After Stealing a Kiss from My Sponsor Sister - Chapter 36

Jiang Ya gave her name at the reception and waited for a while before being told that an assistant would come down to escort her.

Yu Shuang spotted the girl but hesitated briefly, in no rush, and found a seat in the lobby.

From this distance, observing Jiang Ya from this angle was a novel experience for Yu Shuang.

The image of the child from daily life faded, replaced instead by the memory of their first encounter in the small town.

Back then, the girl barely spoke, dressed in an oversized school uniform, her head lowered with a timid expression.

But now—where were the traces of that past?

She had grown taller.

A standard, androgynous figure.

Or, as Tan Xiao would put it, a model’s physique—

Long limbs, wrists extending past the hips, a flat chest, and a strong skeletal structure.

Her outfit was simple.

A white T-shirt and jeans.

But her fair skin, sleek long hair, and clean, fresh look were easy on the eyes.

Upon closer inspection, Yu Shuang realized these weren’t clothes she had picked out for Jiang Ya. Yet the girl wore them neatly, the hem of her T-shirt tucked into her jeans, cinching her waistline and accentuating her proportions—effortlessly elegant in its simplicity.

While the receptionist was on the phone, Jiang Ya pulled out a hair tie and gathered her hair into a ponytail.

Then she rummaged through her backpack, retrieved a baseball cap, and put it on.

A sporty, outdoorsy look—perfect for a college girl.

As she unzipped her backpack, the corner of a keyboard flashed into view, giving off a professional vibe.

Yu Shuang recognized the assistant who came to fetch Jiang Ya—one of He Minqian’s aides, a seasoned member of his team who had been with the He Corporation for quite some time, originally assigned to his older brother before being transferred to him.

Why was this assistant picking her up?

Wasn’t she here for work?

But she was carrying a keyboard.

Yu Shuang was a little confused.

Just as Jiang Ya followed the assistant toward the elevator, He Minqian texted Yu Shuang. Seeing that she was in the lobby, he offered to send an assistant down for her.

Hah.

Another assistant.

Fine. Send a new one.

Yu Shuang made her request.

Though puzzled, He Minqian didn’t question it and simply agreed.

The elevator reserved for executives opened, and an assistant stepped out—yet Jiang Ya boarded it instead.

As Yu Shuang expected, the assistant soon approached her. Moments later, in the same spot, she stepped into the same elevator.

“Is He Corporation’s software undergoing an upgrade lately?” Yu Shuang asked.

“Huh? No. Where did you hear that, Miss Yu?”

The assistant denied it.

Yu Shuang wasn’t in a hurry.

They made small talk until they reached the designated floor.

This wasn’t a branch office—it was He Corporation’s headquarters. Yu Shuang was on familiar terms with most of the He family members in upper management.

However, only a limited number of He relatives worked at headquarters. Those lacking talent or failing to deliver results within a few years were sidelined to live off dividends, making the management structure more standardized and controllable compared to the Yu Corporation’s leadership.

Pausing mid-step, Yu Shuang spotted the girl through the glass wall of the assistant’s office.

Jiang Ya had already taken out her keyboard, connected to something unknown, and removed her cap. Her eyes were fixed intently on the computer screen, fingers flying across the keys. The reflection of the screen flickered in her pupils as lines of code streamed past.

Yu Shuang asked, “Are assistants allowed to wear T-shirts and jeans to work now?”

The assistant followed her gaze inside and chuckled, shaking his head. “That girl isn’t one of our assistants. She’s a top student from A University, a prized pupil of Professor Shen. She was temporarily invited by our young Mr. He to work on a program.”

“Ah, right—it’s for the upcoming art exhibition He Corporation is hosting.”

The reason He Minqian invited her to dinner today was also under the pretext of an art exhibition.

Yu Shuang remained composed. “Invited? Through He Minqian’s connections?”

