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The Older Brother-and-Little Sister game ended abruptly at midnight.
Jiang Se had been sleepy then. In her hazy state, he suddenly leaned over, grabbed her face, and kissed her.
Other than touching her head or pinching her cheeks, he had barely laid a hand on her all night, so the kiss was a bit fierce.
Jiang Se had her sleep interrupted, couldn’t catch her breath, and her temper flared. She bit down hard on his tongue.
Lu Huaiyan released her, propping himself on one elbow beside her, watching her with a smile. Even with a cut on his tongue, he acted like nothing happened.
“Twelve o’clock. The game is over. Finally allowed to kiss.”
“……”
Jiang Se slowly inhaled and opened her eyes to look at him: “You’re disturbing my sleep.”
Lu Huaiyan lowered his hand, lay down beside her, placed a hand on her waist, and said: “Not disturbing you. Just saying a few words. In the days I’m gone, if you ever feel unhappy, come play the game. Don’t think I don’t know, you love these kinds of stimulating games.”
His warm palm slid up from the small of her waist to her back, and he looked at her eyes sideways. “If you’re still unhappy, call me. I’ll coax you. Sleep, young lady.”
She always slept very well with him around.
Earlier, after hearing from Han Xiao that she had gone to the hospital for sleeping pills, he had prepared some for her on her first night here, but she never took a single one.
The room was dim. Jiang Se looked at his blurred brows and eyes in the darkness and suddenly asked: “What time is your flight tomorrow?”
Hearing this, Lu Huaiyan let out a very soft laugh, a sound that felt like a sigh.
The relationship between the two of them now wasn’t quite lovers, nor quite friends-with-benefits.
She was never curious about him and almost never asked about his matters.
If he hadn’t insisted on seeing her tonight, even knowing he was leaving tomorrow, she wouldn’t have come.
So her lightly asked “What time is the flight?” felt like the tiniest step forward.
Lu Huaiyan propped himself up again, leaned over, kissed her earlobe, and laughed: “Seems like our miss has gotten a bit more tame.”
These words were baffling and beside the point.
Jiang Se froze for a moment, then heard him say, “The flight is at six in the morning. I’m leaving at five. Just sleep, I won’t wake you.”
Jiang Se didn’t speak. His hand was still resting on her, and the distance between them this time was closer than ever before.
Even when they slept on the same bed before, out of habit, there was always an arm’s width between them.
As long as Jiang Se turned slightly, she could pull away again.
Just in that moment of hesitation, the man opposite actually began to gently pat her back, coaxing her to sleep like coaxing a child.
“Weren’t you someone who fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow? Why aren’t you asleep yet?” His voice held a bit of a laugh as he asked her, “Because we didn’t do it today?”
Jiang Se couldn’t be bothered with him and directly closed her eyes.
As if to prove how wrong his question was, she fell into a deep sleep shortly after.
Lu Huaiyan listened to her breathing for a while before moving his hand away from her back and instead holding the hand she had placed beside the pillow.
When Jiang Se woke up, daylight was already out. The person beside her had long left, and the bedding on his side had already cooled.
Previously, every time she woke up on this bed, her right hand was always wrapped in his left, the back and palm both warm. Having gotten used to his body temperature, she now actually felt a bit of chill.
She tucked her hand back under the covers, turned her head to glance at the bedside clock: seven o’clock, he was already on the plane.
After turning on her phone, she saw that, sure enough, he had sent her a WeChat message an hour ago saying he had boarded.
Jiang Se lifted the blanket and got out of bed.
Just after washing up, the suite’s internal line rang, ding ling ling, the butler calling specifically to give her today’s breakfast menu.
Jiang Se casually picked one, and breakfast was delivered soon after.
Smoked salmon rolled into the shape of a rose, topped with two pickled olives, set on a layer of crisp, fluffy tart shell, one bite each, the flavor very solid.
The room was extremely quiet during the meal.
Previously, when she and Lu Huaiyan ate breakfast in this room, it was quiet as well; both of them didn’t speak while eating.
But this quietness was ultimately different from the quiet when he was here.
After eating three pieces, Jiang Se stopped, slowly finished the black tea in her cup, then drove back to the apartment.
Zhang Yue was being watched over by He Miao; she wasn’t worried.
She spent the entire day sitting on the sofa, going through the things in that cardboard box. There wasn’t much inside; she could finish in a little over an hour.
There wasn’t much useful information, just like Zhang Yue said, most of it was memories from when she and Zhao Zhicheng were in Jiangcheng.
She took photos of each item and sent them to Zheng Huan.
Zheng Huan was the detective she had hired five years ago, also the owner of the unnamed number in her phone.
The last photo was of a can of beer. It wasn’t a beer commonly seen on the market: a green metal can with just two characters printed on it, Jiatu.
The Cen family started with soft drinks, and Jiang Se had some exposure to various beverages on the market.
This particular beer was unheard of, likely some local craft beer from a small place.
