On the day of her return to China, she was tied up and coaxed by the richest man to get her marriage

"Brother Jinxian".

Jiang Xintong's gentle voice interrupted Yu Jinxian's thoughts.

His gaze sharpened, and he tilted his head slightly, seeing Jiang Xin walk in from outside, carrying a thick pillow in her hand.

She was still in pain and walked slowly, struggling to reach him. She obediently knelt beside him, handing him the pillow she was holding, her voice filled with worry and concern.

"Uncle Yu is punishing you again. You have to put this on the prayer mat..."

Yu Jinxian looked at the pillow she handed him and the concern in her eyes, and his heart suddenly tightened, and he was in a daze.

The scene before him was just like the past, with the same care and warmth he received.

As the eldest son of the Yu family, he was born with heavy responsibilities and received the strictest education from a young age, with little care from his family.

Therefore, he had a rebellious youth, during which he always caused trouble and was often punished by being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall.

And each time, Chaochao would secretly come to him with her pillow.

The little dumpling was only a few years old then, all chubby and adorable. She would trip and fall every few steps, and she was carrying a pillow that was taller than her. It was quite a struggle for her to get to his side.

Then, grabbing his hand, she said indistinctly, "Brother, kneel here, kneel here, and it won't hurt anymore..."

The little girl had fallen all the way here, her once fair skin now covered in dust and dirt. But the bright light emanating from her big, loving eyes, which always looked at him with affection, warmed his years.

He received a strict education from a young age and has a calm and steady personality. His family members subconsciously treat him as an adult.

Little did he know, he also longed for love and attention.

Only Chaochao understood his sensitivities and knew his needs.

Unlike her family members, who are reserved, whenever she does something well, her family members, fearing she will become arrogant, will point out her flaws so that she can do even better next time.

She was always full of enthusiasm, praising him positively, saying that her brother was the best and most amazing, encouraging him, and never hesitating to tell him she loved him, gradually melting away the emptiness in his heart.

Rather than saying he was doting on Chaochao, it would be more accurate to say that Chaochao was also doting on him.

Because of her, he felt loved.

The more beautiful the past was, the more heartbroken and resentful he felt because of her subsequent changes.

Seeing Yu Jinxian's lost and forlorn expression, Jiang Xintong smiled slightly, feeling quite pleased with herself.

It was all worth it for me to have humbled myself and flattered Yu Jinzhao in the past, gaining her trust and secretly reading her diary, which recorded every little detail of her interactions with Yu Jinxian since childhood. This allowed me to intentionally or unintentionally imitate her and thus gain her attention.

In the past, Yu Jinxian only had eyes for Yu Jinzhao, doting on her in every way, while remaining distant and indifferent to her.

It wasn't until Yu Jinxian went abroad for business studies that she found an opportunity to get involved with them.

She took advantage of Yu Jinchao's trust in her and intercepted the birthday gift that Yu Jinchao was sending out.

For the first two years after Yu Jinxian went abroad, he underwent closed training and was unable to contact the outside world.

Yu Jinzhao was good at writing letters, and it was she who intercepted the letters, obtained his address, and then used her signature to successfully get close to him.

At first, Yu Jinxian didn't reply to her letters at all, so she wrote about Yu Jinzhao's daily life in her letters every day. By taking advantage of Yu Jinxian's concern for Yu Jinzhao, she gradually got closer to him and broke down the distance between them.

Of course, the gifts Yu Jinzhao sent out were not wasted; they were all given to him in her name.

Thinking about those gifts, which Yu Jinzhao had worked so hard to obtain... in the end, they all became stepping stones for her.

If her letter merely broke down the distance between them, it was those gifts that truly convinced Yu Jinxian to let her call him "brother"...

Lost in thought, Jiang Xintong's lips curved into a slight smile as she reached out to pull Yu Jinxian's wrist, "Brother Jinxian, let me cushion your fall..."

Yu Jinxian instinctively blocked her hand, his clear gaze sweeping over the pillow in her hand, his low and gentle voice saying, "Take it away."

Jiang Xintong was taken aback, then said coquettishly, "But it doesn't hurt anymore if I put a pillow under my head~"

This sentence... is exactly the same as what Chaochao said before...

