Chapter 287: Jiang Yuan Became Very Annoying As She Grew Up
That night, after returning home, Jiang Yuan stayed with Jiang Die to watch Zhan Zhan and Momo fall asleep.
Jiang Yuan watched her gently close the room door and said softly, “Sister, I have something to tell you.”
“Okay,” Jiang Die nodded. “Where should we talk?”
Jiang Yuan: “Let’s go to the study.”
The warm orange chandelier illuminated the entire study, with amber light pouring down.
Jiang Yuan looked at Jiang Die opposite her, her heart beating violently in her chest like a drum, her fingers unconsciously clenching her pajama pants, the soft fabric creasing under her grip.
Her lips moved slightly, she took a deep breath, and finally summoned the courage to speak, “Sister, I’ve done something very sorry to you, and I don’t dare to hope you can forgive me.”
“What is it?” Jiang Die blinked, a hint of confusion appearing on her face.
Jiang Yuan lowered her eyelashes, looking uneasily at her fingers, and said without much confidence, “Actually, I wanted to tell you the day we moved here, but I was too cowardly, I didn’t have the courage to tell you…”
Hearing this, Jiang Die remained silent, instead gazing at her with a calm and gentle look.
Jiang Yuan lifted her eyes, meeting her gaze, her eyes trembling slightly, “Sister, I’m truly so sorry. I knew who Zhan Zhan and Momo’s father was, but I kept it from you.”
After saying this, she even hesitated to look at Jiang Die.
But she didn’t want to miss any of her sister’s looks or expressions.
Jiang Yuan saw a flicker of astonishment in Jiang Die’s calm eyes. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Jiang Die suddenly closed her eyes.
“Sister,” Jiang Yuan’s words were not yet finished, her heart filled with anxiety, “It’s not just hiding this from you that I did wrong, I also crazily impersonated your identity…”
Jiang Die looked up at her again, shock and disbelief rippling through the depths of her eyes, her lips parted in astonishment.
“I’m sorry,” Jiang Yuan stood up, walked around the desk to Jiang Die, knelt at her feet, and said with her head lowered, “Sister, you can hit me.”
Jiang Die stared at her blankly, as if all her thoughts had been taken away, and didn’t respond for a long time.
Jiang Yuan pressed her lips together, her back straight, her palms damp, her heart pounding like a drum, making her eardrums buzz.
Although she said she didn’t expect Jiang Die’s forgiveness, deep down she still held a tiny bit of hope.
“You…” Jiang Die finally found her voice and said hoarsely, “You should get up first.”
“Okay.” Jiang Yuan kneeling to apologize was not to force her sister to forgive her, but a silent confession and apology.
She stood up and added in a low voice, “Sister, the money I scammed from Fu Jinxing has already been returned, and I had no physical contact with him during that time.”
“I also told him the truth that I wasn’t the same person back then when I mentioned the breakup.” Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and then added, “Later, Fu Jinxing asked me if I knew where you were, and I didn’t tell him. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see him.”
“But hearing what Zhan Zhan and Momo said today, I feel I can’t hide it anymore.”
Jiang Die fell silent again.
The air seemed to freeze, and in the vast study, only the heavy breathing of the two sisters could be heard.
Jiang Yuan stood beside her, her hands hanging by her sides clenched tightly, her gaze filled with worry, anxiously watching Jiang Die, who sat stiffly at the desk.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Die moved slightly and stood up from her chair.
She stood opposite Jiang Yuan, looking at her with complex eyes, her throat felt sore, and she opened her lips with difficulty, “That year, I was drugged, did you… were you involved?”
“No.” Jiang Yuan replied decisively, “I accidentally overheard Fu Jinxing having someone investigate that year at Yun Guang Hotel…”
Actually, when she impersonated Jiang Die back then, she wasn’t entirely sure if the person Fu Jinxing found was Jiang Die. It was only after the dream she had after her awakening that she became completely certain.
“Okay,” Jiang Die nodded and said softly, “I’ll pretend this never happened. As for whether to let Zhan Zhan and Momo see that person, I need time to consider.”
She could understand Jiang Yuan’s youthful rebellion. This matter hadn’t completely crossed her bottom line, and Jiang Yuan had indeed changed a lot. She didn’t want to let one man affect their sisterly relationship.
“Sister, I must have been crazy back then to dislike you.” Jiang Yuan held back for a long time, her eyes reddened, and her voice choked with sobs, “I really did so many terrible things. I pretended to be good to you on the surface, but secretly bullied Zhan Zhan and Momo…”
“I know you don’t like me,” Jiang Die lowered her eyes and smiled. “As for you secretly bullying Zhan Zhan and Momo, they actually told me too.”
Sometimes when she was busy, Jiang Yuan would volunteer to help her with the children, but instead, she would buy a lot of snacks for herself and let Zhan Zhan and Momo drool on the side.
A few times, when Zhan Zhan and Momo were extremely tempted and reached out to grab snacks, Jiang Yuan spanked their bottoms.
She knew all of this.
But when Zhan Zhan and Momo were bullied by other children, Jiang Yuan would get angrier than their mother, always putting her hands on her hips and scolding them.
She was very biased; she said that while she could bully her own children, others couldn’t scold or touch them.
Jiang Die had also struggled for a long time, debating whether to continue contact with this half-sister, and had even hardened her heart to ignore her, but Jiang Yuan would always cling to her.
Jiang Die eventually let go. As long as Jiang Yuan didn’t go too far, she would pretend not to know.
“Sister…” Jiang Yuan’s eyes trembled, tears welling up in her eyes, shocked and remorseful, she said, “So you knew… then why did you never say anything?”
Jiang Die sighed softly, “Because in my eyes, both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh.”
Although Jiang Yuan became very annoying as she grew up, and she disliked her, she also warmed her like a little sun.
“Sister, I’m sorry.” Tears clung to Jiang Yuan’s eyelashes, her eyes brimming with tears as she buried her face in Jiang Die’s arms and choked out, “I’ve gotten better. From now on, you and Zhan Zhan and Momo are also my darlings.”
“Okay,” Jiang Die raised her hand and gently patted her back, the corner of her lips curving into a slight arc.
In fact, when she received those anonymous text messages before, she had also had terrible nightmares, where her sister Jiang Yuan had become a very vicious girl.
Fortunately, reality was the opposite of the dream; their whole family was getting better and better.
The dark night was about to fade, and a faint, fish-belly white began to appear on the horizon.
The two children in the children’s room had already woken up, their small hands clinging to the window sill, watching the morning light gradually pierce the sky outside.
Momo tilted her head, staring at her brother’s injured face, and asked with concern, “Brother, does your face still hurt?”
“It’s okay,” Zhan Zhan shook his head, his childish little face filled with dejection. “Momo, I did something wrong yesterday.”
“What did you do?” the little girl asked, full of confusion.
Zhan Zhan pressed his lips together and said with self-blame, “I hurt Mom’s heart.”
