Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Can You Carry Me Up the Mountain? (New) "Brother, I want to take photos too." Xu Jingxuan suppressed the jealousy in her eyes, called out in a syrupy voice, and walked over to squeeze herself between Ruan Chutang and Jiang Shixu. Chen Yuanyuan suddenly let out an "ah." Qin Yan turned his head with concern and asked, "Yuanyuan, what's wrong?" Chen Yuanyuan said with exaggerated seriousness, "What a huge light bulb! It's blinding my eyes." Hearing Chen Yuanyuan's remark, Xu Jingxuan remained standing right between Ruan Chutang and Jiang Shixu without budging, her skin thick as could be. Seeing that Xu Jingxuan had no intention of leaving, Chen Yuanyuan slowly put away her selfie stick, turned to Xu Jingxuan, and flashed a signature fake smile. "Sorry, Miss Xu, we're done taking photos. If you want a group photo, go take one with your Ze Chuan brother and your girlfriends." Xu Jingxuan suppressed the urge to curse, forced a smile, and hooked her arm around Jiang Shixu's. "Then I'll take a few solo photos with brother." Ruan Chutang's lashes drooped halfway, her gaze landing on Xu Jingxuan's hand. Jiang Shixu pulled his arm free and looked down coldly. "You're a grown woman now. Why are you still clinging to your brother like this? It's time to find yourself a boyfriend." No matter how well Xu Jingxuan could put on an act, hearing Jiang Shixu urge her to find a boyfriend made even her smile falter. A crack appeared in her carefully crafted expression, and her eyes looked deeply wounded. "Brother, why can't I cling to you just because I've grown up? You used to dote on me so much before!" Jiang Shixu's attitude was cold and distant. "The past is the past. Now is now. Jingxuan, you should know to keep your distance." Xu Jingxuan's earlier moves had already shown Jiang Shixu exactly what she was up to. But since she was his sister, he spared her dignity and didn't call her out in public. He could also see Xu Jingxuan's hostility and jealousy toward Tangtang. Since Tangtang didn't like Xu Jingxuan, as her boyfriend, he needed to make his stance clear and give Tangtang a sense of security. Jiang Shixu's words left Xu Jingxuan stunned. "Brother, we're siblings. What distance do we need to keep?" Chen Yuanyuan clicked her tongue. "She really thinks she's a proper Miss Jiang, huh? A grown man and woman with no blood relation—what distance do you think needs to be kept?" Xu Jingxuan looked on the verge of tears, lifting her eyes to gaze at Jiang Shixu pitifully. But Jiang Shixu said indifferently, "Yuanyuan is right. Though we're brother and sister, we're not related by blood. Don't do things that might easily cause misunderstandings." Xu Jingxuan tried to say something more, but Jiang Shixu walked around her, went straight to take Ruan Chutang's hand, his dark eyes deep and filled with concern. "Tangtang, we're done with photos. Let's go." Chutang curled her lips into a smile, casting a victorious, provocative look at Xu Jingxuan. "Little sister, if you want to take photos, feel free to stay and take your time. I'm heading off with your brother." Chutang sneered inwardly. Ha, what a fine brew of Green Tea Bitch indeed. The title of Master of Tea Arts is yours for the taking—too bad your brother is the Master of Tea Detection. ... After sunset, the temperature dropped lower and lower. The mountain stream brought a chill, the air grew more humid, and it was noticeably much colder. Jiang Shixu pulled a thick jacket out of his backpack. "Tangtang, put on an extra layer." Xu Jingxuan had no outdoor experience and didn't know that the temperature difference between day and night on the mountain was huge. She was shivering in her thin, lightweight hiking jacket. Seeing Jiang Shixu give Ruan Chutang clothes to wear, jealousy blazed in her heart. Chutang had just put on the jacket and walked for a while when she suddenly heard someone behind her let out a startled cry. She instinctively turned around, but the winding mountain path and the trees blocking her view made