"Oh, what a coincidence!"
Bingtang blinked, revealing a smile like someone caught doing something wrong. "My little sister found out."
Jiang Si snorted but didn't say anything.
I glanced at the sky; it was already dusk. The flow of time in the Calamity Curse Realm was different from here; it was almost dark when I came out. The stars and moon were shining brightly, and many houses had their lights on. "Why aren't you home so late? What are you doing out here?"
"Buying groceries..."
Coco, Keke had just answered, looked at the smiling Bingtang and immediately shouted, "You, you get down here right now! This is cheating! My brother already has a girlfriend!"
"I know, I know."
Bingtang jumped off Jiang Si with a smile, "They're just friends, no need to be so nervous."
"As friends, shouldn't we at least have basic boundaries?" Jiang Keke looked at her with hostility. "What would Teacher Shion think if she saw you doing this?"
" Shion and I are also very good friends."
After thinking for a moment, Bingtang said, almost jokingly, "I wouldn't mind sharing my boyfriend."
"She's happy to see that too."
"Ms. Shion isn't that kind of person!" Keke shouted, grabbing her older brother's hand and trying to pull him away. "Don't hang out with girls like that, brother! Ms. Shion, and Mom and Dad will be heartbroken!"
"Friends are just friends, bro! You can't do romantic things with friends!"
" Bingtang."
Hearing Jiang Si call her name, Bingtang immediately became quiet and dared not joke with Keke anymore. "Actually, I sprained my ankle and it was inconvenient, so I asked Jiang Si to carry me for a while. Sorry, I went too far with the joke."
Coco, who had been about to question Keke, froze, then scratched her head somewhat helplessly, "Huh? Oh? Is that so?"
Coco glanced at Jiang Si, but her brother didn't say anything, Keke somewhat at a loss.
Her previous aggressive demeanor vanished instantly. She lowered her head and said softly, "If that's the case, then there's nothing I can do. But I'll still talk to Ms. Shion, so don't try to lie to me."
"Yes, I won't lie to you. You can ask Shion later."
As she spoke, Bingtang extended her hand, "My name is Bingtang. It's so nice to meet you, Keke. Jiang Si always talks about you so proudly. You're a good student, a rising star in the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau, the hope of Beihai, a super powerful magical girl, and you're very cute."
After just a couple of compliments, Keke was completely bewildered, scratching her head, "Uh, no."
Then, realizing her mistake, she became serious. "Don't think that a few flattering words will change my opinion of you. In short, I will definitely talk to Ms. Shion..."
"Okay, okay." Bingtang Tang chuckled and tidied Keke's hair. "You were all so angry just now, your hair was all messed up, but it's cuter like this."
Oh no, I can't possibly get angry at such a smiling face!
Ms. Shion, I'm sorry, Keke is no good...
This girl named Bingtang has such a beautiful smile! She looks just like one of those big stars in commercials, but not so dazzling, and her smile is so gentle. Keke loves her so much...
Wait, Bingtang?
Keke paused for a moment, "Are you... the young lady of Ice-Colored Era?"
"Forget about calling me 'Miss.' My parents always say I have no manners whatsoever. I'm not even as good as an ordinary girl, let alone a 'Miss.'" Bingtang then took out her business card from her pocket, which had her phone number on it. "If you don't mind, we can keep in touch."
"Oh oh..."
She blankly took the business card and glanced at it.
She really is the heiress of the Ice-Colored Era Group...
He looked up again at the young lady in front of him, who was looking at him gently.
I was momentarily dazed.
It seems like the corner of his mouth is slightly crooked.
It turned out to be an illusion.
Although the Ice-Colored Era Group is still mainly controlled by her father, it is clear that her father, the founder and controller of the Ice-Colored Era Group, intends to groom Bingtang as his successor.
It has been in the news several times, and some of the Ice-Colored Era Group's businesses have even been transferred to the Bingtang Group.
She's an extremely famous, incredibly rich, and powerful heiress!
Keke kept glancing at her older brother.
Although my brother is indeed not ugly, especially when he's not talking or going crazy, he's quite handsome.
According to Yiyi, wearing glasses is enough to pretend to be an artsy youth.
But surely that's not enough to make so many girls completely infatuated...
