Having crouched for too long, Jiang Ruo’s legs were numb, and she instinctively leaned on Jiang Zhou, “Then… how did you know I was here?” Her expression was somewhat guilty.
Jiang Ruo wasn’t surprised that her brother was the first to notice her absence from the dormitory. Ever since junior high, he had always exchanged WeChat numbers with her roommates and often brought treats for the girls in her dorm, so it was normal for them to inform him if something was up.
Jiang Ruo felt guilty because when Jiang Zhou found her, she was sitting outside the gate of Minjiang First. Her decision to come here was subconscious, and even she didn’t understand why, but her brother might misunderstand her.
She had been sitting there quietly for a long time, and her mood had somewhat stabilized. Even if Jiang Zhou hadn’t come for her, she was ready to go back. But she knew he wouldn’t believe her and might argue, suspecting she came to see Qin Zheng.
“I just knew,” Jiang Zhou said calmly.
Jiang Ruo clutched the hem of his shirt, “Brother, I didn’t come to see Qin Zheng. You have to believe me.”
After a long silence, Jiang Zhou sighed, “If you really wanted to see him, you should have come during the day. It’s unsafe for a girl to be out alone at night.”
Jiang Ruo sniffled, “I really didn’t come to see him. I don’t know why I ended up here. Brother, do you believe me?”
“Yes, I believe you. So let’s go back to school now, okay?” Jiang Zhou spoke gently.
Jiang Ruo wasn’t buying it, “You don’t believe me. You’re just treating me like a child. I’m not here to see him. I ran out because I was upset about being scolded by Dad.”
Jiang Zhou frowned, “Dad scolded you? Why?”
Jiang Ruo’s tears flowed as she explained the entire situation to Jiang Zhou, sobbing from time to time, “I know Mom has always felt guilty about Jiang Li. Every time she looks at me, it feels off. Dad now thinks I’m a troublemaker too. But… but I really didn’t get Bai Guolin to target Jiang Li. When I came to this school, it was to persuade Bai Guolin not to target her anymore. But the people from the Feng family are unreasonable, and Dad also thinks it’s my fault.”
Jiang Zhou’s brows knitted together. He reached out and gently wiped her tears, “Even if no one else believes you, I always will. Don’t you know that?”
Jiang Ruo still felt insecure, “But… but what if Dad and Mom don’t want me anymore? Don’t say it’s impossible. I have no blood relation with them. If they really don’t want me, I won’t be your sister anymore.”
“Even if they don’t want you, I will. We’ll always be together, okay?” Jiang Zhou blurted out.
Jiang Ruo complained softly, “Don’t be naïve. You are their biological son. If they don’t want me, they won’t let you keep in touch with me.”
“Ruoruo… I’ll be an adult soon,” Jiang Zhou emphasized. Seeing her confusion, he continued, “In two months, I’ll be eighteen. I can make my own decisions. If it comes to it… we could go abroad, and Mom and Dad can’t control us.”
Jiang Ruo’s attention was successfully diverted, but she merely thought he was being fanciful, “Don’t talk nonsense. If Dad hears it, he’ll say I’m causing trouble again.”
Jiang Zhou took a deep breath. As if making a resolute decision, he looked straight at Jiang Ruo’s eyes and solemnly promised, “Ruoruo, I’m only going to say this once. If you ever don’t want to stay in this family, just tell me. I will leave with you.”
He saw no issue with his idea. His father had once eloped with his mother, hadn’t he? If there was no longer a place for Ruoruo in the Jiang family, he was prepared to take her away. He had saved a lot of money, enough for the two of them to live on.
Jiang Ruo took it as mere comfort, but she indeed felt much better, “Okay, I get it. In this world, only my brother treats me the best!”
Looking at Jiang Ruo’s innocent expression, Jiang Zhou felt a bit disappointed, but then thought it might be for the best. He took her hand, “Let’s hurry back to school before the teachers notice we’re gone.”
Jiang Ruo nodded, “Yeah, we should go back. It’s getting late, and the dormitory will be locked soon.”
Watching the siblings walk away, the security guard revealed a relieved expression. Seemed like it was just a typical case of a child having a spat with family, requiring her brother to come and coax her before she was willing to go back.
…
After walking for a while, Jiang Ruo raised her head and asked Jiang Zhou, “Brother, how did you find me tonight?”
Jiang Zhou’s gaze flickered slightly before he replied in a nonchalant tone, “What if I said it was telepathy? Would you believe that?”
Jiang Ruo nodded, “I believe it. I always trust what you say, brother. After all, you always find me so quickly each time. If not telepathy, then what?”
She used to think it was a special sibling telepathy, but after learning they weren’t blood-related, she stopped pondering over it. However, for her, Jiang Zhou was always her brother, the person who understood her the most, regardless of their lack of blood relation.
“What if it isn’t?” Jiang Zhou asked.
“What isn’t?” Jiang Ruo was puzzled.
Jiang Zhou tightened his grip on his phone for a moment and then shook his head, “Nothing.”
Jiang Ruo wasn’t satisfied with his evasive answer and pressed, “What is it really?”
Jiang Zhou suddenly smiled and asked, “What if I said it’s not telepathy, but that I installed a tracker in your phone and monitored your every move? Would that scare you?”
Jiang Ruo was taken aback for a moment, but she soon playfully reached to twist Jiang Zhou’s arm, “Have you been reading too many ‘black room’1 novels?”
“What black room novel?” Now it was Jiang Zhou’s turn to be confused.
Jiang Ruo quickly shook her head, looking a bit guilty, “Nothing, you heard wrong.” She couldn’t imagine her brother’s reaction if he found out she read such novels.
Seeing her reluctance to elaborate, Jiang Zhou didn’t probe further. He walked Jiang Ruo to her dormitory building and then headed back to his dorm alone. On the way, he couldn’t resist searching on Baidu for the term ‘black room novel’ and was stunned when the search results popped up.
Ruoruo… reading these? His expression deepened in thought.
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Hehe…I’m sure by now Jiang Zhou is hoping to be with her using a different identity other than her older brother. He makes running away sounds so easy. For someone that grew up with a silver spoon. So what that his dad eloped with their mom years ago…..didn’t they still end up crawling back to her father after giving birth to him? And he doesn’t seem like those super geniuses guys that’ll be able to built his own company from the ground up and make it flourish and take in millions of dollars.
Oh God, I’m gonna be sick! She doesn’t even realize his intentions and he knows that!! She may not be Feng yun’s daughter by blood, but she certainly has her muddled-head!!!