Su Xue bit her lip fiercely as she stared at Han Jiaojiao, her heart aching unbearably.
"Han Jiaojiao, I misjudged you! How are you any different from those seemingly radiant but rotten to the core socialites? To think I've always considered you a friend!... No, you're even more terrifying than them! You stand by and watch as others die! You abet the tyrant!"
If it had been the old Han Jiaojiao, such words would have surely caused her great pain, but the current Han Jiaojiao had already foreseen Su Xue's end, so she felt nothing special. She quietly watched Su Xue's lips move, as though she were looking at a dead person.
Han Jiaojiao was too calm, so calm that it sent chills down Su Xue's spine.
"Su Xue." Han Jiaojiao waited until she had finished speaking before she spoke indifferently, "This time I will pretend nothing happened, but if there's a next time, the Han Family's lawyers will be seeing your father at his office."
After Han Jiaojiao finished speaking, she opened the car door and sat inside.
Su Xue was still somewhat dazed by Han Jiaojiao's words when the car window rolled down a bit—
Han Yi's deep voice came from inside the car, "Miss Su, you certainly have a way with words, it's just a pity that my sister recently does not care for this type."
The car sped off, leaving behind only a cloud of dust and the pale-faced Su Xue.
She never expected Han Yi to be in the car. Usually, Han Jiaojiao would avoid him at all costs, but today she was actually in the same car with Han Yi...
After all, just a teenage girl, the rumors about Han Yi chilled Su Xue to the bone.
"Miss Su, I'm sorry... It's all my fault for dragging you into this. If it hadn't been for my pleading at the hospital entrance... It's just my rotten luck..."
"Sister Hu, how can you say it's a burden? Don't worry, go home and take good care of your child, I will think of a way to help you."
"Miss Su, you're truly a kind-hearted person. In today's world, there are too few people like you, those rich folks don't even bother to look at people like us..."
......
Han Jiaojiao in the car was very quiet, her thick eyelashes slightly drooped, and she was half-closing her eyes, lost in thought.
Han Yi was playfully holding one of her hands in his palm, and Han Jiaojiao giggled, "Brother, that tickles."
Han Yi released her hand and instead encircled her waist.
"Feeling upset? Hm?"
Han Jiaojiao leaned in obediently and shook her head, "No, I was just thinking about the past, feeling rather foolish."
— Of course, this incident had occurred in her previous life too. At that time, Han Jiaojiao had already been home early, and Su Xue, accompanied by Sister Hu, had come to visit. Han Jiaojiao didn't hesitate to side with Su Xue. She remembered calling Han Yi with a terrible tone, demanding he release them immediately, to which Han Yi had coldly replied that it wasn't her concern, followed by Han Jiaojiao cursing him on the phone for his riches making him heartless and indifferent to human life...
If she had only been a bit more rational, a little calmer, she might have noticed the anomalies. On the day of the shooting, Han Yi had brought four bodyguards, so why was it that only Liu Jing disappeared after the incident? How did the perpetrator know about Han Yi's schedule in advance? After all, Han Yi's decision to accompany her to school had been a last-minute one due to her tantrum at home.
At that time, her prejudice against her brother had been too great, causing her to accuse him carelessly without a second thought.
How foolish she had been...
Han Yi's hand gently caressed her waist as he murmured, "Oh... If you were foolish before, has the current Jiaojiao become smart now?"
Han Jiaojiao actually started to ponder this seriously, wondering if she was indeed smart now.
After thinking for a while, she felt that she was still quite foolish.
In the apocalyptic world, after she lost her brother, she had indeed become much more clear-headed, saw through many people's true colors, and successfully avoided numerous traps and ambushes. However, that wasn't because she spotted any flaws, but merely because she became extremely cautious and vigilant after being bitten once and fearing the well rope for ten years, which prevented her adversaries from succeeding. From this perspective, she could only be considered careful, not necessarily smart.
Alas!...
Han Jiaojiao sighed in her heart, resting her head on Han Yi's shoulder, and said with immense frustration, "When I was little, Mom said that reading more would make me smarter, so I studied hard and always came first in class... It turns out Mom was lying to me..."
Han Yi chuckled softly.
"How could Aunt Bai lie to Jiaojiao? Reading more certainly makes you smarter."
Han Jiaojiao looked blankly at Han Yi for a good while before she finally realized what he meant and immediately felt extremely embarrassed.
"Brother! You!... Why are you so mean!"
So, it was a good thing she had studied; otherwise, she'd be even dumber, right?
"Being able to tell that Brother is teasing you means Jiaojiao is very smart," Han Yi's lips curved into a smile.
"Villain! Since I was little, you've always had this gloomy face to scare me, and now you're even making fun of me!"
Han Yi greatly enjoyed Han Jiaojiao's pouty demeanor; he took one of her hands and lightly touched it to his lips, his deep and dark eyes gazing directly at her, "Brother is only bad to you, is that okay?"
Han Jiaojiao's face turned red, her heart pounding fiercely. Her brother had recently taken to saying such embarrassing things... Ah, it was truly too mortifying...
She had once thought him to be a cold person, but unexpectedly, he could say such cheesy words too.
With her face blushing, Han Jiaojiao lowered her head and wrapped her arms even tighter around Han Yi's arm.
The car drove steadily forward, the two of them leaning on each other, the distance between them seeming even closer.
——When Han Jiaojiao returned to the home she remembered from her memories, and saw the familiar bricks and tiles, the grass, and trees, she couldn't help but feel her eyes well up with tears.
She tried to calm her inner excitement; after all, she had only been away from home for a few days.
At the age of eight, Han Jiaojiao moved into the house with her mother. That was when she first met Han Yi. Their relationship could not be considered good. A sixteen-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl really had little to say to each other; moreover, the differences in family background and status made Han Yi early on become cold and aloof, and he was mostly silent at home. Still, every time she saw him, she would cheerfully greet him with a "Hello, Brother."
Her memories of that time were vivid, filled with laughter everywhere. She would sit by the little pond in the garden feeding the fish, her mom would braid her cute little braids, Han dad would teach her how to write with a brush, they would go on the swings together, Sister Wu had already started her habit of nagging... And Han Yi? She actually couldn't recall what Han Yi was doing...
Yes, he was always by himself, indifferently watching them from afar. Han Jiaojiao thought to herself, back then, he must have felt lonely, right?... Did he dislike her very much?
It should have been that he didn't dislike her...
Han Jiaojiao sneaked a peek at Han Yi, remembering the excessive things he did to her in the past, and the annoyance she once felt somehow all turned into sweetness.
He must have liked her very much... otherwise, why would he do those things to her...
Thinking that Han Yi had liked her since long ago, Han Jiaojiao felt both joy and pride walking into the house leaning on her brother, blissfully unaware of the astonished expressions of the servants along the way.
Walking behind with her head held high, Wu Xuelan caught the expressions of those people which were as if they'd been struck by lightning, and a strange sense of superiority crept up in her heart.
Han Jiaojiao, assisting Han Yi, stepped through the main door. Despite being mentally prepared, she couldn't help but shiver slightly at the sight of the familiar household items filled with memories.
This was once her home...
Han Yi looked down at her, "What's the matter?"
"It's nothing. Brother, I'm going upstairs to change clothes," she said, trying to suppress the thrill in her heart as she walked up the stairs one step at a time.