Turning her wrist lightly, Jiang Se lowered her eyes to look at the address on the can.
Bo County.
The place name was unfamiliar, yet strangely felt a bit familiar.
She picked up her phone and took another picture of the address.
Although the things in this box didn’t leave many clues, it wasn’t as if there were none at all.
Before Zhao Zhicheng went to kill someone, he had said he needed to find someone for help. Eight years ago, on his last night in Jiangcheng, he suddenly brought a large sum of money and gave it to Zhang Yue, telling her to come to Tongcheng.
Who gave him that money?
Why did he have to leave Zhang Yue at that time?
Back then, Zhang Yue clearly hadn’t yet emerged from her past shadows; their days in Jiangcheng were so peaceful. Zhao Zhicheng should not have left at that time—
Unless he had no choice but to leave.
Could it be that the person who once helped him had asked him to go to Beicheng?
Because he owed them a favor, he had to repay it, so even though he didn’t want to leave Zhang Yue, even though he didn’t want to mingle with people like Zhuang Qiang and Qian Wenxu, he still had to go.
Jiang Se slowly followed her thoughts until her phone buzzed on the sofa, snapping her out of her trance.
She picked up her phone and realized it was already four in the afternoon.
The call was from Lu Huaiyan. He had just gotten off the plane and picked a relatively quiet place to call her.
She hadn’t replied to him all day; she thought he would complain again about her having no conscience.
But the first thing he asked when the call connected was: “What did you have for breakfast today?”
Jiang Se bent a leg, slowly leaning against the sofa back, and replied calmly, “Smoked salmon tart and black tea.”
“Good?”
“Not bad.”
Just as she finished saying “not bad,” Lu Huaiyan let out a laugh and said, “Sese, airplane food is too awful.”
The background noise on his end was very loud; the flight announcement could be heard faintly.
The line he blurted out didn’t sound like a complaint but like regret, regret that they didn’t get to eat breakfast together this morning.
The beer rolled from her hand onto the sofa, and Jiang Se asked with lowered lashes, “You’re still inside the airport?”
“Mm, just got off the plane.” As he finished, his phone vibrated. Lu Huaiyan pulled it away to look, it was Guan Shaoting calling. He put the phone back to his ear and said, “My ride is here. I’ll call you later.”
Jiang Se responded with a soft “mm” and quietly hung up.
Heathrow Airport, arrivals hall.
Guan Shaoting had his hands shoved in his coat pockets, glancing amusedly at the girl beside him, teasing, “It’s rare for you to get up this early. Grandma said ever since you came to England, you don’t get out of bed before ten every day.”
He spoke Cantonese, but Guan Jiayi didn’t use Cantonese to reply; instead, she answered in fluent Mandarin, “I practice dance every day and get so tired, of course I need more sleep.”
She was sweet and lively, her brows and eyes full of spirit, a small dimple appearing on her cheek when she smiled. Even when she talked back, her voice carried a soft, tender quality.
Guan Shaoting shook his head at what he heard: “Back then when we wanted you to learn Mandarin, you were never willing. But now these past few years you’ve practically trained yourself into obsession.”
Guan Jiayi shrugged: “If I don’t get good at Mandarin, how am I supposed to chase Ah Yan.”
Guan Shaoting let out a helpless laugh: “You’re calling him Ah Yan too? No sense of seniority at all. Ah Yan is five years older than you, you should call him Older Brother Ah Yan.”
“No way.” Guan Jiayi had just opened her mouth to refute when she caught sight of a tall figure in her peripheral vision. She immediately stopped talking and waved at him, “Ah Yan!”
Lu Huaiyan looked over at the sound, saw it was Guan Jiayi, and looked slightly surprised. He said mildly, “Why are you here too?”
As he spoke, he gave Guan Shaoting a one-armed hug and said, “Didn’t I tell you not to pick me up?”
Guan Shaoting glanced at his sister from the corner of his eye and said helplessly, “I didn’t want to come either, but Grandma told Jiayi I was heartless, so I had no choice. Don’t thank me, thank Grandma and Jiayi.”
Lu Huaiyan smiled faintly at that. “How’s Linda?”
Linda was the grandmother of Guan Shaoting and Guan Jiayi, who hated being called old. Lu Huaiyan always called her by her English name.
Guan Jiayi took the initiative to answer: “Grandma is doing well. When she heard you were coming, she was over the moon. She said tonight she’s going down to the wine cellar to bring out her treasured Romanee Conti to drink with you.”
Only then did Lu Huaiyan turn his gaze toward her and say, “Your Mandarin has improved a lot.”
When she was younger, Guan Jiayi had never been able to curl her tongue properly when learning Mandarin, and her older brothers teased her about it so much that she simply gave up on learning.
She came to the UK for middle school, and only after meeting Lu Huaiyan did she grit her teeth and pick it up again.
Now, unless one listened closely, it was hard to hear her Hong Kong accent.
