My sister, whom I raised, has turned evil after faking her death for three years.

Jiang Yi wanted to keep struggling.

She looked at Su Qing with pleading eyes, then at Jiang Ran, making a final effort: "Sister Su, I finally managed to find you, please let me stay a little longer. I haven't been to your home in Ancheng yet. I heard it's a traditional Chinese courtyard house. Could I go and get acquainted with it? Just for a while, have a cup of tea and then leave, really!"

Jiang Ran turned around and looked at her, her big eyes slightly narrowed, her expression calm, but Jiang Yi was all too familiar with that expression.

She subconsciously took a half step back, but still stubbornly clung to Su Qing's clothes, making a final struggle: "It'll only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, I'm not going to stay here..."

"No." Jiang Ran's answer was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

She took a step forward, subtly placing herself between her sister and Jiang Yi, and gently pushed away the hand that was still clutching Su Qingyi's clothes. "When you hugged my sister just now, you already used up your quota for today."

"What share? I had no idea there was such a thing..."

"It starts now."

After Jiang Ran finished speaking, she ignored her protests, went around behind Su Qing, put her hands on the shopping cart handles, and prepared to leave with her sister.

Su Qing was pushed forward two steps by her. She looked back at Jiang Yi, who was standing there with a face full of resentment, and wanted to say something helplessly.

But Jiang Ran tilted her head slightly and looked at her quietly with her beautiful big eyes. There was no threat or dissatisfaction in her gaze, only a sense of certainty that "sister, you promised me."

Su Qing's heart softened at that look, and she gave in after struggling for a fraction of a second.

She turned to Jiang Yi and said that they would play together again when they returned to Linjiang, and she would make her something delicious to make it up to her.

Jiang Yi watched as Sister Su was pushed further and further away by Xiao Ran, and then looked at Xiao Ran's back as she stood in front of Sister Su like a possessive mother, knowing that there was no possibility of any further progress today.

She stood there watching them disappear around the corner of the shelf, and sighed softly.

Then she turned to look at Gu Lei, who hadn't said a word since earlier, and noticed that her expression was a little off... Although she tried to maintain her usual calm smile, her eyes were much dimmer, as if she was thinking about something very heavy.

"Didn't you reach an agreement?" Jiang Yi asked, her tone carrying a hint of expected helplessness. "That's just how Xiao Ran is. She doesn't give face to anyone. Not to mention you, even her brother has to prepare his words in advance when speaking to her, for fear that if he says something wrong, she'll kick him out of the meeting room."

Looking into Baozi's comforting eyes, Gu Lei felt a slight reduction in the heavy sense of defeat she had been feeling.

She smiled and shook her head gently, putting those heavy topics aside for the time being: "Don't worry, we can talk about these things later. It's rare for us to come out together today, so let's have a good look around first. When we get back to Linjiang, I'll show you around properly... I haven't forgotten what we agreed on at the meeting last time."

Jiang Yi felt a warmth in her heart as she watched Jiang Yi try to cheer herself up, but she didn't point it out and just smiled and said okay.

The two walked slowly side by side in the shopping mall. Gu Lei pushed the shopping cart while Jiang Yi picked and chose items, occasionally showing them to her.

When they passed the snack section, Jiang Yi grabbed two bags of potato chips and put them in the car. When they passed the beverage section, she stood on tiptoe to reach the strawberry milk on the shelf. Gu Lei reached out and took it down for her and put it in her hand.

"You like this too?" Gu Lei looked at the box of strawberry milk in her hand and remembered that she had found some information about Jiang Ran's childhood preferences. She casually mentioned, "I heard that Jiang Ran also likes this brand of strawberry milk."

"It's not that Xiao Ran likes it, it's that Sister Su used to buy it for her all the time, so she's been drinking it ever since." Jiang Yi put the strawberry milk in the car, her tone casual and natural.

Gu Lei paused almost imperceptibly.

She had previously only guessed that the girl was important to Jiang Ran, but after hearing these details with her own ears, that guess became even more certain.

She paused for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully, and then asked softly in a casual, conversational tone, "Speaking of which, that Miss Su from earlier seemed to have a very good relationship with you all."

Jiang Yi was looking down at the ingredient list of a box of chocolates when she heard this, and her finger paused for a moment on the wrapper.

  

She put the chocolate back on the shelf, turned to look at Gu Lei, the smile still on her lips, but she didn't say anything.

Gu Lei noticed the fleeting caution in her clear eyes and immediately realized she had asked too many questions.

She looked away, picked up a bag of candy from the shelf and put it in the car, her tone still casual: "I was just asking. Seeing how clingy you are to her, I thought you two must have a really good relationship. I was just thinking how nice you two are."

Jiang Yi watched as Gu Lei took the bag of candy off the shelf, her fingers gently pinching the edge of the packaging. The movement was somewhat stiff, as if she was trying to hide some unease.

She suddenly realized that her silence just now might have caused Gu Lei to misunderstand.

She thought for a moment and then brought out the same question she had used to answer Jiang Ren at the club. Her tone was still casual and lighthearted as she said that she and Sister Su had known each other for a long time, but they had separated for a while due to some things, and had only recently reconnected.

She didn't go into the details of the separation, nor did she mention what happened during those three years. She simply described the scene of their reunion in a calm tone.

Gu Lei did not press the matter further.

She looked at Baozi's slightly curved eyes and gently upturned lips as she spoke, and knew that the topic had come to an end.

She had obtained all the information she needed, and that girl was truly extremely important to Jiang Ran.

She continued pushing the shopping cart forward, changing the subject to what delicious local specialties Ancheng had. Jiang Yi immediately perked up and started counting them on her fingers for her.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked through several rows of shelves, but Gu Lei's mind kept replaying the moment when Baozi lowered her head and remained silent.

She knew that the caution wasn't directed at her alone... Baozi was protecting that girl, protecting her whereabouts, protecting her identity, and protecting information that might put her in danger.

The weight that Jiang Yi and Jiang Ran must hold in their hearts is self-evident, given that the person they both protect in this way is someone they would protect at the same time.

She suppressed those chaotic thoughts, pushed the shopping cart, and followed Jiang Yi ahead, thinking that she should figure out these things herself.

No matter what, she didn't want to make Baozi sad.