In order to make a good impression in front of this big brother, Liang Danyi wanted nothing more than to use all the tricks up her sleeve to make herself appear well educated, sensible, and graceful.
However, she neglected to notice the contempt in Qi Yuan's eyes as she rushed to the door and tried to make him notice her.
"Big brother is completely righteous, so of course he wouldn't lie. But Yun Xi, big brother was kind enough to rescue you, so you can't take advantage of him to frame my mom! How could you bear to do that to him?"
Liang Danyi pretended to feel indignation for Qi Yuan while directly pushing the blame onto Yun Xi.
They were obviously the ones who had harmed her, but with this one statement, she had turned Yun Xi into an ungrateful person who had taken advantage of a savior to attack her own family!
This changed the topic while also turning Yun Xi into a pariah.
This Liang Danyi was much smarter than Liang Xinyi, her older sister, who only knew how to pretend to be demure and sensible!
Yun Xi glanced at Liang Danyi's disgustingly coy self, then looked at Qi Yuan who was completely ignoring her. The corners of her lips subtly curled.
"Whether I am taking advantage of the older brother or simply telling the truth, the older brother knows much better than you. You're claiming I'm speaking nonsense just because I don't have evidence? I can only hope that Auntie is able to sleep at night!"
She turned around and purposely looked at Chen Lixue with a slightly sarcastic smile.
"Why wouldn't I be able to sleep at night? There is no evidence, and this wretched girl is pushing all the blame on me. Even though I raised you like my own daughter, this is how you want to repay me?!"
Chen Lixue didn't feel any shame when she said such things.
Several of the neighbors knew the entire truth about how Chen Lixue had treated Yun Xi every day. They all revealed distasteful looks when they heard this.
With her eyes half squinted, Yun Xi gave a bright and infuriating smile to Chen Li Xue.
"Auntie, no need to fret! When I go back to Jingdu and bring Cousin back, I'll make sure to 'properly' repay you for all your generosity!"
Chen Lixue instantly panicked when she heard that Yun Xi still intended to return to Jingdu.
She had done all of this in order to allow Liang Xinyi to replace her and sneakily steal away the position as the rich heiress. She had never expected that Yun Xi the little b*tch would survive!
If Yun Xi returned, then all of Chen Lixue's plans would be destroyed!
She wouldn't allow Yun Xi to go home, no matter what!
A thought crossed her mind, and Chen Lixue directly reached out to grab Yun Xi, squeezing tightly on her wrist.
Yun Xi's wrist had already been scratched by the dead branches and when it was squeezed like that, it hurt so much she exhaled sharply.
"No way! I won't let you leave! I raised you for so many years, and you want to leave before you repay me? How could anyone be as ungrateful as you?"
Yun Xi looked up and laughed at Chen Lixue's shamelessness.
"Auntie, you didn't spend a penny of the living allowances the Yun family has been sending all these years on me. I've only used the money earned by Uncle for all my food, supplies, and clothes, so I need to really repay him, but not you."
"What belongs to your uncle belongs to me; we don't separate the two! I'm also your auntie, so shouldn't you repay me?!"
Yun Xi latched onto Chen Lixue's sore spot and smiled. "I already told you earlier: bring Cousin back, and I'll naturally repay you!"
"That's not necessary! You can repay me by staying in our home!"
"Since Auntie is so reluctant to bring Cousin back, doesn't that mean you're guilty? I'm a daughter of the Yun family, not your Liang family! You had Cousin replace me and return to the Yun family. But if you can't get rid of me, Liang Xinyi can only use the last name of Liang and she can't change into a Yun! That's why you did such an evil thing and pushed me off the cliff!"
Yun Xi was a child who had been fostered by the Liangs to begin with. However, Chen Lixue was so adamant about her not leaving and had desperately latched onto Yun Xi to forbid her from going back to the Yuns.
Also, Liang Xinyi wasn't even there. The spectating villagers could figure out what was going on.
They dared to assume that Chen Lixue really had committed an atrocious act in order to allow her own precious daughter to replace the real Yun Xi and enter the Yun family. She had pushed the real Yun heiress down a cliff!
How abhorrent!
Everyone instantly changed the way they looked at Chen Lixue. They whispered to each other and showed all sorts of contempt and disdain.