She was quite proud of that and said shamelessly, “This is the result of a great teacher raising a great student. Ah Yan, you taught me well.”
Lu Huaiyan didn’t take the credit, he only smiled noncommittally.
Beside him, Guan Shaoting couldn’t listen anymore and discreetly rolled his eyes at her.
Back when she first came to study in the UK, Ah Yan had only given her a few pointers. All the real work was done by the language teachers and by him, her second brother. Yet this girl only remembered Ah Yan.
Catching the death glare from her second brother, Guan Jiayi immediately grinned wide, showing eight teeth, looped her arm through his, and said sweetly, “Second Brother taught me too. Second Brother is also a great teacher.”
This girl was skilled at acting spoiled. Guan Shaoting shook his head with a smile, he really had no way to deal with her.
The Guan family car was waiting at the airport entrance. Knowing that Guan Shaoting and Lu Huaiyan had business to discuss, Guan Jiayi took the front passenger seat on her own.
Guan Shaoting raised the partition behind the front seats, took a cigarette box from his suit jacket, and handed one to Lu Huaiyan.
But Lu Huaiyan didn’t take it. “I quit smoking.”
Guan Shaoting arched a brow: “Last time I saw you, you were still smoking. I didn’t hear anything about you quitting.”
Lu Huaiyan glanced out the car window at the street view and chuckled.
If he didn’t quit, some young lady probably wouldn’t even let him hold her.
Guan Shaoting put the cigarette he’d been offering into his own mouth, lit it, took a drag, and said, “Why aren’t you staying longer this time? Duke Edward is coming back from Egypt next week. You’re not going to meet him?”
That old duke had been their visiting professor when they studied economic history in university. He was very fond of Lu Huaiyan and invited him to his estate every time he came to the UK.
Lu Huaiyan lightly explained, “Several projects back home are at critical stages, and it’s almost Lunar New Year. You know my grandfather’s temperament.”
Guan Shaoting understood and didn’t ask further. Instead he said, “Before you return to China, I need you to help me with something.”
Lu Huaiyan: “What is it?”
Guan Shaoting flicked his ash into the car ashtray and teased, “You’ll know when the time comes. I can’t say yet.”
By the time the cigarette was finished, the car was filled with a faint smell of smoke. Lu Huaiyan lowered the window a bit, letting the smell slowly dissipate.
They discussed business, then had a simple lunch at the Lu Corporation London branch. They worked straight through until nearly three, before heading to the Guan family villa in Richmond Park.
That was where Guan Shaoting’s grandmother Linda lived. During the years Lu Huaiyan studied in the UK, the old lady had always treated him very well, so well that even Guan Shaoting occasionally got jealous.
After greeting each other and exchanging pleasantries, Lu Huaiyan had two cups of tea with Linda before excusing himself to step out into the small garden to call Jiang Se.
Four in the afternoon in London was already eleven at night in Tongcheng.
He calculated the time before calling, intending only to say goodnight. But the moment the call connected, a crisp “Ah Yan!” sounded behind him.
That full-of-joy “Ah Yan” was heard clearly even through the phone. Just from listening, Jiang Se could tell it was the voice of a young girl, and her relationship with Lu Huaiyan was likely quite good.
She didn’t say anything.
Lu Huaiyan turned slightly, lifted his phone toward Guan Jiayi to show he was on a call.
Guan Jiayi had rushed downstairs in a hurry and hadn’t noticed he was on the phone. Seeing it now, she immediately stopped, apologized awkwardly, and said, “Sorry, I didn’t see you were on a call. Carry on, I’ll wait for you in the living room. Linda said we need to go get the wine together from the cellar.”
After saying that, she lifted her skirt and went back inside.
Lu Huaiyan retracted his gaze calmly, walked over to a hawthorn tree, and asked Jiang Se, “What is the miss doing?”
Jiang Se looked at the encyclopedia on the table, this book was the one from the box, something that belonged to Zhao Zhicheng. The one who liked flowers and birds had always been Zhao Zhicheng, not Zhang Yue.
Moving her hand off the page, she said faintly, “Reading a book about birds.”
Lu Huaiyan raised a brow. “Interested in birds? Do you remember the few my grandfather keeps at the old house? I’ll take you to tease them another day.”
At that, Jiang Se pressed her lips lightly. “Those birds have terrible tempers. I won’t look at them.”
She was telling the truth. Those birds were Old Master Lu’s beloved pets; he’d had them for many years, and he’d feel distressed even if one feather fell off.
Back when she visited the Lu family’s old house, she had indeed tried to get along with them. But the first time she tried feeding them, they pecked her hand.
The wounds didn’t really matter, but Jiang Se had since stopped liking them.
Lu Huaiyan seemed to remember this as well. He had heard about it from Old Master Lu, and so he smiled and said, “Grandfather said you were pecked by them once?”
He paused for a moment, the smile on his lips deepening gradually, and then continued evenly, “Your temper isn’t much better than theirs. That little cut on my tongue from last night still hurts, you know.”
