"Don't even think about it. I have zero interest in becoming your sister-in-law," Si Nian raised her hand to stop her.
Fu Qianqian: "?"
For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether her ears were malfunctioning or if Si Nian had lost her mind.
The same person who had once sworn she’d marry her brother no matter what was now acting like a completely different person, claiming she had no interest at all.
Was she just pretending not to care to avoid being mocked?
Once Fu Qianqian thought of this, she immediately understood.
It never crossed her mind that Si Nian genuinely wasn’t interested.
This novel leaned toward a male-oriented perspective—where the male lead effortlessly charmed women, neither accepting nor rejecting their affections outright, thereby creating endless misunderstandings and obstacles in the path of the main couple’s love story.
In this narrative, the original Si Nian was nothing more than a minor, scheming antagonist.
After all, the male lead was a military officer, and admirers were never in short supply.
Si Nian had a reason for selling the job to Fu Qianqian.
In the novel, Fu Qianqian initially disliked Lin Sisi, but after Lin Sisi helped her secure the job, she became overwhelmingly grateful and turned her into an ally.
When Si Nian first recalled this plot point, she had been puzzled—how could Lin Sisi possibly help Fu Qianqian?
Now, she understood perfectly.
Turns out, Lin Sisi had taken her job and used it as a favor to win Fu Qianqian over.
Later in the story, Lin Sisi didn’t pursue a career as a broadcaster but instead chose to continue her university education.
This earned her the admiration of the Fu family, who had previously looked down on her.
Her life became an unstoppable upward climb.
But now, by proactively selling the job to Fu Qianqian, Si Nian had stripped Lin Sisi of her chance to curry favor.
Fu Qianqian might seem difficult to get along with, but in reality, she was straightforward and easily swayed.
In the book, Lin Sisi had exploited this trait to gradually win her over.
But things were different now. Fu Qianqian already held some resentment toward Lin Sisi.
Even though Si Nian and Fu Qianqian had never been close, they’d known each other since childhood. At the very least, that familiarity made Si Nian more relatable than Lin Sisi, who had just arrived on the scene.
Now that Lin Sisi had obtained the job in the way Fu Qianqian despised the most, given Fu Qianqian’s personality, she’d probably look down on Lin Sisi for the rest of her life.
And since Lin Sisi had refused to give up the job for her, Fu Qianqian’s resentment toward her would only deepen.
Given the circumstances, Lin Sisi would have a hard time repairing their relationship.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
"Come on, let’s go home and get the household register," Fu Qianqian said cheerfully, no longer in the mood to criticize Lin Sisi. She eagerly pulled Si Nian along to retrieve the documents.
Si Nian pretended to hesitate. "My household registration is still under the Si family. This job was probably arranged by my parents for Lin Sisi. I’m worried..."
She trailed off deliberately.
Sure enough, Fu Qianqian’s expression darkened instantly. "So what? It’s not like you got the job through them. Why should you have to give it up for Lin Sisi? I’ll go with you—I refuse to believe Lin Sisi would dare to fight me for it!"
"If she dares, I’ll be the first to make her regret it!"
Si Nian nodded. "Then I’ll trouble you for your help."
Fu Qianqian hadn’t expected her to be so polite and felt slightly awkward. She ruffled her short hair and huffed, "Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not doing this for you—I’m just securing my own job."
Si Nian smiled.
Since Si Nian was carrying a child and it was inconvenient, Fu Qianqian hailed a taxi.
Si Nian was genuinely exhausted. The child was already two years old, and even though she was small, she still weighed over twenty pounds. Her arms ached from holding her.
When Fu Qianqian saw the child in Si Nian’s arms staring at her with big, beautiful eyes, her expression turned complicated.
She never would’ve imagined that Si Nian—once the most beautiful and promising girl in their circle—would end up with the worst marriage, becoming a stepmother to such a young child.
A wave of melancholy washed over her.
"Hey, Si Nian… you’re not planning to just settle for this, are you?"
Si Nian tickled the little one’s chin and replied, "What’s wrong with this?"
"Look at her. She’s so well-behaved."
Fu Qianqian pursed her lips, about to say she didn’t like children, when a tiny hand suddenly stretched out, offering her a piece of candy while babbling incoherently.
Fu Qianqian was stunned. "She… can’t talk yet?" The child looked old enough—how could she still not be speaking?
She had assumed the child was just quiet, but it turned out she couldn’t speak at all.
Si Nian nodded. "Not yet, but she will soon."
Fu Qianqian’s gaze grew even more complicated, tinged with newfound respect.
Ten minutes later, the two arrived at the residential compound.
Under normal circumstances, Si Nian wouldn’t have been able to enter so easily. After all, the news that she wasn’t the Si family’s biological daughter had spread like wildfire.
If the Si family refused, there was little she could do.
But with Fu Qianqian by her side, entry was effortless.
The two strode confidently to the Si residence. Before Si Nian could step inside, her parents emerged with dark expressions, comforting a tearful Lin Sisi.
Having lost the job, Lin Sisi had been sent back home.
She was now sobbing about the unfair treatment she’d suffered at the radio station, claiming that Si Nian had sabotaged her out of spite for "stealing" her parents’ affection.
Hearing this, Si’s Father and Si’s Mother were livid.
They couldn’t believe the daughter they’d raised with such care and effort could be so malicious!
They hadn’t even asked for her gratitude, but to think she’d pretended to comply when leaving—making them feel guilty—only to secretly use underhanded means to suppress their real daughter and prevent her from establishing herself in the city!
It was utterly despicable!
They were just about to take Lin Sisi to confront Si Nian when she showed up at their doorstep.
Lin Sisi had anticipated Si Nian’s return—she needed the household register to transfer the job.
But she never expected Si Nian to bring Fu Qianqian along.
The sight of the two made her freeze.
Sure enough, the anger on Si’s Father and Si’s Mother’s faces instantly faded when they saw Fu Qianqian.
The residents of this compound cared deeply about appearances—no one wanted to become the subject of gossip.
Though still seething, they forced a polite smile. "Qianqian, what brings you here?"
Si’s Father spoke first. He was quite familiar with Fu Qianqian—she was Fu Chief’s beloved daughter, doted on more than even his sons.
At one point, he had even encouraged Si Nian to befriend her.
But the two had never gotten along. Now, to his surprise, Fu Qianqian was voluntarily accompanying Si Nian.
Fu Qianqian was blunt as ever. "Hello, Uncle Si. I’m here with Si Nian to get the household register for the job transfer procedures. Could you hand it over? We’ll return it shortly."
"What?" Si’s Father was stunned.
Earlier, his daughter had only mentioned that Si Nian was selling the job to an outsider—she hadn’t said who it was.
He never imagined it would be Fu Qianqian.
Then Si Nian chimed in, "Dad, thank you and Mom for your concern. I appreciate you going through the trouble of having Lin Sisi cover my shift to protect my job. I’ve been worried about it for a while, so I came back as soon as I could. I’m sorry for inconveniencing you for so long."
