In the room, Jian Yiling was leaning over the desk. It appeared as though she had been doing her homework.
Jian Yiling raised her head and met Jian Yuncheng’s gaze.
When she heard the knock at the door, Jian Yiling had assumed that the servant was bringing her hot milk to drink.
As a result, she didn’t expect to see Jian Yuncheng.
Jian Yiling repressed her expressions and pulled out a school assignment to cover the report that she was writing just now.
Jian Yuncheng walked up to Jian Yiling and squatted down. He kept his eyes level with Jian Yiling’s.
“Yiling.”
Jian Yuncheng called out.
Jian Yiling turned around and looked at his eyes. Instinctively, she leaned back a little to keep her distance with him.
Jian Yiling still wasn’t used to being too close to other people. Females in the family were fine. However, it was difficult to adapt to males.
However, Jian Yiling’s instinctive reaction made Jian Yuncheng frown.
He looked at his sister in front of him. She appeared so young, yet her eyes were bloodshot. It appeared as though she hadn’t been sleeping well recently.
Jian Yuncheng’s voice softened:
“Thank you for the present. I really like it. Thank you for remembering my birthday.”
Ever since the accident, he had always kept a straight face when talking to Jian Yiling. He treated her like he treated his employees at work.
However, Jian Yiling merely looked at Jian Yuncheng.
“Are you angry with me? Is it because I was scary?”
As Jian Yiling didn’t respond to him, Jian Yuncheng assumed that she was actually angry with him.
Jian Yuncheng softly said to Jian Yiling, “Yiling, I don’t want to believe that you are someone who hurts your family. However, I don’t want to believe that Yunnao is someone to accuse you either. The most painful thing for mother, father, and I is to choose between members of our beloved family. We can’t abandon any of you.”
The Jian family had never been merciful to any outsiders.
However, when it came to internal conflict, the Jian family didn’t know how to deal with it.
Wen Nuan’s personality was too soft to deal with such matters. Even Jian Shuxing and Jian Yuncheng who were typically swift and resolute with decisions in the corporate world couldn’t deal with conflict inside the family.
For Jian Yuncheng, one was his brother and the other was his sister.
He was 13 years older than Yiling and 11 years older than Yunnao.
It could be said that he had watched them grow up.
He still remembered the days that he was in high school. At that time, whenever he got home, both of them would hug his legs. One on his left and the other on his right.
They would use their puppy dog eyes to beg for snacks.
Yiling liked to eat sweets.
Whilst Yunnao liked to eat ice cream.
If he didn’t buy them snacks, both of them would ignore him and go to find their second brother to hug instead.
However, if he did buy them snacks… He would be scolded by his mother.
Jian Yiling raised her head to look at Jian Yuncheng. Her eyes were bright and clear.
When Jian Yuncheng saw his sister’s face, he stretched out his hand to caress her face.
However, Jian Yiling instinctively avoided his hand.
Jian Yuncheng was taken aback by her actions. It seemed as though Yiling’s dislike for him was greater than he had imagined.
Jian Yuncheng suddenly remembered that ever since he came back, Jian Yiling hadn’t called him ‘Eldest Brother’ yet. Not even once.
“Yiling, can you call me ‘eldest brother’? Is that okay?” Jian Yuncheng asked. He used a soft and gentle voice in an attempt to coax her.
However, Jian Yiling didn’t reply. Instead, she picked up a slice of cake on her desk and handed it to Jian Yuncheng.
With that action, Jian Yiling had indirectly avoided Jian Yuncheng’s request.
Jian Yuncheng suddenly remembered what Grandma Jian had told him before he went upstairs. “If you’re still scary, she’s not going to accept you as a brother anymore!”