After Stealing a Kiss from My Sponsor Sister - Chapter 12

Jiang Ya slept straight through until the afternoon. When she woke up, her mind was still foggy.

She pulled back the curtains and glanced outside—the sun was setting in the west, dusk about to fall.

After splashing some water on her face, she looked up at her reflection in the mirror. It was unfamiliar, even… ugly.

Sure enough, Miss Yu hadn’t lied to her. She really had cried herself into an unrecognizable mess.

Oh, right—Miss Yu…

She fished out her phone and found her answer. Miss Yu had left her a message before going to sleep: “I’ll contact you when I wake up. If you wake up first, go find something to eat yourself. Don’t bother me.”

Below that was another transfer of 10,000 yuan.

Jiang Ya reached out and touched the message, smiling.

It was as if she could hear Miss Yu’s impatient tone—”Don’t disturb me.”

She didn’t accept the money.

The previous sum Miss Yu had given her hadn’t been used up yet.

There was still quite a bit left.

She pulled the curtains open to let in some fresh air, then sat for a while, sorting through everything that had happened over the past two days. Once her mind was clearer, she listed out the things she needed to do next before slowly getting up.

By the time Yu Shuang woke up, it was already dark.

A dull ache throbbed in her forehead.

Probably her body’s backlash after such intense emotional swings.

Pressing a hand to her temple, Yu Shuang grumbled inwardly—damn kid.

She drifted around like a ghost before pausing mid-motion, slowly crouching down, then standing back up—a drawing clutched in her hand.

It was the one she hadn’t been able to find last night.

So it had been in the room all along.

What was this supposed to mean?

Shaking the paper lightly, Yu Shuang chuckled. Guess it meant she and this kid had some fate tying them together.

After washing her face and getting a good look at herself in the mirror, Yu Shuang spat out another curse: “Damn kid!”

The girl she was complaining about had woken up earlier than her. She hadn’t disturbed her but had left two messages instead.

“Okay, I’m heading home first to feed Xiao Huang.”

“Miss Yu, I’m back in the lobby. Contact me when you wake up, and we can go eat together.”

Checking the time, the second message had been sent an hour ago.

Yu Shuang: “Awake. Where are you now?”

Jiang Ya replied instantly: “In the lobby.”

Yu Shuang raised an eyebrow. “Not starving yet?”

“I wanted to wait and eat with you.”

Ah, so she was toughing it out.

Yu Shuang: “Wait there.”

Jiang Ya: “Okay.”

Yu Shuang: “Take the money.”

The typing indicator popped up above Jiang Ya’s name…

Yu Shuang: “Don’t make me send it again.”

The typing stopped.

A few seconds later, the chat showed that the transfer had been accepted.

Yu Shuang quirked her lips. Being smart was useful—at least it made communication effortless.

By the time Yu Shuang leisurely made her way downstairs and stepped out of the elevator, she spotted a student sitting primly in the lobby, writing something with a pen.

“Now you decide to study?” Yu Shuang teased.

Truthfully, her words made no sense at all.

During her leave from school, Jiang Ya had still worked on practice exams every day.

But Yu Shuang was still in a bad mood, so her words naturally came out sharp.

“Miss Yu,” the kid looked up and called out to her, her still-red eyes glancing at her timidly, “no.”

“Then what—”

Yu Shuang reached out to take it, but Jiang Ya shifted aside slightly. When Yu Shuang saw what she was writing, she fell silent again.

It was the self-criticism she’d demanded.

Handwritten.

The top sheet was half-filled, and beneath it was another page—already completed in full.

Every stroke was neat, the entire thing so tidy it looked like calligraphy practice.

Yu Shuang exhaled softly. “Why rush to write this?”

Jiang Ya: “You said it had to be done within three days.”

“…”

She’d forgotten. It had probably just been something she’d said in anger.

“And if I’d said I wanted it today, would you have stayed up all night writing it?”

Sensing the unusual tone in Yu Shuang’s voice, Jiang Ya whispered, “I just wanted to make you happy.”

“Did I… mess up again?”

The girl’s eyes and nose were still flushed from crying, her shoulders slumped dejectedly.

“I just felt like you’re still a little angry with me, and I didn’t want you to be.”

“…”

The resentment bottled up in Yu Shuang’s heart was pricked like a balloon, slowly deflating.

Suddenly, someone tousled her hair, then cupped her face. Realizing it was Yu Shuang doing this, Jiang Ya’s eyelashes fluttered wildly.

