Chapter 80
Chapter 80: Hello, Sister Lan – A Kind Brother and a Respectful Sister
Xue Yi Wei had always been proud—the kind of girl who held her chin a little higher than everyone else’s. So naturally, she couldn’t stand the fact that River City’s No. 7 High School had produced someone like Jiang Zheng Xue.
She had even gone out of her way to “educate” Jiang Zheng Xue in person, telling her to rein in her temper. High school was for studying, not for running wild.
But there was an old saying: even the fiercest dragon couldn’t bully the local snake. Jiang Zheng Xue wasn’t someone you could talk sense into. She had no morals, no reason, and no patience for logic.
What Xue Yi Wei couldn’t figure out was what kind of backing Jiang Zheng Xue had—enough to let her act with such lawless arrogance at No. 7 High School.
At the very least, Xue Yi Wei had never heard of a prominent Jiang family. That meant Jiang Zheng Xue wasn’t born into any old-money clan.
Before coming to River City, Xue Yi Wei’s parents had warned her: aside from the major families of Yun Jing, there were only three massive public corporations she absolutely couldn’t afford to offend, including Zhao Yan Group. And still—no one surnamed Jiang.
And compared to someone like Ye Wan Lan, Xue Yi Wei hated thugs like Jiang Zheng Xue even more: a girl who couldn’t study, who strutted around with a pack of followers, and who—top to bottom—didn’t seem to possess a single gram of intelligence.
“But that’s Jiang Zheng Xue…” the girl beside her whispered, growing paler by the second. “Last time she cracked a boy’s head open. And that boy was a taekwondo black belt. Shouldn’t I go get someone?”
She turned as if to do exactly that, but Xue Yi Wei clamped a hand down on her shoulder and held her in place.
The girl stared at her. “Yi Wei, you…”
While they spoke, Jiang Zheng Xue had already taken off her racing helmet, revealing a face so stunning it almost didn’t look real.
Her hair was a deep crimson, and in the sunlight it flowed like living fire—loud, arrogant, impossible to ignore.
As if remembering something far away, Ye Wan Lan’s eyes held a distant, softened nostalgia.
“It’s Jiang Zheng Xue,” Ye Wan Lan said quietly.
Su Xue Qing tensed at once. “A Lan, you should be seeing her for the first time. She’s been away from school for a long time. I’ll hold her off—you go find a teacher.”
Jiang Zheng Xue stepped forward.
Xue Yi Wei’s satisfaction swelled, dark and eager. The malice in her eyes nearly overflowed.
Let Ye Wan Lan keep showing off. Let her keep acting so arrogant—always desperate for attention. In front of someone like Jiang Zheng Xue, a violent brute with no morals, wouldn’t Ye Wan Lan have to lower her head and soften up?
And yet, just as every onlooker expected trouble, Jiang Zheng Xue bent at the waist in a neat, obedient bow. Her voice turned sweet as candy.
“Hello, Sister Lan.”
The space in front of the teaching building fell into sudden, absolute silence.
Xue Yi Wei’s ears rang. For a moment, she couldn’t even process what she’d just heard.
Jiang Zheng Xue flicked her gaze at the people behind her and spoke with lazy authority. “You. Hurry up and greet her.”
Her lackeys—her so-called “little sisters”—bowed in unison, their voices thunderous.
“Hello, Sister Lan!”
Su Xue Qing stared.
Then she stared some more.
And then she started questioning every decision she’d ever made.
“What are you making such a big production for?” Ye Wan Lan asked, looking Jiang Zheng Xue over. “Where have you been lately?”
“I took a trip to Yan City.” Jiang Zheng Xue beamed, then put on an aggrieved pout, rubbing her fingers together like a kid begging forgiveness. “My brother is the worst. He wouldn’t take me to see you. I begged him forever and he still wouldn’t say yes, so I had to come back on my own.”
Su Xue Qing watched the childish act and felt something inside her crumble. Was this really the Jiang Zheng Xue she’d heard about?
The notorious school bully whose bad reputation had even reached No. 1 High School in River City?
She had to be hallucinating.
“Mm. Come on.” Ye Wan Lan turned, casual as if nothing strange had happened. “Since you’re back, let’s grab a meal together.”
Then she looked at Su Xue Qing. “Xue Qing, can you help me ask the teacher for leave? I’ll go straight to the exam next week.”
