Seeing that Han Ying was genuinely getting a little angry, Jiang Wan'er knew she couldn't keep teasing her.
She hurried over, caught her arm, and wheedled, "Come on, Ying'er, I was only joking. Don't be mad."
"Hmph!"
Han Ying turned her head away, refusing to look at her.
Her expression said, I'm really angry! I'm not talking to you!
Realizing she had gone too far, Jiang Wan'er's face fell, and she looked helplessly at her brother.
Jiang Tian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was terrible at teasing people but loved doing it, and now that she couldn't handle the fallout, she remembered him?
He felt helpless too, but what could he do when his little sister was looking to him for help?
He cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped forward. "Well, Han Ying, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to deceive you."
Han Ying, who had still been a little angry, hurriedly shook her head when Jiang Tian spoke. "No, no, I'm not angry. I just..."
Seeing how adorable she looked, Jiang Tian couldn't help smiling. "I understand, but we were in the wrong. Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Jiang Tian, and I'm Wan'er's older brother!"
Looking at Jiang Tian's handsome face and gentle smile, Han Ying felt her heart begin to flutter.
"Hi, Jiang Tian. I... I'm Han Ying!"
Han Ying was flustered.
Earlier, she hadn't dared look straight at Jiang Tian, but now they were face-to-face.
He's so damn handsome!
Even better-looking than those big celebrities!
"Hello. Wan'er told me on the way here that you're a very good friend of hers. Thank you for looking after her all these years."
Jiang Tian spoke politely.
"No, not at all. We help each other."
Han Ying waved her hands repeatedly, then looked at Jiang Wan'er.
Brimming with pride, Jiang Wan'er stepped forward and linked arms with Han Ying again. "Well, Ying'er? Isn't my brother handsome?"
"Yes, very!"
Han Ying nodded emphatically, then asked in confusion, "But Wan'er, how come I've never heard you mention having an older brother?"
Jiang Wan'er hesitated, unsure how to explain.
Fortunately, Jiang Tian spoke up. "I was living away from home before and rarely came back. I only returned recently."
"Oh, so that's why."
Han Ying nodded, accepting his explanation without a trace of doubt.
Just then, a bus heading downtown slowly pulled up in front of them.
"The bus is here! Let's get on!"
Jiang Wan'er urged them along.
The three of them boarded.
There weren't many passengers, probably because it was the weekend and the students who usually took short rides didn't have to crowd onto the bus.
After paying their fares, the three found empty seats in the back row and sat down.
Throughout the ride, Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying whispered to each other.
Jiang Tian sat quietly beside the window, watching the streets slide past outside.
Of course, he also heard every single word the two girls said.
Unsurprisingly, their entire conversation revolved around him!
He could even feel Han Ying sneaking glances at him from time to time.
Jiang Tian couldn't help rubbing his chin. He knew he was good-looking, but surely not enough to leave even these young girls so smitten?
The bus traveled steadily along the road. Gradually, the girls' voices grew softer until they fell completely silent.
Jiang Tian turned to look and realized they had fallen asleep, leaning against each other's shoulders.
He smiled helplessly. Senior-year students really did have it tough. They left early and came home late, getting fewer than eight hours of rest each day. It was only natural for them to fall asleep sitting up.
Seeing how soundly they were sleeping, Jiang Tian couldn't bring himself to disturb them, so he took off his jacket and draped it over them.
An hour later, the bus finally slowed to a stop, and the driver's voice rang out. "Municipal Library! Anyone getting off?"
Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying, who had still been asleep, instantly woke up. "Yes! We're getting off!"
"Hurry up!"
The driver urged them along.
The two girls quickly stood, but paused when they noticed the jacket covering them.
"I was worried you'd get cold, so I put my jacket over you."
Jiang Tian reached out and took his jacket back.
Jiang Wan'er smiled, feeling happier than ever. Was this what it felt like to have a big brother dote on her?
Han Ying's thoughts were even more animated. Did I just sleep under this handsome guy's jacket? No wonder I slept so well!
Ahhh! A handsome guy really is something else. Even his clothes smell nice!
If Jiang Tian had known how much was going on inside her head, he would definitely have said, "Someone haul this lovestruck girl out of here!"
After the three got off, a distinctly European-style building came into view. This was Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying's destination: the Municipal Library!
"Are you coming in with us, Jiang Tian?"
Jiang Wan'er asked as she looked at the library, which had only just opened for the day.
Jiang Tian considered it for a moment, then glanced around. "I think I'll pass. How long do you think you'll be inside?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Probably at least two hours."
Jiang Wan'er pursed her lips as she thought it over.
"All right. Call me when you come out, and I'll take you both to get something to eat."
Jiang Tian smiled.
"What about you?"
Jiang Wan'er looked at him.
"Me? I'll have a look around. I haven't been back for years, so I'd like to see how things have changed."
Jiang Tian answered with a smile.
"Oh, okay. We'll call you later, then!"
Jiang Wan'er waved.
Han Ying joined in. "Bye, Jiang Tian!"
Jiang Tian nodded with a smile. "Bye!"
After watching the two girls go inside, Jiang Tian opened the map on his phone, checked the nearby housing developments, and headed straight for a sales office.
Altogether, he now had a little over fifteen million on hand. That should be more than enough to buy a home.
It would be snowing soon, so he needed to get the new home sorted out as quickly as possible. It could count as a gift for his parents and little sister this year.
At that thought, Jiang Tian quickened his pace.
The sales office wasn't far, only a few kilometers away. He could have flown there in the blink of an eye, but he was downtown now, with pedestrians everywhere. He certainly couldn't fly in plain sight and invite trouble.
Even without flying, though, Jiang Tian reached it on foot in under five minutes.
The Imperial View Garden sales office!
Looking at how luxurious even the place selling the homes was, Jiang Tian thought the development itself was probably pretty good too.
He strode straight inside, where a huge scale model of the development immediately caught his eye.
Perhaps because it was still early, the place was almost empty apart from a few employees who had just started work.
Jiang Tian's sudden arrival made everyone's eyes light up. Has our luck turned today? A money-bringer first thing in the morning?
Everyone immediately perked up, and the elaborately dressed saleswomen turned their eyes toward Jiang Tian.
But once they saw his cheap clothes, they all lost interest.
Another broke loser who's only here to look, not buy!
Jiang Tian caught every change in their expressions but said nothing. There were far too many snobs in this world who looked down on others.
"Is anyone available? Could someone show me around?"
Standing in the lobby, Jiang Tian addressed the saleswomen, who had lowered their heads and gone back to whatever they were doing.
But they didn't give him so much as a glance. They continued touching up their eyebrows and makeup, and one fat woman was even picking her nose!
A young saleswoman wearing little makeup noticed this and turned to her supervisor. "Sister Pei, we have a customer."
Sister Pei glanced at her. "I know. He's just some broke nobody. If you're interested, go help him yourself. He can't afford anything anyway, so why waste our time?"
With that, she lowered her head and resumed scrolling through her phone, showing no intention of paying Jiang Tian any attention.
Before you continue