As summer arrived in May, the Zhong household in Nan City was bustling with activity.
A servant placed the final dish on the table. Zhong Qiqiang, out of habit, picked up a chicken wing and was about to place it in the bowl of Zhong Yangyang, the daughter he had raised for seventeen years. But as his gaze shifted to Kong Xiyan, his newly recognized biological daughter sitting nearby, he hesitated.
In that fleeting moment of hesitation, Zhong Yangyang—the false heiress who had occupied the cuckoo’s nest for years—sensed the change immediately. Her eyes reddened with grievance, and she slammed her chopsticks on the table, crying out, “I’m not eating!” before running upstairs.
“Yangyang!” Mother Liang Qiu called out, seeing Zhong Yangyang show no intention of turning back. She quickly set down her chopsticks to chase after her but was stopped by her husband’s hand on her arm.
“Hmph!” The youngest son of the Zhong family noticed the subtle exchange between his parents and also slammed his chopsticks on the table. He stood up and headed upstairs to follow his sister. Before leaving, he shot Kong Xiyan a displeased glare.
“What a perfectly good family, now thrown into chaos!” The Zhong family matriarch, seated at the head of the table, shot Kong Xiyan a sharp look before pushing herself up from the table with her hands. “I’ve lost my appetite. You all eat.”
With that, the matriarch also turned and left.
It seemed as though all this unpleasantness was Kong Xiyan’s fault.
Kong Xiyan had intended to ignore it, but just then, Zhong Qiqiang forced a dry smile and spoke to her, “Xiyan, don’t mind Yangyang. She’s just been spoiled by us.”
“Yes, this matter is rather sudden…” Liang Qiu looked at Kong Xiyan before her, unsure of what to feel.
The couple had raised three sons and one daughter. As the only girl, Zhong Yangyang had always been the apple of their eye, doted on more than even the youngest son in the family.
Who would have thought that today, Kong Xiyan would suddenly appear with evidence and tokens, claiming she was the true Zhong family heiress, while Zhong Yangyang—the cherished pearl they had adored for seventeen years—was nothing but an imposter!
Not only was Zhong Yangyang unable to accept it, but the entire Zhong family was in shock!
They immediately arranged for a paternity test, only to find it was indeed true!
“It’s fine,” Kong Xiyan said calmly, her hands resting casually under the table as she made a few subtle calculations. She frowned slightly. “Tell her to be careful tomorrow. It’s best if she doesn’t go out.”
Zhong Yangyang would encounter petty troubles the next day. Though not life-threatening, she would likely face arguments and might even get hurt or injured.
It would be better for her to stay home.
“What?!” The Zhong couple was taken aback. What did she mean?
The youngest son, who had just come downstairs, overheard this and immediately darkened his expression. He stormed over to Kong Xiyan in two quick strides. “How dare you threaten my sister! Who do you think you are!”
Zhong Yanyong raised his fist, intending to intimidate this ignorant country bumpkin and show her she couldn’t mess with him or bully his sister just because she’d entered their home.
But before he could act, Kong Xiyan swiftly caught his fist with one hand. Using his own momentum, she flipped him over, sending him crashing to the floor in a humiliating heap.
Zhong Yanyong cried out in pain. As he stumbled to his feet, he realized something was wrong. Wiping his mouth with his hand, he saw it covered in blood and froze in shock. “Blood! Blood!!”
“Xiao Yong!” Liang Qiu was stunned to see her youngest son’s face covered in blood. She rushed over to support him and turned to the others, who were still in shock. “Quick! Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
Everyone finally snapped out of their daze and hurriedly called for an ambulance. In no time, the Zhong couple took Zhong Yanyong, whose legs were trembling and face was covered in blood, onto the ambulance. Even Zhong Yangyang, who had been throwing a tantrum earlier, rushed downstairs and followed them into the ambulance before they drove away.
Left alone in the house, Kong Xiyan returned to the dining table, picked up her chopsticks, and began eating from the dishes on the table.
“Blood can break the influence of malevolent forces and disrupt the Eight Trigrams,” Kong Xiyan muttered to herself as she chewed her food. “Zhong Yanyong’s little life is saved this time.”
