The Zhou family villa, living room.
The light from the crystal chandelier was cold and harsh, and the vast room was so oppressive that the air seemed frozen.
After returning home, Zhou Suisui obediently sat on the living-room sofa, waiting for her brother to “deal with” her.
Zhou Sui'an undid two buttons of his shirt and paced restlessly back and forth across the room.
Cui Wu was worried. “Young Master, please talk things out. Miss is still young.”
“Sister Wu, go back to your room first. I have something to discuss with Suisui.”
“…”
Sister Wu glanced at Zhou Suisui uneasily.
The young master was usually mild-tempered and rarely lost his temper.
This was the first time she had realized that people who seldom got angry were truly frightening when they finally did.
Zhou Suisui gave her a reassuring look.
Although Sister Wu was still worried, she returned to her room.
This was a matter between the siblings, and as an outsider, it wasn’t appropriate for her to interfere.
Zhou Sui'an paced around twice before abruptly stopping in front of Zhou Suisui.
His voice was anxious and furious.
“What exactly do you like about Jiang Zongyan?”
Zhou Suisui turned slightly to avoid the droplets of spit flying from his mouth and helplessly wiped her face.
“Don’t ask.”
“Then tell me!”
Zhou Sui'an was so frantic he felt as if his heart were being clawed at, yet he had no idea what to do with his little sister.
Every tactic he tried was like punching a pillow—completely ineffective.
He gripped Zhou Suisui by the shoulders and began to sob miserably. “Boo-hoo, Suisui, have you been possessed by some filthy spirit?”
“Tell your brother what you’re thinking. Tell me!”
He looked as if he was about to cry, his eyes red-rimmed.
“Suisui, do you like him because he’s handsome?”
Fine, he admitted it. Jiang Zongyan was indeed a little handsome—just a little less handsome than him.
“There are plenty of handsome men in the world. How about we forget about him? Boo-hoo… When you’re older, your brother will find someone even more handsome for you. If one isn’t enough, I’ll find you several.”
“Boo-hoo, there’s bound to be one you like.”
Zhou Suisui looked at the man well over six feet tall sobbing his eyes out in front of her.
Her temples throbbed, and she felt utterly speechless. “Brother, that’s not the reason.”
“Then what is the reason?! Just tell me!”
Zhou Sui'an was practically dying of anxiety. Suddenly, he remembered some of the jokes he had seen online.
“Don’t tell me you’re after his money?”
Girls these days all seemed to like rich men. They said they would rather cry in a BMW than laugh on the back of a bicycle.
“But our family isn’t short of money! The Zhou family has plenty of money!”
Money!
The moment Zhou Suisui heard that word, her eyes lit up.
That was right… His words had reminded her.
Su Wan liked her brother’s money, didn’t she?
If she took control of her brother’s money, what would he have left to give Su Wan?
“…”
Zhou Sui'an froze, almost convinced he had misheard her.
He wiped away his tears. “Of all times, you’re still joking with your brother. Apart from the dividends from the Zhou Group shares that I keep for you, I also put a million dollars a month on your card as spending money. How could you possibly be short of money?”
Zhou Suisui’s nose suddenly stung, and her eyes turned red.
“Brother, Mom and Dad died when I was little. I can’t even remember what they looked like. I’m so scared. I’m afraid that one day I’ll end up on the streets. Only money can give me even the slightest sense of security.”
She paused, then lifted her eyes to secretly study her brother’s expression.
“Brother, you should understand how I feel, right?”
Zhou Sui'an was completely stunned.
It felt as if something had bitten into his heart, and a dull ache slowly spread through his chest.
How could he not understand?
That feeling… he understood it all too well.
After their parents passed away, the entire burden of the Zhou family had fallen onto his shoulders.
During those first few years, the pressure kept him awake night after night. He was afraid that the company their parents had worked so hard to establish would be ruined in his hands. He was afraid that one day the company’s cash flow would break down and they would be unable to pay their employees.
The oppressive feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff had followed him like a shadow.
He had thought that as long as he worked desperately to make money, his little sister would be able to grow up without a care in the world.
But he had forgotten that she had also lost her parents at a young age, and that she, too, might yearn deeply for a sense of security.
His heart aching for her, he pulled Zhou Suisui into his arms and hurriedly said, “Suisui, I’ll give you all my money. Every last bit of it! I won’t keep a cent! You can save it all!”
Money was no problem.
As long as his sister needed it, and as long as he had it to give, he could give her as much as she wanted.
Moved, Zhou Suisui threw herself into her brother’s arms.
“Brother.”
In her previous life, she had been too considerate of him. She worried that he worked too hard and that the company might need money to keep its operations running.
Even though she had a fortune worth tens of billions, she had never dared to spend lavishly.
But later, her brother had given money to Su Wan again and again without even blinking.
If that was how things were going to be, she might as well take charge of the money herself.
Zhou Sui'an had no idea what was going through her mind. He was so touched that he was practically a mess.
“My little sister has grown up. She finally knows how to care about her brother.”
A warm feeling flowed through Zhou Suisui’s heart.
Her brother really was the best brother in the world.
Aside from being manipulated by Su Wan, he treated his little sister better than anyone could ask for.
