Aunt Zhang, who had been hiding in the kitchen this whole time, had long since stopped cooking. Hunched behind the door, she watched the unfolding drama with deep satisfaction.
That two-faced old witch—she showed one side of her face to everyone, and another behind their backs. When the old master and young master were home, she waited on them hand and foot, doing everything herself. But the moment the family was gone, she put on airs like she was the lady of the house, more demanding and exacting than any cruel landlady of old!
Today, finally, she’d gotten a wonderful taste of sweet revenge!
Just as the two were sitting comfortably on the sofa, sipping tea at their leisure, Xiao Shan walked in accompanied by Qin Mengshuang and her daughter Lin Jiaorui, chatting and laughing as they came.
Qin Mengshuang’s eyes lit up instantly. She hurried over in two quick strides, behaving like a servant attending to her master.
“Ah, Xiao, you’re back! Are you tired today? I’ve simmered chicken soup—you must drink plenty of bowls later. Once Father gets home from work, we can eat! Did you run into Jiaorui at the gate? We have a guest today, so I didn’t go out to meet you!”
Yu Wanzhi exaggeratedly rubbed her arms, as if brushing off goosebumps. “Ugh~~ My skin is crawling all over! No wonder you’ve got Father wrapped around your little finger—you certainly know how to fawn over someone better than the most sought-after courtesan in a brothel!”
Xiao Yunting flashed a bright, cheeky grin and eagerly chimed in, “That’s nothing—you haven’t seen the worst of it! When no one’s around, she’d practically lick the dust off my father’s toes! Truly, what a cheap creature born of a concubine!”
They were leaning close together, heads touching as they spoke—yet their voices were loud and clear, ringing through the room so that every single person heard every word perfectly. The three who had just entered all turned their eyes toward the sofa in unison.
“Yunting, Mengshuang is your elder. Watch your tongue. And this young lady is…?” Xiao Shan changed his shoes and stepped forward first, frowning.
Yu Wanzhi stood up and offered a faint, composed smile. “Hello, Sir. I’m Yunting’s friend. I’ve come to visit the capital for a few days—hope I’m not intruding!”
Xiao Shan’s jaw tightened. After years as a leader, there were precious few people who could rile him up with a single sentence…
“Ah… you may call me Uncle. Here in the capital, we call elderly men ‘Sir’—I’m hardly that old yet, surely!”
Qin Mengshuang walked over with her two children, her tone dripping with sugary false concern. “But didn’t you tell me before that you were some sort of cousin… or distant relation… to the Second Master of the Xiao family? How is it that now you’re merely a friend?”
“And if you’re just a friend, isn’t it rather improper for you to be staying here? What would outsiders think? How would it look for our Yunting when it comes time for him to marry? You’re not from here—you can simply leave whenever you please. But it’s his reputation that will suffer!”
Xiao Yunting leaned back, crossing his legs in a lazy, insolent posture, and let out a cold scoff. “My reputation’s been all but shredded to tatters by you over the years. Mind your own business—and keep a closer eye on your little baggage. Since when do you get to decide what I do?”
Yu Wanzhi laughed openly, without the slightest attempt to hide her amusement. “Her heart is tainted, so everything she sees appears tainted to her. Isn’t it true she moved in here under the pretense of caring for you? That’s why she assumes the very worst of me—I can hardly blame her!”
“But let me tell you, Auntie—you’ve got this all wrong. Just because you enjoy wallowing in filth doesn’t mean the rest of us do! Yunting and I are perfectly innocent—nothing like the sordid little tales you spin. There is such a thing as pure friendship between men and women. Isn’t there?”
Passive-aggressive remarks? Fine—she could play that game too!
Xiao Shan’s brows drew together sharply, his expression turning stern. “Young lady, if you are indeed Yunting’s friend, then your Uncle Xiao and I—and your Aunt Qin—are your elders. Respect toward one’s elders is the very foundation of decency. If you lack even that basic propriety, I shall not permit Yunting to remain ‘friends’ with you!”
