The Devious, Seductive Older Woman Has Been Plotting to Get Me for a Long Time - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: I Will Never Call That Woman “Sister”

September in Lucheng. The rain was endless.

In the cafe, Xiang Shuxing stared at the letter of appointment, silent for a long time. She had turned the paper over and over, examining it until the edges were frayed, yet she remained unwilling to give up. She hadn’t just discussed it with her best friend; she had even called a specialized authentication agency.

“A-Shu,” a weary voice came from beside her. Her friend, Fu Jin, rested her chin on her hand and said, “I’ve already finished my second cup of coffee.”

Xiang Shuxing sighed and pushed the letter toward Fu Jin. “Tell me, is this really my mother’s handwriting?”

Fu Jin stirred her cup, the tiny spoon clinked crisply against the empty ceramic. Her tone was helpless. “You should know Aunt Xiang’s handwriting better than anyone.”

Another low sigh escaped Xiang Shuxing’s lips. “That’s exactly why it’s so frustrating.”

When she first received the letter, she had read it word for word several times. Her logic recognized the signature at the bottom as her mother’s genuine handwriting, but her heart refused to accept it.

It was a flimsy piece of paper, black ink on white, but beyond the extraneous details, one line stood out most clearly at the bottom:

After Chu Yingqiu returns to the country, she shall have full authority over Xiang Shuxing’s daily life and studies for a term of three years.

She didn’t understand her mother’s intentions. She wasn’t a three-year-old child—why did she need a stranger to supervise her?

Her gaze wandered over the white paper, finally settling on a name.

Chu Yingqiu…At the thought of the woman she had only met once, Xiang Shuxing’s hands clenched involuntarily.

Fu Jin noticed her reaction and chuckled. “What’s the matter? Shouldn’t you be happy about gaining an older sister?”

The gloating look on her friend’s face was too irritating. Xiang Shuxing pursed her lips. “What kind of ‘older sister’ is half-acquainted? She’s basically a stranger.”

“So, you’ve already met her?”

Xiang Shuxing lowered her eyes, remaining silent, her thoughts drifting back to a day ago.

Xiang Yinghua—her mother, had founded Mingchen single-handedly. She was the powerhouse behind the company, and her decisive, thunderous methods had helped the Xiang enterprise flourish. But in the rain of Lucheng, no one had expected Xiang Yinghua to meet with an accident on a rainy night. It happened suddenly and with brutal severity; rumors said it was a multi-vehicle pile-up at a crossroad. She was rushed into emergency surgery that same night.

At that time, Xiang Shuxing had been at university, minding her own business. When she received the call about her mother’s critical condition, she thought it was some new type of scam.

It wasn’t until she rushed back and saw the once gentle, kind woman reduced to a cold black-and-white photograph that it hit Xiang Shuxing like a sledgehammer. News of Xiang Yinghua’s death in the accident quickly hit the headlines, and the Xiang enterprise’s stock prices fell by five percent.

Faced with all of this, Xiang Shuxing forced herself to stay strong, working with her mother’s closest friends to handle the funeral.

The weather was cold and gloomy. Xiang Yinghua’s tombstone was covered in flowers—some from relatives and friends, others from the senior executives at Mingchen. They were her mother’s most trusted partners, who had built the company alongside her. Upon hearing the news of the fatal accident, they had arrived immediately to mourn.

Cold air mixed with icy rain poured into her collar. After a long while, Xiang Shuxing finally moved her gaze away from the tombstone, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the umbrella handle.

Memories belonging only to her and her mother flickered through her mind. Xiang Shuxing blinked her sore, aching eyes, understanding one thing clearly: From now on, she was truly alone.

The dull ache in her heart lingered. The mourners stood before the tombstone, heads bowed in silence.

At that moment, a black SUV pulled slowly into the cemetery and stopped nearby. The noise immediately drew everyone’s attention. Xiang Shuxing turned to look as the car door opened. A figure stepped out, holding an umbrella and walking slowly toward them.

Through the misty rain, she couldn’t see clearly, noticing only the black canopy of the umbrella. It wasn’t until the person was a few steps away that she saw the woman’s face clearly.

She wore a black suit, her makeup subtle. The expression behind her gold-rimmed glasses was cold, conveying a faint, intangible sense of detachment. Her thin lips were pressed together, devoid of any excess emotion.

“Who are you?” Xiang Shuxing searched her memories, finding no match for the person before her.

The woman’s gaze fell calmly on her, lingering for a brief second before she produced a piece of paper and handed it over.

Xiang Shuxing reached out to take it. The words “Letter of Appointment” were starkly prominent. She read down line by line, finally furrowing her brow at the end.

—After Chu Yingqiu returns to the country, she shall be responsible for everything regarding Xiang Shuxing, for a term of three years. The handwriting in the bottom right corner was elegant yet bold—it was her mother Xiang Yinghua’s unmistakable, genuine signature.

“Chu Yingqiu… are you Chu Yingqiu?” She raised her eyes in shock, meeting the woman’s calm gaze.

Chu Yingqiu nodded. “Hello, Miss Xiang.” She paused. “Perhaps I should call you ‘Sui Sui’?”

Surrounding people threw curious glances her way. Xiang Shuxing tightened her grip on the paper and took a deep breath. “Can we talk in the car?”

The woman readily agreed.

