There's Something Wrong With My Little White Flower - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Elder Sister of a Brother-Obsessed Family X University Professor

When she stood in front of this door again, Ruan Jiyun felt a vague sense of anticipation.

Jiang Peifeng opened the door for her while tidying the documents in her hand: “The house is a little messy.”

She wasn’t just being polite. Ruan Jiyun surveyed the living room and found that it did indeed seem more cluttered than the last time she saw it.

Books were pulled out randomly on the large bookshelf, and several scratch papers were scattered on the floor. Jiang Peifeng scratched her head in distress: “Limited mobility really holds one back…”

Ruan Jiyun watched her quietly. Although she had only seen her twice, she felt that this Sister Jiang was different from the girls she usually encountered. She was undeniably attractive; the fine-quality silk shirt highlighted her porcelain-white skin, but what was more unique was her temperament.

It was a natural confidence mixed with a light, clean scholarly air, vaguely revealing a kind of admirable elegance. Today, she had tied her long hair up. A few stray strands fell along her slender neck, appearing almost translucent in the sunlight, scattering tiny gleams.

“You can help me input these materials into the computer and classify them according to the directory I’ve written,” she handed Ruan Jiyun a stack of files. “Just do as much as you can. No need to rush.”

Ruan Jiyun obediently replied “Okay” and was led to the desk to sit down. She examined the A4 papers in her hand. The handwriting was neat, and most of the content consisted of unfamiliar English characters.

Simply inputting documents into the computer was not a difficult task for her. She sat up straight and began typing meticulously, word by word.

The faint “tap-tap” of the keyboard echoed in the living room. Seeing how quickly Ruan Jiyun adapted, Jiang Peifeng didn’t disturb her, choosing to sit at the other end and continue looking through the documents in her hand.

“NLP…” Suddenly, she heard Ruan Jiyun’s puzzled voice, seeming confused by a certain acronym. She was quietly murmuring it while flipping through the preceding documents.

“‘Natural Language Processing’, abbreviated as NLP,” Jiang Peifeng answered. “It’s how humans communicate effectively with artificial intelligence.”

Ruan Jiyun didn’t understand the term she used. She paused, then looked at the densely packed analysis below: “Is this the field you research?”

“Mhm. I studied Computer Science as an undergraduate, and later became interested in AI, so I went to UC Berkeley for a Master’s in Applied Science and Technology,” Jiang Peifeng wheeled her chair to face her. “Simply put, it’s the study of how people and machines communicate.”

Ruan Jiyun still felt very unfamiliar. She knew about Computer Science, but what was Applied Science and Technology? UC Berkeley… must be in America? She tried hard to understand what Jiang Peifeng was saying, then smiled sheepishly: “I don’t really get it.”

“Specialized fields are sometimes complex,” Jiang Peifeng smiled. Afraid that she might feel discouraged, she offered encouragement: “I was overwhelmed at first too, but gradually found my way. Speaking of which, you’re in your senior year of high school now. Have you thought about where you want to go to university?”

Ruan Jiyun’s grades were excellent. She had earned a full scholarship throughout high school. However, she hadn’t considered this question. She said dejectedly: “I really love studying, but… my mom doesn’t like it, and we haven’t discussed these things at home.”

“The knowledge you gain belongs to you. Your future path is also your own,” Jiang Peifeng encouraged her. “You still have more than half a year. You can take your time to think. There are many university majors. If you need someone to discuss things with, you can come to me.”

She gave Ruan Jiyun a playful smile: “I have quite a lot of experience with test-taking.”

Despite being six years older, she looked like a young girl right now. Ruan Jiyun couldn’t help but smile too: “I will.”

She returned to focused typing. After all, Jiang Peifeng was paying her, and she didn’t want her to feel the money was wasted.

Unconsciously, the two worked until noon. Ruan Jiyun heard Jiang Peifeng ask: “Shall we have pizza?”

She looked up in a panic: “No need… I can go home to eat…” In her view, the price Jiang Peifeng offered was already a bargain. How could she openly stay here for a meal?

“It would be a waste if I couldn’t finish it alone,” Jiang Peifeng looked at her, her voice slightly pleading. “It’s been a long time since I had pizza. I’m really craving it. Could you just keep me company and fulfill this wish?”

Ruan Jiyun was startled. She seemed to want to find another reason to refuse, but when met with Jiang Peifeng’s somewhat spoiled expression, she involuntarily nodded: “O-okay.”

Jiang Peifeng said happily: “That’s great! Finally, I can have a stuffed-crust pizza! Do you eat seafood flavor? What about pasta? I love these fish roe shrimp balls. You should try them too.”

“I can eat anything…”

Ruan Jiyun was overwhelmed by the barrage of dish names and quickly stopped Jiang Peifeng from continuing: “We can’t finish that much.”

“I can eat a lot,” Jiang Peifeng winked at her. “Don’t worry.”

Ruan Jiyun felt a bit helpless. Who was it that said she was afraid of wasting food if she couldn’t finish it alone just now? But Jiang Peifeng was already wheeling herself toward the kitchen: “I think there’s also a Tiramisu cake for dessert…”

That afternoon, Ruan Jiyun ate a pizza called “Seafood Supreme” for the first time in her life. The crust, smelling of wheat, was topped with generous amounts of shrimp, octopus, and crab legs, all fused together by hot, melted cheese. She held that slice of pizza and bit into it carefully.

She was instantly conquered by the rich texture, narrowing her eyes happily like a small animal, and then reluctantly took a second bite.

