Chapter Seven: If I Can’t Eat It, No One Else Shall Either
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Wen Mubai froze. He took the test paper and looked at it—every answer was correct!
No one thought Jiang Wuyang could have memorized the answers in advance. With so many blanks, memorizing them all would have taken an enormous amount of effort.
Everyone fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Jiang Yiran shot Wen Mubai a secret glare. If it had not been for him, how could he have mistaken his own sister for a cheater?!
But when it came to apologizing, he simply could not bring himself to do it.
In the end, it was Ruan An'an who stepped in to smooth things over.
“I told you Sister Wuyang couldn’t possibly have copied the answers. It was all just a misunderstanding.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Zhang’s booming voice rang out from downstairs, calling everyone to dinner.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Usually, Wen Mubai stayed to eat with them and had the driver take him home afterward.
Today was no different.
As a result, the dinner table was especially lively.
It was even more so with the addition of Ruan An'an, their beloved guest.
She spoke softly and gently, and never allowed the atmosphere to grow awkward.
The group happily took their seats, ready to eat.
Jiang Wuyang stood before the table.
She looked at the dishes spread across it and scanned them once.
Then she called out to Aunt Zhang and asked politely, “Aunt Zhang, where are the sweet-and-sour pork ribs I asked you to make?”
Aunt Zhang emerged from the kitchen, still wearing her apron.
At those words, she froze for a moment, then gave an embarrassed smile.
“Oh dear, I completely forgot. I’m sorry, Miss. Just look at my memory!”
“We’re out of ribs today, too. I’ll buy some at the supermarket tomorrow and make them for you then. You’ll have to make do for tonight.”
In the past, for the sake of keeping the peace, Jiang Wuyang might have swallowed her anger and said nothing.
But now—
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You noticed there were no ribs while you were cooking, so why didn’t you say anything to me?”
“And now there isn’t a single dish on this table that suits my taste. What am I supposed to do about that?”
Jiang Wuyang spoke patiently, one sentence at a time. Her tone was mild, yet her presence did not weaken in the slightest. With every word, she pressed Aunt Zhang further.
Aunt Zhang was at a loss.
Her eyes instinctively turned toward Ruan An'an, hoping that the girl would say a few words on her behalf.
After all, Ruan An'an had visited the household many times. She was beautiful and kind, and always considerate toward the servants.
Ruan An'an caught Aunt Zhang’s pleading gaze and rolled her eyes inwardly. Why was she being dragged into something like this?
Still, in order to maintain her image as a thoughtful and understanding girl, she opened her mouth to intervene.
“Sister Wuyang, why don’t you let it go? You can have the sweet-and-sour ribs next time. Why not try the cola chicken wings instead? Aunt Zhang makes them wonderfully, too!”
Jiang Wuyang let out two cold little laughs.
“Oh? Is that so?”
Whenever she had asked Aunt Zhang to make cola chicken wings, the woman had always complained that they were troublesome. Why were they suddenly no trouble now?
Her half-smiling gaze fell upon Aunt Zhang. The older woman shifted uncomfortably and did not dare raise her head.
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Jiang Yiran sat at the table, growing increasingly impatient. Suppressing his temper, he said, “All right, Wuyang. Aunt Zhang didn’t do it on purpose. Stop making things difficult for her. Sweet-and-sour ribs aren’t something you absolutely have to eat. Having them next time will be just as good. Why embarrass Aunt Zhang over such a trivial matter?”
Jiang Wuyang laughed and pointed at herself, her voice filled with disbelief.
“I’m making things difficult for her?”
“She’s a housekeeper earning twenty thousand a month, and she can’t even handle something this simple? Yet somehow I’m the one being unreasonable for caring about it?!”
Wen Mubai frowned as well. Although Aunt Zhang had indeed handled things poorly, Jiang Wuyang did not need to be so aggressive.
Showing mercy whenever possible was better for everyone.
Wen Mubai parted his lips, just about to speak, when he saw Jiang Wuyang reach out and pick up a plate of cola chicken wings.
She tipped the entire plate into the trash can.
Then she looked at Jiang Yiran without the slightest change in expression.
“Brother, my hand slipped. Don’t hold it against me, all right? It was only a plate of cola chicken wings. You can have them next time.”
Jiang Yiran’s face went pale.
Those cola chicken wings were An'an’s favorite. Back when Uncle Ruan was still alive, An'an had always loved Aunt Zhang’s cooking.
Now that Uncle Ruan was gone, An'an rarely had the chance to visit their home.
He had never imagined that Jiang Wuyang could be so thoughtless.
Jiang Yiran’s heart sank lower and lower, and disappointment in Jiang Wuyang filled him.
