A Hug

"Hey, you're back!"

Yu Xuan was dressed fresh and casually today.

Her voluminous long hair spilled over her shoulders and back, her makeup was exquisite without being flashy, and her cherry-red lips were just right.

The labels of celebrity and boss seemed to have been put away. Only one identity remained: the older sister of this household.

Holding a plate of salad, Yu Xuan leaned out to look toward the entryway, delighted that her younger brother had returned as expected.

Peeking out alongside her was the Joy Demon's clone, hanging upside down from the wall with its head against her head, grinning mischievously and winking at Jiang Qian.

Further up, the Rage Demon's clone had embedded its entire indignant face in the ceiling, glaring wide-eyed as it surveyed the whole house.

The Sorrow Demon's clone extended several tentacles through the crack of Jiang Qian's bedroom door. Jiang Qian had every reason to believe it was greeting him in some incomprehensible way.

The Evil Demon's clone, crouched atop a cabinet, was trying to hide itself inside a vase.

The Desire Demon's clone swam through the air...

Jiang Qian was momentarily dazed.

Is this really my home? Am I interrupting something?

"Oh, Jiang Qian, why did you get soaked the moment you came out of the Public Security Bureau?"

Yu Xuan casually set the salad down on the indoor bar counter, then approached her brother with concern in her eyes and took the travel bag from his hand.

"If I said I'd just saved a drowning girl out of the goodness of my heart, would you believe me?"

"I'd believe it... my ass. Don't make falling into the water yourself sound so righteous," Yu Xuan said as she turned away with his things, swaying her slim waist as she headed for the bathroom. "Hurry up and take a shower first!"

"Do you think I'm useless?" Jiang Qian changed into slippers and entered the house, rubbing his dripping wet hair.

Ignoring the whispering bunch, he greeted the Old Buddha in the living room and his aunt in the kitchen before heading into the bathroom to wash up under Yu Xuan's urging.

He blow-dried his hair and changed into clean clothes.

Jiang Qian appeared in the dining room feeling refreshed. All eleven members of the family were seated neatly around the table.

If the seven onlookers were included...

"Jiang Qian, this is Auntie's latest creation—stir-fried cherries with scallions. Here, hurry and try some!"

Do you realize putting those two things together could send someone straight to the grave...? Jiang Qian stared at the lump of bluish-purple "sludge" ladled into his bowl and swallowed. "I'm drooling just looking at it."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Before it tangles with my taste buds, I'm fully appreciating its distinctive appearance and fresh aroma."

"Oh..."

"Listen to him brag! Like he knows anything about food~" Yu Xuan unceremoniously plunged her spoon into her brother's bowl, scooping up the bluish-purple sludge along with the stained rice, then put it into her mouth under Jiang Qian's astonished gaze.

Her beautiful jawline subtly tightened and relaxed as she chewed.

"Mmm... the pungency of the scallions combines fully with the sweet-and-sour cherries, creating a marvelous experience where sour bitterness and sweet heat intertwine and transform... The only flaw is that the heat was a little too high." Yu Xuan gave her review seriously as she chewed.

Watching his sister calmly sample poison while spouting nonsense with a straight face, Jiang Qian was filled with reverence!

You're still the hottest one around, Sis...

His aunt had clearly been taken in by Yu Xuan's bluff and eagerly asked, "Really? Hmm, I thought the heat might have been too high too. Other than that, is there anything Auntie should improve?"

"Could you give up?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, no. This dish is already close to unbeatable. You can move on and develop a new one~" Yu Xuan suggested cheerfully.

Then she turned to Jiang Qian and piled ordinary dishes like ribs, stewed fish, and fried eggs into his bowl, speaking gently. "You just got back from the mountains. Eat some home cooking first to fill yourself up."

Is this really my sister? Doesn't she seem like she's trying to overstep... and become my mom?

"What are you looking at?"

"You're a little off today," Jiang Qian said bluntly.

"How?"

"The arrogant air of an eldest sister is gone."

"..."

"Oh? There it is. That's more like it."

"Pick up your bowls and eat properly!" The Old Buddha, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly unleashed her authority, giving both Yu Xuan and Auntie a tap with her chopsticks!

"You! Eat properly. Just try moving against your brother again! And you, take that plate away! Can fruit and scallions be mixed together? Nonsense!"

Yu Xuan and Auntie immediately behaved themselves and lowered their heads to eat.

Yu Xuan in particular even put on a wronged expression, shooting Jiang Qian a resentful little look.

It made Jiang Qian want to laugh.

Maybe age dulled a person's edge. Yu Xuan had not been nearly so easy to talk to when she was little.

