Chapter 590 - 382: Tokyo Trip (11)
They took pictures of the beautiful scenery, marveling at how dreamlike it was to be so far from Lanjing overnight. It felt a little surreal to be in a foreign country just like that.
Jiangg Yao squinted, counting the floors of a distant skyscraper one by one. Unfortunately, she was a bit nearsighted and couldn’t see clearly. She said it was sixty-three floors, but he wouldn’t concede. They argued stubbornly for a long while before finally resorting to looking it up online.
Once she had the definitive answer, her eyes twinkled and she changed the subject, chattering about their travel plans, buying countless pieces of merchandise, and bringing a whole case of official adult games back with them.
Chen Yuan was taken aback by her bold declaration, and his startled expression only drew a silvery laugh from Jiangg Yao.
"I love this atmosphere," Jiangg Yao murmured, resting her chin on her hand as she savored his tight embrace. "It feels like all my worries have just melted away."
"Hah..." Chen Yuan yawned. "These people sure know how to live. It’s my first time swimming in a rooftop pool like this, too."
"Are you sleepy?"
"I’m alright. Not terribly sleepy. It’s probably just my biological clock acting up since it’s around my usual bedtime."
"You drank a fair bit again today, didn’t you?"
"Hm? Can you smell the alcohol on me?"
"Do you even need to ask? Did you forget we were kissing just a moment ago...?" Jiangg Yao said, pinching him with an amused look.
Chen Yuan gave an embarrassed, awkward laugh. He had indeed seized the opportunity to steal a kiss from Jiangg Yao, but she had pushed him away after only a moment.
They hadn’t been intimate for a long time.
He had almost forgotten that feeling of all his worries melting away when he kissed her.
"I didn’t drink that much. I had to find a chance to sneak away and come see you."
"Does my sister know?"
"Of course."
Chen Yuan said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He wasn’t at all afraid of Jiangg Ning ratting him out. After spending over a year with her, he understood her completely. He was sure that after their fight, Jiangg Ning had gone straight home and was now desperately trying to find ways to calm down. She wouldn’t have the time or energy to snitch on him.
And he was right.
「Meanwhile, in Lanjing’s Fengting District.」
Jiangg Ning was writing furiously in a notebook. Her mind kept wandering as she tried to take notes, and she had no idea what her pen was scribbling. Still, it was a good way to keep herself from getting lost in wild, anxious thoughts.
But a single glance would have made one thing clear: the words Mistress Ningning wrote today were carved into the page with a little too much force.
It would be no exaggeration to say the force of her writing nearly tore through the paper.
"She doesn’t just know; your sister was the one who drove me to the airport. Not that she gave me a pleasant look, mind you."
「Back at the rooftop pool.」
Chen Yuan recalled the expression on Jiangg Ning’s face as she drove off. Even now, facing Jiangg Yao, he couldn’t completely hide his dejected look.
’If the Yaoyao I’m with now is a piece of sand-covered candy—gritty and coarse, but still sweet if you let it melt in your mouth long enough—then Ningning can only be an unpeeled chestnut. Forget tasting it; you’d prick your hand just by touching it.’
However, Chen Yuan quickly collected himself, burying his face in the crook of Jiangg Yao’s shoulder and soaking in the warmth of her skin.
’I just managed to calm her down. Bringing up Ningning again would be asking for trouble.’
He quickly changed the subject.
"We should get to Asakusa Temple early tomorrow. Otherwise, it’ll be too crowded to enjoy the sights."
But unexpectedly, Jiangg Yao didn’t take the bait and steered the conversation right back with a single sentence.
"Of course she wouldn’t give you a pleasant look. My sister’s the type who gets completely fixated on things. Once she’s decided to be angry with you about something, she won’t stop until you’re the one to bow your head. Otherwise, she’ll torture you and herself. She’s just that twisted. But you can’t really blame her. Exceptional people are always a little warped; otherwise, they wouldn’t be so much better at things than normal people."
"You’ve got a point. Ever since your sister became my secretary—"
"Hm? Go on," Jiangg Yao said, looking at Chen Yuan, who had abruptly stopped. "Why aren’t you talking?"
"Forget it. This is our private time. Let’s not talk about her."