Yu Jinxian's pale, cold fingertips suddenly contracted, and the lingering feelings she had just suppressed surged back in.

The feeling was like the sediment in muddy water in a bottle; it usually settles down, but if you disturb it even slightly, it will resurface.

But when he looked at Jiang Xintong's face, those feelings of longing were instantly replaced by a vast emptiness.

She tilted her head back slightly, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the overwhelming sense of loss in her heart. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze had returned to its usual calm.

"I'm used to it, and it's fine as it is now."

His aloof and detached voice was hoarse and deep, carrying an almost imperceptible sense of restraint.

Although Chaochao has grown distant from him as she's grown up, he still wants to preserve the precious memories that belong only to them as siblings.

When he's under a lot of work pressure and can't take it anymore, thinking about the past makes him feel much better.

Now, all he can do is cherish the precious memories he shared with his sister.

Therefore, he doesn't want Jiang Xintong to get involved, even if she genuinely cares for him as a brother.

Jiang Xintong frowned, not understanding why Yu Jinxian never bought into her imitations of Yu Jinzhao's actions.

Could it be that he has completely come to hate Yu Jinzhao?

A surge of joy welled up inside her, but she hesitated before speaking, "Brother Jinxian, your birthday is coming up soon, should I remind my sister...?"

Upon hearing this, his thoughts drifted back to the year he went abroad, when he and his sister promised to give each other gifts.

It feels like it was just yesterday.

He felt as if his heart was being tightly gripped by a pair of large hands, and in an instant, it was clenched into a ball.

As soon as she opened her mouth, a hint of her true emotions was revealed, "You said, she still remembers..."

Her voice abruptly stopped, and a hint of disappointment flashed across her clear eyes, hidden beneath her raven-feather eyelashes.

If she still remembered, how could they have ended up as strangers?

"No need to remind her."

Yu Jinxian slightly raised her eyes, her gaze trembling gently, shimmering beautifully like a white epiphyllum blooming in a cool, aloof way.

"She doesn't care, there's no need to force her."

Promises are nothing more than empty words spoken by the speaker, and foolishly believed by the listener.

Memories are a punishment, but only for those who don't move forward.

Since she has already moved on, why should he pull her back? It's better to leave it as it is; once he brings it up, it will mean a complete breakdown in relations.

Even if she is cold-hearted now, she cannot deny the kindness she showed him when he was a child.

He wanted to protect those beautiful things, and no one could destroy them, not even Yu Jinzhao.

Jiang Xintong's smile deepened, wanting to stir up more hatred for Yu Jinzhao, but Yu Jinxian gently interrupted her.

"You've suffered today. It's all because of her willfulness that you've been dragged down. I apologize to you on her behalf. I hope you won't hold a grudge against her. After all, she's become like this because I spoiled her."

His voice was clear and pleasant to listen to, like the rosy clouds rolling in the sky, but it made Jiang Xintong's face stiffen.

The implication of these words seemed to be that he was concerned about her, but in reality, Yu Jinxian was afraid that she would hold a grudge against Yu Jinzhao.

Perhaps he himself didn't realize that although he said he didn't want Yu Jinzhao as his sister anymore, this casual remark bound him and Yu Jinzhao together. In his heart, he still considered Yu Jinzhao as one of his own.

Her heart ached as if she had swallowed a bitter pill. After a long while, she nodded with difficulty.

*

As the sun rises in the east, its red light fills the windows. Pushing open the carved south-facing window, the soft, silky light spills onto the double bed in the master bedroom, casting a hazy, tender glow on the two people sleeping in each other's arms.

Yu Jinzhao was fast asleep facing the window when the light stung his eyes. He twitched his eyelids and opened his eyes uncomfortably.

She was still a little dazed when she woke up. After adjusting to the bright light for a while, she saw the familiar skylight and felt inexplicably disoriented.

The skylight above the sofa where she was sleeping seemed to face west...

I instinctively tried to sit up, but suddenly felt a tightening around my waist...

*

Don't worry, Chaochao will find out something's wrong and slap him in the face without mercy!