Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Cai Wenqing was adept at playing submissive, and Jiang Cheng, with his strong sense of traditional masculinity, fell for it.

To say that their relationship as a couple had deep feelings would be an overstatement; they were simply each seeking something from the other. Jiang Cheng valued her gentleness and understanding, while Cai Wenqing sought financial security and a good life for her daughter.

In the book, Shu Yao quickly met Wen Mobei, so Cai Wenqing wasn't worried. But now, there's no sign of Shu Yao's marriage prospects, and at twenty-six or twenty-seven, she is considered old by the elders. Naturally, Cai Wenqing is anxious.

Still... Wen Mobei was there that day and even happened to meet Shu Yao. It’s uncertain if such an encounter will lead to anything.

Zhou Sijia isn’t reliable, and it seems Shu Yao and her mother are grasping at straws. Jiang Yiyan wonders whether she should give them a friendly warning.

This is quite a dilemma. If she warns them, she doesn't know how to do it, and even if she does, they might not appreciate it. If she doesn’t warn them, she fears something might happen to Shu Yao.

Shu Yao is a well-behaved girl and can't match Zhou Sijia in games of manipulation.

After much thought, Jiang Yiyan, despite feeling nauseous, went to talk to Jiang Xu.

"I noticed Shu Yao getting close to Zhou Sijia. You should keep an eye on it."

Jiang Xu, who had just returned home from work, felt bewildered upon seeing this.

But since it concerned Shu Yao, he couldn't afford to be careless. So, after sitting down, he reluctantly replied to Jiang Yiyan: "What do you mean?"

As expected, Jiang Yiyan knew that when it came to Shu Yao, Jiang Xu wouldn't ignore her, no matter how much he disliked her.

Jiang Yiyan didn’t want to waste words with him and directly explained the situation succinctly.

After sending the message, she tossed her phone onto the sofa, unwilling to think about it further.

On the other side, after understanding the situation, Jiang Xu sent another message: "Alright, thank you."

Jiang Yiyan saw it but ignored him.

Jiang Xu didn’t care whether his sister would continue to respond. After finishing the conversation, he opened his social media feed.

Although Zhou Sijia is a girl, they are in the same circle, so Jiang Xu has her contact.

Scrolling through her feed, he eventually found one of Zhou Sijia's posts.

Sure enough, he saw Shu Yao's like below it.

Zhou Sijia enjoys partying, and Jiang Yiyan used to be close to her. However, for some reason, Jiang Yiyan has been distancing herself lately.

Not only has she distanced herself, but now she is also warning him to keep Shu Yao away from Zhou Sijia.

Jiang Xu dislikes his sister, but he takes her warning seriously.

He doesn’t know if Jiang Yiyan’s warning is motivated by ulterior motives or ill intentions, but he can’t worry about that. He needs to make sure Shu Yao understands Zhou Sijia’s character. One wrong step could harm her.

So, after thinking it over, Jiang Xu called Shu Yao.

Shu Yao answered quickly.

Since Jiang Xu often contacts Shu Yao, she wasn’t surprised by his late-night call.

"Brother, what’s up?" Shu Yao asked.

Holding the phone to his ear with one hand, Jiang Xu loosened his tie with the other and walked to the large glass window in the living room.

"Yao Yao, did you add Zhou Sijia on WeChat that day?" Jiang Xu asked gently.

"Yes," Shu Yao admitted, "I added her during the banquet that night."

"How many times have you chatted since then?" Jiang Xu asked, showing concern.

Shu Yao knew this nominal brother cared deeply for her, more than he did for his own sister Jiang Yiyan. This blatant favoritism gave Shu Yao a sense of security, making her feel comfortable sharing with him.

"Not really," Shu Yao told him truthfully, "I just liked one of her posts today, and then she messaged me, inviting me to her birthday party."

Jiang Xu disapproved of Shu Yao associating with such frivolous people and asked, "Do you plan to go?"

"I already said yes," Shu Yao replied, giving an excuse.

Jiang Xu pursed his lips, finding it difficult to tell her not to go.

While he was uneasy about her attending Zhou Sijia’s party, if she insisted on going, he could accompany her. Keeping her under his watchful eye would be safer.

But what pretext could he use? As a brother?

It’s unusual for a brother to tag along when his sister goes out to play.

"Brother?" Seeing no response, Shu Yao called out to Jiang Xu.

Coming back to his senses, Jiang Xu hesitated before saying, "Since you’ve agreed, go ahead."

"Okay," Shu Yao responded, somewhat puzzled, "Is something wrong, Brother? Do you not want me to go?"

Jiang Xu: "Zhou Sijia is known in our circle for being a party animal and not very studious. Her father and brother are constantly worried about her. You, on the other hand, have always been academically excellent and well-behaved. You’re not the same type of person. Even Jiang Yiyan doesn’t want to be close to her anymore. Yao Yao, don’t go next time."

"Was she friends with Yiyan before?" Shu Yao asked.

