Chapter 708

Jane let her sister pull her along as she walked, her mind preoccupied with whether she should investigate what exactly had happened to Huan. Suddenly, Mina turned around, her big, dark eyes fixed intently on Jane. "Jane, are you hiding something from me?" Startled, Jane instinctively snapped her legs together, standing at attention like a soldier, her little head shaking vigorously like a rattle drum. "N-no! Of course not!" "Sis, why would I ever hide anything from you? We're best sisters I'd never keep secrets from you!" Jane blurted out reflexively. But Mina frowned seriously, her expression stern. "No, Jane, you're lying. You're definitely hiding something!" "Every time you lie, you nod or shake your head way too hard, and you repeat the same thing over and over. Just now, you said twice that you wouldn’t hide anything from me." Behind her back, Jane’s small hands fidgeted nervously, her face flushing with embarrassment. *Since when did Sis get so sharp?* What was she supposed to do now? How could she keep Huan’s situation a secret? She was always used to Frederick covering for her when she lied she wasn’t good at doing it alone! Her little brain worked frantically, but before she could come up with a decent excuse, Mina suddenly leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Jane, tell me the truth you already know that Brother Bryan and Harold are making a birthday cake for you at home, don’t you?" "You’re trying to keep it from me so that when they bring the cake out later, you can pretend to be surprised and save their feelings, right?" Jane blinked her big, crystal-grape-like eyes in dazed confusion. Relieved, she almost nodded vigorousl —but remembering her sister’s earlier words, she forced herself to stop mid-motion. She gave Mina a sheepish grin. "Sis, you caught me. I just thought… since both of them make disasters in the kitchen, them making a cake for me is already really sweet. If I don’t act surprised enough when they bring it out, they’ll be disappointed." Mina slung an arm over Jane’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. Brother Bryan and Harold have zero emotional intelligence. We’ll put on a show together—they’ll never notice." "Okay!" Jane replied earnestly, carefully controlling the enthusiasm of her nod. "But you know what, Jane? That bodyguard uncle who just delivered the package and left—his silhouette looked oddly familiar to me. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before," Mina mused, furrowing her brow and tapping her chin thoughtfully. Jane's heart, which had just settled back down, leaped into her throat again. "Well, he's one of the bodyguards around Big Brother. It's not strange if we've seen him around before and he looks familiar!" "You're right!" Mina pondered for a moment longer but couldn't quite place where she'd seen that figure before. Eventually, she gave up with a shrug. Jane exhaled another quiet sigh of relief. "Hey, Jane, didn’t you say before that Mute was coming back? I thought he’d make it in time for your birthday. Why hasn’t he shown up yet?" Jane’s heart clenched once more. "Uncle Shawn and the others seem to have already handled the share transfer on behalf of Brother Huan. Maybe... maybe Brother Huan won’t be coming back after all," she quickly replied. Mina’s face fell briefly, but her ever-resilient spirit bounced back almost immediately. "True, Mute did say he’d wait until my eighteenth birthday to return. He probably wouldn’t come back this early anyway. "Now that another year has passed, my eighteenth birthday is one year closer. That means he’ll be back soon!" Jane studied her sister’s determined profile, a question burning in her mind what would Mina do if Brother Huan never returned as promised? But after a moment’s hesitation, she swallowed the words unspoken. Maybe it was better this way. If Brother Huan never contacted Mina again, and if no one ever mentioned him in front of her, perhaps she could forget him faster. "Jane." A deep, velvety voice warm and familiar suddenly called from behind her. Instantly, Jane’s face lit up like sunshine breaking through clouds. She whirled around, her sparkling eyes bright as dewdrops on grapes locking onto Frederick. Her tiny legs carried her toward him in an eager sprint, her sweet, childish voice ringing out like a chime: "Brother Frederick!" Frederick spread his arms wide to catch her, completely ignoring the icy glares that seemed ready to devour him alive. He lifted her up and spun her around once before setting her back down. Then, he produced an exquisite ebony box and opened it in front of Jane. "Jane, this is your birthday gift. I carved it myself. Do you like it?" With delighted little hands, Jane carefully lifted the pair of intricately carved figurines from the box. The tiny wooden sculptures were so lifelike every detail, from her own delicate features to Frederick's handsome face, was perfect. Even the little pig she held in her arms looked adorably animated. Her big eyes sparkled even brighter as she looked up at Frederick. "Brother Frederick, you're amazing! These are so beautiful!" Frederick reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair. "I'm glad you like them. There's another layer beneath open it and see." Excited, Jane lifted the lower compartment of the box to reveal a dazzling, exquisitely crafted diamond ring nestled inside. She blinked in confusion, not quite understanding why Frederick would give her such a gift. Before she could process it, Frederick had already taken the ring from the box, holding it delicately between his fingers as he extended it toward her. His voice was solemn yet tender as he said, "Jane, from now on, I'll give you a diamond ring every year on your birthday. How does that sound?" Dazed, her mouth moved faster than her brain. "Okay." "May I put it on for you?" His voice was soft, almost hypnotic. Nearby, Jordan rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge forward, but John grabbed his arm firmly. "Don’t interfere. This is Jane’s decision to make." Jordan’s hair practically stood on end as he whipped around to glare at John. "John, that’s bullshit! How old is Jane? You expect her to decide something like this?! That damn fox Frederick is clearly manipulating her!" John gave him a calm look. "Then tell me—how old is Jane?" "F—" Jordan’s retort died in his throat as he remembered Jane was a reincarnated soul. Her mental age far exceeded her physical five years. Deflated but still indignant, he growled, "No matter what, she’s five years old right now! What kind of twisted gift is that bastard giving her? And what kind of nonsense is he spouting?!" "I don’t care John, if you won’t step in, I will! I won’t stand by and watch that fox trick Jane!" With renewed fury, Jordan rolled up his sleeves again.