"Why not make her leave now?"
When Liang Xiuqin heard that Yun Xi was going to give Chen Lixue time to consider her behaviour, she became immediately anxious and looked at Yun Xi questioningly.
With an innocent look on her face, Yun Xi shook her head nonchalantly.
"No matter what, my aunt is also your sister. How can you be so unkind, mom? If you two could get along harmoniously, would things have ended up like this?"
Yun Xi was really good at throwing the ball in others' courts.
Giving Liang Xiuqin no opportunity to answer, Yun Xi stood up and said, "Okay, everyone, that's all for today. You two should consider everything we've talked about carefully. I'm going to go get Grandpa to come to eat."
Liang Xiuqin turned her head to look at Yao Ying. Yao Ying was watching Yun Xi leave the room, and she said, "I think Yun Xi is right. You two should reflect on your constant fighting."
Liang Xiuqin felt extremely frustrated and aggrieved.
In this matter, she wasn't at fault. It was all because of Chen Lixue, that vixen b*tch.
Now they wanted her to take a step back? Why should she?
That wretched girl Yun Xi was really stupid. Chen Lixue had made her ambition and greed so obvious, yet Yun Xi was still letting her stay in their home.
It seemed that she herself was going to have to think of a way to kick Chen Lixue out.
With her living in her home, she was impossible to guard against.
Today, she'd only touched his clothes, but someday that b*tch's hands might touch Yun Yuanfeng's body.
The two of them who couldn't make peace had been forced to make peace, and it felt more painful than having their flesh cut with a knife.
...
After lunch, grandpa went upstairs to rest. Yun Xi dragged her second aunt into the living room to talk.
She knew that her mother definitely wasn't going to accept how the dispute had just ended.
As soon as Chen Lixue went upstairs to take a nap, Yun Xi caught a glimpse of Liang Xiuqin walking toward the sofa from the corner of her eyes.
She winked at her second aunt and reached out to touch her face.
"Second aunt, your skin looks a lot younger and smoother than it did a while ago. You look dozens of years younger. Those who didn't know any better would think that you've had plastic surgery."
"Plastic surgery? At my old age, all I do is go to the beauty salon and use skincare products. However, a newly opened beauty salon I went to recently is really good. It only hires Korean experts. Its specialities are skin rejuvenation and wrinkle removal. It also offers advice on losing weight and exercise. They also have specially invited designers from abroad to teach you how to doll yourself up. Several wealthy wives I know go there. You only need to go there for a few days, but it changes your entire temperament."
"Really? No wonder you look so much younger. My second uncle is really blessed."
"When a woman gets older, it's easy for her to be out of shape, and her face becomes more prone to wrinkles. I'm always worried that your second uncle will fall in love with younger girls now that he's no longer ill. I have to make myself look prettier and younger or else I won't be able to hold his heart."
"How could that be possible? You two have been through so much together over so many years. He won't abandon you, second aunt."
"Who knows? If I become a haggard old woman who is ugly and fat, he would definitely despise me. The husbands of several of my friends were like that. At their ages, their husbands hooked up with young and beautiful mistresses. After going to the beauty salon for treatment, not only did my friends look more young and beautiful, but their clothing styles also drastically improved. Their husbands came back to them as well.
Liang Xiuqin, who was approaching the sofa, heard Yao Ying's words. She couldn't help but pinch the layer of fat on her stomach and touch her face that had grown haggard from insomnia.
Isn't what she looked like now the haggard type of women they were referring to?
Chen Lixue was so promiscuous that even at her old age she was appealing, let alone young and beautiful mistresses...
Especially now, since after more than a month of separation, Yun Yuanfeng hadn't even touched her once since she'd come back.
Coupled with Chen Lixue's presence, she now felt an even greater sense of crisis.
Although Liang Xiuqin had previously owned and operated a spa and had been involved in the skincare industry, it really wasn't as magical as Yao Ying made it sound.
She couldn't help but keep looking at Yao Ying. She had been jealous of Yao Ying for so many years after marrying into the Yun family.
Yao Ying came from good family background, and she was also very beautiful. She was only three years younger than Liang Xiuqin. However, because of her proper self-care, she looked a decade younger.