As that gaze settled on her face, Jiang Ya could almost feel its scorching intensity.

“The swelling’s gone, no bloodshot eyes either. You’ve recovered quite well.”

The hands left her face, but the lingering warmth of the touch remained.

“I-I used an egg to roll over it. For the swelling.”

Her words stumbled.

Her eyes darted around, not daring to meet Miss Yu’s gaze.

Yu Shuang: “Alright, let’s go eat then.”

“O-okay.”

Jiang Ya scrambled to follow Yu Shuang.

Yet Yu Shuang was thinking: This kid is something else. So pretty too. In a few years, she’ll definitely be a heartbreaker!

But such frivolous thoughts vanished as quickly as they came.

Yu Shuang: “What do you want to eat?”

Her tone finally relaxed.

“Anything is fine, whatever Miss Yu prefers.”

“Tch.”

“…That restaurant at the end of the street is good, and clean too. Want to try it?”

Yu Shuang nodded approvingly: “Sure.”

–

“He’s your relative. If you change your statement, the police station might turn a blind eye and drop the case.”

Back at the hotel, reviewing details with Jiang Ya during a video call with the lawyer, this suggestion was made.

Jiang Ya’s stance was firm. “I won’t withdraw it.”

The lawyer nodded.

After outlining possible outcomes, the call ended.

Only then did Yu Shuang ask, “How long have you been planning this?”

Jiang Ya bit her lip.

Yu Shuang watched her silently, her expression making her expectations clear.

After a moment, Jiang Ya confessed: “I only had the energy to think about it after the cremation.”

That would be one week before their first meeting.

“Little Huang was trained to do that, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, following online videos about training dogs to protect their owners. Step by step.”

“Dogs in the city can’t bite people. However you trained him to bare his teeth, you’ll need to train him out of it.”

“Okay.”

Yu Shuang: “So confident you can retrain him?”

Jiang Ya hesitated. “It should be fine. I just need to be more assertive. He never bit anyone before.”

A dog’s behavior reflects its owner. Little Huang bit to protect Jiang Ya because he didn’t trust her to handle the situation.

The training approach was correct, though.

Yu Shuang warned: “If you can’t retrain him, we’ll send him to a pet school for correction. The bill’s on you.”

“Okay.”

“What’s this about feeding stray dogs?”

Jiang Ya’s expression changed. Under Yu Shuang’s gaze, she forced out: “Well, killing is easy but disposing of a body is hard. If…”

A vein throbbed at Yu Shuang’s temple. “If?”

Jiang Ya closed her eyes. “If it exceeded what I could handle… I might have just let him find his own way down the mountain.”

Yu Shuang processed this.

Then understood.

Stray dogs accustomed to bloody meals, smelling Jiang Rui’s bleeding wounds at night – the outcome needed no explanation.

“You…”

Jiang Ya: “They might not have found him anyway. The pack isn’t that big, and strays fear humans. So… it would’ve depended on his luck.”

The last three words were spat out through gritted teeth, a true testament to her hatred.

“……”

Yu Shuang almost felt like applauding Jiang Ya.

She took a moment to steady herself, pressing her fingers to her forehead as the air around them grew icy.

Yu Shuang: “Promise me you won’t do anything this dangerous again, no matter the circumstances.”

“Mm, I promise.” After a pause, Jiang Ya added in a low voice, “I don’t have another grandmother left anyway.”

Yu Shuang’s heart clenched as if squeezed by an invisible hand, then deflated.

She looked at Jiang Ya.

Jiang Ya kept her head down, staring at her own hands.

The girl’s face was lowered, the picture of someone waiting to be scolded.

But in truth, she already understood everything. The thought floated through Yu Shuang’s mind.

After watching her quietly for a while, Yu Shuang waved a hand. “Go rest.”

Jiang Ya looked up. “Huh?”

“Does your promise not count?”

“It does!”

“Then that’s that. Go on.”

“……”

Jiang Ya kept glancing back as she walked away, making Yu Shuang chuckle. “What, you’re waiting for me to lecture you with some long-winded clichés?”

Shaking her head, she watched as the kid finally darted out the door.

Just as the door was about to close, a head popped back through the gap. “Miss Yu, thank you!” Jiang Ya said earnestly.

Yu Shuang rolled her eyes. “Get out of here!”

