Chapter 24

If this had happened outside, Jiang Yunjuan would have kicked the person away without a second thought.

But now, he at least remembered this was his home, and anyone who could come in couldn’t possibly be insignificant. The more he looked at this brat, the more familiar he seemed.

Before he could figure it out, he saw his sister casually take out her phone, and right in front of him, the two of them not only exchanged phone numbers but also added each other on social media.

This was the first time Jiang Yunjuan had been ignored by his sister for so long after returning. Finally, he cleared his throat in impatience.

Jiang Muti looked up and saw her brother had returned. Not bothering with anything else, she smiled brightly and went over to greet him, casually taking the suit jacket hanging from his arm.

She was so considerate that she rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a small box. Opening it, she found a pair of small, beautiful blue diamond studs.

Jiang Muti happily accepted them. Recently, because of the incident where Jiang Yunjuan had intentionally teased her and made her angry, she had been ignoring him when he came home, and the usual dinner treats had been cut off.

Regretting it, he had been bringing her small gifts every day, hoping to make up for it. The value of the gifts varied, depending on his mood.

Sometimes it was a few pieces of candy, sometimes some interesting little trinkets. Today, he had picked them up while inspecting a newly opened shopping mall in the new city with the management team.

The value wasn’t extraordinary, certainly not comparable to the family’s private collections or brand exclusives. However, he thought his sister would look good wearing them, so he bought them on a whim.

As expected, Jiang Muti’s eyes brightened, and she hooked her arm around her brother’s, saying, “Alright, you don’t have to rack your brain to bring me something every day. I’m not mad anymore. I made your favorite today, with Xiao Duo’s help.”

Jiang Yunjuan immediately felt lighter and seemed quite pleased.

Meanwhile, Ji Feishi, who had been holding his phone and entering half of his linked accounts, didn’t know whether to put it down or leave it as it was.

In his life experience, it was rare for him to face this kind of situation. Being completely forgotten after turning around—wasn’t this the kind of awkwardness only those with no presence would experience?

But at least this guy hadn’t forgotten him after getting cozy with his brother. He pulled him aside to make introductions.

“Brother! This is Ji Feishi, Yun Cheng’s teammate. We’ve asked him for help before.”

Then she turned to Ji Feishi and said, “This is my brother, Jiang Yunjuan. I don’t know if you two know each other.”

“Of course!” Ji Feishi smiled and extended his hand. “Mr. Jiang, I’ve heard so much about you. Your bid for the new district development plan was absolutely brilliant.”

Jiang Yunjuan then remembered who he was. Although the new district project wasn’t his most famous work, it was definitely one of his top three projects over the years.

He had also met Ji Feishi at a celebration after the successful bidding, where all kinds of industry leaders were present. Jiang Yunjuan had a deep impression of Ji Feishi, the heir of the Ji family, who had only recently returned to the social scene.

In fact, just his identity alone made people pay special attention—after all, it was the Ji family.

Moreover, his qualifications and demeanor made people expect great things when he finally stepped into the field.

But at that moment, in Jiang Yunjuan’s eyes, all the shine around Ji Feishi disappeared, and he was just a brat asking his sister for her phone number.

So, he politely shook Ji Feishi’s hand. “It’s mutual. I heard from Mr. Ji at the last tea party that you were involved in the Ji family’s early development project this year. Truly impressive for someone so young.”

Then he added, “I didn’t expect you to be a friend of Ah Cheng’s. This guy has caused you some trouble, huh?”

He kept the relationship focused only on Yun Cheng and deliberately avoided mentioning his sister at all.

Ji Feishi raised an eyebrow, realizing that this big brother of the Jiang family was quite wary of those around his sister.

But fortunately, he wasn’t one of them, so he just smiled it off, thinking with no particular awareness.

Not long after the small talk, Jiang Muti invited everyone into the dining room.

Since it was rare for her to cook herself, she went all out and made several of her signature dishes, even baking some small desserts on the side.

As she occasionally pondered, Jiang Muti, who hadn’t been able to cook at all in her previous life, had now mastered the skills of the original owner and was becoming quite proficient in the kitchen.

If it weren’t for her personality being so unlike that of a refined lady, she could easily pull off the elegant “gentle and virtuous young lady” persona.