Looking at Yao Ying now, Liang Xiuqin could see that her cheeks were rosy and she exuded youth and good looks.
She was wearing a black sweater and a khaki wool vest tied with a thin belt. She has dressed very appropriately for her age. She appeared sophisticated and elegant.
Although there were only three years of difference in their ages, Yao Ying looked more like Yun Xi's sister, whereas she looked like Yun Xi's mother.
The more she thought about it, the more this gap made her feel resentful.
The more resentful she felt, the more unhappy she became.
The more unhappy she was, the more paranoid and self-righteous she became.
Moreover, she urgently needed to restore her position in Yun Yuanfeng's heart, especially before his relationship with Chen Lixue could be rekindled. She had to nip it in the bud.
Yun Xi glanced at Liang Xiuqin, who was thinking all these thoughts, and suddenly said, "Mom, why is your face so haggard these days? If you continue like this, Dad really will be snatched away by another woman."
"Isn't it all because of you? If it hadn't been for you, would I have gotten kicked out of the villa complex? Would your dad have been separated from me for a month?"
In Liang Xiuqin's view, problems between men and women, regardless of age, could be solved by a proper marital life. All fights should be fought out and resolved in bed.
"Mom, you should speak with your conscience. You yourself were to blame for getting kicked out of the villa complex. Besides, my aunt was brought back here by my dad. What does it have to do with me? Since you always blame others instead of reflecting on yourself, it's no wonder Dad despises you."
Too lazy to talk nonsense with Liang Xiuqin, Yun Xi stood up with an unhappy expression. "Second aunt, I'm going upstairs to review my homework. You should take a nap."
Their acting was done. Now she was just waiting for her mother to take the bait.
Yao Ying nodded and winked at Yun Xi to go upstairs without worry and leave the rest to her.
Would beguiling Liang Xiuqin to go to the beauty salon to squander money be difficult for her?
Even if Liang Xiuqin didn't have that desire before, she must be thinking about it now. After all, Chen Lixue was lying in wait.
But if she wanted to beautify herself and lose weight and change her image to win back Yun Yuanfeng's heart, she had to spend money.
The point was, she had no money.
Her spa was closed, and she probably had no intention of operating it now. She had to monitor Chen Lixue every day as a precaution.
She'd lost control over the family and hundreds of thousands of income a year, so she was really in a pinch financially.
If she wanted money, she would have to ask Liang Xinyi for it.
As soon as Liang Xiuqin sought out Liang Xinyi, then their show would begin.
Liang Xinyi had no money, so she would have to go to Han Zhongteng, the mastermind behind the scenes.
Liang Xinyi wouldn't give Liang Xiuqin money unconditionally. However, if she made the condition that Chen Lixue stays in the Yun family's house, it would be easier to control them in the future.
The money wouldn't drop from the sky, so if Liang Xinyi wanted to get money from Han Zhongteng, heh...it was impossible for it to be unconditional.
For a young master like Han Zhongteng, what use did Liang Xinyi have?
Except for her body, she probably couldn't offer anything.
And for a playboy like Han Zhongteng, although he didn't commit murder, to him women were as disposable as pieces of clothing.
Very well, Yun Xi was going to sit and watch them bite and tear at each other.
Since Liang Xinyi had dared to sell her out to Han Wanling, then she would have to bear the consequences of betraying her.
After the three-day break, Yun Xi went back to school.
As soon as she'd arrived at school, she heard her classmates discussing the results of the preliminary English competition that had taken place at the end of last month. Zhao Yumo, who had been "seriously ill" and was thought to have to miss the exam, had unexpectedly appeared in the examination room.
The preliminary competition had had a computerized answer sheet and a voice dialogue question-and-answer format, so it hadn't been difficult for Yun Xi and Zhao Yumo.
After the results came out, there was almost no suspense in the rankings.
Yun Xi was the first, Zhao Yumo was the second as usual, and Zhou Chengzhe was the third.
What attracted the most attention wasn't the fact that Yun Xi had ranked first in Jing High School, but that she had ranked first among everyone in the competition.
The participants consisted of hundreds of students from various schools across the country. Zhao Yumo was ranked seventh, and Zhou Chengzhe hadn't even made the top 20.
