He showed no change in expression, merely giving his younger sister a long, searching look.
Something dark ebbed and flowed in his eyes, but in the end, Jiang Yuehan said nothing.
He withdrew his gaze without betraying anything and turned toward the stairs as though nothing had happened.
Jiang Jinran watched Jiang Yuehan's retreating figure-
[That's it? That's it? He's just leaving? I thought he'd say a little more...]
Jiang Yuehan's footsteps abruptly stopped.
Then-
Jiang Jinran saw Jiang Yuehan, who had already walked some distance away, inexplicably turn back and say to her in his usual cool tone-
"Would you like to... have dinner together?"
In the spacious European-style dining room.
Jiang Jinran and Jiang Yuehan sat facing each other.
The man across from her ate elegantly, his thin lips barely moving, without making the slightest sound.
Jiang Jinran glanced at the dinner on her plate.
Broccoli, corn, vegetable salad, and-
An undercooked steak still oozing bloody juices.
Perhaps this was the low-fat, healthy diet high society pursued...
[What a vicious dinner!]
Jiang Yuehan's fingers paused slightly around his knife and fork.
[I miss hot pot, malatang, skewers... Gnawing on steak is no fun. Swishing some fatty beef through hot pot is where it's at. Add some cilantro and bird's-eye chilies, too. Tsk, tsk, that tastes absolutely wonderful...]
Jiang Jinran indulged in these fantasies as she cut her steak.
Jiang Yuehan set down his cutlery and looked at his sister across the table, his expression cool. "You don't like this food?"
Jiang Jinran's thoughts were interrupted by Jiang Yuehan's sudden question.
She froze for a moment, then hastily shook her head.
Having only just arrived, she wanted to leave everyone with a good impression as much as possible.
The girl pulled her lips into a bright, well-behaved smile. "Not at all... I'm not a picky eater, Big Brother."
As she spoke, she forked a piece of steak into her mouth, nodding as she chewed. "It tastes pretty good..."
[Pretty good, my ass. I'm faking it...]
Jiang Yuehan: ...
"If you don't want to eat it, don't." Jiang Yuehan spoke with complete seriousness. He had meant to tell Jiang Jinran not to force herself, but his tone was so stiff that it sounded more like an order.
Jiang Jinran's eyes widened slightly.
[Waaah, this brother's being mean to me!]
Jiang Yuehan pressed his lips together.
Jiang Jinran had no intention of hiding her feelings. Her eyes widened further as she bluntly voiced her displeasure to Jiang Yuehan. "Big Brother, you were so mean just now..."
"I wasn't." Faced with Jiang Jinran's accusation, Young Master Jiang, who had always disdained explanations and denials, did something almost unprecedented: he softened his tone as much as he could and calmly uttered those words.
"You were. You just said to me really meanly..." Jiang Jinran pouted and began imitating Jiang Yuehan's expression, her face stiff and cold. "If you don't want to eat it, don't!"
Jiang Yuehan lowered his eyes.
Faced with the girl's unreasonable pestering, he was unexpectedly not angry.
In truth, he rarely interacted with this youngest sister of his.
Jiang Jinran hardly ever spoke to him, either.
Their relationship could certainly not be called close. It would not be an exaggeration to call them the most familiar of strangers.
But perhaps because this opportunity had allowed him to unexpectedly hear her inner voice, Jiang Jinran seemed to have become vivid and alive in an instant.
"President Jiang, tomorrow afternoon..." Cui Yan suddenly entered the dining room. Seeing Jiang Yuehan and Jiang Jinran dining together, a flicker of surprise flashed across his face.
After all, such a scene was unprecedented.
Jiang Yuehan turned to him, signaling for him to continue.
Resting her chin in her hand, Jiang Jinran instinctively sized Cui Yan up.
[Is this Special Assistant Cui, who works for Big Brother? Why does he look a little dim?]
Unable to hear Jiang Jinran's inner voice, Cui Yan first smiled politely at the Jiang family's young lady, then turned to his boss. "President Jiang, President Lu just called to ask whether you're free tomorrow afternoon. The Lu family's young lady returned to the country a few days ago. President Lu has mentioned several times that he'd like to introduce his younger sister to you, and he was wondering whether tomorrow would be suitable..."
Jiang Jinran frowned.
[Wait?! The Lu family's young lady? Could she be that legendary number-one beauty of the Imperial Capital...]
[She's no ordinary beauty. She's the calamity destined for Big Brother!]
Jiang Yuehan's gaze stilled, and his attention immediately shifted from Cui Yan to Jiang Jinran.
The girl was still resting her chin in her hand, deep in thought.
[Who could have imagined that Big Brother, always so cold and wise, would turn into a devoted simp after meeting the Lu family's young lady? His love brain would kick in, leaving him with no interest in his career. All he'd do all day was simp, simp, and simp...]
Jiang Yuehan tightened his fingers and listened intently and carefully, afraid of missing a single word.
[That Miss Lu is no easy customer, either. She doesn't like Big Brother, but she strings him along, using the Jiang family's reputation to move through high society like a fish in water, only to turn around and throw herself into another man's arms in the end.]
[Big Brother simps until he has nothing left. Unable to get what he wants, he turns dark in his rage, becomes the main villain, and gets offed.]
In the past, Jiang Yuehan would never have believed such absurd remarks from a young girl.
But now, since he could hear someone's inner voice, foreseeing the future was not entirely impossible, either.
Perhaps this was heaven guiding him through his sister.
Jiang Yuehan's handsome brows drew tightly together.
The Lu family was a prominent wealthy family in the Imperial Capital, but before the deeply rooted colossus that was the Jiang family, it was insignificant and lowly.
As the eldest son, Lu Yunxiao had begun taking over the family's affairs in recent years. He had an amiable disposition and had repeatedly taken the initiative to extend goodwill toward Jiang Yuehan. Their families also had business dealings.
Through these exchanges, Jiang Yuehan had more or less become friends with Lu Yunxiao.
He had mentioned his younger sister, Lu Wanning, to Jiang Yuehan many times, saying how beautiful and adorable she was and that he wanted to introduce them.
Jiang Yuehan had no objection.
He had met plenty of women, and meeting one more hardly mattered. He regarded it as nothing more than an ordinary social engagement.
Had he not heard Jiang Jinran's inner voice, he would certainly have gone tomorrow afternoon.
But now...
"Tell Lu Yunxiao I'm not available tomorrow." Jiang Yuehan swiftly changed his mind and spoke without expression.
Cui Yan nodded. "Understood."
Jiang Jinran blinked.
[Lu Yunxiao? I remember this guy being a scheming boy, too...]
Jiang Yuehan narrowed his eyes slightly and began listening without betraying anything.
[Lu Yunxiao, a typical fence-sitter who curries favor with the powerful. His motives for approaching Big Brother were impure from the start. He deliberately sucked up to him entirely because of the Jiang family's standing... In reality, tsk, tsk...]
Jiang Jinran could not help frowning.
[Not only does he secretly win over Big Brother's subordinates to secure benefits for himself, but after Big Brother turns dark, he switches sides at lightning speed and kicks him while he's down, jumping out to accuse Big Brother of harboring improper intentions toward his sister...]
[Waaah... Is this the legendary scheming and intrigue? Is this the legendary high-level business warfare? This little rat is seeing it for the very first time!]
Jiang Jinran raised her eyes and unexpectedly met Jiang Yuehan's sharp, fathomless gaze.
Perhaps because Jiang Yuehan's expression was so solemn and cold, Jiang Jinran could not help feeling a tremor in her heart.