Chapter 478

Jiang Yuanrang was taken aback by Li Zhiwei's words. What had he just said? He had actually said he would stay.

Before this, he had been unwilling to acknowledge those two as his parents.

But just thinking that his little sister might be bullied by some prince made Jiang Yuanrang feel that returning to Lucheng wasn't so urgent after all.

At the very least, he needed to make sure that man wouldn't mistreat his sister first.

With that thought, Jiang Yuanrang grew a bit uneasy about the situation in the Jiang family. Although he might not be their biological child, he had grown up in the Jiang household, raised by Madame Jiang all these years.

Even without the grace of birth, there was the grace of upbringing. The Jiang estate was something Madame Jiang's husband had worked hard to build.

Since he had received Madame Jiang's kindness, he should at least take care of her in her old age as repayment for her years of nurturing.

As for how the family property would be handled, that was for Madame Jiang to decide—whether she gave it to the covetous second branch of the family or to her own relatives, he wouldn't interfere.

Thinking this through, Jiang Yuanrang let out a sigh of relief.

"Sister, I can't accept this new identity immediately. But you are my sister—no matter whether they acknowledge me or not, you, I will definitely recognize." Jiang Yuanrang hesitated for a moment before voicing his thoughts.

"Brother, the fact that you're still alive makes Father, Mother, and me very happy. Whatever decision you make, we will support you. But everything belonging to the Li family will be left for you from now on," Li Zhiwei quickly said.

"No, I don't want it. Keep it all for yourself. Whatever I want, I'll earn on my own."

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuanrang felt annoyed. Xu Heming had brought him here without any preparation. For his sister's wedding, he couldn't even offer a decent gift.

"Brother!" Li Zhiwei's eyes reddened as she thought about how cruel fate could be.

If her brother had grown up by their parents' side, he would surely have been a good brother, wouldn't he?

"What?" Jiang Yuanrang felt awkward under his sister's intense gaze.

"Brother, thank you for being alive." Li Zhiwei smiled gently.

Truly, nothing else mattered much anymore. As long as her brother lived, it gave their parents hope.

As for the issue of him possibly returning to Lucheng—compared with losing him forever, it was insignificant.

"Don't think that by saying that, I'll look favorably on you and him!" Jiang Yuanrang grumbled discontentedly.

"Brother, I will be happy, and I want you to be happy too," Li Zhiwei said earnestly.

"Girls really do turn outward—you haven't even married yet, and you're already taking his side! Hah, I wonder how they raised their daughter—so irresponsible!" Jiang Yuanrang felt a sour ache in his heart.

"Brother, are you married?" Li Zhiwei asked, thinking that Jiang Yuanrang was five years older than her, already twenty-four, and should have started a family by then. She wondered if she had already become an aunt.

Thinking further, she silently cursed Xu Heming for being so rash as to bring her brother straight to the capital. Would his sister-in-law be worried if she knew?

"No," Jiang Yuanrang said, his mood turning gloomy at the topic.

Madame Jiang had truly treated him like her own son and had worked hard to arrange matches for him. But every time, he had no interest in meeting potential brides.

Marriage hadn't even crossed his mind.

Something had always felt lacking.

Now, looking back, perhaps subconsciously he had felt he didn't truly belong to the Jiang family.

"How old was I when I was lost?" Jiang Yuanrang, unable to recall anything from the past, turned to Li Zhiwei.

"Five," Li Zhiwei replied.

"Oh. I don't remember anything from before." Jiang Yuanrang said dissatisfied.

If he did remember, maybe he would go back to his hometown and ask them why they had abandoned him.

"It's okay," Li Zhiwei said, feeling a lump in her throat. If her brother had grown up in an ordinary family, he probably would have married by now.

He wasn't bad-looking either.

She wondered what conditions the Jiang family in Lucheng had—why was he still unmarried at his age?

"Brother, don't worry. Tomorrow I'll ask Mother to help find you a good match—someone you'll truly like as a sister-in-law," Li Zhiwei quickly comforted him, seeing his unhappy expression.

"With our family's current standing, we can definitely find you an excellent match."

"Enough, take care of yourself first. Everyone says a stepmother has it hard—how old is the prince's son?" Jiang Yuanrang shifted the topic, asking about Xu Qingshi's age.

"Qingshi is five now. Brother, rest assured, we have a wonderful relationship." Li Zhiwei's eyes lit up at the mention of Xu Qingshi.

"Really?" Jiang Yuanrang thought of the children born to previous wives he had seen in Lucheng—often locked in bitter conflicts with their stepmothers.

Were there really good relationships?

"Qingshi's mother passed away from childbirth. He was actually chosen by me myself—don't worry." Li Zhiwei nodded emphatically.

She didn't know then that although she and Xu Qingshi got along well now, once he entered the academy, he would cause trouble every few days, and she would have her hands full.

"Little brats—they're the hardest to deal with," Jiang Yuanrang muttered gloomily.

It was like himself—even before he knew Madame Jiang wasn't his biological mother, he had always felt distant from her.

Something was always missing.

He hadn't understood before, but now he finally got it.

Even ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‍without his memories, he had never truly felt Madame Jiang was his mother.

"Brother, you haven't met Qingshi yet—you don't know. He's very adorable," Li Zhiwei said with a smile, defending the boy. She even felt that once Jiang Yuanrang met Xu Qingshi, he would surely like him.

Jiang Yuanrang looked at his sister and couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness. He didn't believe that kid could be that good.

It must have been that sly man's idea to have the little boy win over his naive sister.

Sighing, Jiang Yuanrang decided to drop the topic.

"Go call them in." He resolved to lay out his thoughts now that the subject had come up.

If they truly hadn't abandoned him, then he would listen.

"Alright!" Li Zhiwei ran out immediately.

"Ungrateful little thing—I'm doing all this for you!" Watching her go, Jiang Yuanrang felt a closeness toward this sister, even though he barely remembered her.

She seemed like some treasure he had long awaited.

Though he wasn't the child Lady Yao had abandoned, the thought of being lost still stung.

He would leave the rest to time.