But that wasn’t how it was at all.

The real battle had only just begun.

Jiangg Yao decided she was going to rack up some serious points. She’d use a lightning-fast offensive to claim all of Chen Yuan’s “firsts,” leaving a trail of meaningful mementos in her wake. This was how she’d secure an invincible position.

For a naive eighteen-year-old boy, what could possibly be more attractive?

The answer was obvious.

On their very first night at the hotel, Jiangg Yao decided she had to enact her long-premeditated plan.

‘My sister is too shy to do it, but I dare!’

By the time her sister figured out what was going on, it would be too late, because she would have already “tainted” Chen Yuan.

Her sister would only be able to stare in shock at the haggard, disheveled scene on the bed. Meanwhile, she would be refreshed and radiant, victoriously declaring her triumph. She could only imagine the priceless look on her sister’s face.

AHAHAHAHAHA…

Jiangg Yao was grinning from ear to ear, giggling like a fool. Toothpaste foam dripped from the corner of her mouth, her narrowed eyes glinting with cunning.

“What are you laughing at over there? Hurry up and help me pack! I can’t fit these cosmetics in!”

From the other side of the wall, Jiangg Ning poked her head in. Seeing her sister’s insidious smile, she frowned and chided her.

“Oh, oh… coming, coming.”

With that, Jiangg Yao quickly rinsed her mouth and walked into the bedroom.

Working together, the sisters managed to stuff several bags of cosmetics into the gaps in the luggage, even resorting to stomping on them with their feet. It took quite a bit of effort.

A moment later.

“Whew~” Jiangg Ning wiped the sweat from her brow. “Make sure you have all your things. Don’t be so forgetful, or you’ll have to borrow from me again.”

“I know!”

“I’m going to get the laptop from the study. You can finish folding your clothes.”

“Okay, okay. Remember to unplug the charger! I can’t find mine. Don’t you have another one in the study?”

“How did you lose it again? What do you do, eat chargers?! Buying a new one every month… you’re such a spendthrift…” Jiangg Ning grumbled as she walked toward the study.

Her voice faded into the distance.

But Yaoyao didn’t retort. Instead, she watched nervously until her sister’s figure disappeared from view.

In that instant, she sprang up and scrambled to the foot of the bed, pulling open a drawer while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Inside the drawer, a neatly packaged piece of clothing lay quietly.

Unfortunately, the bag was black, making it impossible to see what kind of clothing was inside.

Jiangg Yao took out the bag and, like a thief, stuffed it into a gap in her sister’s suitcase before zipping it shut.

Having accomplished her mission stealthily, she let out a long sigh of relief.

‘All preparations are complete. Chen Yuan is as good as mine. I just have to wait for the plane to land and for us to get to the hotel. Then…’

‘Hehe, little young master, you’re going to be eaten up without a single crumb left~’

Jiangg Yao covered her mouth and giggled. It was clear her methods were more than a step cleverer than Jiangg Ning’s!

…

By afternoon, they had finally finished packing everything, big bags and small.

The two sisters placed their luggage in the living room, where it took up a considerable amount of space.

“Okay, here’s the plan. I’ll take a taxi to the airport with Chen Yuan, and you can head over a little later. We should try to stagger our times.”

“No problem. I’ve got my mask and hat ready. I’ll be so bundled up, no one would recognize me even if they ran into me.”

“Good.”

“So, should I message Chen Yuan and ask if he’s ready?”

“Sure,” Jiangg Yao nodded.

Clutching her small handbag, she eagerly opened her phone to share her excitement about the upcoming trip with her friends in a group chat. Her heart was filled with anticipation.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a long-distance trip.

And this time, she was going with Chen Yuan.

How could she not be excited?

‘Golden beaches, azure seas, scorching sun, strolling through an unfamiliar city with a handsome young master and his six-pack abs…’ Just thinking about it was enough to make her heart swoon.

Beside her, Jiangg Ning was also overjoyed. But just as she finished typing her message, before she could hit send…

…a call notification suddenly popped up on her phone.

The note on the screen read: Mommy. The single word made her breath catch in her throat.

RING-RING—

The phone continued to ring. Jiangg Yao, who was on the sofa, looked up and asked, a little confused, “Aren’t you going to answer?”

“It’s… it’s Mommy,” Jiangg Ning replied, her brow furrowing slightly.

