Shoutout to Alinaza for the commission!
As October approached, the sky in Beicheng darkened faster than usual. Around only six or seven o’clock, there were just a few streaks of faint red left, like a few strokes of rouge dyed into dark blue satin.
As soon as Jiang Se sat into the car, Guo Qian’s phone call came in.
“Sese, I’m about to be driven mad with anger by Zhu Mingli!”
“What happened to her?” Worried it would affect Uncle Liu’s driving, Jiang Se took out her Bluetooth earphones and put them on. “What does it have to do with me?”
“If it wasn’t about you, would I be this angry?” Guo Qian’s voice trembled with rage. “She pulled a WeChat group together and in it she called you Jiang Enxi, and said you’re a cuckoo occupying a magpie’s nest, shameless. Tell me, isn’t that infuriating? Those stupid things have nothing to do with you! She even secretly called you a b*tch before, I remember everything! The minute I’m back in the country, I’ll avenge you right away!”
Jiang Se raised an eyebrow: “Jiang Enxi?”
Guo Qian: “A heroine from some old Korean drama, that girl was a fake rich daughter and later died of cancer.”
Jiang Se: “……”
Guo Qian spat harshly: “Sese, they’re cursing you to die!”
“……”
Compared to the enraged, trembling Guo Qian, Jiang Se actually didn’t feel much anger. Not because she had such a good temper, but simply because she found such words meaningless.
In this world, human warmth truly waxes and wanes.
The ones who give you flowers when you’re basking in spring wind are often the same ones who kick you when you’re down.
Now that she was no longer Cen Se of the Cen family of Beicheng, there would always be people grabbing the chance to step on this fake phoenix.
Sneering a few lines in a WeChat group counted as stepping lightly.
Jiang Se originally didn’t want to bother, but since those few had angered Guo Qian, who always breathed through the same nostril as her, she naturally couldn’t sit and watch.
One minute later, she was pulled into the group by Guo Qian.
Thinking for a few seconds, Jiang Se sent a message into the group:【Go ahead, tell me, how exactly have I cuckooed into a magpie’s nest, how am I shameless? Feel free to speak your mind. I’ll take a screenshot and post it so everyone can enjoy the excitement.】
Probably not expecting the person involved to pull something like this, the group immediately fell into an eerie silence.
Except for several yin-yang strange gifs that Guo Qian sent one after another, there was no other movement.
Seeing that they were about to arrive at the airport and still no one made a sound, Jiang Se, bored out of her mind, exited the chat box.
She knew what they were worrying about.
Wasn’t it just that they assumed she would shamelessly cling to staying in the Cen family? Before she completely removed the identity of “Miss Cen,” they simply didn’t dare truly tear their faces with her.
At most, they’d only dare say a few things behind her back. It was really… disappointing.
Right now she was someone barefoot, and was just worrying she couldn’t bump into a person wearing shoes for her to go crazy on.
—
In September, Beicheng got dark early, but the temperature was still hot like a furnace.
At nightfall, even the wind was hot.
The black car passed through traffic and reached the airport. Jiang Se pushed the door open and got out, the noise mixed with the wind hitting her in the face.
Uncle Liu glanced outside the car and couldn’t help calling after her: “Miss, why don’t I go in to pick up… that one?”
“No need, I’ll go pick her up.” The white sheepskin heels tapped lightly on the ground illuminated by neon. Jiang Se looked back and smiled, saying, “And also, Uncle Liu, I’m no longer the Cen family’s Miss. Calling me Miss now isn’t appropriate.”
She had mentioned this two days ago as well, but Uncle Liu had worked for the Cen family over ten years, from driving Jiang Se to and from school to driving her to and from work. How could he change the way he addressed her so easily?
Watching Jiang Se’s figure go farther and farther, Uncle Liu’s lips moved, wanting to say something but stopping.
In the end he still said nothing, only letting out a long sigh.
The phone app showed flight A6788 had already arrived. Jiang Se stood at the arrivals exit, quietly looking at a huge LED screen.
Crowds surged around her like tides, yet she stood still, her posture standing tall and elegant.
When Cen Yu pushed her luggage cart out, this was exactly the scene she saw.
The bustling airport hall was noisy and chaotic, heads everywhere. But the place where Jiang Se stood, even the air was quiet.
Cen Yu and Jiang Se were actually old acquaintances.
Both were top students of A University’s School of Economics and Management; Cen Yu was one year below Jiang Se.
Back when Cen Yu participated in the W-PEC Global Entrepreneurship Competition, Jiang Se, as the previous year’s gold medal winner, was the strategy advisor for Cen Yu’s team.
Counting it, it had been almost three years since they last met after her senior graduated. She originally thought they would never have any more intersections.
Unexpectedly… their lives would intertwine again like this.
She was no longer Jiang Yu, and her senior was also no longer Cen Se.
“Junior sister.” Jiang Se smiled and waved at Cen Yu.
