After Stealing a Kiss from My Sponsor Sister - Chapter 6

Jiang Ya’s eyes gleamed faintly as she silently watched Yu Shuang.

In the spreading silence, Yu Shuang came to a brutal realization: she was utterly unfit for education—completely, irredeemably unfit.

Yu Shuang extended her hand, and just as Jiang Ya thought she was about to offer some profound insight, Yu Shuang uttered three words:

“The noodles are clumped.”

Her finger pointed at the pot.

“!”

Jiang Ya frantically turned off the heat and scooped out the noodles, while Yu Shuang quietly stepped back, giving her space.

Steam rose in thick clouds as broth was added, followed by minced meat, then a topping of braised potatoes and ribs, and finally a sprinkle of freshly chopped scallions. Yu Shuang inhaled the aroma, picked up her chopsticks, and dug in.

Not bad at all.

This kid’s cooking was even better than her own housekeeper’s.

Though hungry, Yu Shuang ate unhurriedly. Jiang Ya twirled her noodles, stealing glances at Yu Shuang across the table. Seeing how focused she was on her meal, Jiang Ya’s lips curled slightly before she slowly tackled the few remaining strands in her own bowl.

Yu Shuang set down her chopsticks, satisfied.

Only on a full stomach could one face this godforsaken world.

After a couple sips of water, Yu Shuang shuffled back to her room in slippers. When she returned, she held her phone and said to Jiang Ya, “Account.”

“?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to do social media? My company has an operations team. I’ll have someone take a look for you—hand over your account.”

“…”

Jiang Ya tightened her grip on her chopsticks.

When no response came, Yu Shuang lifted her head, her curly hair swaying in an arc. “Don’t want to give it?”

“…It’s not that.”

“Then search for it yourself.”

Yu Shuang shoved her phone into the girl’s hands.

Jiang Ya’s gaze flickered, her expression pleading as she looked at Yu Shuang. Unfortunately, Yu Shuang didn’t pick up on it. The corners of her eyes lifted slightly. “Don’t know how to use it?”

“…”

Resigned, Jiang Ya searched for one of her accounts.

Yu Shuang hit follow. “Didn’t you say you had two accounts? Where’s the other one?”

“That one doesn’t have any posts…” Jiang Ya’s voice was pitifully weak.

“But it’s registered, so it can be searched.”

“…”

With two new follows secured, Yu Shuang contentedly took back her phone. The moment Jiang Ya remembered what she had planned for one of those accounts, her ears burned crimson with shame—she wanted to die of embarrassment!

The sudden sound of running water snapped her back to reality. She looked up to find both bowls gone from the table, and Yu Shuang in the kitchen.

Jiang Ya: “! Miss Yu, just leave them—I’ll wash them!”

She hurriedly snatched the bowls from Yu Shuang’s hands, tested the water, and adjusted the faucet. “This side is hot water.”

Yu Shuang was indeed hopeless at chores. She had meant to return the favor, but seeing the girl’s strong reaction, she obligingly let go.

Stepping aside, she picked up her phone again.

“A few hundred followers with only three videos posted? Not bad.”

Jiang Ya forced herself to focus on washing the dishes.

“Did you edit them yourself? I can tell—potato-quality resolution.”

“This account is completely bare, though.”

“What kind of dance were you planning to do?”

“…” Save me!

Jiang Ya buried her head and aggressively squeezed out more detergent, scrubbing the bowls with excessive force.

Yu Shuang glanced up at her. “Haven’t thought about it?”

“These days, there’s everything trending—classical, ballet. The other day, I saw a stunning pole dancer, but that requires serious foundational skills. I’ve also seen belly dancing, but it doesn’t seem very mainstream…”

Jiang Ya’s ears were now fully red.

She turned the water to full blast, but it still couldn’t drown out Miss Yu’s voice.

Yu Shuang: “You’ve got to pick something mainstream. Didn’t you say you had plans? Have you figured out your debut video? What can you even do?”

“Kid?”

Jiang Ya broke down: “I’m proficient in the ninth set of national radio calisthenics!”

Yu Shuang laughed.

