Chapter 13 might be more interesting
At this moment, the phone suddenly vibrated and "Unknown Caller" popped up on the screen.
She lowered her head slightly and slid the screen gently to answer the call.
The lazy and slightly playful voice instantly penetrates the eardrums.
"Miss Jiang, would you please go to the hot spring villa?"
Lu Zhaoye?
"Mr. Lu, are you asking me out?"
As she spoke, her fingertips circled the dead vines hanging from the pavilion pillars, and there was a hint of teasing in her tone.
"Lu Yiqiao asked me to ask." He sneered, "She had to make me ask you whether you were coming or not."
Hearing this, the dry vine in her hand was inadvertently broken and broke into two pieces.
Jiang Tingwan found it a little funny and couldn't help asking, "When did Master Lu start to listen to his sister so much?"
"I can't help it. My lighter is still with someone."
But I could clearly hear the sound of a lighter opening and closing from the other end of the phone.
Jiang Tingwan thought of the silver lighter she had taken that night, and her mood inexplicably became cheerful, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised: "Mr. Lu, are you looking for an excuse to see me?"
"Love comes or goes."
There was impatience in his tone.
Jiang Tingwan couldn't help but laugh out loud, and the image of Lu Zhaoye's dark face at that moment appeared in her mind.
She subconsciously looked in the direction of the study, and suddenly a strong urge surged in her heart, wanting to escape from this cold and depressing house.
"Wait."
She said this neatly and hung up the phone.
She didn't notice the curve at the corner of her mouth.
I didn't realize that my mood at this moment was much lighter than when I came here.
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When Ruan Yue came out of the study, he looked dazed.
She stood in the porch, as thin as a piece of paper that could be blown away by the wind at any time.
Jiang Tingwan walked up to her and handed her a cup of hot tea, "Are you okay?"
Ruan Yue held the teacup and forced a smile.
"Before coming here, I thought of many possibilities...anger, guilt, tears of recognition."
She looked down at the swaying reflection in the cup. "I didn't expect it to be such a... polite yet distant meeting."
Jiang Tingwan was silent for a moment.
She understood the feeling, but that was how the Jiang family was.
"You'll get used to it." That's all she said in the end.
Ruan Yue suddenly looked up, her eyes wet: "But... you are different."
The girl's voice was very soft, but very serious. "You make me feel...close."
Jiang Tingwan was stunned.
"Can I..."
Ruan Yue asked cautiously, "I will call you sister from now on?"
Jiang Tingwan looked at the girl in front of him who was completely different from herself, and inexplicably felt a sense of pity for her.
"Of course." Her tone remained calm, but she softened her voice unconsciously.
"The Lu family invited me to the hot spring villa tonight, do you want to come with us?"
Ruan Yue's eyes lit up, then dimmed again: "Will it disturb you..."
Jiang Tingwan chuckled: "Don't worry, Lu Zhaoye has a big mouth, and it would be better if he had one more person to anger him."
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On the wooden corridor of the hot spring villa, lanterns sway in the twilight.
Ruan Yue followed behind Jiang Tingwan, looking around curiously, with a gleam in her eyes.
This was her first time in such a place.
"Sister, that pool is so beautiful."
She pointed to the steaming rose pond in the distance, and unconsciously revealed a bit of girlish joy, and the morning's gloom seemed to have been swept away.
Jiang Tingwan raised the corners of his lips slightly: "I'll take you there later."
"Wanwan, who is this?" Lu Yiqiao came over without knowing when, his eyes wandering over Ruan Yue.
"My sister." Jiang Tingwan said lightly.
"Which sister?" Someone nearby was curious, "When did the Jiang family have another daughter?"
Jiang Tingwan just smiled without saying anything. She gently held Ruan Yue's wrist, indicating that she didn't need to be nervous.
When everyone saw this, they just thought she was a cousin from one of the Jiang family's branches and didn't ask any more questions.
At the end of the corridor, Lu Zhaoye leaned lazily against a pillar.
He rarely wore a light-colored casual shirt today, with his collar casually open and a few strands of hair hanging in front of his forehead, giving him a rare youthfulness.
Seeing Jiang Tingwan, he stood up, walked over and held out his hand: "Lighter."