it impossible to see what had happened behind them. Before long, Xu Jingxuan's friend Yan Man came running over in a panic, shouting, "Young Master Jiang, Jingxuan twisted her ankle." Jiang Shixu frowned but still asked, "Is it serious?" Yan Man's anxious look didn't seem fake. "It looks pretty bad. She can't walk. Go take a look." The mountain path was rugged, and one careless step could easily lead to a fall or a twisted ankle. Chutang didn't suspect anything at first—after all, Xu Jingxuan was Jiang Shixu's sister, and if she was hurt, they should go check on her. "Let's go see what happened," Chutang said to Jiang Shixu. "Yeah." Jiang Shixu and Chutang followed Yan Man back along the path and saw Xu Jingxuan sitting on a rock by the roadside, biting her lip and letting out pained whimpers. "What happened?" Jiang Shixu asked. Xu Jingxuan's eyes were full of tears. "I accidentally stepped on a small stone just now, my foot slipped, and I fell. I hurt my foot. It hurts so much." Chutang looked down. Xu Jingxuan's knee was smeared with mud, and her ankle was scraped raw with blood seeping out. She really was injured. Jiang Shixu asked, "Can you still walk?" "I can't." With that, her tears immediately streamed down her face as she wept pitifully. "I'm fine, brother. Don't worry about me. We're almost at the summit—go watch the meteor shower. I don't want to hold you guys back." Jiang Shixu nodded. "I'll find someone to take you back." Xu Jingxuan froze, her expression slipping for a split second before she quickly composed herself and resumed her tearful pleading. "Brother, I... I really want to see the meteor shower too. Can you please not send me back now? I don't want to leave with regrets." Xu Jingxuan's startled cry had been loud enough that Chen Yuanyuan and Qin Yan, walking ahead, had heard it too. By now, Chen Yuanyuan had wandered over and happened to catch the tail end of Xu Jingxuan's speech. Chen Yuanyuan glanced at Xu Jingxuan's wound and curled her lip. Well, well—the Self-Injury Stratagem had made an appearance. Sure enough, the next second, Xu Jingxuan said in a pitiful, pleading voice, "Brother, can you carry me up the mountain on your back? It's not far from the summit now, and I'm not heavy." Chu Tang exchanged a look with Chen Yuanyuan, then both of them turned their gaze squarely to Jiang Shixu. The observation deck at the summit was only a hundred or two meters away—truly not far. Xu Jingxuan's request seemed perfectly reasonable on the surface. But Chu Tang and Chen Yuanyuan knew it couldn't be that simple. Xu Jingxuan's intentions were far from innocent. Chu Tang said nothing, quietly waiting for Jiang Shixu's answer. Jiang Shixu looked up, scanning his surroundings, then lowered his eyes to the ground. Xu Jingxuan had no idea what he was looking at. Her expression turned puzzled as she asked, "Brother, what's wrong?" Jiang Shixu's voice was faint and indifferent. "Since you're so set on seeing the meteor shower, then just sit right here and watch. The view from here is pretty good too—not as good as the observation deck, but it should be more than enough for watching meteors." "Ah?" Xu Jingxuan clearly hadn't expected Jiang Shixu to say that. She bit her lip, her face looking even paler under the lights. "Brother, I don't want to stay here alone. If you all go to the observation deck, I'll be scared by myself." Jiang Shixu remained unmoved, his attitude still cold and distant. "Don't you have two friends with you? Have them keep you company. I'll have someone bring you some food in a bit. After the meteor shower, I'll arrange for someone to take you back. You shouldn't stay overnight on the mountain tonight." Hearing this, Chen Yuanyuan shot Chu Tang a meaningful look. That look seemed to say: Your brother really delivers. This outcome was unacceptable to Xu Jingxuan. She sobbed, "Brother, why won't you carry me to the observation deck? Is it because you're afraid Sister Ruan will be upset? Is Sister Ruan really that petty? I'm your sister—does she have to be jealous of me too?"