After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 12

“Four years ago?” Yan Guiqiu was momentarily stunned.

“Do you have any recollection?” Jiang Xuehe asked.

Four years ago was the year Yan Guiqiu took her college entrance exams.

At that time, Jiang Xuehe had already been abroad for two years, while Yan Guiqiu was still with the Yan family yet it was also the year she experienced the most twists and turns.

It was during that year that Yan Guiqiu decided to completely give up her inheritance rights including the company from her mother’s side and instead pursued a liberal arts major entirely unrelated to business management.

Theoretically, there should have been no intersection between them.

If she had to recall, it was probably in the autumn when Song Anchen noticed she was in low spirits and, taking advantage of the gap before university started, dragged her abroad for a trip.

That trip lasted over half a month, and they visited so many countries she couldn’t even count them on one hand.

It was likely during their travels in one of those countries that they happened to run into Jiang Xuehe on the street.

Jiang Xuehe looked at her, and Yan Guiqiu wanted to say she remembered, but after searching her memory for a long time, she couldn’t find a matching moment.

Yan Guiqiu shook her head honestly. “I can’t recall.”

Jiang Xuehe didn’t show any disappointment and said, “It wasn’t anything particularly memorable anyway, I didn’t even know it was you back then.”

Yan Guiqiu, however, felt a bit regretful. “We should have met back then.”

“Never having met before, without any prior arrangement, and still running into each other in some corner of a foreign country that in itself is a kind of fate.” Jiang Xuehe smiled and added, “Besides, even if we had met then, you probably wouldn’t have ‘liked’ me as much as you do now.”

Given their personalities at the time, if they had “recognized” each other then, they might not even have become friends.

Yan Guiqiu hadn’t fallen in love at first sight with Jiang Xuehe, and Jiang Xuehe wouldn’t have taken any special interest in the young lady from some prominent family.

Yan Guiqiu blinked and suddenly caught the implication in her words. “So, do you like me now?”

Jiang Xuehe said, “Of course.”

Yan Guiqiu asked, “What kind of like?”

Jiang Xuehe replied, “I don’t know.”

“Huh?”

“If you were to openly pursue me, I wouldn’t find it unpleasant.” Jiang Xuehe said, “But if you asked me to be with you right now, I’d most likely refuse.”

Yan Guiqiu’s palms were sweating, and she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed upon hearing this.

She hadn’t intended to ask so soon, but looking at the well-preserved sketches in her hands, the words slipped out before she could hold them back.

Jiang Xuehe clearly understood her feelings perfectly. Such directness was somewhat unexpected but not entirely incomprehensible.

Neither of them was the type to approach relationships with a casual “just for fun” attitude.

Having known each other for less than a month, rashly saying “I want to spend the rest of my life with you” would make anyone question its sincerity.

Even if it were genuine at that moment, who could guarantee that the passion wouldn’t fade quickly, followed by weariness?

They hadn’t even fully figured out each other’s tastes and hobbies yet, and they hadn’t even asked about each other’s birthdays.

At this stage, Jiang Xuehe saying “not unpleasant” was already the best outcome.

Not unpleasant could also mean having a favorable impression.

They could easily say “like” and even mean it to some extent, but when it came to “being together,” it seemed there was still a long way to go.

Yan Guiqiu handed back the final sketch, not allowing herself to linger in disappointment for too long. She looked up at Jiang Xuehe and said earnestly, “I’ll keep working hard.”

Working hard to understand her, working hard to prove her sincerity and reliability.

Jiang Xuehe carefully placed the sketch back into the wooden box, a slight curve forming at the corner of her lips as she replied, “Alright.”

The gallery officially opened on a weekend.

For the first couple of days, many students came to show their support, though most were just there to look around and add to the lively atmosphere. Once the initial excitement faded, the gallery gradually grew quiet again, with Xiao He being more than enough to handle the few customers.

Jiang Xuehe hadn’t truly intended to make the gallery her career in the first place. Having just returned to the country, she was merely looking for a place to settle temporarily.

Madam Jiang came by once, offering some critiques but not being overly critical. She made it clear, both directly and indirectly, that a “career” of this level could easily be maintained even after marriage, and it would even make it convenient to take care of the family.

Jiang Xuehe pretended not to hear. When she mentioned she would visit her grandfather in a few days, Madam Jiang’s expression shifted several times. She didn’t bring up the matter of the young master from the Tang family again, only reminding Jiang Xuehe to reach out to her parents and brother if she encountered any difficulties.

After sitting for a little while longer, Madam Jiang excused herself, claiming she had plans with her friends.

Jiang Xuehe saw her off at the airport, and on her way back, she happened to run into Yan Guiqiu.

Yan Guiqiu was standing outside the airport, waiting for a ride.

“Would this beautiful lady care for a ride?” Jiang Xuehe pulled up beside her and tapped on the car window.

“Xuehe-jie?” Yan Guiqiu was taken aback. “What are you doing here?”

“I was seeing my mother off,” Jiang Xuehe replied briefly before asking, “And you?”

“Same here,” Yan Guiqiu said as she got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. “My mother was flying out for a business trip, so we had lunch together. She had to rush to catch her flight afterward.”

She had mentioned this to Jiang Xuehe before, even inviting her to join them for the meal.

Jiang Xuehe had declined, saying she had something else to do.

Yan Guiqiu had initially thought she was just being shy, but it turned out she really was busy.

Upon learning it was Madam Jiang, Yan Guiqiu immediately understood why Jiang Xuehe seemed in low spirits.

The Jiang family’s relationships weren’t as full of hidden daggers and life-or-death struggles as the rumors suggested, but they weren’t exactly harmonious either perhaps they had been once, but after realizing that Jiang Xuehe, as a daughter, could also inherit the family business, that harmony had developed cracks.

