The younger sister pretends to be hypnotized, and her older brother gets addicted.

Second floor of Xingcan Building, in the teachers' changing room.

Qiao Wei couldn't find anyone to substitute for her, so she had to ask the parents to cancel the 4 PM class today.

Since receiving the dress, she hasn't eaten a single meal, only drinking water every day. Occasionally, when she's so hungry that her stomach hurts, she'll barely manage to eat a few bites of broccoli.

Being a dance teacher is physically demanding, but fortunately, the heavy makeup covered her pale face, making her look no different from usual.

Even so, the dress remained tight.

She sucked her stomach in until it was as small as possible before she could barely fit it in.

But this caused Qiao Wei, who was already barely able to maintain vital signs, to suddenly experience a blackout.

Her colleagues were a little worried, "Weiwei, is this really okay?"

Qiao Wei forced a smile: "That's normal. Haven't you seen interviews with female celebrities? They also have to diet for several days before they can fit into them."

Everyone smiled and said nothing more.

At this moment, Ruan Yang finished class and came to change her clothes.

Normally, when she attends a banquet like tonight, she would start taking full-body skincare treatments from the morning to make her skin look radiant and fair, all in order to be the most beautiful one there.

Now, she doesn't care anymore.

Ruan Yang glanced at the time: 15:50.

Remembering that her older brother was never late, she hurried to the dressing room door and saw Qiao Wei, whose chest was bulging due to the tightness of her dress.

Ruan Yang paused for a moment, then walked to her locker to change her clothes without saying anything.

She changed out of her blue ballet practice clothes, revealing her slender, fair body.

She has a full chest and a slender waist.

This scene provokes Qiao Wei.

Qiao Wei couldn't help but think of what Meng Ling had said—

She said that Huo Shen's dress was not a gift for her.

Qiao Wei stared at Ruan Yang's slender yet shapely figure and suddenly realized that the dress seemed to have been tailor-made for her.

Thinking of this, Qiao Wei shook her head.

How is that possible!

I am Huo Nian's teacher, how could Ruan Yang possibly be involved with Huo Shen?

You should know that Huo Shen fell in love with her at first sight, showering her with gifts such as bags and dresses. Most importantly, Huo Shen was a promising young man.

The thought of the man who brought Ruan Yang here this morning filled Qiao Wei with uncontrollable contempt.

Unexpectedly, Ruan Yang, who usually acts like a wealthy heiress, would actually give herself to an older man who is even older than her father.

Thinking of this, Qiao Wei felt a pang of pity.

I really want Ruan Yang to see how successful I am.

Qiao Wei suggested, "Yangyang, why don't you come with us to Ashen's birthday party?"

Ruan Yang: "No need."

Qiao Wei affectionately took her hand, "Go ahead, there are plenty of talented young men out there, much better than the old man who brought you here today—Hey! Yangyang, don't be angry, I'm just a bit outspoken."

Ruan Yang was bewildered.

She was thinking about a question—

Old man? Is my brother considered an old man?

Ruan Yang is 22 years old this year, and her brother will be 27 next month.

Despite the five-year age difference, Ruan Yang never felt that Jiang Yanci was old.

How come in Qiao Wei's mouth, he became an old man...

Besides, Huo Shen and his brother are childhood friends, so isn't Huo Shen also an old man?

"Yes, Yangyang, let's go together!" The voices of the crowd pulled her back to reality.

"That's a hillside estate; ordinary people like us can't even get in normally!"

Ruan Yang scratched his head.

Half-Mountain Manor is a property of the Yao family, and it is currently managed by Yao Jinzhi's eldest sister.

Every summer vacation, the Jiang family would stay there for a while, and Ruan Yang was also a frequent visitor.

She waved her hand, "No, thank you."

It was almost 4 p.m., and Ruan Yang didn't want Jiang Yanci to wait for her, so she changed her clothes and went downstairs.

Seeing that it was almost time, Qiao Wei called to her friends, "We should go too."

The group went downstairs.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, one could see that the sky, which had been clear and sunny in the morning, was now covered with leaden-gray clouds, and large raindrops were falling on the stone steps at the entrance.

It was a light shower, but it came down quickly.

Before long, a shallow puddle of water appeared on the ground.