Chen Lixue also realized that she had reacted too strongly when she overheard the villagers' comments.
Before she could even let go, a dark shadow ran out from the crowd and shoved Chen Lixue aside. He grabbed Yun Xi's arm with great concern.
"Yun Xi! It's really you! You're still alive! This is great!"
Yun Xi looked up. The anxious young man in front of her was none other than her only childhood friend from the village, Tang Cheng.
She was destined to bring bad luck to her entire family as the star of death; this was originally just something the fortune teller had said. However, Chen Lixue the big mouth had publicized this so none of the other children in the village had dared to approach her. Tang Cheng had been the only exception.
As soon as Tang Cheng opened his mouth, it allowed Yun Xi to latch onto the main point.
All the villagers had assumed she had returned to Jingdu, and Tang Cheng was the only one who had thought she was dead. Could it be...
"I clearly saw your Auntie push you off the cliff, and I thought you had died. Luckily, you survived. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had anyone else to play with!"
"Tang Cheng, it was really you..."
Fortunately, she had an eye witness.
Tang Cheng's loud voice directly proved Chen Lixue's crime. All the villagers began pointing at Chen Lixue to scold her for her vile behavior.
In the face of all those accusations, Chen Lixue didn't forget to defend herself. "What are you all squawking about?! Which one of your eyes saw me push her down?!"
"Both my eyes saw it! It was right next to the banyan tree; there are still footprints there! Should I bring everyone there to take a look?"
After having learned about Chen Lixue's brazen shamelessness and having personally witnessed how Yun Xi had been pushed off, Tang Cheng was filled with indignation.
"Uncle Liang, I don't want to interfere with your family matters, but your wife is truly too evil. This won't do! I need to go to town and report this to the police!"
Tang Cheng patted Yun Xi's shoulder. "I'll certainly bring justice to you! Your auntie was truly too evil this time!"
"Report to the police? Report what to the police?! Without any evidence, it's obviously just you two wretched children framing me! I am the wife of the Village Principal! What could you even do to me without any evidence?!"
Chen Lixue also hadn't thought there had actually been an eyewitness. She panicked even more and screamed even louder!
She was basically gearing up to go rogue and act even more shamelessly!
"I am still the son of the clan elder! What I witnessed is still evidence! Just you wait. I'll make you go to jail, no matter what!"
"You, you..."
Chen Lixue couldn't continue lying to herself and others, so she wailed as she grabbed Liang Weimin.
"Old Liang, can't you say something?! You can't possibly want me to go to jail, too?"
Liang Weimin looked at Chen Lixue, who was so thick-skinned even bullets couldn't get through to her. He had truly lost all face before the villagers today.
Liang Weimin viciously shoved Chen Lixue's hand away, his expression ruthless. "Yun Xi is my niece. How could you do such a thing?!"
How could he not have seen what Chen Lixue was plotting?
She was trying to allow her own daughter to replace her niece and enjoy a life of luxury. How could she scheme such a thing?
"Old Liang! Don't believe the nonsense they're spouting. I'm your wife! Won't you help me?"
Chen Lixue was frantic and angry after seeing Liang Weimin disrespect her before all those other people. She was deathly afraid that Yun Xi the little b*tch would really make her go to jail!
"Chen Lixue, I'm telling you that I won't let this incident go! I'll make you pay later on!"
Liang Weimin snorted derisively before sternly warning Chen Lixue. He then turned around to look at Qi Yuan, who was standing on the side.
"Brother, thank you for rescuing Yun Xi. I'm afraid I can't repay you for your great kindness—"
Qi Yuan didn't allow him to finish speaking before reaching out to interrupt, "That's not necessary. We did rescue her, but she also saved our Master last night. Come to think of it, this young girl is our savior right now."
"She saved your Master?"
Liang Weimin's mentality as a small-time villager gave him a natural sense of respect and awe toward those holding higher rank than him.
"That's right. Since she's our savior, we cannot allow her to suffer from wrongdoings either. The situation is already very clear. As the Village Principal, you cannot protect this criminal!"
Qi Yuan was finally able to clearly see it all now. The uncle was useless, the aunt was evil, and this young girl had probably suffered immense amounts of bullying from this household.
"This... this matter..."
Liang Weimin originally had intended to gloss over this matter and minimize the entire thing.
Since this was his own family matter, Yun Xi wasn't too surprised at all.
