Surprise! My Cohabiting Sister is Actually My Fiancée - Chapter 28

“No need to go anymore? What happened?”

Beside her, Jun Xizhi also put away her smile, her brow furrowing slightly. Instead of rushing to ask, she waited quietly.

The manager said something else, and Jian Suixin listened in silence, her expression visibly darkening with disappointment. She pressed her lips together, forcing a smile only at the end. “Okay, Sister Zhao, thank you for letting me know.”

No further questions were needed; her expression alone revealed it was bad news.

After hanging up, Jun Xizhi took Jian Suixin’s hand and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Sister Zhao said she just got word that the audition has been postponed to three days from now,” Jian Suixin replied.

“That’s perfect! You’ll have more time to practice. Why the long face?” Jun Xizhi asked.

Jian Suixin paused, forcing a smile that looked strained but showed her determination to appear unaffected.

“It’s just… I was all prepared to nail it tomorrow. Now I have to wait several more days. What if I lose my momentum? What if I don’t perform well then?”

Their hands remained pressed together, Jian Suixin unconsciously stroking Jun Xizhi’s fingertips.

Jun Xizhi opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing Jian Suixin’s expression, she ultimately held back.

She smiled gently, her tone relaxed. “Then focus on preparing. It’s just a few days away, so don’t let your guard down.”

“Mhm, I’m just a little nervous,” Jian Suixin nodded, exhaling a long breath.

“It’s your first audition, so nerves are normal,” Jun Xizhi teased half-jokingly. “Want me to take a day off to keep you company?”

“No, no, don’t bother,” Jian Suixin waved her hand frantically. “If Elder Sister were watching me, I’d be even more nervous.”

Jun Xizhi patted her head, laughing. “I’m just teasing. I won’t go. I’ll be cheering you on from the office. You’ll do great, whether it’s tomorrow or three days from now.”

“Mhm, okay,” Jian Suixin smiled. “Cheering me on from the office? Is this the plight of the working class?”

“Exactly. We still have to work,” Jun Xizhi said with a helpless expression.

Jian Suixin shook her head in sympathy. “Who doesn’t? I have to take time off for the audition too.”

“If you actually get the part, would you quit your current job?” Jun Xizhi asked.

The person who had been enthusiastically envisioning the future just five minutes ago now hesitated, replying cautiously, “Let’s get the part first before we worry about that.”

“It’s getting late, Elder Sister. You should rest early. You have work tomorrow.”

Jun Xizhi rose to leave, but Jian Suixin bit her lip and couldn’t resist grabbing her hand, calling out softly, “Elder Sister.”

“Hmm?” Jun Xizhi turned back. “What is it?”

Jian Suixin pressed her lips together, remaining silent for a few seconds before finally asking, “What if I don’t get the role in the end?”

Jun Xizhi squeezed her hand, her voice softening, “Give it your all, and the role will definitely be yours.”

But what if…

Jian Suixin opened her mouth, but the rest of the words remained unspoken. She forced a smile. “I’ll give it my all.”

As Jun Xizhi left the room, she cast one last deep, lingering glance at Jian Suixin.

Just focus on rehearsing your lines. Leave everything else to me.

After seeing Jun Xizhi off, Jian Suixin immediately tore off the forced smile plastered on her face and threw herself onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow. Her long, dark hair spilled across the mattress, her entire body limp and dejected.

Sensing Jian Suixin’s low spirits, the System cautiously piped up, “Host, why didn’t you tell Sister Zhi about the phone call?”

Jun Xizhi hadn’t heard the call, but the System had listened in clearly and knew the situation was far more complicated than Jian Suixin had let on.

Otherwise, Jian Suixin wouldn’t have been so devastated.

Jian Suixin buried her face in her pillow, motionless and listless, as if her soul had fled.

“Telling her won’t help. Elder Sister can’t do anything. It would only make her worry with me.”

The System was at a loss for words, desperately wishing it could confront Jun Xizhi and reveal the truth. “But… you should tell her! Maybe she can help?”

