Zhou Sui'an was a sister-obsessed brother.
Everyone in their circle agreed on that.
Whoever was foolish enough to lay a hand on the Zhou family's little sister?
In Jiang Zongyan's opinion, there were only two possibilities. Either Zhou Sui'an had gone off the deep end… or Zhou Suisui had started dating, but her brother wouldn't allow it, so she had made up a ridiculous story claiming that he was her boyfriend and was using him as a shield.
That little brat was already dating?
He couldn't help thinking of the phone call from Mother that morning.
“You'll be twenty-seven after New Year's. When exactly are you going to bring me a daughter-in-law? If you don't get married, don't bother coming home!”
At that moment, he suddenly felt that perhaps he really should start a family.
Jiang Zongyan stared blankly at his phone for a long while before finally pulling his lips into a speechless smile.
Why was he actually reflecting on this?
Zhou Sui'an really was poisonous.
—
After finishing his tirade, Zhou Sui'an felt much better.
Sure enough, people shouldn't bottle things up too much.
His mind was already twisted enough. At least his body needed to stay healthy.
Just as Zhou Suisui reached the staircase on the second floor, she heard her brother's voice coming from the stairwell as he spoke on the phone.
Her heart tightened. Worried that her brother might go soft on Su Wan, she turned around and hurried back.
The moment she reached the stairs, she heard her brother cursing Jiang Zongyan and immediately stopped breathing.
How had she forgotten about that?
If her brother went after Jiang Zongyan, wouldn't everything be exposed?
“Brother, who were you calling just now?” she asked cautiously.
“Obviously Jiang Zongyan.”
Zhou Sui'an said smugly, “I already gave him a good tongue-lashing. From now on, don't listen to anything he says. Whatever you do, don't let him sweet-talk you.”
Zhou Suisui stamped her foot anxiously. “Brother, he and I aren't like that…”
Zhou Sui'an reached out and poked her on the forehead, cutting her off. “What? I can't say a few words to him? So what if I cursed him?”
“…”
Zhou Suisui had a headache.
The Zhou Group had managed to remain prosperous all these years largely because of the support of Jiang Zongyan's parents.
When the Zhou couple died tragically in a car accident, their relatives from the extended family had cast covetous eyes on the Zhou Group's shares.
Taking pity on the two siblings, Jiang Zongyan's parents had publicly declared in front of the media, “As long as the Jiang family exists, we will protect the Zhou siblings forever.”
But that had been Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang's intention—not Jiang Zongyan's.
Jiang Zongyan held immense power in the business world. He had the image of an elegant, refined, impossibly distinguished young master, yet he was ruthless and merciless. He was not someone anyone wanted to provoke.
He had spent the past three years overseas.
Yet his reputation in Tangcheng had grown more formidable with every passing day.
Overnight, he had created a Wall Street legend.
In just half a year, he had forced more than ten competitors out of the market, leaving them no room to survive.
Any technology or market he set his sights on inevitably ended up in his hands. And those who dared to offend him rarely met a good end.
The domestic media were divided in their opinions.
Some said that he was a brilliant businessman with formidable methods and decisive ruthlessness.
Others said that he went too far, utterly destroying his opponents, and that sooner or later, his actions would come back to haunt him.
Zhou Suisui was about to go crazy.
She had just made the whole thing up!
Zhou Sui'an's expression darkened. “Zhou Suisui, you're actually taking his side?”
Zhou Suisui got angry. “Brother, couldn't you ask me first before calling him?”
“You went to get a hotel room with him, and you expect me to ask questions? Zhou Suisui, have I spoiled you too much?”
“…”
Zhou Suisui was speechless.
But it was true that she had lied first.
After being at a loss for a long while, she finally squeezed out, “Anyway, stay out of my business. If you dare go looking for trouble with Brother Yan, I'll kill myself.”
“What? You're going to kill yourself to show me?”
Zhou Sui'an was furious. His eyes swept around the room and landed on a baseball bat. He reached out and snatched it up.
“Just wait till I beat you to death!”
Cui Wu's face went white. She hurried over and grabbed him. “Young Master, you can't hit her! Please calm down!”
“You fawn over Su Wan, so I'll fawn over Brother Yan. I learned it from you.”
