Yin Man really had not expected that after Yin Nanbai had gone toe to toe with Yin Youxia, he would still have time to come cause trouble for her.
The gentleness he usually showed was all an act. In a world full of scum-top men, Yin Nanbai was no exception. In the original novel, it was always said that Yin Man’s mother’s death had some hidden truth behind it, though she had not yet seen the specifics. But in the original book, once Yin Youxia and Mei Xuying developed feelings for each other, Yin Nanbai’s image as a good father had already collapsed almost completely.
He was not just their father. If she remembered correctly, Yin Nanbai still had at least seven or eight women kept outside, and there were even more illegitimate sons and daughters.
Marrying Wen Si was merely because she kept quiet and was willing to serve as an object he could show off, a mute with some face.
Yin Youxia had always felt that Wen Si was too weak, but it was precisely that weakness that allowed Yin Nanbai to marry her into the house. If she had even a little temper, the openly acknowledged Yin madam would not be her, and Yin Youxia would have truly become an illegitimate daughter.
The original host’s relationship with Yin Nanbai was average, there was no such thing as a loving father and filial daughter.
Yin Nanbai still brooded over being forced, while in his prime, to give up his position to Yin Zhe, and he had many grievances toward the siblings. This time, the marriage between Jiang Yan and Yin Youxia was one of Yin Nanbai’s moves. On the surface it was a marriage alliance, and who knew what methods they would use behind the scenes.
He curved his lips, not even giving Yin Man a glance, but looking at Liu Siyin instead, his eyes full of mockery and contempt. “Why did she come back with you? Manman, she is not worthy of you.”
Yin Nanbai did not like Liu Siyin. In the original novel, Yin Nanbai also did not like Liu Siyin, thinking that it was her existence that restricted his precious daughter’s freedom. But now he was personally destroying Yin Youxia’s freedom, so his disgust for Liu Siyin was merely that he looked down on Liu Siyin.
Yin Man did not need Yin Nanbai to look down on Liu Siyin. A father whom the original host herself did not respect, what was there for her to respect? She thought of the plot in the original book again. After Yin Youxia and Mei Xuying made their relationship public, he gave the daughter he had once valued a slight sidelong glance. “You think hooking up with the Mei family means you can press me down too!”
The Mei family was perhaps a mountain Yin Nanbai could never get past, a knot he could never escape.
Yin Man thought for a moment. She still had to find time to go to the Mei family and meet the maternal grandmother and uncle who doted on the original host. Later, because Mei Xuying kept sowing discord, the maternal uncle and niece became estranged, and the Mei family’s uncle would even worry that the original host was being wronged, sending people to look after her. That was much more sincere than this biological father.
The person in front of her clearly used vicious methods, yet still had to occasionally reveal a fatherly appearance. It was truly frightening.
“My wife isn’t going home with me, then where is she supposed to go?”
“You really plan to marry her?” Yin Nanbai’s mockery was already written all over his face. “Isn’t she the illegitimate daughter you hate the most?”
Liu Siyin’s already pale little face turned even paler, and her body swayed. Though she could not see, she could clearly hear the sarcasm in his tone.
Yin Nanbai used his parental identity to hurt Liu Siyin, and Yin Man grabbed Liu Siyin’s hand. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to marry the illegitimate daughter now.”
Yin Nanbai’s gaze landed brazenly on Liu Siyin, sizing her up from top to bottom. “Is it just because of this not-bad skin?” That look was like he wanted to tear open Liu Siyin’s clothes and take a good look underneath. It made Yin Man very uncomfortable. In the next second, Yin Nanbai’s lips suddenly curved. “Indeed not bad, just blind.”
“If you’re done talking, the door is over there.” Yin Nanbai had come specially to make her miserable, had he not.
Yin Nanbai showed no intention of leaving, and even kept his gaze fixed on them. “Back then Liu Mei already said that Liu Siyin was a delicacy specially raised up.”
He bit the words delicacy very heavily.
“Get out!”
