My sister, whom I raised, has turned evil after faking her death for three years.

Ancheng is the kind of city where you're immediately overwhelmed by the dazzling prosperity as soon as you step out of the high-speed rail station.

If Linjiang is a sophisticated and elegant financial center, like a gentleman in a bespoke suit holding a glass of red wine, then Ancheng is a powerful central authority, like a decision-maker in a Zhongshan suit standing in front of a map, pointing out the direction of the country.

The buildings here are taller and the roads are wider than those along the river. Even the pace of pedestrians on the street is half a beat faster than elsewhere.

As the capital of China, Ancheng attracts talents and resources from all over the world, and every day countless ambitions and dreams collide and burn on this land.

Jiang Yi only learned that Su Qing and Jiang Ran had set off for Ancheng after they had already left.

She got up early today, changed into her new dress, asked the kitchen to pack a box of freshly baked strawberry puffs, and hummed a song as she hurried towards the riverside hotel.

The cream puffs were for Sister Su... Of course, Xiao Ran also got her share, but she would never admit it.

However, she was stopped before she even reached the hotel entrance.

What stopped her wasn't a security guard or a doorman, but a sign.

To be precise, it was a finely crafted acrylic sign held nervously in the hands of the lobby manager, on which were printed a few lines in elegant serif font: "Our hotel is dedicated to providing the best service to every guest, but due to the recent heavy workload, we are temporarily not accepting guests whose names contain the character '艺' (Yi). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Yi stared at the sign for several seconds, repeatedly going over the words in her mind.

What does "those with the character 'Yi' in their name are not allowed to enter" even mean? What's the difference between that and just hanging a sign at the door that says "Jiang Yi and dogs are not allowed"?

"What do you mean by this?" Jiang Yi pointed at the sign, raising her voice by half a tone, and turned to look at the lobby manager who was sweating profusely.

The manager had been wiping sweat the moment she walked in, and his expression looked like he had just swallowed a live frog. Of course he knew who the young lady was referring to... Who else but her could get the design department to work overtime to produce such a beautifully crafted signboard in just one hour?

"This, this... this is what the higher-ups want, we're just following orders..." the manager explained with difficulty, frantically calculating how to save his own life while these two powerful figures were fighting.

"Above? Which above? Make her come out to see me! Make your leader come out to see me!" Jiang Yi put her hands on her hips, looking fierce, like a little tiger whose tail had been stepped on.

The manager smiled apologetically while frantically praying in his heart that the young lady would reply to his message soon; he didn't want to become cannon fodder in this war.

Then his phone didn't ring, but Jiang Yi's phone rang instead.

She looked down—it was Xiao Ran.

Well, they even dared to attack us first.

  

She pressed the answer button forcefully, about to unleash a torrent of abuse, when she saw not only Xiao Ran's face, which made her grit her teeth in hatred, but also Sister Su, who was smiling and waving at her from the side.

"Xiao Yi." Su Qing's face drew closer to the camera, her eyes crinkling at the corners, her voice tinged with apology, "We forgot to tell you when we left, we're so sorry."

Jiang Yi's expression underwent a textbook-level face-changing in a fraction of a second... seamlessly switching from a fierce and menacing look that said, "I'm going to die with you today," to a sweet and obedient look that said, "Sister Su, what a coincidence that you're here too."

The lobby manager standing nearby was dumbfounded, thinking that it was a real shame the young lady wasn't in the entertainment industry with her ability to change her expression so quickly.

Ignoring the manager's complicated gaze, Jiang Yi looked at the background of the car behind the two people on the screen and asked Sister Su where they went.

Su Qing smiled a little embarrassedly and said that she had made the decision to go to Ancheng for a few days in a bit of a rush and forgot to tell her.

Jiang Yi was completely stunned when she heard this.

Did Sister Su and Xiao Ran go on a trip? They didn't take her with them!

Her expression shifted from bewilderment to grievance, then to a sense of betrayal and indignation, finally settling on a frozen image of "the sky has fallen."

But then she thought again... No, there's definitely something wrong with this.

She remembered Ancheng as her destination very clearly. Three years ago, Sister Su and Xiaoran were originally going to Ancheng, but after Cui Jiayi ruined the trip, Xiaoran never mentioned it again.

Now that Sister Su has just returned, Xiao Ran couldn't wait to take her to Ancheng.

Suppressing her suspicions, she casually asked why she suddenly thought of going to Ancheng. Su Qing didn't think much of it and was about to answer when a clear but polite voice came from the other end of the screen: "Sister, we're almost at a service area, I'll hang up now."

The image froze on Jiang Ran's impeccable smile, and then the call ended.

But just a second before hanging up, Jiang Yi clearly saw the fleeting wicked smile on Xiao Ran's lips.

That smile translates to: You're still too green to mess with me.

Jiang Yi stared at her phone, which had already gone black, then looked at the sign next to her that read "No service is provided if your name contains the character 'Yi'," and then thought of Xiao Ran's smug smile just now, and suddenly laughed in anger.

She knew it all along. Xiao Ran was definitely trying to monopolize Sister Su. She deliberately made the trip so sudden, saying she was leaving on a whim, just to prevent her from following along!

Very good, excellent.

Ancheng, right?

My aunt said yesterday that my brother is also in Ancheng.

She's going to Ancheng right now!

Jiang Yi dialed Jiang Ren's number with lightning speed.

Before the call could even be answered and a "hello" could be said, Jiang Yi had already rattled off a string of instructions: "Brother, I'm going to Ancheng to play. Remember to pick me up. I'm booking tickets now. Let me tell you when I get there. Don't tell me you're busy. I know you're free. Okay, that's all. Bye."

(The above is an expression spoken too fast, the following is the pause: "Brother, I'm going to Ancheng for fun. Remember to pick me up. I'll book the tickets now and let you know when I get there. Don't forget, and don't tell me you're busy. I know you're free. Okay, that's all. Bye-bye.")

Jiang Ren didn't even have time to say a word before the call ended.

He stared at the call log on his phone screen, his face full of question marks.

"Your sister..." Cheng Xuyan, who was standing next to her, saw the whole scene clearly and spoke hesitantly.

Jiang Ren put down her phone, rubbed her temples, and quickly felt relieved. That girl always acted on impulse, and she should relax after just finishing the college entrance exam.

He made a phone call to arrange for someone to pick him up, then turned back to Cheng Xuyan, his previous composed smile returning to his face: "Shall we continue?"

A slightly unnatural blush appeared on Cheng Xuyan's face. She turned her head slightly away, her voice a few decibels softer than before: "Really, really, do we want to continue?"

Jiang Ren's tone was as matter-of-fact as if she were asking a question that didn't need to be asked: "You don't want me to stop at this crucial moment, do you?"

The program remained silent for a moment, then said nothing more.

But the earlobes hidden beneath the stray hairs had quietly turned a few shades redder.

In the lobby, Jiang Yi hung up the phone and turned to leave in a hurry, leaving the manager standing there alone.

He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, watched the young lady's figure disappear through the revolving door, and then looked down at the notice board in his hand that he hadn't had time to put away. Suddenly, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had survived a disaster.

survived.

He thanked all the gods in his heart, then carefully hugged the notice board to his chest.

He needs to keep this badge safe; it might come in handy next time the young lady comes.

Immortals fight, mortals suffer.

He truly understands the meaning of that sentence today.