Deliberately Approaching
Chapter 258 Sibling Estrangement

Chapter 258: Chapter 258 Sibling Estrangement

In the direct elevator to a high-end apartment, Jiang Kexin wore a charming white off-shoulder dress, her long hair tied back in a refreshing ponytail, her face lightly made up, radiating vitality.

She was about to meet a friend, a blogger who had promised to help her deal with Tang Xiaowan.

Before she knew it, she had reached the basement level.

Jiang Kexin, carrying a dainty handbag and walking in high heels, approached the underground parking lot with a slight smirk on her lips. Her mood was exceptionally good, having seemingly forgotten the unpleasantness from last night on Chunlei Street.

But as Jiang Kexin walked up to her pink luxury car, her entire body froze.

"Oh my God, my car!"

She looked at the scene before her in astonishment, unable to believe her eyes.

Her expensive luxury car had been completely disfigured, all the windows shattered, the body dented in several places, with countless scratches, and even the roof had not been spared, slashed with a large hole.

She had been staying in this upscale apartment for the past few days to focus on her proposal.

And now, her car had been destroyed.

Jiang Kexin’s eyes widened as she tried to calm herself, but her heart was filled with rage and hatred.

She clenched her fists tightly and muttered through gritted teeth, "Who did this? You bastard! I will catch you, make you pay a terrible price, and have you put in jail!"

"Call the police, I need to call the police!"

"No, no, it could be a trap!"

"Could it be..."

Jiang Kexin looked at her wrecked luxury car, her heart aching. The car was a reward from her father, which she had always cherished, but now it was ruined, undeniably a huge blow to her.

She paced back and forth, tears swirling in her eyes, constantly asking herself, "Why did this happen? Could it really be my brother, Jian Kede?"

Yet she found no clues.

She had come back too late the previous night, and her car was parked in a secluded corner with no cameras around. She was uncertain who did it and dared not call the police blindly.

This left her feeling utterly helpless and angry.

A few minutes later, Jiang Kexin couldn’t hold back her sadness any longer and burst into tears.

Her tears fell onto the car body, mixing with the shards of shattered glass. She swore to find the mastermind behind this and seek justice for her beloved car.

Suddenly, her phone rang. It was her brother, Jian Kede.

Already irritable, the phone call brought her another piece of devastating news, "Kexin, I just heard that your design proposal was eliminated, it’s such a pity. But don’t worry, mine made it through."

Jiang Kexin, containing her bitterness, replied with a smile, "Is that so? You’re well-informed, congratulations!"

No wonder she hadn’t received any notification.

No wonder Dad said there was no need to go to the meeting at the company today. Turned out the results were already out!

Why, just because I’m a daughter?

Jian Kede continued, "Kexin, I know you’ve always worked hard, but what I want to say is that we’re all doing this for the good of the family business, and competition is sometimes inevitable. You have to accept reality and adjust your mindset as soon as possible. Big brother will always support you, haha."

At that moment, listening to Jian Kede’s words, the fury inside Jiang Kexin became uncontrollable.

"Brother, my design proposal... being eliminated, was it your doing? It must be, right?"

Jian Kede paused for a moment, then responded calmly, "Kexin, how can you talk like that? I’m also working hard for the development of the family business. If you think I’ve done something underhanded, then you’re very mistaken."

Jiang Kexin was burning with anger, shocked at her brother’s ability to pretend to such extents.

She yelled furiously, "Stop playing the good guy here! It must have been you who set me up to be eliminated, and my car, my pink car, destroyed – was that your doing as well?"

Jian Kede fell silent for a moment, sighed, and said softly, "My dear sister, if you really believe that, then I’m very saddened. You should really adjust your mood. True merit is what counts in the end. I have to go now; everyone is waiting for me to start the meeting, bye."

Jiang Kexin trembled with anger and forcefully hung up the phone.

She knew better than anyone that in the past few years, her brother Jiang Ke De had been openly and secretly competing with her. Now that her project had been eliminated, she was even more certain that Jiang Ke De had orchestrated everything behind the scenes, sabotaging her beloved car.

But this would not deter her from meeting with friends.

With setbacks in her career, she had to be even more vigilant with her love life, otherwise, she would truly become the laughingstock her brother always mentioned.

...

Chunlei Street, number 66.

At this moment, Tang Xiaowan and Leng Lingxiao were extremely busy in the kitchen.

"Huahua, how long does the sticky rice need to be steamed?" Tang Xiaowan walked over to Leng Lingxiao and asked with curiosity.

Leng Lingxiao placed the rinsed sticky rice on the table and smiled, "About 15 minutes. Sticky rice can’t be steamed too long, or it becomes hard, which isn’t tasty."

Tang Xiaowan nodded, then glanced at another stove where soup was simmering. She continued, "And what about this soup? How long does it need?"

Leng Lingxiao walked over, lifted the lid to check, "The soup has been simmering for an hour now. Lower the heat a bit and let it stew a while longer to make it even more delicious."

"Great, let’s divide the tasks. I’ll take care of the sticky rice, you continue with the soup, and then we’ll prepare some other dishes, how about that?"

Leng Lingxiao nodded in agreement and started preparing the other ingredients. He took out some fresh lean meat and shrimp to make a pan-fried meat patty and steamed shrimp.

Tang Xiaowan also got busy.

After the sticky rice was steamed, she took it out to cool, and then mixed it evenly with dates, corn kernels, diced carrots, and diced mushrooms.

Looking at the sticky rice in front of her, Tang Xiaowan felt a sense of accomplishment and couldn’t help but laugh.

"Tangtang, what are you laughing at?" Leng Lingxiao walked over and asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing much, just thinking about how delicious the food we’re preparing smells."

"Of course, it’s all made with love. Grandma will be really happy when she wakes up, but no snacking allowed for now."

They exchanged smiles and continued their preparations.

Though they seemed a little flustered, their mood was good, and they enjoyed themselves.

Half an hour later, just as Leng Lingxiao and Tang Xiaowan were about to leave with the insulated lunch box, a harsh screeching of brakes could be heard outside.

When they went out to look, it was Zhao Renjie.

He approached Leng Lingxiao with a panicked expression and said in a low voice, "Li Zishen has arrived in Huang City."

"He’s here already? When?"

"About half an hour ago. His helicopter landed on the roof of Yishen Mall. I tried calling you just now but couldn’t reach you, so I rushed over here."

"It’s fine, what’s done is done."

Leng Lingxiao certainly knew there was a Yishen Group mall in Huang City, but he hadn’t expected Li Zishen to arrive so quickly.

It had been only a day and a half since the boastful phone call the night before last.

Quite a quick mental adjustment!

"Huahua, where’s my phone?" Tang Xiaowan frowned and asked, interrupting Leng Lingxiao’s thoughts.

"In the car."

They had been in such a rush to come back from the hospital that morning, eager to make soup for Grandma Tang, that both Leng Lingxiao and Tang Xiaowan’s phones had been left thrown in the car.

During that time, the two had been chatting and discussing cooking techniques, naturally forgetting about their phones.

Suddenly, there were two "beep beep" sounds.

Tang Xiaowan quickly opened the passenger door, only to see three missed calls and a message on her phone, all from Li Zishen.

[I’m in Huang City. Let’s meet.]