The Villain’s Daughter is Four and a Half

He sneered, his smile bitter. “I can’t find her. I’m about to go crazy with worry. Sister, if you truly consider me your brother, how can you have the mood for these things now? I know you’ve suffered a lot for my sake, but I’ve treated you well. How much money have I given you over the years? Hasn’t Yingying been giving you a monthly allowance on time? Did you think I didn’t know?” The harsh truth was unbearable. His good sister had only seen him as a money tree. Jiang Baiyuan, as if unable to bear this blow, staggered back a few steps and sat on the bed. “Our parents passed away early, and we depended on each other for survival. I don’t have many relatives, just you, my sister. But you’ve hurt my heart like this. Sister, you’ve really disappointed me.” Disappointment is a word with great destructive power. Once someone is disappointed in you, it’s not far from being abandoned. Jiang Qiuyue was truly scared, and her tone softened. “Baiyuan, don’t be like this. Sister was wrong, sister was bewitched. Don’t be mad at sister. You’re the only family I have. You can’t abandon me.” Now, she was just afraid that he wouldn’t care for her. Jiang Baiyuan was indifferent. “Leave. I don’t want to see you again.” Jiang Qiuyue refused to leave; once she did, the rift between them would be hard to mend. Thus, she grabbed his sleeve, crying, “Baiyuan, I am your sister. Sister loves you. Sister has sacrificed her youth for you!” The bond of siblingship and the grace of upbringing were her two major weapons to control him. In the past, Jiang Baiyuan had indulged her greed and selfishness because of these two points, including Xu Xiangying. She was a woman who valued simplicity over wealth, almost disdainful of money. Every time Jiang Qiuyue asked to borrow money, she would give her thousands, even tens of thousands, without hesitation, and she hadn’t even told him. If he hadn’t accidentally discovered the transfer records, how would he know that his good sister was borrowing money from his wife every month? And never repaid it. “You should regret that Yingying isn’t here. Otherwise, she would have persuaded me to forgive you.” That angel-like kind woman! Thinking of her, tears fell uncontrollably. Men don’t cry easily, but only when they are heartbroken. Jiang Ruyi stood by the door, eavesdropping on their conversation. Seeing her father cry, she hurried forward, climbed onto the bed, and hugged his neck to comfort him. “Daddy, don’t cry. Daddy, Ruyi is here.” The little one’s comfort made him even sadder. This sensible daughter… would only make him miss his missing wife more. Seeing the deep bond between father and daughter, Jiang Qiuyue didn’t disturb them but quietly left the room, contemplating how to mend the sibling relationship. Seeing her leave, Jiang Baiyuan touched his daughter’s small face and softly asked, “You didn’t want to go to aunt’s house before, was it because of this? You knew aunt wouldn’t treat you well?” Jiang Ruyi nodded, her voice muffled. “Aunt doesn’t like me. She doesn’t like mom either. Mom never told you.” As for why she didn’t say, it was probably because she didn’t want to make things difficult for him. On one side was his wife, on the other his sister, who had spent over a decade with him, even sacrificing her youth for him. She must have felt wronged, but she said nothing. She was so good, and yet he had lost her. Jiang Baiyuan felt both self-reproach and pain, only able to hold his daughter tightly, expressing his apologies. “I’m sorry, it’s all daddy’s fault. It’s daddy who made Ruyi suffer.” This apology was for both his daughter and his wife. He must find her, at any cost. Jiang Ruyi didn’t know what he was thinking; she just hugged him back, her voice soft. “Daddy, it’s okay. I don’t blame you, and mom won’t either. Mom said, a family should understand and tolerate each other.” “Yes, yes. Daddy will listen to Ruyi.” “Then daddy should be good too.” She kissed his forehead, her eyes bright and lovely. The father and daughter shared a warm moment for about 10 minutes. Jiang Baiyuan carried his daughter out, asking her what she wanted for dinner, only to find Jiang Qiuyue had set out a lavish spread, clearly trying to atone for her mistakes. He was unmoved, his attitude cold. “Sister, why haven’t you left yet?” Jiang Qiuyue had calmed down. She felt that Jiang Baiyuan was in a fit of anger and wouldn’t listen to anything she said, so she decided to play the victim. “It’s so late; how can I take the child back alone?” She had come by train, which took over 7 hours, waking up just in time to arrive in Shenzhen. Now, going back at night, there were no trains. Of course, she could take a high-speed train or fly, but she harbored the hope that Jiang Baiyuan would cool down by tomorrow, and she could say some soft words to mend their relationship, so she refused to leave. Jiang Baiyuan knew her plan and sneered. “Fine, let’s go. I’ll book you a hotel.” In any case, he wouldn’t let her stay here. Jiang Qiuyue’s expression changed when she heard this. “Baiyuan, you can’t do this, I’m your sister—” “Enough—” Jiang Baiyuan interrupted her impatiently, his eyes icy. “The more you say you’re my sister, the colder I feel. Thinking of what you did to Ruyi, I even want to sever ties with you.” “Baiyuan—” “If you don’t leave, don’t expect a penny from me ever again.” At the mention of money, her attitude changed. “No, no, no, I’ll go, I’ll go. I won’t be in your way.” But she wanted to leave, Feng Mingzhu didn’t. She clung to his clothes, looking up with teary eyes. “Uncle, hug me. Mingzhu doesn’t want to go. Mingzhu wants to stay with uncle. Boohoo, does uncle not like Mingzhu anymore? Why are you sending mom away?” Jiang Baiyuan was cold-hearted and didn’t comfort her. “Mingzhu, you’ll understand someday. Go home with your mom. Uncle will visit when he has time.” “Liar. Uncle is lying.” “Sister, let’s go. I’ll take you to a hotel for the night.” He said, stepping forward. Jiang Qiuyue, helpless, picked up her crying daughter and followed. They entered the elevator one after the other. Feng Mingzhu was still crying. “Uncle, hug me. I want uncle to hug me.” In normal times, Jiang Baiyuan would have put down his daughter to hug her. But times had changed; no one could replace his daughter’s position. The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out one after the other. Jiang Baiyuan’s car was parked outside, an ordinary black Volkswagen. His attire was also simple, unchanged for years: a white shirt and suit pants. If it weren’t for his good looks and demeanor, he’d just be an average office worker. Jiang Qiuyue always thought he was just an average office worker, even if he earned a high salary, it wouldn’t be that high. Moreover, his wife didn’t work, spent lavishly, and they even had a daughter. But the 6 million reward made her realize she was wrong. Poverty had limited her imagination. Her brother was unimaginably wealthy. Therefore, she chose a five-star hotel. Jiang Baiyuan handled the check-in for her and left without any reluctance. He took Ruyi to a restaurant for a meal, ordering a bowl of soup noodles for himself and a portion of small wontons for Ruyi. During the meal, a news segment was playing on a TV hung on the restaurant wall: “Today, at 2 PM, the genius scientist Jiang Baiyuan appeared on Shuanglin Road Pedestrian Street to post missing person notices. Four days have passed since his wife Xu Xiangying went missing, and unfortunately, there has still been no good news. However, there is still warmth in the world; onlookers have joined the search for his wife, and people from other provinces have called to volunteer help in posting the notices. Here is the scene…”