There were three more people at the dinner table. Jiang Yunjuan still sat opposite Jiang Muti, with Yun Duo sitting next to him. On the other side, Jiang Muti, Ji Feishi, and Yun Cheng took their seats in turn.

Because there was a guest sitting next to her, Jiang Muti inevitably had to take extra care, since she couldn’t exactly rely on Yun Cheng, the idiot.

At this moment, Yun Cheng was happily eating the lion’s head (meatballs) she had specially made for him, while her sister was serving him soup.

However, it had to be said that eating with this fool really did open up one’s appetite. Just watching him eat so happily and efficiently made the food seem even more delicious.

Jiang Muti joked with Ji Feishi, “Do you often eat with him at school? When you don’t have an appetite, this guy is more effective than an appetizer, isn’t he?”

Ji Feishi smiled and replied, “Not only that, I can have him test for poison first. He’s pretty useful in many ways.”

Yun Cheng stiffened and turned to glare at his friend. “Hey! Is that the reason you always bring me stuff to eat?”

No, it was probably just daily feeding for the dog.

Jiang Muti held back her laughter and picked up a large piece of pork rib for him, distracting him so he only focused on his bowl.

She then turned around and saw Ji Feishi gently push his bowl forward. Seeing that he wanted some, she didn’t think much of it and gave him a piece too.

After serving it, she realized the dish was closer to him than herself. Thinking she had misinterpreted the situation, Jiang Muti looked up just in time to see Ji Feishi happily take the bowl back.

It wasn’t over yet—her brother then moved the dish closer to Ji Feishi again.

He also instructed her, “Muti, don’t just blindly serve food to guests. If they have preferences, you might be being rude, do you understand?”

Then he turned to Ji Feishi and said, “Sorry, my sister doesn’t know the proper manners. Please feel free to help yourself.”

Jiang Yunjuan didn’t enjoy the meal at all. He had thought that he had finally made peace with his sister and the usual dinner benefits would come back, only for this clueless guy to show up as a guest.

At the table, everyone was talking and laughing, completely forgetting about him. They were all focused on taking care of Yun Cheng, who was completely oblivious to everything.

Ji Feishi clearly noticed the subtle tension, but he wasn’t one to be easily embarrassed.

He smiled and said, “It’s fine. Actually, I’m glad she’s not so formal with me while dining. I really enjoy when someone arranges the food for me.”

Jiang Yunjuan was caught off guard. He didn’t expect this brat to be so shameless.

Meanwhile, Yun Cheng, having heard Ji Feishi’s words, looked up and immediately began enthusiastically serving him food, “You should have said so earlier. You made it seem like I wasn’t taking care of you! Eat, and if it’s not enough, I’ll get more for you.”

Ji Feishi stared at his bowl, suddenly feeling an urge to shove the whole thing into that idiot’s mouth.

Jiang Yunjuan directly addressed the servant in the hall, saying, “Prepare a lunch box for Ah Cheng tomorrow, with two chicken legs in it.”

Yun Cheng’s eyes lit up as he looked up, “Why is there suddenly such a good thing? Never mind, thanks, Brother Yun!”

Ha! A good thing, huh? Well, he might as well eat now and be ready to handle tomorrow’s double training load. Ji Feishi thought indifferently.

The brief exchange ended, and after a while, Ji Feishi suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, next week is my birthday,” he said to Jiang Muti, his expression a bit formal, though with an unmistakable hint of anticipation.

Jiang Muti nodded. After losing weight, she was planning to slowly return to the social scene, though there didn’t seem to be many events worth attending lately.

However, Ji Feishi’s celebration was definitely up to standard, so she said, “Alright, I’ll prepare a gift for you then.”

But Ji Feishi’s thoughts didn’t stop there. He continued, “Actually, the birthday party will have too many people, and it’ll be more of a social event, so it won’t really feel like celebrating my birthday.”

“So I’m thinking of picking a time to gather with just a few close friends. Will you come?”

Jiang Muti thought to herself, aren’t we still quite distant from being close? But she replied, “If Yun Cheng goes, I’ll go.”

Ji Feishi looked at Yun Cheng, who was eating with a silly expression, and never imagined that one day Yun Cheng would become an addition to his plans.

But he still said, “Definitely, you three should come.”