"Yes," Jiang Xu said, "Jiang Yiyan just called, and she saw your interaction on social media. She wanted me to remind you." Jiang Xu spoke honestly.

Regardless of Jiang Yiyan’s motives, he appreciated her warning.

However, Shu Yao fell silent, instinctively fearing that Jiang Xu might grow closer to Jiang Yiyan and distance himself from her.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stay away from Jiang Yiyan.

What right did she have to do that?

They were the real siblings.

"Yiyan meant well," Shu Yao said in a dry tone. "I'm very grateful for her reminder."

But Jiang Xu didn't want to talk about Jiang Yiyan anymore; he only told her to avoid Zhou Sijia in the future.

Shu Yao responded with a couple of "mm-hmms," but in reality, she didn't take it seriously. In fact, she felt a bit competitive with Jiang Yiyan. She was determined to remain close to Zhou Sijia without being influenced by her, proving that she was stronger than Jiang Yiyan.

.

At Zhou Sijia's birthday party, Jiang Xu also attended. He arrived around the same time, out of respect for their families' friendship, and naturally brought a gift.

Zhou Sijia was surprised by Jiang Xu's presence. After accepting the gift, she smiled and teased, "What strong wind blew you here today, Young Master Jiang? You're quite a rare guest."

Her friends then started to cheer: "Could it be that Young Master Jiang has taken a fancy to our Sijia? Maybe he's been wanting to give her a gift but couldn't find the right opportunity. Today, seeing Yao Yao here, he finally had his chance. Yao Yao, if your brother and Sijia end up together, you'd be the matchmaker."

Shu Yao's smile froze. "If they do end up together, it means they were destined for each other."

Jiang Xu disliked such jokes and instinctively glanced at Shu Yao before saying sternly, "I was passing by and came to pick up Yao Yao."

Zhou Sijia wasn't interested in Jiang Xu anyway, and the cheering was just playful teasing. But seeing Jiang Xu take it so seriously and respond so sternly, Zhou Sijia felt a bit annoyed.

Brother and sister, huh? They weren't even blood-related.

Jiang Xu's subtle feelings were clear to Zhou Sijia. If she, an outsider, could see it, she didn't believe Shu Yao was oblivious.

Zhou Sijia loved stirring up trouble and enjoyed pranks, finding joy in others' discomfort.

So, having noticed something, she wouldn't hold back.

"Oh, coming to pick up your sister?" Zhou Sijia scrutinized Jiang Xu and Shu Yao, her tone taunting. "But Yao Yao isn't your real sister, is she? Jiang Xu, you're not this good to your own sister."

Zhou Sijia and the old Jiang Yiyan used to be inseparable "best friends," so Jiang Yiyan often complained about her brother to Zhou Sijia, who had heard enough to grow tired of it.

Jiang Xu's face darkened. He didn't want to deal with these idle fools and ignored Zhou Sijia, looking directly at Shu Yao. "Let's go."

Shu Yao was also awkward because Jiang Xu indeed treated her better than Jiang Yiyan. Though she was proud of it, she didn't like others talking about it.

Facing Zhou Sijia's teasing, Shu Yao was clearly flustered.

When Jiang Xu told her to leave, she was ready to follow him.

But Zhou Sijia wouldn't let them go easily. She blocked their path, "Where are you going? We haven't finished talking." She blinked, her face showing a mischievous expression, "Jiang Xu, tell me honestly, do you like your sister?"

This question made both Jiang Xu and Shu Yao change their expressions.

Shu Yao looked at Jiang Xu in disbelief, her innocent eyes like a deer lost in the woods, unable to find a way out.

Jiang Xu feared that once their relationship was exposed, they couldn't continue as before.

Sure enough, Shu Yao, after a moment of panic, fled.

Jiang Xu pointed at Zhou Sijia, his face filled with anger.

But Zhou Sijia wasn't afraid. She stood her ground, "What? You dare to think it but can't let me say it?"

Someone nearby chimed in, "Yeah, Jiang Xu, Sijia is actually helping you. You've been secretly in love with Shu Yao but never said anything. Now that Sijia has broken the ice, your sister knows how you feel. You should thank Sijia."

Jiang Xu didn't bother with these spoiled brats and simply left.

Chasing after Shu Yao, he saw she had run far away and immediately sped up.

"Yao Yao!" he called out.

But Shu Yao ran faster, as if scared of him.

Running late into the night, Jiang Xu feared something might happen. So, he increased his speed, running ahead to block her path.

"Yao Yao, listen to me." Breathless from running, Jiang Xu panted heavily.

Clearly shaken by Zhou Sijia's words, Shu Yao couldn't look at Jiang Xu. She covered her ears and shook her head vigorously. "I don't want to hear it. Brother, please don't say anything. I don't want to hear it."

Jiang Xu was very worried, fearing Shu Yao would stop talking to him.

Or worse, their relationship would never be the same again.

"Zhou Sijia was deliberately trying to cause trouble between us today. Can't you see that? She enjoys stirring up chaos. If we become distant because of this, we'll fall right into her trap."