Chapter 214: Jiang Bin’s Chat
“Attention, classmates! Tomorrow afternoon, we have swimming class, so make sure to bring your swimsuits!” “Got it~”
When the class monitor He Gongxing announced this, most of the students cheered with joy. I mean, who wouldn’t be happy about ditching class for a swim? But… there were indeed a select few who weren’t cheering.
You guessed it—Xia Yu, Xia Ling, and Jiang Hanhang were definitely not pleased.
Why, you ask? Well, Xia Yu had some secrets about her body that needed concealment, so how could she swim so openly and risk exposure? And as for Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang, they were still nursing their recent fractures—definitely not ideal for vigorous swimming activities. Sitting in the front row, their unhappy faces were impossible for He Gongxing to miss.
So, He Gongxing came up with an idea: “For those with physical inconveniences, you can still bring your swimsuits and just sit in the water. Participation is what counts! If bubbling in water feels too much hassle, you can always chat on the shore.”
The ball was in Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang’s court whether they’d swim tomorrow or not. After He Gongxing wrapped up his speech, off they went home from school.
When Xia Yu, Xia Ling, and Jiang Hanhang stepped out, they found Jiang Kekai waiting at the classroom door like a parent picking up kids.
Seeing Little Yu looking all gloomy, Jiang Kekai didn’t give a hoot about the eyes on her. She hugged her tightly, then wrapped her arm around Xia Yu’s neck, asking, “What’s wrong, Little Yu? Did someone upset you?”
Xia Yu shook her head, denying it.
“Oh? Then what is it? Can you tell your sister?”
Before Xia Yu could answer, Xia Ling sighed and chimed in, “I bet it’s about tomorrow’s swimming class. You know her situation, she can’t swim like a normal person right now.”
Jiang Kekai, not one to be outsmarted, quickly pieced it together. With a knowing smile, she said, “So, Little Yu, you want to swim but you’re too scared to go, huh?” Xia Yu didn’t respond, sulking as they walked.
But Jiang Kekai knew she’d hit the nail on the head. She gently patted Xia Yu’s head, soothingly saying, “No worries, Little Yu! Since you really want to swim, I’ll take you tomorrow!”
This time Xia Yu perked up, utterly surprised by Jiang Kekai’s words, and responded adorably, “But aren’t we supposed to be in school tomorrow? How can we go swimming?”
“Simple! When your class has swimming, I’ll take you to the pool outside, easy-peasy! Seriously, Little Yu, you need to be smarter. It’s too easy to pull one over on you!”
Suddenly remembering something, Jiang Kekai added, “Not to worry! As long as you stick by your sister, nobody can trick you!”
Hearing this, Xia Ling’s bl**d boiled. Was it because of Jiang Kekai’s coddling that her sister was so naive? She couldn’t possibly take on Jiang Kekai, but what about Jiang Hanhang?
In a fit of sibling rivalry, Xia Ling reached out to give Jiang Hanhang a little teasing shove… only to be swiftly grabbed by her in a swift movement. “Still playing around at this hour? Have you forgotten the last lesson?”
Channeling her sister’s assertive tone, Jiang Hanhang playfully pinched Xia Ling’s cheek, seeking some revenge for past antics.
Xia Ling: “…”
Watching the two dorky girls bickering, Jiang Kekai had enough. She tapped them on the heads: “Alright, enough fooling around. Time to head home.”
“Whaaa, you’re so biased, sis! You didn’t stop her when she bullied me, but now you’re getting in my way. No love, no love, no love~”
Jiang Hanhang’s faux cries no longer fazed Jiang Kekai, so she quickly delivered a playful whack to her sister’s head, saying, “Enough, she’s Little Yu’s friend, you should cut her some slack.”
Jiang Hanhang: “…”
Meanwhile, Xia Yu had slipped into her silent mode, staring blankly at the ground, seemingly deep in thought about life’s bigger questions.
Yes, she was thinking about last night. Clearly, Sister Little Ning had a certain sentiment for her, but how should she respond? She was utterly confused!
Before she could spiral deeper into her thoughts, Jiang Kekai’s hand, which had been resting on Xia Yu’s head, now took hold of her little hand: “Alright, Little Yu, stop being so silly and let’s head home.”
