Chapter 5

My sister was almost unresponsive by then. I fed her a meal and rushed her straight over to Jiang Cheng.

Another night passed that way.

On the third night, more business came in.

I simply rented a room for her.

And stood at the door collecting money.

That went on for over two weeks.

I had nearly two hundred thousand yuan in cash by then.

Once she’d recovered her spirits, I splurged on a private car and took her back to our village.

Over three years at university, I brought her to the city more than fifty times.

The shortest stay was a week. The longest was a month and a half.

Thanks to my idiot sister, I did very well at university.

Everyone I met called me Young Master Nan.

It wasn’t out of respect for me. They all looked down on me.

But they had to keep Jiang Cheng happy.

And in the last six months of my third year, he smugly patted my face and told me,

“I’ve decided to keep your sister for myself. From now on, she doesn’t serve anyone else. Only me.”

“Don’t bother looking for work after graduation. Come to our company. I’ll give you twenty thousand a month.”

My thoughts returned to the present.

I let out another heavy sigh.

Things had changed.

I’d been working at Jiang Cheng’s family company for three years now.

He treated me like dirt, but the pay really was excellent.

He needed a lapdog. I needed a future.

So why, of all times, had Zhou Xiaoya recovered now?

“Room 8888. I want her there on Friday night. Do you hear me?”

Another impatient message from Jiang Cheng.

I answered almost by reflex.

“Understood, Mr. Jiang.”

Then I immediately fell back into agonizing over it.

Had my sister really recovered?

Would she remember what had happened before?

Torn, I took out a coin.

I tossed it into the air, then snatched it back and hurled it into the corner.

Zhou Nan, what good would tossing a coin do? Did I have any choice left?

I’d worked so hard to climb this far. One more time, and I’d have turned my whole life around.

Whether Zhou Xiaoya was pretending to be an idiot or had truly recovered,

she had to get into Jiang Cheng’s bed on Friday night!

I called my parents.

“Mom, Dad, I’ve contacted the best brain specialist in the province. Put my sister on a bus. I’ll have him give her another thorough examination.”

“Your sister says she won’t go.”

The moment I heard that, I heard my sister crying and making a fuss in the background.

My heart lurched.

With my temples pounding, I couldn’t help fearing she might… really have remembered everything.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist.

That night, I drove three hours home.

My parents were surprised I’d come back so suddenly.

When my sister saw me, she trembled in fear and pointed at me, her eyes full of hurt and disillusionment.

Her mind was clear. I could see it in her eyes. Everything was out.

I found an excuse to send our parents away.

Once they’d left, I dropped to my knees in front of her.

“Sis, I’m sorry.”

“I wronged you. But you really did change my life.”

I hurriedly rolled up my sleeve and pulled my collar open.

I showed her the watch on my wrist and the necklace around my neck.

“These are worth tens of thousands. I work at a big company now. I make two hundred and forty thousand a year.”

“Will you forgive me? Please, forgive me.”

I shuffled forward on my knees and hugged her legs.

With tears streaming down her face, she lost control and slapped me.

“I’m your sister.”

Her teeth clenched, her voice trembling, she forced out each word.

I slapped myself hard too.

“I know I was wrong. But don’t you want me to do well? I’ll build the family a house right away. The best house in the whole village!”

“Mom and Dad won’t have to work the fields anymore. I’ll send them money regularly so they can retire at home.”

“Think about it, Sis. Without what you’ve done, would our family have changed this much?”

“And why did you suddenly get better? Because the doctor told me a shock might bring you around one day.”

“So stop being angry with me. Things are finally looking up for us!”

After those few words, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

From her reaction, it was obvious she’d accepted the reality of it.

I stood, held her shoulders, and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Sis, listen.”

“I’ve got a chance to become a manager. If it works out, I can easily make a million a year.”

Her body suddenly shuddered.

She may have realized what I wanted her to do. As she looked up at me in terror, I hurried to explain.

“It’s Jiang Cheng. Your first man.”

“He’s my boss now. He wants you to come over this Friday. All you have to do is go, and the marketing manager’s job is mine!”

She shoved me away. “Zhou Nan, are you an animal? I forgave what you did before because I was an idiot then. Now my mind is clear, and you still want to trade me for money and status!”

I rushed forward and anxiously grabbed her arm again.

“Sis, I don’t have a choice!”

“If you don’t go, I won’t just lose the promotion. I’ll lose my job.”

“Things have only just started getting better for our family. How could I give up now?”

With grief on her face, she asked, “Haven’t you made enough money these past three years? Have you spent a single yuan on this family in all that time?”

I nodded frantically and pulled out my phone to show her my balance.

“I still have two hundred thousand. Agree to go, and I’ll give every yuan to Mom and Dad.”

“Dream on!”

She slapped me hard again.

“I don’t have a bastard like you for a brother. When Mom and Dad come back, I’ll tell them the truth.”

She stood to leave.

Gritting my teeth, I rushed after her, seized her hair, and punched her hard in the back of the head.

I straddled her as she lay on the floor and drove my fists into her head again and again.

“Sis, why won’t you think about me? You’ve done it so many times already. This is the most important time of all.”

“You picked the wrong time to recover. Why couldn’t you wait until I’d got the manager’s job and made a fortune from it?”

“It’s fine. I’ll beat you back to the way you were. Once I’m truly rich, I’ll have you cured again.”

I don’t know how long I beat her.

Only when she began to whimper

did I stop and stand up.

I stared hard into her eyes.

They looked clouded again!

“Sis…”

I couldn’t hide my excitement. “How do you feel?”

“Nannan, it hurts…”

Tears poured from her eyes with the pain.

I burst into delighted laughter.

“It won’t hurt in a little while. I’ll take you to the doctor tonight.”