“Senior sister!” Cen Yu showed a bright smile and walked toward Jiang Se. “Did you wait long? Sorry, there were too many people picking up luggage just now, delayed a bit.”
“It’s fine, I also just got here.”
The two talked as they walked toward the exit of the terminal. The atmosphere wasn’t very intimate, but it was harmonious. There was no bitter rivalry of real vs fake daughter from dog-blood dramas, nor the tear-each-other-apart show the onlookers might expect.
The black Rolls-Royce was still parked there.
Uncle Liu got out to move Cen Yu’s luggage. He looked at Jiang Se, then at Cen Yu, unable to decide how to address them, and could only mumble, “Miss, let me.”
Jiang Se held the car door, letting Cen Yu get in first. After Cen Yu sat down and Jiang Se was about to bend down to get in, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar car.
It was a limited edition Maybach, less than a hundred in the world. In Beicheng, among the people she knew, it seemed only one person drove this car.
Jiang Se slightly shifted her gaze and indeed saw a familiar figure walk out from the automatic doors of the terminal.
The man was very handsome, the kind of cold-edged handsomeness.
His features were more defined than the average person’s: a high nose, deep-set eyes, thin cold lips, and the tall bridge of his nose holding up a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His tall, straight figure, wrapped in a perfectly pressed black suit, carried a sharp and intimidating aura.
He was listening to his assistant speak and had to slightly lower his head because of his height.
Moonlight, like flowing silver, reflected off his glasses with a streak of cold glint.
This heir of the Lu Corporation had been focusing on expanding territory in Europe these two years. Counting it, Jiang Se hadn’t seen him for more than half a year.
Normally, Jiang Se would most likely greet him politely and distantly.
But now there was no need.
Someone she would have no intersection with from now on, such superficial niceties were better saved.
Jiang Se calmly withdrew her gaze, bent down to get into the car, and the door shut with a “bang.”
On the other side.
Assistant Li Rui let out a light “eh?” after Jiang Se got in the car. “Wasn’t that Miss Cen Se just now?”
Lu Huaiyan looked over. Didn’t see the person, but he recognized the car and the license plate.
He let out a low “mm” with no emotion.
“It really was her.” Li Rui’s eyes were complicated, his tone carrying some indescribable sigh.
Li Rui wasn’t any rich young master, but following Lu Huaiyan for eight years made him a fringe figure in the wealthy circle. He had heard many of the rich family secrets.
He had just heard about Jiang Se being the mistaken daughter of the Cen family from some rich young master a few days ago.
Lu Huaiyan noticed the odd tone, but didn’t ask further. He had never had much interest in Cen Se’s affairs.
Li Rui, however, couldn’t wait to share the freshly peeled gossip with his boss after getting in the car.
“Little Chairman Lu, have you heard about the Cen family’s matter?”
Lu Huaiyan leaned his head back against the seat, removed his glasses, and pressed his brow.
A few seconds later, seeing Li Rui’s eyes filled with the urge to share, he casually asked, “What matter?”
“The thing about Miss Cen Se not being Chairman Cen’s biological daughter. They say she was switched at birth. Chairman Cen’s real daughter is someone else named Cen Yu. And Miss Cen Se also changed back to her original surname, becoming Jiang, the Jiang from long-river Jiang. So right now, we should call her Miss Jiang Se, right?”
Hearing that, Lu Huaiyan slightly opened his eyes, his tone still careless: “When did this happen?”
“A month ago.” Li Rui eagerly fed the cut melon to Lu Huaiyan’s mouth. “This whole thing is really dog-blood, practically like a TV drama.”
Jiang Se and Cen Yu were both born at Beicheng First Hospital. That night when they were born, someone caused trouble at the hospital, and even secretly set a fire. The fire was fierce.
In the chaos, a nurse accidentally mixed up two pairs of newborn babies: one pair of boys, one pair of girls.
A little over a month ago, one of the boys who had been swapped accidentally discovered he wasn’t his parents’ son and went to the hospital to make a scene; this matter even ended up in the media afterward.
Not long after, someone exposed on Weibo that Jiang Se and Cen Yu were the other pair of victims in the First Hospital baby-swapping case.
But as soon as this news broke, the Cen family pressed it down. Not even a splash came out.
Li Rui was very curious about what the Cen family would do.
That young lady was a top figure in the socialite circle, and she even had a marriage contract with the Fu family. If they sent Jiang Se away, wouldn’t all these years of grooming go down the drain?
Of course, without that layer of blood relation with the Cen family, whether the Fu family would still acknowledge this future daughter-in-law was also an unknown.
Li Rui sneakily peeked at Lu Huaiyan, hoping to coax some gossip out of his boss.
Who knew the old mister, after eating the melon, only let out an “mm,” and then lost all interest and closed his eyes.
Li Rui was dumbfounded.
Young Master Lu and Miss Jiang Se could be considered childhood acquaintances, right? And… this is the reaction?