Liang Weimin was very embarrassed since it wouldn't look good for anyone if this incident escalated.
He turned around to look at Yun Xi standing behind him. This young man was obviously here to support Yun Xi. As long as Yun Xi let this incident go, Liang Weimin would be able to teach Chen Lixue whatever lesson he wanted behind closed doors.
After all, embarrassing family matters should never go public.
"Yun Xi, do you think..."
If Chen Li Xue was actually sent to jail, Liang Weimin wouldn't be able to keep his job as Village Principal. Their family wouldn't be able to continue staying in Yang Village either.
Yun Xi glanced at Chen Lixue's unrepentant expression. She was truly shocked by her shamelessness!
However, she had already achieved her goal today.
From now on, all the villagers from Yang Village would avoid Chen Lixue when they saw her!
All those years ago, Chen Lixue had used her big mouth to scare all the villagers from approaching Yun Xi. They were terrified they would be cursed to death by her.
Now, Yun Xi would also give Chen Lixue a taste of what it was like to be hated by the entire village.
As long as Chen Lixue remained in Yang Village, she would bear the burden of this evil crime and live under the glares and sneers of everyone else.
Slow torture was much more satisfying than a quick, fatal stab.
"Uncle, I'm already fine. Just let this go!"
Yun Xi turned around and looked at Chen Lixue with a half-smile. "Auntie wants nothing more than for me to die, but I can't be ungrateful. I still need to 'repay' her!"
Chen Lixue shivered from Yun Xi's eyes. She gritted her teeth and endured in silence.
After all, the charge of imprisonment was too unpleasant. She didn't want to push herself into the fire pit.
However, Tang Cheng was relentless. He viciously glared at Chen Lixue. "Yun Xi, you're going to let her off just like that?!"
"Am I not fine now? So we should just minimize the situation!"
Liang Weimin gave her a grateful look and nodded. He felt so guilty he couldn't even think of anything to say.
Yun Xi sighed and turned her head away as she walked toward Qi Yuan. She smiled awkwardly at him.
"Brother Qi, thank you for bringing me home! I won't take up any more of your time now. You should go back!"
Qi Yuan spoke up for her justice earlier and Yun Xi accepted this favor. She would repay him in the future.
"Ok then, you take care." Qi Yuan didn't say much more before walking outside.
Liang Danyi quickly ran out and pushed through the crowd, "Big brother, I'll walk you out!"
Yun Xi rolled her eyes and shot Tang Cheng a look before going inside the house.
Tang Cheng also followed inside the house and took advantage of the short break while Liang Weimin and Chen Lixue were calming down the villagers outside. He succinctly told her everything he needed to say.
As soon as Chen Lixue entered the house, she saw Tang Cheng sitting in the chair like he was a lord. Her anger flared as she lunged over without holding back.
"Get the hell out of here! You're not welcome here!"
Because of him, she was nearly reported to the police and arrested just now. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have been so embarrassed before all the villagers!
Tang Cheng sneered as he stood up. "Auntie Liang, don't act like a banshee to me. It won't do you any good to offend me! Don't forget about the evil things you've done! You just have to tell me if you want to go to jail. I'll have my dad go to town and fulfill your wish!"
"You, you..." Chen Lixue jabbed a finger at Tang Cheng, lips quivering but unable to continue speaking.
"If I find out that you're bullying Xun Yi again, you can get ready to go to jail!"
Since Tang Cheng had blackmail to use against her, Chen Lixue didn't dare to act aggressively toward him. When she glared at Yun Xi, it was like she wanted nothing more but to cut into her flesh and drink her blood.
Compared to the rage burning in Chen Lixue's heart, Yun Xi was in a rather good mood. She found a bottle of ointment from a corner and rubbed it on the bruises on her arms.
As soon as Liang Weimin walked inside, Chen Lixue instantly wiped the evil expression off her face.
Liang Weimin took some money out of his pocket and passed it to Yun Xi. "Yun Xi, go to Auntie Yang's at the village entrance and buy a chicken. Uncle will make some soup for you and replenish your strength."
Yun Xi could tell that her uncle was purposely sending her away so he could start teaching Chen Lixue a lesson. She didn't want to stick around to watch the show either, so she took the money and grabbed Tang Cheng before walking out.
Although her uncle was weak, he was very manly before Chen Lixue.
He lost all face today, and Yun Xi wasn't at all curious about how he would make Chen Lixue pay. Anyway, Chen Lixue couldn't take advantage of her today.
As expected, they could hear Chen Lixue's shrill screaming and the sound of shattering objects not long after leaving the house.
Yun Xi and Tang Cheng shared a look before walking to the village entrance with a smile.
Liang Danyi chased Qi Yuan for a long time but was unable to flirt with him at all. She was even sprayed with a mouthful of car exhaust, so the anger pent up in her stomach was ready to be vented.
Turning around, she saw Yun Xi and Tang Cheng walking side by side on the road. Their chatter and laughter was an especially glaring eyesore!
"Yun Xi, it's so great that you're still alive!"
There was always a blessing after surviving a disaster. This was already a great blessing amidst misfortune!
"Yes! It's so great to be alive!"
Yun Xi sighed quietly. There was probably no one else who knew better than her about what it felt like to be reborn.
"Wretched girl, stand right there!"
Liang Danyi ran over and grabbed Yun Xi's arm, "You wretched girl, you're getting braver, huh? How dare you frame my mom in front of all the other villagers?! I'll make you pay!"
Yun Xi glanced at Liang Danyi's fingernails secretly digging hard into her flesh. She smiled subtly and flipped her wrist to grab Liang Danyi's arm and push it outwards.
The speed was too quick, so Liang Danyi's arm wasn't able to retract in time before it cracked loudly. It was immediately dislocated!
"Ouch..." The intense and throbbing pain instantly made Liang Danyi cry painfully out loud. Her face was ashen as she glared viciously at Yun Xi.
"Wretched girl! You dare to touch me..."
"Liang Danyi, you asked for this."
Yun Xi casually withdrew her hand and calmly looked at Liang Danyi's poisonous glare. She didn't pay any attention to her little tricks.
"You..." Cradling her dislocated arm, Liang Danyi was in so much pain that her teeth chattered.
"You dare to cross me! Don't you want to live in my house anymore?! Don't you forget; you're using the Liang's money for everything you eat, use, and wear. Offending me is no good for you!"
"You guys know better than anyone else if I am actually using the Liangs' money or if your family is the one taking advantage of the Yuns. Don't think that all of you can ascend from the pits just because Liang Xinyi went to the Yun's home. As long as I'm still alive, I won't let you guys live very happily. It's not that easy to take advantage of Yun Xi!"
"You! Don't get smug too soon. My mom will never allow you to return to Jingdu!"
No matter what, the Yuns from Jingdu was their shortcut to a future of luxury and riches. They would never allow this wretched girl to go back, no matter what!
"Oh really? I'm afraid your mom can't even protect herself right now!"
As she spoke, she glanced at the house. The sounds of Chen Lixue's crying and screaming rang out, and Liang Danyi's face instantly fell.
Just as she was about to run inside the house, Yun Xi grabbed her arm to pull downward. With another crack, Yun Xi returned Danyi's arm to normal.
Liang Danyi stared blankly at her and couldn't even scream in time before the pain in her arm seemed to disappear.
Was this wretched girl injected with chicken blood today? How dare she lay a hand on her!
Also, her bone-aligning skills seemed to be even more impressive than the village's barefoot doctor!
She wiggled her arm in disbelief and ensured it was fine before sighing in relief.
If her arm was actually broken, she would surely kill this little b*tch!
Yun Xi didn't bother with her. She dragged a shocked Tang Cheng outside and tightly clutched the key she had smoothly stolen off of Liang Danyi.
With a shock, Tang Cheng looked at Yun Xi, who seemed to be quite different from normal. He swallowed hard and didn't know what to say for a very long time.
"Yun Xi, are you all right?"
Yun Xi's fearsome display from earlier was so cool that he didn't dare to look directly at her!
He usually only saw Liang Xinyi and her sister bully her. Yun Xi never argued or fought back. However, not only did he witness her fight back today, but she was also so quick, accurate, and vicious. He couldn't believe this at all!
"I'm fine. Tang Cheng, I will never be weak again after dying the last time!"
Looking up, her burning gaze sparked with brilliance. Like bits of starlight, the flowing light overflowing with color.
They passed by the Tang's home on the way, and Tang Cheng sneakily ran home to bring a little, tin box back to Yun Xi.