At this moment, he didn’t even realize that, due to his prideful nature, he would never go out of his way to accommodate others. If anyone hesitated even a little, he would immediately back off.

Yet, here he was, making all the effort to meet the conditions, and feeling extremely happy when the other person reluctantly agreed.

But Jiang Yunjuan, at this point, was clearly displeased.

This brat wasn’t done yet, still trying to make private plans with his sister right in front of him?

At least it included Yun Cheng and the others, and since he felt he had just gotten his sister to calm down and didn’t want to make her angry again, he held his tongue.

But in his heart, he had already decided to have another talk with his sister about what kind of boys her age were like.

After dinner, Jiang Yunjuan went to his study, and the younger ones played for a while longer.

They even formally introduced Ji Feishi to Yun Cheng’s two younger dogs. When Ji Feishi saw the ^[1]Great Dane is a large and noble dog breed known for its towering height, muscular build, and gentle temperament. Despite their massive size, Great Danes are often called “gentle giants” … Continue readingGreat Dane, usually known for its elegance and nobility, being transformed by Yun Cheng into a Husky, he couldn’t help but respect Yun Cheng, no matter what.

When Ji Feishi was about to leave, they escorted him to the gate and watched as he got into the car.

Jiang Muti even specially picked some of the freshly baked little pastries to pack up and handed them to him, saying, “Here, for everyone. Take it back and have it as a late-night snack.”

Ji Feishi was momentarily stunned. It wasn’t the first time he had received such gestures from girls, since he was young, girls had often shyly presented their feelings to him, packaged neatly and expectantly.

He had grown used to rejecting them, never dragging things out.

But this time, despite the similar packaging and theme, it didn’t carry the same meaning as before. For a brief moment, he couldn’t stop himself from associating it with something else.

It was as if it contained a feeling that made his heart leap, causing his heartbeat to race uncontrollably as he accepted the gift.

“Ah, um! Thank you.” He said, feeling a strange warmth on his face.

At this moment, Yun Cheng suddenly said, “Why are you blushing, bro? Is it hot? Get in the car, let’s turn on the air conditioning to cool down.”

He was holding a small bag of cookies, munching away happily: “Don’t say, these are really good, way better than the ones outside. You should try them when you get back.”

Ji Feishi looked at the sweet treats that came from only one person, and his previously excited mood felt like it was doused with a bucket of cold water.

He glared at Yun Cheng in frustration, then got into the car and drove off.

Yun Cheng, puzzled, said, “What did I do to piss him off this time? He’s really been unpredictable lately.”

As he spoke, he put his arms around Jiang Muti and Yun Duo and, as they walked inside, continued complaining, “A few days ago, he actually said I’m useless, that you guys never come to school to hang out with me except for the competitions.”

“Isn’t that weird? We see each other every day at home, what’s the point of seeing each other at school?”

The three of them continued chatting as they entered the house.

Jiang Muti, having received earrings as a gift, thought it would be a good opportunity to get her ears pierced.

The original owner had a simple personality and, due to being overweight, didn’t have much interest in fashion or getting piercings.

This wasn’t uncommon for an average high school girl, but for girls in their social circle, it was rather rare.

After all, attending social events often required dressing up, and the jewelry worn by socialites also showcased heritage and collections.

However, instead of consulting the family doctor, Jiang Muti had someone bring over an ear-piercing gun, and the three of them secretly hid in the room to do it. It surprisingly gave them a sense of excitement, as if they were doing something wrong.

Afraid of getting it crooked, they repeatedly confirmed the position before piercing. It was a bit painful, but not unbearable.

She also pierced Yun Duo’s ears. Yun Duo had a pretty face with a delicate oval shape, so any dangling earrings would look good on her.

Yun Cheng, who had originally been just curious, saw both of them doing it and got a little envious.

“Come on, do one for me too.” He said, sticking his dog-like head over.

Jiang Muti mischievously smiled, “I don’t mind, but aren’t you worried your dad will hit you when you get home?”

“What’s there to worry about? He’ll just hit me a couple of times. I’ve already done it, so can he really take the earrings out and throw them away?”

Jiang Muti and Yun Duo exchanged a glance, wondering if he seriously thought his dad wouldn’t do that.

Since he was so eager, Jiang Muti went ahead and did it for him.

