CH 15

Seeing the words on the screen, Cheng Suran was startled, raised her head suddenly, and looked around.

Not far away, there was a long queue of cars in front of the intersection. Just at this time, the red light turned green, and a black Cadillac drove towards their side, across a green belt. It slowed down, but did not stop, and just passed her slowly then accelerated again.

The rear windows were closed tightly, and only the outlines of the people inside could be vaguely glimpsed.

A familiar number plate.

It was the car she had been in!

Elder sister?

Seeing it gradually go away, Cheng Suran felt a little uneasy, and couldn't help thinking of that night, maybe it would be the same situation, right? Her sister saw her from the car...

"What are you looking at?" Zhao Yihan pulled her hard, "Hurry up, I'm going to starve to death."

Cheng Suran came back to her senses, continued to walk forward with her legs mechanically, bowed her head and replied: [It's my cousin.]

After thinking about it, she added in detail:

[She came to Jiangcheng to look for a job, I picked her up today.]

"Stop playing with your phone, can you please hurry up?" Zhao Yihan urged her tightly, her voice was full of anxiety, and the hand that was holding her turned into pulling her.

Cheng Suran had no choice but to put the phone back in her pocket.

....

There are fewer dishes in the cafeteria on weekends, but there are not as many people as usual, so you can sit and eat slowly.

Cheng Suran bought Zhao Yihan a seven-yuan menu, where she could choose two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, and swipe her meal card to eat a five-yuan meal. She hid the meal card tightly, afraid that her cousin would ask her to buy something again. People like her who are weak-willed and easy to soften their hearts are used to being manipulated since childhood.

She couldn't let her cousin know that she had savings, and she didn't believe that she didn't have any money with her.

The meal was not very pleasant.

After coming out of the cafeteria, full and comfortable, Zhao Yihan took out a small mirror to fix her lipstick while squinting at her younger sister, and said with a sneer, "Why are you still so stupid? You've been studying in college for nothing? Haven't you learned from your classmates or roommates how to dress up? When you go out to work, you will look like a student, easy to bully."

The two walked side by side on the wide tree-lined road. The dense branches and leaves above their heads blocked a lot of sunlight, and the surrounding area was cool and shady.

Cheng Suran didn't answer, and looked down at her phone frequently. Although her face was plain, her facial features were small and delicate, and she had a good bone structure, so she could be noticed at a glance even if she was mixed in the crowd.

Not like the Cheng family at all.

This was what her aunt once said.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhao Yihan felt that it was boring. After finishing applying her lipstick, she looked in the mirror again, and casually said: "Hey, how big is the bed in your dormitory? Is it enough for two people to sleep?"

"Why do you ask this?" Cheng Suran was instantly alert.

"I'll go to your dormitory to squeeze in, so I don't have to rent a room outside."

"You can't."

There are currently only three people living in the dormitory, and one bed is vacant. In fact, as long as she obtains the consent of her roommate, it is okay for her cousin to live in for a while. But the relationship between her roommates is awkward, so it is easy to cause extra problems, and the matters she take care by herself, will be out of control, so she can't take this risk.

"Why not? Generally, the beds in schools are 1.2 meters, and the two of us are not fat. What's wrong with being crowded?" Zhao Yihan said as a matter of fact.

"It's inconvenient."

"Why is it inconvenient? We are all girls. Tell your roommate about it, I won't live there forever."

Before waiting for the reply from the benefactor, Cheng Suran was upset, irritated by the noise, and said angrily: "Can't you rent a house?"

Zhao Yihan was stunned by the yelling, and looked at her in disbelief, as if looking at a stranger.

"You...what the hell! I need to pass the interview first before considering renting a house. You must be aware of this even before you graduate! And it's not so easy to rent a satisfactory house. I also want to save money!"

"You only think about yourself, and leave all the trouble to me."

"Then you mean that I have to solve everything by myself and can't ask you for help?"

Again, that confident look.

