Chapter 5: Brother Loves Me Too Much—Day Five

Jiang Yanbai promised to talk more when he returned in the evening. Yun Zhiyi happily accompanied him to the door, watching him drive away from the villa in his own car with an air of effortless charm.

The Jiang family was a prominent clan, with members involved in politics and business. Jiang Hancheng’s eldest brother was in politics, while he himself was in commerce. The two brothers were well-known figures in Haicheng. His wife, Sun Wan, was a renowned professor at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Jiang’s parents were both busy, and Jiang Yanbai had also gone to the company. Yun Zhiyi returned to her room, pulled out her laptop, and opened it.

In her previous life, after graduating from school, she hadn’t returned home immediately but chose to stay abroad, planning to find a job there. It wasn’t until she learned online that Jiang Yanbai had joined a domestic dating reality show and was heavily criticized by netizens.

The entire internet was condemning Jiang Yanbai for relying on his family background and behaving like a spoiled rich kid with poor character, unworthy of Xu Xinran’s attention.

Caught in the whirlwind of public opinion, she immediately returned home, discovering it was all triggered by Xu Xinran. Xu Xinran’s fans were cyberbullying Jiang Yanbai out of jealousy and resentment. They even hired professional detectives to dig up dirt on Xu Xinran for revenge, escalating the situation beyond control.

This time around, she not only had to save her brother but also focus on building her own career.

Jiang’s mother hoped she would become a teacher at the academy, where the salary was good and the work light, but she wasn’t keen on following a conventional path and wanted to start her own studio.

To establish a studio, the first step was to find a location and rent an office space.

Yun Zhiyi searched nearby commercial districts for available properties on her laptop, carefully selecting options. Having lived with the Jiang family since childhood, she had never lacked for anything—everything she needed had been bought for her. Over the years, she had saved all the money she received in her bank account.

Now, her savings were substantial enough to start her studio.

She called and added several real estate agents on WeChat, scheduling appointments to view offices. She hoped to secure a space before filming the dating show began.

Having arranged visits to two or three different places, Yun Zhiyi dressed casually: a soft nude pink blouse paired with a black skirt. Carrying her bag, she prepared to leave.

Just as she reached the entrance to change her shoes, Aunt Feng approached and asked, “Miss, where are you going?”

Changing her shoes, Yun Zhiyi replied, “I have some errands to run. I won’t be back for lunch.”

Aunt Feng reminded her, “Come back early for dinner tonight. The kitchen bought your favorite Australian lobster.”

Yun Zhiyi nodded in response and left the villa.

Jiang’s father had a driver, Jiang’s mother drove herself to the academy, and Jiang Yanbai usually drove himself. Yun Zhiyi hadn’t learned to drive yet; the Beetle her father gifted her when she became an adult still sat unused in the garage.

The villa was some distance from the street where taxis could be caught. By the time she reached the gate, a faint sweat appeared on her brow. She took out a tissue to wipe it, then glanced at her taxi app.

When she was in middle school, she and Jiang Yanbai attended nearby schools and were driven by the family’s driver, Uncle Liu. After Jiang Yanbai went to university, Uncle Liu only needed to drive her to school. Later, after she graduated high school, Uncle Liu was reassigned.

While waiting for the taxi, she thought maybe it was time to get her driver’s license. After all, she was no longer a child needing rides to school. It wouldn’t be practical to take taxis or public transport every day after establishing her studio.

Taking taxis in the city center every day was too extravagant, and she couldn’t stand crowded public transportation. Getting a license was the best choice.

The car arrived at the destination, and Yun Zhiyi stepped out, calling the agent to let them know she had arrived.

“Miss Yun?” a male voice called out.

She turned to see a man dressed in a white shirt and black suit approaching briskly, wearing a polite smile. “Hello.”

Noticing the agent scanning her up and down as if inspecting goods, Yun Zhiyi showed no smile but nodded, “Lead the way.”

The agent took her into a commercial building and pressed the elevator button, smiling as he said, “Miss Yun, you’re younger than I expected.”

He led her to the twelfth floor and began chatting as they exited the elevator, introducing the office she had booked to see. He opened the door and ushered her inside.

Yun Zhiyi ignored his praise of how excellent the office was, instead carefully assessing the size, ventilation, lighting, and whether any noise from nearby would disturb them.

After one round, she was not particularly impressed.

Her face remained expressionless, so the agent, unable to read her reaction, launched into a flood of professional sales talk.

“This is the only floor in the building with available offices for rent. There’s another viewing appointment this afternoon. Miss Yun, if you’re satisfied, we can finalize the lease now—I can cancel the other appointment.”

“This office is very popular. If you don’t sign the contract now, it will be snapped up quickly…”

Yun Zhiyi was not worried. She wasn’t in a hurry and had other viewings scheduled for the afternoon. She saw through the agent’s tactics.

