However, as it was just to buy medicine, Yun Xi refused to accept such an exorbitant amount of money.
Chen Yichen didn't waste any time talking with her about it either. He took out his card and told her to choose between the card and the cash.
"Little Yun Xi, you have to choose one of these two. If you don't want the cash, then take my card."
"I'm not your wife. Why would you give me your card?"
Yun Xi rolled her eyes at him. She didn't know whether he was too trusting or simply wasn't thinking too much about it. How could he give out his card so nonchalantly?
How could Jiang Wanyun not guess what he was up to upon seeing her son using both threats and temptations?
She liked Yun Xi, and she wouldn't mind having a daughter-in-law.
After she took the cash, Jiang Wanyun patted her on the shoulder. "Yun Xi, please just take it. If we had to entrust someone else with buying the medicine, the human, material, and financial resources spent might end up being more than this."
"Okay!" Since she knew she would return whatever money she didn't spend after buying the medicine, it was essentially the same thing.
Upon seeing her agree, Chen Yichen raised his hand and rubbed her head. "Good! I have to go back to work. You can stay and chat with my mother."
Yun Xi looked dazed as she touched her disheveled hair.
Why does everyone like to pat her head as if she was a dog?
...
As soon as Yun Ziling returned home, she started crying her eyes out and threw the unwanted gifts on the sofa.
Upon hearing the noise, Liang Xiuqin came downstairs and hurriedly ran to her as soon as she saw her baby girl sobbing.
"What happened? What happened? Did that wretched girl Yun Xi bully you again?"
"Mom! That wretched girl Yun Xi lied to us. The eldest son doesn't like this brand of racket at all. Madam Chen didn't even look at her scarf. She not only made you spend so much money, but she also made me accidentally smash Mrs. Chen's vase. Mrs. Chen kicked me out before I even had the chance to enter their house."
"Don't cry, don't cry!" Liang Xiuqin coaxed her while wiping away her tears. "Where is that wretched girl?"
She was pained that she had had to spend more than 3,000 yuan, and they had removed all the labels so the stuff couldn't even be returned.
It means that they hadn't gotten any favors, and 3,000 yuan had gone down the drain.
"Mrs. Chen made her stay for lunch, but kicked me out. I went to their house on behalf of the Yun family, but the wretched girl didn't help me at all and watched me get kicked out. I have suffered a complete embarrassment! She's not worthy of being my sister. How heartless of her. She has no concern for the Yun family at all, only herself."
"How dare that wretched girl treat you like that and bring shame on the Yun family like this! Just wait till she gets back. I'll break her legs! What a jinx, how useless."
Liang Xiuqin became more and more annoyed the more she thought about it. This wretched girl was exploiting the fact that the Chen family was indebted to her, and she was no longer taking her own family seriously.
Secretly, Liang Xinyi was taking delight in Yun Ziling having been embarrassed and decided to fuel the flame.
"Auntie, clearly that wretched girl Yun Xi deliberately made things difficult for Ziling because she wanted to intimidate you. If you don't stop her now, she won't ever take you seriously once she has the backing of both the Chen family and the Jiang family. Ziling is beautiful, so marrying into the Chen family shouldn't be a problem at all. If Yun Xi has meddled in this matter and ruined things between Ziling and their eldest son, then it's all going to be too late."
"I don't need you to tell me that. What a bad sister she is. I shouldn't have given birth to her in the first place."
She was a jinx! A scourge!
Yun Xi went home after she'd finished eating at the Chen's house. On her way home, she realized that Yun Ziling was going to throw a tantrum.
Therefore, she specially brought back the broken vase from Mrs. Chen's home.
Sure enough, as soon she stepped into the living room, Liang Xiuqin, Yun Ziling, and Liang Xinyi were sitting there waiting for her. They seemed to be waiting for her to come back so they could settle the issue.
"Mom, I'm back!"
Without giving any of them the opportunity to speak, Yun Xi slammed the broken vase she'd brought back on the tea table.
"This is the vase that second sister broke at the Chen family home. It is Mrs. Chen's most beloved antique vase. The butler said it was worth millions."
