Ignoring the faint lingering pain in her throat, Ji Heyuan shouted at Jiang Jiang, "Who allowed you to call me little Yuan?!"
Was that something Xie Xiao was allowed to say?!
Grandma Ji set her teacup down with a loud bang. "I allowed it!"
Her brows were tightly furrowed as she looked at Ji Heyuan. "Little Yuan, how can you be so rude? Not to mention that Jiang Jiang is your future sister-in-law—even if she were a stranger, you should not yell at her like that."
After being scolded, Ji Heyuan's heart churned with anger and jealousy, yet she could only swallow it down. Meeting Jiang Jiang's smiling almond-shaped eyes, she felt as though the other woman was gloating at her mockingly.
Damn Xie Xiao. She and I are irreconcilable!
Grandma Ji was still watching her. Seeing that Ji Heyuan continued to keep a cold face, the old madam's tone could not help but turn commanding. "Apologize to Jiang Jiang."
Ji Heyuan nearly ground her teeth to pieces. She knew that if she confronted her head-on, the one who would suffer would only be herself. Grandma had clearly been deceived by Xie Xiao; she probably even regarded her as some harmless little white rabbit.
Just wait. There's plenty of time ahead. Reluctantly and unwillingly, Ji Heyuan lowered her head. "Sorry."
There was not the slightest hint of remorse in her voice.
Jiang Jiang was almost blooming with delight inside. She truly had not expected this—whether in Xie Xiao's account or in her own dream, Ji Heyuan, as the protagonist, was always high and mighty. Only others ever fawned over her; when had it ever been her turn to bow her head to someone else?
Thinking of the ending between herself and Xiao, Jiang Jiang did not feel guilty in the least.
Only after she had sufficiently admired the angry expression on Ji Heyuan's face did she lower her gaze and softly say, "It's fine, little—"
She deliberately stopped there and did not continue.
Grandma Ji immediately supported her. "You are Xu'an's fiancée; you represent Xu'an. What is wrong with calling her little Yuan?"
After saying this, Grandma Ji turned to look at Ji Heyuan again. "I know you are a few days older than Jiang Jiang, but she is your future sister-in-law after all. She can't possibly call you elder sister, can she?"
Wouldn't that be completely disorderly?
Whether it was "Xu'an's fiancée" or "future sister-in-law," each phrase struck precisely at Ji Heyuan's sore spot, nearly sickening her to the point of fainting.
Ji Heyuan had always had everything go smoothly for her and had long been accustomed to being flattered, growing a rebellious streak in her bones. The more Grandma Ji spoke this way, the more unwilling she became to accept Jiang Jiang.
Grandma must truly be going blind with age—how could Xie Xiao possibly be worthy of her sister?!
Ji Heyuan's eyes had turned red with anger, yet Jiang Jiang did not even look at her. Instead, she gazed at Grandma Ji with a face full of worry. "Grandma, don't be angry. I know Xiao Yuan must find it difficult to accept my presence for the moment. This isn't her fault."
Grandma Ji sighed. "The one who has suffered grievances is you, Jiang Jiang. Don't indulge her too much."
Hearing this, Ji Heyuan was almost furious to death. Who exactly had suffered grievances? Indulging her? How could Grandma possibly say such words?
She forcibly suppressed the anger and grievance in her heart and curled her lips at Jiang Jiang in a smile that did not reach her eyes. "I was too agitated just now. Grandma, don't worry. I will definitely get along very, very well with Xie Xiao."
If she didn't toy Xie Xiao to death, she would take her surname!
As though sensing something, Jiang Jiang lifted her eyes and glanced at Ji Heyuan. The corner of her lips curved faintly without a trace, but she quickly concealed it, leaving only innocence and harmlessness on her face.
Very good. She was thinking the same thing.
—
At noon, the two accompanied Grandma Ji for lunch. Ji Heyuan seemed to have other plans; throughout the meal she behaved obediently, burying her head in eating and causing no trouble.
Jiang Jiang did not bother with her, occasionally helping Grandma Ji to eat. She appeared far more considerate than Ji Heyuan.
Seeing this, Ji Heyuan curled her lips but ultimately endured it.
It was not that she had not considered snatching the task from Jiang Jiang, but each time she was about to pick up food for Grandma Ji, Jiang Jiang would always intentionally or unintentionally interrupt her and start speaking to her.
After several attempts, even if Ji Heyuan were foolish, she would have realized—Xie Xiao was doing it on purpose!
Yet Grandma was clearly enjoying it, as though she truly regarded Xie Xiao as a beloved granddaughter.
Ji Heyuan did not wish to make Grandma Ji unhappy, so even knowing that Xie Xiao was deliberate, she did not flare up.
What was the rush? Once they left the nursing home, she would repay Xie Xiao one by one!
After finishing the meal, Grandma Ji was going to take her afternoon nap. Jiang Jiang and Ji Heyuan did not linger long and left the nursing home together.
Ji Heyuan did not know what crooked scheme she was brewing. Along the way she did not pick a quarrel, merely letting out an occasional cold laugh and sizing Jiang Jiang up with a meaningful gaze.
Since she did not speak, Jiang Jiang was equally capable of holding her composure. It was only when they were about to reach the car door that Ji Heyuan extended a hand to stop her.
"Enough. I won't beat around the bush with you. Let's find a place to sit and talk."
The fact that she had managed to endure until now already surprised Jiang Jiang.
"Very well." Jiang Jiang agreed.
She was unfamiliar with S City, so the place for their conversation was naturally chosen by Ji Heyuan.
The two boarded the same car one after the other. By unspoken agreement, they each chose a seat tucked into a corner, at least eight hundred meters apart, as though afraid of being tainted by the other's scent.
