Chapter 21

Jiang Muti had never seen such a well-disguised idiot before.

Seriously, from the very first day they met, this guy had exuded an inexplicable aura of authority.

Compared to his peers, he felt more like someone in a position of power—like Jiang Yunjuan, who had already gained some control over the family.

Although he lacked the depth of experience that came with time, Ji Feishi had an innate sense of nobility.

It was a kind of composure that came from a solid foundation—something that a newly established family like the Jiangs still fell short of.

Even Zhou Lu, another heir of the same age, seemed reckless in comparison. No wonder people found him annoying.

Jiang Muti never said it out loud, but deep down, she was intrigued by Ji Feishi and somewhat drawn to him.

But who would have thought—

Sure enough, anyone who could get along so well with Yun Cheng had to be like this!

Wait, doesn’t that mean she’s just as much of an idiot? The infectious power of the “Husky virus” was truly terrifying.

While she was lost in thought, the other party had already moved on.

Ji Feishi said, “Weren’t we going to tour the school? Let’s go, I’ll show you around.”

Jiang Muti didn’t react yet, but Yun Cheng was dumbfounded. He stopped joking around with his sister and turned to Ji Feishi in confusion.

“Wait, you rarely take the initiative to help out, so I shouldn’t say anything to ruin the mood, but… what does this have to do with you?”

He had been pestering Jiang Muti to come because she had never visited his school before. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now that it was actually happening, he suddenly felt a little aggrieved and regretful.

So before his match today, he had been looking forward to showing the two girls around—and maybe flaunting their beauty a little.

But after all that anticipation, Ji Feishi just swooped in and took over. Normally, he wouldn’t mind, but why did this guy have such terrible social awareness today?

Yet Ji Feishi’s response was so natural that Yun Cheng started wondering if he was just being petty.

Ji Feishi said casually, “You can come too. I never said I wouldn’t take you along.”

“Oh, okay then!” Yun Cheng thought about it. It was still just the three of them—just with Ji Feishi added.

But something still felt off…

Of course, the slow-witted husky wasn’t quick enough to realize that he, the host, had just been demoted to an extra.

It wasn’t until much later, after they returned, that he slapped his thigh in frustration and cursed.

How could that guy be so shameless? What was he trying to prove in front of their girls? It’s not like there was anything in it for him!

But that was a problem for later. For now, it didn’t matter.

Yun Cheng’s school was one of the top institutions in the city. When he chose to attend this school instead of enrolling in the same one as his sister, it was because this school placed greater emphasis on nurturing artistic talents. It also had access to many professional resources, unlike other key schools that primarily focused on academic subjects.

As a result, compared to Jiang Muti’s school, the extracurricular scene here was much more vibrant, with many high-achieving clubs that frequently won awards.

The campus itself wasn’t particularly remarkable—sports courts, academic buildings, tree-lined paths, and an atmosphere brimming with youthful energy.

Jiang Muti wasn’t very interested in any of this. Although they were supposed to be touring the school, she was more focused on chatting with the others along the way.

As they walked and talked, they passed by the music room, where the sound of a beautifully played piano piece drifted out.

Jiang Muti didn’t have much musical talent. When she was a child, most of the kids around her were forced to learn instruments like the piano or violin, and she had been dragged into it as well.

But since her parents couldn’t bring themselves to discipline her, she practiced inconsistently, making little progress despite learning for several years. Eventually, she gave up entirely, and whatever little she had learned was promptly forgotten.

Nowadays, her appreciation for music was limited to enjoying mainstream pop songs.

Still, even with her untrained ear, she could tell that whoever was playing inside was exceptionally skilled, with remarkable control—definitely not just an amateur.

Ji Feishi, noticing how intently she was listening, explained, “That’s the vocal music club. They have an upcoming competition, so they’ve been practicing a lot.”

They really were dedicated. The basketball game between the two schools had taken place after classes, factoring in the time spent traveling there, the match itself, and the commotion that followed. They had also wandered around the campus for quite a while.

Now, the sun was already setting, yet club activities were still ongoing. No wonder this school won so many awards every year—it clearly wasn’t by chance.

Just then, the piece inside came to an end, and their group happened to arrive at the practice room’s entrance. From outside, they could clearly see the pianist.

It was a girl with long, flowing hair, exuding an elegant and serene aura. She was strikingly beautiful, though not in the bold, and sharp way that Jiang Muti was. Instead, she had a delicate, almost ethereal quality that naturally endeared her to others.

At this moment, she also noticed them. Her previously calm expression brightened with unmistakable joy when she saw who was at the door.

She rose from the piano bench and lightly ran over to them with graceful, playful movements—like a princess straight out of a Disney movie.

“Ji Feishi, Yun Cheng, you’re still here?” Her voice was soft and melodic.