To be honest, Jiang Qian had been somewhat "afraid" of this sister when he was young.

It had nothing to do with emotion. It was more like experience.

It meant that if he accidentally provoked this woman, life would become very unpleasant for him afterward.

Back when Yu Xuan had just been brought from the orphanage to the Jiang Family, Jiang Qian had also just been diagnosed with an emotional disorder.

At the time, he had been jealous of Yu Xuan. Even though she was not related to the family by blood, she could still win everyone's affection with her pretty face and clever, perceptive mind.

Even Jiang Yang, whom he disliked, had accepted her.

Jiang Qian began secretly making trouble for Yu Xuan, but every time, he was caught precisely by a family member or Jiang Yang. Every time, he ended up hoist by his own petard.

And Yu Xuan?

She pretended that nothing had happened and continued to treat him as her younger brother, leaving no openings either openly or in secret.

But the occasional pity for a loser reflected in her eyes made Jiang Qian feel as though needles were pricking his back.

It felt worse than if she had simply beaten him up.

Later, Jiang Qian learned his lesson and stopped provoking Yu Xuan. Then he was suspended from school...

During one conflict with a classmate, he had hit too hard. The student's parents went to the school and demanded an explanation, forcing Teacher Tang to swallow her pride and plead with the school administrators one by one. She even personally apologized to the student's parents before his enrollment was finally preserved and he avoided expulsion.

But Jiang Qian did not recognize that he had done anything wrong. He could foresee everything that would happen to him, yet he did not care.

At the time, Yu Xuan had looked at him with that same pitying gaze and said something that later influenced his decisions:

"You can do whatever you want. You can test the bottom line of every rule and ruin your own reputation."

"After all, it won't be long before this family can no longer protect you."

"Think about it. Your food, your clothes, the place you sleep. Today, you can still play with your bugs here like a little prince... But soon, none of this will belong to you anymore."

Young Yu Xuan's beauty was beginning to take shape, already enough to stir a boy's fighting spirit.

Dressed in a simple skirt, she looked like an innocent and kind Cinderella. She stood before her younger brother with a faint smile and reasoned with him.

"Just imagine me inheriting the Jiang Family's estate in your place. You wouldn't want the next time we met to be when you were begging me for food in front of a garbage dump, would you?"

"Grandma, I might have to go on business trips more often lately, so I wanted to let you know in advance~"

At the dining table, Yu Xuan was attentively filling the Old Buddha's bowl with soup. She even thoughtfully tucked the silver strands that had slipped loose from behind the elderly woman's glasses back behind her ear.

Jiang Qian's thoughts quickly returned to the present. He thought Yu Xuan had changed quite a lot over the years.

Not only had she completely integrated into the family, but she treated him no differently from a real older sister.

And yet, she also seemed somewhat different from a real older sister...

"Business trips again?" The Old Buddha was clearly unhappy, the wrinkles on her face bunching together.

"Mm, I'll try to stay home as much as possible!" Yu Xuan began changing the subject.

"What's the point of earning so much money? It's enough for family to eat together more often and have a chat. It's getting harder and harder for a family to gather together." The Old Buddha took the bowl of soup and sighed to herself.

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became a little heavy.

Fortunately, my job will keep me in Jinping... Jiang Qian brought it up as if casually. "Grandma, I found an internship. It's local, and I'm supposed to report there tomorrow, so I wanted to let you know too."

"What?" Auntie was the first to get excited. "Jiang Qian, that's great! You're only in your third year, and you've already found an internship?"

"Where is it?" Yu Xuan asked curiously as well.

The Old Buddha merely lifted her eyelids indifferently, waiting for her grandson to tell them himself.

"Wanzhong Group, Jinping Branch."

"?!"

Auntie immediately covered her cheeks in astonishment, her expression ecstatic. "A big company! Isn't it hard to find work in your major? Oh my, that's really impressive..."

"Wanzhong Group is a renowned company both at home and abroad. It's filled with talent, offers excellent benefits, and the resources and technology it controls are beyond imagination. Jiang Qian, getting into a company like that is amazing~ As expected of my little brother!" A proud, self-satisfied smile bloomed across Yu Xuan's face. She leaned closer and asked with concern, "What kind of work will you be doing?"

Jiang Qian was delighted, but he did not show it. "I'm only an intern, so I definitely won't be doing anything too cutting-edge. I'll see what the supervisor arranges."

"Not bad. Congratulations, future star!" As she spoke, his beautiful sister opened her arms. "Come on, here's an encouraging hug as a reward~"

I received lots of monthly votes yesterday and this morning. Thank you, dear readers, for the encouragement!

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Thank you to all the dear readers for your recommendation votes and continued reading~ Big hugs!