"It’s fine, I don’t mind. Go on."
Jiangg Yao probably wasn’t lying. She was in such a fantastic mood, the kind where you could forgive the entire world. She truly believed she wouldn’t get angry.
But that was just what *she* believed.
Flipping out in a second was perfectly normal for her.
This was precisely what Chen Yuan was afraid of, so his eyes darted away. He opened his mouth, then shut it again.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been on the receiving end before—Jiangg Yao would claim she wasn’t angry, only to suddenly land a Deliberate Punch mid-sentence.
"You know, you’re quite the schemer. I never realized it before. Having my sister be your secretary... you completely played on her personality. And you spent so long setting it up. You’re so conniving."
"Partly. The main reason is that I genuinely believe Ningning is talented and smart enough to excel at the job."
"Then be honest. Are you two making eyes at each other in the office every day?" Jiangg Yao demanded, her expression turning serious.
"No way. Yaoyao, you of all people should know. The day after I hired her, she found out about the gift I bought for you. Since then, she hasn’t even given me a single smile... Things are fine as long as we keep our distance, but the moment I say one nice thing, SLAM! The files hit the desk. Anyone who didn’t know better would think *she* was my boss."
"I knew it. Serves you right. That’s what you get for having the audacity to say you’d marry both of us."
Hearing how he was being treated, Jiangg Yao’s face lit up in a smile. Her gloating expression was surprisingly adorable.
"Nothing to be done about it. I’ll just have to endure it," he sighed.
"Nothing to be done? Not to brag, but if I were you, I’d have a hundred ways to handle my sister."
"For real?" Chen Yuan was suddenly taken aback.
"A hundred might be an exaggeration, but I’ve probably got ninety-nine. We’ve been sisters our whole lives. Let me put it this way: I spent most of my childhood figuring out how to handle her."
Hearing Jiangg Yao’s words,
Chen Yuan’s breath quickened. He couldn’t help but start to imagine it. If Jiangg Yao were willing to help him with Jiangg Ning, couldn’t they break this hopeless stalemate? Getting Jiangg Ning to compromise would no longer be just a fantasy!
It was too hard to change Jiangg Ning’s mind by himself.
He needed an assist.
And the perfect playmaker was right in front of him.
"Yaoyao... I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but are you really unwilling to be with me alongside Ningning? You two are so close, you seem inseparable. I swear I can make you both happy. We won’t have to care what anyone else thinks. We can move abroad. I’ve even looked into it—there are places where polygamy is legal. I swear, I will never, ever shortchange you. As long as you agree," Chen Yuan said, gritting his teeth, "I’ll consider any condition you name."
"Hmph. No," she said, glancing at Chen Yuan and shaking her head.
"Why not? If you agree, we can have a wedding ceremony next year. I’ll have my family make a formal proposal, and we can register the marriage as soon as I’m of legal age. As for Ningning... we can work on her slowly. The point is, I won’t give you even a fraction less than what you deserve."
"My, my, Young Master, you’re playing for keeps, huh?" Jiangg Yao sounded genuinely surprised. "Willing to get married at the tender age of twenty?"
"It’s nothing. I’m willing to do whatever it takes."
"Fine. My condition is this: I’ll help you ’handle’ Ningning for one month. After that month is over, you are never to contact her again. You’ll settle down and be with me, and only me."
Jiangg Yao’s condition left Chen Yuan stunned.
"How is that supposed to work? Of course I can’t agree to that! I want both of you to marry me."
"And my demand of you is exactly like your demand of me! Surely our ’Young Master’ understands the saying, ’Don’t do unto others what you wouldn’t want done unto you,’ right? I don’t want to marry you alongside my sister. I want you to be mine and mine alone."
"Yaoyao..."
"Save your breath."
The hope that had just been kindled in Chen Yuan’s heart was extinguished in an instant. He was overcome by a profound sense of despair.
Seeing his desolate expression, a flicker of pity appeared in Jiangg Yao’s eyes. But she knew all too well that she could never help him, precisely *because* she held the power to make his impossible wish come true and change Jiangg Ning’s mind.
Because her conviction was just as important as his. Her lifelong happiness was on the line.
In this long, drawn-out war of love,
whoever faltered first would lose everything.