It was still raining outside, but the wind was not as strong as before.

Jiang Shuyi glanced at the unopened suitcase that Wen Yao had left at home.

It seemed that she had been blocked by that man as soon as she returned from school.

"...Do you need help packing?" Jiang Shuyi asked.

". . ."

Wen Yao calmly shook her head.

After a moment, she pressed her lips together and looked up at Jiang Shuyi.

"Jiang Shuyi, can you wait for me outside for a moment?"

"Huh?" Jiang Shuyi seemed a bit taken aback.

"...I need to change clothes." Wen Yao said expressionlessly.

For some reason, Jiang Shuyi's ears turned red.

"...Oh, I see."

Jiang Shuyi repeated her response, put her hands in the pockets of her coat, picked up the umbrella that Wen Yao had left by the door, and quickly walked out.

"Okay, take your time. I'll go grab a cab."

". . ."

Watching Jiang Shuyi leave the room, Wen Yao picked up the item that was pressed under the pillow on the bed—

After Jiang Shuyi hailed a taxi, she quickly returned to the old building where Wen Yao lived, holding the umbrella.

It was still quite cold in the rain.

"So cold." Jiang Shuyi sniffed.

The area of her shirt where Wen Yao's tears had soaked was still a bit damp, and she could smell a watery rose scent, with an undertone of distant coldness.

The image of Wen Yao crying flashed through her mind.

"I'm done."

A cold voice suddenly rang out in front of her, pulling Jiang Shuyi back to reality.

Wen Yao had already packed her things and was standing downstairs.

"Is that all your luggage?" Jiang Shuyi was momentarily taken aback by the sight of Wen Yao's belongings.

Even someone as unkempt as she was would take a large suitcase wherever she went.

But Wen Yao had very little luggage—just a backpack and a small rolling suitcase.

"What about your books?"

"They're all in the suitcase." Wen Yao replied as usual.

Wen Yao had many books.

Jiang Shuyi estimated that if Wen Yao packed all her books into the suitcase, she would still have plenty of room left, and she fell silent for a moment.

Wen Yao managed to fit all her belongings into a small suitcase that barely reached her waist.

Facing Jiang Shuyi's puzzled gaze, Wen Yao calmly dragged her suitcase.

"I looked around the room for a long time and realized that I don't have much to take."

". . ."

Hearing this, Jiang Shuyi's hand holding the umbrella began to feel cold again, and she couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.

She looked at Wen Yao and nodded, unsure of what to say.

She held the umbrella over Wen Yao's head, "Let's go, we're heading to my house."

". . ." Wen Yao walked beside her, "Mm."

After walking for a while, Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi's chest, "Sorry for getting your shirt wet."

". . ." Jiang Shuyi patted Wen Yao's head, "It's fine, don't worry about it."

The two of them arrived at the taxi that Jiang Shuyi had called earlier.

Jiang Shuyi placed the suitcase in the trunk.

---

Before long, the taxi slowly stopped in front of Jiang Shuyi's home.

Jiang Shuyi and Wen Yao got out and retrieved the suitcase.

Wen Yao looked up at Jiang Shuyi's house.

Jiang Shuyi's house was a modern-looking villa with white walls and large floor-to-ceiling windows, giving it a very minimalist appearance.

Jiang Shuyi held the umbrella and led Wen Yao inside.

At that moment, the headlights of a green Bentley parked in front of Jiang Shuyi's house suddenly turned off.

Jiang Shuyi glanced at the Bentley.

A woman in white high heels walked slowly toward Jiang Shuyi and Wen Yao, holding an umbrella.

The woman had a neat, short haircut and was holding her phone to her ear.

"When we meet tomorrow afternoon, I want each of you to present your own solutions..."

"I understand your difficulties, but you need to realize that we all have our challenges..."

As she tucked her handbag under her left arm, she glanced at her watch.

"Come back in two hours to discuss it again, we must reach a conclusion today."

"Mom, you're back?" Jiang Shuyi greeted the short-haired woman.

Tang Wenzhen was wearing a winter black wool coat, with a white turtleneck sweater underneath. She had a pair of black-framed glasses perched on her chest, looking somewhat serious.

Tang Wenzhen, holding her phone, gradually turned her gaze toward Wen Yao and Jiang Shuyi when she heard someone call her.

