At the elegant wooden door on the second floor, Jiangg Ning pressed her ear against the frame, her expression stern.

She recalled the door having decent soundproofing, yet not a single sound came through. ‘Suspicious,’ she thought.

CLICK.

The door was pushed open.

Jiangg Ning burst in as quick as a flash. Her cold gaze swept across the dim room. The curtains had been open when she left, but now they were drawn tight, and the room was utterly silent.

“Sis? Didn’t you go out? You’re back so soon.”

Jiangg Yao, sitting at her vanity, turned around with an eyelash curler in hand. She was wrapped in a light, pure white nightgown, her long hair draped over her shoulders. The hem of her gown was pressed between her legs, giving her a delicate and gentle appearance at first glance.

“Something’s not right…” Jiangg Ning muttered to herself.

The tidy room was completely normal, much to her disappointment. Before entering, she had already planned how she would scold Yaoyao and had even envisioned the scene she might walk in on. But now, everything was as it should be…

‘No. The more normal it seems, the more abnormal it is!’

Who in their right mind would believe Jiangg Yao woke up this early every day just to sit nonchalantly at her vanity and do her makeup? She would never do something so mind-numbingly boring.

Jiangg Ning narrowed her eyes, meeting the gaze of the cute and seemingly harmless Yaoyao.

“Huh? Sis, what’s wrong?”

Jiangg Yao asked, a little puzzled. She thought Jiangg Ning was acting strange.

She turned back around and touched up the outer corner of her eyelashes that she hadn’t curled properly.

“You’ve been waking up early for a whole week. Aren’t you going to give me an explanation?”

“I have to explain waking up early? Sis, you’re hilarious.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve just been feeling well-rested lately, not sleepy at all. Besides, aren’t we going back to Lanjing to see the young master soon? I think it’s important to stay in good spirits. Plus, I need to work hard on my streaming when I get back.”

“Hmph…”

Jiangg Ning crossed her arms and began to pace around the room.

‘She wasn’t going to be fooled so easily.’

The reason Jiangg Yao gave was too far-fetched.

“Your streams are always in the afternoon until after midnight. What does that have to do with waking up early? And besides, if you’re trying to ‘stay in good spirits,’ why are the curtains drawn?”

As she spoke, Jiangg Ning yanked the curtains open with a WHOOSH. In an instant, a thousand rays of sunlight flooded the room, refracting into every corner and exposing all the dim areas to the light. The brilliant glare made even Jiangg Yao shield her eyes with her hand.

It was like interrogating a criminal.

Jiangg Ning stood in the sunlight, her face glowing with an undeniable, holy radiance.

Jiangg Yao muttered under her breath, “Crazy. It’s like some goddess’s ultimate move from an anime.”

“Confess! Now!”

“Confess what? If you’re really that bored, go help the housekeeper plow the garden.”

“Still being stubborn? Wait a minute—”

Jiangg Ning lowered the finger she had been pointing at her sister’s nose. Her own small, delicate nose twitched, and her brow furrowed slightly. “What’s that smell?”

“Nothing. I don’t smell anything…”

“It smells like yogurt.”

“Uh… maybe it’s from what I drank last night. The smell must not have aired out since I didn’t open the window. How weird…”

“No, it’s a very fresh yogurt smell.”

Jiangg Ning didn’t wear glasses, but the sharp glint in her eyes was more effective than any pair of lenses. Her detective-like sense of smell and formidable, agile mind left no shadow in the room for the darkness to hide.

She took a light step forward, as if she had locked onto a target.

Watching her sister draw closer and closer, Jiangg Yao began to fidget.

‘In her imagination, her sister—her face imbued with that strange, holy light—was like a valiant female general wielding the Imperial Holy Sword. Her thick, black hair was tinged with golden sunlight, and a cape billowed behind her. Not only had her sister come with a sword, but she was also shouting from her crimson lips, “Criminal Jiangg Yao, step forward!”‘

Jiangg Yao’s eyes widened in an instant.

“Aiyah~”

Yaoyao, in her white nightgown, was pulled to the ground. She collapsed onto the floor in a very dramatic fashion, with glistening teardrops welling up in her eyes.