Liang Xiuqin snorted coldly without even looking at it.
Yun Ziling had started lying about what happened with the vase as soon as she had returned. She'd said that Mrs. Chen didn't seem to care, so naturally she'd thought that the vase had been broken by Yun Xi who was trying to pin it on Yun Ziling.
Evidently, Yun Xi had been the culprit. Otherwise, how could Mrs. Chen not care about such a precious thing.
"The vase was broken by your second sister because of you, yet you still want to pin this on her? You scourge, why are you so shameless?"
Yun Xi was both amused and enraged by her mother's words.
In order to shirk her responsibility, Yun Ziling had thrown her under the bus.
All right then! It was war!
Originally, Yun Xi had felt that this matter could be considered as "let bygones be bygones". If Yun Ziling didn't intend to cause trouble, she didn't intend to cause trouble either.
However, since her mother seemed to be asking for trouble, she would keep her entertained.
"Whether the vase was broken by me or Yun Ziling, Mrs. Chen watched it clearly. Would you like me to make a phone call and ask?"
"Ask what, you can't own up to your actions? If it wasn't you, why did you bring back the broken vase? Do you expect me to pay? In your dreams!"
"I really want you to pay, because Yun Ziling broke the vase. If she didn't break Mrs. Chen's vase, why was she kicked out of the Chen's house?"
As soon as she heard her mention getting kicked out of the Chen family's house, Yun Ziling started crying again..
"Sister, it was clearly your fault. You didn't even help me after I got kicked out. You are too cruel and heartless toward me."
She'd broken the vase. Yun Ziling knew that this matter couldn't be investigated, so the focus must be on her being kicked out of the Chen family's house. She wanted to make sure that her mother would unconditionally be against Yun Xi.
Upon hearing this, Yun Xi couldn't help but smile a little and stare coldly at the high-maintenance and pretentious Yun Ziling.
"In terms of conscience, I'm afraid you have none."
"Shut up this instant! Ziling was visiting on behalf of the Yun family, and even if you didn't want to help her, how could you side with outsiders who were rude to her? What sort of a sister are you? What use did it do to the Yun family to raise you?"
"She was visiting on behalf of the Yun family?" Yun Xi laughed sarcastically. "Mom, what do you think the Yun family's standing is in the eyes of the Chen family? I'm not going to sugarcoat things, but how could the Yun family compare to the four big families in Jingdu. The Jiang family has been so courteous toward our family simply because of grandfather. Last time you were around them, you offended Grandfather Jiang, who could make Dad suffer just by saying a few words. Did you really think that the Yun family is all high and mighty just because we live in a villa complex?"
"You...you scourge. If you look down on the Yun family so much, why did you come back? You should go back to the countryside! Don't think that just because the Jiang family and the Chen family support you now, that you're all high and mighty. What do you have now that wasn't given to you by the Yun family?"
Yun Xi's words had struck a nerve in Liang Xiuqin. These were sensitive topics, and she was already fuming with rage. She was truly infuriated at the moment.
"You all shut up, what are you all arguing about?" Coming down the stairs, Yun Yuanfeng had heard Yun Xi's words, and his face grew somber and dark.
Seeing Yun Yuanfeng come downstairs, Yun Xi opened her mouth and got straight to the point. "Dad, I heard you arguing with Mom yesterday. I also mentioned this to Mrs. Chen today."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yuanfeng's expression changed, and his eyes shone more brightly.
"What did Mrs. Chen say, will she help me?"
Grandfather Jiang wasn't there, so Mrs. Chen could help them negotiate with Mr. Jiang so that they wouldn't have any problems in the election.
But if no one helped, it was likely that he would get disqualified in this election, and there would be no hope of any future promotions.
"It wasn't difficult to ask her for help, but then Yun Ziling smashed Mrs. Chen's favorite antique vase, which is said to be worth millions. What Mrs. Chen then said was that she could use her debt to me for saving her eldest son to compensate for Yun Ziling breaking the vase or help Dad by putting in a word with Mr. Jiang. She asked me to choose one. I think Dad's future is more important, so I chose to ask her to help put in a word with Mr. Jiang. Then I brought back the vase fragments. The person who broke it will pay."