“Who I befriend is my choice—and I don’t need anyone’s permission,” Yu Wanzhi replied, blinking innocently, her beautiful almond eyes wide and earnest. “Besides, I’m no fortune-teller peddling pleasantries on the street—I don’t deal in the kind of sweet words you’re so fond of hearing!”
Xiao Shan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This girl was sharp-tongued and quick-witted—she could cut someone down without uttering a single vulgar word. If he lost his temper, she’d accuse him of picking on someone younger. Yet if he held his tongue, he felt as though his heart might burst with indignation!
Xiao Shan might hold his peace, but Qin Mengshuang’s daughter Lin Jiaoruang could stand it no longer. Ever since she’d come to the Xiao family with her mother at the age of three, no outsider had ever dared to speak to them this way!
“Where did this bumpkin come from?! How dare you insult Uncle Xiao and my mother to our faces? Today, I’ll teach you some manners!” With that, she charged toward Yu Wanzhi—only to have Xiao Yunting plant a firm kick squarely in her stomach the moment she raised her hand.
Thud!
Lin Jiaorui tumbled hard to the ground, the impact knocking the very breath from her body.
“Jiaorui!”
Qin Mengshuang shrieked and rushed to her daughter’s side. She turned to Xiao Shan, eyes glistening with tears, voice trembling with hurt. “All these years, I’ve treated Yunting with nothing but kindness! Yet he’s bullied my daughter and me for more than a decade! When they were little, one might say it was just children roughhousing—but what of now?”
“Jiaorui is two years his senior! By every rule of custom, he ought to call her ‘sister’! Yet he strikes her without hesitation—all for the sake of a stranger! If he does not offer a proper apology and explain himself today, then my daughter and I have no choice but to end our lives!”
Before she could finish, a voice rang out—commanding, authoritative, and unmistakably stern.
“Go ahead then—if you’re so determined to throw your lives away! You’ve a perfectly good home here, yet you choose to threaten and carry on like this? Who do you think you’re intimidating?”
Xiao Yunting recognized the voice instantly. He pulled Yu Wanzhi quickly to her feet and stepped respectfully before the old master. “Grandfather… this is my friend, Yu Wanzhi. She’s fallen on hard times just now, so I’ve invited her to stay with us for a few days. Is that… alright?”
It was the first time Yu Wanzhi had ever seen him appear so guarded and deferential. In his prime, this man had always kept his emotions deeply hidden—rarely allowing anyone to guess what lay behind his eyes.
The old master wore a military uniform of deep forest green. He carried himself with the commanding presence of one born to lead. His gaze, sharp and piercing as an eagle’s, carried an air of quiet authority that commanded instant respect.
Yu Wanzhi offered him a shy, modest smile—neither overly forward nor timid. “Greetings, Grandfather Xiao. Please forgive the intrusion these few days.”
“Think nothing of it. Since you are Yunting’s friend, you may stay here comfortably. Should you require anything, simply speak with Aunt Zhang.” His tone was polite, yet distant—his eyes cool and unreadable, betraying neither warmth nor welcome.
“Father, Yunting—” Qin Mengshuang began, determined to press her grievance. Her daughter would not be struck without cause!
The old master waved her away, visibly irritated. “Whatever it is, it can wait. Do not make a scene and give Yunting’s friend cause to laugh at us. Xiao Shan—later, you shall speak with these two and set their thinking straight. If anyone is foolish enough to throw their life away over a trifle, it will bring nothing but shame upon the entire Xiao family!”
Xiao Shan sighed softly and said nothing. He too had grown weary of Qin Mengshuang’s constant threats. He’d spoken to her many times; each time she promised to change—yet whenever she felt wronged, the words spilled from her lips once more.
Yu Wanzhi pressed her lips gently together. A quiet sense of loss settled over her heart, gnawing away like ants—uncomfortable, yet familiar. She had seen the coldness in Grandfather Xiao’s eyes clearly. Having grown up in an orphanage, she had learned from childhood to read every shift in a person’s expression.
Yet in truth, what else could she have expected? Past life or present—this was their very first meeting. Coldness and reserve were only natural.