Shion, Bingtang, Yiyi.
Unbeknownst to her, her brother was surrounded by girls who were ridiculously outstanding.
Jiang Si's parents used to worry that he wouldn't be able to find a girlfriend.
In reality, the guy just picked whichever he wanted!
I doubt anyone else likes my brother.
Yiyi, not only do our chances of winning seem a bit low, but we also have a lot of opponents. What should we do...?
She carefully moved closer to her brother and tugged at his clothes. "How did you and Miss Bingtang Tang meet?"
"My deskmate."
"Ah?"
Bingtang, standing nearby, chuckled and said, "They were supposed to be deskmates, but Jiang Si never came to class, so we were practically never deskmates."
"Haha, that's how my older brother is..."
They turned out to be not only friends, but also deskmates!
With such a classic manga setup, Yiyi, didn't you even realize such a rival existed when you were in school?
Yiyi, are you suffering from precocious dementia...?
I don't want to be too impolite, but perhaps I should prepare some clothes for Yiyi, like those worn by Ms. Shion...
I suddenly remembered that Yiyi also mentioned that my older brother's deskmate is a big shot.
Yiyi seemed to have mentioned his name, but because she and her brother were still having a cold war at the time, she didn't care much and didn't think too much about it.
Of course, the main reason was that she didn't recognize the name "Bingtang" at all, and even after being told it, she didn't react immediately.
After all, who would immediately associate her with the heiress of the Ice-Colored Era Group?
The difference between my family and Bingtang's family is like heaven and earth!
The Dragon Maggot Transformation!
In fact, according to romance comics, the girl should come from an ordinary family, while the boy should come from a wealthy and powerful family.
Then an ordinary girl with a beautiful inner world falls for a rich young master.
Conquer the domineering CEO with your personal charm and good looks...
They eventually divorced and split the assets in half.
Why are you doing the opposite, bro?
By the way, if you marry Bingtang and then divorce her, are you eligible for half of her assets...?
Keke n't help but let her mind wander.
After all, the combination of a super-rich heiress and an ordinary-looking older brother offers so much to explore, causing her thoughts to race.
The plot in my mind quickly unfolded to the final divorce property dispute, with Teacher Shion ultimately turning the tide, winning back her brother, and then using half of the Bingtang family's fortune to elope and live a happy life, while the heiress, now a "loser," could only swing indoors in the direction her brother had left...
Wait a minute, is Yiyi also going to hang herself from a tree in the southeast...?
Can they reach the branch?
I'll call you a car.
Jiang Si looked at Bingtang, who was limping and determined to keep up the act, and said, "Wait here for me for a while."
Bingtang obediently nodded.
Keke noticed that this Miss Bingtang seemed to really listen to her brother's every word.
Do you like my brother a lot?
Watching Jiang Si go to the roadside to hail a taxi, Bingtang nodded without hesitation when Keke asked, "Of course I like it."
But my brother has a girlfriend.
This statement seems somewhat meaningless, since Bingtang does indeed know about Teacher Shion.
So I had to change the question, "Brother, you're so self-centered and don't care about others at all. What do you like about him?"
"Well," Bingtang stroked her chin and thought for a moment, " Jiang Si's independent spirit is really cool. I've always admired people like Jiang Si who are unrestrained, who can boldly ignore the opinions of those around them and do what they want. That's a remarkable thing, so I really like her."
"Huh?" Keke said blankly, "Does not going to school count?"
"Of course it counts," Bingtang said with a smile. "After all, Jiang Si didn't skip school because he didn't want to go; he skipped school because he knew he had things more important than going to school. Besides, even if he didn't go to school, it wouldn't interfere with his college entrance exam."
"Simply not going to school isn't very attractive or cool. What's attractive is doing things after you stop going to school that have purpose, produce results, and ultimately succeed in the college entrance exam. People who can take control of their lives and their future are truly attractive."
Keke remained silent, unable to deny it for a moment.
She recalled how her older brother and Professor Shion had worked together to handle the Mental Image Remnants incident.
The downfall of the Jiangming City Witch Association also bears the shadow of the older brother.
The guy who gave up his studies and kept training to get stronger has now truly gained the power he sought.
