Faced with the eldest young master's silent reproach, Qiuyun calmly looked away.
As she'd said—she was the young miss's assistant.
"She's my friend," Jiang Lin'an explained good-naturedly to his sister, casting a warning glance at Qiuyun.
Qiuyun stretched her neck and shifted her gaze elsewhere, completely ignoring the signal.
That's right.
Indeed, a friend.
Because last time, she'd been introduced as something else.
"Oh~ a friend~" Jiang Chuling giggled.
The girl was quick to catch on, immediately crouching down to greet her. "Hi, little sister! I'm He Minmin. You can call me Sister Minmin. I didn't know you were coming, so I didn't bring a gift. What do you want? I'll bring it next time, okay?"
Jiang Chuling didn't take the bait of the friendly gesture. She simply smiled and said, "Hello, Sister He."
Jiang Lin'an shot his sister an amused look, then turned to He Minmin. "Sorry, I didn't know my sister was coming today. How about we reschedule?"
He Minmin quickly waved her hands. "No worries, no worries. Just call me when you're free, Senior."
With that, she gave the less-than-warm little sister an appeasing smile and left.
With the outsider gone, Jiang Lin'an looked at his sister with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming today? I would have cleared my schedule for you."
Jiang Chuling grinned. "I was curious, so I came to check things out."
"Done being curious? Can you give me a heads-up next time?"
Jiang Chuling knew her big brother was a bit annoyed, so she immediately switched to a coaxing tone, promising repeatedly, "Oh, I didn't get to see anything last time, so I came up with this sneaky plan. It won't happen again, I swear!"
Jiang Lin'an shook his head and asked where his sister wanted to go today.
"The amusement park, of course!" Since she couldn't go to Europe this year, checking out the domestic version of Hogwarts would do just fine.
"Alright, let's go. Today, I'll devote myself to our little princess."
"Yay!"
Despite the heat, the amusement park was packed since it was summer break.
As an assistant, Qiuyun mostly stayed behind the two of them, paying for things, holding drinks, and inquiring about which ride to hit next while sending a bodyguard to the VIP entrance to check the queue and ensure the young miss could go straight on the ride when she arrived.
After a few rides, Jiang Lin'an said he needed a break. Rides like the sky-high roller coaster were better left to the kids.
Jiang Chuling looked at Sister Xiaoqiu, who also waved her hand in refusal, and had to settle for going with the bodyguard.
Inside the VIP lounge, Jiang Lin'an turned to Qiuyun.
Probably because his parents were in the middle of a separation and feuding, his father hadn't had time to deal with the matter of his previous girlfriend. Instead, this little assistant had happened to witness it twice.
"Don't tell Xiaoqi about this," Jiang Lin'an said.
He didn't elaborate, but Qiuyun understood. Still, she could only promise, "If the young miss doesn't ask, I won't bring it up willingly."
Jiang Lin'an's face darkened. "She's still a kid. She doesn't need to know about this kind of thing."
Qiuyun's eyes dropped slightly. "It's not a bad thing for the young miss to learn early about men's inherent flaws."
—Jiang Lin'an pressed his forehead. "She's just a junior from my school. Even though I've broken up with my girlfriend, I have no immediate need to start another relationship."
"Understood," Qiuyun said. "But if the young miss knows that the reason you left home and broke with your parents has nothing to do with romantic entanglement, it might help reshape her worldview. She won't stay endlessly curious and insist on coming to see your girlfriend."
—Impervious to reason.
Jiang Lin'an, who had already been banished from the estate and could no longer control personnel assignments, fell silent.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Chuling returned, full of excitement, dragging her brother and Sister Xiaoqiu to the next ride.
From then on, until the entire visit ended, the two didn't exchange a single word—not even eye contact.
But the sharp-eyed Jiang Chuling could hardly miss the tension. After returning to Bright Moon Residence, she quickly learned the reason.
"So that's it," she said. "I knew my brother didn't seem like the type to lose his head over love for a pretty face!" Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so curious about his nameless, ordinary girlfriend.
Jiang Chuling looked at Sister Xiaoqiu's calm expression and chuckled. "But Sister Xiaoqiu, you're something else. My brother has always been this gentle, refined gentleman with a temper so good you wouldn't believe it. This is the first time I've seen him sulk and act like a child by ignoring someone."
Qiuyun didn't take the bait. "After leaving the estate, the eldest young master can naturally express his likes and dislikes freely."
Jiang Chuling didn't want to hear it. She had her own rock-solid logic. "But Sister Xiaoqiu, is freedom really that important? Isn't it better to let Dad and the family pave the way for you? Why aren't my brother and eldest brother willing to do it?"
The two lounged on the sofa. Qiuyun's warm, soft fingers gently combed through the young miss's hair. "There's no such thing as absolute freedom in this world. Take the eldest young master—he's out from under the family's control, but he's lost material freedom. Take your grandfather—he controls billions in wealth, but he's still bound by market rules. Take Mayor Pei, whom we met the other day—even with his high rank, his words and actions are constrained by morality and law."
Jiang Chuling fell silent.
Qiuyun said nothing more. Some things, a child had to figure out on their own.
All others could do was have faith.
The next day, Jiang Chuling went to visit Jiang Linzhi again, eager as ever.
It couldn't be helped. Every year, she only had the summer heat break and the few days of spring festival during winter vacation to relax a little. The rest of her schedule was packed with classes and social events, leaving only slivers of time to keep family ties alive.
Following the address Jiang Linzhi had given, the driver pulled up in front of a tech tower. Jiang Chuling stepped out of the car and let out a "Wow."
Qiuyun checked the address. "Yes, three floors—seventeen through nineteen—are all his. Wait a moment, miss. I'll ask the front desk where the main office is."
"Okay, got it."
Jiang Chuling was impressed. She hadn't expected her most unreliable brother, when he said he was doing something serious, to actually be doing something serious.
Qiuyun soon returned. "It's on the nineteenth floor. Let's go, miss."
The tower, called Jiahe, housed multiple companies. It had fifty-two floors above ground and three below.
"We're here." Qiuyun held the elevator door and took a look.
The Jiahe Tower stood by the river, and when the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a panoramic view through massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Inside, people in shirts and dress pants came and went, an unmistakable air of elite professionalism about them.
"Dream Quest—A Game Company Built for Dreams." Jiang Chuling read the company logo and slogan, dumbfounded. "No way. My brother actually owns a game company? Is this really the same guy who was always loafing around, ditching class to play ball, and staying out all night?"
"What are you saying, you little brat!"
Jiang Linzhi came up from behind and smacked his sister lightly on the head. "Don't ruin my reputation in the office."
"Brother!" Jiang Chuling was ecstatic. "What kind of game are you making? I want to play it! I want to play!"
"It's not finished yet. You'll play when it's released." Jiang Linzhi immediately noticed the suspicious little nanny.
No, wait. Now she was an assistant.
Tsk.
Even more suspicious.
