Nian Ueno

Jiang Weixi waited at the door of the ward, her eyes lowered as she stared at the floor, quiet and obedient.

The door opened.

Ji Dongxun saw the top of the girl's black hair, his eyes still cold.

Jiang Weixi looked up and met his dark eyes.

Those eyes were sharp and piercing, with a hint of mockery, as if they could see right through her.

She could never hide herself from him.

Jiang Weixi lowered her eyelids, still maintaining that obedient and docile demeanor.

Ji Dongxun closed the door, took two steps forward, his expression cold, and looked down at her with disdain: "I don't care what kind of spell you cast on Grandma, put away those inappropriate thoughts of yours, I will not marry you."

Jiang Weixi glanced at him, bit her lip, and whispered in protest, "I didn't try to sweet-talk Grandma. She just likes me, is that so wrong..."

Ji Dongxun ignored her and left with a cold face.

Jiang Weixi went into the ward to chat with Grandma Ji.

"Grandma, are you really sick?"

Grandma Ji smiled slyly: "I'm not sick, I'm faking it."

"Then why have you been running a fever?"

Grandma Ji pulled a hot water bottle out from under the blanket: "Silly child, I'm using this."

Jiang Weixi was both amused and exasperated, but when she thought of Ji Dongxun's indifferent attitude, she felt a pang of sadness.

She hung her head, looking dejected, and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "Grandma, Mr. Ji seems to dislike me very much..."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, her grievances genuine: "I really don't know what I did to upset Mr. Ji..."

"Good boy, don't cry. It's that kid who's not quick to learn, it's not your fault."

Grandma Ji took out a tissue and gently wiped away her tears, then patted her hand.

"That kid said he'd bring a girl to meet me in a few days, but I think he's lying to me. Where is he going to find a suitable girl? If he can't bring her back, I'll make him marry you."

Jiang Weixi paused for a moment, a crystal tear welling up in the corner of her eye, hanging there but not falling, her heart suddenly racing.

She squeezed Grandma Ji's wrinkled hand: "Grandma, you're so good to me."

As she spoke, she suddenly burst into tears.

Seeing her crying so sadly, Grandma Ji thought she was hurt by Ji Dongxun's words, so she quickly comforted her.

Jiang Weixi shook her head: "I just... suddenly remembered my grandmother."

Jiang Weixi told her about her childhood experience of living with her grandmother, a tragic story of the past twenty years compressed into a short tale of just a few minutes.

She has a talent for storytelling, and hearing about her turbulent and neglected childhood touched Grandma Ji deeply.

"Good child, you have really suffered. Your parents have done something very wrong."

Grandma Ji felt sorry for this poor but sensible girl and felt even more pity for her.

"Grandma, you should rest now. I won't disturb you any longer. I'll head back now."

"Good child, go back now."

As she left the hospital, Jiang Weixi wiped her face and dried the tears from the corners of her eyes.

The sunlight slanted down from above, and the wind carried a warm feeling.

She had a strange intuition that this matter had a high probability of succeeding.

night.

Jiang Weixi is in her dormitory.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and she has to go back to her father's house at 10:00 AM.

My phone vibrated.

[Mr. Liu Liu: Baby, see you tomorrow.]

Jiang Weixi paused, almost forgetting that she had an appointment to meet Mr. Liu Liu the next afternoon.

[Gentle Little Rabbit: Okay, brother, see you tomorrow.]

[Mr. Liu Liu: Good boy.]

After sending the message, Jiang Weixi tossed her phone aside. She decided to stand him up and make this scumbag come all this way for nothing.

She felt no guilt whatsoever when she ran away from this kind of man.

The next morning, Jiang Weixi got up, tidied herself up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and went out. She took the subway three times and then a bus before finally arriving at her father's suburban neighborhood.

This area consists of old residential buildings, with no more than five floors. My father's family lived in the building in the central area. It was on the second floor, and the apartment was not large. The four of us squeezed into a small apartment of just over 80 square meters.

