Volume One, Chapter 16: I No Longer Acknowledge You as My Sister!

She exercised a bit of true energy, channeling it through her palm to Gu Jinyan.

Gu Jinyan’s rigid body gradually seemed to grasp at a lifeline, tightly clutching Jiang Chenyu’s hand.

As if determined to embed this faint warmth into his own grasp.

Jiang Chenyu slowly replenished his true energy, filling the deficit in his body’s qi.

After a long moment, he exhaled heavily and opened his eyes.

They were dull and gray, somewhat vacant.

“Good morning!” Jiang Chenyu tilted her head and waved her hand.

Gu Jinyan instinctively resisted for a moment, but quickly regained clarity and recognized the person before him as Jiang Chenyu.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes lingering on Jiang Chenyu’s soft lips.

Swallowing hard to avoid appearing too disheveled, he said, “What are you doing here?”

His voice was hoarse from just waking but he tried hard to sound calm.

“Didn’t I say there was a thief in the house? I came to look around,” Jiang Chenyu said, showing the compass in her hand.

But Gu Jinyan’s eyes were fixed on the hands they held together.

He wanted to let go, but his body seemed beyond his control, unwilling to leave that warmth.

Thinking he was too weak, Jiang Chenyu withdrew her hand out of habit.

Gu Jinyan tried to reach out again but only grabbed empty air.

His complexion returned to normal as he forced himself to sit up, asking, “Is it in my room?”

“Yes,” Jiang Chenyu glanced at the compass needle. “It’s in the nightstand. Can I look?”

Gu Jinyan nodded, then after a moment, took the initiative to add, “It’s just some unimportant things.”

He had already searched through it when looking for that puppet.

Jiang Chenyu ignored him and squatted down to rummage through the drawer.

Opening the cabinet door, she immediately spotted a golden toad constantly spitting tiny tadpoles.

“What is this?” She pinched the toad between two fingers, her face full of disgust.

Gu Jinyan’s eyes narrowed, his expression sour, but he answered truthfully, “It’s a housewarming gift from my aunt.”

“Oh~” Jiang Chenyu uttered meaningfully, her big eyes spinning.

She had seen enough of wealthy family infighting and inheritance battles on TV—she understood how an aunt could harm her nephew.

She didn’t care about others’ family affairs and only gave a wry smile. “Moving house isn’t opening a shop; giving a toad as a gift is pretty strange.”

“So, what should we do with it now?” Jiang Chenyu asked for his opinion.

---

Gu Jinyan didn’t want to scare Jiang Chenyu, so he just smiled. “Give it to me. I’ll handle it.”

His voice was gentle, but Jiang Chenyu still saw the sharpness in his eyes.

She shrugged, indifferent to what kind of person Gu Jinyan really was.

Casually pulling out a talisman from her pocket, she stuck it on the toad and tossed it into Gu Jinyan’s arms. “Helping you find the thief is free, but talismans cost money.”

Gu Jinyan held the toad, exhaling deeply as his breathing eased considerably.

Though he had a clear understanding of Jiang Chenyu’s abilities, he was still surprised every time he saw her.

But Jiang Chenyu, a little money-grubbing freeloader who kept asking for payment, wasn’t at all stingy or harsh—she was so endearing that one couldn’t help but want to tease her.

“Fine, just put it on the tab. I’ll pay you later,” Gu Jinyan said seriously.

Jiang Chenyu eyed him suspiciously, doubting him, but since he was a big client, she pouted reluctantly and said, “Alright then.”

After suppressing the “thief,” she resumed her meditation and cultivation, which went much smoother.

After reciting the Clear Heart Mantra, she felt much lighter in body and mind.

Breakfast today was a bowl of fragrant noodles, rich broth with fine noodles, delicious and savory.

There was probably ginger in it—one bite and warmth spread through her limbs, making her whole body feel relaxed.

After several bites, she looked up to find Gu Jinyan across from her watching her eat, hardly touching the plain porridge in front of him.

She guarded her food jealously, pulling the bowl closer. “I have a Clear Heart Mantra. It can’t strengthen the body, but it helps reduce nightmares and improve appetite. Want to practice it?”

