Surprise! My Cohabiting Sister is Actually My Fiancée - Chapter 8

After seeing her Elder Sister off, Jian Suixin returned to her routine from the previous days: job hunting, settling into her new home, and taking care of herself.

The System seemed even more disappointed by her Elder Sister’s departure than Jian Suixin herself.

“Sigh, why didn’t you try to keep her here?” the System lamented.

Jian Suixin also wished she could have kept her Elder Sister, but she remained rational. “She’s not family. How could she stay permanently?”

Then find a way to make her family, you idiot! the System grumbled inwardly.

She was already living in your house, and you just let her go? The System felt heartbroken for her.

After calming down, Jian Suixin realized her most pressing concern was still finding a job.

Things were different now. She was no longer the pampered heiress she once was.

Her family had frozen her bank cards, and she had fled in such haste that she had barely any valuables with her.

Miss Jian, the former heiress, now had to go out and work to support herself.

She actually had a job lined up. She had studied acting at one of the country’s top art schools, receiving formal training. Moreover, the Jian Family had investments in the entertainment industry, giving her access to abundant resources.

Of course, that was before she ran away.

Now, it would be a miracle if her family hadn’t been driven to an early grave by her actions. They certainly wouldn’t be concerned about her acting career anymore.

She had signed with a small company early on, fresh out of college and lacking experience. The company’s relentless persuasion had worn her down, and Jian Suixin had agreed. After signing, she quickly realized just how small the company truly was. All its contracted artists were as obscure as she was, with some having gone a year without a single role.

For the Jian Family, the breach of contract penalty would have been a trivial sum. But for Jian Suixin, who had fled her family, it was an astronomical figure.

Realizing the company’s dire straits and the risk of starving if she relied solely on her acting, Jian Suixin began looking for work again.

First, she needed a job to make ends meet.

Miss Jian no longer harbored grand ambitions; survival came first.

If she could land acting roles, things would be much better. She had formal training, natural talent, and a strong work ethic, having won awards during her university years. The System had even mentioned it could assist with her acting, essentially providing her with a high-level mentor. With her innate talent and the System’s guidance, success seemed assured.

“If only I could get a role,” Jian Suixin sighed.

“I can’t help with that,” the System admitted. “Don’t rush. You’re just starting out; there will be plenty of opportunities later.”

“Speaking of which,” Jian Suixin changed the subject, “you claim to be an acting system, so why are you always urging me to go back and get married? Shouldn’t you be pushing me to act more?”

The System explained, “Improving your acting skills is just a side effect of the performance training you’ve been receiving. My primary function is as a romance system.”

“You certainly have a wide range of capabilities,” Jian Suixin remarked dryly. Since the topic had come up, she asked, “Besides acting support, do I have any other protagonist privileges?”

“Yes,” the System replied earnestly. “You won’t die.”

Jian Suixin: “…Immortality?”

Realizing its wording was misleading, the System immediately corrected itself: “I mean, you’ll live to a ripe old age.”

“This book is a sweet romance story with no melodramatic twists. Rest assured, Host, as long as you get enough sleep, exercise regularly, avoid junk food, and manage your work stress, living to eighty or ninety should be no problem.”

Well, for a normal human, that’s indeed the greatest privilege one could ask for.

Just as Jian Suixin was about to feel relieved, the System abruptly changed its tone: “However, this applies to the plot before you ran away from your wedding. Now that you’ve fled, the entire storyline has been disrupted. No one knows what will happen next.”

“You might get hit by a car and die tomorrow.”

Jian Suixin’s lips twitched. “Stop cursing me.”

The System: “But there’s a way to fix this.”

“What way?”

“Back to the main storyline! Hurry up and go marry your wife!”

“……” She knew it.

Barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she thought, Three sentences and it’s back to its obsession.

Jian Suixin pretended not to hear and ignored it. She picked up her phone and checked her messages. In the rental group chat, Sister Li, the landlord, had @everyone, passionately urging tenants to recommend new renters.

Sister Li was warm-hearted and always took good care of everyone. This was an easy request, and several people responded immediately.

Jian Suixin had also benefited from Sister Li’s help when she first moved in, so she was happy to return the favor.

