CREAK—

Jiangg Yao opened the door and returned home.

She habitually slipped on her slippers, walked over to the sofa, and sat down, taking the bag from her shoulder and placing it to the side.

The entire living room was terrifyingly silent. There wasn’t the slightest sound, and the emptiness felt almost horrifying.

Jiangg Yao stared blankly for a while before lifting her head to look around.

Her sister was gone, Chen Yuan was gone, and now she was the only one left in the two-suite apartment.

The lively, bustling scenes of the past stood in stark contrast to the current silence. For a moment, she had no idea what to do.

A terrible panic churned in her heart, as if a piece of her had been carved out. She couldn’t stop looking around… then suddenly felt that nothing she saw had any meaning, her eyes unable to find a place to rest.

And just like that, a sense of loss flooded her heart.

Jiangg Yao’s face turned pale with panic. She clutched her phone tightly, her head nearly buried in her chest, her gaze flickering incessantly.

The thought of having to spend another night here all by herself before flying back to Mingzhu City to find her sister tomorrow made her feel a little scared.

Even though she was in this spacious apartment, she felt as if the apartment itself was isolating her—or rather, as if the entire world had isolated her.

Loneliness washed over her like a tide, seeping from every shadow-draped crack in the walls.

…

“Sister… Sister? Are you listening?”

Jiangg Yao gradually found the feeling of being alone unbearable. She had been sitting motionless in her streaming room for a long time.

Finally, she called Jiangg Ning.

On her phone screen, after a series of CLANGS and BANGS, a gentle and intelligent face appeared.

Jiangg Ning blinked and answered, “I’m here. I was just taking off a face mask. What’s wrong?”

Looking closely, there were indeed some water stains on her cheeks, and she was wiping them away with a facial towel.

“Sis~~”

Jiangg Yao drew the single word out into eighteen different tones, a mix of panic, dejection, grievance, and fragility… It was enough to make anyone furrow their brow, and only someone with her personality could produce such a sound.

Ningning instantly broke out in goosebumps.

“What’s all this about?”

“I just saw Chen Yuan off, right? Now I’m all alone, and I feel so sad for some reason.” She lay sprawled on the sofa, pouting, her beautiful eyes filled with endless dejection.

Hearing this, Jiangg Ning stopped wiping her face.

She huffed softly. Now that she understood the situation, she was no longer worried.

“Hmph, you finally know how I felt that day.”

“Yeah, I really do… I can’t even think about it now. The moment I do, I can’t stop the tears, even though I thought I was mentally prepared.”

Jiangg Yao sighed. It wasn’t just Chen Yuan who had left.

It was as if he had taken Yaoyao’s heart with him.

She rambled on like a scorned lover, while her sister on the other end just offered a few casual replies. It wasn’t that she was being cold on purpose; Ningning knew her younger sister’s mood would only last a short while.

Once she got over this rough patch, she would likely feel much better.

Women were, after all, creatures of emotion.

“Sis, what are you doing? I’m so bored. I can’t find anything to do, and Chen Yuan hasn’t replied to my messages since he got on the train.”

“I’m putting on makeup… The signal on the high-speed train is bad, or maybe he’s resting. Wait until he gets off.”

“Putting on makeup for what?”

“To visit relatives and friends, of course. The New Year is almost here. I have to visit the elders and give the younger ones red envelopes. With you not back yet, all these things have fallen on me. Yesterday, Jun even asked why you weren’t here…”

Jiangg Ning answered perfunctorily, focused on drawing her eyebrows.

Ever since she returned to Mingzhu City, she truly hadn’t had a single day of rest.

Although their father had passed away early, the relationships on his side of the family still had to be maintained. As the eldest daughter, she couldn’t avoid handling these tedious matters.

Besides, those relatives couldn’t stand the sight of Jiangg Ruxue. They were like sworn enemies the moment they met.

They couldn’t be in the same room for more than a few minutes without starting a fight.

Ningning and Yaoyao were caught in the middle.

“It’s okay. My flight is tomorrow afternoon. I should be home by evening.”

“Mm, once you’re back, I’ll have something to tell Grandma. Every time we meet, she always asks if you’re doing better.”

“Grandma…”

Jiangg Yao zoned out for a moment as childhood memories flooded her mind.

The two sisters’ paternal grandparents had been quite kind. Before their family’s misfortune, they had doted on Jiangg Yao the most. After the incident, because of Jiangg Ruxue, they weren’t as warm as before.

Instead, it was after they became adults that they grew to miss these two granddaughters who had changed their surnames even more.

The little familial affection Jiangg Yao experienced in her childhood came from her grandparents.

As for Jiangg Ruxue?

She had never shown a single shred of a mother’s tenderness.

Instead, she would always bring her bad temper from the outside back home.

That small villa by the river in Mingzhu City seemed to be her personal kingdom, where she held absolute power.

This was especially obvious before the two sisters came of age.

“By the way, what did Mommy say after you got back? Did she blame you for quitting your job?” Jiangg Yao asked with some concern.

“Not really. She’s been methodically going about the usual New Year’s tasks. She just asked a simple question.”

“So what did you say, Sis?”

“I just said I was a little tired of teaching and wanted to do something else.”

“And Mommy didn’t think you were being audacious and reckless?”

“I think that’s what she meant. I feel like there’s a lot of criticism waiting for both of us. The situation probably won’t be good.”

“Okay.”

Jiangg Yao pressed her lips together, her mood sinking to rock bottom once again.

More than two years ago, Jiangg Ning had returned from abroad. She and Yaoyao had agreed on a plan: she would bring Yaoyao to Lanjing under the pretext of treating her illness and helping her relax. At the time, Yaoyao was extremely withdrawn, the type who would clutch her sister’s clothes for dear life just to go outside.

They had seen many doctors.

The general consensus was that her psychological problems were severe.

Jiangg Ning knew her sister was just being controlled too strictly. If she stayed under Jiangg Ruxue’s thumb any longer, she would sooner or later become so withdrawn she couldn’t even speak.

So, the two sisters discussed it.

Ningning contacted a university in Lanjing and submitted a job application.

At the same time, she had a long talk with Jiangg Ruxue.

Only then did she successfully help Jiangg Yao escape to freedom.

In a flash, time had slipped away.

Inevitably, Jiangg Yao had to go back, and Jiangg Ruxue now knew that Jiangg Yao’s condition had improved.

Jiangg Ruxue wouldn’t necessarily agree to let the two of them continue staying in Lanjing.

Although nothing was said outright, a storm seemed to be brewing. All three women were bottling up their feelings.

Just waiting for the day of the final showdown.

…

「Mingzhu City.」

The video call ended.

Sitting at her vanity, Jiangg Ning put down her phone, still clutching an eyebrow brush.

She cupped her chin, her expression somewhat frozen.

Since returning home, she had been busy running around, with almost no time to catch her breath.

She faced her relatives and friends with a smile every day, feeling as if her face had grown stiff from it, like she was wearing a mask she couldn’t take off.

Being around Jiangg Ruxue, there was simply no joy to be had.

She lowered her gaze, and couldn’t help but recall the moments she spent with Chen Yuan while living in Lanjing.

Those happy, carefree times, when she looked forward to seeing his face the moment she opened her eyes… they were truly precious.

Jiangg Ning finished her makeup and stood up from the vanity.

She secretly cheered herself on.

‘Just get through this period, and I can go back to Lanjing and enjoy a happy romance with Chen Yuan again!’

At this thought, Ningning’s little fists couldn’t help but clench a bit tighter.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep