The shadows beneath the corridor concealed Xie Yingyue’s figure, and Madam Meng completely failed to notice her daughter’s presence.
“You are the true eldest young lady of this household…” The maidservant stood to the side, looking at her young mistress, and couldn’t help but mutter, “It’s only been a few days since she entered the household, yet she already commands the servants at will. Madam listens to her all the time, and I’ve heard that Master’s attitude toward her has also improved. If this continues, who will still care about you, young lady…”
Xie Yingyue felt as if a thorn had been driven into her heart.
She could have hidden it, but the maidservant had to voice her pain point. She turned to look at the maidservant, raised her hand, and struck down heavily: “How dare you sow discord between me and my parents! You are insolent!”
The maidservant Gui Zhi immediately knelt down, panicking: “Young lady, this servant wouldn’t dare. This servant only has your best interests at heart…”
“If you have my best interests at heart, then you should keep your mouth shut. My mother loves me, and my father values me. I don’t need to compete with anyone!” Xie Yingyue gritted her teeth and spoke angrily.
All she wanted was an explanation.
“Young lady is right! Master and Madam love you the most. It’s just… it’s just that this servant truly feels for you. Clearly, she deliberately had Jiang Tan’er poison you, yet now she faces no punishment at all and acts so arrogantly, not even putting you in her eyes… This servant feels wronged on your behalf…” Gui Zhi immediately said with reddened eyes.
Xie Yingyue closed her eyes, exhaled slowly, and then slowly opened them again: “Jiyan has already avenged me on my behalf. Get up. From now on, you are not allowed to speak nonsense. If I hear such words a second time, I will not keep you here.”
Gui Zhi was inwardly startled and quickly agreed.
Xie Yingyue’s eyes were filled with melancholy; she simply couldn’t feel happy.
She felt like a petty, narrow-minded person, only capable of hiding in the shadows, harboring twisted jealousy and resentment toward others. Yet, in reality, she could do nothing.
Not long after, Xie Yingyue also learned from other servants about what had happened outside.
After understanding the situation, Xie Yingyue was even more astonished.
“Gui Zhi, I don’t understand. If it was only a verbal engagement and she didn’t want to fulfill it, why did she admit to it?” Xie Yingyue’s voice was soft. Unconsciously, she walked to the edge of the pond, leaned against the railing, and gazed at the carefree fish in the water, sighing: “Now that this matter has spread, won’t she become a woman who was rejected in marriage? She is a few months older than me and should be discussing marriage as well. With such a reputation spreading, her future marriage prospects will surely be much more difficult…”
“The eldest young lady grew up outside after all. She’s used to being wild and perhaps doesn’t understand these things…” Gui Zhi lowered her head and said.
“Mother should have reminded her,” Xie Yingyue said.
After speaking, Xie Yingyue remained silent for a long while.
She felt that Songyin had acted wrongly, yet she also felt that what she had done… was good.
Once something had happened, she admitted it and made a clean break, allowing for a better fresh start. Such decisiveness made her envious.
She also wanted to tell others that she had merely lost her composure after being drugged and hadn’t truly been intimate with anyone—what was the big deal? But she didn’t dare.
If it were Songyin, with her temperament—one that could even make her mother find her pleasing—she would surely handle it better than she could, wouldn’t she?
Xie Yingyue’s thoughts wandered aimlessly as she remained alone in silence for a long time, until Xie Jiyan returned from school.
Curious about what had happened at the academy today, she immediately headed to the main courtyard. Before she could even enter, she heard her younger brother enthusiastically recounting Jiang Gu’an’s embarrassing situation.
“He even forgot to ask for leave! Not only that, his classmate specially came looking for me, asking several times if the formula was really given to them for free. After confirming it, someone even cursed Jiang Gu’an to my face, calling him a petty man. I bet he won’t have the face to go to school tomorrow!”
“He got beaten today too? Serves him right! Let’s see if he still dares to bully me with such arrogance! Mother, you have no idea how relieved I feel!”
“But I don’t really understand why this formula is so important. Someone even insisted on giving me money, but I don’t need it, so I refused. I think a good reputation is more valuable than money. Mother, did I do the right thing?”
“…”
Madam Meng was pleased to see her son in such high spirits.
“This is all thanks to your eldest sister. I was thinking, she has been in the household for a few days now but hasn’t had a reunion meal with you and your brother. Now that she has helped with such a big favor, we should thank her properly. I’ve already sent someone to inform her. When she arrives, you must behave politely and respectfully,” Madam Meng advised.
Xie Jiyan’s smile froze instantly.
He had been too carried away and had completely forgotten that the formula was given by Songyin.
“I won’t be harsh with her,” Xie Jiyan said, his enthusiasm dampened slightly. He then turned and asked, “Is my sister doing alright today? Did she eat well? Has she been crying?”
“Your sister… is fine in every way, just a bit stubborn. I’ve already comforted her, but the rest is up to her to figure out slowly. As for the reunion meal… we’ll invite her another day,” Madam Meng added.
Xie Yingyue felt as if her heart had been squeezed.
All she could think of were the words Gui Zhi had said to her earlier.
She felt like a joke—even her mother thought she was petty-minded…
After all, she was not the biological daughter of this family, so she shouldn’t be included in the reunion meal.
“Why are you standing there like a fool?” Songyin walked over from behind and saw Xie Yingyue… looking as if she had been struck by lightning. Her face was frighteningly gloomy, and she was clutching her handkerchief so tightly it seemed about to tear.
And the maid behind her…
As a cannon-fodder supporting female character, Xie Yingyue had a sidekick who constantly stirred up trouble.
This little maid, thinking she was doing Xie Yingyue a favor, kept whispering unpleasant things in her ear. Most of her words were directed at Jiang Tan’er, but at the same time, she would also remind Xie Yingyue in various ways that “she is not a biological member of the Xie family,” making Xie Yingyue increasingly sensitive.
Xie Yingyue turned around in shock, meeting Songyin’s probing gaze.
“It’s nothing…” Xie Yingyue immediately tried to leave.
As she brushed past, Songyin grabbed her wrist: “Didn’t Madam invite me for a reunion meal?”
If she understood correctly, a reunion meal meant gathering all the family members, young and old, to dine together, right? Not a single person should be missing?
Xie Yingyue’s face turned as pale as paper, feeling even more humiliated: “You… let go of me. This is Mother welcoming you and celebrating your arrival. It has nothing to do with me. There is no blood relation between us…”
If Songyin were truly a member of the Xie family, she would share the same mother as the eldest brother and the same father as the younger brother…
In this family, she was the only outsider.
“I have no blood relation with your mother either.” Songyin looked at the person’s reddened eyes, thought for a moment, and added, “Xie Yingyue, when Jiang Tan’er asked me for ‘Springtime,’ I didn’t know your character, nor did I know about my relationship with the Xie family. I even privately thought you were a hypocritical and malicious young lady, which is why I gave her the medicine and became an accomplice. It was my mistake, and I apologize to you. I’m sorry.”
Xie Yingyue was momentarily stunned, her heart trembling.
She actually wished Songyin were a bad person.
Wished she were domineering, detestable, wished she were malicious and despicable…