Chapter 22: Thought You Incurred External Debts, Turns Out It's a Romantic Entanglement

Shang Ying munched on her apple, throwing the boy over to the bodyguards with a look of utter disgust.

Shang Yi nodded, instructing the bodyguards, "Take them to the police station."

"Yes!"

"Wait, don't! Please let me off this time, I'll listen to whatever you say in the future!"

Either way, he absolutely couldn't go to the police station. If his dad found out, he'd be beaten to death, and he'd completely lose face. No matter what, he refused to go!

Hearing this, Shang Ying gave an "Oh," not taking it to heart at all. She measured him up and down before scoffing in disdain.

The boy: ... ╰(‵□′)╯

"What could you possibly help me with?"

The boy immediately began showing off.

"My name is Jiang Jiang. You know the Thirteen Courts of the Jiang family in the Capital, right? We hold quite a bit of influence around here, seriously! Trust me!"

Fearing Shang Ying wouldn't believe him, he looked over at the thugs nearby, who quickly took the hint and nodded profusely.

"Yes, yes! The Jiang family is a local power in the Capital, you won't lose out on this deal!"

They spoke as if they were incredible, but Shang Ying hadn't heard of them in the novel, so she remained clueless. She turned her head to look at Shang Yi.

"Have you heard of them?"

Shang Yi pressed his pale lips together and nodded slightly. The Jiang family had connections in both the legitimate and underground sectors, possessing power in the Capital that couldn't be underestimated. No one dared to mess with them easily.

Shang Ying asked again, "Are they formidable?"

Shang Yi: "Decent."

Jiang Jiang's eyes widened. ‘Decent?’ Far more than just decent! Their Thirteen Courts were like a giant tree! Anyone in the underworld who heard the Jiang family's name would walk around them. His family practically held local reign!

"Then we definitely need to send you to the police station. Local power, huh? Time to hand you over to the police to crack down on gang crime!"

The street thugs: (；Recorded! )?!

Upon receiving the order, the bodyguards immediately dragged the boy toward the car. Jiang Jiang was completely dumbfounded, desperately clinging to the car door as he struggled. How was this completely different from the script in his head?!

"Sister! You're my sister... no, Big Boss! Boss! I beg you, I'll listen to everything you say from now on!"

Shang Ying leisurely munched on her apple, and the alley fell silent for a moment, as if everyone was waiting for her golden words. After thinking for a bit, she raised the stakes.

"On call at any time? Following my every command?"

Seeing room for leeway, Jiang Jiang nodded frantically.

"Of course, of course! As long as you agree, I'll call you Boss from now on!"

Shang Ying raised her hand, and the bodyguards immediately released him. Jiang Jiang finally let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed to thank her. The other thugs were equally quick on their feet, each bowing lower than the last, nearly kneeling down to kowtow.

Shang Yi, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke up, looking at Jiang Jiang.

"Who ordered it?"

Jiang Jiang had been somewhat intimidated by his glance earlier, so now he revealed everything truthfully.

"Lu Yan. Lu Yan called to tell us to come."

‘Lu Yan?’

Shang Yi's lips pressed into a tight line, his eyelids drooping as shadows fell over his eyelashes, a low-pressure aura shrouding his entire body.

Only when Lu Yan had blurted out Shang Ying's name previously had he truly taken notice of that girl. Before that, he hadn't even known her name.

He had clearly warned her to stay away from them, so why didn't she listen?

"Sounds like a girl's name. Sigh, being handsome really is a curse." Shang Ying spouted nonsense, then turned her head to look at her younger brother's face. His face was so dark that it looked like it was dripping ink. She raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know her?"

Shang Yi shook his head, then nodded.

Shang Ying rolled her eyes upward, ate two more bites of her apple, shaping it into a flower-like ring with her teeth, and suddenly remembered a person. She gestured on her face with her hand.

"Is she the one with a small face and straight bangs? Oh right, followed by two other girls?" The last sentence was the key.

Last time, that girl had stood in the middle while two girls behind her listened to her every command, genuinely giving off the vibe of a young mistress from a feudal society accompanied by two personal maids.

Shang Yi had a pretty decent memory and possessed an impression of Lin Yuan. Matching her face immediately upon Shang Ying's description, he nodded to her.

"So it really is her." Shang Ying looked Shang Yi up and down, looking somewhat angry. "Tell your sister: did you provoke her?"

