“Don’t you dare hang up, Zhou Sui'an… Hello!”
Listening to the dead tone from her phone, Su Wan finally lost control.
“Bang!”
She slammed the phone down on the table. Her chest heaved violently, her eyes red-rimmed, and her gaze filled with vicious resentment.
“Zhou Sui'an, you think you can walk away after stirring up trouble with me? Not a chance!”
As an idea occurred to her, an evil smile spread across her face.
—
At the dining table.
Cui Wu had reheated the duck necks and chicken feet a colleague had brought and arranged them neatly on a plate. She carried them to the table, and their enticing aroma filled the room.
“Our young lady really is a heartthrob.”
As she laid out the chopsticks, Cui Wu couldn’t help praising her proudly. “She’s only been at the company for three days, and she’s already won over so many fans. I’m even getting to enjoy the benefits.”
“Of course.”
Zhou Sui'an lifted his chin smugly, looking extremely pleased with himself. “Whose little sister is she? My little sister is loved wherever she goes.”
As he spoke, he habitually reached out to ruffle Zhou Suisui’s hair, but his gaze suddenly fixed on her wrist.
Zhou Suisui’s wrist was slender and fair, and it now bore a jade bracelet of brilliant green.
The jade was nearly flawless, with a remarkably translucent quality and barely any visible impurities or veins. Beneath the warm yellow light, it glowed with a gentle, lustrous sheen.
It was an emerald of exceptional quality, something that money could hardly buy.
Zhou Sui'an pointed at her wrist, his face full of shock. “Suisui, isn’t that the Jiang family heirloom?”
Mrs. Jiang wore it every day and never took it off.
Zhou Suisui paused and raised her hand. “You mean this? Aunt Jiang told me to wear it for fun. She said that if I didn’t like it, I could sell it and use the money as pocket money.”
“Sell it for pocket money?!”
Zhou Sui'an stared at her suspiciously. “Did you go to the Jiang residence today?”
Zhou Suisui nodded. “I went to visit Aunt Jiang. I hadn’t been to the Jiang residence for several days.”
She had often gone to the Jiang residence to play since she was little, so it was nothing unusual.
In the past, Zhou Sui'an had never thought there was anything wrong with it. But now that he knew Jiang Zongyan was lurking there with designs on his sister, the thought made him deeply uncomfortable.
Still, Jiang Zongyan was usually extremely busy and practically lived for his work.
It was the middle of a workday, in broad daylight. He probably wouldn’t be at home.
Zhou Sui'an took a deep breath, doing his best to calm himself down.
The internet said that young people nowadays had especially strong rebellious streaks.
The more their families objected, the more determined they became to prove that their choices were right, even going so far as to insist on being with some man from outside the family.
Looking into his sister’s clear, innocent eyes, Zhou Sui'an said casually, “Since Aunt Jiang said so, just keep it. Aunt Jiang has always liked you and treats you like her own daughter. Just don’t misunderstand what she means.”
Don’t misunderstand?
Zhou Suisui raised an eyebrow, barely managing not to laugh.
Her brother was so nervous that he might as well have written the words Don’t get any ideas all over his face.
She held back her amusement. “I know, big brother. I’ve never misunderstood anything.”
“That’s my girl. Now eat.”
Zhou Sui'an instinctively reached out and rubbed her head.
His expression remained calm, without any noticeable change. He seemed just as he always was.
But the moment he returned to his room and closed the door, he completely lost his composure.
He was so distressed he felt as though his heart and lungs were being clawed at. Hugging one of the pillars, he nearly slammed his head against it.
The family heirloom!
That was the Jiang family’s heirloom, passed down from generation to generation!
It had been the token of Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang’s love, and was only ever passed on to the Jiang family’s daughters-in-law.
Yet Aunt Jiang had casually given it to Suisui?
And she had even said it wasn’t anything valuable. How could that possibly be true?
Only his innocent little sister would believe that. Her intentions were as obvious as Sima Zhao’s.
The angrier he became, the more he thought about it. Finally, he picked up his phone and called Jiang Zongyan.
The call rang for quite a while before it was answered lazily.
Jiang Zongyan’s languid voice came through, slightly hoarse. “What is it?”
“Jiang Zongyan!”
Hearing his careless tone, Zhou Sui'an grew even more furious. “Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in my sister?! What do you mean by giving her your family heirloom?!”
There was a silence of several seconds on the other end before Jiang Zongyan replied with a laugh.
“The ones losing a family heirloom are the Jiangs, not the Zhous. I’m not even worried, so what are you getting worked up about?”
Zhou Sui'an was stunned.
“If that bracelet doesn’t have any special meaning, then if you ever regret giving it away and want it back—or try to use it to blackmail us somehow—the Zhou family won’t acknowledge it.”
Jiang Zongyan’s voice remained casual, but there was a trace of unconcerned bravado in it. “The Jiang family can afford to give away one bracelet.”
“Fine. You said it yourself!”
Zhou Sui'an raised his eyebrows triumphantly and hung up.
He thought to himself: As long as my sister hasn’t agreed to anything with Jiang Zongyan, she can keep the bracelet. Besides, the Jiang family is the one losing out, not ours.
But less than two minutes later, he began worrying again.
No. He couldn’t let his sister think the Jiang family’s things were especially precious.
So what if the Jiang family had a family heirloom? The Zhou family had one too!
The more Zhou Sui'an thought about it, the more convinced he became that he needed to do something.
He took an exquisite key from the top shelf of his wardrobe, closed his fingers around it, and left the room. Then he walked to Zhou Suisui’s door.
“Suisui, are you asleep?”
Her drowsy voice came from inside. “Big brother? What is it?”
Zhou Sui'an pushed the door open and saw that his sister was already lying in bed.
Her skin was soft and dewy, and her long black hair was spread across the white silk pillow. She looked half-asleep, her eyes barely open.
My little sister is so cute.
Unable to resist, Zhou Sui'an crouched beside her pillow until his eyes were level with hers.
He reached out and poked her soft, chubby cheek.
“Suisui, look what I brought you.”
“What is it?”
Zhou Suisui rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed.
Zhou Sui'an was brimming with excitement, his eyes shining with anticipation, completely free of drowsiness. “Suisui, take this key and keep it safe.”
“Suisui, our family has a family heirloom too. Mother loved collecting jewelry when she was alive, and all of it is locked away in the attic.”
As he spoke, he took her hand and placed the key in her palm. “I used to think you were too young and was worried you might lose Mother’s belongings. But you’re all grown up now, so I’m giving you the key. Take whichever pieces you like.”
Zhou Suisui had been plagued by nightmares all night and had barely slept.
She was so tired that she couldn’t even be bothered to open her eyes. She instinctively closed her fingers around the key and mumbled incoherently,
“Okay… I’ll pick something out when I have time…”
“Big brother, it’s late. You should get some rest too!”
“Okay.”
Seeing how exhausted she was, Zhou Sui'an didn’t want to say anything more, but he still reminded her solemnly, “You must keep this key safe.”
“Mm.”
“Go to sleep, little pig.”
With a smile, Zhou Sui'an tucked the covers around her, turned off the little night-light beside the bed, and quietly slipped out.