Jiang Tingwan took out a silver lighter from her handbag, waved it in front of him, and then put it back: "You want it? Come and get it yourself."
There was a sudden commotion all around.
"Hey, when did Mr. Lu become so familiar with Miss Jiang?" Bai Che teased.
"That's right, don't you hate it most when women get close to you?" someone said.
Lu Zhaoye narrowed his eyes and suddenly took a step forward.
Before Jiang Tingwan could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.
He lowered his head to her ear and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Your sister is watching, are you sure you want to play this game with me?"
The warm breath brushed past her earlobe, and Jiang Tingwan caught a glimpse of Ruan Yue covering her mouth in surprise, and the tip of her ear felt slightly hot.
She snorted and slapped the lighter on his chest: "Give it back to you."
Lu Zhaoye took the lighter and a triumphant smile appeared on the corner of his lips.
Then he turned and walked towards the campsite, leaving the stunned onlookers in the corridor and Jiang Tingwan with his body temperature still on her wrist.
Ruan Yue came over quietly: "Sister...you guys..."
"Don't learn from him." Jiang Tingwan's voice softened a little, and the corners of her lips rose without her noticing.
-------------------------------------------
As dusk fell, the campfire in the center of the campground crackled and sparks rose.
Lu Zhaoye casually flipped the steaks on the grill, and the fat dripped onto the charcoal, stirring up an enticing aroma.
His gaze passed over the dancing flames and fell on Ruan Yue opposite him.
The girl was carefully stringing marshmallows on bamboo sticks, stealing glances at Jiang Tingwan from time to time, her eyes full of dependence.
"Jiang's sister?" Lu Zhaoye suddenly asked, with a hint of amusement in his voice, "She doesn't look like your family."
Jiang Tingwan was sprinkling cumin on the barbecue and paused when she heard this: "What do you mean?"
"Eyes." Lu Zhaoye turned the beer can nonchalantly, "She looks at people very innocently, unlike you—"
He raised his eyes, the firelight reflected on his deep outline, "hiding eight hundred eyes."
Jiang Tingwan glanced at him and handed him the grilled skewers: "Why can't I shut you up?"
After Ruan Yue walked away, Jiang Tingwan looked at Lu Zhaoye seriously, "Mr. Lu is so interested in the Jiang family's affairs?"
"Just a casual question."
He chuckled, "I'm just curious, how should the Jiang family's biological daughter and adopted daughter get along?" He paused deliberately, "How should they get along?"
The night breeze blew by, carrying with it the smell of burnt charcoal.
Jiang Tingwan didn't ask him how he knew Ruan Yue's identity.
Although he is not as good at calculating as Shen Guan, he has been in the army after all, so his insight must be different from that of ordinary people.
Besides, there was what happened last night.
She seemed to be casual: "Then Mr. Lu, do you think that for a wealthy family, a biological daughter or an adopted daughter is more important?"
Lu Zhaoye did not answer immediately, but looked at her for a few seconds.
"Jiang Tingwan, what you really want to ask is what I think of the identity of 'Jiang family's adopted daughter'?" He lowered his head and continued to flip the grilled pork.
Jiang Tingwan was not annoyed when the truth was pointed out to her. Instead, she looked straight at him and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Lu?"
"I'm not being cautious." He leaned back and pulled the corner of his mouth. "Benefits are not that important to me."
The night wind blew by, ruffling his hair and dispersing the smoke from the barbecue.
At that moment, Jiang Tingwan seemed to see the young Lu Zhaoye - unruly, but surprisingly real.
"My parents were married through alliance," he said lazily, "but they loved each other."
The firelight illuminated Lu Zhaoye's deep brows and eyes. "I used to think that the daughters of rich girls in this circle were either spoiled and annoying, or quiet and boring, and marriages would definitely be boring."
His eyes fell on Jiang Tingwan, with some complicated emotions: "Later I thought if I met someone interesting... maybe it would be quite interesting."
Jiang Tingwan suddenly started coughing, her face turned red from choking on the chili powder. She quickly turned her head to drink water, taking the opportunity to avoid Lu Zhaoye's sight.
The two of them didn't notice that the skewer in the girl's hand not far away fell into the fire with a "pop" and turned into a charred ball in an instant.
The crackling bonfire cast shadows of the three people, each with their own thoughts.
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