“How should I help?” Jian Suixin pondered. “Post on Sweet Potato?”

The System, showing a rare moment of conscience, warned, “And let your parents track you down through the address?”

Jian Suixin: “……Then I’ll post on Sweet Potato.”

She walked around the room, took a few photos, edited the caption, and posted it on Sweet Potato. She then copied and pasted the post to other platforms.

System: “Good job! Now you can look forward to your new roommate!”

“Look forward to what? I can’t get excited,” Jian Suixin said listlessly, flopping onto the bed and scrolling through her phone. “What difference does it make who moves in? Elder Sister isn’t coming.”

After leaving Jian Suixin’s residence, Jun Xizhi immediately contacted her assistant.

The call was answered instantly. Before Jun Xizhi could speak, the assistant anxiously asked, “Boss, are you alright? It’s been almost two days since we lost contact! If I hadn’t been afraid of causing a scene, I would have called the police!”

Jun Xizhi responded with a simple explanation: “I ran into them.”

She didn’t specify who “them” were, but the assistant understood immediately, instinctively lowering her voice. “Them? Where are you now? Are you hurt?”

“Don’t worry,” Jun Xizhi replied. “I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness, thank goodness,” the assistant sighed in relief.

Jun Xizhi brushed aside these concerns, focusing instead on what mattered most to her. “How’s Grandma’s matter?”

The assistant’s tone turned somber, her voice softening as if afraid of disturbing someone. “The arrangements for the old lady’s funeral have been completed. She’s been laid to rest peacefully. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Jun Xizhi sighed silently, closing her eyes briefly. “Settle everything first. I’ll visit Grandma’s grave in a few days.”

“Okay, okay,” the assistant replied. Jun Xizhi had been missing for less than two days, but there were still many urgent matters to address. After discussing Grandma’s affairs, the assistant turned to Jun Xizhi’s safety. “What exactly happened these past two days? How did you escape?”

“Someone passed by and saved me,” Jun Xizhi explained simply.

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn’t resist gossiping. “Truly, good people are blessed by fate. Who was it? They… they took care of you for a whole day and night?”

Jun Xizhi remained silent.

The assistant pressed on, “Male or female?”

“……”

“What did they look like…?”

“This month’s salary,” Jun Xizhi reminded her calmly.

The moment those words left her lips, the assistant fell silent, then weakly admitted, “I was wrong.”

“I’ll explain in detail when we meet,” Jun Xizhi said, dismissing the assistant before getting down to business.

She continued walking forward, her pace steady. “Send me all the recent updates from the other side. I want to see if there are any new developments. And…”

Jun Xizhi issued instructions one by one, the assistant diligently taking notes. “Don’t worry, Boss! I’ll handle everything perfectly.”

The assistant still seemed concerned. “They failed this time, but they’ll definitely try again. What should we do?”

Jun Xizhi wasn’t overly worried. “They only strike when someone is vulnerable. I was careless for a moment and fell into their trap. Now that they’ve failed, they won’t dare try again. They wouldn’t risk acting in broad daylight.”

“First, find me a place to stay. We’ll deal with the rest later.”

The assistant worked efficiently, scouring the surrounding area for suitable rental properties in less than two days. She compiled a detailed Word document and eagerly presented the tablet to Jun Xizhi. “Boss, these are the ones I think are most suitable. Take a look and see which one you like.”

The assistant’s professional skills were impeccable. The document was meticulously organized, complete with detailed descriptions, photos, and all the necessary information. Jun Xizhi scrolled through the listings, her gaze freezing when she recognized a familiar room layout in one of the rental ads.

“Are all of these… currently available?”

“Yes, I gathered them from various platforms. They haven’t been rented out yet,” the assistant replied immediately.

Jun Xizhi’s eyes remained fixed on that particular page. After confirming it was indeed the place she thought it was, a smile tugged at her lips. She tapped the screen. “This one. Send me the contact information.”

Meanwhile, Jian Suixin was still diligently searching for a job. As she checked her phone for the umpteenth time that day, hoping for a text notification, she received a message from a stranger on Xiaohongshu:

Hello, I’m inquiring about the rental property.