Chapter 14: The Second Brother of the Nation

  He Ge laughed so hard that he slapped the table, San Bao refused to give up and pulled Ji Siyuan to pester He Ge.

  Sitting quietly there, watching three people make a fuss, but also couldn't help being drawn in.

  Ji Siyun turned her head and asked her, "Don't you want to call Xiao Ziyuan over to show off your love for us two single dogs one last time?"

  "No." Su Yu smiled warmly and spoke softly, "It's time for Yun Xing to sleep. He needs to put his son to bed at home."

  Ji Siyun's three treasures were stunned for a few seconds before hugging each other again, "Wuwu, I knew she wasn't that kind-hearted!"

  Chen Cong came to pick up San Bao and saw a strange scene.

  Three women huddled together, one of them gazing at the woman next to her with a melancholic expression, while the other woman smiled warmly with a hint of slyness.

  Ji Siyuan was the first to notice someone approaching, and she coughed lightly, immediately sitting up straight and smoothing out her long hair.

  He Ge pretended not to see Chen Cong, waving his chopsticks and calling out to everyone, "Eat quickly, eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."

  San Bao smiled and stood up, pulling Chen Cu to introduce her to Ji Si Xuan.

  "Ah, you know He Ge, this is my university roommate, Ji Si Xuan, we all call her 'Yao Nu'. Yao Nu, this is my boyfriend, Chen Cong."

  Ji Siyun narrowed her eyes and sized him up several times, her gaze somewhat bold. Chen Cong smiled and nodded slightly, standing beside San Bao with a relaxed expression, letting her look him up and down.

  San Bao stood by with an expectant face waiting for the conclusion.

  Ji Siyun looked at San Bao's lazy nod and said, "Mm, not bad, you're quite a match for Chuo Chuo."

  San Bao's face lit up with a smile, but Chen Cong seemed displeased upon hearing this and his smile faltered, tightening his grip on San Bao's hand.

  He Ge was used to being rough and didn't notice, but Ji Siyuan and Sui Yi both saw it and exchanged a glance, sharing a tacit understanding as they hooked their lips into a smile.

  San Bao and He Ge lived in the hospital dormitory, the two of them walked with Chen Cong together, after the three people left, Su Yi sat down beside Ji Si Xuan, "I've tried it out, Master Chen is serious about San Bao."

  Ji Siyun's dimples deepened as she tilted her head to look at Sui Yu, "Hearing that I demoted San Bao didn't make him unhappy, it means he doesn't think San Bao is out of his league, but he didn't say it out loud either. He gave San Bao and me face, which means he's more mature than San Bao and has the ability to protect her. This silly girl San Bao really does have dumb luck."

  It's quite amusing to recall, "You're not afraid Chen Cong will be unhappy."

  Ji Siyun has always been carefree and uninhibited, "I wasn't a good person to begin with, you all called me a 'seductress', can someone called a 'seductress' be a good person?"

  Ji Siyun turned her head and asked for another bottle of wine, but was stopped by Sui Yi, "Drink less, you make a living with these hands, you've been in medical school for a year, don't you know that your hands will shake if you drink too much?"

  Ji Si Xuan tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, smiling at Sui Yi. Her charming eyes were like silk, and even if Sui Yi was a 'woman', she couldn't help but surrender.

  After the wine was served, Ji Siyun first poured some for Sui Yi. Sui Yi's wine glass hadn't moved at all, but Ji Siyun would pour a little more for her every now and then. As she did this many times, the wine overflowed, but she didn't mind at all.

  As he wiped the wine off the table with a paper towel, Su Yi said, "It doesn't matter if you're not a good person, anyway, Qiao Yu is a good person, and we complement each other. I only heard Zi Yuan mention later that when they were young, Qiao Yu had the warmest personality and the best temper. As the second child in his family, all the younger kids in the compound called him 'Second Brother'. The grown-ups even jokingly called him 'National Second Brother'. Now he's been promoted to 'National Second Uncle'. Yun Xing doesn't like getting close to people, but every time she sees Qiao Yu, she smiles and calls out 'Second Uncle'."

  Ji Siyun heard the name and seemed to be in a daze, sipping her drink while laughing, "A Yi, when did you start talking so much?"

  She changed the subject with a smile, "The temperament of pregnant women is a bit weird, usually quiet, but once they're pregnant, they become talkative."

