Chapter 1

At last, I’d graduated!

There was a spring in my step as I got off the plane. Three whole years abroad, all that time away from Big Brother—and now I was home. From now on, we’d be together every day. I’d join Dad’s company, share an office with him, go to work with him and come home with him. We wouldn’t spend a moment apart.

Tong Xueyou, hmph! You’d had him all to yourself long enough.

“Yijun!”

Someone was calling my name.

Dad’s only daughter, Mom’s second—that was me. When I was born, Dad declared that a daughter was every bit as good as a son, and that I’d grow up to be just as capable as any boy. Somehow, that landed me with a name I hated: Yijun. People who hadn’t met me always assumed I was a boy.

My sister had Xueyou. My best friend had Jiajia. Even Sun Wenyuan had a better name than mine! Pretty names, all of them, and unmistakably girls’ names.

In person, though, there was no mistaking me. Everyone had said I looked like a Barbie doll ever since I was little. My most distinctive feature was my hair: naturally curly, glossy as black satin. Then there were my eyelashes, so long that people said only a Barbie could have lashes like mine. Fair, rosy skin, dark brows, red lips—everything was already in place. No makeup needed. Nature had given me the face and the complexion to go with it.

And yet, however pretty I looked, the compliments never changed. I was “cute and pretty.” Xueyou was “beautiful and clever.”

She got to be clever, too. All I had was my looks. Even those made me a cute little girl rather than a beautiful woman.

Yes, yes, Xueyou worked hard, took things seriously, had lovely manners and understood everyone’s feelings. So what? I was the real young lady of the Tang family. The only one with Tang blood in her veins. Dad’s only biological daughter. The sole rightful heir to Feifan Group.

Mom, Auntie Lan and Uncle Qing were calling to me, beaming.

“Mom!”

Straight into her arms I went.

Mom was elegant and always knew exactly how to behave. Her greatest weakness was me: a little wheedling, a little coaxing, and she couldn’t resist. She was strict with my sister, but with me? Hopelessly indulgent.

“I’ve missed you so much!”

Her face lit up.

“Now you can keep me company every day.”

Uncle Qing took my luggage.

“Give Mom a kiss.”

A playful kiss on her cheek made her smile even brighter.

The car rounded a corner, bringing a long marble wall into view. Nothing beyond it could be seen until we followed it to the grand entrance. Milky-white globe lights, each the size of a basketball, sat atop the gateposts. The bronze-colored gates were shut, their surfaces worked with intricate patterns.

A few blasts of the horn brought someone running out. With a clang, the gates swung open to reveal a flight of marble steps.

We got out while the car turned right toward the garage. Beyond the steps stretched a broad green lawn dotted with tall trees, vines curling over the surrounding walls. Straight ahead stood the white house, like a grand piano resting on the grass.

Autumn sunlight gleamed in the rows of floor-to-ceiling windows. Through them, the entrance hall was clearly visible: spacious and uncluttered, with burgundy sofas and wooden floors polished to a mirror shine.

“I’m home! And I never have to go abroad again!”

Up went my right arm. Then I dashed inside and leaped onto the sofa.

“Honestly! Look at you. You’re a grown young woman now.”

Mom sounded torn between scolding me and laughing.

Mrs. Zhuang hurried over and pulled me down into a sitting position.

“Still such a child, Miss Yijun. You ought to be graceful and composed like your older sister. That’s how a young lady wins people over.”

She’d got me seated, but that didn’t mean I was sitting properly.

“So you’re saying nobody likes me? That I’m a nuisance?”

My glare made her stop.

“What’s this?” Mom scolded. “You’ve barely come home and you’re already losing your temper. Have you forgotten how Mrs. Zhuang used to dote on you? She even made your favorite steamed eggs specially because you were coming back.”

“Hmph!”

Mrs. Zhuang hastily offered a smile.

“Don’t be angry, Miss Yijun. That came out wrong. Let me apologize, all right? I’ll go and get your steamed eggs.”

Well, she had gone to all that trouble. And I happened to be in a good mood today. On those grounds, I decided to forgive her and managed a small smile.