She disinfected the earlobe, then opened the disposable piercing gun again. Since she had already done it twice on Yun Duo and had practiced with other tools many times, she was now skilled and quickly pierced his ear.

She then asked, looking at Yun Cheng, who was admiring himself in the mirror, “Should I pierce both ears or just one?”

“Just one will do.”

Jiang Muti shrugged, put the tools down, and then went to the wardrobe to grab two boxes.

Since the original owner didn’t usually care much for fashion and she had only been here for a short time, the wardrobe wasn’t very large.

As for jewelry, besides the ones her parents and brother had given her over the years, she had only bought cheap jewelry with friends.

So, truth be told, she didn’t have much jewelry at the moment—just enough to fill one drawer. The special jewelry cabinet had yet to be put to use.

Jiang Muti threw away the cheap jewelry, neatly gathering the remaining items. She herself liked jewelry, so she would collect more over time.

She handed one box to Yun Cheng and the other to Yun Duo. Both opened the boxes and found two pairs of diamond studs inside.

They weren’t particularly special, but the size and clarity of the diamonds were impressive.

The siblings were shocked and quickly refused, but Jiang Muti insisted, pushing them into their hands. “Take them. They’re not really special, I don’t even remember how these ended up in the drawer.”

Since they weren’t from Father Jiang, Mother Jiang, or her brother, they must have been ordinary diamonds she’d bought occasionally in the past.

She added, “I pierced both your ears, and these are only about one carat each. They were meant to be worn for fun.”

In fact, in terms of value, they weren’t even worth as much as any of the high-end fashion pieces Jiang Yunjuan had added to her wardrobe this season.

Considering the Yun family’s financial situation, it wasn’t that they couldn’t afford them, but the siblings had no choice but to accept them.

Yun Cheng said, “The jewelry’s nice, but it’s so delicate and elegant. It’s not really my style, I prefer something bold and cool.”

“What made you think that about yourself?” Jiang Muti said incredulously.

This idiot actually thought of himself that way.

Then she quickly responded, “Hmm! Actually, you’re right. Even a husky looks in the mirror and thinks it’s a wolf.”

“Who are you calling a husky?”

The three of them played around in the room for a while before the siblings finally left.

Yun Cheng was still a little uneasy. Although he had made bold statements, he knew his father would probably give him a good beating when he saw him like this.

To his surprise, when their father came home and sat on the couch, he didn’t even notice Yun Cheng.

This was very unusual. As the housekeeper, their father was always meticulous, paying close attention to every detail.

Now, even Yun Duo noticed something was off with their father.

She brought the soup she had made for their father and placed it in front of him. The two siblings exchanged a look, wondering if they should ask him about it.

The next morning, Jiang Yunjuan noticed the change in Jiang Muti. He was deeply pleased that she had pierced her ears so eagerly after receiving the earrings.

He gently patted his sister’s head and then carefully looked at her ear piercings.

His sister was beautiful, with exquisite features, delicate and small ears, and flawless skin that looked like translucent white jade.

Her earlobes were round and cute, and any jewelry or diamond would look stunning on them.

But Jiang Yunjuan sighed, clearly regretting, “I shouldn’t have given you those earrings. Why pierce such beautiful ears?”

Jiang Muti wasn’t happy with that. “Why do you have to be so dramatic, brother? You’re the one who gave them to me, now you’re ruining the mood saying stuff like that.”

Jiang Yunjuan choked for a moment and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, “Alright, alright, my fault, my fault. I’ll have someone send over some catalogs. You can choose whatever you like. What jewelry brands do you like?”

“Or, we could buy a batch of gems and have a designer create something for you.”

This golden temptation finally calmed his sister down.

However, her good mood didn’t last long. When Jiang Muti was about to leave for school, she immediately noticed that Yun Duo seemed off as soon as she got into the car.

Unlike the usual signs of a bad mood, this time Yun Duo was suppressing anger and sadness, and with the greenish tint under her eyes, it was clear she hadn’t slept all night.

Jiang Muti felt a pang of sympathy. Her mind quickly shifted to yesterday when Old Yun had been in a bad mood, and she guessed the cause was related.

She gently touched Yun Duo’s head and asked, “What happened to your dad?”