Madam Jiang didn’t go so far as to resent her daughter, and she had indeed thoroughly vetted the appearance and character of the potential marriage partners she selected. But in the end, her son was still more important, which was why she was so eager to marry off her daughter.

And Jiang Xuehe was clearly not as obedient as she had expected.

In Jiang Xuehe’s eyes, her mother’s words carried the least weight.

Later in the story, when Jiang Xueyang threw the company into chaos, he deserved to be stripped of everything and kicked out of the family. Naturally, all his positions were revoked by Jiang Xuehe after she took over.

Madam Jiang tried to emotionally manipulate her daughter, resorting to tears, tantrums, and even threats of suicide, demanding that her daughter show familial affection and return the company to her brother. But Jiang Xuehe turned to look at her without so much as blinking, and without hesitation, she stripped her mother of her nominal positions as well.

The three of them were promptly bundled out of the company together.

On the surface, any accusations were deftly deflected by Jiang Xuehe without a trace of effort. In the end, Mrs. Jiang was driven to madness, making a fool of herself publicly several times and becoming the unreasonable, absurd joke of the situation.

If you were to ask whether Jiang Xuehe had any feelings for her parents and brother?

Of course, she did. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have initially chosen to step back, allowing her brother to have his way, overthrowing those uncles and securing Jiang Xueyang’s position. It would be unfair to say Jiang Xuehe played no part in that.

But Jiang Xuehe’s emotional tolerance had its limits. Once that line was crossed, even her own parents would be treated with the same ruthless finality.

By now, Mrs. Jiang’s incessant pushing had begun to irritate her.

It was almost a stroke of luck for Yan Guiqiu.

Her thoughts drifted easily even if there were future conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Jiang Xuehe would never blindly side with her mother.

But before that, it seemed there were still many issues she had overlooked.

The car entered a tunnel, the lights casting a dim yellow glow. Yan Guiqiu glanced at Jiang Xuehe, whose calm expression showed no signs of anger.

She couldn’t quite gauge Jiang Xuehe’s attitude toward the Jiang family.

Had Jiang Xuehe stepped forward because she could no longer tolerate her parents and brother’s escalating recklessness, or had she long harbored such intentions?

The narrative’s focus wasn’t on her, and it wasn’t clear from the plot.

Given their current level of understanding of each other, Yan Guiqiu still couldn’t figure it out.

Their understanding was still too shallow.

After all, the person before her was a living, breathing human, not a character sketched out in a few lines of text.

At that moment, Yan Guiqiu truly felt the difference.

But without a doubt, the real-life version was infinitely more captivating to her than the floating words on a page.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Xuehe asked.

“You,” Yan Guiqiu replied.

“Me?” Jiang Xuehe touched her face, a little puzzled. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Yan Guiqiu shook her head. “I just think you’re beautiful.”

Jiang Xuehe’s eyes curved into a smile, her mood visibly lifting. “Really?”

Yan Guiqiu nodded. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

Jiang Xuehe laughed softly. “How many layers of filters are you using?”

Yan Guiqiu put on a serious face. “Just one, it’s called ‘I like you.’”

Jiang Xuehe chuckled, her expression softening even more.

Yan Guiqiu pondered for a moment whether to be completely honest with Jiang Xuehe she had no intention of competing with her younger sister for the Yan family’s assets, but if Jiang Xuehe had long-term plans for the Jiang family, she could certainly help facilitate things.

Though she might not be able to intervene too much, she could at least make things a little easier for Jiang Xuehe.

But then she reconsidered, feeling it was too early to bring up such a topic. It might even be misinterpreted as having ulterior motives. After all, on the surface, Jiang Xuehe was just an ordinary gallery owner, a wealthy young lady.

While she hesitated, the car had already turned onto the street where the gallery was located. Jiang Xuehe asked, “Want to come in for a while? I bought some pastries this morning.”

Yan Guiqiu had nothing else to do, so she nodded.

It was a weekday afternoon, and the streets weren’t particularly busy. The high-end cars parked along the roadside stood out. Yan Guiqiu glanced at them, feeling they looked somewhat familiar, but since she was in the middle of a conversation with Jiang Xuehe, she didn’t pay them much mind.

That momentary oversight left her without much guard up.

The moment Yan Guiqiu opened the car door and stepped out, she hadn’t even taken two steps when a figure shot toward her like a cannonball. Before she could dodge, she stumbled backward, colliding with a tree behind her. By the time she regained her bearings, a girl was already clinging to her neck, hanging off her.

“Ah Qiu! Did you miss me?” the girl exclaimed excitedly.

“Ah Luan?” Yan Guiqiu paused mid-motion, about to peel the girl off. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t you say a new gallery opened around here and told me to come check it out when I had time?”

“I didn’t mean for you to pop out of nowhere like this.”

“I just wanted to surprise you!”

“More like a shock than a surprise. Didn’t I tell you not to jump on people the moment you see them?”

Yan Guiqiu sighed helplessly, lifting the girl aside. Just as she was about to say something more, she glanced over and noticed Jiang Xuehe standing not far away, watching them with a faint smile.

There was no trace of annoyance on Jiang Xuehe’s face, and Yan Guiqiu didn’t feel like she had anything to hide. Yet, for some reason, that smile made her inexplicably uneasy.

She rubbed her nose, shot a subtle glare at her friend who had ambushed her, cleared her throat lightly, and said with a straight face, “If I told you we actually have a pure mother-daughter relationship, would you believe me?”

Jiang Xuehe: “…”

I’d believe that when pigs fly.

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