“Who are you calling disgusting?”
Xiang Lingxiao flew into a rage. The smile vanished from his face as he glared viciously at Zhou Suisui and raised his hand.
Before he could bring it down, a large, well-defined hand suddenly shot out and seized his wrist.
The force was astonishing, as though it meant to crush his bones.
Xiang Lingxiao’s face went white. He grimaced in pain.
“Ah! It hurts! Let go!”
Jiang Zongyan’s tall figure had appeared at some point, blocking Zhou Suisui from view.
His eyes were icy, and his voice dripped with mockery.
“Looks like Second Young Master Xiang has spent all these years abroad without learning a single lesson.”
The moment he heard that, Xiang Lingxiao’s expression changed drastically.
Of course he remembered.
Back then, after he had cornered Zhou Suisui, the Zhou and Jiang families had joined forces to pressure the Xiang family, forcing them to send him abroad overnight.
It was only two years ago that he had finally dared to sneak back once.
He had thought the matter was long behind them. He never expected Jiang Zongyan to still remember it.
“Get lost.”
Jiang Zongyan shoved him away, his voice cold as ice.
“From now on, stay away from Zhou Suisui whenever you see her. If you ever lay another hand on her, I won’t mind breaking your arm myself.”
Xiang Lingxiao’s face turned deathly pale, but he didn’t dare offend Jiang Zongyan.
He gritted his teeth, shot Zhou Suisui a vicious glare, then clutched his aching wrist and turned to leave in humiliation.
Jiang Zongyan turned around. Seeing Zhou Suisui’s slightly pale face, the coldness in his eyes softened. He looked her up and down.
“Did he hit you?”
Zhou Suisui came back to herself, shrugged, and declared proudly, “I was the one who slapped him. He couldn’t get the better of me.”
Hearing that, Jiang Zongyan let out a sigh of relief, though his eyes were filled with helplessness.
“And you can still smile? Zhou Suisui, sometimes you really…”
He stopped halfway, his tone carrying a hint of gritted teeth.
“Really what?”
She blinked curiously, then teased him with a smile. “Looks like our Mr. Jiang is pretty impressive. The moment you showed up, you scared him away.”
Jiang Zongyan didn’t smile.
He lowered his eyes to look at her, something hidden deep within his gaze.
Two seconds later, he sighed. “Next time someone bullies you, hit them back. If anything happens, I’ll deal with it.”
The words warmed Zhou Suisui’s heart.
Aside from her brother, this was the first time anyone had told her, “If anything happens, I’ll deal with it.”
She looked at Jiang Zongyan’s serious eyes.
Then, on a sudden impulse, she reached out and lightly poked him in the chest, speaking in a coquettish tone:
“But my hand hurts when I hit people~~ Next time he bullies me, can I just call your name and have you beat him up for me?”
“Your hand hurts?”
Jiang Zongyan’s expression, which had only just softened, darkened again.
He grabbed her wrist and carefully pried open her fingers one by one to inspect them.
Zhou Suisui had put all her strength into that slap. Her originally fair palm was now flushed red.
Jiang Zongyan knitted his brows tightly and looked up at her, his features stern.
“You’re right. Don’t hit anyone next time. Just call my name.”
Huh?
Zhou Suisui was stunned.
She had only been joking, trying to push her luck a little. She never expected him to take her seriously.
It felt as though warm, fizzy bubbles had flowed into her heart, leaving it sweet and tingling.
Fine. Since he was being so good to her, she would admit it—he was her brother now, too.
Her Brother Yan.
The smile tugging at her lips was almost impossible to suppress.
Her eyes darted around, and she deliberately stretched out her soft, coquettish voice.
“It hurts. Blow on it for me.”
Heh heh. If he wanted to be her brother, it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Such a spoiled brat.”
Though Jiang Zongyan complained, his body was far more honest than his words.
Without the slightest hesitation, he lifted her hand to his lips and gently blew on it.
The warmth of his breath brushed across her palm, and a tingling sensation instantly spread through her entire body.
Zhou Suisui regretted it the moment the words left her mouth.
Why had she flirted with him for no reason?
It was obvious that Jiang Zongyan wasn’t embarrassed at all. He simply treated her like a younger sister!
She was probably in the same position as Jiang Ruitian.
Meanwhile, she was the one whose face had turned bright red and whose heart was pounding wildly after being so effortlessly teased by him.
The spot where he held her hand, where their skin touched, felt unbearably hot.
“Let go of my sister!”
Just then, a forceful hand came from the side and yanked her away.
“Zhou Suisui, what are you doing getting all cozy with him here?”
Zhou Sui'an was dressed in a white suit, but his face was darker than coal.
Zhou Suisui was bewildered. How had they gotten “cozy”?
Seeing her blank expression, Zhou Sui'an jerked his chin toward the outside.
“Didn’t you see the reporters over there?”
“Come with me!”
With a cold expression, Zhou Sui'an dragged her toward the door, grumbling and cursing under his breath.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to shoot Jiang Zongyan a vicious glare.
After being pulled several steps away, Zhou Suisui couldn’t resist looking back. She gave Jiang Zongyan a charming smile.
Her cherry-colored lips parted slightly as she mouthed, “Thank you, Brother Yan.”
“…”
Jiang Zongyan straightened to his full height, then leaned lazily against the carved railing of the staircase.
As he watched her retreating figure, it felt as though a tiny ant had lightly pinched his heart.
It was itchy and soft.
He shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile before he even realized it.
Just then, Lin Zhou hurried over. He leaned close to Jiang Zongyan’s ear and said, “Mr. Jiang, the two men in black from last night died at the police station. We just received word.”
“They’re dead?”
Jiang Zongyan’s expression changed abruptly.
As expected, this matter was far from simple.
But now that those two men were dead, every lead had been cut off.
—
Outside the corridor.
Zhou Sui'an released Zhou Suisui’s hand and began lecturing her with a stern expression.
“I told you to stay with me, but you refused to listen! You keep running off everywhere. What would we do if something happened to you?”
Zhou Suisui pouted unhappily and interrupted him.
“Brother, Xiang Lingxiao was bullying me just now.”
“What?! Who did you say was bullying you?!”
Zhou Sui'an stopped short. His voice rose sharply as he ground his teeth.
“That bastard Xiang Lingxiao! He actually dared to come back!”
Zhou Suisui pouted. “Brother Yan helped me out.”
“…”
The moment he heard that, Zhou Sui'an’s aggressive fury instantly deflated.
After a long pause, he muttered, “Defending the weak is something every hot-blooded man does, especially someone like Jiang Zongyan, who loves showing off. Anyway… don’t take it to heart.”
“…”
Zhou Suisui held back her laughter.
To keep her from getting too close to Jiang Zongyan, her brother really could come up with any excuse.
Zhou Sui'an frowned and examined his sister.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. I was the one who slapped him.”
“…”
Zhou Sui'an was rendered speechless. Seeing the smile she was forcing onto her face, he felt even more distressed.
He reached out and gently pinched her cheek, his tone softening.
“If you don’t feel like smiling, then don’t. You look awful.”
With that, he turned around, his eyes instantly becoming sinister.
He pulled out his phone and quickly sent a message to A-Ling and A-Biao, who were far away in Tang City.
Keep a close eye on Xiang Lingxiao. The moment he returns to Tang City, send people to beat him up. As long as you don’t kill him, beat him within an inch of his life.
A-Ling replied almost immediately:
Understood, Young Master.
This wasn’t their first time doing something like this, either; they knew exactly what they were doing.