Cheng Suran thought about living in her aunt's house all these years, enduring everything, going along with it, not having a temper, and no matter what her cousin did to her or asked her to do, Cheng Suran felt sad and disgusted.

She hates her unreasonableness, her self-righteousness, and her own way of doing things.

Because these are things she doesn't have.

"Why can't you solve it by yourself?" Cheng Suran smiled, "You are two years older than me, and you are a person who needs to work. I, a student who you said has not yet graduated, came here alone. Aren't you embarrassed?"

She didn't know where the courage came from. In the past, she would not dare to speak to her cousin like this.

Zhao Yihan was enraged, and stretched out her hand to push her shoulder hard, "Don't you just hate my mother for not paying your tuition? Why? Our family has raised you for so many years, it's all benevolence! If it weren't for you..."

The voice became louder and louder, and teachers and students passing by occasionally looked sideways.

Cheng Suran's heart trembled slightly, and her momentum softened instantly.

It was her aunt who raised her, and she took up the resources that should belong to her cousin, even though it was only a small part. Conscience is a cold and hard iron chain that binds her tightly.

"I'll ask again, will you let me live in the dormitory?" Zhao Yihan threatened in a low voice.

Cheng Suran shook his head with difficulty: "No."

"Okay, after two years of being out, your wings have hardened, so don't go home for the rest of your life!" Zhao Yihan pointed at her nose and cursed, then pulled the suitcase away in frustration.

Cheng Suran looked at her back, heaved a sigh of relief, turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

Home?

She has no home.

That's not her house, it's someone else's roof, someone else's fence.

For the past two years, she lived alone outside, studying while working part-time and owed loans. She held on and survived, only to realize that she could have strength and grow wings.  Only now her wings are not strong enough to fly by herself.

But that day won't be long.

At night, the city lights up brightly.

A small white car slowly approached the side door of the hotel and came to a stop. Cheng Suran got out of the car, thanked the driver, and took the elevator up to the twenty-seventh floor.

Swiping the card, pushing the door, and voices came from the living room.

She paused.

The woman stands in front of the octagonal window, sideways, with long hair pulled low, holding a mobile phone in one hand, and the other in her trousers pocket. The sleeves are slightly rolled up, revealing a small half of her slender white wrist. The mouse gray silk shirt is unbuttoned in two holes on the top.

It was drizzling outside the window, and the overhead light cast a warm color on her body.

She is speaking fluent English with the person on the phone.

Hearing the sound, Jiang Yu turned around, her eyes touched the girl standing by the door, her distant brows softened a bit, she beckoned to her, then speeded up her speech, said a few polite words, and hung up.

"Sister," Cheng Suran obediently stood in front of her, "When did you come back?"

"It hasn't been long."

With a faint smile on the corner of Jiang Yu's lips, she stretched out her hand to brush the broken hair by the girl's ear, "I passed by your school at noon today and saw you at the gate."

"..."

"Is she really your cousin?"

"Uh-huh."

Jiang Yu nodded lightly: "That's good."

Cheng Suran was startled.

What's that supposed to mean?  It's good to be a cousin, so not being a cousin means it's not good? What's wrong with that? Why?  Would sister pay attention to such a thing? A series of thoughts were bubbling in her mind, and she didn't know whether it was nervousness or something else, but she suddenly jumped very fast.

Could it be—

Without waiting for her to think more wildly, Jiang Yu said again: "Follow the terms of the agreement, remember, don't cause trouble for me."

Calm to indifferent tone.

Her heartbeat seemed to freeze for a second, and the rhythm slowed down instantly. Cheng Suran gave a low "Oh" and pressed her lips together.

It turned out to be because of this...

Cold but realistic.

The girl's drooping eyelashes are thick and long, like thin moth wings, resting quietly under the eyelids. Jiang Yu looked down, and gently caressed her cheek with her slender fingers, as if comforting, but also like a habitual movement, which was unpredictable.

Suddenly, she let go of her hand, turned and walked towards the coffee table, "Come here, kid."

