Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s Ⅱ

Part238 There is always a better choice

"I wasn't being extravagant; this is a housewarming gift for Si Nian," she said, twirling with pride. "You didn't know? Si Nian moved to the city." Fu Yang scoffed, "So what if she moved? It has nothing to do with me. Don't tell me." Fu Qianqian was surprised; she didn't expect him to react this way. Normally, her older brother would be shocked to hear about Si Nian moving to the city. Why was he so indifferent? Still, she couldn't help rolling her eyes, "I never said it had anything to do with you." Fu Yang: "..." His silly sister was probably still fooled by Si Nian's superficial behavior. He felt the need to remind her, lest she be used without realizing it. "I know she moved to Old East Street." Fu Qianqian was genuinely taken aback, "How do you know?" She only found out about it today from Yu Dong. How did her brother know? Was he secretly keeping tabs on Si Nian? Fu Yang shot her a glance, "Do you know what's on Old East Street?" Fu Qianqian replied, "What's there?"

"General Jiang's family lives there," Fu Yang said. Fu Qianqian replied, "Oh right, so what?" Fu Yang pressed, "Do you think she moved to Old East Street for no reason?" Fu Qianqian asked, "Why?" Fu Yang explained, "Because General Jiang is a respected elder and teacher of mine. If she's there, she can connect with them and build a relationship." Fu Qianqian was confused, shaking her head, "Wait, do you think Si Nian is trying to curry favor with the Jiang family?" Fu Yang looked at her incredulously, "What do you think?" A realization struck Fu Qianqian—was her brother really suggesting that Si Nian's move was a way to get closer to him? She stammered, "Big Brother, you might be misunderstanding. Si Nian probably doesn't even know the Jiang family." Fu Yang coldly retorted, "She's followed me her whole life. She knows exactly where I am. When I reported to General Jiang, she was always aware." Fu Qianqian countered, "But that was ages ago. Si Nian could have forgotten!" Fu Yang's expression darkened, "What do you mean? Do you think I'm being overly sensitive?" Fu Qianqian thought, "Isn't it?" She even began to think her brother was a bit delusional.

Why did he assume that every time Si Nian interacted with someone he knew, it was to get closer to him? Why did he think women were always plotting? Si Nian, with her straightforward nature, likely didn't even consider such schemes. It was clear her brother didn't truly understand Si Nian at all. Fu Qianqian felt a pang of regret for Si Nian's past efforts. Her brother only saw Si Nian's clingy side and never bothered to understand her true self, leading him to believe that she was completely fixated on him and would never let go. He thought of himself as someone everyone would naturally be drawn to.

Seeing Fu Yang's increasingly grim expression at her "isn't it?" look, Fu Qianqian tried to defuse the tension. "What other reason would she have to be there?" Fu Yang pressed. Fu Qianqian wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, "Isn't it because her school is near Old East Street? It's just more convenient for her to get to work. It has nothing to do with you." Old East Street was so far from them! If Si Nian really had feelings for him, why would she choose to go so far away?

Noticing the confusion on her brother's face, Fu Qianqian suddenly thought of something. "Wait, you don't know that Si Nian is going to be a teacher at the school, do you?" She had just heard it from Chen Jie and hadn't planned to tell her family. She didn't expect her brother to misunderstand the situation like this.

Exactly—given his tendency to jump to conclusions, if he didn't have a solid reason for Si Nian being in Old East Street, he'd probably spin an entire ridiculous romance novel in his head.

Fu Yang was taken aback. "What?" Fu Qianqian's expression said it all. She rubbed her temples and sighed.

Fu Yang's face darkened, looking as if he had swallowed a fly. "What do you mean? Clarify."

Fu Qianqian explained, "Si Nian is going to teach at the foreign language elementary school. You should know it; you went there as a kid. Last time she gave a speech, the school leaders were impressed and invited her to teach."