The malevolent energy clinging to Zhong Yanyong was easy to dispel, but the rest of the Zhong family…
Kong Xiyan recalled the moment she first stepped into the Zhong household—everyone’s foreheads were frighteningly dark, so much so that it sent shivers down her spine.
In all these years, she had never encountered such a terrifying situation. Every single member of the family bore the mark of impending death, with the longest lifespan among them being only a year. Zhong Yanyong’s fate was even more dire, measured in hours.
If it weren’t for her master’s warning that the Zhong family’s fate, if unchanged, would shorten her own life and possibly even affect the fortunes of her adoptive parents, she wouldn’t have bothered with any of this.
After all, her adoptive parents had treated her well. Since childhood, no matter what she wanted to learn, they had always managed to invite the most respected experts in the field to teach and guide her. All these years, they had never once held it against her that she wasn’t their biological child.
Even if it was just for her adoptive parents, Kong Xiyan had no choice but to intervene in the Zhong family’s affairs.
But… where should she start?
Kong Xiyan glanced around the opulent yet eerily sinister mansion, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Meanwhile, at Nan City Hospital, Zhong Yanyong stared into the mirror, dumbfounded by the gap where his front teeth used to be.
It’s over! The third most handsome fourteen-year-old in Nan City is disfigured!
Zhong Yanyong felt as if the sky were falling.
Just then, his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, his expression shifted slightly. He quickly excused himself, claiming he needed to use the bathroom, and slipped away to answer the call.
On the other end of the line, a rowdy male voice came through: “Yong-ge! Don’t forget about tonight’s street race! The guys are all waiting to see you show off your skills!”
“Show off my ass! My teef…” Zhong Yanyong touched his gap-toothed mouth, growing even angrier. How could he possibly show off when he couldn’t even speak properly? He finally roared, “I’m not going! Get lost!” and hung up the phone.
Then, he spat out viciously, “Damn it! I won’t let her get away with this!”
On the other end, the person who had been hung up on panicked. Why wasn’t Zhong Yanyong coming?
What about the trap they had set up specifically for him? Could it be that Zhong Yanyong had found out they had taken money to set him up?
That shouldn’t be possible!
What on earth was going on?!
By the time the Zhong family returned home, the sky had turned completely dark.
As soon as Zhong Yanyong stepped through the door, he stomped angrily up the stairs, touching his mouth as he walked, his hatred for Kong Xiyan burning fiercely inside him.
“Don’t touch it! The doctor said not to touch it!” Zhong Yangyang hurried after him, stopping him when she saw him touching his mouth.
Zhong Yanyong looked up at Zhong Yangyang and curled his lips. See! This sister truly cared about him and was concerned for him!
He would never acknowledge that violent, ill-omened Kong Xiyan!
“Hmm?” A female voice sounded from the top of the stairs.
Zhong Yanyong and Zhong Yangyang both looked up and immediately spotted Kong Xiyan standing not far away.
Kong Xiyan’s gaze shifted from Zhong Yanyong’s face to Zhong Yangyang, her brows tightly furrowed.
What was going on?
She had used blood to break the deathly aura that originally hung over Zhong Yanyong, but now that same ominous sign had transferred to Zhong Yangyang’s face—and it looked even more severe than before! This wasn’t the outcome she had foreseen when she performed the divination earlier…
Zhong Yangyang felt uneasy under Kong Xiyan’s intense stare.
No matter how uncomfortable she felt inside, she knew she had occupied Kong Xiyan’s rightful place for many years. Looking at Kong Xiyan now—her plain clothes, not a single decent piece of jewelry in sight, a pair of jeans washed to a pale shade, and that worn-out, bulging crossbody bag she had carried when she first arrived at the Zhong family. The bag was a dull yellow, its style unrecognizable, the faded Bagua pattern on it gray and dusty. Who knew how many years it had been used or how many hands it had passed through…
“Good dogs don’t block the way!” Zhong Yanyong glared at Kong Xiyan, his words slurred due to his injured mouth, which only deepened the hatred in his eyes.
Kong Xiyan remained silent, simply stepping aside as Zhong Yanyong took Zhong Yangyang’s hand and walked forward.
As Zhong Yangyang passed by her, Kong Xiyan finally spoke: “Be careful tomorrow. It’s best if you don’t go out.”