Chapter 165: Time to Sell Out Cousin Again

Happy times always pass quickly.

In the blink of an eye,

it was time to part ways.

Under the streetlight,

the dim glow stretched their shadows long.

Watching Gao Jingyi’s figure gradually fade into the distance,

for some reason,

Jiang Ning suddenly thought of her past life.

The night of their final goodbye had seemed just like this.

She smiled and said goodbye.

And Jiang Ning had smiled back, saying goodbye too.

Then—

That memory was frozen forever on that very night.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning felt a pang in her heart.

“Gao Jingyi!”

She suddenly called out.

The figure stopped abruptly at the sound.

Turning back in confusion,

she saw Jiang Ning striding quickly toward her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Let me walk you home.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll walk you home.”

Gao Jingyi couldn’t help laughing and crying at the same time.

She pointed to a building not far away.

“I live in Building 19.”

“Your aunt lives in Building 15.”

“They’re only 200 meters apart, and you…”

At that moment,

Gao Jingyi noticed the unwavering determination in Jiang Ning’s gaze.

She was staring at her firmly,

with an intensity that made her heart flutter.

“If you really want to, then fine.”

“Great.”

Jiang Ning smiled brightly, reached out, and held Gao Jingyi’s hand.

Then she placed it on her arm.

“Link arms with me.”

Although she didn’t understand why Jiang Ning wanted to do this,

Gao Jingyi didn’t resist. Instead, she found it strangely amusing.

With a soft laugh, she obediently linked arms with Jiang Ning,

even resting her head lightly on that shoulder.

Just like a young couple, the two walked together, arm in arm, until they reached the bottom of Building 19.

“Want to come up for a bit?”

“Better not. It’s late. Wouldn’t be appropriate.”

At that,

Gao Jingyi couldn’t help but laugh.

“What are you thinking?”

She turned sideways.

“I’m going up then. You head back too.”

“Okay.”

Then—

watching the long-legged girl disappear into the stairwell,

Jiang Ning stood still, dazed, thoughts swirling in her mind.

If her past self had taken the initiative just a bit more,

would she have found out sooner that her home and her aunt’s were in the same neighborhood?

If she had…

Forget it.

There aren’t so many “what ifs” in this world.

A while later,

when Jiang Ning returned to her aunt’s home,

her aunt was sitting on the living room sofa with reading glasses on, head lowered over something.

As Jiang Ning got closer, she saw—

It was a stack of accounting sheets,

all marked with the name “Shi Ning Ji.”

“Auntie, cousin roped you in as free labor again?”

“You’re retired and he’s still dumping stuff on you?”

Jiang Ning frowned, pacing around the house in irritation.

“Where’s cousin? Come out and face your fate!”

But her aunt chuckled:

“No need to look, I made Wenhao stay elsewhere tonight.”

“And I asked for this work myself.”

“A person can’t just sit at home knitting all day, gotta keep the brain active too.”

Actually, Jiang Ning knew full well—

Her cousin wouldn’t bring work from the shop home.

He probably handed her these papers just to keep Auntie happy.

After all…

“Hehe.”

Jiang Ning smiled sweetly and leaned in close to her aunt.

“Auntie, don’t look at that anymore. Let’s watch some TV.”

As she spoke, she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

“Alright, alright.”

Her aunt smiled gently, putting the papers on the table.

At that moment,

the TV was showing some unknown romance drama.

Jiang Ning wasn’t interested, so she changed the channel a few times.

Then she landed on Jiangzhou TV’s food program.

As it came on, Xia Ling appeared onscreen, speaking confidently.

Reporter: [Some say you’re copying KFC and Golden Arches.]

Xia Ling: [KFC and Golden Arches are our predecessors. We strive to follow in their footsteps.]

Reporter: [Public opinion on your new campaign is mixed. What’s your view on that?]

Xia Ling: [Boundaries and debates don’t matter. It’s not about what others say—it’s about what we do.]

Reporter: [What’s the future goal of ‘Shi Ning Ji’?]

Xia Ling: [We’re committed to making ‘Shi Ning Ji’ a restaurant brand beloved and welcomed by the public.]

“This young lady’s not bad. Speaks well,” Auntie complimented.

Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

But Auntie’s next line had Jiang Ning laughing:

“No matter how capable she is, she still has to listen to our Ning Ning.”

“Our Ning Ning is the best.”

Hehe.

Auntie really knew how to praise.

Half an hour later—

Jiang Ning lay on her cousin’s bed.

Though the sheets and covers had been changed,

there was still an indescribable greasy smell on the pillow.

Unable to sleep,

she sat up on the bed,

turned on the bedside lamp,

and examined the room.

Hmm…

At first glance, it was fairly tidy.

