Chapter 16
It hadn’t snowed in Qinan City for a long time.
As the grand fireworks display faded, snowflakes began to fall. Jiang Siyi’s lips moved, wanting to say something, but no words came out, only a puff of white mist.
The mist rose, dancing with the snow.
She had wanted to ask so many questions, like—
Why did you come back so soon?
Why did you go abroad in the first place?
But she had no right to ask.
The tears at the corners of her eyes had been wiped away, just like that rainy night when Shen Shiwu had wiped the rain from her face.
She bit her lip and took a few steps back.
Seeing the girl’s obvious attempt to distance herself, Shen Shiwu lowered her eyes.
It was snowing, and it was too cold outside. And… they needed a quieter environment to break the ice.
So she coaxed softly, “Xiao Si, let’s go back to the car, okay?”
Several snowflakes had landed on Jiang Siyi’s clothes, melting into small puddles.
It was indeed getting cold.
She rubbed her numb fingers and finally nodded.
The car was quiet. The girl huddled in her seat, feeling the warmth gradually returning, and finally unclenched her fists.
“I went abroad to visit my mother.”
She had intended to take Jiang Siyi with her, but that night, before she could say anything, she had been interrupted.
Thinking that the girl had school and plans with her friends for New Year’s Eve, Shen Shiwu hadn’t brought it up again, choosing to step back.
She took a dark red box out of her pocket.
Her voice was even softer, as if afraid of disturbing Jiang Siyi. “This is from my mother to you. A necklace from Auntie Jiang.”
Jiang Siyi’s hands clenched into fists again. She turned and took the box.
“Auntie Jiang left it behind many years ago.”
The girl opened the box and looked at the jade necklace inside, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions: sadness, but mostly surprise.
Her mother’s death had been sudden, and most of her belongings had been thrown away by that despicable Li Nan the next day.
Young Jiang Siyi had cried her eyes out that night, then gone to the garbage dump in the dark to search for them, but to no avail.
Jiang Siyi closed the box. This time, she didn’t cry. She looked at Shen Shiwu and said seriously, “Can I change my wish?”
She had changed her mind.
Shen Shiwu was stunned for a second, then readily agreed. “Of course.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me forever.”
The woman paused.
“I want you to ruin Li Nan’s company.”
This thought had actually crossed Shen Shiwu’s mind a few months ago. She had even thought of giving it to Jiang Siyi as a gift.
Just a company.
Taking it to appease a child wasn’t a bad idea.
But she hadn’t expected the girl to bring it up herself.
Shen Shiwu agreed without hesitation. “No problem.”
“But…”
She unconsciously gritted her teeth slightly. “You don’t have to choose.”
“I can fulfill both wishes for you.”
Being my older sister and taking care of me forever?
Jiang Siyi wasn’t a selfish person, but she couldn’t help it when it came to Shen Shiwu. She was unwilling to let go, wanting to monopolize the rest of the woman’s life… but she had no choice.
Finally, she let out a bitter laugh. “Okay.”
“Thank you, older sister.”
***
New Year’s Eve was just a beautiful interlude. Afterward, the high school students had to return to their monotonous study life.
Xu Yuan noticed another change in Jiang Siyi recently.
Or rather, a reversion to her old self.
“What’s wrong with you these past few days? Sleeping in class, not handing in your homework…”
The cafeteria was noisy, filled with students carrying trays. The two girls sat in a corner, a relatively quiet spot, but Jiang Siyi seemed to be deaf, only looking up after a long while. “Huh?”
“…”
“Are you pretending again? Is something bothering you?”
Jiang Siyi gulped down her oolong tea and continued playing dumb. “No.”
Seeing the other girl’s suspicious gaze, she sighed and finally spoke, but only vaguely. “Just experienced the feeling of unrequited love.”
Xu Yuan’s eyes widened. She stopped eating and accused Jiang Siyi of not treating her like a friend.
“You didn’t even tell me!”
“It’s not that.”
Jiang Siyi held her chopsticks and continued, “The situation is a little… special.”
“I might…”
She struggled to say the words. “I think I like Shen Shiwu.”
Xu Yuan chattered all the way back to the classroom.
No. 1 High School had a large campus with many buildings. In the summer, walking from the cafeteria to the classroom would leave you drenched in sweat.
And winter wasn’t much better.
The wind was strong, biting cold. Jiang Siyi pushed the chattering Xu Yuan. “If you keep talking, the wind will blow your teeth out.”
“Let it blow then,” she said nonchalantly. “I’m telling you, she’s not your real sister, just the older sister next door. What’s wrong with dating her?”
“Besides, you’ll officially be eighteen tomorrow.”
Jiang Siyi wrapped her winter uniform tighter and, before running off, considerately said, “I’ll go ahead,” then rushed into the classroom building.
Back in the classroom, it was still freezing. She didn’t understand why the school didn’t turn on the heating, when they were so generous with the air conditioning in the summer.