Yun Cheng was the first to respond, pulling Yun Duo close. “Nope, just showing them around. You’re still practicing?”

“It’s for the competition!” The girl smiled, then turned her gaze toward Yun Duo. “This must be your sister? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“This is Yun Duo. Duo’er, this is Yu Wei, my classmate,” Yun Cheng replied casually.

Classic straight-guy thinking—made worse by his husky tendencies. Never expect him to pick up on any underlying intentions.

From the moment she had stepped out, Yu Wei’s attention had been more on Jiang Muti, who was standing next to Ji Feishi. She had originally hoped to fish for some details through Yun Cheng.

But when she asked for an introduction, all she got was exactly that—straight to the point, nothing extra.

Fortunately, Yu Wei seemed to have anticipated his obliviousness. She didn’t look too disappointed and instead smoothly greeted Yun Duo to keep things polite.

Only then did she turn back to Ji Feishi and ask, “And this beautiful lady is—?”

Jiang Muti felt that just from observing the girl’s behavior in this short time, it was clear she was intelligent and emotionally perceptive.

However, Jiang Muti hadn’t missed the faint trace of vigilance in the girl’s eyes when she first saw her.

Jiang Muti had a bit of a mischievous streak. She knew full well that the other party saw her as an unknown potential rival and was eager to gather some information about her.

Yet, when she heard the girl’s question, she didn’t take the opportunity to introduce herself. Instead, she simply pressed her lips together, gave a slight smile, and nodded—without saying a word.

To be fair, the girl’s composure was impressive. Jiang Muti guessed that her background was far from ordinary, considering she didn’t show the slightest hint of awkwardness.

Seeing that Jiang Muti wasn’t responding, the girl was perceptive enough not to press further. Instead, she smoothly changed the subject to ease the situation.

Since she still had to practice, she could only exchange a few quick words with Ji Feishi.

“Are you coming to next month’s concert?”

“We’ll see, not sure if I’ll have time,” Ji Feishi replied.

“You have to come! I even have a solo performance in the middle.” Yu Wei made a proactive effort to persuade him.

Ji Feishi nodded. “If I have time, I’ll definitely come.”

Not getting the reaction or response she wanted, Yu Wei seemed a little disappointed. But when a club member inside called for her, she simply waved and returned to the practice room.

Yun Cheng, on the other hand, was curious. “What concert?”

Ji Feishi casually mentioned a name, but Yun Cheng didn’t understand—it went right over his head.

Yun Duo, however, had learned piano and paid attention to this kind of thing. She was shocked. “Really? That’s amazing!”

Seeing that her brother and Jiang Muti didn’t get it, she explained. It was a top-tier national touring concert, featuring only the most renowned musicians in the industry.

Just getting a supporting role in it was already rare—let alone a solo. Obviously, that girl’s skill level couldn’t be measured by ordinary university standards.

Jiang Muti was impressed. A true musical prodigy! That was incredible.

She glanced at Ji Feishi and, seeing how indifferent he looked, couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not the least bit impressed?”

Ji Feishi gave her a puzzled look. “Why would I be?”

“When you see such incredible talent, don’t you feel the urge to give some praise?”

Ji Feishi looked at her like she was an idiot. “As long as I admire it in my heart, why do I have to say it out loud? Why act like Yun Cheng, making a big fuss over everything? That’s just stupid.”

Wait a second—so he wouldn’t praise a musical genius, but every time she got into a verbal fight, he was the first one to jump in and go ‘Nice, nice, nice’—

Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but the point stood.

Even with Jiang Muti’s confidence, she had enough self-awareness to realize how ridiculous that was. Compared to an actual prodigy, any compliments from this guy suddenly felt kind of embarrassing.

She let out two dry laughs. “Actually, you shouldn’t think you can completely crush Yun Cheng in terms of IQ. In my opinion, sometimes you two are about the same.”

Ji Feishi choked on his words, not understanding how he had suddenly been looked down upon.

Yun Cheng, who had originally been ready to settle accounts with him, instead burst into wild laughter. “Hahaha… Don’t you know we’ve got each other’s backs? Who are you badmouthing me in front of? Serves you right!”

Ji Feishi turned his head away, not wanting to see Yun Cheng’s wide grin and shining white teeth. Idiot.

It’s not like he was jealous.

After confirming that she held some special significance in Ji Feishi’s mind, Jiang Muti had to admit—her vanity got another boost.

After all, facing someone so outstanding and dazzling, if her heart didn’t waver even a little, she wouldn’t be a woman.

But while Jiang Muti could be smug, no matter how arrogant and full of herself she was, she did have one redeeming quality—

She knew how to read the room!