Jian Suixin: “How? Buy the production company on the spot and shove the contract in his face? ‘This role is mine!'”

System: “You’ve read too many CEO romance novels.”

System: “She could at least help brainstorm ideas.”

Jian Suixin, drained and listless, struggled to roll onto her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. “I already told you, it’s been decided internally. Elder Sister can’t influence this. Sister Zhao said she’d try to get me another chance. Let’s just wait and see.”

Meanwhile, Jun Xizhi returned to her room and immediately called her assistant instead of washing up or resting. “Find out who’s in charge of casting for the Lanterns Like Daylight project.”

In the following days, Jian Suixin stuck to her routine: going to work, practicing her lines, and waiting for the audition in three days.

Aside from work, she temporarily suspended almost all her leisure activities, except for one she insisted on maintaining:

Picking up her elder sister from work.

System: Is this your idea of entertainment?

Jian Suixin: Of course.

System: But according to the definition of entertainment, picking someone up from work doesn’t qualify.

Jian Suixin: Does your database mention that some things have special significance? Leaving work with my elder sister is where my joy lies.

System: I see.

Jian Suixin sighed. “Ah, this is the kind of romance unique to us humans. You wouldn’t understand. You should learn from it.”

The System, diligently learning, obediently replied, “Okay!”

The next day, Jian Suixin arrived at Jun Xizhi’s company building right on time.

She had arrived earlier than usual, just as the main wave of employees was leaving. People streamed out of the company gates in an endless flow.

Looking around, Jian Suixin realized Jun Xizhi wouldn’t be out for a while yet. Since she hadn’t received any messages urging her to hurry, she leaned against the roadside, waiting patiently.

Jian Suixin’s status had become quite extraordinary. Due to the earlier rumors, despite having almost no interaction with her colleagues, she had become a legendary figure within the company.

She was the undisputed frontrunner for the title of “Boss’s Wife” in the eyes of everyone at the company, from top to bottom.

And she held a commanding lead, a landslide victory with no one even close enough to challenge her.

After all, Jun Xizhi maintained a strictly professional demeanor with everyone at the company. Despite numerous subtle and not-so-subtle advances from younger female employees, she always responded with polite courtesy, never giving anyone an extra glance to avoid any possible misunderstandings.

Meanwhile, Jian Suixin seemed afraid of not giving enough attention.

Although her assistant had privately clarified the situation to colleagues, it did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.

It’s only a matter of time anyway, Boss. Why not just come clean and start enjoying the perks of having a girlfriend sooner?

Thus, Jian Suixin remained unaware that when she waited for Jun Xizhi downstairs, as she usually did, everyone who passed by would steal extra glances at her.

On the surface, Jian Suixin appeared to be looking down at her phone, but she was secretly asking the System, “Am I imagining things? Why do I feel like they’re all staring at me?”

The System replied, “No, you’re just being too sensitive.”

“Really?” Jian Suixin looked up and glanced around. The surrounding gazes immediately snapped away, like a synchronized retreat.

“Maybe I’m just overthinking things,” Jian Suixin murmured to herself.

Employees trickled out in small groups, some chatting as they passed by Jian Suixin, their voices carried by the breeze into her ears.

“Hey, what’s up with the Boss? She used to work overtime every day, but lately she’s been leaving right on time.”

“No idea. I heard some colleagues who were rushing a proposal say they saw President Jun’s office light still on at nine o’clock. Everyone called her a workaholic.”

“Pfft, let the Boss work overtime if she wants. As long as we don’t have to, why should we care? A good boss who’s driven but doesn’t make employees work overtime is a once-in-a-lifetime find. We should be celebrating.”

“So why did President Jun suddenly stop working overtime?”

“My guess? She’s probably going home to spend time with her girlfriend.” The voice chuckled.

“That’s possible. Ever since her girlfriend showed up, the Boss has been leaving early.”

“Tsk tsk, just as I thought. With someone to keep you company, who’d want to stare at those proposals all day?”

“Ugh, I’m so jealous. When will I ever get a girlfriend?”

“Didn’t they say she’s not her girlfriend? Why are we calling her that again?”

