We Are Your Family

Reading the situation, Chen Feiyu saw that Ling Yun truly had no intention of pursuing the matter, and only then did his tightly wound heart slowly settle.

At the same time, he completely gave up on pursuing Jiang Yingxue.

When Jiang Yingxue looked at Ling Yun, the unusual light in her eyes was so obvious that even a dull person could see it clearly. What could he possibly use to compete with Brother Two Hundred Million?

If he still failed to recognize his place and provoked Ling Yun, that would be true suicide.

He came up with an excuse and, with an attitude so respectful it was almost humble, bid farewell to Ling Yun and the Jiang Family. He practically fled the Jiang Family.

After Chen Feiyu disappeared through the doorway, the invisible tension in the dining room suddenly relaxed as well.

Mother Jiang's gaze fell on Ling Yun. It was gentle and focused, filled with pure admiration and affection.

"Xiao Yun," she said even more softly, "you're so outstanding. Your parents... must be especially proud of you, right?"

The moment the question left her mouth, she regretted it somewhat, afraid she had touched on something painful.

Ling Yun's expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "Auntie, I'm an orphan. I was raised by my adoptive parents. They... died in a car accident when I was in my third year of middle school."

His tone held no fluctuation, as if he were simply recounting a distant, predetermined fact.

His worldly ties had been severed, and his karmic debts had come to an end.

As for his adoptive parents' kindness... once he reached the Golden Immortal Realm, reversing time and space would be no empty boast. At that time, he would repay their great kindness by serving them at their knees.

His calm came from absolute control over the future, not numbness.

Mother Jiang's heart seemed to be tugged by something, and her eyes instantly filled with guilt and heartache. "Oh, child... Auntie didn't know. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"It's all right, Auntie. It's all in the past."

Ling Yun consoled her in turn, even wearing the faintest hint of a reassuring smile at the corners of his lips.

However, that excessively calm smile and the offhand remark that it was all in the past felt like fine needles pricking the hearts of the Jiang sisters, leaving them faintly sore.

Had he gotten used to it? Gotten used to being all alone, gotten used to there being no warmth left in this world from blood ties?

A glimmer of moisture flashed in Jiang Yingxue's cool eyes. She abruptly rose and walked straight to Ling Yun's side.

Without the slightest hesitation, she extended her slightly cool hand and firmly yet gently covered the back of Ling Yun's hand, which rested casually on the table and looked somewhat lonely.

A trace of genuine warmth passed through their skin.

"From now on," she said, her voice still clear and cool but carrying an indisputable warmth like freshly melted snow, "the Jiang Family is your home, and we... are your family."

"That's right, that's right!" Jiang Yingqing practically sprang to her feet. With an urgent, tearful voice, she rushed to Ling Yun's other side in a few steps and grabbed his arm tightly with both hands, as if afraid he would disappear the next second. "Brother Ling Yun! My sister is right! From now on, we'll be your closest family! I... I'll protect you!"

The girl's palms were scorching hot, brimming with vigorous life.

Jiang Mingyuan nodded steadily and said in a deep, powerful voice, "Xiao Yun, remember those words. From now on, this is your home. No matter what difficulties you encounter, whether in your career or in life, speak up anytime. Don't stand on ceremony."

The warmth from his palm, the back of her hand, and her arm, along with the resolute promises ringing in his ears, gathered into a strange current of warmth that quietly flowed into Ling Yun's long-silent heart.

A barely perceptible tremor passed through the depths of his eyes.

He nodded slightly, his Adam's apple moving as he finally said in a low voice, "...Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, Yingxue, Yingqing."

In the blink of an eye, the wall clock pointed to five in the afternoon.

Ling Yun rose at the appropriate moment. "Uncle, Auntie, Yingxue, Yingqing, thank you for having me today. I still have a livestreaming assignment tonight, so I need to go back and prepare."

"Xiao Yun, no matter how busy you are, it won't hurt to delay work for one night," Mother Jiang urged reluctantly. "We have plenty of spare rooms at home. Why don't you stay the night?"

"Auntie, thank you. I appreciate the thought."

