Back in middle school, there had been a girl in his class who was hopelessly infatuated with him. After he rejected her confession, she actually leapt from the top floor of the school building.
The incident caused a huge uproar at the time.
He was capable, came from a powerful family, and was fiercely ambitious. The only thing he would never do was stop moving forward for someone else.
Jiang Zongyan was cold and indifferent by nature, seemingly incapable of feeling deeply for anyone.
If his little sister became entangled in a relationship, she might spend the rest of her life drowning in heartbreak.
That was the last thing he wanted to see.
When it came to the pain of love, he understood it better than anyone.
Whoever made the first move was the one who lost.
“Big Brother…”
Zhou Suisui could tell that her brother was trying to comfort her. Her lips moved, and she spoke aggrievedly.
“Big Brother, I know I shouldn’t have gone looking for Jiang Zongyan, but tonight… I was just too heartbroken.”
“What happened?”
“Look!”
Zhou Suisui held out her hand and placed it in front of Zhou Sui'an.
When Zhou Sui'an lowered his head, he saw the blisters on the back of his sister’s hand.
His calm expression instantly turned tense.
“What happened? Who did this to you?”
Zhou Suisui complained bitterly, “It’s all your fault. Tonight, I learned how to cook from the chef and made an entire table of your favorite dishes. I waited for you until seven, but you went to see Su Wan and didn’t even come home.”
“…”
Zhou Sui'an was stunned by the truth.
Only after a long while did he latch onto the key detail. He raised the corners of his lips happily.
“You made all that food especially for me? You learned to cook it yourself?”
Zhou Suisui nodded. “Mm.”
Zhou Sui'an was delighted, heartbroken, and deeply regretful all at once.
“You silly girl, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had personally prepared an entire table of food for me. It was my fault. From now on, I’ll tell you in advance wherever I’m going, so I won’t make you wait for nothing.”
Looking at her brother’s reddened eyes, Zhou Suisui felt a pang of sorrow.
Her tone softened as she reached out and took his hand, seizing the opportunity to coax him.
“Big Brother, you saw it yourself just now. Being a simp gets you nowhere. No matter how much I threw myself at Jiang Zongyan, he didn’t care at all. So… you should stop throwing yourself at Su Wan too, okay?”
“That’s different.”
Zhou Sui'an immediately objected without giving it a second thought.
The clarity in his eyes vanished, replaced by stubborn determination.
“You’re a girl. In a relationship, the man should be the one to take the initiative. Girls who are too forward won’t be cherished.”
Zhou Suisui’s heart ached, but she forced a smile.
“How is that supposed to be different for men and women? Isn’t the person who throws themselves at someone always the one who gets hurt?”
“Silly girl, you’re still young and don’t understand. The human heart is the most difficult thing to figure out. Men don’t cherish things that come too easily. I’m a man—I know. Listen to your brother.”
“Then why do you keep treating Su Wan that way?”
“I’m a man. A man has to take responsibility. If I can’t even protect the woman I love, if I have to sneak around and hide my feelings, then what kind of man would I be?”
“…”
Zhou Suisui’s nose stung.
The words that had reached her lips were swallowed back down, leaving only overwhelming heartache.
Her brother had such strong principles, and he approached love with such a sincere heart.
Whoever married him would surely be very happy.
Why didn’t Su Wan know how to cherish him? Why did she insist on trampling all over his feelings?
She threw herself into Zhou Sui'an’s arms, tears spilling down onto his chest.
“Big Brother, in this world, we’re the most important people to each other. We only have each other now.”
Zhou Sui'an wrapped his arms tightly around his sister in return, his voice softening.
“Yes… Suisui, you’ll always be the most important person in my life. I can lose anything, but I can’t lose you.”
“Big Brother, don’t go see Su Wan. I don’t want to lose you. Uncle Wang was her uncle, and also Wang Zhengfei’s father. Their whole family set a trap for you.”
“…”
Zhou Sui'an’s entire body went rigid.
Zhou Suisui thought of her past life, when she had gone to the hospital morgue to identify her brother’s body.
Her tears fell like beads from a broken string.
“Big Brother, I’m not saying you can’t date. I want a sister-in-law too. I want her to keep you company, so that when you’re tired, you’ll have someone to lean on. I even want an adorable little niece who’ll call you ‘Daddy’ in her sweet little voice and call me ‘Auntie’… I don’t want to lose you, Big Brother…”
“I…”
Zhou Sui'an tried to speak, but his throat was too choked with emotion.