"Yim Xi, I know you need to return to the Yun family. Take this with you."
Perplexed, Yun Xi glanced at the slightly rusted, tin box. As soon as she opened it, she saw it was completely filled with a thick wad of cash.
"What are you giving me money for? I'm only going home. I won't need to spend much money."
This silly boy—was he worried that she didn't have enough money to go home?
While Chen Lixue was harsh toward her, she was still able to glean a bit of the annual allowance money given by her uncle from between Liang Xinyi and her sister's tight clutches.
"You take this! Even if you're just going home, you still need to spend money on the way there!"
Tang Cheng forcibly pushed the box toward her and rubbed his head with a shy smile.
"I will take the university entrance examination this year and go to Jingdu. Wait for me to find you!"
Yun Xi looked up. Her lucid eyes revealed a hint of bittersweetness as they reflected Tang Cheng's optimistic and handsome face.
Blinking her eyes, she nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay then... you must work hard!"
In her previous life, she had turned against Tang Cheng just because of one thing Han Yaotian had said. She had assumed all of Tang Cheng's concerns and warnings were ulterior motives.
Even now, she could recall his back facing her when he turned to leave in the rain; he had been so disappointed and powerless.
She refused to see past her obsession and finally ended up hurting the person who truly cared about her.
"Tang Cheng, I'm sorry... but thank you!"
"Silly! We grew up together. What do you need to thank me for?"
He raised a hand to pat her on the head. His boyish briskness and optimism were like the warm sunshine in the early spring, beaming with spring energy.
"Hurry home, now! I need to go to school tomorrow, so I won't be sending you off, but remember to call me when you get back to the Yun's home!"
"Okay! I know!"
Yun Xi nodded vigorously and squinted her eyes into a smile as she waved at him.
Parting ways for the sake of an even better reunion.
In this lifetime, she would never disappoint anyone who treated her well ever again.
As soon as Yun Xi stepped into the threshold of the home, Chen Lixue instantly looked up at the noise. She had been cleaning the house, and her face was red and swollen.
Her uncle probably taught Chen Lixue a harsh lesson, so she glared at her with extra poison in her eyes.
"Yun Xi, go back to your room and clean up. Uncle will take you back to the Yun family after dinner."
Before Yun Xi could even respond, Chen Lixue threw down her broom and lunged at him.
"Old Liang, have you gone crazy?! If you send her back, then what about Xinyi?!"
"You need to shut up! You were the one to cause all the trouble! That's the Yun family, not the Liang family!"
Liang Weimin's expression has just calmed down before it darkened once again. "And you still want to swap a leopard cat for a prince. Dream on!"
"But Xinyi has already joined the Yun family. By the time you get there, maybe everyone in the Yun family will have already accepted Xinyi! If you take this girl over there like that, then what would the Yuns think? How would Xinyi stand to live on? She has such strong self-esteem. If she can't accept this and becomes stubborn—"
"Becomes stubborn?" Liang Weimin sneered, his expression full of derision, "Why would she become stubborn about something that never even belonged to her in the first place?"
Chen Lixue instantly panicked. "Old Liang! That's our daughter!"
She was only thinking about how she could help Liang Xinyi secure a good path, so they could all upgrade their statuses in the future.
Chen Lixue also believed that Liang Xiuqin was the one to steal away something that belonged to her, so it was only right that she sent her daughter to claim it back today.
"So you still remember she's your daughter? When you sent her to the Yuns, did you consider that she's your daughter? I've never seen someone so greedy for fame and fortune that they would send their own daughter out to impersonate someone else! Do you know how shameless you are?!"
"How am I shameless? Maybe Liang Xiuqin is very happy with what I've done! Do you think she cares about this Yun Xi very much? If she really cared, how could she not have asked about her in over ten years? This wretched girl was born to be a star of death and even cursed Liang Xiuqin's son to death. She loathed to even have this daughter! Xinyi is destined to a life of wealth, and if she replaces this wretched girl by returning to the Yuns, maybe it won't affect the Yun's fortune. Maybe Liang Xiuqin will have to thank me in the future!"
"You're really not the typical level of shamelessness!"
Liang Weimin sneered angrily at her shamelessness. How could she do such vile things and still be so righteous and believe it's no matter?