She Is Like a Breath of Spring - Chapter 2

The atmosphere froze instantly. The two of them, one above and one below, stared at each other. Neither spoke first.

Inside the silent house, only the faint chirping of cicadas drifted in from the window, adding a layer of subtlety to the tension.

After an unknown amount of time, perhaps three minutes or perhaps less than one, Jiang Zhen braced herself and asked in a small voice, “Is that you, Yin?”

Jiang Yin let out a soft “mm” from the back of her throat.

In the darkness, Jiang Zhen let out two silent, dry chuckles. “Did I make too much noise coming home and wake you up?”

“No.” Jiang Yin tried to restrain her tone so she would not sound so cold, but the words that left her mouth felt like they were wrapped in mid-winter ice, sounding stiff even to her own ears. To soften the mood, she added, “I could not sleep, so I came out for a walk.”

Jiang Zhen nodded. Realizing that Jiang Yin likely could not see her gesture, she followed up by saying, “It is quite cool outside.”

Awkward, rigid, and at a loss. Both of them felt the same way.

“Do you want to come down?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Zhen realized how obvious the answer was. She immediately stepped aside, clearing a path for Jiang Yin.

Seeing the movement, Jiang Yin did not answer but walked straight down the stairs. Jiang Zhen remained still, seemingly intending to wait for her to pass before heading up.

At the moment they crossed paths, an extremely faint “sorry” drifted through the darkness.

Jiang Yin’s footsteps faltered. Her heart gave a heavy thud, as if someone had suddenly squeezed it, leaving her momentarily breathless. She stopped beside Jiang Zhen. After a long silence, she replied softly, “This is not your fault.”

Without waiting for Jiang Zhen to respond, she hurried downstairs and vanished into the heavy night.

With the soft click of a door closing, silence returned to the massive villa. Only the “tick-tock” of the vintage wall clock hammered against Jiang Zhen’s heart.

She turned her head, using the moonlight to watch the garden. Jiang Yin, dressed in casual clothes, sat outside looking up at the sky. It was hard to tell if she was watching the moon or counting the endless stars.

Jiang Zhen withdrew her gaze, an indescribable loneliness surging in her heart. She sighed on the stairs, turned around, and returned to her room.

In truth, Jiang Zhen had no filming schedule today. She had simply used work as an excuse to skip the family dinner because she did not want to face Jiang Yin. She never expected their first meeting to happen under such circumstances.

Her feelings toward Jiang Yin were complex. There was a sliver of guilt, but more so an unnameable urge to please her. She hoped Jiang Yin would not harbor a grudge, as that was the only way she might still have a place in the Jiang family.

Jiang Yin was not the only one struggling with the massive gap in their lives. Jiang Zhen, the other person in this absurd drama, also found it difficult to endure the sudden change in identity. She had spent nineteen years as the doted-on youngest daughter of the Jiangs, enjoying the prestige of her status. Now, she was told she was merely a nanny’s daughter. Anyone would need time to process that.

She had indeed taken Jiang Yin’s identity, but it was not by her choice. When Li Xiuning swapped the infants, she was only four months old. For this reason, Jiang Yunian and Qin Zhu did not resent her; they even allowed her to keep her status as a daughter of the Jiang family. Yet, Jiang Zhen still felt as though she had lost something.

However, since everything she currently enjoyed did not belong to her in the first place, she had no right to complain.

In her dark room, Jiang Zhen stared at the ceiling and sighed silently. Her eyes felt a bit stinging. She raised a hand to rub her eyes, taking the opportunity to wipe away a single tear before getting up to remove her makeup.

The next morning, Jiang Yin did not dare oversleep. She woke up early to wash and prepare to head downstairs to wait for the others for breakfast.

To her surprise, the moment she opened her door, she ran into Jiang Zhen again. The glamorous star on the advertisements was currently without makeup, her face showing a clear, bright beauty. This was Jiang Yin’s first time seeing a celebrity up close, and she finally understood why netizens said there was a “wall” between stars and ordinary people.

Without heavy makeup, Jiang Zhen possessed an ethereal, refined quality. She looked less sharply beautiful and instead had a faint air of aloofness. Upon locking eyes with her, Jiang Yin’s breath hitched, nearly melting into those intoxicating eyes.

She unnaturally looked away and, out of politeness, greeted her, “Good morning.”

Jiang Zhen returned the smile.

It had been too dark last night to see Jiang Yin’s face clearly. Now, in the sunlight, she finally had the chance to look at the girl. Jiang Yin had the same “starry eyes” as the rest of the Jiang family, which gave her a heroic air. However, a small mole under her eye softened her features, adding a touch of allure.

Before she could look closer, Jiang Ling’s laughter echoed from downstairs.

“Zhenzhen, Xiao Yin,” Jiang Ling waved at them. “Since you are both up, come down for breakfast.”

Jiang Yin went downstairs first and sat beside Jiang Ling. Jiang Zhen followed her into the dining room. She was about to sit in a corner when Jiang Ling suddenly called her name.

“Zhenzhen, sit here.” She pointed to the seat across from Jiang Yin with a gentle, undeniable smile. Jiang Zhen could only brace herself and sit down, burying her head as she stared at the empty white porcelain plate as if it were a gourmet meal.

As she sat down, Jiang Yin stiffly diverted her gaze. Unsure where to look, she stared at the exquisite cutlery by her hand.

Sensing the stagnant atmosphere, Jiang Ling spoke up to break the ice. “Xiao Yin, when do you plan to head back to school?”

“Today. I have a group project to finish, so I need to get back early to discuss it with my teammates.” Jiang Yin replied with a polite smile.

