Chapter 17 – Neighboring Big Sister (Part 7)

Wen Ye knew he didn’t have anorexia.

He just purely disliked the feeling of being full—because being full meant that after getting beaten by Chu Keyong, he might throw up on the floor.

It was humiliating.

And he had to clean it up himself.

They didn’t want the mop getting dirty, so they’d just toss him a rag and make him kneel on the floor to scrub it.

That was when he had just turned ten. Before that, although Wen Shulan didn’t dare openly go against Chu Keyong, she would secretly help him clean.
After that year, Wen Ye started growing taller, and Chu Keyong stopped daring to treat him like that.

But the trauma from that darkest year lingered, and he carried the habit with him ever since.

And he never tried to change it.

Sometimes, that slight burning sensation in his stomach from hunger made him feel more awake, like it was an anchor that kept him grounded in this world.

But now, things were different.

Wen Ye crouched by the roadside, watching a skinny, bony kitten lying motionless by the curb. It looked like it was starving. He asked the driver to buy a few sticks of pet sausage and then patiently fed the kitten bit by bit.

That used to be him, didn’t it?

But now… he had a home.

After feeding it, he reached out to pet the little orange cat’s head, only for it to back away and hiss at him.

Wen Ye narrowed his eyes, his fingers hovering mid-air. He watched as the orange cat warily retreated two steps, its tail puffed up into a fluffy ball.

He let out a breath of laughter, equal parts annoyed and amused. “Eat your fill and forget who fed you, huh?”

But he was in a good mood today, so he let it go. He instructed the driver to take the cat to get neutered and vaccinated, and then find someone to adopt it.
“If no one wants it, find a clean pet store to board it. Charge it to my account.”

The driver hesitated. “If the Old Master finds out… he might think you’re too soft-hearted.”

He had just finished speaking when the boy in front of him turned around. Those black eyes reflected the light, revealing the Qin family’s signature amber hue, with a mocking smile dancing in them: “Soft-hearted? Me?”

Driver: “……”

He suddenly remembered what kind of ruthless methods this boy had.
He’d worked for the Qin family for years and had never seen anyone quite this unhinged.

“…I spoke out of turn.”

Then he remembered this little maniac was currently pretending to be kicked out and temporarily staying at some poor woman’s house, putting on an innocent act.
He quietly lit a metaphorical candle for that poor girl.

Poor thing.

==

Wen Ye checked himself thoroughly before going upstairs and pushing open the door.

From next door at the Chu house, it sounded like an argument was going on—but he didn’t care.

A dogfight might be entertaining, but it meant nothing compared to going home.

…

Jiang Jiang wasn’t home.

Wen Ye blinked, then remembered to take out his phone and check it.

Jiang Taigong Fishing: Might be home a bit late today! Ran into a friend and chatted for a bit (՞ʕ̯•͡ˑ͓•̯᷅ʔ)
Jiang Taigong Fishing: You go ahead and eat or I can order takeout. Don’t go hungry.

Wen Ye thought for a moment and replied:
“No worries, I’m also working late today. Let’s eat together when you get back.”

He tried to force himself to chop vegetables and cook, to not think about what kind of friend she could’ve possibly run into in a remote little town like this.

…

After a while, he gave up.

What kind of friend, huh? Could they really be that important?
If they were that close, wouldn’t she just bring them home? He’d host them too.

But she didn’t eat with them.

So that means it wasn’t someone important.

Wen Ye calmly cut the meat into uniform little cubes. After finishing all the prep work, he wiped his hands and leaned against the kitchen doorway, seriously pondering something.

He messaged the driver from earlier:

[Get the cat fixed, vaccinated, and bring it to me.]

Wen Ye had long noticed that Jiang Jiang liked drawing cats and often watched short cat videos.
The old bastard had even dug up her medical records, which showed she wasn’t allergic to cat fur.

Back then, Wen Ye thought that old man was creepy as hell for doing that.
Now, though… it was kind of useful.

He had a good memory. Even though he’d only glanced at that report once, the information had stuck in his mind.

Fascinating, isn’t it?

Just a bunch of ordinary numbers—but once associated with Jiang Jiang, they felt unexpectedly meaningful.

His phone lit up again, interrupting his deepening thoughts.

Jiang Taigong Fishing: Alrighty! I’ll try to be home by seven. If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat—don’t hurt your stomach!
[Cute cat bowing.gif]

Wen Ye’s long fingers lightly touched the screen. He silently saved the adorable sticker and replied with a simple: “Okay.”

See? It wasn’t that important.

She still wanted to eat with him.

==

For Jiang Jiang, the afternoon had been a complete disaster.

The original body’s reason for coming to this small town wasn’t just for art references—

She was escaping a blind date.

Although the Jiang family wasn’t exactly top-tier in Haicheng, they were still fairly well-off.
Jiang’s parents only had one daughter—her.
But of all things, she studied art.

As they got older, they started worrying about her marriage. In their words:

“We’re not against you doing art, but the family line can’t end with you!”

So they began searching high and low for an ambitious young man willing to marry into the Jiang family.

With the Jiangs’ wealth and Jiang Jiang’s looks, of course tons of freeloaders came swarming in.

And guess what?

Even after fleeing here, she still “ran into” one of them.

It had taken all her acting skills to deal with her parents and analyze fifty different reasons why she and that guy weren’t compatible—only then was she finally allowed to go home.

She’d considered whether to tell Wen Ye.

But she felt like it wasn’t that big of a deal. It wasn’t even her fault—it was the original body who agreed to the date.

So, with a “not my responsibility” attitude, Jiang Jiang came home with zero guilt.

When she opened the door, a rich aroma of tomato-braised beef filled the air.
She sniffed, eyes lighting up: “Smells amazing!”

In the kitchen, Wen Ye had his back turned, busy cooking. When he heard her voice, he turned around with a gentle smile.
“You’re back? Perfect timing—dinner’s just ready.”

He was wearing a simple white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing defined forearms.
Under the warm yellow light, he looked impossibly gentle—not at all like the same person who’d just been cold-faced and brooding half an hour ago.

Jiang Jiang put down her bag and curiously peeked over the stove.
“Didn’t you say you had to work overtime today?”

“Got off early,” Wen Ye lied smoothly as he served her a bowl of soup.
“Try it—see if it needs more salt?”

His cooking had always been great—maybe even better than eating out—and it carried a comforting, homemade warmth that moved people more than fancy restaurant meals ever could.