Wenzhao Courtyard.
Xie Rujin wore a moon-white brocade robe embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns, which only served to highlight how flushed his face had become with rage.
Behind him, Xie Rujue’s eyes were filled with malicious glee, the very image of a fox flaunting the tiger’s might. "Wild girl! Big Brother is back. You’re dead meat!"
The newly arrived maidservants and older hags in the courtyard shrank away in fear, though their eyes held a hint of anticipation.
After all, their new mistress had just returned from the outside and was not in favor, yet she demanded so much of them in terms of rules and discipline. It was only right to let her taste the Eldest Young Master’s fury.
Fuming with rage, Xie Rujin thought about how best to discipline this sister of his, who had been fooling around outside for ten years and had no idea how high the heavens were. But as he looked up, he saw a figure standing at the doorway of the wing.
Standing in front of the unfamiliar maids and hags was a person with a straight, tall posture, dressed in black martial attire embroidered with red-threaded dark patterns. Her high ponytail was tied with a red ribbon, making her look sharp and capable.
That bright, beautiful face looked somewhat familiar, and those round almond eyes shimmered with a clear, cold light. Her expression was calm and detached.
This was his sister, Xie Mianmian, who had been missing for ten years and could never be found!
Standing a few paces away, Xie Rujin suddenly came to a halt.
He simply stared at this sister—familiar yet a stranger—dressed like a young lad, as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.
He had expected her to be bedraggled and timid after wandering for ten years, but he never imagined she would look like this…
It was unexpected.
As he watched her, fragments of memories buried deep in his mind for a decade suddenly broke through the surface.
Xie Rujin remembered his sister from ten years ago—soft, sweet, and as adorable as a celestial child.
He remembered the little girl who followed him like a tiny shadow, always clinging to him and calling him "Brother."
He remembered the panic and guilt he felt that night on the brightly lit, bustling Lantern Street when they were separated and he couldn't find her…
The accusations he had prepared to hurl at her crumbled in his mouth. He stammered for a long time, unable to speak.
Xie Rujue, following behind, thought Xie Rujin hadn't noticed her. He nudged him and pointed at Xie Mianmian. "Big Brother, look! It’s that wild girl! She claims to be the sister who went missing ten years ago! Since when did I have a missing sister?"
"She even hit me! She defied Mother! She even bullied Sister Ayu, nearly costing her her life! She failed to steal Sister Ayu's courtyard, so she stole Grandfather's courtyard instead!"
This series of "vicious deeds" reminded Xie Rujin of his purpose and jolted him awake.
After all, she had spent ten years displaced and wandering. One didn't need to think much to know that a child snatched by kidnappers would have struggled just to survive. How could she have any sense of propriety or upbringing?
Even if she was dressed decently now, it was likely just an outfit specially prepared for her return to the estate.
After ten years outside, she truly had grown wild.
As the Eldest Young Master, it was his responsibility to teach her well.
He looked at Xie Mianmian and asked in a heavy voice, "Mianmian, do you know your mistake?"
As long as her attitude toward admitting her fault was acceptable, he was willing to give her a light punishment and take her to apologize.
Xie Mianmian glanced indifferently at this self-righteous "brother." Her tone was flat and emotionless. "These are baseless slanders. I am not at fault."
"You still dare to quibble!" Xie Rujin was incensed. "You've only been back for half a day, yet you've committed so many outrageous acts. Where is the grace of a legitimate daughter of the Marquess's Manor? Compared to Ayu, you are simply worlds apart!"
"Exactly!" Xie Rujue stood with his hands on his hips. "You and Sister Ayu are like heaven and earth. How could you even be worthy of comparison?"
Looking at the two brothers, only one word surfaced in Xie Mianmian’s mind: Idiots.
Seeing that Xie Rujin had become so blind and foolish, she had no interest in saying another word.
His Highness had said to stay away from idiots, lest their condition be contagious.
Seeing Xie Mianmian turn around to return to her room without a word, the fire in Xie Rujin’s heart flared up again. "Xie Mianmian! Stand still! You commit a wrong, refuse to admit it, and now you dare to run away?"
"I don't care what you experienced these past ten years or what kind of unpresentable nonsense you learned—throw it all away! Now that you've returned to the Marquess's Manor, you must learn the Manor’s rules!"
"With your behavior and attitude, how will you ever face people as a representative of the Manor's reputation? You've been wild for ten years; you must change now! I’m doing this for your own good!" He reached out to grab Xie Mianmian’s shoulder, intending to force her to listen to his lecture.
To his surprise, Xie Mianmian swayed to the side, her movements as swift as a gust of wind.
"Xie Mianmian! You dare dodge?"
Startled by his missed grab, Xie Rujin’s anger intensified. He lunged to grab her again.
However, Lian Qiao stepped forward to block him.
His wrist was seized. Xie Rujin felt as if he were caught in an iron vice. His face instantly turned crimson, and his breathing grew ragged.
"Xie Mianmian! You truly are unrepentant! Even a maid is so undisciplined! How dare she strike me!"
"You're asking for death!" He threw a punch with his free hand, showing no mercy.
Unexpectedly, it took several exchanges before he could break free from Lian Qiao’s grip.
Xie Rujin massaged his wrist, shocked that this maid’s martial arts were so formidable.
He assumed Xie Mianmian had specifically hired such an expert for protection.