One advantage of having a new assistant was that they weren’t familiar with Yu Shuang and He Minqian’s past. They answered questions straightforwardly without overthinking or hesitating.

“She’s quite close with Young Master He. He just took over a software project and mentioned collaborating with Professor Shen.”

That was…

“Aren’t you He Minqian’s assistant?”

“Oh, I’m from the assistant office at headquarters.”

Perfect.

Yu Shuang smiled, her eyes sparkling, radiant and dazzling.

“Well, that’s convenient. My company has been looking to update its software recently—might as well ask.”

The assistant wasn’t well-versed in that area. “Young Master He seems quite satisfied. He even makes a point to chat with her whenever he comes by. As for her professional skills, you’d probably get a quicker answer from him. I’m not too familiar with that side of things.”

“I’ve heard Professor Shen’s team specializes in software development. Not sure if it’s a perfect match, but this girl is very efficient. She’s been here multiple times, quietly getting her work done. If it’s a good fit, she’d probably be great.”

So she’d been here more than once.

Yu Shuang nodded and followed the assistant to He Minqian’s office.

He Minqian was also busy, flipping through several documents. He greeted her and asked her to wait.

Yu Shuang made herself at home, sprawling lazily on the sofa, hugging a pillow as she teased, “Go ahead, I’ve got plenty of free time this year. I love watching people run around like headless chickens.”

He Minqian shot her a puzzled look.

Yu Shuang laughed. “A long vacation is meaningless unless you flaunt it in front of busy people~”

“Carry on, Young Master He.”

“…”

Ah, finding joy in comparison.

He Minqian chuckled and dismissed the assistant before burying himself back in his files.

As the assistant closed the door, it belatedly dawned on him that Yu Shuang and He Minqian were much closer than he’d imagined.

At the very least, none of the other people he’d escorted in had ever made Young Master He rise to greet them.

–

It had been too long since they’d last met. Calling each other old friends now wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Their conversation started with their study-abroad experiences. Having attended the same high school, there was plenty to reminisce about.

And then there was Tan Xiao’s wedding.

He Minqian sounded surprised. “She’s really made up her mind?”

Yu Shuang: “You don’t think she’s the type?”

Young Master He pondered seriously for a moment before answering, “Based on past experience, no.”

Yu Shuang burst into laughter. “Shu Wangyou is, though. Have you ever seen her in a relationship this long?”

He Minqian thought about it and nodded.

Yu Shuang grinned, her eyes curving. “Speaking of which, she’s considered late to the game. All these years—have you met anyone suitable?”

He Minqian’s chopsticks paused. It was a topic he’d been carefully avoiding, yet Yu Shuang brought it up so casually.

He met her gaze briefly before shaking his head honestly. “I’ve been swamped the past few years. Only just caught my breath this year. No time for that.”

“Fair enough. Your family’s standards for joining the company are strict. If it were my family, all the bickering would just give Grandma a headache. But there’s one upside—when you earn your achievements yourself, you speak with authority in the company.”

The He family had a policy: if you didn’t pull your weight at He Corp, you could be voted out by the board at any time. The pressure was on a completely different level compared to the Yu family.

“How’s your grandmother’s health these days?”

“Still going strong. She’s got enough energy to scold people—my cousin was in tears just last week.”

He Minqian smiled.

This was how it felt to be with Yu Shuang—she spoke her mind without putting on airs, never flattered anyone because of their background, and always had something interesting to say. The atmosphere was just comfortable.

“What about you? Haven’t found anyone these past few years either?”

Yu Shuang asked with effortless ease, but He Minqian, harboring private thoughts, couldn’t match her openness. He hesitated mid-response, avoiding her gaze, afraid she might notice something.

Yu Shuang answered quickly, “No, didn’t have the time.”

“Besides, even if I did, I’m not really interested in dating.”

“Why?” He Minqian looked up into her eyes.

But she didn’t meet his gaze. It was hard to tell if she was serious or joking as she said with a smile, “Just doesn’t feel right. I think I’m fine on my own—no need for it, no expectations either.”

