Chapter 22

After hearing this, the young man frowned. “Someone giving you trouble?”
Yun Nianyi’s answer sent his thoughts spinning. This foster sister he barely saw always seemed so quiet and obedient, exactly the type who might get picked on outside.
Yun Nianyi just smiled, not bothering to explain: “I can handle it. Trust me, brother.”
Yun Qingsui frowned too, his voice cool: “Let me know if there’s anything you need. The Yun family won’t stand for anyone making you suffer.”
Yun Nianyi smiled brightly. “I know, brother.”
The siblings gradually walked off together.
Inside the café, Yun Zhuoqing sat down, none the wiser. Neither of the other two had seen Yun Nianyi either, so their first encounter remained a secret, known only to one.
“You missed a few days of classes, have you caught up yet?” Yun Qingsui, half-buried in paperwork at the table, didn’t even look up as he questioned Yun Nianyi across from him.
“The tutor arranged by our family covers material even faster, did you forget, brother?” Yun Nianyi replied gently.
Private tutors were nothing unusual for the elite. Back when Yun Qingsui was her age, he barely set foot in school, he got one-on-one instruction, raced ahead of his peers, graduated college early, and then joined the family business straight into management.
Yun Qingsui paused, his face expressionless. “I forgot.”
“You’ve got a company to run, brother. You can’t remember every little thing.” Yun Nianyi took it in stride, knowing Yun Qingsui wasn’t careless; that’s just how he was. He’d forget her birthday, too. The only dates that stuck in his mind were the ones tied to profit.
Yun Nianyi glanced down and ran her fingers across the embroidery on her skirt. “Brother, I heard from Mother, there’s news again, isn’t there?”
Yun Qingsui didn’t answer, and Yun Nianyi didn’t seem surprised.
“I really hope this time it’s something good.” Yun Nianyi sighed softly.
At last, Yun Qingsui put his paperwork aside and looked at her intently. “You really want her to come back?”
He hadn’t mentioned a name, but they both knew who he meant. Yun Qingyi, the real Miss Yun. Even after a decade missing, the Yun family had never stopped searching for her. Just a whisper of a clue, and the heads of the house would rush to investigate. If they truly found her, it’d be an enormous joy for the Yuns, but not necessarily for Yun Nianyi.
In all these years, the world of the wealthy had come to treat Yun Nianyi as the true heiress, and if Yun Qingyi returned, her position would be... awkward at best. Even if Yun Qingyi came back uncultured and brash after ten years out there, she might still demand Yun Nianyi leave the Yun family.
Yun Nianyi sipped her coffee, then smiled at Yun Qingsui. “Of course. It’s been Father and Mother’s wish for years. Naturally, I want her to come back, too.”
Unseen by anyone, Yun Nianyi’s free hand was curled into a tight fist on her thigh, nails digging deep.
“Anyway, I have faith that Mom and Dad’s real daughter must be just as outstanding as our brother. She wouldn’t be someone unreasonable.”
Yun Qingsui didn’t say anything further. Since Yun Nianyi herself had put it that way, he felt no need to poke holes.
Besides, he’d never felt the parents’ kind of burning love for this sister, snatched away at birth. If anything, the idea that she might not even measure up to the current Yun Nianyi left him even less interested.
Just a few days ago, the Wang family’s illegitimate son had been brought home by the patriarch, and he was now at each other’s throats with Wang Madam’s own son.
Hopefully, his real sister wasn’t an idiot, that she at least wouldn’t downgrade herself to the level of an outsider, like some illegitimate stray.
Yun Qingsui mused, utterly indifferent.
[Host, according to the storyline, once the heroine returns to the Yun family, you won’t even need to speak, the others will all trip over themselves to curry favor with her and kick you out. Everything you have will vanish like a popped bubble, and you’ll be sent back to your birth parents, left to rot in a life not worth living.] The system’s mechanical voice echoed through Yun Nianyi’s mind.
[Shut up,] Yun Nianyi snapped coldly.
[Host, please complete your mission as soon as possible and defeat the heroine for good.]
Yun Nianyi thought of that ash-gray girl she’d spotted earlier. She hadn’t even bothered to look at her face, this so-called real Miss Yun, ground down by years of hardship outside, was hardly the noble, untouchable heiress everyone imagined. Now she was just another average girl from a family that only valued sons. The Yuns? Well, that world was out of her reach.
Yun Nianyi absolutely refused to let anyone steal what she’d clawed her way up to have.
The siblings were lost in their own thoughts, the atmosphere unusually… even harmonious.
Elsewhere, though, the vibe inside the café was anything but pleasant.
Song Hanyue squirmed in the pin-drop silence, feeling like a hundred fleas were crawling all over her. Every time she tried to escape, Wen Shuran would quietly block her path. He was never going to let her slip away. If she left, he’d lose track of her, and he still wanted to eat with Yun Zhuoqing later. There was no way he’d risk Hanyue’s disappearance now.
But with Yun Zhuoqing sitting right there, Song Hanyue felt so stifled she didn’t dare make a peep. Still, the more she thought about it, the more infuriated she got, when had she ever been treated like this? It wasn’t long before she started arguing with Wen Shuran.
Well, “arguing” was generous, she ranted, and Wen Shuran just brushed her off with a half-hearted reply or two. When he finally said a full sentence, it pissed Hanyue off so much she nearly exploded.