  Ji Siyun suddenly collected her smile, then fell silent, drank the wine in her cup dry, and took Su Yi's cup to drink. After finishing, she lay on the table, slowly looking at Su Yi with a smile, and after a long time, she covered her face and joked, "Ah Yu, I was so reckless that I went to provoke him a few years ago, almost destroying my years of cultivation in an instant. Now that I've finally recovered from my injuries, how dare you still go and offend him? Are you really courting death? There's a saying that goes, 'A good person and a beautiful thing, once abandoned, will never be looked at again.'"

  Memories are melancholy and silent.

  Ji Siyun got drunk and acted crazy, following Sui Yi back home. Along the way, she hugged Sui Yi tightly and wouldn't let go, saying "Ah Yi, tonight let Xiao Ziyuan sleep in the study room, you accompany me to sleep."

  Supporting the staggering Ji Si Xuan with a helpless expression, he rummaged through his bag for the keys while saying, "Alright alright, you stand steady first, don't fall, I'll get the keys to open the door."

  The key to memories hasn't been found yet, but the 'door' has opened by itself.

  Ji Siyun lazily lifted her head to look over, instantly becoming clear-headed. She stood up straight from Su Yi's body and walked past the man who had opened the door for them with a clear expression. Rushing into the living room, she plopped down on the sofa beside Xiao Ziyuan and said in a round and loud voice, "Hey, Xiao Shixiong, I've safely sent your wife back home. I'm leaving first."

  Before the words had fallen, a 'fluffy' head emerged from behind the sofa backrest, blinked its eyes, and pointing at Ji Siyu excitedly said to Qiao Yu, "Second Uncle, it's this beautiful sister! I've seen your joint photos! In the study album!"

  Ji Siyun seemed to see two small devil horns suddenly grow on Xiao Yun's head, her whole body stiffened, and she turned around and left.

  The elevator was still on the current floor, Ji Si Xuan pressed the down button, the elevator opened its door, she stepped in with one foot, the elevator went all the way to the ground floor, she rushed out of the elevator and walked forward without looking back.

  The footsteps behind her were getting closer and closer, and soon she felt a resistance on her arm. A voice with a smile sounded from behind her, "Ji Si Xuan, what are you running for?"

  A familiar voice, low and clear, even with rough breathing, there is no hint of panic or fluster.

  Ji Siyuan calmed her breathing and slowly turned around, looking at Qiao Yu with an innocent expression, "Qiao Bu, I didn't run away."

  Qiao Yu looked at her for a few seconds, "Had too much to drink? I'll send you back."

  Ji Siyun felt a bit dizzy, standing upright and speaking in an extremely polite tone, "No need, I'll just take a taxi, no need to trouble Director Qiao."

  Qiao Yu didn't get angry, and smiled harmlessly. He spoke slowly and calmly, "You call me 'Shixiong', Shixiong sending off his sister shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

  Ji Siyun made her smile as natural and sincere as possible, "Yes. Where is Brother Qiao's car? Let's get in the car."

  But in his heart, he silently cursed, "Damn it! This man's system has upgraded too quickly after not seeing him for a few years!"

  When Ji Siyuan saw the white car, he suddenly stopped and laughed strangely, his voice was also strange, "I remember when we were in school, you said that one day you would buy a car like this. Looking at the car now, it should have been bought for several years. Qiao Shixiong, being an architect is a profession with high requirements for experience and slow growth over time. I've seen many people who couldn't take it and changed careers. Your choice back then was correct, if you really became an architect, maybe a few years ago you still wouldn't be able to afford this car."

  Qiao Yu stood under the streetlight, looking at Ji Siyuan. Ji Siyuan raised his chin with an air of neither arrogance nor humility, but his eyes were dim and unclear.

  Under Qiu Siyu's silent provocation, Qiao Yu suddenly laughed and slowly corrected her, "An architect is a profession that requires high experience and slow growth over time, I admit that. However, according to your logic, the reason I chose my current career is because I am the second son of the Qiao family. Since I am the second son of the Qiao family, no matter what industry I am in, this car should be affordable. Qiushi, it's been a few years since we last met, and your logic has deteriorated a lot."

