Shen Wanyue withdrew her gaze and looked at Mu Suihe, who was still kneeling on the ground.
She bent down, helped her up from the floor, led her to the bedside to sit down, and took a clean towel to wipe the tear stains from her face.
“Suihe, with artistic talent like yours, being so considerate of the Shen Family, your big sister is truly overjoyed.” Shen Wanyue’s voice was incredibly gentle.
“How about this from now on, call me Big Sister.”
Mu Suihe raised her reddened, tearful eyes and looked at her timidly. “Then, Big Sister, will you protect me? I’m scared.”
Shen Wanyue patted the back of her hand, her smile warm as a spring breeze. “Of course.”
“As long as you’re obedient, Big Sister, as the eldest daughter of the Shen Family and its heir, will definitely protect you.”
The prerequisite for protection was obedience.
Mu Suihe lowered her head, her lashes falling to conceal the emotion in her eyes.
She nodded slightly, her voice soft and frail. “Suihe will be obedient.”
Her thoughts returned to the present.
At Shen Wanyue’s signal, Mu Suihe went upstairs.
Shen Wanyue watched her walk away, and only after making sure she was out of earshot did she turn her head.
She looked at Shen Jinxin’s sulky face in front of her and poked her forehead. “I don’t care about your little squabbles, but don’t let me see you pinch her again.”
Shen Jinxin’s eyes were already red, and she looked as wronged as a child. “Sis, not only did you let her call you Big Sister, but you’re also favoring her like this.”
“Do you like her more than you like me?”
Shen Wanyue sighed, exasperated. “You’re hopeless.”
“Jinxin, ever since you won the Venus Gold Award, haven’t those young noblemen been flocking to you?”
“Even socialites from families more powerful than the Shen Family are jealous of you.”
“Just now, even Song Shiqian, who never bothers with you, looked at you in a whole new light.”
“If the Shen Family can form ties with the Song Family and the Lu Family, wouldn’t that be rising to the top in a single bound?”
Shen Jinxin thought about it—it was indeed true.
The two of them, sisters, still needed to rely on this seductress’s artistic talent, so they couldn’t touch her for now.
Shen Wanyue spoke again. “The Ninth Master was an unexpected windfall. Elder Lu personally arranged the marriage, and he didn’t even object—that alone is tremendous honor for the Shen Family.”
“But you saw the Ninth Master’s attitude.”
“Tonight when I offered him grapes, he didn’t even glance at them. This marriage may not go through.”
“But Song Shiqian is different. He doesn’t have that much experience—you must hold on to him.”
Shen Jinxin pouted. “How am I supposed to hold on to him? Didn’t you see Mu Suihe making eyes at Shiqian today? And I can’t even lash out at her.”
“Let me finish.” Shen Wanyue pressed down on her shoulder.
“Capturing Song Shiqian isn’t just about romance—it’s about seizing the Shen Family’s chance to soar.”
“There’s word that the Ninth Master doesn’t want children and is selecting an heir from among the Lu Family’s younger generation.”
“Song Shiqian is the nephew he favors. If he truly inherits the Lu Family in the future, he won’t just be some eldest young master of the Song Family—he’ll be the head of the number one financial empire.”
“Jinxin, you need to think long-term.”
Shen Jinxin nodded half-understanding, but the jealousy on her face hadn’t faded. “But Sis, I still can’t stand how you favor her.”
“And with her standing in my way, using that face to seduce Shiqian, how am I supposed to marry him?”
“Help me come up with a plan—we have to deal with her first.”
Shen Wanyue frowned and fell silent for a moment.
She thought of Bright Moon, and of Mu Suihe’s hands, hands that could coax heavenly music from a guzheng.
People in the arts inevitably had a certain pride. Mu Suihe was only obeying so meekly now because she was afraid their father would strike at her again.
But they couldn’t push her too far. Even a cornered rabbit bites. If it ever came to a fight to the death and the matter of the gold award got exposed, the Shen Family couldn’t afford that disgrace.