He turned to Xie Mianmian, struggling to maintain his poise as the Eldest Young Master. "Xie Mianmian! You've got nerve! If you're so capable, do it yourself. Let's settle this one-on-one!"
"That's right!" Xie Rujue shouted from a distance. "Big Brother went to the military camp with Grandfather to train. His martial skills are incredible! Dealing with an ignorant wild girl like you will be a breeze!"
He raised his chin triumphantly, as if he could already see Xie Mianmian kneeling and begging for mercy.
Xie Mianmian’s gaze swept past Xie Rujue and landed on Xie Rujin’s indignant face. Her tone was flat, yet carried a hint of genuine confusion. "Brother, what nonsense are you talking? You can't even defeat my maid; how could you possibly defeat me?"
She paused slightly, her gaze turning chillingly cold. Her voice remained calm, but it pierced through Xie Rujin like an ice blade. "Brother, how do you think I survived these past ten years after you lost me?"
This pointed question was like a bucket of ice water poured over Xie Rujin’s head.
His hand, which had been rubbing his wrist, froze. The anger on his face was instantly encased in frost.
In its place was a flicker of bewilderment and panic, followed by an inexplicable sense of guilt that made his breath hitch.
Yes, she had been lost by him.
His sister, like a five-year-old celestial child, had been taken out by him to see the lanterns.
In the bustling crowds of the festival, he had been negligent for one moment, and she was gone, never to return…
For all those years, he had lived in guilt, pouring endless affection and compensation onto his other sister.
An inexplicable irritability suddenly welled up in his heart.
Was Xie Mianmian intentionally poking his sore spot? Was she trying to use the past to act out in the estate?!
This was his sin, but it was also his shame—something he didn't want anyone to mention. How could he let Xie Mianmian use it as leverage to threaten him?
He would never allow it!
"No matter how you survived, you are not permitted to use the savage and lowly ways you learned outside! Now that you are back in the Marquess's Manor, you must follow the Manor's rules!" As he spoke, Xie Rujin suddenly threw a punch at Xie Mianmian!
The wind from his punch was fierce; if it hit, it would surely cause a serious injury.
Xie Mianmian kicked off the ground and flew backward. At the same time, silver threads wrapped around her fingers flashed like cold light, binding Xie Rujin’s wrist like a silver snake.
His hand bound, Xie Rujin spun around and raised his leg for a horizontal kick, only to see the silver threads wrap around his ankle as well!
The silver threads were as thin as ox hair, but they had been tempered by the Anying's special process. With just a slight tug, the pain caused cold sweat to bead on Xie Rujin’s forehead, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists.
"Brother, you are quite rude."
Xie Mianmian’s voice was as clear as cold spring water striking stone. Her gaze swept over Xie Rujin’s face, which was contorted in pain, without a trace of emotion. "As an elder brother, you raise your fists against a sister who has been lost for ten years. If word of this gets out, people will mock the Marquess's Manor for its lack of upbringing. I know many rules; I can teach you."
"You are insolent!" Xie Rujin tried to struggle, but the pain in his wrist was like needles piercing his flesh. He couldn't help but groan, cold sweat sliding down his temples and soaking his collar.
"I am being insolent. What can you do about it?"
Xie Mianmian’s voice turned cold, each word sharp as a knife. "While I was facing certain death outside, you were living in luxury and enjoying yourself in the Manor. You should be repenting and apologizing to me. What right do you have to act so high and mighty in front of me?"
Behind a corridor pillar, Xie Rujue’s small body had long since gone rigid with fear.
He pressed himself tightly against the cold rosewood pillar, his hands clamped over his mouth, not daring to let his breathing grow even slightly heavy.
He had originally wanted to follow Xie Rujin to see this arrogant and violent wild girl get put in her place and forced to kneel for mercy.
Even though he had been pinned by the girl before, he believed his brother, who had practiced martial arts for years, would easily handle her.
But now, his brother—who was usually master of both the pen and the sword—had been neutralized by this wild girl in an instant!
Those glinting silver threads looked exactly like the lethal weapons used by assassins in stories. He didn't even have the courage to look at them again.
Xie Rujin’s face turned scarlet as his most shameful memories were exposed by Xie Mianmian’s words.
He was about to lash out regardless of the consequences when a servant came running hurriedly from outside the courtyard.
The servant was stunned by the scene before him. He immediately lowered his head in a bow, his voice hurried and out of breath. "Eldest Young Master, Miss, the Marquess has returned. He is in the front hall and has requested that both of you go there immediately."
"Xie Mianmian!" Xie Rujin said through gritted teeth. "If you're so capable, keep me bound like this. Let Father see how savage and undisciplined his newly returned daughter is!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Mianmian’s fingers flickered. The silver threads wrapped around Xie Rujin’s wrist and ankle retracted like spirit snakes returning to their den.
Only a circle of prominent red marks remained, faintly oozing blood.
Xie Mianmian lightly rotated her wrist and said calmly, "Let's go. Don't keep Father waiting."
Xie Rujin clutched his injured wrist and glared at Xie Mianmian with eyes full of resentment, but he didn't dare to strike again.
He huffed and flicked his sleeves, leaving a trail of disheveled footprints in his brocade robe as he led the way to the front hall.
Seeing this, Xie Rujue quickly ran out from behind the pillar and followed closely behind them. His small face was full of terror, and he didn't even dare to lift his head.