“Come on, you’ve seen how they are. They might not be now, but they definitely will be in the future.”

“You’re right. Ah, I’m so jealous…”

The voices faded as the group walked away.

Jian Suixin was surprised by the conversation. “So my sister’s boss works overtime every day too?”

The System’s CPU jolted, fearing she might realize something. It quickly interjected, “It’s not just the boss! Don’t forget Sister Zhi has been working overtime too!”

“I remember, I remember! How could I forget?” Jian Suixin’s indignation flared. “If she wants to work overtime herself, fine, but why drag her employees into it?”

The System chimed in repeatedly, “Exactly! It’s outrageous!”

More than overtime itself, Jian Suixin was preoccupied with another question. “They mentioned the boss’s surname is Jun. Could this company be affiliated with the Jun Family?”

“It’s possible,” the System replied.

Jian Suixin had never paid much attention to which company her sister worked for. It was only after overhearing that conversation that she realized her sister was working for the Jun Family.

Her anger, which had begun to subside, surged back.

So, it’s the Jun Family people who are exploiting my sister, making her work until 9 PM!

For a moment, Jian Suixin genuinely considered storming into the company and confronting the boss directly, demanding to know why they were exploiting their employees.

Of course, it was just a fleeting thought.

If she were back with the Jian Family, Jian Suixin might have considered confronting the boss. But now, as an ordinary office worker, she lacked the leverage to challenge the company’s owner.

After silently criticizing the boss, Jian Suixin finally saw Jun Xizhi emerge.

As they headed home, Jian Suixin eagerly shared her discovery.

“Elder Sister, I just realized you work for the Jun Family!”

Jun Xizhi paused mid-motion as she was taking off her coat, her expression tensing with concern that Jian Suixin might have pieced something together. “Yes, what about it?”

“It just makes me mad thinking about how they always made you work overtime before,” Jian Suixin grumbled. “Oh, and while I was waiting for you, I overheard someone saying that at your company, only the boss works overtime—regular employees don’t. So why were you working overtime?”

The smile froze on Jun Xizhi’s face. Her mind raced for a few seconds before she came up with a plausible explanation. “Well… um, most employees don’t work overtime, but there are still some who do.”

Jian Suixin patted Jun Xizhi’s shoulder sympathetically. “Elder Sister, you’ve been working so hard! That boss is really taking advantage of you.”

“Rest tonight! I’ll make you something delicious to help you recover!”

Jun Xizhi chuckled. “I used to work overtime, but I don’t anymore.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, nothing,” Jian Suixin said, blinking innocently as she naturally helped Jun Xizhi remove her coat and hang up her bag. “I just wanted an excuse to cook something delicious for you, Elder Sister. Don’t expose me!”

Jun Xizhi’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Alright, alright, my mistake for being so clueless.”

As Jian Suixin gently pushed her toward the sofa, Jun Xizhi hesitated before asking, “I’ve been meaning to ask you since yesterday… do you have a negative impression of the Jun Family?”

Negative impression? Jian Suixin thought. I’d rather stay as far away from them as possible!

But when she spoke, her tone was more diplomatic. “I didn’t like them much before, because of some things that happened.”

Then she emphasized, “Don’t worry, Elder Sister. I don’t dislike the Jun Family as people. It’s just your boss, the one in charge, who’s awful. I have no problem with the people who work for them.”

Jun Xizhi’s expression shifted subtly, but she ultimately said nothing, simply murmuring a soft “Mm.”

“At least they’ve stopped making you work overtime now. That’s one good thing they’ve done.”

Jun Xizhi chuckled, instinctively defending her boss. “Well, the Boss… she does have some good qualities too.”

“What good qualities?” Jian Suixin scoffed. “Even if we ignore everything else, just the fact that she forces employees to work overtime every day makes her the kind of boss every worker hates most.”

After working for a while, Jian Suixin had gained a deep understanding of the lives of working-class people and felt genuine empathy for them.

“Do you guys have to do this too?” Jian Suixin asked, vividly imitating the tone. “‘Hello, overtime at our company is completely voluntary.'”