Her gaze swept over the child’s flushed ears as she locked her phone screen. “I’m going out to check on Xiao Huang.”

No more teasing.

The moment Yu Shuang stepped out of the kitchen, Jiang Ya hunched over, covering her eyes with her arm. The water continued to rush loudly, foam dripping from her fingertips, her cheeks burning red despite her efforts to hide it.

–

Before bed, Yu Shuang sent the video to the operations team’s email.

She watched it herself carefully.

Honestly, it wasn’t that bad.

There was a clear sense of inexperience, but the composition and framing showed a lot of personal thought.

If she really stuck with it long enough to find her audience and niche, she might just make a living out of this.

“……”

Whether Jiang Ya could succeed as a content creator, Yu Shuang didn’t know.

But she did know that from now on, traditional education was completely out of the question for her.

Rolling over in bed, Yu Shuang sprawled out flat.

Whatever. If words couldn’t persuade her, then so be it.

Her own issues weren’t something that could be resolved overnight—what made her think she could steer this kid back on track in just a few hours?

She wasn’t the merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva, here to save all suffering souls!

She’d just take things as they came. Time to sleep!

Jiang Ya felt that Miss Yu had changed somehow.

“You go out to buy groceries every day. Couldn’t you just buy two days’ worth and store them in the fridge?”

Yu Shuang asked this one morning as Jiang Ya washed vegetables under the outdoor faucet after returning from the market.

At the time, Yu Shuang was lounging in a bamboo chair, idly sketching the mountain scenery beyond the yard with colored pencils, a sketchbook in her lap.

Jiang Ya replied, “Buying fresh every day is better. It also gives me a chance to walk around and stretch my legs.”

The water continued to rush, droplets splashing against the vibrant green leaves.

“Your cooking skills are pretty good. Do you cook often?”

Yu Shuang’s eyes flickered between the scenery and her sketchpad as she made casual conversation.

“My grandparents used to do all the cooking. But in recent years, Grandma’s gotten older, and her sense of taste has dulled—she always oversalts things. So now she buys and washes the ingredients, and I handle the cooking when I get back.”

“Doesn’t that interfere with your studies?”

Jiang Ya felt a little embarrassed but couldn’t help a hint of pride as she answered, “I finish my homework quickly.”

“Ah, so you’re a top student.”

Upholding the fine tradition of modesty, Jiang Ya demurred, “I just pick things up fast.”

Yu Shuang shot her an amused glance. “Don’t make me start calling you a prodigy.”

Jiang Ya lowered her head, but soon couldn’t hold back a smile.

“That smells amazing. What are you frying?”

At noon, as Jiang Ya was halfway through cooking, Yu Shuang poked her head into the kitchen, sniffing around.

“Stir-fried beef. The dish in front of you is garlic spare ribs.”

Amid the sizzle of oil and flame, they exchanged a few words—until Miss Yu successfully snatched a rib as tribute, leaving Jiang Ya in peace to finish cooking.

After lunch, while cleaning up, Jiang Ya suddenly realized: “Miss Yu, if you want to try something, just help yourself. You don’t need to ask me.”

Yu Shuang blinked innocently. “But didn’t you invite me to taste it?”

“……” But earlier, you wouldn’t stop saying how good the ribs smelled!

“If you’d said I couldn’t eat ahead of time, I absolutely wouldn’t have touched them.”

Sitting up straight with an earnest expression, Yu Shuang made her promise.

“……” Defeated, Jiang Ya fled into the kitchen.

The next day, Yu Shuang tried the same trick again. But before she could even start, Jiang Ya cut her off: “The chopsticks are right there. Try it and see if the seasoning’s to your liking.”

“Not bad at all.”

Yu Shuang sampled a piece of potato, a bite of tofu, and finally chewed on some beef brisket before leaving satisfied with those words, flitting away like a breeze.

Jiang Ya chuckled to herself.

Somehow, Miss Yu didn’t feel so distant anymore—she’d become much more lively.

Very… cute.

After two days of scattered conversations, Yu Shuang had a decent grasp of the basic situation.

Strong life skills, quick to learn anything.