Just like that, under the guidance of the ever-caring Jiang Kekai, they returned to their cozy Xia Family house. But to their surprise, waiting inside was a figure that left the four girls utterly shocked—none other than Jiang Bin, Jiang Kekai and Jiang Hanhang’s father.
Seeing as his daughters would likely be spending a lot of time here in the coming year, Jiang Bin, being the doting father he was, couldn’t resist coming by for a visit. Plus, he wanted to see his two girls.
He had apparently been there for a while, having tea with Xia Hong, who had come home early from work, and they seemed to be getting along just fine.
Upon spotting his daughters returning from school, Jiang Bin’s face lit up with a smile as he called out, “Back from school? Come here and have a seat!”
Clearly, Jiang Bin had something to discuss, so Xia Yu, Xia Ling, and Jiang Kekai joined Jiang Hanhang on the sofa. Initially, Jiang Bin’s gaze was focused on his two daughters, but as the four girls gathered around, his attention shifted to Xia Yu.
After all, he just received a call from Xia Hong about her injuries yesterday.
“Little Yu, I heard you got hurt. Are you feeling better now?”
Xia Yu didn’t expect Jiang Bin to ask about her so quickly, catching her off guard. Her self-esteem made it hard for her to respond, and it took her a few moments to stammer out, “Uh… yeah.”
It’s tough being socially anxious; not quite an actual illness but so difficult to shake! “Glad to hear that! When your sister heard you were hurt, she was so worried she dashed out in the middle of the night!”
Jiang Bin found it humorous and smiled, recalling the commotion, but since everything seemed fine now, he brushed it off.
Noticing Xia Yu’s tendency to retreat, Jiang Kekai instinctively pulled her closer, exasperated, “Dad, you know Little Yu’s personality! Just get to the point.”
That’s my most promising daughter!
Thinking highly of her, Jiang Bin cut straight to the chase, “I came by to discuss something important with you. How about we go up to the rooftop?”
Jiang Kekai nodded, agreeing to go with him.
With them leaving, the living room was left with Xia Hong, Wang Wenjuan, Zhang Yunzhi, Xia Ling, Jiang Hanhang, and Xia Yu. As for Xia Le? That little rascal was already holed up in his room gaming away.
Zhang Yunzhi glanced at Xia Ling’s arm still bandaged in a cast, truly believing Jiang Hanhang’s previous tale—that a girl had once bravely stepped in to protect her daughter.
Perhaps because of that event, Zhang Yunzhi’s affection for Xia Ling grew, making her more supportive of her daughter being friends with an ordinary girl. Meanwhile, Jiang Bin and Jiang Kekai had reached the rooftop.
“Dad, what’s the big secret for you to come all the way up here? Can’t you just spill it?”
Noticing his daughter’s impatience, Jiang Bin turned with a smile. “What? Can’t wait to finish so you can get back to your little girlfriend?”
“So what if I do? Just hurry up.”
Jiang Kekai wasn’t backing down; she’d be herself no matter what.
“While I don’t oppose you two, I do want to ask you one more time: have you really thought this through? That boy has undergone some serious experiments, and some thoughts can’t just be changed post-experimentation.”
“I’ve definitely thought it through. Little Yu is Little Yu; she fits my vibe perfectly. So you wanted to bring this up just for that?”
“Not exactly.”
Suddenly, Jiang Bin’s expression turned serious as he said, “I was in the Imperial Capital recently dealing with matters regarding the Huang family, and I heard some news about the experiments concerning Xia Yu.”
“What news?”
Instantly curious, Jiang Kekai leaned in, her attitude becoming serious. “Your uncle’s lab was discovered by Doctor Y.”
“Who’s that?”
Not surprised that his eldest daughter was clueless, Jiang Bin patiently explained, “Doctor Y was once your uncle’s partner but chose to leave when your uncle started that questionable research. Recently, he discovered a lot of documents at your uncle’s lab, seemingly intending to hijack your uncle’s experimental results.”
“And then? Didn’t they destroy all of uncle’s experimental data?”