As soon as the results came out, even the teachers couldn't wait to notify the students. The entire school was in high spirits.
Seeing his own ranking, Zhou Chengzhe couldn't believe it at all, and he asked the English teacher for the ranking of all the schools.
After looking at the form for a long time, he found his name in the 32nd position.
As for the first place that had always belonged to him, Yun Xi's name was printed on the top in the first place.
Looking at such results and rankings, Zhou Chengzhe couldn't accept it.
He suddenly raised his head to look at his English teacher. "Teacher, don't you think that there's been some sort of mistake? How could I be in 32nd place?"
Finals were one week before the Spring Festival. Only 33 finalists were allowed. He was 32nd, which was equivalent to being second from the bottom.
His English wasn't all that good, but he hadn't expected that Yun Xi, a girl from the countryside, would actually have better English than he did.
How could that be? In a place like the countryside, it's considered good enough
if one can learn the standard dialect well. It was unbelievable that she was so fluent and so knowledgeable.
"This is the transcript that was sent by the host. How could computer statistics and manual review scoring be mistaken? Your score really wasn't very good. Just keep working hard."
Usually, the English teacher for Class 1 was very biased toward and very proud of Zhou Chengzhe, the top student in the grade.
It was certainly a pity that after Yun Xi joined their class all the advantages and glory had been snatched away by Class 3's teacher.
Although a lot of things had happened because of Yun Xi, she'd emerged unscathed and had risen to the top.
It seemed certain that she was bound to be awarded as the top scholar in the grade.
Zhou Chengzhe walked out of the office unhappily. His previously calm facial expression had changed into a ferocious, sinister expression.
He'd once again underestimated that wretched girl.
What Zhou Chengzhe didn't know was that Yun Xi's first-place score had also surprised the organizers and judges of the competition.
Because she had gotten the best result in the competition ever recorded.
After receiving praise from the leaders of the Education Bureau, the principal was so happy that he couldn't wait to praise the teachers in Class 3.
When going to the cafeteria for lunch at noon, Yun Xi and Zhao Yumo saw Zhou Chengzhe, who had come out of lunch early. They had noticed that he had been studying manically lately.
They'd heard from his roommate that he was the one who got up the earliest and went to bed the latest every day. He had dark circles under his eyes. To beat them, he'd probably gone all out to study hard.
Although his grades were good, compared with their grades, they were quite embarrassing.
A dark figure blocked her way. Yun Xi raised her eyes to look at Zhou Chengzhe, who was blocking her way. She sneered and backed away.
Yun Xi would give in, but Zhao Yumo wouldn't, especially toward a despicable villain like Zhou Chengzhe. She despised him.
"Zhou Chengzhe, after you had such a bad fall down the stairs last time, you probably haven't completely healed yet, have you? Do you want to be beaten up again?"
Zhou Chengzhe raised his head, and his dark eyes fell on Zhao Yumo.
Zhao Yumo didn't pay any attention to his eyes that were shooting daggers at her.
After all, compared to Second Master Jiang, he wasn't intimidating at all.
Real fierceness has a kind of creepiness that can make people feel as if they have fallen into an abyss containing a sea of fire if that person glares at you.
She'd gotten that feeling once from Jiang Chenghuan, and she would simply never be able to forget it for her entire lifetime.
The usually frivolous and carefree Young Master was second to none once he became fierce.
Therefore, seeing Zhou Chengzhe's pathetically feeble attempts to appear intimidating, she didn't feel threatened at all. She just felt amused.
"Go away. Stop being such a busybody. I wasn't looking for you."
As he said this to Zhao Yumo, he turned and instead looked at Yun Xi, who was standing next to her, and he said harshly, "I only lost to you in the English competition because I'd underestimated you."
"I guess you think you're better than everyone else," Zhao Yumo fired back at him, snorting unceremoniously.
Yun Xi smiled and, not wanting to start a scene in public, she pulled Zhao Yumo away.
"Zhou Chengzhe, if you have something to say, just say it. Don't make a nasty scene here. It'll just make both of us look bad."
Yun Xi rolled her eyes. She didn't have a good impression of him, a competitive boy who had an excessive inferiority complex that caused him to also be terribly arrogant.