Not averse to studying—on some afternoons when Yu Shuang was scouting locations, Jiang Ya would occasionally work on a test paper or two.

As for the reason for taking leave from school, based solely on their verbal exchange—she asked, and Jiang Ya answered—it was because she was too heartbroken after her grandmother passed away and needed some time to rest.

She hadn’t completely ruled out returning to school either, saying that once she felt better, she could pick up where she left off. Given her level, she’d catch up quickly.

It was the truth.

Yu Shuang had no grounds to argue.

“Xiao Feng’s mom mentioned that your uncle is willing to pay for your college, on the condition that you give up the property. You refused?” Still focused on her sketchpad, Yu Shuang continued shading without looking up, asking as if it were just a passing thought. “Even if the inheritance were divided legally, wouldn’t your uncle have a share in this place?”

Silence fell around her.

Yu Shuang slowly refined the details of the figure in her drawing, stroke by stroke.

“It was agreed before—this house would go to me in the future.”

“The village chief and the neighbors all know. But that’s not what I care about.”

Jiang Ya knew the property wasn’t worth much.

Yu Shuang: “Then what do you care about?”

Jiang Ya: “Years ago, this place wasn’t in such good condition. It was renovated bit by bit over the past few years—the kitchen, the bathroom, everything was redone.”

No wonder Yu Shuang hadn’t felt any inconvenience living here. It had been renovated.

Jiang Ya: “The money for the renovations came from the compensation for my dad’s accidental death.”

Yu Shuang’s hand stilled.

For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

Jiang Ya took a deep breath and stood up, heading inside.

Yu Shuang didn’t follow.

The drawing was interrupted, and so was her train of thought. In the end, she set down her pencil.

The operations team took the time to review the videos carefully and gave Yu Shuang feedback the next day—just as she’d expected.

But there was one thing that puzzled them: “We pulled the data, and the growth curve for the first three videos was actually pretty good. Why did you stop updating?”

Only when they brought it up did Yu Shuang realize those three videos had been posted in quick succession over just a few days.

Checking the timeline, the first one had been uploaded after her grandmother’s passing, so it wasn’t delayed by funeral arrangements.

“Maybe something else came up,” Yu Shuang guessed.

“If you still want to keep making them, you should post soon, Yu-jie. It’s been too long.”

Right. She’d been so free lately—why hadn’t she posted anything?

Yu Shuang tilted her head slightly as she stared at the screen.

The operations person cleared their throat. “Uh, boss, Annie-jie has some other thoughts about the videos. She’ll reach out to you directly. Anyway, I’ll hang up now.”

They bolted so fast it was obvious something troublesome was coming.

Sure enough, that afternoon while Yu Shuang was scouting locations in the mountains, Anne—whose Chinese name was Tan Xiao, also her business partner—sent a message:

Ahhhh who’s that girl in your video? How can someone look so perfectly proportioned? Wuwu, you have to get her to model for us! That kind of head-to-face ratio is pure aesthetics—she’d be a dream to work with!

“…”

Don’t know her, Yu Shuang replied.

Tan Xiao: ?

Yu Shuang: Just a passerby who happened to be in the shot.

Tan Xiao: …

Tan Xiao: Do you expect me to believe that, or should I just announce I’m Qin Shi Huang?

Yu Shuang: Long live Your Majesty. Which account should we wire the resurrection funds to?

After sending that, she also shot a message to Tan Xiao’s assistant. The chat fell silent.

Once she finished sketching, Yu Shuang strolled back leisurely. From a distance, she spotted the front gate—and a middle-aged man knocking on it.

Her steps faltered slightly. In her line of sight, Jiang Ya opened the door, exchanged a few brief words, and let him inside.

But the door wasn’t closed. It remained wide open.

Yu Shuang stepped into the courtyard shortly after. Though no one was in sight, voices could be heard—coming from Grandma’s room, upon closer listening.

That was where the memorial tablet was enshrined.

Behind the slightly ajar door, Jiang Ya had propped up incense sticks, forcing her uncle to first pay respects to his late mother.

Three sticks of incense stood neatly in place.

Jiang Jingwu straightened up and said, “I heard you’ve already processed your leave of absence from school?”