After walking through the winding, narrow alleys, Jiang Weixi stopped in front of a small building where most of the plaster had fallen off.

The hallway door was unlocked and always wide open, allowing anyone to enter.

She glanced at her phone; it was just past 9:30 AM, around 10:00 AM.

Jiang Weixi decided to wait downstairs instead of going up immediately.

There was a worn-out wooden chair behind the big tree, and she sat down there.

A boy and a girl walked out of the building entrance.

The two chattered away.

The girl complained, "Why did Dad kick us out so early in the morning?"

The boy replied, "It seems like we have some guests coming today."

The girl was puzzled: "So what if they come? It's not like no one has come here before."

The boy said meaningfully, "This time the guests are different."

The girl flicked the red bill in her hand: "Never mind, let's go to the city center to see a movie and buy a drink."

The two walked side by side out of the residential area.

Jiang Weixi peeked out and only saw the backs of the two people.

The boy and girl who just passed by were Jiang Yang and Jiang Mei.

Jiang Weixi's half-brother and half-sister.

The two are twins, a boy and a girl, and are sixteen years old this year. They have poor academic performance and are attending vocational school.

Are we having guests today?

Jiang Weixi caught the meaning of those words and her thoughts shifted slightly.

Could it be that the "guest" they were talking about was her?

Jiang Weixi felt that something was not right.

This wasn't her first time visiting the Jiang family, so why did her father send Jiang Yang and Jiang Mei away?

wrong.

The "guest" they're talking about definitely isn't her!

It seems there are other people here today who want the Jiang family's property.

Was it a coincidence that her father invited her over today, or... was it intentional that he wanted her to come at the same time as other guests?

Jiang Weixi, being cautious, picked up a palm-sized stone from the roadside and stuffed it into her bag.

Luckily, I brought a medium-sized bucket bag today, and I didn't put too much stuff in it.

The stone was heavy, causing the bag's shoulder strap to slip down and leaving marks on his shoulder.

It's almost 10 o'clock.

Jiang Shanbao called to ask her when she was coming over.

Jiang Weixi said she had already gone downstairs.

The corridor was dark and narrow.

Upon reaching the second floor, there were three households; the Jiang family lived in the one on the left.

She knocked once, and the door opened.

The woman who opened the door was Shen Guifang, Jiang Shanbao's wife.

Shen Guifang had eyes that slanted all the way down, a slightly protruding mouth, and a mean-looking face. She glanced at Jiang Weixi indifferently and said, "Come in."

Shen Guifang disliked her husband's daughter from his previous marriage and had never been warm towards Jiang Weixi.

Jiang Weixi was already used to her expression and attitude, so she didn't pay much attention and walked into the living room wearing her shoes.

She didn't change her shoes because there weren't any extra slippers in the house, and besides, they had athlete's foot.

Shen Guifang glanced at her shoes and muttered in dissatisfaction, "I just mopped them clean, and now they're dirty again."

Jiang Weixi pretended not to hear.

The Jiang family's living room was very narrow, with only one TV wall, a sofa, and a coffee table.

The sofa's side is worn and frayed, clearly indicating it's an old model that's been used for over a decade.

On the right side of the small coffee table were sugar cubes and melon seeds, which looked like leftovers from the New Year celebrations to entertain guests.

On the left side of the coffee table was a porcelain vase with a slender mouth, filled with several brightly colored flowers.

Only Jiang Shanbao was sitting on the sofa.

Jiang Weixi looked around discreetly, but saw no trace of other guests.

She sat down opposite Jiang Shanbao, feeling a little puzzled.

Could she be the guest they were talking about?

Or is the guest going to arrive in the afternoon?

The pungent fragrance of flowers stimulated her nasal cavity, and Jiang Weixi covered her mouth and nose and sneezed twice.

She glanced subconsciously at the few vibrant flowers.