Cheng Suran followed.

There was a silver square box next to the tea table, and the ribbon was tied into a beautiful bow, which looked like a gift. She suddenly thought of the set that were sold, and the luxury logo on the orange-red carton in the office.

"Sister, this is?"

"Gift."

"..."

"Open it and have a look." Jiang Yu raised her chin.

Cheng Suran stood there without moving. After a long time, she whispered, "Sister, as I said before, don't give me any more valuables."

"It's not a valuable item, just look at it."

"Why?"

She bit her lower lip, and stretched out her hand to unwrap it in doubt. The ribbon twitched, and it fell apart, tearing off the outer silver gift paper, revealing the box.

It's a brand new laptop.

"Sister, you—" Cheng Suran withdrew her hand like being electrocuted, turned her head to look at Jiang Yu, her eyes seemed to be aggrieved, but also seemed to complain, as if saying that she lied to her.

The little face puffed up.

Jiang Yu couldn't help raising the corners of her lips, and explained patiently: "It's your necessities now, it can be used for several years, and it's not expensive when converted to an average of every day."

"But I have a laptop."

"It's time to change it."

"It still works."

"It will affect your learning efficiency."

"..."

Cheng Suran lowered her head slightly, thinking of her old laptop with peeling paint. Although it was a cheap second-hand and been used for two years, it is still usable and could meet her needs.

But…

How did sister know?

Only on that nightmarish night, she brought the computer over and put it on the table. It has been a week since today, how could her "cold and realistic" benefactor keep the matter of the little pet in mind for so long.

She couldn't help herself from thinking wildly.

Why?

Seeing the girl lost in thought, Jiang Yu stretched out her hand to press on the packing box, bent her index finger, and tapped lightly, then seemed to say to herself: "Efficiency saves time, and time is the real valuable thing. You just use it to study well and let it play a value other than exchanging it for money, okay?

After speaking, she took the girl's hand and pressed it under her palm.

The warm touch spread on the back of the hand.

Cheng Suran raised her head, met Jiang Yu's deep gaze, and caught a glimpse of the tenderness in those eyes. At that moment, she even thought that her sister was coaxing her.

"Huh?" Jiang Yu hooked the girl's shoulder with the other hand, and wrapped her into his arms, "Little friend, be obedient."

After, she kissed her face.

"...okay." Cheng Suran closed her eyes and breathed hard, her nose was filled with the fragrance of iris from the woman's body.

She seemed to like the smell.

"Hey, go take a shower."

"Okay."

....

Coming out of the shower, Cheng Suran's cheeks were flushed, her deer eyes were moist, as if she had drunk enough water, her whole body was like a pink and white peach.

"Come on, kid, sister has something to tell you." Jiang Yu sat on the sofa and waved to her.

She obediently walked over and sat down on Jiang Yu's knee.

Facing each other.

From this angle, she was finally able to look down on Jiang Yu, from top to bottom, carefully.  She couldn't help holding her face with her hands, moving her fingertips along the cold and hard contour lines, and then carefully sketched the facial features.

Eyes, nose, lips.

The makeup is very light, the eyebrows are drawn softly, the lip color is red with a brown tone, and a pair of narrow, cold and charming eyes are full of charm.

So lovely.

Suddenly, Jiang Yu grabbed her mischievous hand, brought it to her lips and kissed it, and said with a smile, "Will you continue to be a print model?"

"What?"

"Yesterday, the photographer sister liked you very much."

"Let me consider it."

Cheng Suran struggled to withdraw her hand, but Jiang Yu exerted a little force, and didn't let it go. The two went back and forth, as if they were playing. Taking advantage of the girl's inattention, Jiang Yu flipped around and held her down.

The light above her head was blocked, and a dark shadow enveloped her.

A hand grasped the chin.

Breath slowly lingering over her.

Suddenly, the memory of that night flashed in Cheng Suran's mind, and she trembled uncontrollably, and whimpered in her throat.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yu noticed something was wrong with her and raised her head.