How had she become so unreasonable?
Jiang Wuyang had no idea what was going through his mind, nor did she care.
She went to the kitchen to wash her hands, then turned and headed upstairs to pack her schoolbag. After taking her identification card, she walked straight toward the door without sparing them a glance.
The others remained seated at the dining table, none of them moving.
Ruan An'an was secretly thrilled.
How had Jiang Wuyang become so utterly ungrateful? If she left like this, she might never be able to come back!
Outwardly, however, Ruan An'an still wore an expression of concern.
She gently tugged at Jiang Yiran’s sleeve.
“Brother Yiran, Sister, she…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Yiran cut her off coldly.
“Don’t bother with her! Let her go if she wants to! We’re eating!”
Ruan An'an gazed anxiously at Jiang Wuyang’s retreating figure. In the end, as though helpless, she could only eat the food they placed in front of her without tasting a thing.
Jiang Wuyang had already contacted Uncle Wang and told him to drop her off downtown.
When they arrived, Uncle Wang pulled over and sighed repeatedly, earnestly trying to persuade her.
“Miss, why make things so unpleasant with Young Master? Lower your head and soften your tone. He is still your own brother. How could he possibly refuse to protect you?”
Jiang Wuyang felt a warmth spread through her heart.
Uncle Wang was one of the very few people who had ever treated her with genuine kindness.
It had been the same in her previous life.
He had exhausted himself trying to repair the relationship between her and Jiang Yiran. But back then, even though she had wanted to reconcile, Jiang Yiran had been unwilling, and the matter had ultimately gone nowhere.
Whenever Jiang Yiran and the others bullied her, Uncle Wang had always protected her as though she were his own daughter.
He had taken her out to clear her mind and patiently comforted her.
Unfortunately, in the end, Ruan An'an had plotted against him, leaving him to die in a car accident on a rainy night.
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In this life, she would never again give Ruan An'an the chance to approach Uncle Wang!
She did not respond to his words. Instead, she smiled and said goodbye.
“Go on home first. And remember to come pick me up on time after school tomorrow!”
Uncle Wang smiled and agreed. After reminding Jiang Wuyang to stay safe, he drove away.
Yuncheng was an international metropolis in China.
Even at night, the city was brightly lit. Streetlamps and LED displays from the surrounding buildings interwove in a chaotic yet prosperous brilliance.
Jiang Wuyang found a hotel at random and rented a room.
After putting away her things, she turned around and went out to find something to eat.
It was already rather late—not quite dinnertime anymore, but closer to the hour for a late-night snack.
The autumn air was slightly cool. Jiang Wuyang pulled on a hooded sweatshirt, zipped it up, and put the hood over her head before finding the nearest convenience store for dinner.
She ordered some oden, picked up a rice ball, and sat at a table in the back of the store.
Her long lashes lowered as she took one careful bite after another of the rice ball.
The hot oden warmed her from within, and Jiang Wuyang felt her entire body gradually grow comfortable.
Through the transparent glass window, she watched the traffic stream past outside. For some inexplicable reason, she felt detached from the world around her.
“Hello. Are you a student at Yuncheng No. 1 High School?”
A ponytailed girl carrying a bowl of oden came over and sat down beside Jiang Wuyang. Her face was youthful and delicate, her appearance pure and fresh.
Jiang Wuyang followed the voice and looked over.
“You are…?”
The girl straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair. She smiled sweetly, a dimple appearing at the corner of her mouth.
“Hello, my name is Sang Wan. I’m in Class A of the second-year science stream at Yuncheng High School. It’s nice to meet you.”
At the introduction, Jiang Wuyang gave her a rare second look.
Class A of the science stream? Perhaps they would become classmates in the future.
She nodded toward Sang Wan.
“Hello. My name is Jiang Wuyang.”
Her voice was cool and distant, but that did nothing to dampen Sang Wan’s enthusiasm.
Sang Wan knew that although Jiang Wuyang looked cold, her smile was breathtaking—like the idealized first love cherished by everyone in a novel.
The girl who had taken a photograph of Jiang Wuyang with a digital camera in the corridor that day had been Sang Wan.
“So you’re Jiang Wuyang.”
Jiang Wuyang raised an eyebrow.
“You know me?”
Then she realized that the entire grade probably did know her. After all, thanks to Ruan An'an’s constant insinuations, nearly everyone knew her as the poorly performing girl who followed An'an around everywhere.
Jiang Wuyang’s lips curled mockingly.
Sang Wan looked extremely excited, her eyes fixed on Jiang Wuyang and shining brightly.
“Of course I know you! Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?!”
Jiang Wuyang had not expected Sang Wan to say something like that. For a moment, she did not know how to respond.
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