  Ji Siyun had intended to mock and ridicule Qiao Yu, but unexpectedly it was like a powerful fist hitting a cotton flower, he didn't get angry or annoyed, instead he corrected her mistake with a serious face. This wasn't Qiao Yu's usual style, she was caught off guard, her face cold as she opened the car door and got in, the door closing with a loud bang.

  Qiao Yu stood outside the car and held back his laughter for half a day, finally adjusting his facial expression before getting in the car, and handed a bottle of water to Ji Siyuan.

  Ji Siyuan looked out of the window pretending not to see it and didn't answer.

  Qiao Yu's barely suppressed smile reappeared on his face. He lowered his head, hid his smile, twisted open the bottle cap and handed it back over.

  Ji Siyun accepted it this time, took a sip, and didn't say anything either.

  Su Yi stood on the balcony and watched Qiao Yu's car lights disappear into the night before she let out a sigh of relief.

  Xiao Ziyuan handed her a cup of hot water from behind, "What's wrong, afraid that the two of us will quarrel?"

  Su Yi took a sip of water before responding, "Of course, Brother Qiao wouldn't quarrel with the demon girl... I'm afraid of her, you know. Her temperament is like that, both sharp-tongued and venomous."

  Xiao Ziyuan, on the other hand, looked calm and composed. "You didn't hear what Qiao Yu said earlier, if you did, you wouldn't be worried. The current Qiao Yu is no longer the foolish kid who was bullied by that demonic woman."

  After finishing speaking, she turned her head and called out, "Yun Xing, come over and repeat what Second Uncle just said to Mommy."

  Xiao Yun Xing's little friend had an astonishing memory, and after blinking her eyes for a moment, she began to recite, "Dad asked Second Uncle what he was thinking. Second Uncle drank a whole cup of tea before answering. Second Uncle said that since she came back, I won't let her leave again. I know she's resentful towards me, so she calls me 'Shifu' (Master) when she sees me. They call her Xuan Huang, and in the past few years, she has done quite well in the construction industry. The higher her achievements, the more she hates me. Everything she is doing today was what we had agreed to do together back then. She won't feel relieved until she gets it all out of her system. Back then, it was my problem that caused us to part ways. Now that she's back, why should I just accept her without a care? This matter can't be rushed; I can only coax her slowly and let her vent her frustrations before we can move forward."

  After finishing the story, Xiao Yun's little friend looked up and asked, "But, Mom, the cup that Uncle Er drank water from is mine. He didn't even notice it. His cup was on the other side. And who is Xuan Huang?"

  Suddenly thought of something, "Damn it, it's really a silly mistake for three years. I think I forgot to tell the little demon girl why Qiao Yu didn't go abroad with her that year."

  "Xuan Huang is that pretty sister, right?" Xiao Zi Yuan patted his son's head and replied, then looked at Sui Yi with a nonchalant expression. "If it wasn't said, then it wasn't said. Qiao Yu himself didn't say anything, what's the hurry for us? You shouldn't think too much, just focus on resting and taking care of your pregnancy. Today, Yun Xing even told me that he wants a little sister."

  This was their second meeting after the meeting that day, when there were too many people and it wasn't easy to talk. Now with just the two of them, Qiao Yu looked at the road ahead, "When are you coming back?"

  "A few days ago."

  Obviously soft resistance made Qiao Yu turn his head to look at her, "Have you been to the resort? The school organized a trip there before, do you remember?"

  Ji Siyuan thought for a few seconds with a serious expression, "I don't remember."

  Qiao Yu didn't mind her answer and continued, "There have been quite a few changes there. They've built schools and arranged for teachers to teach the children."

  Ji Siyun sat up straight, her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm that was hard to detect. "Those are all thanks to Director Qiao's good fortune. Without Director Qiao, the Education Bureau would probably never have set eyes on that place in their lifetime."

  "So......" Qiao Yu's voice was filled with obvious amusement, "You really went?"

  “……”

  Ji Siyun turned her head, narrowing her eyes to re-examine the man in front of her. Had she drunk too much today? Why did she keep feeling that Qu Yue, although still with his gentle appearance, was somehow different? There was a... subtle yet unyielding intensity and a hint of darkness about him now. And why did this scene feel so eerie, where was the warmth of a long-awaited reunion between former lovers?

  But how did the word "strong" get associated with Qiao Yu, she shook her head, certain that she had drunk a bit too much today and wasn't in shape for battle, so she simply closed her mouth, leaned back against the chair and turned to look out the window.