They can even fight alongside magical girls.
That's definitely the charm of this guy.
He knew what he wanted from a young age and has been working hard to achieve it ever since.
Even her parents said that they seemed a bit immature in front of Jiang Si.
Because everyone is just living an ordinary To Live, what strong goals or grand aspirations could they possibly have?
It gradually disappeared without a trace during countless ordinary days.
Ordinary times are like a filter, tirelessly sifting out passion and dreams, again and again.
Until everyone turned gray and lost everything in the turbulence.
The purpose of To Live is simply to To Live.
But Jiang Si was like a stubborn stone; no matter how many times he was examined, his appearance never changed.
Compared to the older brother I knew when I was a child.
What difference is there between Jiang Si now and now?
There isn't much difference in their behavior and conduct.
Neighbors and relatives alike always say that my older brother is a child who will never grow up.
They only ever care about their own things; they're cold and immature.
But who says that only being molded into mediocrity by the daily grind constitutes growth?
My brother has always been more mature than most adults.
That's what her parents think, and that's what Keke thinks too.
Jiang Si has never changed, not because he hasn't grown, but because he doesn't need to grow.
How can a child who's been an adult from the very beginning grow up?
So, in Keke's heart, she has always believed that her older brother is the real adult.
Even some middle-aged people, in her eyes, are nothing more than overgrown babies with only the appearance of age.
Ultimately, this world is too kind; some children grow up in a daze, pretending to be adults without any real punishment.
Rather, there are too many children pretending to be adults, which makes Jiang Si seem out of place.
Actually, Keke has always wanted to be like her older brother, even when their relationship wasn't good...
"I admit, my brother has a certain charm in that respect; you really know him very well."
Keke turned her head away, seemingly admitting that this was somewhat embarrassing for her. "Hmph, but it's a real pity you're too late. No matter how well you know my brother, he's still Teacher Shion's brother!"
"She's just my girlfriend. Even if we become husband and wife, it's not a certainty. As long as we love each other, we can always overcome these difficulties."
"Huh? Are you trying to break up someone else's relationship? That's so immoral of a third party!"
Except for Yiyi.
After all, Yiyi has my support, so it doesn't count!
"Love is war," Bingtang said with a chuckle. "All's fair in war, Keke."
Seeing Keke's angry expression, Bingtang playfully poked her cheek.
Keke slapped it away in disgust.
Seeing Jiang Si return, he pinched her cheek and said gently, "Alright, alright, I'm not joking anymore. I won't do anything reckless, don't worry. After all, I don't want to be Jiang Si's enemy."
Jiang Si hailed a car and returned, looking at her sulking younger sister. She glanced at Bingtang and asked, "What did you say now?"
"Chatting with Keke about Lord Jiang Si's charm."
Are you very free?
Go back to work immediately.
Bingtang limped over to the car Jiang Si had called for her, then turned back and waved to Keke, "Remember to contact me often, Keke."
Jiang Si simply closed the door for her.
Only after the car started moving and Jiang Si and Keke were out of sight did Bingtang settle down comfortably.
He glanced at the Driver in front of him again and sighed.
"It's you? This can't be a coincidence, can it?"
The old butler who was driving chuckled and said, "Of course not. I turned down several other drivers before Mr. Jiang Si finally chose me to be your Driver."
"Perfect timing, I'm a bit short on funds lately."
"Miss, you should know that you can't squander the Ice-Colored Era Group's money. It's related to whether you can ultimately inherit Ice-Colored Era."
After a moment of silence, Bingtang Tang continued, "Of course I won't waste money."
"In your father's eyes, the large amount of cash flow he diverted from the company to build his own conglomerate resulted in nothing, causing your reputation with him to plummet. This included using the Ice-Colored Era Group's channels to sell the Grief Seed and frequently calling on relevant personnel to search for intelligence about the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau..."
"What?" Bingtang laughed instead. "So you're going to settle all the old and new scores at once?"
"No, that's not it. Your investment in Jiangming City yielded good returns, and your father was quite satisfied."
"That settles it."
"However," the old man hesitated, "If you tell your father about the achievements of the Azure Cloud Sect, I think his evaluation will be higher and he'll be more at ease."
