The Eldest Young Miss is Back

The year after Lin He's plane crash, Hu Die got married. Three years later, she divorced and has remained single ever since.

Lin He knew the man Hu Die married—he was their college classmate, Lin Bai.

After the divorce, Hu Die focused on her career and turned North Star Cosmetics into a thriving company.

"The second year after her divorce, she proposed buying back the shares you held under your name..." Jiang Qiao explained.

Hu Die played the emotional card, claiming it was what Lin He would have wanted, and Jiang Qiao agreed.

"Over the years, she's gained a lot of benefits from me."

Jiang Qiao held Lin He close, gently nuzzling her cheek, his voice turning plaintive. "Whenever she needed something, she'd bring you up, talking about things I didn't know, things related to you."

"She thought she was hiding her intentions well, but it was just me cooperating because I wanted to hear about you."

For Jiang Qiao, anything related to Lin He was healing over the past fifteen years.

"禾禾, I'm telling you about Hu Die to prepare you. You're still you, but the people around you may not be the same as you remember."

Jiang Qiao's words were a subtle warning to Lin He.

He didn't want to say it outright—he was cautious, knowing how Lin He's temper could flare up.

Because of some friends, Jiang Qiao had almost been cast aside in the past!

In simpler terms, Jiang Qiao didn't like any of Lin He's male friends. Lin He had no romantic interest in them, but Jiang Qiao was possessive and overly jealous.

At first, Lin He indulged him, thinking it was just a little couple's quirk. But as Jiang Qiao's behavior grew worse, she stopped tolerating it.

Jiang Qiao still remembered the words Lin He had said to him:

"Jiang Qiao, I love you, but if that love means losing myself, then my love for you will become cheap, and I won't love you anymore."

At the time, Lin He said it lightly, but Jiang Qiao was terrified. Since then, he never dared to interfere in Lin He's friendships.

So, when bringing up Hu Die—Lin He's best friend from college—he chose his words carefully, with great restraint.

"I know, I saw what's going on online."

Lin He touched Jiang Qiao's face and handed him her phone, showing him the private messages from Hu Die.

"I don't want to be used by her anymore."

Lin He nestled into Jiang Qiao's embrace, her tone a bit downcast.

For her, just a few days ago, she was still meeting Hu Die for meals. Now, everything had changed.

For fifteen years, she had been used as an "emotional ATM," constantly giving to Hu Die, while getting nothing in return except benefits from Jiang Qiao.

"Alright, I'll follow whatever you decide, 禾禾."

"Then, how should I explain my sudden return? Honestly, people will definitely think I've lost my mind."

"No need to explain."

Jiang Qiao held Lin He gently, patting her back, his tone calm. "If anyone asks, just say you've been abroad for health reasons, or give any vague excuse. No need to owe anyone an explanation."

Lin He sat up straight and held Jiang Qiao's face in her hands. "If the sky falls..."

"I'll hold it up."

Jiang Qiao finished her sentence for her, and they shared a look, both smiling as if they were back in college, lying on the grass on the playground, watching the clouds drift lazily by.

"峤峤, I'm so glad you haven't changed, so glad you're here."

Lin He jumped up and wrapped her arms around Jiang Qiao's neck, snuggling against him with a soft, playful motion.

Jiang Qiao smiled and hugged her back, burying his face in the crook of her neck with deep affection.

Underneath his long lashes, his eyes were dark and unreadable.

Over the next few days, Lin He stayed busy adjusting to the world after fifteen years.

In today's advanced technological age, even just a few years can bring about major changes, let alone fifteen. Everything felt so new to Lin He, and she couldn't help but marvel at the rapid progress of technology.

She felt like a new player in the game, following Jiang Qiao, her NPC guide, as they explored this new world together.

Lin He was also waiting for her eldest son to contact her, but Jiang An seemed to have disappeared. Unable to wait any longer, Lin He was about to call him when Jiang Qiao stopped her.

"An An is busy working on a project with his mentor."

Hearing this, Lin He decided to wait until her son was free, realizing she had been too eager.

A week passed.

Chu Yi returned to the country.

Actually, Chu Yi was supposed to come back two days later. She had left school early, mostly to catch her father off guard and prevent that woman from being prepared.

At first, Chu Yi was confused by her father's refusal to give her the eight million for a car. She had never expected him to deny her request for money.

Chu Yi spent money recklessly, never saving, and whenever she needed money, she'd just ask Jiang Qiao for it. If the money ran out, she'd ask again.

So, when she wanted to spend eight million on a car, she thought she'd simply ask her father for the funds, but she was stunned when he refused.

Confused by her father's refusal, Chu Yi received a call from her aunt, learning that her father had found a new woman. Her inability to get the money had something to do with this new relationship.

For the past week, Chu Yi had hardly slept.

She had asked around among her friends, and many of them had stepmothers who caused trouble, manipulating the family dynamics in disgusting ways.

Chu Yi couldn't take it anymore. She had to go back and see for herself!

As soon as she landed at the airport, before she could even return home, she received a call from Han Xun.

As soon as she picked up, a strange voice came through the phone.

"Second floor, Mei Restaurant. You have less than an hour to get here. We're going to cripple Han Xun's legs."

"What? How dare you! I'm coming right now!"

Chu Yi hurriedly took a cab, her eyes red with anxiety.

"I've blocked her. She probably thinks it was you, but I don't want to deal with her," Lin He said lazily, lying on the second-floor rocking chair, eating grapes.

On the other end of the phone was Jiang Qiao, who had returned to work after spending a few days resting with Lin He. His workload was piling up, and he couldn't afford to be idle any longer.

A CEO with free time only exists in novels and dramas. In reality, the workload of a CEO is overwhelming! Managing a whole company's employees doesn't leave much time for rest.

Today, Jiang Qiao would be back late because he had to work overtime.

The two of them had been talking about Hu Die. Since she hadn't responded to Hu Die's private message on Weibo, Hu Die had sent a message to Jiang Qiao on WeChat. Jiang Qiao didn't want to respond and asked Lin He if he could block her.

Lin He, of course, had no objections—she had already blocked her!

After a bit more conversation, Jiang Qiao hung up, and Lin He went to her room to take a nap.

Just as she lay down, the housekeeper knocked on the door.

"Madam, the eldest young miss has returned to the country. The police station in Xing'an District called and said they need someone to go bail her out."

Since Jiang Qiao had said Lin He would make all the decisions at home, the housekeeper hesitated for a moment before coming to consult her.

Lin He shot up from the bed, her sleepiness vanishing in an instant.

Returned to the country?! The police station?! Bail?!

Those words together made her feel extremely uneasy.

"Madam, should I report this to Mr. Jiang?" the housekeeper asked.

Lin He shook her head. Jiang Qiao would only go to bail her out, so it was no different if she went herself.

Lin He had already made up her mind over the past few days. The three children had different personalities, and the way she would reconnect with Jiang An didn't apply to the twins.

She could even bet that if she pulled out all her hair, the twins wouldn't do a DNA test, and even if they saw the results, they might think it was forged...

"No need, I'll handle it."

She had to see what was going on first.