Chapter 2: No Time

As October approached, the sky in Beicheng darkened earlier than usual. By six or seven in the evening, only a few streaks of light remained, faint and pink, like splashes of crimson dye soaked into dark blue satin.

Jiang Se had just settled into the car when Guo Qian’s call came in.

“Se Se, I’m about to go crazy because of Zhu Mingli!”

“What happened?” Not wanting to disturb Uncle Liu who was driving, Jiang Se put on her Bluetooth headset. “Is this about me?”

“If it weren’t for you, would I be this angry?” Guo Qian’s voice trembled with rage. “She created a WeChat group and called you Jiang Enxi, saying you’re an opportunist, shamelessly taking someone else’s place. Can you believe it? Those damn matters have nothing to do with you! She used to secretly call you a bitch, and I remember it all! When I get back to the country, I’m going to get back at her for you!”

Jiang Se raised an eyebrow. “Jiang Enxi?”

Guo Qian replied, “She’s the female lead from an old Korean drama. That girl was a fake daughter, and then she got cancer and died.”

Jiang Se: “…”

Guo Qian spat and said angrily, “Se Se, they’re cursing you to die!”

“…”

Compared to Guo Qian, who was completely furious, Jiang Se wasn’t as upset. It wasn’t because she had an exceptionally good temper, but because she felt these words were simply meaningless.

Human emotions in this world are often cold and warm.

Those who praise you when you’re thriving may also be the ones who kick you when you’re down.

Now that she wasn’t Cen Se from the Cen family of Beicheng anymore, there would always be some people eager to seize the chance to step on her, the “fake phoenix.”

Making a few sarcastic remarks in a WeChat group was a rather mild way of doing so.

Jiang Se didn’t really want to pay attention to it, but since these people had pissed off Guo Qian, who was equally infuriated, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

A minute later, she was added to the group by Guo Qian.

After thinking for a few seconds, Jiang Se sent a message in the group: “Alright, go ahead. Tell me how I’m an opportunist and shameless. Feel free to say whatever you want, I’ll take a screenshot and post it, so everyone can join in the fun.”

Perhaps they hadn’t expected the person in question to respond like this, and the group fell eerily silent.

Apart from Guo Qian sending a few sarcastic gifs, there was no further activity.

As the car approached the airport, Jiang Se noticed that no one had said a word in the group chat. Bored, she exited the conversation.

She knew what they were worried about.

They had probably assumed she would stubbornly stay in the Cen family, right? Before completely shedding the identity of Cen’s eldest daughter, they didn’t dare to truly confront her.

They only dared to mutter behind her back, which was… disappointing.

She was now completely without any ties—just a barefooted person, hoping to find someone with shoes to drive her a bit crazy.

---

In September, the sky in Beicheng darkened early, but the heat was still intense, like a furnace.

Even at night, the wind felt hot.

The black sedan drove through the traffic and arrived at the airport. As Jiang Se opened the door and got out, the noise mixed with the wind hit her face.

Uncle Liu glanced out the window and couldn’t help but call out to Jiang Se. “Miss, would you like me to go inside to pick… her up?”

“No need, I’ll go meet her.” Jiang Se lightly stepped onto the ground illuminated by neon lights in her white sheepskin high heels. She glanced back and smiled, saying, “Also, Uncle Liu, I’m no longer the eldest daughter of the Cen family. It’s inappropriate to still call me ‘Miss.’”

Jiang Se had mentioned this a couple of days ago, but Uncle Liu had worked at the Cen family for over ten years, escorting Jiang Se to and from school and work. It wasn’t something that could change so easily.

Watching Jiang Se’s receding figure, Uncle Liu’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn’t speak. He just sighed deeply.

The mobile app showed that flight A6788 had arrived. Jiang Se stood at the arrival exit, quietly watching the large LED display screen.

Around her, the crowd surged like a tide, but she remained still, exuding a graceful and composed air.

When Cen Yu came out, pushing her luggage, that was the scene she saw.

The bustling airport terminal was chaotic and noisy, with people everywhere. But the area where Jiang Se stood seemed oddly tranquil, as if the air itself was calm.

Cen Yu and Jiang Se actually knew each other.

Both were top students from the Business School in university, though Cen Yu was one year below Jiang Se.

When Cen Yu participated in the W-PEC Global Entrepreneurship Competition, Jiang Se, as the gold medalist from the previous year, was a strategic advisor to Cen Yu’s team.

It had been almost three years since they last saw each other after Jiang Se graduated, and they thought they wouldn’t cross paths again.

Unexpectedly… their lives intersected in such a way.

She was no longer Jiang Yu, and the senior was no longer Cen Se.

“Junior!” Jiang Se smiled and waved at Cen Yu.

“Senior!” Cen Yu flashed a bright smile and walked toward Jiang Se. “Have you been waiting long? Sorry, there were too many people picking up luggage just now, so it took a bit of time.”

