“Bring it on, don’t think I’m afraid of you,” Second Brother Wen threatened Huo Yunxuan, determined to show him who was boss.
“Daring to challenge me? Someone who only knows how to bully his sister, raising a fist against her, isn’t even a real man—no different from trash.”
Just as Huo Yunxuan rolled up his sleeves to fight, he saw Wen Yuyan spread her arms wide, shielding Second Brother Wen. “You can’t hit my second brother!”
“Yanyan, step aside. Fists don’t have eyes, and you might get hurt.” Second Brother Wen’s voice choked with emotion.
Because he suddenly felt sore and weak all over. If a fight really broke out, he definitely wouldn’t be able to hold his own.
“Second Brother, you’re a refined person—how could you possibly beat him? If you get hurt, Yanyan will be heartbroken, wuwuwu… Sister, how can you be so heartless?”
“Just because I’m not standing between them crying like you doesn’t mean I’m heartless?” Wen Chuxia mimicked her fake sobbing.
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at Wen Yuyan. “White lotus, all you’ve ever known since childhood is how to use tears to win their pity.”
“Sister, how can you say that about me… wuwuwu…” Wen Yuyan burst into tears, crying so hard that drops fell one by one.
“Wen Chuxia, even as you’re leaving, you still bully your sister. I’ll beat you to death, you wretched creature!” Wen Xiuyuan raised his hand, furious, and charged toward Wen Chuxia.
“Wuwuwu… Xiaxia, let’s go quickly. If we stay any longer, they’ll beat you to death, wuwuwu…” Liu Cuihua wept sorrowfully.
“Uncle Wen, isn’t Wen Chuxia your daughter? Why are you treating her like this?” Huo Yunxuan also spread his arms wide, shielding Wen Chuxia.
He finally understood—this whole family was trouble. The father and brothers were brutish, the mother could only cry and was utterly useless.
The younger sister knew how to play the weakling to win the affection of her blind father and brothers. Only the frail step-sister behind him stood alone, helpless.
Thank goodness he had come; otherwise, she would have been beaten again. She really had no ability to protect herself at all!
“Cuihua, stop crying. I’ll take you and your daughter away right now. Yunxuan, help your sister into the car.” Huo Tieniu supported Liu Cuihua as they walked out.
“Brother Huo, Brother Huo, our family…” Wen Xiuyuan chased after them, shouting, but Huo Tieniu cut him off.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my promise to you. Just don’t follow me.”
Huo Tieniu helped Liu Cuihua into the passenger seat, while Huo Yunxuan assisted Wen Chuxia into the back.
Just before getting into the car, Wen Chuxia turned and cast a deep glance at the Wen father and son. In her past life, she had done everything she could to support them.
She had also endured countless unspeakable hardships, swallowing them silently, afraid of worrying her father and brothers.
Who would have thought that at the Wen family’s moment of glory, Wen Yuyan would return? All the sincerity she had initially given was completely forgotten by her biased father and brothers.
Before her death, she had made a wish to all the Buddhas in the heavens: if there was a next life, she would make sure they lived a life worse than death.
With a bang, the car door closed, leaving the Wen family with nothing but the exhaust fumes of the military jeep.
Wen Yuyan watched the jeep drive away, stomping her feet in anger and shouting furiously, “How outrageous! Bastards!”
In front of Wen Chuxia, Huo Yunxuan was the epitome of gentlemanly manners, even helping her into the car.
In her past life, in front of her, Huo Yunxuan hadn’t even bothered to pretend—he cursed when he wanted, lost his temper when he felt like it.
Harsh words could chill the heart even in June. Even now, thinking back on it, her chest felt icy cold.
In her past life, she and her soft-hearted mother had brought over a dozen trunks of clothes and jewelry, and she had over three thousand yuan in private savings.
In the end, they all ended up selling tea eggs on the streets, sweeping the roads… drifting for many years.