"What?!!"
Yun Yuanfeng was instantly stunned. Looking at the vase fragments on the tea table, he felt as if he had been drenched with a bucket full of cold water after being happy for a few seconds.
He suddenly turned his head to stare at Yun Ziling, who was sitting on the sofa, and he sounded breathless as he asked, "Yun Ziling, please explain to me what is going on!"
"Dad, it wasn't me! My sister has set me up. It's all her fault. It has nothing to do with me."
She couldn't afford to pay for such an exorbitant vase!
Mrs. Chen may not have pressed the issue with Yun Xi, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she wouldn't press the issue with her.
Liang Xiuqin was also getting anxious. Even though she knew that Yun Ziling had broken it, she could never admit to millions of yuan worth of compensation.
"Why are you yelling at your daughter? The vase was broken by Yun Xi, that wretched girl, and it has nothing to do with Ziling! She has always been so reliable. How could she not understand basic manners? If Ziling had broken it, the Chen family would have been at our door by now. It must have been Yun Xi's fault, that wretched girl, otherwise why would Mrs. Chen have given her options to choose from?"
Yun Yuanfeng didn't believe her lame excuse for even a second.
He had two daughters, one who cared about his future and another who only caused trouble for him.
Yun Xi stared at Yun Yuanfeng innocently. "Dad, Mom told my sister that I was awful because I watched Yun Ziling get kicked out of the Chen family house without helping her. However, she broke Mrs. Chen's beloved vase, so of course Mrs. Chen wouldn't let her stay. Of course, if I had broken it, Mrs. Chen would have had no need to let me choose an option. You all can say that I am mean, but I chose to help my dad. Mrs. Chen asked me to choose one option, so I had no choice. Now is the most critical time for Dad, and Dad's future is the most important thing."
Who didn't know how to play Goody Two-shoes? She wasn't so easy to bully either!
If Yun Ziling hadn't said anything, this matter could have been forgotten, since Mrs. Chen didn't really want to seek compensation for the vase anyway.
But if they were going to try and pin the blame on her, they would have to pay a price.
Yun Xi's words made Yun Yuanfeng feel relieved. He managed to quell his anger somewhat.
Money wasn't the way to deal with Mr. Jiang.
But as for that antique vase worth millions, although the Yun family could afford it, they would bear the financial burden for several years.
Although his position as vice president didn't make him much money, the money he received through private connections was quite substantial, so he had to acquiesce for the sake of the election.
He was going to lose all the millions worth of dirty money he'd received over the years all at once.
Thinking of this, his anger toward Yun Ziling further intensified.
"Dad, if you think I broke the vase, you can call the Chen family to verify it.The Chen family has paid off the favor their eldest son owes me. You have to deal with the vase. I'm headed upstairs. I'm going to Jiangnan tomorrow to buy medicine for the eldest son and will probably be gone for the whole day."
"Okay, go. Stay safe!"
She'd received a favor for saving the boy's life and had managed to establish connections with the Chen family, so they had a way out. This all made Yun Yuanfeng feel a little more relieved.
After she'd gone upstairs, Yun Xi stood at the top landing for a while, listening to the sounds of cups smashing and Yun Yuanfeng shouting coming from downstairs.
Yun Xi smirked, turned, and walked back to her room briskly.
As soon as she opened her door, she saw the figure sitting on the single sofa by the window. Her eyes got wide and she gasped!
She quickly entered the room, closed the door, and locked it.
Upon hearing her enter, Mu Feichi raised his head from reading her medical notes and nonchalantly stared at her rushing toward him.
He had overheard all the exciting scenes going on below through the window.
This little rascal really did have the most ingenious schemes when conniving against her sisters and her unscrupulous mother.
She'd used a vase that Mrs. Chen couldn't care less about to settle things with her sister.
At the same time, she'd not only pleased her dad, but also killed the idea of using her to try to get favors from the Chen family. This way she'd also avoided being further manipulated by the Yun family.