Yun Duo looked up at her, realizing she could see right through her, and didn’t try to hide it. “It’s not my dad, it’s my mom.”

“Huh? Huh?” Jiang Muti, who had been preparing to listen, was taken aback. “Your mom?”

“Your mom isn’t—”

Yun Cheng and Yun Duo had been living in the Jiang family for many years, and their parents had been divorced for just as long.

Unlike in regular families where divorce leads to little contact, the separation between their parents had been more complex. The children were a bond, and their parents still had some interaction, though it wasn’t typical.

When their parents divorced, their mother took the savings and the house and never contacted them again.

It was a harsh and final move, one that left them to grow up without her, as if she had never existed.

But now, out of nowhere, she had reappeared and wanted to fight for custody.

Let’s not even mention where she got the confidence, it was just infuriating.

No wonder Yun Duo was so angry and upset—it was like reopening a wound that had been healing for years.

Jiang Muti pulled Yun Duo into her arms, not sure how to comfort her, and just gently patted her back, like trying to soothe a child.

This was a tough situation. It wasn’t that she was worried about losing custody.

Both siblings were old enough, and their relationship with their father had been long and solid. Moreover, Old Yun was more than capable of providing everything they needed for their education. The law couldn’t separate them.

But just the thought of someone who had been absent for so many years suddenly coming back with so much force—it was hard for anyone to accept.

All morning, as Jiang Muti attended classes, she kept thinking about the siblings’ situation. Seeing Yun Duo like this, Yun Cheng probably wasn’t doing any better.

Worried that something might happen while they were distracted, she decided to call Ji Feishi to ask him to keep an eye on them.

But before she could dial the number, she saw Zhou Lu walking toward her.

The guy had an obvious bruise on his face, which shocked everyone around—Zhou Lu, the usually immaculate young master, was actually in such a sorry state?

But Zhou Lu didn’t seem to care about the surprised looks around him. He sat down next to Jiang Muti and said, “I’ve told my family.”

Even though Jiang Muti was deeply worried about the Yun siblings and her mood was heavy, she almost couldn’t hold back a laugh when she saw Zhou Lu in such a sorry state.

However, not wanting to seem too gleeful and inconsistent with her earlier attitude, Jiang Muti restrained herself.

She put on a puzzled expression and asked, “Why would this happen? It shouldn’t be that bad right from the start, right? Did you get into a fight with your family?”

Her question made sense. In wealthy families, face and decorum are important, and with so many servants coming and going, parents with any sense of dignity wouldn’t usually hit their children. Of course, there are exceptions if something serious happens or if the child is beyond redemption.

Zhou Lu’s arrogant personality was one thing, but he wasn’t the kind of reckless heir who would ruin everything. As the heir, he had always been his parents’ pride.

Such a child would be unlikely to lose face by having physical punishment imposed on him.

Even Jiang Muti hadn’t expected the situation to escalate this quickly. In her mind, it would’ve taken a while for the family to exhaust all other methods before resorting to such drastic action.

But the surprise came much sooner than expected!

As expected, Zhou Lu said, “I didn’t go there intending to argue, but my parents were absolutely unreasonable.”

“What do you mean, it’s fine if I just play around? Last time I brought someone back, it already embarrassed the family. They wanted to punish me back then, but they kept holding off, waiting for me to slip up. So, all this time, they’ve been treating me like a suspect under surveillance?”

“And then they say they were planning to send me abroad after graduation. What a joke! They just decided on my academic plans without even asking me?”

Jiang Muti now understood. It was a clash of multiple issues all coming together.

She listened as Zhou Lu continued, “Good thing you woke me up, or I’d have been completely caught off guard when they made their move.”

Jiang Muti stiffened!

Wait a minute, anyone with half a brain would know they were being set up at this point, right?

This young man was making things awkward for her.

Jiang Muti replied, “Telling me all this isn’t going to help. I just provided a direction, but everything that happens inside, I can’t do much about.”

Unexpectedly, Zhou Lu disagreed, “That’s not how it works. I think you see things pretty clearly. Since you made me take action, you should take some responsibility. I don’t believe there’s no way to handle this.”

“I’ll tell you, managing a family doesn’t require knowing everything, but you have to know how to use people. I know you’re good at that. Come on, stop hiding it.”

“Huh???” Jiang Muti was speechless.