“Enough!”
Father Shi slammed the table with a heavy thud, then looked at Shi Qing with a complicated expression.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to cut ties with us? What are you doing here?”
“Old Shi!”
Mother Shi gave her husband a disapproving look, then turned to Shi Qing with an awkward smile to comfort her.
“Your father is just like that – he doesn’t mean to drive you away. Have you eaten? I’ll have them set another place for you.”
Mother Shi’s feelings toward Shi Qing were complex. While she kept reminding herself that this was her biological daughter and she should treat her well, the scales in her heart involuntarily tipped in favor of Shi Yi Yi.
After all, Shi Yi Yi was the child she had loved and cherished for over a decade. If she neglected her now, the girl would surely be heartbroken…
“Sure, I haven’t eaten yet anyway.”
Shi Qing casually took a seat beside Shi Yi Yi, completely ignoring Shi Mo’s murderous glare.
In the past, Shi Yi Yi had always been skilled at playing the delicate, kind-hearted role in front of the Shi family, often stirring conflicts between the original host and the family with just a few carefully chosen words. But today, she remained silent throughout.
Shi Qing grinned: “Yi Yi, why aren’t you saying anything today? Are you unhappy that I’m here?”
Hearing her question, Shi Yi Yi quickly covered her mouth, but her lips seemed to have a mind of their own as they spoke autonomously: “Since you know, why don’t you just get lost?”
The moment these words left her mouth, both Father and Mother Shi’s expressions turned grim.
Shi Yi Yi had been acting very strange today. Earlier, when the housekeeper accidentally stained her dress while cleaning, she would normally have just asked her to be more careful – after all, it was just a dress.
But today, she had showered the housekeeper with harsh criticism.
When Mother Shi went to comfort her, she too was met with sarcasm, being accused of only pretending to be kind. If she truly cared about Shi Yi Yi, why would she have sent her back?
Mother Shi had been shocked speechless.
After processing the words, she broke down in tears, only to be further mocked by Shi Yi Yi for being so old yet still using tears to gain sympathy…
…
Watching Shi Yi Yi’s face pale with terror, the smile in Shi Qing’s eyes deepened, though she maintained a hurt expression on her face.
“Yi Yi, I never realized you disliked me so much. Did I do something wrong?”
“I do hate you! If only my mother had strangled you to death back then—”
Even with her hand clamped over her mouth, the words still escaped.
Shi Yi Yi finally couldn’t take it anymore. She desperately covered her mouth, her eyes filled with immense humiliation and fear as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. She fled the dining room as if running for her life, retreating to her bedroom.
“Yi Yi!”
Shi Mo abruptly stood up, his deep eyes locking onto Shi Qing with disgust and hatred.
“Shi Qing! What have you done to Yi Yi?!”
“If you’ve been kicked in the head by a donkey, go see a doctor. Don’t bark at me here.”
Shi Qing maintained a lazy demeanor as she helped herself to a white shrimp.
These air-flown white shrimp were expensive and hard to find in regular markets. Since they were here, she might as well enjoy them.
“You—”
Shi Qing took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his rage. He no longer bothered arguing with Shi Qing and hurried off to comfort Shi Yi Yi.
At the dining table, Father and Mother Shi remained seated. Father Shi snorted coldly, though it was unclear whether he was angry with Shi Yi Yi or Shi Qing.Mrs. Shi’s eyes were red-rimmed, clearly still distressed inside.
The eerie atmosphere in the dining room didn’t affect Shi Qing’s appetite in the slightest. The Shi family’s housekeeper was truly skilled—she really wanted to hire one for herself to cook meals too.
Only after eating her fill did Shi Qing finally set down her chopsticks and offer a faint smile to Mr. and Mrs. Shi.
Then…
“Mr. Shi, Mrs. Wen, you’ve both heard what Shi Yi Yi said. I suspect she and Xue Mei might have known each other all along. I suggest you look into it.”
This was merely Shi Qing’s suspicion. She didn’t believe Xue Mei wouldn’t miss her own biological daughter, knowing where she was yet resisting the urge to see her.
Especially given what Shi Yi Yi had said earlier, she had reason to suspect that Shi Yi Yi had long been aware of her existence too.
If that were truly the case, then Shi Yi Yi was just as rotten to the core as her biological mother.
Originally, whether she voiced this or not made little difference, but given everything the Shi family had done to the original host, Shi Qing enjoyed delivering a crushing blow.
Why should the original host be the only one to suffer? Come on, let’s all fall apart together.
“Shi Qing, Yi Yi might just be tired lately. How can you say such things about her? She’s your family too,” Mrs. Shi began, immediately denying and scolding Shi Qing.
Mr. Shi threw his chopsticks down and slammed his palm heavily on the table, his eyes filled with nothing but utter disgust. “Shi Qing! You’re too malicious! Yi Yi has never thought of harming you and always has your best interests at heart, yet you constantly try to belittle and slander her. How did I end up with a daughter like you?”
“Ah, yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. So I’ve very conscientiously cut ties with you. From now on, you can keep Shi Yi Yi’s kindness all to yourselves.”
Shi Qing wiped the corner of her mouth nonchalantly, her indifferent demeanor only infuriating Mr. Shi further, as if he’d punched cotton with nowhere to vent his rage.
“I’m full now. Goodbye, Mr. Shi, and you too, Ms. Wen Si Pei. You can keep a ‘family member’ like Shi Yi Yi. I’m not fortunate enough to enjoy such blessings~”
Shi Qing waved at them cheerfully. Mrs. Shi turned pale, looking utterly disbelief. She couldn’t believe the daughter who used to be nervous yet delighted around her had become like this. What was she holding against them?
They’d already sent Yi Yi back to that wretched home. Why did she have to be so petty?
“Oh, I almost forgot something.”
Shi Qing suddenly turned back from the doorway, pulled out a megaphone from her backpack, and aimed it toward Shi Yi Yi’s bedroom on the second floor.
“Shi Yi Yi! This isn’t your home anymore. Stop shamelessly clinging here. If you want to cry, go home and do it!”
The megaphone’s volume was so loud it could be heard clearly not just in the Shi family’s villa, but in the neighboring one too.
After shouting once, Shi Qing, afraid she might not have heard, repeated it.
Mrs. Shi was stunned, her face blank with shock.
Mr. Shi was so angry the veins on his forehead bulged, and he swept all the dishes off the table with one furious motion.
“Get out—!”
As Shi Qing stepped out the door in high spirits, she glanced back and saw Shi Yi Yi standing on the balcony, her eyes crimson with venomous hatred.
Seeing this, Shi Qing immediately took out her phone and snapped a photo, startling Shi Yi Yi so much she ducked behind the curtains.
Tch~It was quite difficult to hail a taxi near the Shi family villa, especially since it was already getting dark.
Fortunately, Shi Qing had already booked a ride-hailing service online. By the time she reached the entrance of the residential area, the driver was already waiting.
“Driver, to ## Residential Area…”
After opening the car door and getting in, Shi Qing reported the address without looking up, her eyes fixed on her phone as she read the messages Feng Shuang Shuang had sent her.
After a day of treatment, He Yan Ting’s symptoms had improved somewhat.
As the saying goes, bad people live long. In the original plot, He Yan Ting, the obsessive male supporting character, was rotten to the core. He had harmed countless innocent young women, reserving all his tenderness for Shi Yi Yi alone.
Shi Qing curled her lips. Tonight, she would have Suihua crawl into his bed.