The siblings stood embracing in the doorway for a long time.
It was as if all the grievances and unease they had accumulated over the past few days had melted into that embrace.
“Suisui, your brother was wrong during that time… Since that’s how you feel, I won’t go see Su Wan anymore.”
“?”
Zhou Suisui had never expected him to agree.
The happiness came so suddenly that she was instantly overjoyed.
“Really, Big Brother? You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Silly girl, your brother never lies to you.”
Zhou Sui'an gently stroked her head, a hint of warmth in his eyes.
“Give me some time. I’ll make things clear with her. We won’t have anything to do with each other from now on.”
Zhou Suisui laughed and cried at the same time.
“I knew it. My brother would never lose his sense of right and wrong.”
“Go wash your face. And don’t provoke Jiang Zongyan anymore, understood?”
When he saw the black windbreaker she was wearing, the emotions he had only just managed to calm surged again. He gritted his teeth.
If Jiang Zongyan had no intention of taking responsibility, why had he provoked his sister in the first place?
Hmph. That punch just now had been far too light.
“Okay!”
Zhou Suisui realized that she looked like a tearful mess and smiled as she wiped her tears dry.
“Go on!”
Zhou Sui'an stood there, watching her go upstairs. Only then did he call Cui Wu over.
“Sis Wu, where’s the food my sister made for me tonight?”
“Ah, well…”
Cui Wu looked embarrassed.
“The young miss sent it to Young Master Jiang.”
“What?! How could you give it to that guy? This was the first time my sister had ever cooked for me!”
“Who’s to blame?”
Cui Wu ruthlessly drove another knife into his heart.
The first meal his sister had ever cooked had somehow ended up feeding that sly old fox.
It was infuriating!
But what made him even angrier was himself. Why hadn’t he come home first instead of going to see Su Wan?
If he hadn’t gone to see Su Wan, his sister wouldn’t have gone to see Jiang Zongyan either!
“Young master, are you hungry? I’ll make you something to eat.”
Cui Wu couldn’t bring herself to sympathize with him.
It was his own fault for insisting on going to see that white lotus.
Su Wan had been very good at disguising herself before. To curry favor with Cui Wu, the housekeeper, she would occasionally give her small, inexpensive gifts.
Cui Wu had taken them as signs of goodwill. She neither liked nor disliked Su Wan.
But after recently learning from the young miss what Su Wan had done, she had been so furious that she threw all the gifts away. She also felt indignant on the young master’s behalf over everything he had sacrificed for Su Wan.
“No need. Has the burn on the young miss’s hand been treated?”
“The young miss… refused.”
Zhou Sui'an frowned, but there was nothing he could do.
“Sis Wu, help me find some burn ointment.”
“All right… Here.”
Cui Wu quickly brought over some ointment.
“You should get some rest too.”
Zhou Sui'an took the ointment and headed upstairs in long strides.
Cui Wu was just about to return to her room when the doorbell’s video intercom rang.
The face of a young man appeared on the screen.
A pair of rimless glasses rested on his tall, straight nose, giving him the air of a refined scoundrel. He spoke politely toward the camera.
“Is anyone there? I’m Lin Zhou, special assistant to the president of Jiang Group. I’m here to deliver something to Miss Zhou.”
The special assistant to the president of Jiang Group?
Cui Wu hurried over and opened the door. “Hello. May I ask who you are?”
Lin Zhou politely handed Cui Wu a bag and a small box.
“Hello, I’m Lin Zhou. Our president asked me to deliver these to Miss Zhou.”
Cui Wu spotted the familiar insulated lunch box at first glance. She took the items instinctively and thanked him.
“Sorry to trouble you with the delivery. Thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s no trouble. I’ll be going, then.”
Lin Zhou nodded courteously before turning to leave.
What had Young Master Jiang sent her young miss?
Cui Wu took a closer look and discovered that it was a dress.
This… Wasn’t this the dress Miss had liked so much a while back, but ultimately hadn’t bought because she couldn’t bear to spend the money?
Why had Young Master Jiang sent it to Miss?
Filled with questions, she set the lunch box down, then picked up the small box and elegant gift bag and headed upstairs.
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