, it was just for a hasty farewell at the airport, without even coming home.
The room was spotlessly clean. There were a few scratches on the doorframe, and on the bay window seat to one side, a blanket she loved was spread out, along with a teddy bear from Christmas and two pillows.
Jiangg Ning was dazed for a moment, then walked over and sat on the edge of the window seat.
She could still remember it now. Many times, after being punished, Jiangg Yao liked to hide right here in the bay window, crying as she gazed outside. Jiangg Ning could only comfort her in a low voice and press the little bear into her arms.
The two sisters had loved sleeping together since they were little, even though the house had plenty of rooms.
But whenever they were separated, it wasn’t just Jiangg Yao who was scared; she was, too.
The small villa was quite empty, and with the constant rustling of the wind and grass downstairs, any little RUSTLE RUSTLE was enough to make a naive child tremble for a good while.
Even after moving to Lanjing, they still shared one bed and two pillows.
Before, they used to whisper to each other for ages every night before bed. Tucked under the covers, Jiangg Yao would cling to her, wrapping her arms around her neck, talking about what she would do when she grew up and how she would never, ever leave her big sister.
She would talk and talk until she grew tired and fell asleep.
During the period when Jiangg Yao was withdrawn, Jiangg Ning had to talk a lot with her sister after coming home from school, or else Jiangg Yao, who had been holding it in all day, would be unhappy.
This habit has continued to this day.
Jiangg Ning suddenly wondered, ’Is my sister sleeping all by herself tonight? She won’t be scared, will she?’
’She won’t be lonely, will she?’
A faint worry began to creep in.
But what she didn’t know was...
「Far away in Lanjing.」
「In apartment 1302, across the hall from their home...」
Night had already fallen, the sky outside dotted with stars. Not only was Jiangg Yao not the least bit scared, she was grinning from ear to ear.
She had taken off her shoes and was on the bed, tugging at Chen Yuan’s shirt and giggling, "Let me see, let me see!"
"Absolutely not."
"I’ve never seen a boy’s nipples before. Let me have a look."
"Are you a pervert?"
Lonely my ass! Jiangg Yao was having way too much fun to even think about home.