Ruan Yang was worried.

The weather forecast didn't say it would rain today, and she was wearing lambskin shoes that can't get wet.

Ruan Yang dislikes rain.

She grew up in the countryside, where the roads were in poor condition and prone to flooding. Every time she went to school in the rain, her shoes and socks would get soaked, and mud would stick to them, especially if the rain was heavy.

The mud can be wiped off, but the water that got into the shoes can't be dried.

This meant that she would have to spend the entire day at school wearing shoes and socks soaked through by the rain.

The physical discomfort can be endured.

But the worst part is the psychological one.

When shoes get wet, they make a sound like ducks quacking when you step on them.

Once, when the teacher called on her to answer a question, she walked on the terrazzo classroom floor like a duck.

The whole class burst into laughter.

Children like to give people nicknames.

Ruan Yang was then called "Duck".

"Why is it raining all of a sudden?"

"Yes, I didn't bring an umbrella."

The surrounding chatter pulled Ruan Yang back to her memories.

Qiao Wei was in a good mood and crossed her arms, saying, "It's okay, there's an umbrella in Ah Shen's car."

She looked at Ruan Yang and asked with particular concern, "Teacher Ruan, did you bring an umbrella?"

But before Ruan Yang could answer, she covered her mouth and said, "I almost forgot, your boyfriend brought you here this morning. Older men are more considerate; he'll remember to bring an umbrella."

This is the second time Qiao Wei has called her older brother an old man.

Ruan Yang harbored resentment.

Big brother is not old at all.

She repeated, "He's not my boyfriend, and he's not that much older than me."

"I understand." Qiao Wei covered her mouth and smiled. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Ruan Yang's face flushed red.

What's wrong with Qiao Wei? She already said that she and her older brother don't have that kind of relationship, so why is she still making wild guesses!

Outside the door, the roar of a car engine grew louder as it approached.

A jet-black Cullinan cut through the rain and stopped in front of Xingcan.

It's my older brother.

Ruan Yang, carrying a white monogrammed chain bag, was about to step forward.

A commotion arose from the surroundings. "Weiwei, is Young Master Huo here to pick you up?"

"It's a Cullinan!"

"Look at the license plate number, it's a consecutive number: 88888!"

Qiao Wei was in a good mood.

This morning, she was so focused on the "old man" who came to drop off Ruan Yang that she didn't notice the series of consecutive license plates.

Otherwise, she would recognize that this was the car that came to pick up Ruan Yang.

At that moment, Qiao Wei also mistakenly thought that the person in the car was Huo Shen. Ignoring the fact that there was still some distance between the car and the door, she walked out and pretended to pull the car door.

It didn't move.

Her face flushed red; she understood.

Huo Shen must have wanted to get out of the car himself and open the door for her.

Qiao Wei, dressed in a gorgeous gown, stood by the car, waiting for Huo Shen to get out.

She was incredibly excited.

Huo Shen is such a gentleman and romantic, he would definitely have flowers in the car, and he might even put on her jewelry that he bought in Paris in public.

"brush--"

The passenger-side window rolled down.

A middle-aged man's voice rang out, "Miss, could you please move aside?"

Qiao Wei paused, then looked towards the driver's seat and saw a square face.

Is he Ruan Yang's ex-boyfriend?

Is this the car that's here to pick up Ruan Yang after get off work?

Qiao Wei felt awkward for a moment, then stood back on the steps, her high heels splashing water everywhere.

She cleared her throat and teased, "Yangyang, why don't you come out quickly? Your boyfriend is here to pick you up!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up with gossip, and they looked at the man in the driver's seat.

The man was wearing a gray suit and looked to be over forty. Although he appeared refined and cultured, the difference between him and Huo Shen was enormous.

The colleagues exchanged glances.

You have to admit Qiao Wei is lucky; Ruan Yang is clearly prettier, yet she can only marry an older man.

Qiao Wei, however, managed to catch the eye of a wealthy young man.

It's true that different people have different fates.

As everyone sighed in disbelief, the back door of the Cullinan opened.

In the cold rain, a large, black English-style umbrella with a sterling silver hound's hound handle was opened, and a man of refined bearing stepped out of the car, his shoes spotless…