From Sidekick to Bigshot

Then, Jian Yunmo left the conference room.

Jian Yubo was left alone in the empty conference room.

After looking at the wrapped gift on the table, Jian Yubo hesitated for a while.

Then, with a pair of slender hands, he slowly unwrapped the wrapping paper.

There was a glass box underneath the wrapping paper. Inside the box was a beautiful painting.

It was a vivid and lifelike scene that Jian Yiling had created with her clay sugar art.

Under a banyan tree, there was a young boy dressed in light-colored casual clothes was sitting on the lush grass. The boy had his back against the tree trunk.

That banyan tree was the one that was found in the Old Jian Residence.

All the details were exquisitely done and the whole scene was reconstructed marvelously.

The scene had indeed happened in Jian Yubo’s memories.

In Jian Yubo’s memory, he had been sitting under the tree with a book in hand. In the distance, Jian Yiling was playing with the others.

Twice, she had come up to him to ask if he wanted to play with her.

He had refused and secretly hid the headband that she had dropped.

However, there was something different in the sugar painting.

In Jian Yubo’s memory, he had been holding a book in his hands.

However, in Jian Yiling’s painting, he was holding a black piece.

There was a Go board in front of him.

Jian Yubo was sitting in the painting. He had his eyes focused on the chessboard. However, there was no sadness or indifference in his eyes.

In the glass box, Jian Yiling had created what Jian Yubo really wanted to do with his life.

In the painting, his mother wasn’t forcing him to do anything. There wasn’t any scolding or reprimanding. There was no pain.

In addition, there was a document that was underneath the gift box. The document was a transfer of shares.

This document had been signed by Jian Yiling and her guardian.

Jian Yubo’s hand reached out to touch the beads on his left hand.

The fingertips of his fingers twirled over the plastic bead that was of little value.

“Brother Yubo, come and play with Yiling! Books are boring.”

“Brother Yubo, I learned how to play Go! Can I play with you? If I line five of them together, I will win! You can’t win against me!”

“Brother Yubo, why are you unhappy?”

“I can’t use the money but you can.”

“…”

###

After leaving the company, Jian Yumin and Jian Yujie followed Jian Yiling and the others back to the Old Jian Residence. This was requested by Grandma Jian.

Grandma Jian wanted the two children to be able to move on from their family’s unhappiness as soon as possible.

Of course, there was also Jian Yubo. It would be best for him to stay at the Old Jian Residence as well.

Jian Yumin and Jian Yujie were indeed sad. However, the situation was not that bad.

They weren’t young. They knew a lot of things. They knew why this was happening.

The divorce had been quite sudden. However, the seeds for the divorce had been planted a long time ago.

###

The moment Jian Yiling got home, she went straight upstairs and locked herself in her room.

Jian Yunmo assumed that today’s events had affected her. He ran after her and knocked on her door.

However, Jian Yiling did not answer the door.

“Yiling, if you don’t come out, I’ll call the police.”

“The door… It’s unlocked.”

Jian Yiling’s quiet voice came out of the room.

Only then did Jian Yunmo open the door.

He saw Jian Yiling lying on the bed. She was curled up into a ball.

Her body was buried under the blanket. Only her head was peeking out from under the blanket.

Her small palm-sized face looked at Jian Yunmo.

Jian Yunmo took one look at her before he laughed and said: “Silly girl, I thought something bad had happened. Wait for me, I’ll go make you some ginger and brown sugar tea.”

Upon hearing this, Jian Yiling immediately burrowed her head into her blankets as well.

She was so embarrassed…