“But I’m warning you, cultivation is tough. If you think you can stick with it, come find me every morning at six. If you find it too hard, just forget it,” she reminded him.

Gu Jinyan teased, “Is it free?”

Jiang Chenyu, unusually shy, said, “I didn’t mean to charge, but if you insist, then…”

“Forget it, since it’s your good intention, I’ll accept it wholeheartedly,” Gu Jinyan interrupted with a smile. “I’ll come to you at six tomorrow morning. Hope it won’t bother you too much.”

Jiang Chenyu: “...” Get lost, you’re acting crazy.

Annoyed, Jiang Chenyu hugged her bowl and ate heartily, deliberately making an exaggerated expression as if to provoke the person opposite, “So delicious!”

Gu Jinyan smiled silently and lowered his head to eat.

How was she simultaneously so clever and yet a fool?

Since they agreed to investigate the puppet maker together, Jiang Chenyu went to the company with Gu Jinyan.

In his suit, Gu Jinyan looked like he had donned armor, his entire aura cold and hard.

He resembled a lofty, unreachable alpine flower.

Yet his tone remained gentle. “Wait for me in the office. I’ll come find you after the meeting.”

“No rush,” Jiang Chenyu waved her hand, truly unhurried.

Her senior brother hadn’t assigned her any tasks yet, and Gu Jinyan was her only big benefactor now.

---

The resentment in the office building was thicker than elsewhere, and she disliked the atmosphere.

Looking around, she pointed to a nearby café. “Your coworkers are in your workplace; I don’t want to disturb them. How about I wait downstairs? You can find me after you finish. Is that okay?”

Was she afraid people would find out about their relationship?

Gu Jinyan, sharp as ever, glanced toward the direction she pointed and nodded. “Don’t wander off.”

Jiang Chenyu grumbled, wanting to say she wasn’t a child, but with the driver and secretary in the front seats, she couldn’t embarrass Gu Jinyan in front of others. She nodded, got out, and jogged to the café.

Once Jiang Chenyu got out and entered the café, Gu Jinyan withdrew his gaze and said coldly, “Let’s go.”

He got out of the car and suddenly remembered something, turning to his secretary. “Bring the gift.”

“Okay,” the secretary hurried to fetch it.

She secretly wondered why his mood had soured again when it had just been quite good.

...

Unbothered by the pests, Jiang Chenyu ordered the most expensive set meal and sat in a corner with her food.

Though the café’s resentment wasn’t as heavy as the office’s, the smell was still unpleasant.

She wanted to run away but recalled Gu Jinyan’s words before getting out of the car and silently gripped the chair.

She was stuck in place.

Fortunately, the little cake was tasty and made the wait bearable.

While eating, she checked her palm. Having just registered their marriage certificate a few days ago, the thread of fate in her hand was already growing wildly.

Meanwhile, the already shallow bloodline thread, lacking her “pursuit,” had begun to fade.

Though she clearly knew all her previous efforts to pursue were “futile,” twenty-five years of emotion couldn’t vanish instantly.

She had been trying hard to divert her attention these days, avoiding thoughts of her so-called “family,” but now, sitting quietly alone, she still felt restless.

She took a couple more bites of the cake, then pulled out her phone and began silently reciting the Clear Heart Mantra.

“Jiang Chenyu!” Suddenly, someone shouted outside.

The voice grew louder, and Jiang Chenyu glanced out to see the caller bursting in. “Jiang Chenyu! Come out! I know you’re in there!”

It was Jiang Chenyu’s second brother, Jiang Mu.

“Sir, this is a public area. Please don’t cause trouble here,” a waiter immediately approached.

“Get out of the way! Don’t you see I’m looking for someone?” Jiang Mu shoved the waiter aside and turned to the crowd of onlookers. “Jiang Chenyu, don’t hide in there silently. I know you’re here. Come out and apologize, or I won’t recognize you as my sister anymore!”

His face darkened as he shouted threats, grabbing a nearby cup to smash.

But then his eyes suddenly locked with a pair of familiar, cold eyes at the back.