“No problem, I just got here.”

As the two spoke, they walked toward the terminal exit. The atmosphere wasn’t overly intimate, but it was harmonious. There was no tension or dramatic confrontation like in those clichéd stories with fake daughters fighting for status, nor was there any dramatic catfight the onlookers might expect.

The black Rolls-Royce was parked in its spot.

Uncle Liu came down to help Cen Yu with her luggage. He glanced at Jiang Se, then at Cen Yu, unsure of how to address her. He could only vaguely say, “Miss, I’ll do it.”

Jiang Se held the car door open for Cen Yu to get in. Just as Cen Yu settled into her seat and Jiang Se was about to bend down to enter, her peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar car.

It was a limited edition Maybach, of which there were fewer than one hundred in the world. In Beicheng, the only person she knew who drove that car was him.

Jiang Se subtly turned her head and indeed saw a familiar figure walking out from the terminal’s automatic doors.

The man was extremely handsome, with sharp, cold features.

His face had more dimension than most, with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, a thin, cool lip line, and a prominent nose bridge. His sharp profile was framed by gold-rimmed glasses. His tall and lean figure was impeccably dressed in a black suit, exuding a strong and commanding presence.

He was listening to his assistant, and due to his height, he had to lower his head slightly.

The moonlight, like molten silver, reflected off his glasses, casting a cold gleam.

This was Lu Huaiyan, the heir of the Lu Group, who had spent the past two years expanding into Europe. It had been more than half a year since Jiang Se last saw him.

Normally, Jiang Se would have politely and distantly greeted him.

But now, there was no need for that.

People with whom she would no longer have any interaction—there was no need to waste any more pleasantries.

Jiang Se coolly shifted her gaze away, bent down, and got into the car. The door slammed shut with a solid “bang.”

On the other side…

Assistant Li Rui, after Jiang Se got into the car, let out a soft “Eh?”

“Was that Cen Se just now?”

Lu Huaiyan followed his gaze but didn’t see anyone, though he recognized the car and its license plate.

He simply hummed in acknowledgment, without much emotion.

“Looks like it really was her,” Li Rui said, his tone mixed with a complex emotion, something hard to describe.

Though Li Rui wasn’t exactly a highborn young master, he had been by Lu Huaiyan’s side for eight years, making him something of an outsider in the upper circles of the wealthy. He had overheard many secrets about the rich.

He had recently heard from a certain young master that Jiang Se was the wrong daughter the Cen family had raised.

Though Lu Huaiyan noticed the odd tone in Li Rui’s voice, he didn’t ask further. He had never been interested in matters regarding Cen Se.

Li Rui, after getting into the car, couldn’t wait to share the juicy gossip he had just heard.

“Mr. Lu, have you heard about the Cen family’s situation?”

Lu Huaiyan leaned back against the chair, took off his glasses, and pressed his fingers to his temples.

After a few seconds, he glanced at Li Rui’s eager expression and casually asked, “What’s going on?”

“It’s about Miss Cen Se not being Cen Zong’s biological daughter. Apparently, she was switched at birth. The real daughter is someone named Cen Yu, and Miss Cen Se has returned to her original surname—Jiang. She’s now Jiang Se. Guess we should be calling her Miss Jiang now,” Li Rui said, clearly excited to pass on the news.

Lu Huaiyan’s eyes flicked open slightly at the mention, but his tone remained indifferent. “When did this happen?”

“A month ago,” Li Rui replied eagerly, almost feeding the gossip to Lu Huaiyan like a slice of fruit. “It’s actually a bit of a soap opera—just like something out of a TV drama.”

Jiang Se and Cen Yu were both born in Beicheng’s First Hospital. On the night they were born, there was a disturbance at the hospital, and someone even set a fire. The fire spread quickly.

In the chaos, the nurse accidentally swapped two sets of newborns—one pair of boys and one pair of girls.

A little more than a month ago, one of the swapped boys discovered he wasn’t his parents’ child and caused a scene at the hospital. This incident later made it into the media.

Soon after, someone posted on Weibo revealing that Jiang Se and Cen Yu were the other victims of the hospital’s baby-swap incident.

But as soon as the news broke, the Cen family suppressed it, and there wasn’t even a ripple.

Li Rui was curious about how the Cen family would handle the situation.

After all, Miss Cen Se was a leading socialite, and there was even a marriage engagement with the Fu family. If they sent Jiang Se away, all the years of nurturing her would be wasted, right?

Of course, without that connection to the Cen family’s bloodline, whether the Fu family would still accept her as their future daughter-in-law was yet to be seen.

Li Rui stole a glance at Lu Huaiyan, hoping to get some gossip out of him.

But to his surprise, after Lu Huaiyan finished hearing the news, he simply hummed in acknowledgment and closed his eyes again, seemingly uninterested.

Li Rui was stunned.

Wasn’t Lu Huaiyan and Miss Jiang Se childhood friends? And that’s all the reaction he had?