Otherwise, why would she come to corner her last time and insist on asking about their relationship...? Wait, Shang Ying's eyes darted, carefully scrutinizing Shang Yi's face once more before coming to a sudden realization.

Shang Yi stared fixedly at Shang Ying with his dark eyes, tilting his head slightly, completely failing to understand her gossipy expression.

"I thought you incurred external debts, turns out it's a romantic entanglement!"

"Gossip to devour!" Jiang Jiang, listening excitedly from the side, hadn't left while the other thugs were driven away by him. "Could it be that someone took a liking to your boyfriend, got jealous, and paid money to hire people to handle you?"

Seeing his gossipy, clever-aleck look, Shang Ying slapped the back of his head.

"What boyfriend?! I'm his older sister! Biological, from the exact same stomach!"

‘Are you blind? Can't you see how much they look alike?!’

Shang Yi didn't feel happy hearing Shang Ying admit to an outsider that she was his sister. Instead, he clenched his fists tightly, the cold line of his lips looking terrifying. So, was it because of him that Shang Ying encountered danger?

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang examined their faces carefully, looking back and forth several times before gasping. They really did look almost identical!

However, because they were male and female, he hadn't thought in that direction at all, simply assuming they had a "husband-and-wife face" from being together so long. Combined with the gloomy look Shang Yi had been giving him earlier, he had completely misunderstood.

Picking up her backpack from the ground, Shang Ying patted off the dust, then went over to the old lady to fetch her desserts. Seeing her walk over, the old lady smiled kindly.

"Did you win the fight, young girl?"

Taking the desserts, Shang Ying replied, "Won the fight, rest assured, Grandma."

The old lady nodded and closed her eyes to enjoy her leisure time again. ‘As expected of a child from Capital No. 1 High School. Even when it comes to fighting, she's tougher than other kids.’

"Boss, what's your name? Let's exchange contact info so it's convenient for us to stay in touch later."

Jiang Jiang followed right behind Shang Ying like an attentive lackey. He could have easily flipped his stance and run off, but since he considered himself a member of the underworld, he lived by the word 'loyalty'. Promises made to others could never be gone back on.

"Shang Ying, 'Shang' as in the Shang Dynasty, with 'Ying' having an added female radical in the middle." Shang Ying pulled out her phone, exchanged contact info with him, then pointed to the person beside her.

"His name is Shang Yi, 'Yi' as in 'Boyi'."

Jiang Jiang flashed an 'OK' gesture with his hand, smiling brilliantly, having completely forgotten about his recent beating.

Looking at his bruised, battered face, Shang Ying twitched her mouth.

"You should probably head to a hospital to get that checked out."

Who knew the young master of the Jiang family didn't care at all, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"A man's gotta have some battle scars on his face to call it life experience. It's fine! Hey, if you ever need someone to teach that girl a lesson, just say the word, and I'll guarantee it gets done!"

"Deal," Shang Ying nodded. "If I don't teach her a proper lesson, my last name won't be Shang."

Jiang Jiang gave a huge thumbs-up.

"Sister, you're awesome."

Returning to the car, Driver Uncle Chen, who had been waiting for a long time, couldn't help turning his head to ask about the situation. When Young Master Shang had rushed out earlier with a dark face and a carload of bodyguards, the momentum made it look like he was going to settle a major score with someone.

Shang Ying offered a light laugh.

"It's nothing major. The old lady at the alley entrance lost her cat, so I called people over to help look for it."

Lies came to her as naturally as breathing, making Shang Yi glance at her involuntarily.

Uncle Chen gave an "Oh." Although bringing bodyguards to search for a cat sounded utterly ridiculous, as long as no one was hurt, it was fine. He asked again, "Did you find it then?"

"I didn't find it," Shang Ying sighed with faux regret. "It probably grew wings and flew away."

Driver Uncle Chen: ?

Seeing Shang Yi looking somewhat downcast, Shang Ying shook the dessert box in her hand in front of him.

"Here, for you. I hunted this down for you."

How could this not count as hunting? Negotiating with a bunch of street thugs for half a day was practically a self-fulfilling prophecy. She'd definitely have to mind her mouth in the future.

Shang Yi took the cake, still carrying a heavy, preoccupied expression. Shang Ying glanced at him several times, finally unable to resist pinching his face.

"What are you pondering over? You've been sporting a dark face since earlier."

Shang Yi hugged the dessert box tightly, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force. After a long pause, a trembling voice finally escaped his lips.

"I'm sorry.”