The Vicious, Vain Stepsister (Eleven)

It was evening when Jiang Xuefu returned to the country. Jiang Sheng had a charity banquet to attend and had no time to pick her up himself.

"Be good, sweetheart. I'll have your Aunt Su pick you up."

The man spoke to her on the phone, hanging up in a hurry only when someone came to fetch him.

Walking alone through the enormous airport, Jiang Xuefu couldn't help sighing. Power really was a wonderful thing, for men and women alike.

This thought reached its peak when she saw Su Jing waiting outside the airport to pick her up.

In Jiang Xuefu's memory, Su Jing had always worn her hair in a sharp, short cut and dressed in elegant, polished suits, chatting and laughing effortlessly with business partners.

But the woman standing before Jiang Xuefu now had grown her hair long and wore a soft, homely floral maxi dress. Her whole bearing was worlds apart from before.

The change was especially clear in her face: much of her confidence and high spirits had vanished, replaced by a touch of weariness.

"Aunt Su." Jiang Xuefu greeted her with a sweet smile. Her feelings about Su Jing lasted only a moment; as long as it didn't concern her interests, she couldn't be bothered with what had happened to anyone else.

Su Jing smiled too and stepped forward to hug Jiang Xuefu, without taking her anger at Jiang Sheng out on the younger woman. "It's been four years. You're finally back."

Though Jiang Sheng was a treacherous bastard, Su Jing truly loved Jiang Xuefu as her own daughter.

"Come on. I'll make you something delicious tonight."

"Thank you, Auntie~"

The Su home was still the familiar place it had always been. Neither the layout nor the furnishings had changed. The only difference was that the person often busy in the kitchen used to be a man, but now it was a woman.

While Su Jing cooked, Jiang Xuefu lay on the couch, bored, replying to Lu Zhiyan's messages.

Suddenly, Jiang Xuefu finally remembered why she felt something was missing from the house. Su Jiu wasn't there.

She hadn't bullied her in four years, and her hands were starting to itch.

"Auntie, where's Xiao Jiu? Isn't she home?"

"Xiao Jiu's been living elsewhere lately. She and her boyfriend started a company together, and they've been so busy that she hasn't been coming home."

Su Jiu? A boyfriend?

Hearing that, she wasn't bored anymore.

"Auntie, do you have a photo of Xiao Jiu's boyfriend? What does he look like?"

"I have a picture of the two of them on my phone. I'll show you later."

The man's name was Jiang Huaiyu, and he had been Su Jiu's high school classmate. His family was also a long-established wealthy family in North City. But Jiang Huaiyu was a formidable one: rather than inherit his family's company, he had gone out on his own to start a business.

Su Jing admired that about him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to let Su Jiu date him so early on.

Dinner was ready soon, but Jiang Sheng still hadn't returned by mealtime. Su Jing was already used to it and ate dinner with Jiang Xuefu without a change of expression.

After dinner, the two discussed Su Jiu and her boyfriend.

Jiang Xuefu finally saw the photo. The young man in it wore a simple white T-shirt and black pants, his short, inky hair lifted by the breeze to reveal his handsome features. Though they were having their picture taken, he wasn't looking at the camera. Instead, he gazed indulgently at the girl beside him, who was a head shorter than he was.

All in all, they looked like a very loving couple.

But Jiang Xuefu was still a little disappointed. In ordinary people's eyes, the young man would certainly be a great handsome man, but compared to Lu Zhiyan's flawless, godlike face, he fell quite a bit short.

Still, he was Su Jiu's boyfriend. Jiang Xuefu's lips curved slightly. She was most interested in the things that belonged to Su Jiu.

At noon the next day, after finishing her morning studies, Su Jiu hurried to the company carrying several preordered lunches and coffees.

It was a startup with only seven people in all, Su Jiu included, and every one of them was a student at Capital University.

For convenience, Jiang Huaiyu had rented a small space near the university. It had one private office and one meeting room, with the rest used as a work area.

Su Jiu arrived with the food as usual that day, but she keenly sensed that something was off.

Normally, they would have gathered around to divide up lunch by now.

"Lunch is here!"

No one answered. Perhaps they were still in a meeting.

She walked to the meeting room door and, sure enough, saw everyone inside.

The woman opened the door with a smile. "Why aren't you finished yet today? I brought lunch..."

Before she could finish, Su Jiu froze on the spot. She stared blankly at Jiang Xuefu, who was surrounded like the moon among the stars, and cold sweat even broke out on her palms.

The memories she had deliberately forgotten came flooding back. Why was she here?

"Xiao Jiu, you're here. Auntie told me yesterday that you were busy here, so I thought I'd come see you and ask if there was anything I could help with."

Jiang Xuefu's thick, black curls fell loosely over her shoulders, and her red lips curved upward. Under the meeting room lights, her snowy skin looked even more radiant and alluring. A fitted floral spaghetti-strap maxi dress traced every curve of her perfect waist and hips, making her look every inch an enchantress of unparalleled beauty. Yet her face had the look of a fairy; purity and seduction were blended in one person and brought to their utmost.

Compared with her still somewhat youthful body four years ago, she seemed to have fully blossomed. She was a beauty who could rival the flowers, endlessly charming, with an alluring air about her from head to toe.

Looking at the woman surrounded by everyone, Su Jiu couldn't help feeling a little jealous. The marks of time and life showed more with each passing day on Su Jiu, yet Jiang Xuefu received nothing but their favor, as though even the heavens and fate doted on her.

"Sister-in-law, you're here. Little Sister Xuefu brought food today too, and we've all finished eating." The speaker was Yang Shen, Jiang Huaiyu's roommate and the person at the company closest to Su Jiu.

Little Sister Xuefu? Su Jiu frowned slightly, the unease and panic in her heart growing. "Did Huaiyu eat too?"

"Brother Jiang didn't. He's still in the office and hasn't come out."

Hearing that, Su Jiu felt a little relieved. She set the coffee on the meeting table. "Here's your coffee. I'll take Huaiyu his lunch first."

With that, she pushed the door open and left, paying no attention to Jiang Xuefu's earlier greeting.

Seeing the beauty sitting there looking a little lonely, Yang Shen couldn't help stepping forward to comfort her. "Little Sister Xuefu, don't overthink it. Sister-in-law isn't like that. She just cares so much about Brother Jiang that she forgot."

Jiang Xuefu raised her eyes to him, her moist gaze still holding a trace of hurt that had yet to fade. "It's all right. I'm used to it. Yang Shen, thank you."

After seeing the look in her eyes, Yang Shen felt a little sorry for her and a little flattered. "Th-thank me for what?"

"For comforting me."

With that, the woman slowly smiled at him. Like the shimmering sunset on the horizon, she was exquisitely lovely and dazzlingly seductive. Yang Shen couldn't help staring in a daze.

Only when a colleague beside him nudged his arm did he stir. "Snap out of it!"

Yang Shen finally came to his senses as if waking from a dream. Under everyone's gaze, his face turned bright red. "Get lost! Get back to work!"