Yun’s father was an extremely rational man—or more precisely, an utterly selfish and indifferent one.
From the fact that he forced Yun Xin to seduce a man, it was clear that Yun’s father had no feelings for Yun Li at all, and the same applied to Yun Xin as well.
His wife and daughters were nothing more than tools to him.
After the original owner’s mother died, Yun Li—who had been a burden rather than an asset—was decisively abandoned by him.
As for Yun Xin’s mother, she had worked as an assistant in the company and contributed greatly to Yun’s father’s business. Thus, he was more than willing to maintain the image of a good father for her.
But now, the eldest son of the Mo Group clearly showed interest in Yun Li. In Yun’s father’s eyes, Yun Li’s value at this moment far exceeded Yun Xin’s.
So—was he planning to pimp her out as well?
Yun Li quickly understood what Yun’s father was plotting and burst out laughing until tears came to her eyes.
Wiping her tears away, she said to him:
“Sometimes I really wonder where you get the face to try to control my life at a time like this.”
“A cold, ruthless, and heartless person like you coming to me—I can only assume you have some ulterior motive. Save your little schemes.”
Yun’s father was about to explode in anger. This damn girl—without him, would she even be alive today?
She was embarrassing him in front of guests and completely disregarding his dignity as her father. He felt his limits being pushed again and again.
He wanted to curse, but after opening his mouth for a long time, all he could manage were words like “I am your father” and “filial piety.”
Yun Li couldn’t be bothered with him anymore and prepared to walk around him.
But suddenly, a hand tightly gripped her wrist. She looked up.
The elegant young man immediately let go as if burned, withdrawing his hand in embarrassment.
“Miss Yun,” he said, lifting his eyes slightly, “I think your outfit today is very beautiful, but your neckline feels a little empty. It’s missing a necklace for decoration.”
As he spoke, he handed over a business card.
“Our company happens to be looking for a jewelry ambassador. This is my contact information.”
“If Miss Yun is willing to join us, our company will use all available resources to support you.”
However, Yun Li didn’t even glance at it.
“Politely declined,” she said casually. “I’ve always believed that birds of a feather flock together. Since you’re associated with that kind of person over there, I don’t trust you either.”
The elegant young man stood frozen in place.
By the time he realized it, Yun Li had already walked past him without a second thought, a strand of her hair drifting in the wind and lightly brushing his face.
Only after she had gone far away did he finally seem to feel the faint touch on his cheek, slowly reaching up to it in a daze.
“Mr. Mo,” Yun’s father quickly reacted, noticing the faint red mark on the young man’s face. He hurriedly apologized, “This rebellious daughter has always been like this since childhood. Our Xin Xin is much more sensible—would you like to meet her instead?”
The young man stepped slightly farther away from him.
“What Miss Yun said makes sense,” he replied calmly. “Birds of a feather flock together. I won’t be disturbing you further.”
Yun’s father’s expression changed instantly, looking like he wanted to explode but couldn’t.
After watching the young man leave, all of Yun’s father’s frustration was vented onto Yun Xin.
Looking at his red-eyed, aggrieved younger daughter, he suddenly thought of Yun Li’s infuriating face.
He had miscalculated. If he had known Yun Li would turn out so stunning, he would never have allowed those two women to bully her so freely.
For the first time, Yun’s father regretted his decision.
Thinking about how the “Mr. Mo” had been fascinated by his eldest daughter earlier, he grew even more annoyed.
If only—if only he had treated her better. With that face of hers, she could have brought him unimaginable profits.
Yun’s father silently calculated the balance of benefits. For the first time in over a decade, the scales tilted toward Yun Li.
But if Yun Li knew, she would likely gain an entirely new understanding of him.
After all, someone so cold that they could calculate everything was rare.
……
“So good!” Yun Li held a dessert in her hands, practically floating with happiness.
The little ball (system) was leaning against a plate, also letting out a satisfied burp.
Strangely, no one around seemed to notice its existence.
Yun Li couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Can you not be so disgusting when you eat? You’re covered in cream—did you fall into a cream vat or something?”
The ball huffed and stood up angrily.
“My system has tasted all the finest delicacies! If it weren’t for being caught by that great being three thousand years ago—”
“Three thousand years! I’ve been locked in a dark room for three thousand years, and my mouth has gone completely bland!”
At the mention of its suffering, the system burst into tears.
Its tears mixed with cream and dripped down like a disgusting lump.
Yun Li suddenly lost her appetite, pushing the plate away with her hand.
Then she just kept eating anyway.
Thinking about what the system had said earlier, she couldn’t help but feel that there was a huge amount of information hidden in it.
She was not stupid and silently remembered it.
While thinking and eating, a light suddenly shone above Yun Li’s head.
She looked up blankly at the source of the light, her face projected onto the giant screen.
Her close-up beauty made the livestream chat explode with excitement.
“It seems our Xiao Yun hasn’t finished eating yet. Shall we wait for her?” the host said with a smile.
Yun Li almost choked.
Below, cheers erupted:
“Yes! Xiao Yun, go for it! Eat faster!”
This time, Yun Li really couldn’t hold it in. She choked and coughed.
Her face turned red and her eyes teared up.
On the stage, in the shadows.
Three people with usernames “Qian Ruo Yun,” “Everything Is Metaphysics,” and “SSX” were all staring intently at her below.
Their shared focus was clearly Yun Li.
Chen Xuan (“Everything Is Metaphysics”) smiled dreamily. “Xiao Yun is so cute~”
“Gross, a grown man being all mushy like that,” Huo Qianyun (“Qian Ruo Yun”) said, full of disdain.
Chen Xuan immediately shot back, “Oh? And who was it that couldn’t control himself and changed his ID back then?”
“Someone changed theirs so fast, and now I wonder how Xiao Yun sees you.”
Huo Qianyun frowned at that, anger rising in him.
Then awkwardly and reluctantly, he changed his ID back again.
He silently thought that next time he would act normal in Xiao Yun’s livestream—she probably wouldn’t check his profile, right? As long as she didn’t know, it didn’t matter.
“Click.”
The sound of leather shoes stepping echoed.
The two who were arguing turned back.
A young man stood there, slowly extending his slender fingers, as if tightly gripping the purple figure below.
Then—he clenched his hand sharply.
The young man began trembling uncontrollably, bending over and covering his expression completely.
Seeing him shaking with excitement, Chen Xuan and Huo Qianyun exchanged a glance.
Their eyes carried the same thought: “Is he having another episode?”
At this moment, downstairs, as Yun Li slowly walked up the steps, she had no idea that above her, there was a predator watching her.
Like a bone-deep parasite.
Unrelenting, and ever-present.