The car heater was on, and the light drizzle left distinct trails of water against the window. Xiang Shuxing smelled the fresh, elegant perfume in the car, and the frustration in her heart began to dissipate slightly.

She calmed her mind and re-read the letter carefully before lifting her head, face expressionless.

“Miss Chu, I am already twenty years old. I am capable of taking care of myself. Let’s void the contents of this appointment letter.”

“Aunt Xiang did me a great kindness. I cannot ignore her dying wish.”

Xiang Shuxing hadn’t expected a refusal. She was stunned for a moment, and when she looked at the woman beside her again, she realized Chu Yingqiu had taken off her glasses.

The lenses were clouded with a thin layer of mist, set aside. Without the gold frames, those beautiful eyes were fully revealed. Her gaze was calm and deep, with a small mole at the corner—a clear “peach-blossom eye” shape—but she didn’t look affectionate. Paired with her cold expression, it only deepened her sense of untouchable detachment.

Xiang Shuxing was stunned for a second, but she quickly snapped out of it and looked away.

She didn’t recognize the woman, but she had heard the name “Chu Yingqiu.” When she was fourteen, Xiang Yinghua had brought back a girl and told her that from then on, this would be her older sister. Chu Yingqiu hadn’t stayed in the Xiang household for long; she left to study abroad a year later and never returned until now.

Xiang Shuxing had fallen gravely ill in her first year of high school, and her memories from before that were a blur. She remembered absolutely nothing of what happened during the year Chu Yingqiu lived at the Xiang house. Combined with the years of separation, the woman before her was practically a stranger.

And now, she was suddenly expected to acknowledge her as an older sister, and have her daily life micromanaged by her?

Impossible. Xiang Shuxing crumpled the paper into a ball and stared at the woman. “I don’t recognize this appointment letter anyway.”

Which was a roundabout way of refusing to acknowledge Chu Yingqiu as her sister.

The crumpled paper slid off the seat. Chu Yingqiu didn’t change her expression; she simply produced an identical letter from somewhere.

“Take a good look. That is Aunt Xiang’s own handwriting.”

Xiang Shuxing turned her face away. “I can’t guarantee anything else, but taking care of myself is something I can certainly do.”

“Is that so?” The woman’s tone was ambiguous, a light chuckle in her voice. She asked, “Then do you have the confidence to lead the entire Mingchen group?”

Xiang Shuxing’s eyelashes fluttered as she cast her gaze downward, calm on the surface.

Mingchen was the company her mother had founded; it was vital to the entire Xiang family. The moment news of her mother’s death broke, the stocks had plummeted. They urgently needed a backbone to stabilize the situation. And she was only a junior in college, having not even started an internship, let alone managed a company.

Chu Yingqiu’s words struck precisely at her most helpless point.

The person beside her pressed her lips together in silence, clearly betraying her lack of confidence. Chu Yingqiu gave a faint smile and handed the letter to her side once more.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Shuxing spoke up, her tone particularly firm: “I will learn as quickly as I can.”

Chu Yingqiu’s gaze lingered on her face for a long time, as if measuring her or considering something else.

“I don’t think Mingchen has enough time for you to learn slowly.”

Xiang Shuxing clenched her fingers.

Retracting her gaze, Chu Yingqiu started the car, looking ready to leave. Just as she pushed open the car door, Xiang Shuxing heard the woman say lazily over her shoulder:

“Sui Sui, don’t be self-righteous.”

Self-righteous? She’s calling me self-righteous? Xiang Shuxing’s eyes widened, and she turned around in anger, but the black SUV had already sped away, vanishing into the misty rain.

The meeting with that woman could hardly be called pleasant. Chu Yingqiu hadn’t gone to the grave to mourn like everyone else, she had only sent an assistant to deliver flowers. Her coming in person felt more like it was just to drop off that letter.

“Giving me some baffling letter of appointment is one thing, but she actually called me ‘Sui Sui.’ I think she’s the one who’s overly familiar and an arrogant maniac.” The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Xiang Shuxing couldn’t help but rant.

Because she had been sickly since childhood, Xiang Yinghua had gone to the most efficacious temple to pray for this nickname. She knew that from childhood to adulthood, only her mother was allowed to call her that—even Fu Jin, who had grown up with her, used a different nickname.

Listening silently to her friend’s rant, Fu Jin curled the corners of her lips. “Regardless of anything else, Chu Yingqiu was the child Aunt Xiang adopted back then. It looks like you’ll have to call her ‘Sister’ from now on.”

Xiang Shuxing crossed her arms and sneered. “I’ll make her retreat in the face of difficulties.”

Understanding what her friend meant, Fu Jin raised an eyebrow noncommittally.

They had grown up together; who didn’t know that Xiang Shuxing had never been a trouble-free child? It was just that Xiang Yinghua had spoiled this daughter to the extreme, never willing to scold her, which led Xiang Shuxing to become increasingly willful.

Fu Jin reminded her: “Chu Yingqiu isn’t like Aunt Xiang.” She wouldn’t indulge her without limits.

The rant had left Xiang Shuxing’s throat parched. She picked up the lukewarm coffee and downed it in one gulp, immediately scrunching her face at the bitterness.

“Anyway, I’m not acknowledging this mysteriously appeared ‘older sister’.”

Recalling the woman’s mockery, Xiang Shuxing gritted her teeth: “If I ever call Chu Yingqiu ‘Sister,’ then I’m a dog.”