But that line wasn’t even directed at Song Hanyue, it was for Yun Zhuoqing: “Sorry, Hanyue tends to be loud and dramatic. I hope she hasn’t bothered you? Let me apologize on her behalf.”
Song Hanyue couldn’t take it anymore: “Wen Shuran, will you quit acting like some fake saint? Seriously? Did you pick this up from your ex?”
The trace of a smile dropped from Wen Shuran’s face. For a moment, he looked almost wounded. “Little Yue, why would you say that about me? I know you don’t want to do homework and you’re bored with us. Why don’t you go walk it off for a bit and come back?”
Hanyue perked up immediately, her grudge forgotten. “Really?”
“Just don’t forget to come back soon. I promised your parents I’d get you home.” Wen Shuran smiled, all teeth.
“……”
Even under threat, Hanyue darted out at the first chance, eager to breathe some fresh air.
As soon as she left, Yun Zhuoqing asked, puzzled, “She clearly doesn’t like it here. Why’d you bring her?”
To Wen Shuran, her question sounded suspiciously like a probe, was Yun Zhuoqing fishing for gossip about his relationship with Hanyue?
He stayed silent a long time. Part of him wanted to confess: The one I actually care about is you. Hanyue’s just a decoy; there’s nothing between us.
But another voice inside him was icy cold, splashing frigid water on his heart, If you tell her how you feel, then what? You can’t be together. You’ll just drag her into trouble. And when Yun Zhuoqing finds out you like her but still keep your distance… what will she think? That you’re just toying with her?
In the end, reason won out. After a long silence, Wen Shuran replied, “She’s just throwing a tantrum. I’ll calm her down in a bit.”
“Oh.” Yun Zhuoqing wasn’t particularly interested in their love life, but she still found it odd, did it really take him that long to answer?
Love really is complicated, she thought.
Only a romance idiot would think that way.
As for Wen Shuran’s inner torment, no one in the world would ever know.
Once Song Hanyue escaped the café, she felt like a bird set free.
Needing to vent her frustrations, she dove into the nearest mall, giddy with the pure joy of swiping her card.
“This one, that one, and… that one, too.” She pointed to a lineup of shopping bags. “These, send them to my house. Leave the rest here.”
The saleswoman nodded dutifully. “Of course, Miss Song.”
“Hanyue, what a coincidence.” A woman’s voice called out from behind.
Song Hanyue turned, surprise lighting her face at the sight of Yun Nianyi in a white dress. “Nianyi? When did you get back to the country?”
“Just a little while ago. I’m headed back to school next week, so I didn’t tell anyone. Never thought I’d run into you here.” Yun Nianyi stepped closer, eyes sweeping over the bags of clothes, voice light, “Wow, you went all out, huh? Didn’t know you liked A and Co. that much. Guess I know what to get you for your birthday.”
Hanyue waved her hands. “No, no, these aren’t for me. I… I actually bought these for someone else.”
Song Hanyue had never gone out of her way to give gifts before; her cheeks tinged pink as soon as the words left her mouth.
Yun Nianyi caught every flicker of emotion on her face, but turned away, feigning indifference. “Oh? For Jiang Nuan? I thought you two were pretty close.”
“Close? Not really, we’re just… regular classmates.” Hanyue blurted, then, seeing Nianyi’s raised eyebrows, added, “Actually, it’s for the new transfer in our class. She’s… your deskmate, too.”
Yun Nianyi let out an even more dramatic gasp.
“Hanyue, time to eat, we tried calling and you didn’t pick up.” Wen Shuran’s voice rang out, drawing closer.
Spotting Yun Nianyi, he nodded politely, “Hello, Miss Yun.”
“Hey, you two.” Yun Nianyi gave them a sly smile. “On a date, are we?”
Song Hanyue recoiled immediately, “As if I’d date him!”
Wen Shuran, gentle as ever, explained, “We’re just out doing homework, that’s all.”
“Yeah, anyway, it’s not just us, there’s another person too, your desk mate! All three of us were here. As if I’d go on a date alone with him.”
Wen Shuran didn’t argue. After a quick farewell to Yun Nianyi, he began steering Song Hanyue away.
“Wait, I still need to pick up my stuff.” Hanyue pointed at her shopping bags, then turned to Wen Shuran. “You carry these to her, okay? And make sure you say they’re from me.”
Wen Shuran realized her intentions instantly.
He eyed the pile of A and Co. logo bags and said seriously, “That’ll just make her uncomfortable.”
Song Hanyue blinked, not understanding at all. In Miss Song’s world, her giving someone a gift was the greatest honor that person could receive. Uncomfortable? That never crossed her mind.
But Wen Shuran’s tone brooked no argument. “Trust me, do that and she’ll only avoid you from now on.”
Much as she wanted to argue, Song Hanyue had to admit Wen Shuran was cleverer than her, with EQ to match. Finally, she agreed to have all the bags sent to her own home.
She wasn’t about to give up on the gift, that would just have to wait for another chance. This time, Wen Shuran didn’t stop her.
After bidding Yun Nianyi goodbye, Wen Shuran and Song Hanyue left together. As she watched their backs recede, and replayed their conversation in her mind, Yun Nianyi’s expression clouded over.
She asked her system in her head: [Song Hanyue and Wen Shuran don’t seem to have feelings for each other like they did in the book. What changed?]