The Rejected Heiress's Possesive Tycoon Husband-Chapter 39: Half-Brother from a Different Father

He really didn’t know what to say about An Yan anymore. In broad daylight, she had actually gone to a hotel with a man! That wretched girl truly deserved a lesson!

「Inside the hotel.」

It was only after An Yan arrived that she found out there was a dress code for the auction. Her clear eyes turned directly to Ling Xiao. "You didn’t know?"

Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow. "How could I possibly not know? I’ve prepared it for you!" He handed her the bag. "Go on, room 1608."

An Yan nodded in satisfaction, took the clothes and the key card, and entered the elevator. Ling Xiao’s work was always thorough.

The gown he’d prepared was a black, off-the-shoulder evening dress. An Yan, already fair-skinned, looked even more strikingly radiant in it. She let down her hair, which had been in a bun, gave it a simple wash, and then smoothed it with a hairdryer. Without any accessories, she exuded a captivating sophistication.

Once she was sure everything was in order, An Yan opened the door, just as An Yaoluo, who had found his way to this floor, came upon her.

Seeing An Yan had changed into another outfit, An Yaoluo’s anger peaked again. He glared at her fiercely before storming into the room. The room was clean and tidy, with not a single thing out of place. An Yaoluo left no stone unturned, checking the bathroom, the wardrobe, and even behind the curtains.

Only after confirming there were no men did he breathe a sigh of relief. "Dressed like this, what are you planning to do?" he asked.

An Yan handed him the admission ticket. "The seventh item."

An Yaoluo’s face grew even darker when he saw it. The picture showed a set of the Chinese Zodiac, jade carvings, with the two horns of the Sheep zodiac damaged. He frowned. "This is... An Yan, are you actually going to auction off something Mom gave you? If you’re short of money, you should have just told me..."

An Yan’s face was cold enough to form ice. "Can you use your brain? Which eye of yours sees me here to sell something?"

An Yaoluo, insulted by her tone, scowled. "Then what are you here for?"

An Yan’s chin tilted up slightly. "Mr. An really can’t guess?"

"You’re calling me Mr. An?" An Yaoluo asked, surprised.

An Yan’s voice was cold. "Otherwise? Have you ever seen a brother so quick to suspect his own sister of wrongdoing?"

"I didn’t think of you as a bad person. I’m just worried about you!" An Yaoluo frowned.

An Yan sneered. "Worried about me? So worried that you suspect I’ve hidden someone in the room? So worried that you think I’ve sold Mom’s things? Without even needing to give it a second thought?

"Grandpa took me from you back then. Don’t you remember whether I took anything?

"I remember this set of the Chinese Zodiac was something Mom left behind.

"And you? Do you still remember them? Have you seen them at home all these years? Have you ever wondered why they’d appear at an auction?

"If someone dared to take something as conspicuous as the Chinese Zodiac, does that mean the other things Mom left behind have been taken too?"

An Yaoluo was tongue-tied by her barrage of questions. "You... are you suspecting a thief in the house?"

"What do you think?" An Yan pulled the admission ticket from his hand and turned to enter the elevator.

An Yaoluo followed. "Yanyan, I was wrong just now. I shouldn’t have suspected you like that. But Big Brother is really worried about you, afraid that bad men out there might hurt you!"

An Yan turned around coldly. "Are you really afraid of me getting hurt, or are you afraid of me embarrassing you?"

An Yaoluo said, "Of course I’m afraid of you getting hurt. Yanyan, you’re my biological sister, and Big Brother wants everything to be good for you."

An Yan’s heart softened at his words. She moderated her tone. "Then please trust me. Trust that I won’t do anything to damage my reputation, instead of assuming the worst of me before anyone else even makes a move."

"I’m not trying to accuse you..." He caught himself mid-sentence. He had come to persuade his sister to behave, not to argue with her.

After controlling his emotions, An Yaoluo awkwardly changed the subject. "Yanyan, why didn’t you tell the family about the Chinese Zodiac issue?"

An Yan’s voice turned cold again. "Say what? That Mom’s things are missing? And then what?

"Would you, or even Dad, seriously look for them? Would you investigate something from over a decade ago?

"No! You’d all just think I was making a mountain out of a molehill, suspecting this person and that, causing unrest in the family!"

An Yaoluo fell silent. He had to admit An Yan was right.

A rare sense of guilt pricked An Yaoluo’s conscience. "Yanyan, no matter how much this set sells for today, Big Brother will pay for it."

An Yan pushed away the bank card he offered. "Not necessary! Since I didn’t tell any of you, I didn’t plan on letting you pay!"

An Yaoluo looked at her cold expression with disappointment. He couldn’t understand why his sister wouldn’t accept his money!

The elevator reached An Yan’s floor. As the doors opened, they saw Ling Xiao in a white suit, leaning against a pillar with one hand in his pocket. His handsome yet roguish charm made the passing young women’s gazes drift helplessly towards him.

One of them, bolder than the rest, was about to approach when the handsome man suddenly stood up straight, his gaze turning towards the elevator with surprise and admiration.

The girl followed his gaze. A woman in a black, off-the-shoulder evening gown stepped out of the elevator. She was about 170cm tall, with long, straight black hair casually draped over her shoulders, and her skin was so pale it seemed to glow. Her delicate features and striking red lips added a vibrant splash of color to the simple black and white of her attire and complexion!

The girl was stunned. She even forgot about approaching the handsome man and, feeling inadequate, took a few steps back. Before this woman arrived, she’d thought she looked pretty good. Now, she figured it was best not to embarrass herself by approaching.

"Wow, my taste isn’t bad, right?" Ling Xiao said, reaching for An Yan’s hand.

But An Yaoluo intercepted his hand. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, President Ling."

Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow at An Yaoluo. "Well, well. Why would the busy Young Master An have time to accompany my..."

An Yan shot him a glare, and Ling Xiao instantly corrected himself, "...my dear little sister! How could the busy Young Master An have time to accompany my dear little sister to a place like this?"

An Yaoluo frowned. "Dear little sister?"

"That’s right. Time for a formal introduction. I’m An Yan’s *actual* older brother—we just happen to have different fathers and different mothers!"

An Yaoluo was speechless. If his own sister now had this kind of ’brother,’ what did that make him?

However, remembering what An Yan had said earlier, An Yaoluo refrained from taking charge and instead looked at her.

An Yan explained, "We’ve known each other for many years."

Ling Xiao smirked with satisfaction at An Yaoluo’s suddenly crestfallen expression. "Does Young Master An have an admission ticket? Want to come in with us?"

An Yaoluo hadn’t realized this auction required an admission ticket and could only reply stiffly, "No!"

Ling Xiao chuckled. "Then I’m afraid I can only bring one person." With that, he brushed past An Yaoluo to join An Yan, and the two of them walked side by side toward the entrance.

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