Jiang Ling nodded understandingly. “Then I will arrange a car to take you back after breakfast. You cannot call a taxi out here.” Turning to Jiang Zhen, she asked, “Zhenzhen, are you heading back to the city for work today?”

Jiang Zhen, who had been zoning out, did not catch her sister’s words and gave a random “mm” in response. It was only after Jiang Ling said, “Then you two can go back together,” that she realized what she had agreed to.

She waved her hand, wanting to decline, but Jiang Ling gently cut her off. “It is inconvenient for your studio to drive all the way here. Just take the family car back with Xiao Yin.”

As Jiang Zhen tried to argue further, Qin Zhu helped Xue Hua down the stairs, leaving her no room to speak.

Seeing Jiang Zhen, Xue Hua asked with a smile, “Zhenzhen, when did you get back?”

Jiang Zhen stood up to help her, answering in a soft voice, “Late last night. It was so late that I did not want to disturb everyone.”

“Do you have work today?” Qin Zhu asked.

“Yes,” Jiang Zhen nodded obediently. “I have an advertisement to shoot today. I will head back to the city after breakfast.”

Noticing the faint dark circles under her eyes, Qin Zhu squeezed her wrist with concern. “Do not overwork yourself. Look at you, have you lost weight again recently?”

Watching the three of them in their harmonious bubble, Jiang Yin felt a sudden pang of grievance. She lowered her eyes in disappointment. Just as she was taking a deep breath to compose herself and put on a smile for Xue Hua and Qin Zhu, Jiang Ling reached out and squeezed her hand.

“Xiao Yin should also come home often.” Whether intentional or not, she seemed to emphasize the word “home,” making Jiang Yin’s loneliness fade instantly.

She was stunned for a moment, then curved her lips into a smile.

Breakfast was as harmonious as the night before. Afterward, Jiang Yin intended to say her goodbyes after a short rest, but she was suddenly called into Xue Hua’s room.

After helping the elderly woman inside, they sat down together. Xue Hua lovingly stroked the top of Jiang Yin’s head and sighed heavily. “After all these years, we have failed you.”

Jiang Yin hurried to wave her hands. “How can the family be blamed for this?”

The comfort did not work. Xue Hua’s brow furrowed, her aged face full of worry and guilt. “If we had not trusted Li Xiuning so much, she would never have been able to do such a filthy thing!”

They had initially hired Li Xiuning to care for the newborn Jiang Ling. Later, Qin Zhu felt she was so attentive and meticulous—more so than any other nanny they had employed—that they kept her on.

Later, Li Xiuning became pregnant two months earlier than Qin Zhu and took a long leave to rest. However, the nannies hired after Qin Zhu gave birth were never as dedicated as Li Xiuning. Out of desperation, the Jiang family invited Li Xiuning back four months after she had given birth.

They had no idea they were “nurturing a tiger” in their home.

After successfully swapping Jiang Yin and Jiang Zhen, Li Xiuning made up an excuse to resign. The Jiang family did not stop her, allowing her to vanish into the crowd, successfully making her daughter the Jiang heiress who enjoyed endless luxury.

If Jiang Zhen had not been injured during filming recently, leading to a blood type check, the Jiang family might have been kept in the dark forever.

“Ultimately, it was our negligence. We have failed both you and Zhenzhen.” Xue Hua took Jiang Yin’s hand and patted it. “We do not expect you to forgive us right now, but we hope…”

Looking at the elderly woman’s hesitant expression, Jiang Yin could guess what she was about to say.

Sure enough, Xue Hua spoke carefully. “We hope you will not resent Zhenzhen. After all, she was unaware. Having raised her for nineteen years, the affection between us has transcended blood.”

Jiang Yin certainly did not hate Jiang Zhen, but as a young person, there were some things she could not entirely let go of. She knew it had nothing to do with Jiang Zhen, but there was inevitably some friction in her heart. Of course, she would not tell Xue Hua these thoughts.

“Do not worry, Grandma. I do not blame Sister.” She gave a broad smile. “While Li… Auntie’s actions were detestable, she did not mistreat me over these nineteen years. I lived well, so you do not need to blame yourselves.”

Seeing her pretend to be strong made Xue Hua’s heart ache again. When they first found Jiang Yin, she learned that her granddaughter had lived in poverty for nineteen years. Even her mobile phone was a second-hand one she bought with money saved from part-time jobs after the college entrance exams. How could she say she “lived well”?

She opened her mouth as if to say more, but Jiang Yin interrupted to comfort her. “Besides, that is all in the past. I am back now, and I am very happy.”

Xue Hua helplessly swallowed the rest of her words and sighed again. “If you are happy, that is all that matters.”

After sitting with Xue Hua for a while longer, Jiang Yin stood up to take her leave.

As she was leaving, Xue Hua pulled out a bank card and pressed it into her hand. “Some pocket money. Take it and spend it as you like. Do not be stingy with yourself, do you hear me?”

Without guessing, Jiang Yin knew it was another huge sum. Not wanting to hurt the old woman’s feelings, she accepted the card and carefully put it in her bag. “Thank you, Grandma.”

Hearing that she was returning to school, the whole family saw her and Jiang Zhen to the door. They watched them get into the car before returning to their rooms.

Sitting inside the high-end, luxury white sedan, Jiang Yin looked at the expensive interior and silently hugged her slightly yellowed bag to her chest. She had not looked closely at the car logo when she got in, so she still did not know the brand of the car she was riding in today. Even if she had looked, she might not have recognized it.

Shortly after she sat down, the sound of a door closing came from beside her. Then, Jiang Zhen sat down next to her.

The sedan started and began driving toward the city center.

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