However, the moment their eyes met, she frowned slightly.

Then, without responding, she walked into the house.

Wen Yao couldn't help but lower her gaze at Tang Wenzhen's expression.

---

Jiang Shuyi followed Tang Wenzhen into the entryway.

"Wait a moment."

After finishing her call, Tang Wenzhen put the car keys back in her handbag and looked at Jiang Shuyi and Wen Yao with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Who is this behind you?"

"Oh, she's my classmate, Wen Yao." Jiang Shuyi pulled Wen Yao, who was standing at the door, into the entryway.

"She's going through some issues at home, so I invited her to stay with us for a while..."

"Hello, Auntie, I'm Wen Yao, a classmate of Jiang Shuyi."

Wen Yao politely addressed Tang Wenzhen.

"I'm sorry for suddenly disturbing you like this. Although Jiang Shuyi mentioned that I have some issues at home..."

"If you're not willing to accept an outsider like me, I won't hold it against you."

". . ." Jiang Shuyi frowned at Wen Yao for saying such things.

Tang Wenzhen looked at Wen Yao without speaking.

Jiang Shuyi felt a bit anxious.

"Mom," she quickly tugged at Tang Wenzhen's right hand, "You don't have any objections, do you? Wen Yao's home is really not a place to stay right now."

"And besides, her relatives aren't around, and someone as kind and generous as you wouldn't let my classmate sleep on the street, right?" Jiang Shuyi's expression was somewhat exaggerated.

But Tang Wenzhen, looking at Jiang Shuyi's actions, simply responded with an indifferent "Mm."

She nodded and left her changed white high heels by the door.

"Do as you wish."

As Tang Wenzhen walked into the house, she took off her coat.

As usual, she sat down at the long office desk in the living room and opened her computer.

Wen Yao watched Tang Wenzhen's back in silence.

Jiang Shuyi helped Wen Yao take out a pair of winter slippers.

"Wen Yao, you should put on these slippers."

Wen Yao shifted her gaze from Tang Wenzhen to Jiang Shuyi, who had placed the slippers in front of her, and nodded after a moment.

"Thank you."

"I didn't expect my mom to come back today, but don't worry. She may look a bit fierce, but she's actually very nice, just like you. She shouldn't say anything about you staying at our house."

Jiang Shuyi whispered to Wen Yao.

---

Jiang Shuyi's house had high ceilings, about twice the height of Wen Yao's home, making it suitable for playing basketball.

The house was filled with warm-toned recessed lights, but the overall atmosphere was not overly bright, creating a relaxing ambiance.

The living room had a semi-open design, with a row of floor-to-ceiling windows neatly lined up, allowing anyone sitting in the living room to see everything happening in the yard.

This was completely different from Wen Yao's west-facing room, where one could imagine how blinding the sunlight would be during the day.

Not far from the floor-to-ceiling windows stood a piano that looked quite expensive.

Wen Yao guessed without any reservations that it was probably a Persian carpet underneath the piano.

The high-quality wooden floor extended elegantly, showcasing the family's considerable wealth.

". . ."

Wen Yao followed Jiang Shuyi silently, her expression unreadable.

She had long known what kind of family this person came from, so she wasn't particularly surprised at this point.

"By the way."

As Jiang Shuyi and Wen Yao were about to go upstairs, Tang Wenzhen's voice rang out.

The short-haired woman slowly turned her head to look at the two of them, "You two haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Come eat with me."

Jiang Shuyi and Wen Yao exchanged glances, and after a moment, they both replied in unison:

"Okay."

"Sure."

---

The dining table was filled with many dishes.

Tang Wenzhen sat at the head of the table, slightly lowering her chin, sitting very elegantly and nobly.

Her gaze rested on Jiang Shuyi, who was serving soup for Wen Yao, and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

As if she had noticed Tang Wenzhen watching her, Jiang Shuyi's hand trembled as she served the soup.

She placed the soup in front of Wen Yao, then coughed lightly, stood up obediently, and respectfully served a bowl of soup to Tang Wenzhen, placing it in front of her.

On top of that, she also added a few pieces of vegetables to Tang Wenzhen's bowl.

"Mom, eat your vegetables."