Jian Suixin shook her head vehemently. “The Jun Corporation is lucky to have such a good employee like you. They don’t even appreciate you properly, always making you work overtime. They’re clearly not good people.”

Jun Xizhi: ……

Forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything.

But Jun Xizhi was, after all, Jun Xizhi.

“Speaking of the Jun Family, I’ve been curious about something since yesterday. Can I ask?”

Jun Xizhi merely smiled at her, but Jian Suixin saw a fox-like cunning in that smile.

I have a feeling she’s trying to trap me.

Now that the question was out, Jian Suixin couldn’t refuse to let Jun Xizhi speak. She cautiously asked, “Elder Sister, what do you want to ask?”

Her premonition was confirmed the next moment. Jun Xizhi’s eyes curved into crescents as she asked with a smile, “I’ve been wondering… why did you used to like the Eldest Miss of the Jun Family?”

Jian Suixin: ……

I knew it.

The most regrettable thing Jian Suixin had ever done in her life was impulsively blurting out the arranged marriage and then trying to cover it up with this excuse.

The second thing she regretted most was not silencing Ying Tao after she learned about the matter, thus eliminating any future trouble.

Jian Suixin silently asked the System, “Tong’er, why is Elder Sister bringing this up of all things?”

 I think she’s just being deliberately malicious, taking advantage of your ignorance,  the System replied.

But that couldn’t be said aloud.

 Maybe… she’s just curious?  the System suggested.

Jian Suixin remained worried. “Elder Sister seems really focused on this. Does she mind that I used to like that person?”

 …Probably not?  the System replied.

Whether you liked someone or not, that was all JunJun’s own feelings.

Jian Suixin felt frustrated but still had to answer Jun Xizhi’s question. “I… I was young back then.”

Jun Xizhi, knowing Jian Suixin was unaware of the full story, deliberately teased her. “Even if you were immature, you still liked her. What did you like about her?”

What did I like about her?

I liked how far away she was from me!

Jian Suixin inwardly wailed. Why did I let those words slip out?!

Forcing a smile, Jian Suixin said, “Elder Sister, I was just young and foolish. I really don’t feel anything for her anymore. She could never compare to you! I just want to focus on the present. Can we please not talk about her anymore?”

System: “Why does the atmosphere between you two feel so awkward?”

Jian Suixin: “What’s awkward about it?”

System: “It’s like you’re rushing to explain your first love to your current partner.”

Jian Suixin: “Stop with the ridiculous analogies. I’ve never been in love, so how could I have a first love?”

Jun Xizhi, who had only been teasing, didn’t press the matter further. She suppressed her amusement and said, “Alright, let’s drop it. Let’s tidy up and get ready for dinner.”

After dinner, they each returned to their rooms.

Back in her room, it was time for acting practice again, and the atmosphere immediately turned heavy.

The System spoke up timidly, “Host, are you still going to practice?”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I? Even if this audition doesn’t work out, there’ll be others,” Jian Suixin said, her composure largely restored. “This is the path I’ll be taking from now on. It’s not like this is my only chance.”

The System readily agreed, “Okay.”

Just as they began, Jian Suixin’s phone rang.

It was Sister Zhao, her manager.

Jian Suixin’s heart raced as she saw Sister Zhao’s name. “Sister Zhao, calling me at this hour… is it about the audition?”

The System perked up with hope. “Answer quickly! Maybe she’s secured an opportunity for you!”

Jian Suixin answered the phone, her heart pounding with excitement and nervousness.

But the flicker of hope that had just ignited was instantly doused by a cold wave of disappointment.

“Be careful,” Sister Zhao said, her voice a mix of anger and helplessness. “I did my best, but the people on the other end were incredibly stubborn, leaving no room for negotiation. The person in charge said it doesn’t matter whether you go or not—the role is already taken.”

Jian Suixin’s fingers tightened around her phone, but she knew this wasn’t her manager’s fault. “Okay, Sister Zhao,” she said immediately. “I understand. Thank you for trying.”