Ling Yun smiled apologetically. "The platform has made arrangements, so I really do need to go back and prepare. I'll come visit you next time."

In truth, the more important reason was that he could hardly wait to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Hearing that it was for work, Mother Jiang was disappointed but no longer insisted. "All right, then. Work comes first. Uncle Zhang! Take Xiao Yun home, and be sure to drive safely!"

Watching the car carrying Ling Yun leave the courtyard, Mother Jiang leaned against the porch, her gaze lingering long after it had gone. She sighed softly, "The more I look at that child, the more my heart aches for him, and the more I like him. If only he were one of our children..."

Jiang Mingyuan put an arm around his wife's shoulder, his gaze deep. "We may not have the fate to have him as a son, but wouldn't having him as a son-in-law be even better? Look at those two daughters of ours. They stopped hiding their feelings long ago."

At that, Mother Jiang's brows furrowed slightly again, worry rising between them. "That's true... but Yingxue and Yingqing, those two sisters... They're both precious to me. What if, in the future..."

"Children will have their own blessings."

Jiang Mingyuan patted his wife's hand, his tone carrying the broad-mindedness of someone who had been through it all.

"That child Xiao Yun has a will as firm as a rock, and his abilities are unfathomably deep. His future achievements will be limitless. Yingxue and Yingqing are both still young. Matters of the heart... can't be forced, nor can we interfere."

"Let them experience it for themselves. Whoever can truly open Xiao Yun's heart will depend on their own fate and ability. As parents, all we need to do is watch over them, protect them, and support them from the side."

Mother Jiang remained silent for a long while. In the end, she sighed and nodded, but the worry etched between her brows remained clear.

Second-floor living room.

The crystal chandelier cast a gentle light, but it could not dispel the quiet permeating the air.

Jiang Yingqing and Jiang Yingxue sat side by side on the spacious sofa. Neither spoke first; only the faint hum of the air conditioner could be heard.

An invisible tension passed between them. Their gazes occasionally met, then quickly parted, as if silent currents of electricity were crackling between them.

"Sis," Jiang Yingqing finally could not hold back. She suddenly turned her head, her voice carrying a trace of barely perceptible tension. "Do you... like Ling Yun?"

Almost at the same moment, Jiang Yingxue's cool gaze also fixed on her sister's face. Her lips parted as she asked the same question. "Yingqing, do you like Ling Yun?"

Their eyes met, and there was no more evasion. The stirrings and determination hidden deep in each other's eyes were instantly exposed beneath the other's scrutiny, leaving no possibility of concealment.

Jiang Yingxue's gaze was tranquil as a deep pool, yet filled with unshakable resolve.

She did not look away. Clearly, word by word, she declared, "Yes. I like him. I won't let go." Her tone was calm and emotionless, yet it contained a will as steadfast as stone, just like the decisiveness she had shown when covering Ling Yun's hand moments ago.

Jiang Yingqing was shaken by her sister's rare, almost fierce bluntness, and her breathing hitched slightly.

In the next instant, the trace of unease in the girl's eyes was swiftly replaced by surging fighting spirit. Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and her voice rang out clear and bright, carrying the courage of someone burning their bridges.

"I like him too! I like him very, very much! Sis, since we both like him, then let's compete fairly!"

She suddenly extended her hand, her little finger stubbornly raised, carrying the uniquely earnest, almost innocent solemnity of a young girl. "No matter what the final result is, neither of us can get angry at the other! We'll always be the best sisters!"

Jiang Yingxue's gaze lingered for a moment between her sister's outstretched finger and her eyes burning with fire.

The living room was so quiet that they could hear each other's heartbeats. The few seconds of silence seemed to stretch endlessly.

In the end, she slowly extended her own little finger as well. Her movements still carried her customary cool restraint, yet she gently and firmly hooked it around her sister's.

"All right." She spoke a single word, her voice slightly lower than usual. "We'll compete fairly. Remember, we're sisters."

Her fingertips were cold, but the strength with which she hooked her finger around her sister's was exceptionally firm.

The two little fingers hooked tightly together, declaring that a battle had officially begun.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of this, Ling Yun sat in the car on his way home, gazing at the scenery flashing past outside the window.