Evening took forever to arrive.

Sprawled on my stomach on the burgundy sofa, I kept my eyes fixed on the windows. Dad and Big Brother should be home soon. They’d both had a call from me before the end of the working day, with strict instructions to come back early tonight. I’d graduated, and I was home!

Just as I was working out how much longer they’d take, Dad appeared beyond the lawn. Big Brother was right behind him.

Off the sofa and out the door I flew.

“Dad!”

My arms went around his neck.

“Oh, my Yijun! Let me have a look at you.”

With my arms spread wide, I gave a little twirl. The hem of my skirt fluttered like butterfly wings.

“Good, good!” Dad said approvingly.

Of course it was good. Home in one piece, just as cute and lively as ever—what more could he want?

“Big Brother!”

This time, I threw myself at him. To my surprise, he scooped me up and spun me around several times.

Giggles bubbled out of me. When I was little and everyone else was at their wits’ end over one of my tantrums, this was how he’d cheer me up. Once he had me laughing, he’d always ask the same question.

“Happy now?”

My head bobbed up and down. Happy? I could have floated right into the sky! It had been ages since he’d held me and spun me around like this.

A glance at my sister was enough.

See? I was still his favorite.

Big Brother set me down, and she came over, looking delighted.

“Yijun, congratulations on graduating. Welcome home.”

“Thank you, Sis.”

For once, even “Sis” came out sweetly. That was how good a mood I was in.

With Dad on one arm and Big Brother on the other, I went inside.

Big Brother was still Big Brother. Being with him felt like sheltering beneath a pair of strong, warm wings. Kind, mature, dependable—there was nothing he couldn’t do.

“When are you planning to start work, Yijun?” Dad asked over dinner.

“Tomorrow.”

No hesitation needed.

“Tomorrow? Isn’t that a little soon?” Mom glanced at Dad, then turned back to me. “You’ve only just got home. Rest for a few days first. There’s no rush.”

“But I want to start tomorrow,” I wheedled.

“Tomorrow would be fine,” my sister said with a smile. “She could come in and get familiar with the place.”

Dad nodded.

“Then you can go to work with your sister tomorrow.”

What? With my sister?

“No. I’m not going to Feifan Apparel. I want to work at Feifan Bank.”

“The bank? No.”

Down went Dad’s chopsticks.

“Why not?”

“You can work at the bank eventually. But clothing is the group’s main business, and you studied fashion design. You should spend some time in the design department first, just as your big brother did.”

The only reason I’d chosen fashion design was that Big Brother had been the director of the design department. Then, barely a year into my course, he’d moved to Feifan Bank.

“Dad…”

“No.”

Gentle, almost soothing—and absolutely final. A soft voice never meant he was going to give in.

“Hmph! I’m not eating.”

My chopsticks landed on the table. Everyone else stopped eating, too.

“Yijun, why do you want to work at the bank so badly?”

Big Brother turned toward me from the seat beside mine, his voice as mild as ever.

“I… I…”

Oh, never mind. Might as well say it.

“Because I want to work with you!”

Clinging to his arm, I pouted.

“It’s been so long since we’ve been together.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not a child anymore.”

Dad gave me a stern look, then softened his tone.

“You’re grown up now. You can’t keep hanging on to your big brother. You’ll be going to the company to work, not to play.”

“I don’t care! He’s so clever. With him teaching me, I’m sure I’ll do well.”

My eyes turned to Big Brother, full of admiration.

“Yijun, listen to Dad and start in the design department. If there’s anything you don’t understand at work, you can always ask me. There isn’t a suitable position for you at the bank right now, but I’ll keep an eye out. As long as you do well, I’ll arrange your transfer as soon as something suitable opens up.”

That left me wavering. He took my hand.

“Didn’t you tell me you weren’t little Yijun anymore? If you’re grown up, you need to be sensible. Try to understand that Dad wants what’s best for you.”

My gaze moved from Dad to Big Brother.

“All right, then,” I said reluctantly. “But I’m taking Mom’s advice first. I’ll stay home and rest for a few days.”