2917 It's Your Own Choice

"Once he knows the truth, I'd have nowhere to hide. I know he won't despise me, but I'll hate myself, and I won't be able to face his guilt towards me.

"I know I may be being selfish by leaving. My brother will only feel more guilty afterward. But I really… really can't worry about these things anymore. I… I just want to relax for once, not face all these…

"Moreover, as long as I'm around, my dad will always be afraid I'd get too close to my brother," Jiang Yujie said.

Lu Man was surprised. "Why?"

Wasn't it… good for siblings to have a good relationship?

Did he wish the siblings would hate each other and not see each other forever instead?

Jiang Yujie smiled. "Since I already told you so much, I don't mind telling you more. My brother and I aren't true siblings. We're a stepfamily. After my father died, my mom brought me along and remarried my current dad. So my current dad is my stepfather.

"Because I don't have any blood relations with my brother, after we grew up, they… especially Dad, they were afraid we'd have inappropriate feelings for each other," Jiang Yujie said.

"Now that Brother is back, Dad's worry has grown even more. I wanted to move out originally, it's only that my brother might disagree. I was scared he'd think he'd stolen my place in the family and had forced me out. Anyway, it'll just create more problems, so it's better for me to go travel. I can treat it like a holiday and tell my family I'm working overseas."

Jiang Yujie's decision made Lu Man recall how she told the same lie to Xia Qingwei to not let her worry in her previous life.

Those were different circumstances, though.

Lu Man sighed. "I can give you a place to put your luggage. As for where you're going, you can choose not to say. Because if you tell me and your family comes searching for you, I won't keep your location a secret. To me, them seeking you out means I should let you all have a chance to talk it out.

"Of course, it's just my own assumptions," Lu Man said. "This is your private matter. What you choose and do is your own choice."

"Thank you." Jiang Yujie nodded with a smile, grateful that Lu Man told her everything and gave her a choice.

"Then… I just need a place for my luggage," Jiang Yujie said.

She's keeping her whereabouts from Lu Man then.

Jiang Yujie continued, "I haven't thought of where to go eventually. I've only bought a plane ticket to Dali, but that's certainly not my final destination. As for how long I'm staying there and where I'm going, I have no idea yet."

She didn't mean to hide it from Lu Man.

But Lu Man didn't mind whether Jiang Yujie did it on purpose.

She wasn't a close friend of Jiang Yujie whom she had to spill every secret to.

The place Lu Man mentioned to Jiang Yujie was actually Shi Xiaoya's office.

It was only a luggage space.

Jiang Yujie wasn't staying there.

Lu Man gave Shi Xiaoya a heads-up.

She didn't mention Jiang Yujie's matter, only saying that Jiang Yujie wanted to borrow a space in the office to place her luggage temporarily.