“Thank you, Brother. You’re the best.”
“You silly girl.”
He loved the way his sister depended on him.
At the same time, he secretly swore that from now on, he would pay more attention to her.
After all, their parents had died young. Other than him, she had no one else to rely on.
He absolutely couldn’t let some man from outside take advantage of her so easily.
Especially not that big bad wolf, Jiang Zongyan.
“Are you hungry?”
Now that they had cleared the air, Zhou Sui'an’s mood had calmed down, and he asked her the question.
The two of them had gone to Jiang Zongyan’s welcome banquet earlier, but in the end, they hadn’t eaten a thing.
He had known it—nothing good ever came from getting involved with that man.
Zhou Suisui nodded and stood up. “A little. I’ll ask Sister Wu what we have at home.”
Zhou Sui'an caught her hand. “You stay here. Your brother will make you some noodles himself.”
Besides giving his sister money, he also had to set a good example in front of her and show her what kind of man was truly worth having.
A man knowing how to cook was the bare minimum.
“Okay.”
Zhou Suisui obediently sat back down on the sofa, but her eyes remained fixed on the kitchen.
Her brother tied on an apron and began preparing her meal with practiced movements. Her eyes grew slightly misty.
She still remembered how picky she had been as a child, with a weak stomach and a habit of refusing to eat.
To coax her into eating, her brother had personally learned how to cook.
“What are you spacing out over? Come eat.”
Zhou Suisui stood up and walked into the dining room.
Zhou Sui'an came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of udon.
He set one in front of her. “Eat up, you little glutton.”
He glanced at his sister, his eyes flickering slightly, then pretended to speak casually.
“With that picky stomach of yours, a man who doesn’t know how to cook isn’t suitable for you.”
Zhou Suisui raised her eyes but didn’t respond.
She couldn’t help laughing inwardly.
Her brother had actually learned how to manipulate her.
He was taking an indirect jab at Jiang Zongyan for not knowing how to cook.
Seeing that she wasn’t falling for it at all, Zhou Sui'an lowered his voice, as if he were afraid someone might overhear him.
“Don’t blame your brother for being harsh. Jiang Zongyan isn’t right for you. When it comes to women… he can’t perform, and he also has a first love in his heart.”
Heh. He just had to scare his little sister a little.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat guilty.
Although… he may have exaggerated things by a tiny, tiny bit… he was willing to go all out for his sister’s happiness.
“Hm?”
Zhou Suisui blinked.
His true love?
In her previous life, right up until the day she died, she had never heard that Jiang Zongyan had a secret crush.
As expected, no one knew you better than your nemesis!
Her brother, a lovesick fool who had devoted himself entirely to Su Wan, had actually dug up so much gossip about his archrival?
Zhou Suisui’s eyes lit up, and she instantly became interested.
She leaned forward, her face brimming with curiosity and a thirst for gossip.
“Bro, who’s his true love? Is she pretty? With that ice-cold face of his, does he even know how to date someone?”
“…”
Zhou Sui’an was emotionally drained.
He had originally wanted to crush his sister’s feelings for Jiang Zongyan.
But instead… the silly girl wasn’t sad or heartbroken at all. She was having the time of her life digging for gossip.
“Are you missing a few screws? Is that really the point?”
Zhou Sui’an was so exasperated that he reached out and gave her forehead a hard poke.
“Why do you care whether she’s pretty or not? I’m telling you this so you’ll stay away from Jiang Zongyan, not so you can dig into his gossip!”
“Ow…”
Zhou Suisui rubbed her forehead unhappily.
Hmph. You were the one who brought it up first. Why won’t you let me gossip a little?
Zhou Suisui was itching with curiosity. Jiang Ruitian had clearly said that her brother wasn’t seeing anyone, so who exactly was this woman?
“From now on, you’re not allowed to have anything to do with him anymore. Got it?”
Zhou Sui’an wished he could twist his sister’s ear and force those words into her head.
“Got it.”
“…”
Why did she sound so perfunctory?
Zhou Sui’an continued, “He grinds his teeth in his sleep, snores, and talks in his dreams.”
“…”
Zhou Suisui looked embarrassed.
She stared at her brother with a complicated expression.
Making things up was going too far.
Zhou Sui’an gave an arrogant little snort.
His sister had obviously fallen for it. I’m freaking brilliant!
—
“Achoo!”
At that moment, Jiang Zongyan sneezed on the way to the hotel.
Lin Zhou buttered him up. “Boss, someone must be thinking about you.”
Thinking about him?
For some reason, Jiang Zongyan thought of the siblings Zhou Sui’an and Zhou Suisui. The corners of his lips lifted silently.
Rather than believing someone was thinking about him, he was more inclined to believe that those two little gremlins were gossiping about him behind his back.
Knowing Zhou Sui’an, he was probably making up all kinds of lies about him in front of Zhou Suisui right now.
Lin Zhou froze. “Boss, did you just smile?”
“…”
Realizing what he had been thinking about, Jiang Zongyan tugged lightly at the corner of his mouth, his expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk.
“What? Tired of being my assistant and want to change careers to matchmaking?”
Lin Zhou choked and hurriedly said, “No, no, you must have seen wrong.”
—
