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

The next morning, when Su Qing and Jiang Ran arrived, several off-white sunshades had already been set up on the lawn in front of the Cheng family villa. The long dining table was covered with a light gray checkered tablecloth and was filled with fruit platters, mini sandwiches and various desserts.

People stood in twos and threes on the lawn, chatting and laughing while holding champagne glasses, creating a relaxed and lively atmosphere.

Su Qing and Jiang Ran had just crossed the neatly trimmed boxwood fence at the edge of the lawn and hadn't even had a chance to glance at the crowd when a figure rushed towards her like a cannonball, carrying a pleasant citrus scent, and crashed into her arms, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist.

Su Qing was knocked back a small step by the impact, and looked down at the fluffy head in her arms.

The newcomer was now about the same height as her, wearing a light yellow short knitted cardigan with a white pleated skirt. Her hair had been dyed back to black and permed into loose, slightly wavy curls, with a sparkly star hair clip tucked behind her ear. Her overall style was playful and cute.

At this moment, she buried her whole body in Su Qing's arms, her nose rubbing against Su Qing's collarbone, and made a satisfied humming sound, like a golden retriever that had finally found its master.

"Sister Su, I've missed you so much."

Jiang Yi's muffled voice came from the crook of Su Qing's neck, with a clear hint of coquetry, her fingers still clutching the hem of Su Qing's clothes.

"Xiao Yi is here too."

Su Qing chuckled helplessly, raised her hand and rubbed the back of her head, smoothing her wind-blown curly hair.

Jiang Yi lifted her face from Su Qing's embrace, rested her chin on Su Qing's collarbone, blinked her almond-shaped eyes with thin eyeliner, and said with a hint of triumphant playfulness, "Of course, I came here specifically to see Sister Su."

After saying that, she tried to bury her face back.

But the next second, a hand precisely grabbed the back of her collar from behind.

Jiang Yi froze, and before she could even send out a distress signal, Jiang Ran lifted her off Su Qing like a naughty kitten.

She turned around and met Jiang Ran's expressionless face. Those eyes, which were usually cold and composed in front of outsiders, were now staring at her coldly, as if to say, "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

Jiang Ran raised her other hand, bent her index finger, and accurately flicked Jiang Yi's forehead. The force was not heavy, but the sound was crisp, like hitting a small watermelon.

"Ouch!" Jiang Yi let out a wail, covered her forehead with both hands, and staggered back half a step.

"Xiao Ran, what are you doing!"

"That's what I should be asking." Jiang Ran's voice was calm and even, but her fingers had already pinched the soft flesh on both sides of Jiang Yi's cheeks and gently pulled them outward, making her face look like a funny little pancake.

I didn't use any force, just enough to make her expression look funny.

"What were you doing just now?"

"Ugh... Let go... Let go!" Jiang Yi flailed her arms in the air like a kitten whose scruff of the neck was being pinched, her mouth stretched open and her words muffled.

Jiang Ran tugged at it a couple more times before letting go.

Jiang Yi jumped up from the ground, covering her face, and quickly hid behind Su Qing. She covered her reddened cheek, looked up at Su Qing with a pitiful expression, tears still glistening in her eyes, and said in a soft, drawn-out voice, "Sister Su...look at her..."

Su Qing looked at the two of them, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up slightly.

  

Every time the three of them get together, this scene plays out precisely on time, so she's long since stopped finding it surprising.

But she still prepared to say a few words of comfort to Jiang Yi.

However, before she could even speak, Jiang Ran gave Jiang Yi a cold glance, her gaze devoid of any warmth, as flat as a stagnant pool.

Jiang Yi visibly trembled, and the aggrieved look on her face instantly faded.

She rubbed her cheeks, which had been pinched red, shrank her neck, and obediently retreated to Su Qing's side, silently repeating in her heart, "Don't hold it against me, Sister Su. Don't hold it against me, Sister Su."

Then she did something she thought was very safe, but was actually extremely dangerous: she reached out and took Su Qing's finger.

Jiang Ran's gaze lingered for a moment on the two people's clasped fingers, and a vein throbbed faintly on her temple.

Jiang Yi clearly noticed this detail, but she didn't let go. Instead, she took a half step behind Su Qing, using Su Qing as a human shield. She peeked half her head out from behind Su Qing's shoulder and gave Jiang Ran a smirk.

Su Qing felt the hand behind her trembling slightly, and then looked at Jiang Ran's frighteningly calm face, and sighed silently in her heart.

She reached out her other hand, took Jiang Ran's hand, and held her fingers in her palm, while not letting go of Jiang Yi's hand.

"Alright, let's go inside."

She led the two people toward the center of the lawn, speaking casually as if she were remarking on the nice weather.

Jiang Yi naturally had no objections and obediently followed Su Qing, her steps light and quick, almost like she was hopping.

Jiang Ran didn't speak, her gaze passing over Su Qing's back and landing on Jiang Yi's hand holding her sister's.

Their eyes met behind Su Qing for about two seconds.

Jiang Ran smiled slightly, and then, out of Su Qing's sight, raised her free hand and slowly ran her index finger across her neck.

Jiang Yi's pupils suddenly contracted, and he looked like a frog being stared at by a snake, with every hair on his body standing on end.

She subconsciously loosened her grip on Su Qing's fingers, pulled her hand back, and mentally cursed herself eight hundred times for her foolish thought of provoking Xiao Ran. Then, she made a very small gesture of clasping her hands together towards Jiang Ran, mouthing "I was wrong."

Seeing this, Jiang Ran withdrew her gaze and reverted to being the obedient and quiet younger sister.

Then Jiang Ran turned her head, her tone returning to its usual calm, and asked Jiang Yi why she wasn't with her brother and why she was bothering them here.

Jiang Yi secretly rolled her eyes in her mind. She knew that Jiang Ran's words didn't mean she was asking why she was there, but rather that "you're disturbing me and my sister."

However, she didn't dare show it on the surface, because Xiao Ran's question itself indicated that she had already put the matter behind her. She might be fierce in words, but she wouldn't pursue it any further.

"Don't even mention it," Jiang Yi waved her hand, her tone carrying an undisguised disdain. "As soon as I arrived, I was surrounded by a bunch of people, all of them trying to curry favor and get close to me. Standing next to him was truly annoying.

After she finished speaking, she exaggeratedly shivered, as if those polite words were still stuck in her hair.

Then Jiang Yi took two more steps forward, and suddenly seemed to think of something, lowering her voice, her expression becoming more serious and disgusted.

"Speaking of which, there's another person."

"Our family had already told her not to come, and my aunt had agreed. But I don't know what came over her this time, she actually agreed to let my brother bring her. And she actually dared to come, really..."

She didn't say the name, but rolled her eyes wide and forcefully, as if just mentioning that person made her eyes uncomfortable.

Su Qing and Jiang Ran exchanged a glance; they knew who it was without even asking for a name.