Zhou Suisui hid behind Cui Wu, made a face at Zhou Sui'an, and turned to run up the stairs.
“…”
Zhou Sui'an stood frozen in place for a long time.
She was going to fawn over Jiang Zongyan just because he fawned over Su Wan?
The baseball bat slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.
Zhou Sui'an stood there like a wooden statue, unable to recover.
How could those two things possibly be compared?
Besides, he was pursuing Su Wan normally. The gentleman admired the beauty—there was nothing wrong with that.
How could a girl compare herself to him?
Then he suddenly realized that his little sister had grown up. She was already a graceful young woman.
She was no longer the dark-skinned little monkey who used to cause trouble all day, climbing trees and raiding birds' nests.
She was experiencing the first stirrings of youth. Her hormones were raging, spring had arrived, and the little girl had begun to yearn for love.
“Wah…”
Zhou Sui'an clutched his head with both hands, his face devastated. He couldn't accept the reality.
“Young Master, are you all right?” Cui Wu quickly set the baseball bat aside and asked worriedly.
She hadn't understood why Miss Zhou had lied to Young Master before, but now she knew. Miss Zhou had been trying to stop Young Master from confessing to Su Wan.
At that moment, Zhou Sui'an's psychological defenses collapsed completely, and he began to cry bitterly.
“Sister Wu, my heart is breaking!”
“I raised her from the moment she was a tiny baby!”
“I changed her diapers, fed her, and brought her up with my own two hands, and now she's actually taking some other man’s side? She even picked a fight with me because of him?”
“Waaah, waah, waah…”
“What did I do to deserve such a miserable life? What’s the point of me even being alive?”
Cui Wu knew that the siblings depended on each other and were the most important people in each other's lives. Hearing him wail so miserably, she was moved despite herself.
“Young Master, Miss Zhou will be twenty in another month. At her age, it's perfectly normal for her to be going through a rebellious phase. Having someone she likes is normal too.”
“Normal, my ass!”
He couldn't accept the truth.
Zhou Sui'an gritted his teeth, his eyes red from crying. “Damn it.”
“Jiang Zongyan, I'm not done with you!”
“Someone keep an eye on Miss Zhou. No one is allowed to let her out for the next few days without my permission.”
Once he had won Su Wan's forgiveness, he would settle accounts with Jiang Zongyan.
—
Upstairs, in the luxurious yet cozy bedroom.
Zhou Suisui looked worried as she took out her phone and called Jiang Ruitian.
“Suisui, you finally picked up! I was worried sick just now. Are you and Brother Sui'an all right? What was going on with that woman Su Wan? She actually used Brother Sui'an to boost her own popularity. Thank goodness my darling best friend was smart enough to see through her scheme.”
Zhou Suisui hummed in response, then anxiously asked, “Where's your brother?”
“Huh? My brother?”
The sudden change of subject left Jiang Ruitian stunned for a second. Then she broke into a sly grin.
“Hehe, when did you start caring about my brother? Wait, something's fishy. Something's very fishy.”
Zhou Suisui was momentarily speechless.
Although the Jiang and Zhou families had been family friends for generations, she often visited the Jiang residence.
But she and Jiang Zongyan were seven years apart in age. Besides, after turning eighteen, he had moved into an apartment near his school, so they rarely had much interaction.
And as a hopeless student, she had nothing in common with an academic genius like him.
Zhou Suisui scratched her nose and said guiltily, “I saw in the news that Brother Yan had returned to the country. It's been three years since I last saw him, so I was wondering how he's doing now. Has he found a girlfriend?”
She deliberately kept her tone light, pretending she had only asked casually.
The ear pressed to the phone perked up sharply.
If Jiang Zongyan had a girlfriend, she would have to find someone else to use as her shield.
She couldn’t go around ruining other people’s relationships, could she?
Judging by her brother’s attitude just now, he probably wouldn’t give up that easily.
Jiang Ruitian suddenly doubled over laughing, as if she had just heard the funniest thing in the world.
“Ha… hahaha.”
“…What are you laughing at?”
“He can find himself a girlfriend? I’ll eat my phone!”
Zhou Suisui: “…”
Conclusion confirmed.
Definitely his real little sister.