Xu Yuan hadn’t caught up yet, probably giving up and walking slowly.
Jiang Siyi tossed all her books into her desk and prepared to hibernate.
She couldn’t sleep.
Lying on her desk was just a way to hide her emotions.
Some idiot boy opened the window at the back of the classroom, and a gust of cold wind swept in, scattering several students’ test papers.
“What are you doing? Close it!” someone complained.
“Close it? This is fun!”
Jiang Siyi, already in a bad mood, snapped, “Try opening the window again.”
This made the students’ hearts skip a beat.
They had seen Jiang Siyi fight before; she was fearless.
The boy, probably thinking she had become much more docile recently, retorted, “I’ll open it, so what?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Siyi kicked his desk over.
Papers fluttered to the floor, a sea of white, like the snow on New Year’s Eve.
Before kicking the desk, she had considerately reassured the student sitting in front of him, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
The student, the class representative, a quiet girl, obediently replied, “Okay.”
The boy suddenly fell silent.
He remembered a boy on the first floor last semester who had gotten six stitches after fighting with Jiang Siyi and had spent a week in the hospital.
While Jiang Siyi had only gotten a few scratches.
He gave a nervous laugh, not wanting to lose face completely. After closing the window, he waved his hand dismissively, as if it had all been a joke, then squatted down to right his desk.
Jiang Siyi watched him coldly, scoffed, and went back to “hibernating.”
Even with the window closed, the classroom was still freezing. The girl tucked her hands into her sleeves, suddenly remembering the scarf Shen Shiwu had wrapped around her neck that night.
Cashmere, warm, carrying her scent.
It had been a gift, but Jiang Siyi hadn’t accepted it.
It didn’t belong to her.
Just like the scarf, Shen Shiwu didn’t belong to her either.
Xu Yuan finally arrived, finding the classroom unusually quiet. No one was speaking, making her think Sister Bao was there.
But after looking around, she didn’t see the teacher.
She had originally planned to encourage Jiang Siyi to pursue her love bravely, but seeing her sleeping soundly, she decided to let it be.
Returning to her seat, she secretly took out her phone and checked the delivery status of the birthday present she had bought.
***
School ended a little late today. Jiang Siyi messaged Auntie Wang as she walked, saying the teacher had kept them late and that she was on her way down.
The reply she received was, “Miss Jiang, the boss is picking you up today.”
She paused, then unconsciously quickened her pace.
It was late, the sunset fading. Students streamed out of the school in twos and threes, Jiang Siyi leading the way. But after swiping her card to exit the school gate, her pace slowed, like an elderly person taking a stroll.
Shen Shiwu always stood out.
Today, she was wearing a white coat, her hair slightly curled, her red lips eye-catching, radiating an aura of elegance.
“Xiao Si, over here.” She had already spotted the girl amongst the crowd.
Seeing her practically dragging her feet, Shen Shiwu walked over and adjusted her collar. “It’s colder than usual today. Why didn’t you wear the scarf I gave you?”
Jiang Siyi smelled the faint fragrance on her and turned her head slightly.
“I’m… not that cold,” she said.
The car was warm. Jiang Siyi sat in the passenger seat, her thick winter uniform making her look like a fluffy snowball.
She hugged her backpack, her hands still tucked inside her sleeves.
“Why are you picking me up today?”
Her hands still hidden, she fidgeted with the straps of her backpack as she asked the question.
“Because I wanted to,” she said, her side profile beautiful as she drove. “What, is Xiao Si about to become an adult and doesn’t want me to pick her up from school anymore?”
Jiang Siyi sniffed and mumbled, “No, it’s not that.”
“Should we eat out tonight?”
“No,” the girl refused after a moment of thought. “School is tiring. I want to go home and rest early.”
“Okay.”
She couldn’t help but feel that Shen Shiwu was driving faster than usual today. When they arrived home, she finally understood why.
The Shen villa had five floors. Usually, even climbing the stairs was tiring for Jiang Siyi, but Shen Shiwu had spent the entire day decorating every floor.
The girl in her school uniform stood frozen on the floor covered in flower petals, her eyes taking in the bouquets and balloons.
Then, Shen Shiwu appeared before her, holding a cake.
“Your birthday isn’t until after midnight. I was originally planning to have dinner outside to kill some time.” Her voice was slightly apologetic.
I shouldn’t have refused, Jiang Siyi thought.
“But why can’t we celebrate two birthdays?”
Shen Shiwu’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “The first birthday is for Xiao Si, who just turned ten.”
A golden “10” candle was placed on the cake, its light making Jiang Siyi’s eyes well up.
This was her first birthday since her mother’s death.
“You should be in fifth grade now,” Shen Shiwu said, her tone like that of a doting adult. “I want to tell the you of that time—”
“Wait a little longer.”
Her voice trailed off softly, like a whisper in the clouds, gentle and tender.
“Wait a few more years, and someone will come and take care of you.”
“And it’ll last a lifetime. They won’t leave.”
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