Chapter 113: The Edge of Jiang Xue

Chapter 113: The Edge of Jiang Xue

Huang Chengren hurried out of the Golden Tripod Hotel as if chased by a wild dog. A closer look would have revealed his legs trembling as he walked. This bank director had been truly terrified; he did not want to waste a single minute, desperate to return and rush through a new appraisal to approve the funding for Fei Lu. Whether the valuation was reasonable no longer mattered; the only thing that counted was keeping the other party satisfied.

Unlike his uncle’s fear, Zhang Deming was now caught in a state of agitation and loss. When he arrived, he had harbored fantasies of using this opportunity to pursue Ximen Lu again, believing he still had a chance. Now, he realized that was far from reality. Especially when he caught a glimpse of the alluring and beautiful Ximen Lu at the table as he left, despair filled his heart. If she had been a goddess in his mind before, she was now an unreachable empress, one he dared not even dream of approaching.

"How could it be like this?" Zhang Deming asked, following his uncle with a sense of dejection, but he received no reply. Huang Chengren’s mind was entirely occupied with how to compensate for this massive blunder; he had no time for his nephew’s romantic troubles. He was even wondering if the twelve million he had mentioned was too little and whether he should increase the amount.

***

"Is that guy Huang Shiren trying to fool me? How could Fei Lu possibly be worth over twelve million?" Ximen Lu remained skeptical, turning to look at Chu Fei beside her.

"Don't worry, Sister Lu. Whether Fei Lu is worth that much is entirely up to him. Who knows, it might even be more than that," Jiang Xue said with a playful smile. She found Huang Chengren’s panicked departure quite amusing.

"Then wouldn't I be making a killing this time?" Ximen Lu said excitedly.

"Yes, you’ve struck gold this time," Chu Fei agreed with a smile, echoing Jiang Xue’s sentiment. The credit assessment Huang Chengren would produce would certainly exceed twelve million—it would have to be more, especially after that moment when Liu Huamei had come over to curry favor, which had nearly sent the man into a state of collapse. Chu Fei, of course, had no pity for someone like that.

Huang Chengren might have lost his appetite, but the three of them were in good spirits. Ximen Lu, in particular, kept toasting Jiang Xue, and Chu Fei did not stop them.

"Miss Jiang, you must not refuse this time. Once I receive the loan, I must give you your share," Ximen Lu said, her face flushed with excitement and wine, clutching Jiang Xue’s hand earnestly.

Jiang Xue felt awkward and didn't know how to refuse. She glanced at Chu Fei and smiled, "Alright, but just a token amount will do. You can give it to Brother Chu as a bonus; you don't need to give it to me."

"You are really good to Chu Fei," Ximen Lu said with a cryptic smile, her eyes darting between the two.

"Brother Chu is even better to me," Jiang Xue replied with a mysterious, inscrutable smile.

Ximen Lu didn't press the matter. She could see that the relationship between Chu Fei and Jiang Xue was strange—neither like family nor lovers, yet they were exceptionally close. "Fine, then," she laughed. "When the time comes, I'll give your share to Chu Fei. Whether he gives it to you or not, that's up to him."

"Mm," Jiang Xue nodded with a smile.

And so, the three chatted and ate for another half hour until they were full.

"Brother Chu, there is something I would like to talk to you about." As they were leaving, Jiang Xue gently tugged at the corner of Chu Fei’s sleeve, hesitating to speak.

"I’ll go get the car first." Ximen Lu immediately found an excuse to step into the elevator ahead of them.

"What is it?" Chu Fei looked at Jiang Xue, whose face was similarly flushed.

"Brother Chu, I—" Jiang Xue looked at Chu Fei, appearing quite nervous.

"What exactly is the matter?" Chu Fei was even more puzzled. Jiang Xue had been poised and talkative all day, and this sudden hesitation felt out of character.

"Brother Chu, it’s like this: my sister has always dreamed of going to school. I was thinking..." Jiang Xue stopped there, looking at Chu Fei nervously.

"Going to school?" Chu Fei looked at her, stunned and even more bewildered.

"My sister and I never had a proper education growing up. She always envied other girls her age when she saw them going to school. We never had a choice before, but things are different now, so I was hoping..."

Jiang Xue stumbled through her explanation for three minutes, and Chu Fei finally understood. Her sister, Jiang Yin, had a dream to study and attend school like other girls. It was something they never dared to hope for, but now that they had the opportunity, Jiang Xue wanted to ask for Chu Fei’s permission for Jiang Yin to attend school and live like a normal girl.

After hearing her out, Chu Fei’s heart grew heavy. Although Jiang Xue did not explicitly detail their past, he could infer their extraordinary upbringing—trafficked as children, passed through several hands until they ended up with Hou Bing, who kept the beautiful twins to cultivate them for someone else’s benefit.