His tone carried a hint of reproach.

Jiang Ya remained calm, her delicate face as unreadable as still water. “That was already a week ago.”

“You, this child—”

“Has cousin come back yet?”

They spoke simultaneously.

Her straight hair fell to her shoulders as sparse sunlight filtered into the room. Standing in the backlight, Jiang Ya pressed, “Still hasn’t returned?”

“I’m talking to you about your studies!”

Jiang Ya: “Let’s address things separately. He hasn’t shown up since Grandma passed. You and Auntie said he wasn’t around, but a neighbor quietly told me they’d seen Jiang Rui. He didn’t come for even one of the three days of vigil. Now Grandma’s about to be buried—doesn’t he want to say goodbye while her ashes are still here?”

“Uncle?”

Her features were shadowed against the light, and Jiang Jingwu found himself unable to meet her gaze for a moment.

“You know how he is—wild and unruly…” Speaking of his son, Jiang Jingwu was full of complaints.

Jiang Ya cut him off. “Grandpa and Grandma doted on him since he was little. Even after growing up, Grandma would always prepare a feast whenever he visited. She never favored one over the other—even our New Year’s red envelopes were the same.”

Her measured words made Jiang Jingwu’s face burn with shame.

Jiang Ya: “The burial is soon. No matter what, he should come at least once.”

Without waiting for Jiang Jingwu to respond, she continued, “The funeral home will notify me to collect the ashes in the next few days. I’ll call you once I have them—make sure he comes then.”

“He should.”

His face flushed and paled in turns, lips parting and closing several times before Jiang Jingwu finally gritted out, “Understood!”

Jiang Ya nodded.

“Now, back to your studies.”

“Go ahead.”

“You have such good grades—are you really giving up? Isn’t that a waste?”

Jiang Ya lowered her eyes, her expression indifferent and silent.

Jiang Jingwu rolled up his sleeves, trying to keep his tone gentle. “I know asking you to give us the house was your aunt and I taking advantage. But you can’t just focus on the present! With your grades, once you get into college, in the future… you’ll definitely make big money, rise to great heights! Think about it—this shabby little house, even if you don’t give it to us now, you won’t need it later, right? Once you land a good job, or work for one of those foreign companies, what nice house couldn’t you afford? Would you even care about this place?”

“You know how your cousin is. You’re going to college, but we still have to find a future for that good-for-nothing, don’t we? Your aunt and I can’t support both of you. So, Ya’er, you’re so outstanding—your future’s secure. Can’t you think about Jiang Rui too? Give way to that hopeless boy?”

Jiang Ya met Jiang Jingwu’s gaze, her clear black-and-white eyes glinting with a cold light that made him inexplicably uneasy.

Jiang Jingwu swallowed.

Jiang Ya: “I’m the younger sister.”

By rights, Jiang Rui should be yielding to her.

“Your uncle knows you’ve been wronged…”

Yu Shuang’s brows furrowed tightly. She couldn’t listen anymore—wasn’t this just blatantly bullying a kid?

Her foot, half a step forward, paused before she turned away.

The shadow of curly hair playfully swayed against the doorframe before vanishing into the sunlight.

After Jiang Jingwu finished his long speech, Jiang Ya had already lost her patience to continue the conversation. She had just uttered, “One should have a conscience…”

A yellow blur came charging at them like a whirlwind.

“Woof woof woof, woof woof!”

“Woof woof woof woof woof woof!”

Xiao Huang rushed in and immediately lunged at Jiang Jingwu with a snap of its jaws.

“Ahhh—ahhh—!” Jiang Jingwu scrambled backward, leaping to his feet in panic.

“Xiao Huang!”

Jiang Ya reacted swiftly, grabbing the dog’s collar in the nick of time.

“Woof woof woof woof, woof woof woof!”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!!”

Baring its snow-white teeth, the little dog barked ferociously.

Jiang Jingwu clutched his chest, already retreating to the doorway in fright. “H-hold it tight! Don’t let go!”

Jiang Ya froze for a moment as she noticed the intact leash clip on the collar.

She had definitely tied the dog up properly—hadn’t she?