Got an Excuse

Jiangtong Company.

Jiang Yutong sat at her desk, chin resting on her hand, a troubled expression on her face.

Her secretary, puzzled, asked, "President Jiang, what's wrong?"

Their president was usually lively and cheerful—even when Lin Qingwan's DR Company stole their skincare formula, Jiang Yutong hadn’t been this upset.

This was the first time the secretary had seen her so visibly distressed.

Jiang Yutong frowned deeply. "I'm trying to figure out how to approach a man in a way that doesn’t seem forced."

Lin Xuan seemed resistant to the idea of acknowledging their familial ties.

He also appeared to prefer solitude.

If she had no real reason to pester him about recognizing him as her younger brother, he might just find her annoying—making her goal of bringing him into the family even harder to achieve.

But if she didn’t reach out, there was no way Lin Xuan would ever accept her.

She needed a plausible excuse to get close to him.

Yet, what excuse could she possibly use?

Jiang Yutong had been racking her brain over this since the family reunion banquet ended, but she still couldn’t come up with anything.

The secretary, assuming Jiang Yutong had taken a romantic interest in someone, suggested, "It’s simple, President Jiang. Your biggest advantage is your wealth. Few men can resist money—just flex your financial power, and he won’t be able to refuse you."

"He doesn’t need money," Jiang Yutong replied.

Lin Xuan owned the massive Tianmu Group—even she wasn’t as wealthy as him.

How could she possibly use money to get close?

"He doesn’t need money?" The secretary, a straight-talking woman, stroked her chin thoughtfully.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "President Jiang, you’re gorgeous—you could seduce him! Once he falls for your charms, he’ll be putty in your hands."

"What nonsense!" Jiang Yutong rolled her eyes. "He’s not that shallow. Besides, he has an incredibly beautiful girlfriend. With her around, no other woman stands a chance."

Back in her school days, Jiang Yutong had been the campus belle, pursued by countless men.

Even she had to admit that Lin Xuan’s girlfriend, Su Hua, was stunning—more so than herself.

"Also, I don’t want to be his girlfriend. I just want him as my younger brother. Seduction would make things awkward later."

The secretary scratched her head awkwardly. "Oh, so it’s just about being siblings? I thought you had feelings for him."

"If it’s about being a brother… I’m an only child, so I don’t really know how to win him over either," the secretary admitted.

"Ugh, why is this so difficult?"

Jiang Yutong leaned back in her chair with a heavy sigh.

Trying to claim a brother was proving harder than running a company.

But she wasn’t ready to give up.

She had finally found someone who perfectly matched her ideal of a younger brother—and he was her actual blood-related cousin. She couldn’t just let this go.

"President Jiang."

A senior executive walked in.

"What is it?" Jiang Yutong rubbed her temples irritably.

"President Jiang, according to our mole in DR Company, Lin Qingwan has already replicated the formula for our new skincare product and is preparing for mass production," the executive reported.

Jiang Yutong smirked coldly. "Lin Qingwan is quite capable—she actually managed to reverse-engineer it so quickly."

Too bad Lin Qingwan didn’t put that effort into original research instead of stealing others’ work.

"President Jiang, what should we do now? It’ll take them time to manufacture the product. We’ve stockpiled a lot of inventory—should we ramp up marketing to dominate the market first? Or do we have another way to stop Lin Qingwan’s company?"

Suddenly, Jiang Yutong’s eyes sparkled with realization.

That’s it.

She could use this as an excuse to go see Lin Xuan.

This was the perfect reason to visit him.

With that thought, Jiang Yutong immediately stood up, a smile playing on her lips. "Who would’ve thought Lin Qingwan would actually do me a favor?"

Tch.

Lin Qingwan neglected her own flesh and blood while doting on an adopted son.

Well, Jiang Yutong would shower Lin Xuan with all the affection he deserved—just to show Lin Qingwan how a real older sister should treat her younger brother.

The secretary blinked in confusion. "President Jiang, where are you going?"

Jiang Yutong: "To ask Lin Xuan for advice."

Of course, that was just an excuse. She simply wanted to see him.

"Don’t follow me. I’ll go alone."

As Jiang Yutong reached the parking lot, her boyfriend, Liang Yilong, appeared.

He spotted her immediately.

"Yutong." Liang Yilong strode over to her.

Jiang Yutong asked, "Yilong, shouldn’t you be at the hospital with your father?"

Liang Yilong relaxed. "He’s out of danger now. He just needs to stay for observation, but my sister is taking care of him. I’m not needed there right now."

Originally, he had planned to stay with his father for another day or two.

But his father had practically pushed him out the door to see Jiang Yutong.

His father’s reasoning was clear: Jiang Yutong was the second daughter of the Jiang family. If Liang Yilong could marry her—even if it meant becoming a live-in son-in-law—their family could rise to prominence through the Jiangs’ influence. Maybe he could even take over Jiang Corporation someday.

So, under his father’s urging, Liang Yilong had come to see Jiang Yutong.

"If Uncle is fine now, that’s good." Jiang Yutong smiled.

"Yutong, where are you headed?" Liang Yilong asked curiously.

"Our skincare formula was stolen by another company. Lin Xuan was the one who developed it—I’m going to consult him on how to handle this."

Eager to see Lin Xuan, Jiang Yutong quickly added, "I need to deal with this urgently. Yilong, I’ll catch up with you afterward."

"Alright, go ahead. We can have dinner once you’re done," Liang Yilong said understandingly.

"Mm."

Jiang Yutong hurriedly got into her car.

The moment she was out of sight, Liang Yilong’s expression darkened.

His fists clenched.

He was certain—this Lin Xuan was the man Jiang Yutong truly wanted.

The work excuse was just a front. She was going to see him because she wanted to!

Back in university, Jiang Yutong had hidden her identity, pretending to be an ordinary girl.

By chance, Liang Yilong had discovered she was a Jiang heiress, and he had pursued her relentlessly.

Even after countless rejections, he hadn’t given up.

Finally, he had won her over—or so he thought. He believed he was on the fast track to securing the Jiang family’s wealth.

But now it seemed Jiang Yutong was just using him—as a tool to make Lin Xuan jealous.

Hah. Once she succeeded in winning Lin Xuan over, she’d discard him without a second thought.

This was his golden ticket to the top. He wouldn’t let it slip away so easily.

Just you wait, Lin Xuan.

I won't give you any chance to be with Jiang Yutong!

The one who marries Jiang Yutong must be me!

Liang Yilong's eyes darkened with intensity.

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