Jiangg Ning pulled open the vanity drawer. Her eyes focused as she took out what was hidden inside.

“Papaya yogurt…”

She was lost in thought.

“Breast enhancement exercises?”

The realization dawned on her.

Jiangg Ning held the two items in her hands.

The phone screen was paused on a video. On it, a cherubic-faced girl possessed an unbelievably, almost terrifyingly large bust.

She turned and looked down at her sister.

“You’ve been doing this behind my back?!??”

“I… I…”

Seeing that she’d been exposed, a deep blush crept onto Jiangg Yao’s cheeks.

“Are you crazy? You’re addicted to breast enhancement? Do you know what happens to people who get hooked on this stuff?”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s for Chen Yuan, isn’t it? To please him! You’ve fallen into the trap of trying to cater to him, Yaoyao! Aren’t you fine the way you are now? Would you even be you with bigger breasts?”

“Waaaah~”

Jiangg Ning took a deep breath, put down the papaya milk, and tossed the phone aside.

“Tell me. Why?”

“I… I think the young master might like curvier girls. I happened to see a tutorial from a blogger once, and they said you could see results in a month, so I…” Yaoyao stammered.

“So, did it have any effect?” Jiangg Ning continued to ask.

“No, it’s all a lie! It’s been a week and nothing’s happened. I really regret listening to those scammer bloggers. Sis~ I see the error of my ways now.”

“Really?”

“Why are you asking… Sis, don’t tell me you want to try it too?” Jiangg Yao puffed out her cheeks slightly, raising an eyebrow as she asked tentatively.

“No, I’m perfectly happy with myself.”

“Okay, then.”

Jiangg Ning saw through her sister’s trick. She had found it strange recently. They were about to return to Lanjing, and it was unlikely that the ever-scheming Jiangg Yao would be so well-behaved.

‘Sure enough, the truth was buried in the shadows where she couldn’t see!’

‘So that’s it!’ Jiangg Ning thought.

‘If Jiangg Yao really succeeded, she’d be risking Chen Yuan finding out, wouldn’t she? She isn’t as slim as me; instead, she’s pursuing a more seductive and charming look to lure the innocent and naive Chen Yuan. What a truly insidious technique.’

‘Furthermore, if she succeeded, even if I found out, I’d have to stop Chen Yuan from ever touching me just to keep him from discovering the truth. That way, Jiangg Yao would kill two birds with one stone!’

‘Risky! So risky!’

‘I almost lost everything.’

Jiangg Ning turned, picked up the yogurt, and threw it in the trash.

“Don’t even think about pulling this kind of stunt under my nose again. I know you too well, you little drama queen.”

“I know, Sis…”

Jiangg Yao lowered her head, looking pitiful.

Like a concubine who had failed to win the emperor’s favor.

It had to be said, her expression was greatly satisfying to Jiangg Ning, who truly felt the thrill of a triumphant return.

Wiping her hands, Jiangg Ning finally strode out of the room.

But, the moment she stepped through the door…

…something else occurred to her!

She whipped her head around!

In that single instant, Jiangg Ning caught the faint trace of a smile in her sister’s eyes.

“Wrong!”

Ningning spun back around and was once again standing beside Jiangg Yao.

“Sis? Is there something else?” Yaoyao asked weakly. “Why are you back… Ah! What are you doing!? Don’t touch me! You’re ruining my clothes!!”

Jiangg Ning ignored her shrieks, her hands moving ceaselessly.

When the real truth entered her sight…

Jiangg Ning was utterly stunned. ‘Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat?! Showing weakness to the enemy! It actually worked!’

…

「In the blink of an eye, it was afternoon.」

In the kitchen, the housekeeper took large, snow-white steamed buns from the steamer. They were dazzling to the eye. When pressed, the buns bounced back instantly. Not only were they springy, soft, and glutinous, but their fragrance was also tantalizing.

Squeezed together due to the tight space, the buns had absorbed the full heat of the steam, making them appear even softer, whiter, and endlessly glossy.

The phrase “a beautiful sight on earth” simply didn’t do it justice.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep