Chapter 43: The Last Time I Call You Sister

"Wait, Miss Hao!" Ren Tianchuan called out in frustration, grabbing Xiao Yunchen and chasing after her.

The woman walked away without a second glance. Hearing those words, Ren Yishan seemed to lose all strength, like a fish stripped of its bones, her spirit utterly gone.

Du Yu followed after, but before leaving, he glanced at Jian Qing once more, certain he'd seen this woman somewhere before.

Jian Qing watched Ren Yishan, then looked up at Yan Jin. "Yan Jin, go have dinner first. I have something to discuss with Ren Yishan."

Yan Jin was uneasy. She patted Jian Qing’s shoulder, leaned down, whispered a few words in her ear, and then headed downstairs.

Once the two sisters were alone, Jian Qing remained silent for a while, watching the tears glisten at the corners of the girl's eyes.

She actually understood her "elder sister" quite well. Though her sister was two years older, she'd been abducted by traffickers at the age of four while playing outside. Even after the police were called, she was never found. This had always been a shadow on their mother's heart, a pain too deep to speak of.

Ren Yishan gripped the railing as she wiped her tears. When the sound of footsteps faded away, she glared at Jian Qing with venom:

"You little wretch..."

"What have I done to you? Ever since you came to the Jian family, all the good things somehow miss me, and the bad things always land on me. Ren Yishan, I advise you to be kinder. Don't push me, or I'll slap you."

Jian Qing refused to bear the blame. She wheeled herself back, keeping a distance from the woman.

But in two strides, Ren Yishan came before her and seized Jian Qing’s collar, yanking her upright: "Jian Qing, after all these years as the young lady, are you still so attached to this life of luxury? You owe me so much—how will you ever repay it?"

Jian Qing gazed into her ruthless eyes, narrowing her own. "Are you really my sister?"

"Of course!"

Jian Qing lowered her brows, pondering for a moment. She knew this might be her last heartfelt conversation with the stubborn Ren Yishan. "I don't want to fight with you, Ren Yishan. But why are you so hostile toward me? If we're sisters, shouldn't we support each other? Why must it be a fight to the death? When you first arrived, I gave way to you in everything, yet you wish me dead?"

She stared at the face that bore no resemblance to her own. In the woman's eyes there was hatred and desire, but not a trace of love.

"Why? No matter how well you treat others, it's never as useful as being useful to them," Ren Yishan sneered. She circled behind Jian Qing, pushing her toward the stairs. "You alone had our father's affection, while I lived like an animal outside. Why should I share anything with you now? I want to take everything you have! Do you know what it's like to be unloved?"

Ren Yishan's tone was icy. She pushed Jian Qing right to the edge of the stairs, and both fell silent.

After a pause, Jian Qing laughed. "Unloved? If you really feel unloved, go spend a day at the gym; I guarantee you'll ache all over."

The next moment, Ren Yishan suddenly let go, and Jian Qing's wheelchair plummeted down from the second floor!

"Ah!" But before Jian Qing could even cry out, Ren Yishan screamed first, then called out, "Sister, be careful!"

Yet she did not move, making not the slightest effort to help.

The wheelchair hurtled down the stairs, striking a step and nearly flipping over.

Jian Qing shut her eyes and shielded her face.

"Watch out!" At that instant, someone stepped in front of her. The wheelchair hit his leg, tumbled like tumbleweed, and kept rolling to the first floor.

The man caught Jian Qing securely in his arms, standing firm at the edge of the stairs, not daring to take a step back.

He looked down, feeling her body trembling slightly.

"Are you alright?" A familiar voice sounded by her ear. Only then did Jian Qing slowly lower her hand from her face.

She looked up, drowning in the worry within his eyes. "Why are you here?"

From the moment Li Jingche learned that the ring he'd intended for Jian Qing had ended up with Ren Yishan, he knew Jian Qing would be bullied. Unable to reach Li Shuang by phone, he rushed over, arriving just in time to see Jian Qing fall.

Holding her, Li Jingche wiped the sweat from her brow—who knew whether it was from pain or fright.

He stared at Ren Yishan, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"Ren Yishan, she is your sister."

Ren Yishan froze on the spot. She couldn't explain it, but the moment she looked into Li Jingche's eyes, a nameless fear gripped her, as if the man could see through all her schemes with a glance.

Biting her lip, she retreated half a step, not daring to speak.

"Don't," Jian Qing patted Li Jingche's chest. By now, the servants had brought the wheelchair back upstairs, but no one came up themselves. Jian Qing understood at once—

If it had been Ren Yishan who fell, Ren Tianchuan downstairs would have sent people up to put her on trial.

But since it was herself, there was no need.

Such a father was not worth acknowledging.

"Put me back in the wheelchair. My legs hurt."

She acted coquettishly, hooking her arm around his neck. Her warm breath brushed his Adam's apple as she spoke, making his gaze instantly soften when he looked down into her luminous eyes.

A light perfume lingered on her collarbone, making her a temptation to all the senses.

"No one is coming upstairs, which means Ren Tianchuan is stopping them. Even Yan Jin has been blocked. You should understand exactly what that old man is up to."

Jian Qing saw it all clearly. Li Jingche nodded, and as he carried her downstairs, Jian Qing left Ren Yishan with a final warning:

"The next time I see you, I won't call you sister. Be prepared."

Once Jian Qing decided to ruin someone, she never relented.

Descending the stairs, Yan Jin, held back by Xiao Yunchen, was fuming, kicking him in frustration. "Xiao Yunchen, you bastard! Jian Qing's wheelchair just fell and you—"

But when she saw Li Jingche carrying Jian Qing down, her arms and legs slowly dropped.

With his back to the stairs, Xiao Yunchen thought Yan Jin was just exhausted and breathed a sigh of relief. "Shanshan is her sister—why would she hurt Qingqing, you—"

But as he turned and saw Li Jingche’s cold face, his words choked in his throat.

He stared at Li Jingche, and a rush of blood went straight to his head. "Why are you here?"

Before Li Jingche could answer, others in the crowd burst into excitement.

"So handsome... Is he a bodyguard?"

"He must be! If I had such a handsome bodyguard, why would I bother with Xiao Yunchen?"

"A male model, maybe? I remember seeing Qingqing at Haiyan Heqing before."

The hushed whispers pushed the pair once again into the eye of the storm.

Ren Tianchuan's expression darkened. He strode over, lifting his hand to slap Jian Qing.

"Who told you to bring all these unsavory people to the banquet? Get back inside at once!"