Yin Nanbai did not look like a father, casually sizing up and discussing his future daughter-in-law, and Yin Man did not look like a daughter, shouting at her father.
She suddenly wanted to run, to take Liu Siyin and run, to flee this collapsing world.
To become a true version of herself, to take care of such a delicate person, and not have to see these people. The more she faced people like Yin Nanbai, the faster her emotions would spiral out of control. With a father like that, if the original host had mental problems, how could Yin Nanbai not have contributed.
It was hard to say she would not become mentally ill too. Only with Liu Siyin did she count as normal. It was a pity that her legs could not move, their lives could not do without someone taking care of them, and she could not take Liu Siyin away.
When Wen Si came over, Yin Man was just lifting the water kettle on the table and about to smash it at her biological father. Wen Si reacted quickly and blocked in front of Yin Nanbai, only then preventing the father-daughter relationship from deteriorating further. It was just that the water kettle happened to smash right onto her frail back. Wen Si hurt so much that she clenched her teeth, yet still did not forget to care about Yin Nanbai. “Husband, are you all right?”
The corners of Yin Nanbai’s mouth held nothing but a mocking smile. “Who told you to meddle.”
If Yin Man really smashed him, ideally he could go to the hospital today and first plant in her the seed of being unfilial and unjust, of murdering her own father.
Yin Man was more clear-minded than Yin Youxia. Though she was reckless, she never crossed any lines. She did not fool around with women in the circle, and she was unwilling to part with her interests. As for her conduct, the company’s old-timers simply did not care. Yin Man’s loose friends seemed useless, but they were all the favored children of various families. She had always understood what kind of person she could be to let Yin Zhe climb higher and more steadily.
How ridiculous. She had actually started caring about an illegitimate daughter.
The excuse she used every day to humiliate Yin Youxia was that she was an illegitimate daughter. Yin Nanbai had heard that she had injured Wang Gu for Liu Siyin and had wanted to test her. He had not expected that she would really care about an illegitimate daughter, and even become a little soft-hearted.
An illegitimate daughter with nothing but looks, exactly what was so attractive about her?
Wen Si was full of concern. He could feel Yin Nanbai getting closer and closer to her, the warm breath landing on her earlobe and stirring up a shiver. She shrank back in fear. There was a faint smile in Yin Nanbai’s eyes. “Wen Si, fall down.”
A very soft voice, as if a stone weighing a thousand catties were pressing on her body and smashing her onto the floor.
With a heavy bang, she trembled and said, “Husband.”
There was no man’s warm embrace, no sweet, loving concern. Instead, it was the girl who helped her up. “Mom, are you all right?”
“Yin Man, if you’ve got a problem, come at me. Why are you bullying my mom!”
“No matter how much you look down on her, she is still your stepmother. You should at least respect her.”
When she saw her daughter arguing with Yin Man, Wen Si suddenly came back to herself, only to catch sight of the man not far away with the corners of his mouth slightly curved. He seemed very satisfied with the conflict between his two daughters deepening.
She struggled, wanting to tell Yin Youxia that she was not Yin Man, but the pain in her back made her suck in a sharp breath.
“Better hurry and send her to the hospital.” Yin Nanbai narrowed his eyes, his gaze gradually turning deeper, full of calculation.
Wen Si knew his hypocrisy, knew his mask, but she did not have the courage to tear it apart.
It was just that he should not have used Yin Youxia as a chess piece. How could such a delicate girl fight against Yin Man? Wen Si only felt the blood in her whole body gradually turn cold, and her mind became dazed. She could not say a single word.
“Yo, Youxia—” Wen Si’s voice trembled, large tears rolling from her eyes, and after that she did not know anything. She fainted.
“Mom!” What a wonderful farce. Yin Man looked at Yin Youxia in front of her, already wearing a wailing expression, and rubbed her head. “Hurry and send her to the hospital.”
“Yin Man, one day you’ll understand, I’m not a soft persimmon!” No need to wait until later, she already knew now. No, she had known before. She was someone who had read the original book.