In her past life, she had managed to hold onto her family’s assets and live well despite the ^[1]“Wolves lurking around her” is a metaphor that means there were people around her who were waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of her, harm her, or steal what she had. It implies … Continue readingwolves lurking around her. Even if she looked shallow on the surface, she couldn’t be judged as just another naive girl who hadn’t faced reality.

Not to mention, having died once, she had learned a thing or two. Even Ji Feishi himself wouldn’t be able to toy with her like treating her as just another backup admirer.

Someone like him—if he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t provoke her for no reason.

So Jiang Muti let herself bask in the moment, enjoyed the quiet satisfaction, and left it at that.

—

The weekend was the day to return to their hometown for ancestral rites. Early in the morning, Jiang Muti changed into a pair of jeans and sneakers for easy movement.

Their hometown, though technically within the city, was still quite remote. It had only seen some development in recent years and was located in the mountains.

The journey back required driving a long way through winding mountain roads, passing a tourist attraction. Eventually, the car could only go as far as the village outskirts, and from there, they had to walk up a mountain path to reach their elders’ graves.

Sure enough, when Jiang Muti came downstairs, she saw her older brother had also changed into more convenient clothes—black pants and a dark gray knit sweater, a softer look compared to his usual suit-and-tie, professional image.

She pounced onto his back with excitement. “Ah! My brother is so handsome! Whatever style you wear, that’s the style of handsomeness you have!”

Jiang Yunjuan had originally been feeling a bit heavy-hearted, but seeing his sister act so silly and affectionate first thing in the morning warmed his heart.

Going along with her, he simply carried her on his back, walking outside as he laughed. “You can compliment me all you want, just don’t go around flattering other bratty boys.”

Then, he earnestly reminded her, “Boys your age—give them an inch, and they’ll think they own the sky. My sister is so pretty, they’ll all get delusions of grandeur.”

Jiang Muti wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, laughing so hard she almost lost her breath. “Hahaha… Bro, you really know your stuff!”

Of course, she knew some fools would take a single smile and spin it into a whole fantasy, but she never expected her cold, and aloof older brother to be so down-to-earth about it.

The two siblings were happily chatting when they ran into Yun Cheng and Yun Duo. The two had just finished their morning run and were drenched in sweat.

Seeing Jiang Muti and Jiang Yunjuan like that, Yun Cheng was immediately envious. He took a step forward and squatted slightly. “Sis, hop on, I’ll carry you too.”

Yun Duo scoffed. “Carry my foot. You’re covered in sweat. Don’t you feel gross?”

Yun Cheng immediately lost interest in her and grumbled, “Fine, you always look down on me. Next time, even if you beg, I won’t carry you. I’ll carry Muti instead.”

Yun Duo immediately called out to the siblings. “Hey, Muti, my brother says he wants to carry you.”

The two siblings turned around in unison. Jiang Muti took one look at Yun Cheng’s sweat-soaked shirt and the beads of sweat clinging to his hair.

She scrunched her nose. “No way, I just took a shower.”

Yun Cheng was indignant. What was with everyone today? Why was he getting rejected left and right?

But before he could say anything, he caught a glimpse of Brother Yun’s gaze—sharp as a knife. A chill ran down his spine, and his survival instincts immediately kicked in, crushing the dumb husky energy in him.

That look was easy to understand—

Who do you think you’re trying to snatch off my back, right in front of me?

Yun Cheng waved his hands in denial. Nope, not doing this. It was getting late anyway, they had to leave soon, or he’d really be in trouble.

—

They got in the car and drove out of the city, onto the mountain roads. After more than half an hour, they finally arrived at their old village.

But the village was nearly empty now. Those who wanted a better life had long since moved away, and only during ^[2]Qingming (清明) is the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese holiday that falls around April 4th or 5th each year. It is a day for honoring ancestors by visiting … Continue readingQingming or the New Year would a few people return to pay respects to their ancestors.

The original owner of this body had rarely come back. From childhood to adulthood, she had only been here twice, both times with her parents.

Because the Jiang family was now wealthy, their ancestors’ graves had been renovated. Compared to the surrounding ones, they stood out quite a bit.

After paying respects to their great-grandfather and grandparents, the siblings moved to another set of graves—those of her uncle and aunt, Jiang Yunjuan’s parents.

Jiang Yunjuan carefully placed the flowers and the personal items he had prepared for them. After the rituals, he simply stood in front of the tombstones, staring at his parents’ photos in silence.

Jiang Muti followed his actions and finished her prayers as well. This time, she didn’t try to lighten the mood like she would at home.

From the moment they arrived at his parents’ graves, her brother’s entire aura had shifted—calm, yet carrying an indescribable weight of sorrow and loneliness. It wasn’t something she could disrupt.

Her eyes stung, and her nose felt tight. The grief and solitude she had felt for so long after losing her parents in her past life now overlapped with her brother’s silhouette.

