Everyone looked a little embarrassed.
Huo Junyu smiled gently, gripped Jiang Mianmian's hand tightly, and said in a deep voice, "Of course it's different."
“All my cousins call me Junyu-ge, so you should call me that too.” Huo Junyu smiled. “As for Junyu-gege… that’s a special name for our little Youzi.”
As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Mianmian.
A rare, captivating tenderness appeared on his sharply defined face.
The younger cousins exchanged smiles but remained silent. He Sirui's expression changed, and she forced a smile as well.
"Brother" and "elder brother" differ by only one character.
But for Huo Junyu, it was a world of difference.
"Brother Junyu" can only be left to Xiaoyouzi; there can be no one else.
A complex look flashed across He Sirui's eyes, but feeling embarrassed in front of so many people, she said half-jokingly, "What little pomelo? Heh... isn't her name Jiang Mianmian?"
"Sirui, what's wrong with you?" Huo Junyang glanced at her. "Don't you know? Mianmian is Xiaoyouzi! She's the Xiaoyouzi that Uncle Shan and Aunt Yuqing finally found!"
He Sirui twitched the corner of her mouth.
How could she not know! All along the way, Fu Xiuyu told them this story as if it were a legend.
What about "people destined to be together will eventually find their way back to each other"? What about "a predestined marriage cannot be broken up by anyone"? And what about "it was my Junyu who found Xiaoyouzi, which means even God is playing matchmaker for them!"
He Sirui gripped her wine glass, a shadow passing over her eyes.
At the same time, she also noticed that the gloom in Huo Junyu's eyes seemed to be even heavier than hers.
She pulled herself together and looked apologetically at Huo Junyu and Jiang Mianmian, saying, "I'm so sorry, I always speak faster than I think! Sister-in-law Mianmian, are you angry?"
Jiang Mianmian smiled calmly.
"Mianmian, I'm just a straightforward person, please don't mind me! And Junyu-ge... please don't mind me either, okay?"
He Sirui patted her head, laughing carefree. "Actually, I often called you Brother Junyu when we were little! But..."
“But childhood is childhood,” Huo Junyu interrupted her in a deep voice, “Now that we’re all grown up, there are some things we still need to be careful about. What do you think?”
"Yes, that's right!" He Sirui nodded quickly. "Brother Junyu is right!"
Huo Junyu nodded and smiled.
His hand never left Jiang Mianmian, and Jiang Mianmian was always held in his arms.
*
After the welcoming banquet, Jiang Mianmian would occasionally think of the He family's daughter.
Sometimes Lu Ran would discuss it with her: "How come He Sirui can do everything! Basketball, football, horse racing, video games, she seems to be good at everything!"
However, none of these things piqued her interest.
Lu Ran slumped over the table, letting out a helpless sigh, her tone carrying a hint of resentment.
Jiang Mianmian asked her, "What happened?"
Lu Ran pouted and whispered, "It's that game that Jun Yang often plays, He Sirui can play it too! But I... I can't."
Jiang Mianmian frowned, recalling something that had happened recently.
Ever since that banquet, He Sirui has been asking her out every few days. She says she's unfamiliar with the city and wants to hang out with her, hoping to make some friends.
Jiang Mianmian had gone out to eat with her twice, and each time He Sirui would insist on paying the bill, her generous and unpretentious attitude like that of a boy.
The phrase she most often says is: "I'm always straightforward and speak without thinking. My mom always says I'm as careless as a boy."
One time, Jiang Mianmian felt she had heard it so many times that she smiled and said, "Not all boys are like that. My Junyu is very thoughtful!"
He Sirui was speechless for a long time after being cornered by her, and after a while she got tired and didn't want to go shopping anymore.
Jiang Mianmian maintained a distance and politeness towards her throughout. When she said she wasn't going shopping, she waved goodbye gracefully, and the two went their separate ways.
But hearing Lu Ran's words today, she suddenly felt something was off. He Sirui was clearly a girl, yet she liked things that men liked.
It's not that girls can't like these things, but it's just too much of a coincidence.
"Sister, do you think I misunderstood her?" Lu Ran looked at her with her bright eyes. "Maybe He Sirui was born a tomboy. That's why she likes basketball and soccer, and why she's so carefree about many things."
"Really...?" Jiang Mianmian was a little confused.
She didn't want to speculate about others without reason, especially since the He family was a long-time friend of the Fu family, and He Sirui was brought to Yangcheng by Fu Xiuyu.
Jiang Mianmian patted Lu Ran on the shoulder and chuckled, "Don't worry about her for now. The film studio will open in a few weeks, and many celebrities will be there. Have you prepared your plans yet?"
Lu Ran smiled and handed her a draft.
The case was handled perfectly, with not only Plan B, but also Plans B, C, D, F, and E... to deal with all kinds of emergencies and prepare for any eventuality.
"Sister, I've been looking at the financial statements lately, and I feel that Lu's business is still too reliant on Qingshan Entertainment. For a large conglomerate, if it becomes too dependent on a single business, it's quite detrimental to the group's development."
“I’ve also considered the issue you raised,” Jiang Mianmian said softly. “But even if we’re going to reform, we have to do it step by step. Some of the board members are veterans who have worked their way up with my father. They are also long-time employees of Qingshan Entertainment, so we have to take their situation into consideration.”
“Yes, I understand,” Lu Ran said. “In short, we can’t rush this; we have to take it slowly.”
Just then, Jiang Mianmian's phone vibrated. She looked at it and saw that it was a message from He Sirui, inviting her to dinner.
Just as Jiang Mianmian was thinking about how to refuse, He Sirui called:
"Mianmian, I've sent you the address. It's tonight, see you there! Oh, and let's invite Ranran too, let's have a blast tonight!"
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