After the vehicle started moving, Jiang Jiang and Ji Heyuan turned their heads at the same time to glance at each other. The instant their gazes collided, the air seemed to crackle with dangerous sparks.
The next second, they simultaneously looked away.
Ji Heyuan had initially planned to find a quiet café, but on second thought—what if, while talking, they began arguing, and Xie Xiao "accidentally" splashed coffee in her face? Wouldn't that be utterly humiliating?
With that thought, Ji Heyuan immediately felt restless. She believed Xie Xiao was entirely capable of doing such a thing.
Her gaze unconsciously searched the surroundings. She did not know what she had spotted, but suddenly her eyes lit up and she shouted, "Stop the car, stop the car!"
Jiang Jiang silently followed behind Ji Heyuan, warily observing their surroundings. She always felt that Ji Heyuan harbored ill intentions.
A moment later, they arrived at the entrance of a store. Ji Heyuan pushed open the glass door. Jiang Jiang poked her head out from behind her and quietly sniffed.
What was this smell? It was so fragrant!
Seeing her look as though she had never seen the world, Ji Heyuan immediately let out a disdainful laugh. "No way, no way—don't tell me someone has never eaten KFC before?"
Jiang Jiang blinked. So this thing was called… KFC?
How strange.
Ji Heyuan had already prepared herself to argue three hundred rounds with Jiang Jiang, yet unexpectedly Jiang Jiang did not refute her. Ji Heyuan suddenly felt as though her punch had landed in cotton, utterly powerless.
She widened her eyes in disbelief. "You really haven't eaten it?"
Jiang Jiang could not determine how to answer. Mainly because she did not know whether this "KFC" was merely a delicacy popular everywhere, or something like rice, flour, sugar, and salt—something that everyone had certainly eaten.
Fortunately, Ji Heyuan did not insist that she provide a clear explanation. She looked at Jiang Jiang as though at a country bumpkin. "How pitiful—you haven't even eaten this. Fine, I'll generously broaden your horizons today."
She spoke this sentence very softly, afraid of being overheard by others, because she felt a little embarrassed.
In truth, Ji Heyuan did not genuinely think there was anything wrong with never having eaten KFC. There were countless people in the world who had not eaten it—what did that have to do with her?
It was simply because this person was Xie Xiao that Ji Heyuan felt compelled to mock her thoroughly.
How rare—Xie Xiao finally having a day of frustration.
Jiang Jiang did not take her mockery to heart at all, because what Ji Heyuan said was true.
However, she did not understand the rules of ordering. When Ji Heyuan handed her the phone, Jiang Jiang first studied it earnestly for at least a full minute before returning it, speaking softly and gently, "You should do it."
Ji Heyuan rolled her eyes. "If you're not ordering, why did you look for so long?"
Looking at Jiang Jiang's small face that still carried a bit of baby fat, a plan suddenly formed in her mind. Her finger tapped the screen twice, swiftly selecting a set meal.
While waiting for their number to be called, Ji Heyuan kept looking at her phone, her fingers tapping continuously on the screen, astonishing Jiang Jiang.
She herself was still not very adept at using a phone. When typing, she was slow, writing one character at a time, unlike Ji Heyuan, whose fingers were almost leaving afterimages.
After observing Ji Heyuan, Jiang Jiang quietly looked at the other customers in the store.
She had been learning how to become a qualified modern person. Whenever she had the chance, she observed others' words and actions, then tried her best to make herself appear not too different from everyone else.
As she watched, her gaze unconsciously fell upon the trays in front of others. The things they were eating were entirely unfamiliar to her; she had never seen them before and thus could not imagine their taste.
But… it smelled so good!
Although she had just finished lunch, Jiang Jiang felt as though she was hungry again.
Their order was ready very quickly. Ji Heyuan carried the tray back to their seats and placed Jiang Jiang's portion in front of her. "Alright, hurry up and eat!"
Jiang Jiang stared unblinkingly at the food before her. There were no chopsticks; for a moment she did not know how to begin, so she shifted her attention to another item on the tray.
It was a children's picture book.
Jiang Jiang did not know it was meant for children. She was attracted by the vividly colored illustrations, her eyes full of curiosity as though she had discovered something rare.
It appeared to depict rabbits, yet it was entirely different from any paintings Jiang Jiang had seen before. With only a few simple strokes, the artist had outlined the adorable form of a little rabbit.
Jiang Jiang instantly fell in love with this picture book!
She could not put it down. After flipping through the entire book with lingering interest, she lifted her head and suddenly realized that Ji Heyuan was looking at her with a complicated expression, her face indescribable.
Jiang Jiang frowned, her gaze sweeping across Ji Heyuan's tray. Only then did she notice that Ji Heyuan did not have a similar picture book, nor anything like it.
She glanced around again; no one else had one either.
Why was there only a picture book in her tray?
Thinking this, Jiang Jiang naturally asked aloud.
Ji Heyuan could no longer tell whether she was pretending to be foolish or truly foolish. "Probably because the staff thought you didn't look very smart and needed to read more books."
The upward curve at the corner of Jiang Jiang's lips immediately flattened.
Ji Heyuan suddenly felt a chill run down her back.
She rubbed her arms, somewhat confused.
Could it be that the air conditioning in the store was set too low?
—
Author's Note:
Ji Heyuan: (holding cola in one hand) (holding fries in the other) (smug) Never eaten it before, have you? Country bumpkin!
Jiang Jiang: (thoughtful) So the snacks here are this delicious. (eyes sparkling)
#And then Ji Heyuan, for leading Jiang Jiang astray, tragically has half a year of pocket money deducted by President Ji.
—
T/N: Sorry for the delay, I lost track of time and didn't realize it was so late.
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