Su Xue Qing was still floating somewhere outside her body, but she nodded anyway.
Jiang Zheng Xue waved her people away, then walked out through the school gates with Ye Wan Lan.
“I thought I was going to die,” the girl beside Xue Yi Wei whispered, letting out a shaky breath. Then her brows knitted. “So they know each other… but how?”
Jiang Zheng Xue usually wore an ice-cold expression that screamed keep out. And yet in front of Ye Wan Lan, she’d turned into a docile little kitten.
Even seeing it with her own eyes, it was hard to believe.
Xue Yi Wei clenched her teeth until her jaw ached. Her whole body trembled. That earlier rush of satisfaction had been drenched in ice water, leaving nothing behind but fury.
Why was even Jiang Zheng Xue so close to Ye Wan Lan?
Why?
Xue Yi Wei truly couldn’t see a single shining point in Ye Wan Lan. In her eyes, Ye Wan Lan was nothing but someone who spent other people’s generosity and used resources that didn’t belong to her to buy favor. How could the other students not see through something so obvious?
The more she thought about it, the sicker she felt. She didn’t even have an appetite for lunch anymore. Ignoring her companion completely, she turned on her heel and went back to the classroom.
—
On the other side, Ye Wan Lan pinged the “One Big Happy Family” group chat and called Cheng Qing Li and Jiang Xu Lin.
“Sister Qing Li, over here!” Jiang Zheng Xue waved enthusiastically. “You sit on my left, Sister Lan sits on my right, and then we’re a beautiful family.”
Cheng Qing Li clasped her hands, delighted. “Yay!”
Only Jiang Xu Lin looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Why are you suddenly talking like that? Since when do you sound so… sugary?”
Wasn’t she that evil rocket-launcher creature?
That definitely wasn’t the voice she used when she cursed him out.
“Who’s putting on a voice?” Jiang Zheng Xue pouted. “This is just how I sound.”
Then she turned to Ye Wan Lan with a wounded look. “Sister Lan, look—my brother’s bullying me again.”
Ye Wan Lan flicked her gaze toward Jiang Xu Lin.
Jiang Xu Lin had no defense. He could only swallow the bitterness down.
“Sister Lan, I didn’t even get the chance to properly thank you.” Jiang Zheng Xue brightened immediately. “Today’s meal is on me. Aunt keeps mentioning you too—she says she really admires you.”
Ye Wan Lan nodded, smiling faintly. “I admire President Quan as well.”
Quan Zhao Ning had built Zhao Yan Group into one of the nation’s top one hundred companies almost single-handedly. Her ability was undeniable.
“I’m just waiting for the day my aunt finally divorces that phoenix man.” Jiang Zheng Xue’s smile sharpened, teeth showing. “He dared to poison my aunt. When the time comes, I’ll kill him.”
Her fingers crumpled the disposable cup in her hand with an ugly crunch.
Cheng Qing Li stared at the mangled cup.
Noticing her look, Jiang Zheng Xue immediately released it and blinked innocently. “Oh! Sister Qing Li, I was born freakishly strong. Sorry you had to see that.”
Jiang Xu Lin gave a cold snort. “When is the food coming? I’m starving.”
To train the Su Embroidery artisans, he’d pulled an all-nighter yesterday. He hadn’t eaten properly in far too long.
Jiang Zheng Xue shaped her mouth around a single silent word.
Pig.
Jiang Xu Lin’s heart hurt.
Ten minutes later, the dishes finally arrived.
Jiang Xu Lin tore open the chopsticks like he was ready to wage war.
He had barely taken a bite when his vision went black. He toppled forward, face-first into the beef dish.
Right before he lost consciousness, one thought flickered across his mind.
This is bad.
“Ahhh!” Cheng Qing Li shot to her feet and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Boss! Your food is poisoned!”
For three seconds, the restaurant went dead silent. Then the customers scattered like startled birds.
The owner went white. “Impossible! That beef was just slaughtered today!”
Jiang Zheng Xue let out a cold laugh. “It’s hypoglycemia. He’s not dead. Haul him to the hospital and get him a shot.”
Cheng Qing Li: “…”
They really were blood siblings.
“Forget it.” Jiang Zheng Xue sounded like she’d seen this a hundred times. “Don’t waste the hospital’s resources.”
