Volume One, Chapter 57: What? Junior Brother Has Been Cuckolded!

After finishing their meal, Li Yu proposed going to see Jiang Yunmiao’s child. This was the very first baby born among the five sisters, and they were all utterly fascinated by the little one. It was the hope of all hopes for their five villages.

Although Jiang Yunmiao hadn't seen her baby for a few days and missed her terribly, it was not currently within the hospital's designated visiting hours.

"I'll make a call and ask." Lu Shennhen owned a high-end postpartum care center, and she was still quite familiar with the hospital staff.

In less than two minutes, she hung up the phone and made an "OK" gesture to her close friends.

"Boss Lu is amazing! Let's go, let's go! Go see the little darling!" Li Yu excitedly pulled Jiang Yunmiao toward the exit.

Upon learning that Wen Ying had provided Jiang Yunmiao with a place to live, and Lu Shenwei had covered the baby's formula and diapers, Li Yu instantly became dissatisfied.

"Quickly think of something for me, what else can I do for the baby?"

"No need, you guys are making me want to cry," Jiang Yunmiao said as she looked at them, a powerful wave of immense fortune surging in her heart.

"What's there to cry about? Whoever cries has to pay the bill next time," Lu Shenwei said while driving.

"I've got it! I'll sponsor Lele's clothes; none of you are allowed to fight me for this! I'm going to dress up little Lele as the cutest baby in the whole world," Li Yu said excitedly. "What do you think we should name the children's clothing brand?"

"Hey, hey, hey, you're going a bit too far! Is founding an entire brand just like that even a thing?" Lu Shenwei was shocked.

"What's wrong with that? Our Lian Group already has a clothing brand under its umbrella; what's wrong with allocating one production line for children's wear?" Miss Li's eyes held not a single trace of hesitation, exuding an unquestionable, cool, and fierce aura. "When the time comes, I'll cover the clothes for all your kids."

Lu Shenwei hurriedly lavished her with flattering compliments: "I really admire you, a fairy whose beauty is matched only by her kindness. All the wonderful words in the world used to describe you fall just a little short."

Li Yu tossed her long, wavy hair. "If you know how to talk, say more. I just love hearing you speak the absolute truth with such a straight face!"

"Hahaha—" Another burst of joyful laughter filled the car, like dazzling stars piercing through the desolation of a harsh winter, uninhibited and bold, as if their youth would never fade.

Jiang Yunmiao felt a sharp ache in her nose, and a profound warmth rippled through her heart. "You are the friends I want to brag about for the rest of my life!"

Wen Ying, Li Yu, and Lu Shenwei spoke in unison: "That goes without saying!"

Upon arriving at the hospital, someone led them in to see the baby.

It was the first time Wen Ying and Li Yu had seen the little pink bundle, and both of them found it miraculous. The tiny little creature was so small that one glance was enough to melt their hearts. They wished they could present the very best things in the world right before her.

The attending nurse told them that the baby was developing very well in all aspects and would soon be able to leave the incubator. After a few days of observation in the pediatric ward, she could be discharged.

Jiang Yunmiao pressed her lips tightly together, her almond-shaped eyes tinged with moisture, and nodded heavily. She was finally about to see the clouds part and the moon appear. Her daughter could finally return to her side.

As they were leaving, they unexpectedly witnessed a dramatic spectacle.

"I treated you like a brother, but what about you? You stole my idea and went behind my back to hook up with my girlfriend! Is this something a human being would do?" a disheveled young man wearing a black down jacket asked angrily.

Nearby, a man and a woman were both dressed in jeans paired with fleece-lined parkas, clearly wearing couple's outfits. The man pulled the woman into his arms as if to assert his ownership, and retorted with a disdainful expression: "Qin Zhiyi, don't talk nonsense! What evidence do you have to prove the idea is yours? Don't just open your mouth to slander people—be careful, or I'll sue you for defamation!"

The girl felt somewhat guilty, but still spoke with a righteous air: "Don't put it so harshly. We're not married yet, and I have the freedom to choose!"

"You knew very well that proposal was something I stayed up late for a long time to make. He is a thief who plundered someone else's harvest, and yet you chose him?" The young man called Qin Zhiyi clenched his fists tightly, his eyes bloodshot, filled with despair and rage.