“Try this shrimp ball,” Jiang Peifeng watched her eat with a smile, handing a small plate with the dim sum over. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

Ruan Jiyun quickly took the plate, her face slightly red: “I was supposed to be working… but I’m letting you spend so much.”

She had almost never been treated so gently and formally. The cake placed on her plate was the first piece cut from a whole large cake. The fresh cut surface still held the sweet aroma of chocolate powder.

“It’s nothing…” Jiang Peifeng bent her eyes, speaking vaguely while chewing food, “Just be good to me in return, Xiao Yun.”

She was tilting her head slightly, her hair cascading down the front of her dark green shirt. The shirt had a loose cowl neck, exposing her delicate collarbone. A gold necklace hung on her chest, the pendant a small key, subtly gleaming as she breathed.

A blush rose on Ruan Jiyun’s face. She almost frantically moved her gaze back to her plate. She heard herself whisper: “Okay.”

The days spent helping out at Jiang Peifeng’s house were happy for Ruan Jiyun.

From the initial cautious restraint, she gradually let go of her inhibitions. It was as if her entire heart found comfort and relaxation in that living room, filled with the aroma of coffee and books, like taking shelter in a small, peaceful haven.

But life was not always like this.

It was an ordinary Friday afternoon. After school, Ruan Jiyun habitually went to the adjacent middle school to pick up Ruan Jiabao. Recently, Jiabao had become addicted to internet cafes. Cheng Nuoe was busy tutoring and couldn’t leave, so she ordered her daughter to ensure she brought him home on time.

The school gate before the weekend was thronged with people. Cars and electric bikes picking up children constantly honked, inching forward with difficulty. Ruan Jiyun arrived a bit late, just catching the student dismissal. She strained to search through the sea of identical school uniforms and finally spotted Jiabao.

Ruan Jiabao had his uniform shirt loosely slung over his school bag. He was walking toward the alley diagonally opposite, his shoulders hooked by several people who looked like young hoodlums.

Ruan Jiyun saw this and hurried, quickening her pace to catch up: “Jiabao—”

By the time she reached the alley entrance, she was too late. They had already started fighting. The boy with dyed red hair, who was leading them, had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and kicked Ruan Jiabao to the ground, cursing: “Stupid kid… how old are you, trying to mess around with girlfriends?”

Ruan Jiyun’s mind went blank. Seeing that the person was about to hit him again, she instinctively rushed in front of her brother: “Stop it!”

Red-hair didn’t expect a girl to suddenly charge out. He frowned and said: “What’s going on? You want to stand up for this bastard kid?”

Ruan Jiyun saw that they were all dressed outrageously and looked malicious, clearly local delinquents operating near the school. She said timidly: “I’m his sister. I’ve already told the security guard that you’re beating people up right outside the school gate!”

This sentence had some deterrent effect on the young hooligans. Red-hair spat out his cigarette, observing her sinisterly for a long time, then said: “Tell your brother to be smarter, or he won’t get off so easily next time.”

He waved his hand. The other young men glared at her in a threatening manner, then slowly walked away.

Ruan Jiyun’s heart was pounding violently. She quickly bent down to help her brother. Helping him up, she was shocked—Ruan Jiabao had broken his nose, and blood smeared all over his face, looking particularly frightening.

When she brought him home in this sorry state, it almost sent Cheng Nuoe’s blood pressure soaring. Without thinking, she raised her hand and slapped Ruan Jiyun, angrily scolding: “I told you to watch your brother, and this is how you watch him?”

Ruan Jiyun was caught off guard and was left dizzy by the slap. Her head buzzed. She didn’t dare to argue, only covering her face and saying softly: “I arrived when they already…”

“Why couldn’t you go pick him up earlier?” Cheng Nuoe affectionately wiped her son’s face. “I raised you to be this old. What kind of good-for-nothing have I raised! You can’t even look after your own brother…”

She grew angrier as she spoke, and seeing that half of Ruan Jiabao’s face was swollen, she became furious: “I think you deliberately want to make my life difficult!”

As she cursed, she casually grabbed the triangular ruler nearby and began hitting Ruan Jiyun over the head and body: “Why don’t you just die! You’re always here to upset me!”

The wooden triangular ruler struck her arm, immediately igniting a sharp, burning pain. Ruan Jiyun couldn’t hold back after a few hits and began to cry weakly: “I’m sorry… Mom, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

She mumbled, apologizing constantly to her enraged mother: “I won’t let it happen next time.”

Cheng Nuoe hit her several times before calming down slightly. She then lectured her with a stern face: “Why do you think Mom is hitting you? I’m angry that you are so ignorant! Your father and I work tirelessly for you both every day! But what about you?”

“Our family is going through such difficulties now. As an elder sister, you should learn to be more considerate of your parents’ struggles. Don’t just stand there. Go wash the vegetables in the kitchen, or if your father comes home and dinner isn’t ready, you’ll be in trouble.”

Ruan Jiyun, tears in her eyes, silently walked into the kitchen.

Faintly, the sound of Ruan Jiabao crying out in pain and her mother’s flustered, repeated cooing and coaxing drifted from the living room, intermittently and unavoidably drilling into her ears.

She should have been used to it long ago. If anything happened to her brother, it was always her fault as the older sister, because she wasn’t hardworking enough, wasn’t competent enough, and that’s why she disappointed her parents.

But the tears were scalding as they fell down her face.

“I hurt too,” she took a deep breath, saying silently.

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