---

Lu Huaiyan didn’t return to the Lu family’s old residence but instead went straight to the Ruido Huafu, located in the heart of Beicheng’s CBD.

The night view from there was famously magnificent in Beicheng, with a clear view of the sea and the cross-sea bridge.

Lu Huaiyan lived in a duplex apartment on the top floor. Li Rui, eager to admire the night view, went to help with the luggage but was unceremoniously sent back into the car by Lu Huaiyan.

“We’re going to Tongcheng early tomorrow. Get the materials ready,” Lu Huaiyan said as he entered the building.

The penthouse had a private elevator, and as the elevator door opened, a pure white Samoyed came bounding toward him, tail wagging.

Lu Huaiyan swiftly reached out and stopped the dog, frowning. “Garo, how many times have I told you not to jump into the elevator?”

Garo was a Sanskrit name taken from the Avatamsaka Sutra, and it was given to the dog by Lu Huaiyan’s mother, Han Yin.

Han Yin was a Buddhist and had always thought her son was too cold-hearted. Four years ago, on Lu Huaiyan’s birthday, she secretly sent him the dog as a gift, saying it was to soften his heart.

Although little Garo had a Buddhist-inspired name, it was still a clingy Samoyed, and the one it loved to stick to the most was its “dog daddy.”

At that moment, Garo’s enthusiastic greeting had caused a slight sour expression on the dog dad’s face.

Auntie, who had been following Garo, came out, laughing, “Garo really missed you, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Huaiyan’s cold gaze softened just a little as he bent down to pat Garo’s head. “I’ll go take a shower first, and then I’ll play with you after.”

The apartment Lu Huaiyan lived in was always quiet. The only person who came to care for Garo was Auntie, and that was only when he was away on business. After his shower, he came out to find Auntie had left a few notes as usual.

Garo was waiting by the bathroom door of the master bedroom, and as soon as he saw Lu Huaiyan, he eagerly ran toward him.

Lu Huaiyan’s black bathrobe was quickly disheveled by Garo’s paws, revealing a sharp V-shape from his neck down to his abs, showcasing his well-defined collarbones and muscles.

Lu Huaiyan didn’t mind. He patted Garo’s head again and murmured, “Let’s go play downstairs.”

After spending almost half an hour playing with Garo, his phone rang.

Glancing at the screen and seeing the name, Lu Huaiyan quickly recalled the gossip Li Rui had shared earlier.

He was usually indifferent to gossip, especially regarding the Cen family and Cen Se. To him, it was none of his business.

The phone rang insistently for about ten seconds before he finally answered. “Is there something you need?”

On the other end of the line, Cen Li’s cheerful voice came through. “Ah Yan, you’re back in the country?”

Lu Huaiyan responded with a brief “Mm.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about my family’s little issue, right?” Cen Li lightly coughed. “Aunt Zhang told me that Se Se is heading back to Tongcheng soon. You’re going there for work, aren’t you? Could you please look out for her while you’re there? Maybe talk to her, calm her down a bit? What do you think?”

Lu Huaiyan, while playing with the dog, replied without any change in expression, “What am I, her brother?”

“I’m stuck abroad and can’t go back. The fact that she changed her surname without consulting anyone really angered my parents. They’re upset, and I can’t go see her right now. Se Se used to listen to you more than to me. Your words might carry more weight than mine. Bro, could you just do me this small favor?”

Lu Huaiyan’s memory was sharp, and with just a few of Cen Li’s words, several images flashed through his mind. They stopped at a rainy night when Jiang Se had gently called him “Huaiyan Ge” as she rested in his arms.

These memories were fleeting and soon dismissed from his thoughts.

Lu Huaiyan’s tone remained indifferent. “That was years ago. You, her brother, haven’t had the time. Do you really think I will?”

“…”

On the other end of the phone, Cen Li finally couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

If Se Se wasn’t so stubborn and determined to go to Tongcheng, he wouldn’t even bother asking Lu Huaiyan for help.

A person who could sever all ties with his biological father? Cen Li never expected the bond from childhood to mean much to him either.

Frankly speaking, Lu Huaiyan was probably more fond of the dog than he was of Cen Li.

Cen Li’s handsome face lost its smile.

Clenching his jaw, he said, “I really don’t feel comfortable with Se Se going to Tongcheng alone. She won’t stay there long; she’ll eventually come back to the Cen family. All you need to do is look out for her for a little while. I’ll give you my vineyard in France in return!”

Lu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow.

For a sister with no blood relation, offering up a vineyard was quite generous, even for someone like Cen Li, who was known for his lavishness.

However, a vineyard wasn’t enough to sway Lu Huaiyan into meddling in someone else’s family matters.

He pulled a toy robot from Garo’s mouth, which the dog had somehow managed to grab, and with a cool glance at his phone, he responded to Cen Li with just two words.

“Not interested.”

Previous

Next