Meanwhile, Wen Chuxia spent over a decade happily running a pharmaceutical factory with her father and brother. Now, reborn into this life, it should be Wen Chuxia’s turn to sweep the streets.
In the car, Huo Yunxuan noticed Wen Chuxia still looking back at the Wen family through the car window.
He gently admonished, “Listen, from now on, you’re my sister. Don’t be afraid of them. If anyone hits you, damn well hit them back.”
“What if I can’t beat them?” Wen Chuxia asked, pretending to be timid. The idea of not being able to beat those idiots was impossible.
She could sense a righteous aura from this stepbrother she’d gained—no wonder he was raised in a military-political family. She decided to play weak first and test the waters.
“If you can’t beat them, come home and find me. I’m damn good at fighting,” Huo Yunxuan declared with bold confidence.
He thought this new stepsister was quite weak, a girl who needed protection at all times.
He had just cursed—he wondered if it had scared her. His eldest brother was so cold, and his second brother was obsessed with medicine.
Ah! From now on, he’d have to be the one to protect her!
“Yunxuan, rein in that bandit-like attitude of yours. Don’t scare Aunt Liu and your sister. Xiaxia, can Uncle call you Xiaxia?” Huo Tieniu turned around and asked.
“Uncle Huo calling me Xiaxia makes me very happy. I used to watch Dad and my brothers call my sister Yanyan, while they called me an unlucky thing. I was so envious,” Wen Chuxia said with downcast eyes and a submissive tone. Flattery and playing the victim to gain sympathy—she could do that too.
In the past, she thought that as the older sister, she shouldn’t act cute and compete for affection like Wen Yuyan. But having lived a second life, she would follow her heart and no longer force herself.
“Xiaxia, from now on, Uncle and your brothers will call you Xiaxia every day, so everyone will envy our Xiaxia. Uncle is taking Xiaxia and Mom to the department store now to buy clothes, so others will envy Xiaxia even more,” Huo Tieniu said, laughing heartily.
“As long as you don’t cause trouble and don’t embarrass our Huo family, your eighth brother will look out for you. Calling you Xiaxia to make you happy isn’t out of the question,” Huo Yunxuan warned with a proud tone, though in his heart, he had already accepted this little pitiful girl beside him.
“Uncle, Eighth Brother, you take my mom to buy clothes. I’ll take the severance letter to the notary office to get it notarized and stamped,” Wen Chuxia said seriously. Her first impression of her stepfather and stepbrother was good—neither seemed to have ill intentions.
They hadn’t misunderstood her because of the slanderous things Wen Xiuyuan and his son said about her. Their tolerance was enough.
She vowed never to sacrifice for anyone again in this lifetime. Rather than helping her father and brother achieve their ambitions, she would earn ten thousand taels of gold herself.
She never dreamed she could move into the Huo family with her mother. Now, she was determined to attend a Worker-Peasant-Soldier University.
While in university, her living arrangements and food would be taken care of. Such a great opportunity was right before her eyes.
Only if she were out of her mind would she think of provoking others. With her abilities, she certainly wouldn’t embarrass the Huo family.
She had plenty of money—far from the pitiful girl everyone saw being kicked out.
She had already emptied the Wen family’s assets because she hadn’t just woken up today. She had opened her eyes late last night and suspected she had been reborn.
The first thing she did upon waking was touch the jade pendant on her chest. It was said that her grandmother had personally put it on her when she was born.
The secret of the jade pendant was something she only discovered just before her death in her previous life, when her two older brothers beat her with fists and kicks until she coughed up blood that stained the pendant.
In her dazed state, she entered a Kongjian—a place with mountains, water, and an ancient courtyard setting that made her think it was an illusion.
Suddenly, an introduction to the Wen family ancestral home appeared in her mind, but before she could examine it closely, she fell completely unconscious. When she awoke, she found herself back in time before the family’s confiscation.