Even though it had been a favor, she chose to use it in a way that had the most advantage to herself, instead of waiting for them to use her, because then she would have been in a passive position.
She'd killed two birds with one stone.
She was indeed the prey that he, Mu Feichi, had set his sights on. Her courage and intelligence made her worthy to stand side by side with him.
"Young Marshal Mu, why are you..."
Yun Xi glanced at the open window and quickly closed it.
"This is the third floor. You must be crazy!"
"I can climb up to the third floor in five seconds!" Mu Feichi stood up, took out a steel ball tea cup from his pocket, and hit the small steel ball until it rolled into the corner near the door.
"What's that?" Yun Xi glanced at the steel ball that still seemed to be shining in the corner.
"Infrared-shielding sound waves, which was just developed by my technical department. In short, it is a sound insulation device. When we speak inside, people outside can't hear us."
Yun Xi was a little curious, but when she thought of him coming in through the window, she suppressed her curiosity.
She snorted and sat down. "I have nothing to do with you, so don't make it seem like we're having a secret love affair!"
"Secret love affair?" Mu Feichi raised an eyebrow, and his handsome face took on the slightest hint of intrigue.
It seemed that the words were quite new to him or that the implications of the words changed when she said them.
"Well, I like those words. I haven't used them before, but I could use them a few more times in the future. After all, it's not easy for me to come all the way here and climb through the window to conduct a secret love affair with you."
Yun Xi raised her hand and threw the lavender herbal bag she'd just sewed toward him.
This room had a stale scent, and, coupled with the unfamiliar environment, she hadn't slept well for the past few days.
While she was out, she'd seized the chance to buy some lavender seeds to place in the corner of the bed, so she could sleep well.
Mu Feichi raised his hand and easily caught it. It looked like a medicine bag and smelled the same as this room.
"Token of love? Well, I'm amused."
He shook the lavender bag in his hand and promptly put it in his trousers pocket.
Yun Xi was at a loss for words so she rolled her eyes, ignoring his teasing.
She stood up and walked toward him, then looked down at him condescendingly. "Young Marshal Mu, may I ask your purpose in coming here through the window today?"
Mu Feichi stood up and stared at her with a half-smile. "I had nothing to do so I came to see you. I didn't expect that instead of seeing the person I wanted to see, I got to enjoy a good show."
Recalling the incident that happened downstairs, Yun Xi snorted softly in disapproval.
She knew that her little gimmicks wouldn't have escaped his eye, so she didn't bother pretending in front of him.
To deal with her parents and sisters, she had to use underhanded tactics.
The simpler it was, the more effective it was.
Seeing her gloating over her triumphant victory, Mu Feichi was amused and stretched out his hand to squeeze her cheeks.
"My little Yun Xi seems quite good at playing dumb to take advantage of them."
It was precisely because of this that he wasn't worried that she would be bullied.
If someone dared to bully her, she could handle them single-handedly without his help.
Moreover, she would leave them in ruins.
Compared to the shady and dirty means the rich and powerful used, her tactics were much more brilliant.
The tender sensation in his palm gave him the urge to ravage her.
Him messing with her made Yun Xi frown. After she had been disfigured in her last life, she had always felt scarred inside and disliked anyone touching her face.
"Stop pinching my face!"
Subconsciously, she reached out and pinched his neck as a protest.
The two of them started going back and forth, messing around. Mu Feichi took the opportunity to reach out and pinch her waist and then held on to her as he dropped onto the sofa behind him.
Without warning, the two of them fell directly onto the sofa.
By the time Yun Xi could react, her whole body was in Mu Feichi's embrace.
She couldn't use her strength to resist, so she went all out and gnawed at his mouth!
That's right, she gnawed!
Their collision on the couch hurt her nose.
First he steals her first kiss, which is something that couldn't be repaid, and now this situation?
For a moment, she really wanted to strangle him.
As she thought about this, she finally managed to stand up, but he saw through her intentions and tripped her with his legs, so she collapsed right back into his arms before she could even stand up straight.
