The Vicious, Vain Stepsister (6)

Jiang Xuefu leaned against the second-floor corridor wall, arms folded, watching at her leisure as Su Jiu was dragged away.

"Xiao Jiu, I warned you long ago not to mess with your big sister~"

"If you won't be good and listen, there's nothing else I can do. You'll just have to accept your punishment."

Su Jiu stared daggers at Jiang Xuefu's smug, lotus-beautiful face, her heart as venomous as a snake or scorpion. Her gaze was full of such intense hatred that it seemed she wanted to cut her into a thousand pieces.

Sensing her hatred, Jiang Xuefu, far from getting angry, laughed aloud.

After all, a person only hated when they were powerless to take revenge.

"Oh, right, one more thing." Jiang Xuefu walked up to Su Jiu and reached out to pat her face, neither hard nor soft. She used little force, but the gesture was deeply insulting. "Lu Zhiyan is a man your big sister has her eye on, so you'd better stay away from him, Xiao Jiu."

After doing all this, Jiang Xuefu casually took out a tissue and wiped the part of her hand that had touched Su Jiu, as though she had come into contact with some virus or bacteria. She made no attempt to hide the disgust and contempt in her eyes.

"Uncle Zhang, hurry up and take her away. I still have to eat."

"Yes, young miss."

Only after seeing Uncle Zhang lock her in the little dark room with her own eyes did Jiang Xuefu come back up from the basement to eat.

Unexpectedly, Su Jing returned when she was only halfway through the meal.

Father and daughter exchanged a glance across the table. Jiang Sheng gave his daughter a reassuring look, signaling for her to ignore it and finish eating.

Seeing the woman in a haute couture suit at the door, Jiang Sheng put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands, and hurried over to greet her.

"Weren't you not coming home today? Why did you get home so late?"

Faced with her husband's attentiveness, the woman who had always orchestrated everything with ease in the business world couldn't help showing a sweet smile. "The meeting was canceled at the last minute, so I came home."

As she spoke, Su Jing walked toward the dining room. But when she saw that Jiang Xuefu was the only one at the table, she frowned. "Where's Xiao Jiu? Hasn't she come back yet?"

"Auntie Su, Xiao Jiu is staying at a classmate's house today. She said she wasn't coming home."

Jiang Xuefu put on an obedient smile, her eyes curving into crescents. She looked utterly endearing.

"I see. Then let's eat. Let me see what your dad made today."

Su Jing pulled out a chair and sat down without looking any further into where Su Jiu had gone.

"There's your favorite red-braised pork. Auntie Su, let me get you some."

Jiang Xuefu put a piece of red-braised pork in Su Jing's bowl, and Su Jing accepted it with a smile. Judging by appearances alone, anyone would have thought they were a real mother and daughter.

Meanwhile, Su Jiu, in the darkness and hunger of the basement, had lost consciousness at some unknown point.

Half a month had passed since Su Jiu was last locked up.

During that time, Su Jiu had tried countless times to find an opportunity to tell Lu Zhiyan the truth about Jiang Xuefu, but either she couldn't find him, or he was with Jiang Xuefu. She couldn't find an opportunity at all.

Finally, one day, when she secretly followed the two of them to a restaurant, she found a chance to be alone with Lu Zhiyan.

Jiang Xuefu had just left the table for the restroom when Su Jiu emerged from the shadows the next second.

"Senior Lu."

Lu Zhiyan looked her over, a little surprised. "Xiao Jiu? You're the one who's been following us."

"Senior Lu, I'm sorry. I had no choice."

"I have a recording of Jiang Xuefu here. I hope you'll listen to the whole thing carefully before deciding whether to keep seeing her."

Su Jiu had bought this voice recorder after Lu Zhiyan turned her away the last time she went to see him.

She had thought it through. Her word alone was indeed unlikely to convince anyone, but what if she had a recording as evidence?

"...warned you long ago... don't mess with..."

"...punishment..."

"...a man I have my eye on... stay away..."

A familiar voice came from the recorder. It was unmistakably what Jiang Xuefu had said on the day Su Jiu was locked up.

In fact, she had originally intended to wait longer and record some even more outrageous remarks before telling Lu Zhiyan.

But over the past half month, she had watched the two grow closer and closer, and there were already quite a few rumors on campus that they were together. Su Jiu couldn't wait any longer.

But what she had expected didn't happen. Lu Zhiyan didn't become furious or angry, nor did he immediately tell Jiang Xuefu that they would never see each other again.

Instead, she heard the young man chuckle, as though he had thought of something pleasant.

"Senior Lu?"

Interrupted in his thoughts, Lu Zhiyan came back to his senses. "I understand. Give me the recorder first."

Before Su Jiu could feel happy, she heard him continue, "Su Jiu, Fufu is the girl I like, and she's also your sister. I hope you won't make secret recordings like this again."

"No matter what her personality is or what she's like, as long as it's her, that's enough."

If anyone else had done this, Lu Zhiyan certainly wouldn't have let her off easily.

But this person was Su Jiu. For the sake of the past ties between their families, Lu Zhiyan made a rare exception and merely warned her.

Rebuked by the person she loved, Su Jiu's breath caught. Before she could even feel the countless tiny stabs of pain that suddenly welled up in her heart, she began defending herself incoherently. "No, I... I was just afraid you'd be deceived..."

Lu Zhiyan said, "Whatever the reason."

His tone was firm, cold, and distant, as though Su Jiu were just a shameless stranger trying to cling to them.

"I understand." The girl fought back the tears brimming in her eyes, still trying to maintain the last shred of dignity she had in front of him. "I'm sorry for disturbing you both."

By the time Jiang Xuefu returned from the restroom, Su Jiu had already left. Only the voice recorder remained, lying obediently where it was.

"Was someone here just now?"

Lu Zhiyan nodded but offered no explanation. Instead, he stood up and took the handbag from her. "Let's go. I'll take you home."

It was only after both of them were in the car that Lu Zhiyan turned on the recorder.

After listening to the entire recording, Jiang Xuefu looked unconcerned, but inwardly she had already begun to panic.

Damn Su Jiu, how dare she try to harm me!

When Jiang Xuefu remained silent for a long time, Lu Zhiyan couldn't help speaking. "Fufu, don't you have anything to say to me?"

A trace of impatience appeared on the girl's pretty face. Talk, talk, talk. What is there to talk about? Every last one of them is so annoying.

Jiang Xuefu said, "Those were all my true feelings..."

"Mmph!"

The moment the words "true feelings" left her lips, Lu Zhiyan leaned in without warning. Flecks of tenderness and love appeared in his dark eyes, gathering bit by bit until they became a vast ocean.

He kissed her.

Before Jiang Xuefu could react at all.

She blinked, seemingly still unaware of what had happened.

Amused by the sight of her, Lu Zhiyan couldn't help reaching out and drawing her into his arms.

"Fufu, I'm honored to have caught your eye."

Only after he had held her for a long while did Jiang Xuefu finally catch on.

So this isn't an interrogation at all, and it's not that my ugly deeds have been exposed?

His attention had been entirely on the last sentence.

What kind of love brain is this?