At these words, Yaoyao’s fingers froze over her phone.

The two of them exchanged a knowing glance.

Both saw the panic in the other’s eyes.

This fear was instinctual, instilled in them since childhood. If there was one person in the world who could control Jiangg Yao, it was definitely Jiangg Ruxue.

In her presence, Jiangg Yao wouldn’t dare say a single word out of line.

Her older sister was slightly better in this regard, but not by much.

While they had all sorts of rebellious ideas when plotting their defiance, the clear panic in their eyes showed that, deep down, they were still afraid.

Jiangg Ning hesitated, her finger hovering over the screen, afraid to touch it. She feared that if she answered, Mommy would suddenly summon her back to Mingzhu City for some reason. After all, it was vacation time. Wouldn’t that mean their travel plans would be completely ruined?

Her heart was filled with so much anticipation, and they were just about to leave.

If she couldn’t go… Jiangg Ning felt like she would die of regret.

But the ringing was incessant, like a summons from the grim reaper.

RING-RING—

RING-RING—

Steeling herself, Jiangg Ning put a finger to her lips in a “shush” gesture and answered the call.

…

“Hello?”

“Ningning.”

“Yes, Mommy, I’m here. Is something wrong?” Jiangg Ning asked, nervously and unconsciously biting her lip.

“Your school’s on break now, right?”

“Yes.”

After she said that single word, both sisters’ hearts leaped into their throats.

“Oh,” the voice on the other end, initially cold, suddenly became deliberately soft and intimate. Jiangg Ruxue seemed to be playing the part of a loving mother, though she wasn’t very good at it. “You and Yaoyao haven’t been back to Mingzhu City in a long time. Mommy misses you. Since you’re on break, I’ll book you tickets to come back, okay?”

Jiangg Ning’s pupils contracted.

Her sister, sitting on the sofa, frowned and shook her head frantically.

“No way,” Jiangg Yao mouthed, panicking.

If they really had to go back to Mingzhu City and couldn’t go to Sanya, she would die of despair.

“Well…” Steeling herself for her own sake and her sister’s, Jiangg Ning said, “Yaoyao and I were just about to go on a trip. We’ve already booked the tickets. Can we talk about coming back to Mingzhu City after we get back?”

“…”

A brief silence.

Neither sister dared to breathe as they waited for Jiangg Ruxue’s response.

Her words had apparently taken her mother by surprise, hence the silence.

“Oh? Just the two of you?”

“Yes. Yaoyao has been doing well lately, so I thought I’d take her on a trip to relax. It’s a rare opportunity now that we have time off.”

“That’s fine too. I happen to have a friend who owns a hotel in Sanya. You can stay there.”

“N-no, that’s okay, Mommy. I wanted to stay at that themed hotel. We’ve already booked it,” Jiangg Ning said hurriedly.

“Since you’ve arranged everything, I won’t worry about it. Is Yaoyao there? I’d like to have a word with her.”

“She is.”

Jiangg Ning handed the phone to Jiangg Yao, giving her a series of frantic looks.

So, Jiangg Yao nervously took the phone, offering a few responses like “Mm-hm,” “Okay,” and “Ah.”

When the call ended.

Both sisters were covered in cold sweat, as if they had just been pulled out of water.

“That scared me to death,” Jiangg Yao said, patting her chest. Her heart had nearly leaped out.

“Good thing I thought fast and said the two of us were going on a trip.”

“Sis, I’m so impressed. If it were me, I would’ve been too nervous to get a single word of protest out.”

It was a false alarm.

The two of them took a long time to recover.

Only then did they message Chen Yuan to get in touch.

A trip!

In the living room, they exchanged a look, unable to hide their excitement.

…

「At six in the evening」, a plane departed the runway at Lanjing Airport, rising into the wind.

A short while later, it was soaring high in the sky.

Through the window, Jiangg Ning watched the scenery change. Distant mountain peaks emerged from a sea of clouds, looking like a divine mountain under the golden light of the setting sun.

As far as the eye could see, a boundless sea of clouds stretched out. Orange and white intertwined in deep and shallow strokes, painting a magnificent picture. Silvery-white waves surged and leaped like countless playful fish, while the orange-red sky dyed the clouds on the far side a fiery red.

The light outside the porthole was soft, hazy and picturesque.

And as she held Chen Yuan’s hand, she felt a warmth that was like a dream.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep