Five

After Zhou Xueqin went upstairs, Ye Hua trembled slightly all over, her head lowered. She gently tugged at Ye Yin’s sleeve and whispered, barely audible, “Sister, let’s just go home…”

Ye Yin pulled her little sister into her arms, chuckling softly. “Scaredy-cat! It’s alright. Trust me.”

Perhaps it was because Ye Yin had been unusually reliable lately, Ye Hua managed to find some confidence and nodded heavily. While that mother and daughter were upstairs, talking about something unknown, Ye Yin leaned back and began to survey the room’s furnishings with an air of casual boldness.

One word summed up her impression: cramped.

Their late mother, Mrs. Ye, had preferred the Summer Palace series designed by Princess RD. Whether it was the receiving room or the study, everything carried a touch of that youthful elegance, subtle yet noble, a style reminiscent of traditional Chinese landscape painting—well-composed, with artful empty spaces suggesting endless refinement and imagination.

But Zhou Xueqin, being shallow and vain by nature, and harboring deep envy and resentment toward her husband’s elder sister, was determined to erase every trace of Mrs. Ye’s presence when she became the actual mistress of the house. Lacking both taste and upbringing, she could only imitate scenes from soap operas, filling the home with garish and ostentatious displays: Turkish handwoven carpets, masterpieces in bronze, gaudy thousand-leaf crystal chandeliers… She had forcibly transformed the place into the epitome of a vulgar nouveau riche’s dwelling, short only of gilding the toilet bowl.

Jiang Wen called again. Ye Yin spoke with her quietly for a moment, then hung up, a sly, cat-and-mouse smile appearing on her face.

“Why should we let that little tramp have her way? Mom, you heard her just now—how nasty she was!” came a sharp voice from upstairs.

“Let her have her fun for now. She won’t be so pleased in a moment,” Zhou Xueqin sneered. “We’ve worked for years for this day.”

Yi Yun blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Zhou Xueqin leaned in and whispered a few words in her daughter’s ear. The anger vanished from Yi Yun’s face, replaced by gloating delight. “Exactly! We won’t give those little tramps a stitch to wear—let them crawl out naked! And from now on, we don’t acknowledge those paupers as relatives. So embarrassing!”

Zhou Xueqin tapped her daughter’s forehead. “You were too harsh just now. What if she refuses to sign? Go down and apologize, have a proper meal together. When your brother gets back, I’ll sweet-talk her—she’ll fall for it.”

Yi Yun curled her lip in disdain.

When the mother and daughter descended the stairs, Ye Yin immediately recognized the signs—they’d clearly been plotting some petty malice, as her stubborn-as-a-mule cousin forced a smile and said, “Let’s eat.”

After all, they were eating their own food; Ye Yin felt not the least bit awkward. As soon as the table was set, before Zhou Xueqin could even feign hospitality, Ye Yin had already ladled the choicest sea cucumber broth for Ye Hua, admonishing her with a loving tone, “Eat more, you’re so thin.” She then complained to the maid Xiao Hu, “Where’s the lemon juice? You know I like it with this dish, don’t you?” As if remembering something, she warmly invited Zhou Xueqin and Yi Yun, “Aunt, cousin, why aren’t you eating? Don’t be shy, treat it as your own home.”

Ye Hua’s hand shook so badly she almost dropped her spoon.

Zhou Xueqin’s words caught in her throat and had to be swallowed with difficulty. Yi Yun was nearly suffocating with rage—her mother’s warnings kept her from tearing the mask just yet, so she busied herself grabbing dishes with desperate speed. In truth, she was long accustomed to gourmet feasts; none of this food was special to her. But she simply couldn’t bear the sisters competing with her for anything. All the best things had to be hers—must be!

The meal was over quickly. Ye Yin stretched lazily and said to Wang Ma, “The trip back was exhausting. Go get things ready—I want a bath.”

Ordinarily, she’d never have been able to order Wang Ma around. But today, Ye Yin’s strange and assertive demeanor had everyone bewildered and cowed, even the maids. When her clear gaze landed on Wang Ma, the woman found herself heading to the bathroom without a second thought. Zhou Xueqin finally lost patience and snapped, “Wang Ma!”

All eyes turned to her. Her expression shifted rapidly, finally settling into a gentle smile. “Go ahead. And use the aromatherapy oil I bought, the one in the second drawer on the left. Yin Yin, you must try it—it’s wonderful.”

Ye Yin laughed to herself. How much more interesting it would be if Zhou Xueqin lost her temper now.

After a relaxing bath with Ye Hua, they sat in the tea room, sipping tea and chatting. Throughout, Ye Yin made pointed and not-so-pointed barbs, taunting the mother and daughter to the brink of explosion—even the usually sly, hypocritical Zhou Xueqin nearly lost her composure. At this critical moment, Yi Lei returned.

Zhou Xueqin, seeing her son, was like a prisoner receiving a pardon. She hurriedly had someone fetch his clothes and tea, signaling him to begin the day’s main act. Yi Lei was five years older than Yi Yun, and should have outgrown adolescence, but his face was still riddled with acne. It was as if he and his sister had swapped physiques in the womb—he was short, thin, with crooked eyes and a wide mouth. Even with his gold-rimmed glasses, he lacked any scholarly air.

“Why didn’t your father come home with you?” Zhou Xueqin asked.

“Someone from the company came to see him—a security guard or something. He told me to come home first.”

Noticing Ye Yin, he immediately donned a mannered, refined air, slowly seating himself across from her. “Sister, you’re here,” he greeted, slowly removing his glasses and lacing his fingers under his chin, as if his authoritative gaze could make his beautiful cousin blush. Unfortunately, he overdid it—his eyes crossed, stripping the pose of any dignity or intimidation.

Ye Yin responded absentmindedly; men like him weren’t worth a second look.

Yi Lei wanted to show off longer, to charm the poor “lamb” with his looks, but Zhou Xueqin’s insistent glances and Yi Yun’s loud coughs forced him to start. “You came at the perfect time. I have a document for you to sign.”

Ye Yin raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What kind of document?”

“Nothing major, just a procedural matter. Our company’s in trouble—a big corporation is trying to buy us out. We’re taking precautions. Please sign here.”

“Really? Give it to me, then.”

The three hadn’t expected Ye Yin to agree so readily, their prepared speeches wasted. Zhou Xueqin, quick on the uptake, smiled as she handed over the paper, one hand covering the main text, the other pointing to the signature line. “Just sign here, so the company doesn’t get taken over.”

Ye Yin smiled. “Aunt, why are you covering the top so tightly? Is there something to hide?”

Zhou Xueqin froze, but before she could reply, Ye Yin nimbly slid the paper away and examined it carefully. “Wait, isn’t this a share transfer agreement? And for no compensation?”

Yi Lei hurried to explain, “No, it’s only temporary—just to put the shares in our names so the takeover can’t happen.”

Yi Yun was impatient. “Are you signing or not? Don’t you know how to write your name? I’ll help you.” With that, she reached for Ye Yin’s hand.

Ye Yin slapped her across the face.

The blow was shockingly powerful; the burly Yi Yun was knocked clean off the sofa, falling face-first to the floor. She must have hit her mouth, for she let out an ear-splitting wail.

Zhou Xueqin and Yi Lei, terrified, scrambled to help, aided by several maids. Zhou Xueqin, having held back her rage all day, finally exploded, cursing Ye Yin, “You little slut, now you’re getting violent? Wang Ma, Xiao Hu, hold her down!”

Ye Yin herself was startled—she was strong, but not to such a degree. Could it be some supernatural force at work? But with the pretense gone, there was no reason to keep up appearances.

She fixed the approaching maids with a cold stare, not uttering a word.

Wang Ma and the others exchanged glances, rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

Zhou Xueqin became even more furious. “A dog would be more useful than you lot! Can’t a group of you handle a single girl? Ye Yin, you little wretch, if you don’t sign today, you’re not leaving this house!”

Yi Lei was furious as well. “She’s your cousin, and you hit her? Raised by wolves, were you?” He lunged at Ye Yin, who, disgusted by his appearance, didn’t hesitate to shove him hard. He tumbled head over heels, rolling from the side room to the main hall.

If Yi Yun’s fall had been an accident, this display of overwhelming strength made Ye Yin’s power unmistakable. Even Zhou Xueqin was frightened. “What are you doing? If anything happens to my son, you’ll pay for it!”

Yi Lei, humiliated, climbed to his feet, his eyes red as he glared at Ye Yin, but he dared not approach. As the standoff continued, the doorbell rang.

Zhou Xueqin burst out laughing. “Son, go open the door—it’s your father. I knew she’d be difficult today, so I had him bring security guards from the company to take her to my friend’s psychiatric hospital. Ye Yin, your mother was dumb, but you’re even dumber. Do you think a sharp tongue will get you anywhere these days? Rubbish! Whoever holds the money holds the power! So what if you’re the legal heir? If you go mad or something happens to your sister, we’re the legal heirs! Hahaha!”

Ye Yin had been a little concerned, but when she saw whom Yi Lei let in, she relaxed completely, lowering her head to study her nails.

Zhou Xueqin was still basking in her triumph, rambling on, “We’ve been merciful, leaving you alive all these years. Who knew you’d come seeking death? Once you’re in that place, I’ll have my friend take special care of you… Hey, what are you doing?!”

A striking woman in professional attire led more than thirty men in suits, ropes in hand, surrounding all three members of the Yi family and binding them tightly like parcels. Yi Lei struggled and cursed, “You idiots! You’ve got the wrong ones! Tie up those two little bitches instead!”

Jiang Wen didn’t spare Yi Lei a glance. She walked straight to Ye Yin’s side, saying coldly, “If you play with fire, mind you don’t get burned. If we’d been a moment later, you’d have been bitten by the dog you tried to beat.”

Author’s note: Happy Children’s Day, everyone! A Ba is off to write more. If writer’s block doesn’t strike, there may be a double update today—time is uncertain. If it’s too late, then there won’t be one, so don’t wait up~

[Ye Yin: Every time the author says something like this… you all know what it means.
A Ba (pointing like Aunt Xue): Nonsense!]