" The Azure Cloud Sect is self-sufficient. Although it doesn't earn much, its cash flow is healthy, and it doesn't need the Ice-Colored Era's intervention for the time being."
"After you mentioned expansion last time, in order to assist the branch operations in various cities, we increased the operating funds for the True Disciples and Inner Disciples. Although it is still relatively healthy now, the pressure has obviously increased, and you have already invested a lot of your personal funds."
The old housekeeper advised, "The risk is too great. If you can't recover your investment in the end, you may lose everything. Your father is also asking why you only have a card with 300,000 left in your account."
"He doesn't need to worry about it."
" The Azure Cloud Sect's current status and influence are beyond doubt. If we inform your father, we're sure he'll give us his full support..."
" Azure Cloud Sect is not my company," Bingtang interrupted him. "I've already said, I'm just an employee. The sect leader of the Azure Cloud Sect is Jiang Si; he's the boss. I've asked him, and he's unwilling."
The old butler then sighed deeply.
In fact, even Bingtang herself was unwilling, since joining Ice-Colored Era inevitably changed the nature of some things.
Ultimately, she is merely an heir; Ice-Colored Era is not a corporation under her control.
The father was still the dominant figure.
Now that the Azure Cloud Sect is on the right track and has reached an official cooperation agreement with the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau, it is absolutely impossible for them to let the Ice-Colored Era get a share of the profits.
"Fine, whatever makes you happy. Whatever happens, I can only do my best to support you."
"Thanks."
It was certainly not easy for a child to establish the Azure Cloud Sect.
The old housekeeper in front of her was an assistant that Bingtang had found, and also the only person she trusted in the Ice-Generation Group.
After all, he was considered a discarded pawn of the Ice-Generation Group. If she hadn't given him a hand back then, this old butler would probably still be in jail for taking the blame for several serious crimes.
Moreover, given his status, even if he went to his father and claimed to be the founder of the Azure Cloud Sect, he would be considered a madman.
Of course, at that time, the Azure Cloud Sect had just been established and had no reputation or value, so it would have been meaningless for him to tell his father. By the time the Azure Cloud Sect grew stronger and needed to keep secrets, Bingtang's ability had expanded to the point of being able to monitor the entire city.
Naturally, there was no worry that he would betray them by reporting them.
After all, you can see what they do.
Oh, right.
Bingtang took out a small piece of paper from her pocket and copied down the card number she had written down.
"Go to Huazhou Bank and investigate the origin of these cards for me, see if there are any problems. Of course, it would be even better if you could find out who holds these cards."
The old butler took the note and glanced at it. "A black gold card?"
"You seem to know card numbers quite well."
"After all, the last two digits of the license plate have some distinguishing features." The old butler put away the note. "There's nothing wrong, it just will probably take a while."
"No rush."
Bingtang put away the paper and pen, and said, "Also, if the source is correct, use my privileges to issue a replacement."
"... Your father will probably be angry again."
"He gets angry so easily, he'll be furious to death." Bingtang scoffed. "It's just a card."
"This is someone else's card, right? Why would you do something like this using your privileges to reissue it? There's absolutely no benefit, just pure risk..."
Bingtang leaned against the car window and said lazily, "It's a little surprise for a friend."
" Jiang Si?" The old butler looked at the traffic light ahead, stopped the car, and sighed. "Given your relationship, there's no need for any surprises, is there?"
Forget about the card, you're practically Jiang Si's person anyway, do you really need any surprises?
"You're wrong. The more familiar something is, the more it needs to be surprising."
"On the contrary," Bingtang Tang said softly, "When you're unfamiliar with someone, you don't need surprises because everything is new and exciting. But after spending a lot of time together, you need little surprises to keep things fresh. Hmm, that can effectively prevent a period of burnout."
It feels more like we're lovers than friends...
The old man looked up at the girl in the rearview mirror, who had a faint smile on her face.
Regardless, she looks much happier than when she was at home.
For a moment, the old man didn't think it was so bad.
I need to work harder to earn more money.
Thinking of those ten black gold cards, Bingtang sighed softly:
"Rich people are truly despicable."
I was in a rush yesterday and didn't revise the last chapter properly. It's finished now, and you can read it again if you're interested.