Jiang Ning stared at a pretty girl poster behind the door for a moment,

muttering about her cousin’s taste,

then shifted her gaze to the bookshelf on the right.

The Four Great Classical Novels? No interest.

Classic Poetry Appreciation? Skip.

Fullmetal Alchemist…

Not her type.

Then—

Jiang Ning spotted a book titled Girl’s Heart and Nature.

Curious, she picked it up and was about to flip through it.

But something felt off in her hand.

She turned it over—

A disc labeled in Japanese appeared in her view.

Instantly,

the corners of Jiang Ning’s mouth lifted inexplicably.

She casually tossed aside the book and held the disc in her hand.

By the moonlight through the window,

she studied the image on the disc.

A lady with wavy hair,

a young face but a very mature figure.

Then—

Relying on her past-life experience,

Jiang Ning roughly deciphered some of the Japanese.

Endurance?

One million yen prize?

Oh?

Didn’t expect this.

Cousin actually liked this series.

She glanced around the room,

instinctively searching for something to play it on.

Only to bump right into Auntie coming through the door.

The disc caught the light—

Auntie saw immediately what Jiang Ning was holding.

“Ning Ning, what’s that in your hand…”

After a moment of silence,

Jiang Ning handed over the disc.

“Auntie, if I said I found this in cousin’s manga collection…”

“Would you believe me?”

——————

Early the next morning,

Jiang Ning was woken by the chattering of some aunties outside.

Frowning,

she pulled the thin blanket over her head,

planning to doze off again.

But at that moment,

her phone rang.

She looked—her cousin was calling.

She picked up instinctively.

“Ning Ning, what happened at home? Why did my mom call to yell at me first thing this morning?”

What happened?

Oh…

Jiang Ning snapped back to reality, momentarily unsure how to answer.

“Ning Ning?”

“You there? Ning Ning?”

Hearing the voice on the other end, Jiang Ning thought for a moment, then clicked her tongue and said:

“Well, cousin…”

“Yeah?”

“Actually, I think… the Couple Bounty series might be even better…”

“Huh? Wha—”

Before Tian Wenhao could finish speaking, Jiang Ning directly hung up the phone.

Then she shut off the phone entirely and shoved it back under the pillow.

To be honest.

Just thinking about what happened last night made Jiang Ning a little too embarrassed to speak.

A guy in his thirties.

Was actually pulled to the bedside by his aunt for a full half-hour lecture on female physiology.

And all the things she should be mindful of when dating in the future.

Even though Jiang Ning repeatedly explained that she wouldn’t be dating any boys, it was no use.

Her aunt still went on and on, unhurriedly explaining things that made Jiang Ning’s face burn.

Different types of sleep masks.

What to pay attention to when showering.

So many things.

She only just stopped short of telling her how to take care of herself during pregnancy.

Honestly.

It was only because it was her aunt saying these things.

If it were anyone else—

Even her own mom—Jiang Ning wouldn’t have sat there listening calmly for half an hour.

A while later.

Her aunt’s voice came from outside the door.

“Ningning, time to get up.”

“Didn’t you say you were going to help out at the store today?”

Help out?

After what happened last night…

Jiang Ning wasn’t sure if her older cousin might kill her.

For the sake of her own survival…

“Not going…”

“My friend just called, something came up.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to go take care of it.”

“Alright, then sleep a little longer. It’s Sunday, take the rare chance to rest.” Her aunt said as she casually closed the door.

As Jiang Ning heard the click of the door closing—

A sudden, inexplicable wave of happiness washed over her.

Her aunt actually told her to sleep a bit longer!

Told her to sleep more because it was the weekend!?

If it were her mom—

Even if there was nothing going on today, she’d still drag her out of bed to help at the store.

Why was there such a huge difference between sisters’ personalities?

Was she adopted?

At that thought—

Jiang Ning buried her head in the thin blanket.

Let out a few dramatic “wu wu” cries.

Then…

Fell asleep.

In her dream.

Jiang Ning saw her past-life mother lecturing her about the principles of being a man.

And beside her stood her current-life mother, teaching her what girls should be mindful of.

Both were speaking quickly, yet somehow not interrupting each other, and every word reached her ears.

Finally.

Just when Jiang Ning couldn’t take it anymore and was about to snap—

Gao Jingyi appeared.

And kissed her on the left cheek.

Then Qi Wen showed up.

And kissed her on the right cheek.

And finally—

Boss Yang Mei arrived.

Just when Jiang Ning thought Boss Yang Mei was going to kiss her too—

She pulled a makeup mirror from her pocket and held it up to Jiang Ning’s face.

When Jiang Ning saw in the mirror that her reflection had half a man’s face and half a woman’s—

In that instant—

She was jolted awake.

(End of chapter)