Sister Zhao sighed. “Don’t mention it. It’s part of my job—your success is my success too. But with things as they are now… sigh.”

She tried to comfort Jian Suixin. “Don’t worry. You’re still new to the industry and so young. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. I’ll keep fighting for you. Don’t be discouraged.”

“I understand, Sister Zhao,” Jian Suixin replied.

After hanging up, a moment of silence settled over the room.

The System, sensing Jian Suixin’s mood, cautiously asked, “Still… still practicing?”

Jian Suixin remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Practice! It’s just one role. What’s the worst that could happen?”

The System, initially feeling sorry for Jian Suixin, was moved by her determination. “Alright! We can’t give up so easily! Let’s keep pushing!”

And so, they continued practicing together.

Midway through their session, the System suddenly exclaimed, “Host! I remember now!”

Jian Suixin jumped in surprise. “Don’t scare me like that! What did you remember?”

The System’s voice was filled with excitement. “I remember now! This audition scene was in the original novel, and you actually won the role!”

Hearing this, Jian Suixin’s spirits soared, her earlier disappointment vanishing like smoke. “Really? I actually got it in the end?”

“You won the role,” the System confirmed, “but someone snatched it away from you midway through.”

Jian Suixin’s enthusiasm instantly wilted, her voice sinking back into dejection. “So it’s exactly like what’s happening now?”

“But don’t worry!” the System reassured her. “A powerful backer will come to your rescue soon!”

Jian Suixin’s hope rekindled. “Really? Who’s this backer?”

“Your future wife.”

The System had mentioned this name more than once. Jian Suixin tried to recall, “…Jun… Jun what was it again?”

 Jun Yuexi,  the System replied.

Jian Suixin’s expression turned complicated. “Does she really have to help me?”

Aiya, having someone help you is already a blessing! Why are you being so picky?

“How would she even help me?”

According to the original plot, you insisted on pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, but your parents disapproved and completely ignored you. In the original timeline, you two were already married at this point, so it was only natural for her to support her wife.

“…But we’re not married now.”

I know, right? Since you’re not married, she can’t help you.

“So?”

So, without her help, your role will be snatched away midway through.

Jian Suixin: …I’m going to shark you.

Grinding her teeth, Jian Suixin snapped, “Are you doing sit-ups here, just going back and forth?”

Sensing her host’s fury, the System cowered.  I just… suddenly remembered and wanted to tell you the truth.

Jian Suixin seethed, “You might as well have kept it to yourself.”

After all this talk, there’s still no solution, huh?

The System, aware of the full situation, wasn’t as pessimistic as Jian Suixin. “Don’t be so gloomy! Maybe your future wife will sense your predicament and swoop in to help you.”

Jian Suixin strode to the bed and flopped down. After the System’s blow, she’d lost all motivation to practice her lines. “Yeah, right. Future wife? As if she’d have time to meddle in something like this.”

Unbeknownst to her, as she grumbled, her “future wife” was indeed paying close attention to the matter.

Jun Xizhi had developed a new habit of working from home in the evenings. This way, she could stay on top of her tasks without Jian Suixin worrying about her “working overtime every day”—a win-win situation.

As she was reviewing documents, her phone suddenly rang.

It was her assistant.

Jun Xizhi answered, “Hello?”

“Hello, Boss. I’ve got the information you asked me to check on last night.”

“Mm, go ahead.”

“Um, just one question,” the assistant couldn’t resist asking. “Why are you so interested in this casting call?”

Jun Xizhi chuckled, pausing before answering.

As the assistant spoke, her mind flashed through the names of everyone involved in the project. Wait, Jian Suixin is auditioning for this, right? Is it because of her?

Jun Xizhi smiled knowingly. “No.”

The assistant blinked in surprise. “Huh? No?”

“Do you believe me?” Jun Xizhi asked.

Though the assistant desperately wanted to, she replied, “Boss, knowing you as well as I do, I don’t!”

Jun Xizhi said mildly, “Then why did you ask?”

The assistant fell silent, realizing she’d overstepped.

Alright, I got too nosy.