On this side, Jiang Jiang did not know that Ji Xu'an had already met Jiang Zhenyun.
After entering the school, she went straight to the assembly point.
Ji Heyuan and Fu Xihe and the others had arrived even earlier. When Jiang Jiang got there, they were helping each other straighten their clothes.
Ji Heyuan had sharp eyes. At a glance she saw Jiang Jiang walking toward them and quickly waved at her. "Sister-in-law, we're over here!"
That single "sister-in-law" made the people around them unable to resist looking toward Jiang Jiang. Jiang Jiang's steps paused slightly. What kind of madness was Ji Heyuan suddenly up to?
Ji Heyuan did not feel that there was anything wrong with her form of address at all.
After Jiang Jiang walked closer, she even heard her whispering explanations to the others, "My sister-in-law and my sister are getting engaged before the end of the year, hehe. When the time comes, you all have to come and drink the wedding wine!"
As expected, Jiang Jiang received several gazes filled with excitement mixed with envy.
"So nice," Yan Ke sighed. "While we're still worrying about where to even find a partner, Jiang Jiang is already living the life of a wife, child, and a warm bed."
The child referred to Little Bread.
Jiang Jiang pressed her lips together. "Thank you, everyone."
Ji Heyuan grinned and bumped Jiang Jiang's shoulder, lowering her voice. "How are things between you and my sister? Hmm?"
The impropriety in her tone was practically overflowing.
Jiang Jiang gave her a meaningful look. "Everything between my sister and me is very good. As for you…"
Although Ji Xu'an had not said it, Jiang Jiang could guess that Ji Xu'an would most likely have another long talk with Ji Heyuan.
Given Ji Heyuan's level of fear toward Ji Xu'an, this was definitely not good news for her.
Ji Heyuan was confused. "Me? What about me?"
She inexplicably shivered, then said suspiciously, "I shouldn't have done anything wrong recently, right?"
Jiang Jiang did not speak, making Ji Heyuan so anxious she felt like scratching her heart and lungs, almost ready to kneel and beg her.
After being pestered by her for a while, Jiang Jiang could not hold back and laughed. The corners of her lips curved as she was about to speak, when from the corner of her eye she suddenly caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure.
Jiang Jiang's smile suddenly froze on her face. She quickly turned her head to look to the left, but that person had already disappeared.
Ji Heyuan was startled by her reaction. "What's wrong?"
Yan Ke and the others also looked in the direction of her gaze, but did not notice anything unusual.
Jiang Jiang's expression was tense. She frowned and carefully looked over everyone present one by one, but she never saw that familiar figure again.
Had she really been mistaken just now?
"Who did you see? Why do you look like that?" Ji Heyuan reached out and tugged at Jiang Jiang's sleeve, her expression also turning nervous. "Was it someone from Arkle?"
She was worried someone wanted to harm Jiang Jiang.
Jiang Jiang came back to herself and shook her head at Ji Heyuan, soothing her. "It's nothing. I just saw something wrong."
Ji Heyuan was half convinced and half doubtful.
But Jiang Jiang did not explain further, so Ji Heyuan could only believe her.
—
That entire morning of military training was completely unfamiliar to Jiang Jiang. When the people around her were all complaining about how tired they were, there was not the slightest trace of fatigue on her face.
Her military stance was also very standard, and she even received praise from the instructor.
During the break, everyone sat in a circle, talking in low voices.
A few beads of sweat appeared on the tip of Ji Heyuan's nose. She fanned herself with her hand and said to Jiang Jiang, "Aren't you tired?"
Just now everyone had been rushing to find water to drink. Only Jiang Jiang looked calm and composed, as if the entire morning of training had merely been child's play for her.
Jiang Jiang blinked. "Not tired."
Ji Heyuan looked at her with curiosity in her eyes. "You look thin and delicate. I didn't expect your stamina to be this good."
After saying that, Ji Heyuan suddenly remembered that Jiang Jiang had once said she used to live in the mountains.
She thought, could it be that Jiang Jiang developed such strength because she often did farm work at home before?
Then wouldn't that bring up Jiang Jiang's sad past?
Ji Heyuan shut her mouth and stopped talking.
Jiang Jiang did not pay attention. She was still thinking about the person she had just seen, whether it had truly been her imagination.
She did not reach a definite conclusion until the morning training ended.