The girl's gaze flickered away. She bit her lip and then mustered her courage: "I don't know what you're talking about. I chose Lin Jue because he can give me enough care, while you only bury yourself in the library and ignore me. When I fell ill and fainted, where were you?"

Qin Zhiyi's face turned pale, and he let out a bitter laugh. "I immerse myself in the library all day, spending my days outside doing research and collecting data, just to give you the life you want, just to build a home for you in this city. I treated Lin Jue as a brother and asked him to take good care of you, and as a result, you damn people rolled into the same bed! Don't you dare give me that excuse about fainting from illness—that's because you're damn pregnant!"

His gaze turned dark to the extreme, every word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth: "Carrying his child!" He pointed at Lin Jue, trembling all over from the immense blow.

Qin Zhiyi stared at them through the ethereal night, but his pupils suddenly constricted. He forcefully shrugged off the backpack on his shoulder and threw a punch at his rival.

Caught off guard, Lin Jue was knocked to the ground. "Qin Zhiyi, have you lost your mind?" he roared, fighting back without showing any weakness.

The two young men quickly started brawling.

Panicking now, the girl shouted, "Stop it, both of you! Don't fight!"

Qin Zhiyi was soon knocked to the ground as well. Seizing the opportunity, the girl pulled Lin Jue away and stood in front of him to block the other.

"Qin Zhiyi, if you want to hit someone, just hit me instead!" The girl raised her chin to confront him.

Qin Zhiyi's fists loosened and then tightened again by his sides. He let out a piercing laugh: "You're protecting him? You're actually protecting him?!"

The girl stubbornly said, "Qin Zhiyi, since matters have reached this point, I'll tell you clearly: we are over! From now on, we have nothing to do with each other!"

Qin Zhiyi took several steps back. "Nothing to do with each other? What a fine 'nothing to do with each other'! Zhang Shuyi, you!"

He looked as if he had been pierced through by a sharp sword, instantly draining away all his strength. "You're truly something else, simply wonderful!"

His trembling voice was deep and hoarse: "Get lost, both of you. I don't want to see you ever again!"

He stood in the cold wind of the winter night, watching them walk away together, holding each other. He felt as though his heart had been ruthlessly carved out of his chest and thrown into the freezing snow, leaving only a mutilated body swaying precariously in the chilly gale.

Just as he collapsed to the ground in utter despair, Jiang Yunmiao walked up to him and handed over a few sheets of paper. "Are these the project you made? They look quite good."

Just now, when he threw his backpack away, the documents inside had scattered everywhere, and a few sheets happened to be blown to Jiang Yunmiao's feet, so she casually picked them up.

Upon doing so, she discovered they were proposals intended for the Yijiangshan Corporation, so she glanced over them and found them genuinely interesting.

Zhou Zhiyi gave a bitter, miserable smile and took the papers back from her hand. "Thank you, but they're useless now." He crumpled the pages into a ball.

"Do you want to cooperate with Yijiangshan on this project?" Jiang Yunmiao's tone and expression were entirely calm, yet they carried an inherent, irresistible aura.

Zhou Zhiyi shook his head. "Yijiangshan rejected it, saying I plagiarized someone else's proposal."

Jiang Yunmiao roughly understood what had happened. Without probing further, she simply asked, "How is your memory?"

Zhou Zhiyi looked up at her in confusion. "Fairly decent."

Jiang Yunmiao rapidly rattled off a string of numbers. "Did you commit it to memory?"

Without realizing that his train of thought had already been led along, Zhou Zhiyi closed his eyes to recall it and nodded slightly.

"This is my contact information. If you have any good projects in the future that need funding, you can consider contacting me."

"Who are you?"

"Jiang Yunmiao."

Zhou Zhiyi abruptly stood up from the ground, showing a mix of respect and slight restraint. "Are you Vice President Jiang Yunmiao of Yijiangshan?"

Now it was Jiang Yunmiao's turn to be surprised. "You know me?"

Zhou Zhiyi nodded like an ardent fan. "I am also a student of Professor Qian. Professor Qian often mentioned you to us, saying you were his proudest pupil."