Volume One, Chapter Five: Brother Chuanhe, the Sister You Love Has Been Going on Blind Dates All These Years

Seeing the expression on his face, Jiang Weiyue sighed inwardly. The provocation tactic had not failed her; even the great protagonist Song Chuanhe could not withstand it.

Come on, then. Strangle her, and she could return to the modern world, no longer needing to struggle with starting a business while constantly guarding against Song Chuanhe’s eventual revenge.

She closed her eyes, her long, curled, crow-feather-like eyelashes trembling uncontrollably.

Watching Jiang Weiyue’s submissive posture, Song Chuanhe felt a surge of rage. In her heart, was her life really so worthless? Did she think he didn't know the purpose of her words and actions? Wasn't she just trying to provoke him into doing something impulsive? If it were his younger self, he might have succumbed, but after years of tempering, his temperament had matured. How could he be swayed by her amateur provocation?

He sneered, his large hand resting on her slender waist, tracing slowly upward. With every inch he ascended, he could feel Jiang Weiyue trembling. As he reached a certain point, Jiang Weiyue could bear it no longer and opened her eyes.

Their gazes met, but Jiang Weiyue was the first to look away, swatting his arm off her body. Song Chuanhe was not annoyed. He was inherently unrestrained by nature, and even after years of discipline in the military, his primal instincts still surfaced uncontrollably in front of the woman he had once loved. Moreover, he was no saint; he could not be completely indifferent to the woman he had once deeply adored. For all these years, his feelings for her had been a tangled mess of love and hate. Yet, regardless of the hate or the love, he would not let her go easily.

"If you were so prepared to die, why can't you handle even a few touches from me?"

"Song Chuanhe, what exactly do you want? Do you find it amusing to humiliate me?"

As she spoke, tears began to pool in her eyes. She did not fear death, but she could not accept this kind of degradation from him. She felt incredibly unlucky—why should she be the one to pay for the mistakes of the original host?

Watching her weep, the desire to ruthlessly humiliate her suddenly vanished from Song Chuanhe’s heart.

He leaned down to her ear and whispered, syllable by syllable, "If you can't even handle this, how will you manage? The game has begun. Prepare yourself, and remember: do not try to end your life. If you do, your family—including that little sister who has followed you since childhood—will pay the price for your actions."

His voice was husky and low, like the haunting melody of a precious instrument, yet to Jiang Weiyue, it sounded like the whisper of a demon from the abyss. After saying this, he bit down hard on her neck before standing up and leaving.

Long after he had gone, Jiang Weiyue lay on the bed, unable to recover. His words echoed in her ears like a curse, looping over and over again. Eventually, she fell into a fitful sleep and overslept. If not for Jiang Weiyi calling her, they wouldn't have even made it to the stall today.

"Big sister, big sister, it’s four o'clock. We need to get up and make breakfast."

Jiang Weiyue sat up groggily and called out to the person outside, "I know. Go ahead and pump some water first."

"Got it, sister."

Outside in the courtyard, Jiang Weiyi began pumping water energetically. Jiang Weiyue changed quickly, but as she brushed her hair, a sharp pain flared at her neck. Yesterday’s memories flooded back like an old movie. Jiang Weiyue’s ears and cheeks burned, especially when she saw the mark on her neck. Song Chuanhe must have been a dog in his past life. With no other choice, she grabbed a silk scarf and wrapped it around her throat.

When she emerged, young Jiang Weiyi was already tending the fire. Jiang Weiyue didn't idle; she went to the pot to check the dough she had prepared the night before. Since the weather was warm, it had risen perfectly. She placed it on the board to knead and began preparing the filling for the buns.

As she worked, Jiang Weiyi blinked her large eyes and asked curiously, "Big sister, it's so hot outside, why are you wearing a scarf?"

"It’s for decoration," Jiang Weiyue replied, somewhat unnaturally. "You have school today, and the temple fair is over. I'm not sure if we can sell much at the gate of the steel mill, so I decided not to make too much breakfast. I'm worried it won't sell."

"Got it, sister! The mother cat next door at Erdan’s place just gave birth. They asked me yesterday if I wanted a kitten. I didn't want one at first, but didn't you say yesterday that we had mice? I think we should take one."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Jiang Weiyue, who was taking a sip of water, nearly choked to death at this remark. If her little sister knew that the "mouse" from yesterday was actually Song Chuanhe, she wondered what expression she would make.

***

Early that morning, Jiang Weili was already lurking outside the steel mill manager's office. She had dressed up for the occasion, wearing a red polyester shirt, a coarse cloth skirt, braids in her hair, and light makeup. She carried a metal lunchbox, looking left and right.

Yesterday afternoon, she had sought out Song Chuanhe to ask how he had been and to apologize on behalf of Jiang Weiyue and their whole family. Just as she had expected, Song Chuanhe’s attitude toward her was quite good. While she was pleased, she also felt deep regret, cursing her past self for listening to her parents and marrying that seemingly honest man, only to live a life of bitterness. If she had been as proactive as she was now, seizing the chance to enter his world, she would have been the manager’s wife, the wife of a wealthy man, long ago.

Of course, while showing concern for Song Chuanhe, she didn't forget to badmouth Jiang Weiyue. "Oh, Brother Chuanhe, you wouldn't know, but in the years you were gone, my sister lived so freely. People were always coming to propose to her; she’s seen men from all over the surrounding ten miles."

"It's a pity my sister's standards are too high. She’s been picky for so long and hasn't settled on anyone. Now, no one comes to propose to her anymore."

As expected, Song Chuanhe’s face darkened the moment she finished. She knew he wanted to hear that Jiang Weiyue had lived a miserable life, not that she had been out on dates. He was clearly dissatisfied, which meant he would surely escalate his retaliation against her. That was exactly why he had been unable to resist going to Jiang Weiyue’s house last night.

Just as Jiang Weili was lost in thought, a familiar, tall figure appeared in the distance. It was Song Chuanhe—Brother Chuanhe.