Male salesmen often put their own interests first, assuming the client should be grateful for such a good offer and rent immediately if they’re smart.

Seeing no reaction from Yun Zhiyi, the agent stopped wasting breath. “Miss Yun, I believe you’re serious about renting, so this is the best price we can offer in this building.”

Yun Zhiyi replied calmly, “I’ll think about it.”

The agent forced a fake smile and saw her downstairs.

After touring the office building, it was past eleven in the morning. Yun Zhiyi found a casual restaurant and ordered Italian beef noodles, eating leisurely.

She still had two more places to visit in the afternoon, which would take the entire afternoon with travel time. She planned to return early to have dinner with Jiang’s parents.

Lowing her gaze to her phone, she replied to a few messages, checked the dating show’s official website, and searched for news about the second season of “Romantic Encounter.”

Two days had passed, and Yun Zhiyi was a little anxious. Last time, she hadn’t participated in the show. This time she had applied but wasn’t sure if she would pass the nationwide amateur selection. She couldn’t guarantee standing out among the countless candidates.

Worrying about whether the show would accept her, she was somewhat distracted during the afternoon viewings. Returning to the Jiang residence during rush hour, she encountered traffic jams and didn’t get back until nearly 7:30 p.m.

Jiang’s parents were in the dining room. Having been informed earlier, they hadn’t waited for her and were already eating.

“Zhiyi, you’re back,” Jiang’s mother called. “Come have dinner.”

Yun Zhiyi pulled out a chair and sat down. A servant served her a plate of food.

Jiang’s mother asked, “Zhiyi, where were you today? Why so late?”

Yun Zhiyi didn’t hide anything from her foster parents and said, “Aunt Sun, I want to set up a studio, so I went out to look at office spaces.”

Surprise flickered in Jiang’s mother’s eyes. She glanced at Jiang’s father. She had hoped to leverage connections to have Yun Zhiyi become a music teacher at the academy, where the work was easy and pressure light.

Jiang’s father asked, “Have you rented a place yet?”

Yun Zhiyi shook her head. “No. I saw three places today, but either the rent was too high or the location wasn’t suitable.”

Jiang’s father said gravely, “Starting a studio is a great idea. Your uncle supports you. If you need anything, just ask him.”

“Thank you, uncle,” Yun Zhiyi replied with a sweet smile.

Jiang’s mother sighed inwardly. Children grew up and had their own ideas. No matter how much she wished, she could only support her child.

After dinner, Jiang’s parents went out for a walk. Yun Zhiyi sat in the living room, turned on the TV, and waited for Jiang Yanbai to return.

Her foster parents went to bed early and had set an 8 p.m. curfew—though this rule became void after Jiang Yanbai moved out of the villa. After saying goodnight, Jiang’s parents went to sleep. Yun Zhiyi went upstairs to wash up, then returned to the living room with a blanket, leaving only one light on and lowering the TV volume, continuing to wait for Jiang Yanbai.

By ten o’clock, Yun Zhiyi was feeling sleepy and yawned.

Having been busy all day, she was exhausted. If not for waiting for Jiang Yanbai, she would have gone straight to bed long ago to enjoy a peaceful sleep.

…

The iron gates of the Jiang villa opened, and a luxury car slowly drove in, parking in the open lot. A tall figure stepped out.

Jiang Yanbai held the car keys, strode forward, pressed his fingerprint on the villa’s front door, and pushed it open.

The usually dark villa had a small light on. In the spacious living room on the leather sofa lay a girl asleep, covered with a light-colored blanket. She lay on her side, her slender figure appearing delicate.

Jiang Yanbai tossed his keys on the shoe cabinet in the entrance, stepped lightly to the sofa, and looked down at the sleeping girl.

Yun Zhiyi breathed softly, deep in sleep.

Jiang Yanbai bent down and scooped her up horizontally, blanket and all, his strong arms easily carrying her upstairs.

“She’s a bit light,” he thought. She must not have eaten well abroad.

Yun Zhiyi nestled into his chest like a small animal, burying her face completely.

Jiang Yanbai glanced at her, tightened his arms slightly, and carried her steadily into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed, pulled the blanket away, revealing her thin nightgown and fair skin. He averted his gaze, then pulled the covers over her.

Remembering her phone was still on the sofa, Jiang Yanbai left the bedroom quietly, bent down to pick it up. Just as he reached the top of the stairs, the phone vibrated, a new notification appearing on the screen.

[Miss Yun Zhiyi, congratulations on passing the “Romantic Encounter Season Two” interview screening. Please come to Yaoguang Entertainment Company for an in-person interview on Tuesday at 2 p.m.]

Jiang Yanbai’s eyes darkened. He entered the bedroom, placed the phone on the bedside table, and left the room.