She grabbed Jiang Xu Lin by the jaw and stuffed food into his mouth.
The method was violent.
It was also extremely effective.
Before long, Jiang Xu Lin slowly came to.
He realized he’d made a serious mistake. “I…”
“You have hypoglycemia and you’re still not learning your lesson?” Ye Wan Lan’s voice stayed calm, almost indifferent. “When we get back, I’ll prescribe you a few doses. Eat on time. Sleep on time. Do you hear me?”
Jiang Xu Lin looked miserable. “It was really an accident.”
Cheng Qing Li happened to glimpse the note Jiang Zheng Xue had saved for Jiang Xu Lin in her phone contacts.
[Born from the same mother]
Cheng Qing Li: “…”
Alright. That seemed perfectly reasonable.
And somehow, they really did look like a pair of siblings who treated each other well—brotherly kindness, sisterly respect, and all.
—
At the Zhou Family’s old residence, Xu Li finally had time to visit after Zhou He Chen was placed under house arrest.
Zhou He Chen lay back with his eyes closed, clearly not interested in talking to anyone.
Xu Li had to scramble for a topic. “Brother He Chen, guess who I saw at the financial center yesterday?”
“Who?” Zhou He Chen asked flatly.
Xu Li lowered his voice. “I ran into that Zhou Family sister of yours. I forgot her name. The one studying at the art academy in River City.”
Zhou He Chen frowned, searching his memory. He still couldn’t remember. Irritation flashed across his face. “There are so many people in the Zhou Family. You run into one of them and you have to report it to me?”
Last time he’d spent 300 million on a painting, only to find out it was fake. In the end, he’d managed to recover only 90 million. Family Head Zhou and Madam Zhou had suspended him, and he wasn’t even allowed to see Sheng Yun Yi.
“The problem is, she wasn’t eating alone,” Xu Li said quickly. “She was eating with Ye Wan Lan.”
Zhou He Chen gave a low, amused scoff and lit a cigarette. “So?”
Xu Li looked anxious. “Brother He Chen… what if Ye Wan Lan realized one path wasn’t working and switched to another? What if she’s trying to use other Zhou Family connections to keep flattering you?”
Zhou He Chen exhaled smoke and laughed softly. “Then she’s miscalculated.”
A Zhou Family member whose name he couldn’t even remember—how much status could that person really have within the family?
He was going to inherit the Zhou Family. The Zhou Family would become his domain, his rule. No matter how many Zhou Family people Ye Wan Lan knew, what difference could it possibly make?
Still, Xu Li’s words pleased him. If nothing else, it was flattering to be wanted.
He knew Ye Wan Lan had always been playing hard to get. This time, she’d just dragged the game out longer.
“Qin Xian has been discharged, right?” Zhou He Chen asked.
“Yeah,” Xu Li said. “But he’s still not very mobile. Most of the time he needs a wheelchair.”
He hesitated, then added, “Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin are planning to invite people from the Su Family in Yun Jing to take a look.”
“Mm.” Zhou He Chen tapped ash into the tray. “In a few days I’ll be allowed out. Then I’ll go see him.”
Xu Li nodded. “Brother He Chen, don’t take it to heart. Uncle and Aunt are only worried about you. You were a victim this time too.”
Zhou He Chen’s brows drew tight. He didn’t respond.
He had already ordered people to investigate, but somehow they still hadn’t uncovered who that young man in VIP Room 7 had been.
It left a thorn lodged in his mind.
He would keep digging. If it hadn’t been for that young man, he never would’ve lost his temper and thrown away 300 million on a fake.
Xu Li read the room. “Brother He Chen, I won’t disturb you anymore.”
He left the Zhou Family residence, climbed into his car, and his phone rang before he’d even buckled his seat belt.
It was Qin Xian.
“Xu Li, where are you?” Qin Xian demanded.
“I just left Brother He Chen’s. What’s up?”
“Come to Yuan Dao Chemical Plant. I’ll show you something fun.”
Xu Li paused. “What kind of fun?”
Qin Xian’s laughter was sharp and delighted. “Ye Wan Lan’s uncle leaked chemical agents and got taken under control.”
“That’s not… that’s not small,” Xu Li said slowly.
“It’s a show,” Qin Xian purred. “Isn’t it a good show?”