After dismissal, Ji Heyuan originally planned to take Jiang Jiang to eat at the cafeteria. But after Jiang Jiang got her phone, she realized that half an hour earlier Ji Xu'an had sent her a message, telling her to go directly to the area near the artificial lake after she finished.
She held up her phone and waved the screen in front of Ji Heyuan. "My sister seems to have brought food for us."
Ji Heyuan clicked her tongue. "Is it really for 'us'? I'm probably just incidental, right?"
But she still followed Jiang Jiang.
From the field to the artificial lake, they had to pass by the cafeteria, so the two of them walked together with Fu Xihe and the others. In between there was a stone path they had to cross. There were many people, and everyone could only squeeze forward together.
Because of that, Jiang Jiang's range of vision was somewhat limited. So when someone suddenly reached out and blocked her, Jiang Jiang was a little surprised.
But after she saw the person's face clearly, the surprise in Jiang Jiang's eyes immediately turned into thick vigilance.
"Xie Wanwan?!"
That face felt as if from another lifetime, making Jiang Jiang rarely fall into a brief daze.
The girl in front of her looked almost exactly the same as her concubine-born younger sister!
It was not that Jiang Jiang had never considered that she might see acquaintances from the Duke's residence in this world. But because Xie Xiao's parents had both passed away early, and Xie Xiao had no brothers or sisters, Jiang Jiang had ruled out that possibility.
Therefore, when she suddenly saw someone who looked exactly like Xie Wanwan appear in front of her, the shock in Jiang Jiang's heart was self-evident.
Ji Heyuan did not notice the turbulent waves inside Jiang Jiang's heart. She looked the girl up and down, then turned to ask Jiang Jiang, "Sister-in-law, who is this?"
Why did she feel that this person had come with ill intentions?
Ji Heyuan's single "sister-in-law" successfully shifted Xie Wanwan's gaze from Jiang Jiang to her.
She stared fixedly at Ji Heyuan for several seconds before turning back to Jiang Jiang with reddened eyes. The moment she opened her mouth, countless sobs poured out. "Cousin, I finally found you!"
Jiang Jiang was certain that Xie Xiao had never told her that she had an uncle.
Moreover, Xie Xiao had seen Xie Wanwan before. If she had truly had a cousin who looked similar to Xie Wanwan in the past, she would not have failed to tell Jiang Jiang.
Jiang Jiang believed that Xie Xiao would not lie to her. So the question was, where exactly had this so-called cousin appeared from?
Jiang Jiang carefully recalled the original plot in her mind. Even up until "Xie Xiao" jumped off a building and committed suicide, this cousin character had never appeared.
Why was it different now?
Was this person's appearance related to Liang Junsheng's suicide and Zheng Zhouzhou's arrest?
If that were really the case, then did it mean that her fate had never truly been in her own hands?
In places she could not see, was there another pair of eyes staring at her the entire time, attempting to manipulate her life?!
Jiang Jiang did not speak. The others also remained silent. Only Xie Wanwan was quietly sobbing.
People passing by could not help but glance at them several times.
Probably because she had not expected Jiang Jiang to never respond, Xie Wanwan felt a little awkward. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Cousin, I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that I truly had no other choice. I could only rely on you."
As she spoke, her tears threatened to fall again, as if she had suffered endless grievances.
Her pitiful appearance made Jiang Jiang look like the villain.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Jiang asked, "Sorry, did you mistake me for someone else?"
"My mother was an only child. I shouldn't have a cousin."
The expression on Xie Wanwan's face froze. She stared blankly at Jiang Jiang. After quite a while, she murmured, "That's impossible. My dad said he had a very good relationship with Aunt. He even paid for Aunt's dowry."
She cried softly. "Cousin, are you still blaming us? That's why all these years you never contacted us."
"Actually, my dad has always cared about you. All these years he's been asking about your news."
Seeing that Jiang Jiang did not speak, Xie Wanwan continued, "When we were little, Aunt loved me the most. If she knew we were living so miserably now, she definitely wouldn't be so heartless as to refuse to acknowledge us."
Those words made the expressions of passersby somewhat strange. The way they looked at Jiang Jiang carried a certain implication.
Jiang Jiang gave a soft hum. "Perhaps."
"However, my mother passed away long ago. I don't know whether she would soften her heart."
She looked at Xie Wanwan's stiffened expression and then slowly said:
"Why don't you go down and ask her?"
—
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