Tilting her head, she teased, “If I ended up like Tan Xiao, stuck with someone who controls everything, how boring would that be?”

The same reasoning as years ago.

Back then, he hadn’t believed it. But hearing it now, it carried a different weight.

After studying Yu Shuang for a moment, He Minqian said, “Their desserts are pretty good. I remember you like mango—their new item is mango-based. Want to try?”

“Let me see… Oh, it is. I’ll take one. You want some too?”

“I’ll give it a taste.”

“Alright, two then.”

After finishing their meal, He Minqian finally took out the invitation and slid it across to Yu Shuang.

But her response shattered all his expectations.

“No need, I’m already going.”

“Su Shu invited me earlier, and I said yes.”

–

After finishing the optimizations, Jiang Ya was led by an assistant to have lunch at He Corporation’s cafeteria. She had just returned upstairs to run through the code when someone announced that the renowned painter had arrived.

“They want on-site debugging. The car’s ready—should we head straight to the exhibition?”

Jiang Ya exhaled, rubbing her temples. “Let’s just go.”

She was already sick to death of this art exhibition.

The sooner it was over, the better.

“No need to have them come up. I’ll finish checking here, and we’ll meet at the venue.”

Jiang Ya spoke briskly.

The assistant made a call, then replied, “Alright, follow me.”

Once in the car and buckled in, Jiang Ya closed her eyes to rest.

Interacting with Miss Yu hadn’t been an issue, but working on the exhibition lighting had given her a taste of artists’ eccentricities.

The exhibition featured several painters in a joint showcase, and with more people came more demands.

Some requested endless revisions, others circled back to the first draft, and then there were those who insisted on seeing the effects in person—like the one she was about to meet, the most famous artist in this exhibition.

A Chinese expat who had already obtained a green card abroad but could speak Mandarin, making communication smoother than with the previous French artist.

Well, it should be smoother… right?

Thinking back on the antics of the other painters, Jiang Ya suddenly wasn’t so sure.

Whatever. She’d find out soon enough.

Pulling her cap down, Jiang Ya stewed in silence.

After a short nap, the assistant announced their arrival. Jiang Ya got out of the car.

Since she was already at the venue, she headed backstage first, inputting the code to run through all the effects and check for any issues.

By the time she returned to the main hall, the walls—empty just last week—were now gradually filling with paintings.

Jiang Ya wandered around, stopping to look at several pieces.

She didn’t get it.

All this pretentious nonsense—whether the lighting was brighter, dimmer, warmer, or cooler—Jiang Ya genuinely doubted it made any difference at all.

Perhaps in the eyes of professionals, there is.

Just like how Miss Yu can name a dozen different shades of red.

“Over there, Professor Su!”

The assistant beside her waved.

At the end of the pristine, brightly lit hallway, two people paused their conversation.

One was dressed in assistant attire, likely the liaison from the He Corporation.

The other had her back turned—tall and slender, dressed in a white blazer.

Cream white, spotless under the lights.

The figure hesitated slightly before turning around.

Jiang Ya was surprised—she had seen her before.

On promotional posters.

Earlier, He Minqian had mentioned that this artist was a friend of Miss Yu.

In person, she was even more striking than on the posters.

There was an air of aloof, untouchable intelligence about her.

Like the moon.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what was different, but her aura was undeniably extraordinary.

Even her smile seemed superficial, not reaching her eyes—polite, but devoid of sincerity.

“Wow, so this is the beauty handling the lighting adjustments? So young, she looks like a student.”

Her voice was pleasant too.

Articulate and measured.

With that common affectation of overseas Chinese—a hint of translated speech.

“That’s me. Jiang Ya, Professor Shen’s graduate student. Professor Su Shu? Nice to meet you.”

Jiang Ya extended her hand.

Su Shu lightly placed her hand over Jiang Ya’s. “Hello. Thank you for your hard work today.”