Jiang Muti blinked furiously, forcing back the tears welling up in her eyes—only to feel a hand land on her head.

She looked up and saw her brother ruffling her hair, the corners of his lips slightly curved. “Don’t be sad, okay? You don’t have to try to understand how I feel right now.”

Then, he pulled her into a hug. “You’re my only family now. You have to live well.”

Jiang Muti could no longer hold it in.

How lucky was she, to be given a second chance at having a family?

She was used to putting on a brave front and didn’t like showing weakness or embarrassment. She didn’t cry out loud, only silently wiped her tears on her brother’s clothes.

At this moment, Jiang Muti was immersed in the intense conflict between sorrow and joy, completely unaware of the deeper meaning behind her brother’s words.

After all, she had both parents alive, so how could she be his only family? This was something Jiang Muti had overlooked.

—

After finishing the ancestral rites, the siblings descended the mountain and got into the car.

Jiang Muti asked her brother, “Why not move our family’s graves to the city?”

Jiang Yunjuan smiled. “You weren’t born yet, so you wouldn’t know. My parents loved this place. No matter how busy they were, they would bring me back here every year to stay for a while. Compared to the city, they probably preferred to rest here forever.”

Then, Jiang Yunjuan told her bits and pieces about their elders. Their great-grandfather’s family had once been a wealthy household in the provincial capital, but during a time of turmoil, they suffered a great disaster.

In the end, only their great-grandfather managed to escape with their grandfather, fleeing to this small mountain village where they settled and rebuilt their lives. Later, each had a son—his father and hers.

So, although they were technically cousins, they were the only remaining bloodline of the family. Having struggled to integrate into an unfamiliar place, their bond had long since become as deep as that of real brothers.

After the domestic situation stabilized somewhat, their fathers ventured out to make a living. Their eventual success was due to both opportunity and ability, but the most crucial initial capital had come from the valuables their great-grandfather had managed to bring out back then.

Jiang Muti had never known that her family’s rise had such a history. She was listening to her brother’s story with great interest when the sudden force of an emergency brake interrupted her.

Both siblings lurched forward slightly from the inertia. Jiang Yunjuan reacted quickly, reaching out to shield his sister from hitting her head, though he didn’t have time to protect himself.

Fortunately, the driver was steady, and they weren’t actually thrown forward.

“What happened?” Jiang Yunjuan frowned.

The driver sighed helplessly. “Young Master, I think… we’ve run into a scammer pretending to get hit by a car.”

Jiang Muti looked ahead and sure enough, there was a scruffy-looking middle-aged man lying on the ground in front of their car, clutching his leg and wailing.

Calling him an old man was a stretch—he wasn’t even fifty.

Jiang Muti didn’t believe for a second that their car had actually hit him. Not to mention the fact that her brother’s chauffeur was undoubtedly among the best, the narrow, winding mountain roads meant they weren’t even driving much faster than a jog. The idea that they could hit someone at this speed was laughable.

She recalled seeing online discussions about scammers frequently targeting cars near tourist spots like this one.

With such a narrow road, if someone shamelessly threw themselves onto the ground in front of the car, you couldn’t just drive over them. And since they usually only demanded small amounts—just a hundred or so—most people would just pay up to avoid trouble.

That was exactly how these scammers operated.

The driver got out of the car, and as soon as the man saw him approach, he immediately tried to grab his leg. However, the driver nimbly dodged.

“Owww, my leg is broken! Pay up! You’re not leaving unless you compensate me!”

The driver had seen plenty of such tricks before. Money wasn’t an issue, but he didn’t want to waste the Young Master’s time or argue with a scoundrel. So, he simply pulled out his wallet and tossed a few hundred yuan at the man.

Better to leave first—once they were down the mountain, he could call the local authorities to deal with this scammer. Someone would surely take care of it.

However, seeing how easily he got the money, the man got greedy. Business had probably been slow since it wasn’t peak tourist season, so he decided to push for more.

After scooping up the cash, he still blocked the road. “A broken leg? A few hundred yuan isn’t enough! At least two thousand!”

The driver wasn’t easily intimidated. After all, anyone qualified to serve the Young Master wouldn’t be rattled by a petty swindler.

He sneered, cracking his knuckles. “Oh? A broken leg, huh? Fine, let’s go with that price.”

The scammer hesitated. This guy clearly wasn’t someone to mess with. There were no other cars or people around, and if they really clashed, he’d probably come out worse. But he also didn’t want to let go of such an easy target.

Thinking that this was a law-abiding society, he figured he could just bluff his way through.

Just then, the car’s rear window rolled down, and a girl’s head poked out.

She sounded impatient as she lazily drawled, “How much longer? Why are you still wasting time on him? There’s no one around—just toss him off the cliff and be done with it.”

The scammer stiffened in shock. That cliff was dozens of meters high!