While they were well-fed and clothed and had learned many skills, their upbringing was entirely different from a normal girl’s. Jiang Xue was stronger and had accepted her reality, but her sister was different. This was evident from their first meeting: Jiang Xue had begged Chu Fei to spare her sister, while Jiang Yin had shrunk back in terror.

Over the years, the sisters had been sent to various artistic or vocational schools, but these were strictly controlled environments where they were treated like tools, never granted a shred of freedom. This made Jiang Yin crave the experience of being a regular student even more.

"Sure, school is a good thing. You can learn a lot of knowledge there," Chu Fei said with a smile. Internally, he doubted they would learn anything useful in a regular school—certainly not as practical as the training they had already received. Hou Bing’s training had been designed to create female servants. It was no exaggeration to say that both sisters were masters of everything: massage, bathing, hair styling, sauna services, and even intimate knowledge of the adult world, including singing and dancing—all skills meant to serve others.

Hou Bing had held other girls like the sisters, all highly trained in various talents, intended as "ace cards" to be traded for massive profits. He hadn't expected to die before he could use them. The girls had ended up with Blood Fox, who had then passed them to Chu Fei.

"Really? Brother Chu, you... you agree?" Jiang Xue was overjoyed, looking up at him with an expression of disbelief.

"School is a good thing. Why wouldn't I agree?" Chu Fei laughed, thinking to himself that while many young girls skipped school, Jiang Yin was desperate to go—was this a irony of society?

"That’s wonderful! If Yin-yin finds out you agreed, she’ll be thrilled!" Jiang Xue said excitedly.

Chu Fei smiled and asked, "Have you decided what kind of school? High school or university?"

"Oh? We haven't thought about that yet," Jiang Xue said awkwardly. She hadn't expected him to agree at all.

"I suggest university. High school is too demanding with professional courses, and you might struggle to keep up. University is different; you can just go through the motions. If your sister has any particular interests, she can choose based on that. Have her think about it and tell Blood Fox; I’ll call him in a moment to arrange it. Let her go to a proper school, not some messy arts academy," Chu Fei said, offhandedly shifting the burden to Blood Fox.

"Thank you, Brother Chu. You are so good to us." Jiang Xue nodded repeatedly, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"No need for thanks. You two were almost ruined by me, haha," Chu Fei said dismissively, though he felt a pang of guilt remembering how he had nearly taken them for himself at their first meeting.

"Actually... Brother Chu, if you wanted to, my sister and I wouldn't resist. We didn't know you were such a good person before, so..." Jiang Xue lowered her head, whispering, not daring to meet his eyes.

"What did you say?" Chu Fei asked, genuinely confused.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I just said you are a good person, our benefactor, and we will never forget your kindness," Jiang Xue quickly shook her head, looking at him earnestly.

"Benefactor? It sounds like a movie," Chu Fei chuckled. He reached out to pat her head out of habit but stopped midway, realizing it might be inappropriate for a man to do that to a young woman. He awkwardly pulled his hand back and asked, "Your sister is going to school, but what about you? Don't you want to go?"

"I don't. Modern universities don't teach anything truly useful; I'd rather learn from society," Jiang Xue shook her head without hesitation.

Chu Fei was genuinely surprised by her maturity. He nodded and said, "If you don't want to go to school, do you have any dreams or ideals? You can pursue them, and I will support you!"

"Ideals?" Jiang Xue paused, then looked at him with great solemnity. "My ideal is to work hard so that one day I can be of help to you, Brother Chu, instead of remaining just a vase that you have to protect."

"Is that so?" Chu Fei was taken aback. Looking into her determined eyes, he understood the girl’s resolution. He shook his head and said, "You don't have to force yourself like that..."

"This is my ideal," Jiang Xue interrupted him firmly.

"Alright then!" Chu Fei sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing. He would let things take their course; perhaps her perspective would change over time. Honestly, his feelings for the twins were quite complex.

"Brother Chu, let’s go. Sister Lu will be getting impatient," Jiang Xue said with a cheerful smile, returning to her usual, lighthearted self.

"Right."

Chu Fei nodded and walked into the elevator beside her. Seeing Jiang Xue staring at him in the mirror, he asked, "By the way, I saw you were quite nervous when you saw Liu Huamei earlier. Are you afraid of her?"

"Not at all," Jiang Xue immediately denied, flashing a brilliant smile at him in the mirror.

"Good. Don't be afraid of her. From now on, do what you want and say what you want. Brother Chu has your back." He raised his hand, and this time, he didn't pull back, gently patting Jiang Xue on the head.

Jiang Xue froze for a moment, then pursed her lips into a silent, happy smile. In the mirror, the girl’s smile was like a rosebud waiting to bloom—fragrant, beautiful, and carrying a hidden edge.