"Little fellow, your enthusiasm for giving me a hug is really flattering."
"Jerk! Let me go!"
She was really annoyed with him, but the more anxious she got the more she couldn't break free of him!
Mu Feichi stared at her exasperated countenance with a smirk on his face. Her cheeks flushed with color from rage, but appeared quite aesthetically pleasing to his eyes.
With her face in both of his hands, Yun Xi stared at the man in front of her with dark eyes, which gleamed with playfulness like that of teasing a pet.
Yun Xi looked dumbfounded. She felt as if she was being teased like a little pet.
"Young Marshal Mu, you climbed through the window today just to tease me?"
He was quite beguiling. Who knew how many women had fallen for him?
She wasn't an ignorant little girl. After being betrayed by Han Yaotian, she was wary of men. She was no longer innocent and naive.
There were hints of mirth in Mu Feichi's eyes. His fingers encircled her head and tangled with her messy hair.
At this close distance, holding her in front of him, he started kissing her as if he just couldn't get enough.
He smiled at her and said dotingly, "I just came because I wanted to see you."
Feeling as if she had been taken advantage of, Yun Xi blushed profusely and issued a warning to him. She reached out her hand and gave Mu Feichi's face two hard slaps.
"Young Marshal Mu, young children like me are not your target companions. If you mess with me again, you'll have to be careful of your family's second son."
She deliberately glanced at his lower body. However, the stern look on her babyish face was so funny that no one could really take her seriously.
Mu Feichi chuckled. His eyes were as unfathomable as a bottomless lake, covered with rippling tides.
"Little rascal, if you want to target someone in my family, you'll have to wait two more years. I'm not interested in immature little girls."
He rubbed her head one last time and then slowly let go.
As soon as she was freed, Yun Xi stood up and moved away from him.
Although she was no match against him in terms of playing dirty and flirting, at least she could evade him.
She turned around and started organizing her clothes. She took them out of her closet and put them in her backpack to prepare for the trip to Jiangnan the next day.
Mu Feichi narrowed his eyes when he saw her packing up. "Why, aren't you going to start school tomorrow? Where are you going?"
"I have something to take care of. I'm going to Jiangnan."
After she'd finished packing, she turned around to glance at the man standing close to her, then frowned slightly.
"Young Marshal Mu, just tell me what you want. If there isn't anything further, please go away. The window is there, so please feel free to use it."
"What are you going to do in Jiangnan? How can there be anything more important than the start of school?"
"I'm going there to buy medicine for the eldest son of the Chen family."
"You're so kind to that smiling backstabber."
When he said this, he couldn't discern what was wrong with it. He just felt displeased.
His little Yun Xi was even kinder to Chen Yichen than she was to him. She didn't seem to be using the ruse of self-injury to win the target's sympathy.
Yun Xi turned her head, glanced at him coolly, then waved her hand dismissively. "Young Marshal Mu, my little temple can't afford an exalted Buddha like you. Get out!"
"I will get out. We can go somewhere else."
Seeing her being so impatient with him and comparing it to how she treated Chen Yichen, Young Marshal Mu became inexplicably moody.
He picked her up by the waist and threw her onto the big bed.
"You..." Since she wasn't sure how effective his soundproofing was, Yun Xi dared not scream for fear of attracting the group of people downstairs.
But being thrown onto the bed and firmly held down by him wasn't a pleasant situation either.
She kicked at him, but he, who was a lot faster than she was, held her down like she was a restless calf.
As he looked at her, Yun Xi pulled out the bundle of scalpels he had given her from under her pillow.
She pulled one out and held it against his neck without hesitation.
"Young Marshal Mu, with so many different types of scalpels, which one do you think I should start with? Or, we could try them out one by one. When I lived in the countryside, I dissected small animals. As for humans, I haven't tried it yet. If you'd like me to give it a try, I'd be quite happy to oblige."
"Little rascal, I didn't give you these things for you to use them against me."
He raised his hand and pushed the scalpel that was resting against his neck away, not because he was afraid that she would hurt him, but because she might accidentally hurt herself.