—
Lu Huaiyan didn’t return to the Lu family’s old residence; he went straight back to Ruidu Huafu in the CBD center of Beicheng.
The night view here was famously charming and magnificent in Beicheng; it was said you could see the sea view of the neighboring city and the cross-sea bridge.
His boss lived in the penthouse duplex. Li Rui eagerly went to carry the luggage, wanting to use the chance to admire Beicheng’s night scenery, but was mercilessly kicked back into the car by Lu Huaiyan.
“We have to go to Tongcheng early tomorrow. Go back and prepare the documents.”
After saying that, Lu Huaiyan used his card to scan the elevator.
The penthouse had a private elevator that opened directly into the apartment. As soon as the elevator doors opened, a pure white Samoyed wagged its tail and pounced over.
Lu Huaiyan, practiced and familiar, raised a hand to stop it, frowning: “Jialuo, how many times have I said you can’t pounce on the elevator.”
Jialuo was Sanskrit, taken from the Avatamsaka Sutra. The name was given by Lu Huaiyan’s mother, Han Yin.
Han Yin was devout and always felt her son was too cold and harsh. Four years ago, for Lu Huaiyan’s birthday, she secretly sent him a puppy as a gift, saying it was to give him a softer heart.
Little Jialuo, although it had a Buddhist-sounding name, couldn’t change the fact it was a clingy Samoyed, and the person it loved clinging to most was its dog dad.
At this moment, said dog dad looked a bit displeased at being pounced on.
The housekeeper chased out behind Jialuo, laughing: “Jialuo just missed you too much, sir.”
The coldness in Lu Huaiyan’s brows eased slightly. He bent down to pat Jialuo’s head: “Daddy’s going to shower first. I’ll play with you in a bit.”
The place where Lu Huaiyan lived was always quiet; the housekeeper only came over to look after Jialuo when he was on business trips. After showering, the housekeeper left a few sticky notes as usual and then left.
Jialuo waited at the master bedroom bathroom door. As soon as it saw Lu Huaiyan, it immediately pounced on him enthusiastically.
The man’s black bathrobe was pulled loose by two dog paws, a long V from his neck down to his waist, revealing his refined collarbone and sharply defined abs.
Lu Huaiyan didn’t mind. He patted Jialuo’s head and said in a low voice: “Go play on the first floor.”
After playing with Jialuo for more than half an hour, his phone rang.
Lu Huaiyan glanced at the name on the screen and quickly remembered the gossip Li Rui mentioned.
He never cared about such gossip; regarding the Cen family and Cen Se’s affairs, naturally he was always detached.
The phone rang relentlessly for more than ten seconds before he finally answered: “What is it?”
Cen Li laughed cheerfully on the other end: “Ah Yan, you’re back in the country?”
Lu Huaiyan responded with an “mm.”
“You’ve heard my family’s little mess, right?” Cen Li lightly coughed. “Aunt Zhang said Sese is about to return to Tongcheng. Aren’t you also going to Tongcheng for business soon? Well, could you look after her for me while you’re there, and maybe persuade her a bit? Can you?”
Lu Huaiyan, while teasing the dog, said expressionlessly: “What, am I her older brother?”
“I’m stuck abroad and can’t go back, okay? She changed her surname as she pleased, it really angered my parents badly. They’re furious right now, and I can’t go to her either. Sese used to listen to you quite well, what you say might work better than this older brother of hers. Bro, just do me a favor?”
Lu Huaiyan had a good memory. Just a few sentences from Cen Li made several scenes flash uncontrollably in his mind. They finally froze on a scene from a stormy night, Jiang Se in his arms, softly calling him “Older Brother Huaiyan.”
Those scenes flashed by in an instant and were soon thrown out of his mind.
Lu Huaiyan opened his mouth coldly: “How many years ago was that? You, who were her older brother for twenty-three years, don’t have time, and you think I would?”
“……”
On the other side, Cen Li finally couldn’t hold back rolling his eyes.
If Sese weren’t too stubborn and too absolute, insisting on going to Tongcheng, he wouldn’t have asked this guy!
Someone who could be so ruthless to her own biological father… Cen Li didn’t expect their childhood relationship to be of any use.
To put it bluntly, Lu Huaiyan’s affection for him wasn’t even as good as the one he had for their stupid dog.
Cen Li’s handsome face completely lost its smile.
Clenching his jaw, he said painfully: “Sese going alone to Tongcheng, I’m really not at ease. She won’t stay there long; sooner or later she’ll return to the Cen family. You just need to look after her for that period. My winery in France, yours!”
Lu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow.
For a sister with no blood relation, giving up a profitable winery was already a big gesture for stingy-as-Scrooge Cen Li.
But a winery still wasn’t enough to motivate him to meddle in someone else’s family matters.
Pulling out a tiny robot from Jialuo’s mouth, the little guy had stuffed it in at some unknown time, Lu Huaiyan lowered his eyes coldly and only returned two words to Cen Li.
“No time.”