Tang Wenzhen raised an eyebrow, nodded, and then slowly picked up her chopsticks to quietly start eating.

Tang Wenzhen was a typical elite woman.

But beyond that, there was an air of authority and pressure in her every gesture.

After taking a few bites, she looked at Wen Yao.

Wen Yao was swallowing her food with grace, every step looking pleasing to the eye.

Tang Wenzhen nodded in appreciation, then turned her gaze to her daughter—Jiang Shuyi.

Jiang Shuyi, perhaps feeling hungry, was shoveling meat into her mouth.

She was eating quite heartily, and before long, she had devoured everything in her bowl.

Tang Wenzhen closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a bit stifled in her chest. She slowly put down her chopsticks and looked at Wen Yao.

"Wen Yao, right?"

". . ." Wen Yao quietly looked at Tang Wenzhen and also put down her chopsticks, "Yes."

"Are you in the same class as Jiang Shuyi?" Tang Wenzhen propped her hand up.

Wen Yao calmly nodded, "Yes."

"Mom, Wen Yao is not only in the same class as me, but she's also our class monitor and ranks first in the grade."

Jiang Shuyi chimed in while serving herself soup.

"Jiang Shuyi, don't talk while eating." Tang Wenzhen sighed.

"...Oh." Jiang Shuyi lowered her head, somewhat dissatisfied.

"How is Jiang Shuyi performing in school?"

". . ." Jiang Shuyi frowned while biting into a chicken leg.

"She has been studying hard lately and has made a lot of progress in her exams." Wen Yao answered truthfully.

"Right, right, right, Mom, I've made a lot of progress in my exams. Teacher Li should have called you, right? It's all thanks to Wen Yao, she's been helping me study..."

Jiang Shuyi added after setting down the chicken leg.

Tang Wenzhen didn't even glance at Jiang Shuyi, "I didn't ask you."

She then looked at Wen Yao: "Is she still getting into fights at school?"

Jiang Shuyi became a bit anxious, "...Mom, I told you I'm not—"

"I didn't ask you." Tang Wenzhen interrupted Jiang Shuyi again.

Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi, seemingly recalling something from not long ago, but still calmly lied, "I haven't seen her get into fights."

Jiang Shuyi nodded at Wen Yao.

"Is that so?" Tang Wenzhen nodded in satisfaction and added some vegetables to Wen Yao's bowl.

"However, you must be quite busy with your studies, right? Teaching Jiang Shuyi won't be a bother for you, will it?"

Jiang Shuyi quickly added a few pieces of meat to Wen Yao's bowl, and Wen Yao glanced at the extra food in her bowl.

"No, it's not a bother."

During the meal, Tang Wenzhen inquired about Jiang Shuyi's matters from Wen Yao.

It was almost like she was digging deep, which made Jiang Shuyi feel quite nervous.

---

After dinner, Jiang Shuyi took Wen Yao to the guest room.

The ceiling in the guest room was a bit higher than in Wen Yao's home, but it was still more subdued compared to the living room, with soft lighting that was relaxing.

Wen Yao walked in silently.

The room was free of unnecessary clutter and devoid of any redundant decorations.

It looked very simple.

"I'm just next door, you can come find me anytime."

Jiang Shuyi pulled Wen Yao's suitcase inside.

The room had a single bed that hadn't been made up with sheets and blankets yet.

"Let me find it, it should be in here."

Jiang Shuyi skillfully stood in front of the wardrobe and, after a while, pulled out a clean duvet cover and sheets.

She and Wen Yao changed the sheets together and put the new duvet cover on.

Wen Yao was wearing a white wool sweater, her hair quietly falling by her ears, and as she shook the duvet, her hair was gently lifted by the wind.

"Wen Yao."

Wen Yao looked up at Jiang Shuyi.

"Right now, it feels like we—"

"...Mm?"

Jiang Shuyi paused, unable to think of a suitable word.

After thinking for a moment, she realized that since they weren't living in the same room, they weren't roommates, but this kind of living together relationship needed a description.

After a while, she found a word and exclaimed:

"It feels like we're sisters now!"

Wen Yao's hand shaking the duvet didn't stop. She looked up at Jiang Shuyi, her tone cold.

"Oh? Do you want to call me 'sister'?"

---

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