Jiang Leyi’s lips were tightly pursed, her eyes lowered to suppress the roaring waves inside.
Xie Zimiao was brought in by Chu Muxi?
She recalled when she had first joined the crew; Xie Zimiao had quickly become familiar with her preferences, knowing she liked to eat the century-old soup buns from Beijing, paired with a bowl of thick, sweet soy milk.
So every time he would bring some, claiming he asked his assistant to buy them because he also liked that old brand.
Over time, Jiang Leyi quickly developed a favorable impression of him.
Now, thinking about the details of this matter, how could there be such a coincidence? They were strangers, after all; how could he understand her preferences so precisely?
Unless one of her close friends had divulged something.
In the whole of Beijing, she was closest to Chu Muxi.
They had reached the point where they had no secrets from each other.
But why would Chu Muxi want to harm her? Weren’t they each other’s best friends? Jiang Leyi’s mind was a tangled mess.
"Yiyi?" A gentle female voice rose, carrying a light laugh, "You’re here, why not come in? What are you doing standing at the door?"
Jiang Nanshu lifted her eyes to look; the woman was dressed in a goose-yellow dress, her skin so pale it was almost transparent, with blue veins visible beneath her delicate features. Her small and exquisite face resembled a jade carving, her demeanor gentle and refined. Her long hair was held in place with a hairband of the same color, fresh and vibrant.
The hidden female antagonist in the book, locked in a life-and-death struggle with Su Ran.
Her evil scheming was done in the shadows, calculatingly ensnaring everyone around her.
And Jiang Leyi was directly manipulated into becoming a pawn that could bring Chu Muxi benefits.
Even leading to the gruesome end of Jian Hemian.
[What a venomous snake in gentle disguise. Only someone with such deep and immeasurable calculations could exploit a fake sister and cause the death of the third brother.]
Jiang Nanshu couldn’t stop lamenting.
Jian Hemian had exited even earlier than her role as the malicious female antagonist by half a year.
The original character was the last from the Jiang Family to exit the stage.
Perhaps because of her role as the villainess, she was given quite a bit of screen time.
Jiang Leyi’s hands at her side tightened then relaxed as she raised a smile amidst Chu Muxi’s increasingly puzzled gaze, "Just taking my little sister to see around your place, she’s never been here before."
Only then did Chu Muxi turn her attention to Jiang Nanshu.
Jiang Nanshu’s eyes gleamed with visible greed, perfectly portraying the image of a country bumpkin arriving in the city.
She looked at the brightly blooming chrysanthemums outside the villa, pointing to the valuable "Golden Calyx Silver Terrace" variety, "Sister Chu, your flowers are so beautiful. We don’t have them at our place; could you give me one?"
It was Chu Muxi’s first time encountering someone who would ask for gifts upon visiting someone else’s home!
Her smile unchanged, her gaze soft, "Of course, I’ve been friends with Yiyi since childhood, you can take anything you like, Nannan, right? I’ve heard Yiyi mention you a few times, you are indeed as cute as she said."
Jiang Nanshu arched an eyebrow, appearing disdainful of Jiang Leyi, "What good things could she say about me? Hasn’t she been slandering me behind my back?"
Surprised, Chu Muxi laughed, "No, she said you were cute. Yiyi has always wanted a little sister. She liked you a lot the very first day you arrived and even gave you her favorite teddy bear."
"It’s just that afterwards, she seldom mentioned you again. I thought you two had a falling-out, but seeing you get along , it’s good that there’s nothing wrong."
With curved eyebrows and a smile, Jiang Nanshu reached out to link arms with Jiang Leyi, "Did you really compliment me? And not curse me behind my back, words that can’t be repeated?"
Jiang Leyi snorted lightly, not pushing away Jiang Nanshu’s touch, and awkwardly turned her head away, "You think everyone is like you, full of hatred for the world and carrying more grievances than a ghost."
[Hey, my big sister’s blushing. What’s going on?]
Jiang Leyi’s face felt even hotter. She took out a small mirror from her bag to check herself and calmly said, "Did I put too much blush on my makeup today..."
Chu Muxi’s smile remained unchanged, her eyes slightly curved, resembling a kind and friendly girl-next-door, "Let’s go inside first; we still need to head to Fenglin Villa this afternoon."
She stepped forward, looping her arm through Jiang Nanshu’s, "You are Yiyi’s sister, so you are my sister as well. I’ll treat you just as well as I treat her."
Jiang Nanshu’s smile deepened, her face filled with gratitude, "Thank you, Sister Chu."
[So you want to play, huh? I’ll play you to death.]
[She leaves no weaknesses exposed, a formidable foe indeed. No wonder she managed to stay safe and reach the end even after having no regard within the Jiang Family. With such shrewd scheming, even if my sister were ten times smarter, she couldn’t outplay her.]
Jiang Leyi scowled, "!!!"
Was she really that stupid?!
She was just a bit more sentimental!
To those who were nice to her, she would return the favor twice over.
Otherwise, why would she remember the timid and compliant Jiang Nanshu from three years ago for so long?
By the time Jiang Nanshu had done those foolish things, she’d already thrown away any short-lived affection.
There are no true feelings in wealthy circles—just interests.
Yet Chu Muxi never seemed to see through it.
Despite being so fragile and weak because of long-term medication, her skin was several shades whiter than others, and from their childhood, Jiang Leyi had always taken special care of her.
While Jiang Nanshu was always observing Chu Muxi’s emotions, not even batting an eyelash when she requested antiques worth over one hundred thousand, smiling and agreeing to send them to Jiang Nanshu through the family servants, seemingly the epitome of a caring sister.
Not a hint of annoyance showed.
[This is getting tough. Even if I find Chen Qian and have her identify Chu Muxi as the one trying to ruin my innocence, causing the Lu Family to break off the engagement for good, with her cautiousness, she’s probably erased nearly all the evidence.]
Jiang Nanshu’s thoughts churned incessantly, and as Jiang Leyi glanced at her, she felt her jaw trembling.
Jiang Nanshu never uttered such words.
She had only asked about her limited edition LV bag.
Probably no one in the family knew what else Jiang Nanshu had secretly endured.
Because she had solved those problems all by herself.
Jiang Nanshu felt her hands tremble and snapped back to reality, somewhat puzzled, "Are you cold?"
The sun was blazing outside, the season at its hottest.
The villa was somewhat cooler.
Jiang Leyi’s eyelashes quivered slightly and she nodded in response, "A little, the air conditioning in the villa is quite strong."
She looked at Jiang Nanshu’s light blue dress with fresh white floral patterns.
She had fancied the dress while passing by a brand store, and her first thought was that it would look great on Jiang Nanshu.
She had impulsively bought it.
Indeed, Jiang Nanshu could pull off both glamorous and fresh looks with her beauty.
Unlike the aggressive look of a bright red dress, this one made her look more ladylike and tender.
Jiang Leyi licked her slightly dry lips and spoke softly, "The dress... do you like it?"
Afraid of being misunderstood, Jiang Leyi quickly added with feigned nonchalance, "I picked it out on a whim."
Jiang Nanshu looked down at herself. The dress wasn’t really her style but it fit well and was beautiful.
Whether it was because of the gemstone or her clumsy expression of concern,
Jiang Nanshu thought she should compliment it, considering the money involved and not wanting to offend the Golden Master.
So she playfully nodded, "I like it, it’s very pretty."