So for the next few years, they would still need her, they couldn’t mistreat her openly.
Shen Wanyue’s voice was calm. “Not now. Later, once she’s completely lost her usefulness, we’ll send her off as a gift.”
Shen Jinxin’s eyes lit up, the jealousy on her face instantly replaced by excitement. “Really?”
“Really.” Shen Wanyue nodded.
Looking at her younger sister, whose every emotion played openly across her face, Shen Wanyue sighed again.
This girl was spoiled and vivacious by nature nothing like her, the eldest daughter raised as an heir since childhood. She lacked both cunning and strategy.
She couldn’t even hide her own emotions. How could she possibly feign reserve and mystery in front of a playboy like Song Shiqian, who had seen countless women?
At this rate, whether she could win Song Shiqian over was questionable.
Wait—a vivacious, spoiled heiress, and a pure, delicate White Lotus Female Lead?
An idea flashed through Shen Wanyue’s mind. “Jinxin, you know those novels where a Supporting Female Character’s Counterattack against the White Lotus Female Lead gets hyped up by all the lowly masses—have you heard of them?”
Shen Jinxin perked up immediately. “Of course! I don’t even dare act too wild in public anymore.”
“Those novels are all about heiresses like us, who use their family status to bully the poor, pitiful White Lotus, only to end up despised by the male lead and ruined.”
“Meanwhile, those women who look pure and fragile wrap the male lead around their fingers, every one of them.”
“Sis, tell me—how could any man like them instead of noble ladies like us?”
Shen Wanyue smiled mockingly. “Look at how many mistresses Father keeps outside. Song Shiqian’s female companions have never been in short supply either.”
“A man’s mind is nothing like your naive little notions.”
She looked at her sister’s face, so incapable of concealing anything. “Jinxin, there’s a way. You won’t need to pretend to be kind, or pretend to be magnanimous.”
“Just keep being your bright, vivacious young-lady self—but have a backup plan.”
Shen Jinxin was puzzled. “What backup plan?”
Shen Wanyue spoke unhurriedly. “Do you know why the vicious supporting female characters in those novels always fail in the end?”
“It’s not because they aren’t ruthless enough. It’s because they’re stupid they expose their weaknesses in front of everyone, and the White Lotus seizes the chance to turn it against them.”
“So, bullying is fine, but never let yourself get caught with evidence and you can even turn the tables.”
“From now on, you can bully her without anyone noticing, just don’t leave any marks.”
“If she goes crying to Song Shiqian, you produce evidence proving she lied, making Shiqian disappointed in her and guilty toward you.”
“That way, you don’t have to demean yourself by playing the bigger person, and the man will still feel you’ve been wronged.”
Shen Jinxin’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, and she threw herself at her sister, hugging her arm. “You really do have all the answers, Sis!”
“That’s exactly how the heiress supporting characters in those novels turn things around making the male lead believe he misunderstood them.”
Shen Wanyue patted her head. “Go back, dig out those novels, and study them properly. Memorize the plots.”
“Being good at the pipa isn’t enough, you need cunning too.”
Shen Jinxin nodded vigorously, her mind already scheming.
She could smile warmly at Mu Suihe in front of others, while still making her move in private.
If Mu Suihe couldn’t take it and went crying to Shiqian, she would produce the evidence and witnesses she’d long prepared, proving she hadn’t been there at all—proving that Mu Suihe was lying to win sympathy.
The more Shen Jinxin thought about it, the more excited she became. “It’s not me bullying her—it’s her, scheming and deep, framing me to win pity and seduce men.”
Shen Wanyue watched her sister finally see the light and nodded in satisfaction.
Outside the window, the night was deep, yet the light in the guest room upstairs was still on.
Neither of them knew that Mu Suihe was sitting on the edge of the bed, a sketchbook spread before her, a guzheng drawn on the paper.
Head lowered, her almond eyes no longer held the timidity from before, she was quiet and gentle, like a completely different person.