"So beautiful!!!" Jiang Chuling held up the mirror, admiring herself from left to right with delight.
Sister Xiaoqiu had actually managed to weave a rose out of her hair in such a short time! How could her hands be so skillful!
"Miss Jiang, ordinary people's bank cards only have a daily cash withdrawal limit of twenty thousand yuan. I'm afraid we won't be able to withdraw a hundred thousand today," Qiuyun seized the opportunity to say.
"Twenty thousand is fine, you can come back for the rest tomorrow," Jiang Chuling replied, unconcerned.
"Alright, I'll go now. The night breeze is chilly, Miss Jiang, please go wait in the car," Qiuyun said.
She placed the nanny bag in the car, pocketed the bank card, and headed to the ATM.
Jiang Linzhi raised an eyebrow at the woman's retreating figure. He had asked about the withdrawal amount on the way and had kept his composure, only revealing now, when his sister was in high spirits, that his bank card couldn't withdraw a hundred thousand at the ATM.
And his sister, delighted by Qiuyun's craftsmanship, naturally wouldn't feel negative or take it out on anyone.
That kind of thoughtfulness... how incredibly subtle.
If Jiang Linzhi had only suspected before, he was now almost certain that this woman named Qiuyun was approaching with ulterior motives!
"Miss Jiang, the amount is counted," Qiuyun said, wrapping the cash in kraft paper she had brought and offering it to her. Jiang Chuling didn't take it. "Keep it with you. When we're about to leave, find a chance to put it at home without Eldest Brother noticing."
"Understood."
With Jiang Linzhi preoccupied by his suspicions, and Jiang Chuling admiring her new hairstyle in the car window's reflection, the two hardly spoke, arriving safely at the underground parking garage of the residential complex.
Fearing that Eldest Brother's girlfriend might actually be there, Jiang Linzhi had texted him on the way to avoid an awkward encounter if the couple were in the middle of an intimate moment.
The driver was waiting in the garage, and Qiuyun followed the two young masters upstairs.
"Let's go."
Jiang Linzhi scanned his face, and the elevator went straight to the twelfth floor.
"Eldest Brother!"
Knowing that Eldest Brother had a place to stay, food, and their mother's support, Jiang Chuling no longer worried as she had yesterday. Now she was even more eager to meet the legendary sister-in-law!
Jiang Linzhi watched coldly, curious to see what kind of enchantress could drive his always gentle and reasonable eldest brother to break with family and move out.
Jiang Chuling, nimble and small, kicked off her shoes and bypassed her brother, charging straight inside.
After searching high and low and finding no one, she heard her brother drawl, "Don't bother looking. There isn't even a pair of women's slippers by the entrance. Eldest Brother probably hasn't even told her he's been kicked out yet."
"Linzhi," Jiang Lin'an shot his sarcastic younger brother a glare.
Jiang Linzhi snorted and fell silent.
No sister-in-law after all.
Jiang Chuling lost interest immediately. "Sister Xiaoqiu, bring over the soup Mom made."
Qiuyun took out the insulated jar, her eyes lowered respectfully as she asked, "It's just right for drinking now. Would Eldest Young Master like a bowl?"
Since it was their mother's thoughtful gesture, Jiang Lin'an nodded. "Pour a bowl."
"Yes."
"Eldest Brother, what are you planning to do now? You're not really never going back, are you?" Jiang Chuling asked.
"I plan to rest at home over summer break and take a breather," Jiang Lin'an replied. As the eldest grandson, his schedule had been packed every single day since childhood; he had never spent a single day lazing at home.
Well, except for the days he was grounded.
Jiang Chuling: "Huh? I thought you'd start your own business to prove to Dad that you could thrive without him."
"Why would you think that? I left with nothing—not even start-up capital. How would I prove anything?"
"That's how it goes on TV. The male protagonist fights against the family for the female protagonist, and together they get through the tough times."
Jiang Lin'an gently pinched his sister's cheek. "Watch less of that unrealistic stuff."
While eldest brother and little sister chatted, Jiang Linzhi's gaze involuntarily fell on Qiuyun.
She was close to his sister, and he had limited time to observe, so he seized every chance in this short period to secretly scrutinize her for any slip or flaw to investigate thoroughly.
Jiang Linzhi watched as she produced the insulated jar, her fair, slender hands taking out a bone-china bowl and placing it on the table. She ladled the soup slowly, without spilling a single drop and making no sound.
After pouring the soup, the rim of the bowl was dry and spotless. Then she switched to a smaller spoon, placing it beside the bowl, and carried the bowl filled to seven-tenths steadily to Jiang Lin'an.
"Eldest Young Master."
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, enough to interrupt the siblings' conversation without startling them.
"Brother, hurry and taste it. Mom simmered it all afternoon," Jiang Chuling urged.
"Mm, thank Mom for me," Jiang Lin'an said, lifting the bowl.
Jiang Linzhi continued to observe.
Qiuyun set down the bowl quietly and stepped back to tidy the insulated jar, her movements fluid and unhurried, without making a sound.
Her restrained and dignified bearing... It inexplicably struck him with a beauty reminiscent of orchids and mist, like a graceful lady in a cheongsam from a bygone era.
"Brother! Brother?" Jiang Chuling frowned. "What are you spacing out about? I asked you two or three times."
"Oh, I was thinking about where to take you on vacation this summer," Jiang Linzhi said, withdrawing his gaze calmly. "What did you ask?"
Jiang Chuling: "It was Eldest Brother. He wants to borrow someone to go to Laofu Mountain in Wanshi to pick up his birthday gift. Didn't you hear? Eldest Brother's gift is really interesting—Grandfather will love it!"
Since Jiang Lin'an had been kicked out of home, he had naturally lost his personal assistant, financial manager, driver, bodyguard, and so on.
"Of course I heard," Jiang Linzhi coughed twice. "No problem. I'll tell Wang Zhi later."
After settling that business, Jiang Lin'an looked at his sister with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, Little Seven. I promised to take you to Europe this summer break."
Though it was disappointing, Jiang Chuling pretended to be nonchalant. "It's fine! Brother said he's planning something big this summer, so tagging along with him to broaden my horizons sounds interesting."
Recalling his younger brother's previous reckless behavior, Jiang Lin'an pressed, "What big thing?" It had better not be something dangerous like street racing, skiing, horse racing, or motorcycling.
"Tsk." Jiang Linzhi could tell his brother's skepticism and said irritably, "It's something serious—dead serious! When I pull it off, I'll blow your minds!"
Jiang Lin'an: "You're still underage until next year. Whatever you do, keep it in check."
Jiang Chuling: "Pfft, serious business~ Let's see just how serious it is."
Jiang Linzhi: "..."
Even though it wasn't him developing the game, did his sharp eye and good judgment in investing in it not count as his achievement?
After a bit more idle chatter, Jiang Lin'an firmly refused Jiang Chuling's plea to meet his girlfriend and urged her to go home and rest early.
"Such a letdown."
As the siblings stepped into the elevator, Jiang Chuling pouted with her hands on her hips. "What's the big deal? Hiding her from us like that."
"Serves you right for being too curious and scaring her off," Jiang Linzhi scoffed.