–

The aftermath was handled smoothly—at least on Jiang Ya’s end.

But there were still surprises. For instance, new developments had arisen in the capital, and Yu Jiao was pressing Yu Shuang to return.

“Need two more days.”

“Can’t leave yet.”

“It’s a criminal case, Auntie. No way around it.”

“Thanks, Auntie. Love you~”

No sooner had Yu Jiao’s call ended than her business partner Tan Xiao’s came through.

After all this time, Tan Xiao had finally gotten wind of what was happening on her end.

Yu Shuang: “That’s pretty much it. Nothing else to add.”

“……”

Yu Shuang: “No sentimental speeches, no yelling. I don’t have the energy. Just stick to business, thanks.”

“……”

Tan Xiao was exasperated. “How are you so calm about this?”

“What else can I do? We’re already here. No point in crying over spilled milk—or adding a mental breakdown to the mix.”

“I swear, Ningning, I just—I can’t with you…”

“Thanks, but save the compliments. I’ve heard them all before.”

“Ugh!”

Tan Xiao took a deep breath. “So what’s your plan?”

“Just ride it out. What else is there?”

“That guy—I told you back then, but you just had to—”

“Stop! Skip that part. I don’t want to argue, and I don’t regret it. Don’t even have the energy to curse him out now.”

“Fine, fine. You’re the saint, and I’m the petty mortal!”

It wasn’t really about being “good” or not, but Yu Shuang didn’t feel like debating it with Tan Xiao. So she casually accepted the high praise, nearly sending Tan Xiao into a rage.

“So when are you coming back, since things are like this?”

Yu Shuang thought for a moment. “The day after tomorrow.”

“?”

“If I can make it in time.”

“……”

Tan Xiao hung up on the spot.

Yu Shuang wasn’t fazed. She waited about ten minutes before Tan Xiao called back, this time much more composed. They discussed company matters, and Tan Xiao, true to her straightforward nature, declared, “We didn’t come back to the country just for money anyway. Whether they want us to keep running is their pettiness. Whether we can keep running is my damn skill!”

Yu Shuang: “Yes!” She clapped enthusiastically. “Sister Annie, you’re a legend.”

“By the way, why can’t you come back yet? Something holding you up?”

“There’s a minor criminal case.”

“?!”

Tan Xiao’s voice shot up an octave. “Did you finally snap and take a swing at your dad?”

“……”

–

In the end, they didn’t leave the day after as planned—it was delayed by another day. Only after everything was properly packed did Yu Shuang set off with Jiang Ya and Xiao Huang.

Watching the shrinking mountain peaks and the increasingly distant town in the rearview mirror, Jiang Ya finally felt the reality of leaving settle in.

“Reluctant to go?” Yu Shuang asked.

Jiang Ya thought for a moment, then shook her head.

After retrieving the passbook, she had immediately gone to the bank to withdraw the money before her ID was invalidated.

Jiang Ya had wanted to give the money to Yu Shuang, but Yu Shuang had her open a bank account and transferred the funds into her name instead.

Jiang Rui ended up being detained for 15 days. He hadn’t shown up for Grandma’s burial—just as well, since Jiang Ya didn’t want to see him anyway.

Once the ashes were settled and a gravestone erected, her uncle and aunt left.

Jiang Ya figured they wouldn’t have any contact in the future.

Her uncle and aunt had pleaded with her to drop the case and retract her statement, but she refused.

After packing up the house, Miss Yu had Feng Gu keep an eye on the stray dog issue.

There wasn’t much of value—books were shipped by courier, and she only took a couple of clothes. Jiang Ya had wanted to bring more, but Miss Yu wouldn’t allow it.

Not knowing how else to repay Miss Yu, Jiang Ya could only obey without protest and left the rest behind.

“Miss Yu, I’ll study hard.”

Out of nowhere, Jiang Ya suddenly spoke.

Yu Shuang could understand the girl’s current sense of rootlessness and asked, “How hard? Hard enough to be the top scorer in the exams?”

Jiang Ya let out a small sound of surprise. “You want me to be the top scorer?”

“Mm. It’d give me bragging rights when I talk to people later.”

“…”

“I—I’ll try my best. I don’t know how things are in the city, but… I’ll work hard.”

Watching the girl’s conflicted yet determined expression, Yu Shuang burst into laughter and nodded. “Then I’ll be waiting.”

Teasingly, she added, “Top Scorer Jiang!”