Now, if she told Yin Youxia that she was going to smash Yin Nanbai and that Wen Si had rushed over on her own, would Yin Youxia believe it.
That girl’s eyes were full of hatred, and Yin Man knew that saying anything now would probably be useless.
If it were the original host, she would not have been afraid. At worst, they would all perish together. If she were alone, she would not have been afraid either. At worst, she would disappear from here. But now she had someone she cared about, someone she could not resist. There was a cracking sound somewhere in her chest.
There were some strange sounds by her ear, singing a tune she did not understand.
“My husband calls to me again and again, urging my life away, that cup of wine cuts the heart.”
“Cough!” The sound was cut off by pain. When she opened her eyes, she saw Aunt Zhang’s panicked face. “Y-Young Miss!”
The pain in her fingers was clear, and Yin Man could not fail to notice it. She lifted her hand, and Aunt Zhang was so frightened that she collapsed onto the floor. Liu Siyin hurriedly said, “Sister Man, just now you fainted, and you kept muttering something in your mouth. Aunt Zhang and the others thought you were possessed, so they used a red cord to bind your hand.”
What kind of ghostly method was that?
But she had fainted?
Then was that voice just now a dream? Or real?
“Oh.” She only gave a soft oh, and Aunt Zhang and Aunt He both looked relieved to have survived disaster.
Yin Man naturally had no mood to argue with them. She was still thinking about the strange tune just now, and asked, “Did any of you hear any sound just now?”
“No.” So, no then.
This room had long since lost all trace of that family of three, Yin Nanbai, Wen Si, and Yin Youxia. Yin Man rubbed her fingers, only feeling intense pain. She drew in a cold breath, and Aunt Zhang and Aunt He drew in a cold breath with her. Even as they applied medicine for her, they were trembling. Seeing how frightened they were, Yin Man simply sent them away.
Liu Siyin was sitting beside her. She reached out and touched Liu Siyin’s hand. “Liu Siyin, my hand is swollen like this, and you still didn’t stop them.”
She really touched the swollen, burning fingers. Liu Siyin lowered her head. “I’m sorry.”
“But Sister Man, can you not blame Aunt Zhang and Aunt He? Actually, they really care about you. Just now when you fainted, they were the ones taking care of you. They were so anxious.”
After all, they had been by the original host’s side since she was little, so there was some feeling between them, more or less. And they were also afraid that if something happened to her, they would not be able to explain themselves. If she had not woken up quickly, she probably would have ended up in the hospital again.
“And you?”
Liu Siyin awkwardly rubbed the hem of her clothes. “I, I couldn’t see, I, I…”
Yin Man cut her off. She was not asking that. She went straight to the point. “Were you also very anxious?”
“Yes, I was very worried about Sister Man.” Liu Siyin’s voice was very light, like a feather lightly brushing past the ear canal, drifting into the heart, itchy and numb.
Yin Man’s body stiffened slightly. She had brought it up herself, and Liu Siyin had really given a satisfactory answer, but she became embarrassed instead.
Author’s note:
[Extra little skit]
Wen Si: I need to explain today’s matter. I was scared into falling down, it has nothing to do with Manman.
Mei Xuying: Auntie, your back was smashed by Yin Man, don’t be afraid of her, I’ll back you up!
Wen Si: Little enchantress, shut up!
Mei Xuying: …Auntie, everyone saw how fierce Uncle was to you today. A man like Uncle is better off leaving early for peace of mind. You still have us.
Wen Si: Little enchantress, stop talking!
Mei Xuying: I think I look pretty gentle and virtuous.
Yin Youxia: My wife is the gentlest, she is warm sunshine, she is light, she is my whole world.
Wen Si: Look at my daughter, all dazed like that, and you still say you are not a little enchantress.
Yin Man: Since ancient times, there have been many mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts, Biaojie, think it over.
Liu Siyin: What Sister Man said is right.
Mei Xuying: …