Many students had been astonished after the results of the English competition had been announced today. Zhou Chengzhe, who had always been number one in the past, was this time ranked so low.
Their classmates, who were all on the way to lunch, saw Zhou Chengzhe confronting Yun Xi, so they stopped to watch the good show.
"I won't keep losing to you. Let's see who's better at winter camp."
There were only two places available for the winter camp, and it wasn't going to be easy for him to beat out all the students from hundreds of schools.
However, the winter camp's training team didn't only assess verbal English knowledge, but also common knowledge. He didn't believe that he couldn't beat out an heiress like her.
Seeing that there were more and more classmates gathering around them, Zhou Chengzhe felt his confidence faltering, and he left after bringing up winter camp.
Yun Xi snorted softly. After him losing to her several times, she no longer worried about what kind of trouble he could stir up.
A few steps away, Yun Xi heard someone calling her from behind. She stopped and turned to look.
Completely unexpectedly, she saw Feng Yang walking toward her, with Feng Xifang next to him.
"Yun Xi, Yun Xi...!" Her small face full of excitement, Feng Xifang rushed over.
Ever since she'd won a prize after Yun Xi had helped her with tutoring and her essay reference materials, she'd been full of admiration for Yun Xi.
Because the topic and the content of the essay competition had all been in the essay reference materials, Feng Xifang had written an essay in advance and then asked Yun Xi to help her edit and modify it.
Taking the same exam again had been a piece of cake.
Yun Xi had only combined the composition topics she had studied throughout the years with the scope of the composition test they'd used up until now, and then emphasized a few key points for her.
Unexpectedly, she'd had great luck.
"Miss Feng?" Yun Xi looked at her, then at Feng Yang, who'd also come over. This was no coincidence, right?
Moreover, since he'd just returned from the border, Feng Yang's injury probably hadn't completely healed.
But instead of recuperating and resting, he'd come all the way here to see her. He must be feeling okay.
"Ugh, don't talk to me in such a formal manner. Call me Xixian, or Feng Xixian."
"Okay, Xixian, do you need me for something?" Yun Xi took her up on her offer right away.
This young girl was still really cute and innocent. She liked her a lot more than her own two sisters.
"I won the essay competition! My dad awarded me 1,000 yuan. I want to treat you to a meal."
"Oh, you're inviting me to a meal, but what about your brother? What is he here for?"
As Yun Xi said this, she deliberately looked at Feng Yang.
"He...he's going to be our driver."
It was a huge honour that the young master of the Feng family was going to be their driver.
They were eating with the carefree, talkative Feng Xifang, so there was no need to worry about the conversation tapering off during the meal.
Taking advantage of a time when Feng Xifang and Zhao Yumo went to the ladies room together, Yun Xi looked at the man who'd been sitting drinking his coffee without speaking.
"How is your injury? Why aren't you recuperating at home?"
Feng Yang put down the coffee and answered nonchalantly, "I feel okay. It was only superficial skin injuries."
Yun Xi played with her chopsticks, tapping on the tray in front of Feng Yang. "Since you still have wounds on your body, you should drink less coffee. Caffeine slows down healing and can cause hyperpigmentation. If you can avoid it, avoid it."
She raised her hand to beckon the waiter to come over and asked the waiter to change the coffee into a glass of warm water for Feng Yang.
Feng Yang put up with her interference and leisurely gossiped about the Yun family's affairs with her.
"I've been hearing that your aunt and your mother have been quarrelling ever since she arrived. Has your mother been troubling you also?"
Yun Xi shrugged and smiled nonchalantly. "She's too busy dealing with her own affairs now. She has no time to trouble me."
"That's good. By the way, your aunt isn't all that good-hearted either, so you should be careful."
Yun Xi couldn't help but smile, and she answered jokingly, "Do you think I'm good-hearted?"
It was Yun Xi who'd asked Mu Feichi to bring her aunt to Jingdu. Since she'd dared to bring her here, she naturally had a way to keep the situation from getting out of control.
Upon being asked such a rhetorical question by her, Feng Yang remembered how she'd lain in the dirty, cold minefield to clear the mine for him.
At that time, she'd been in a vulnerable state, but he'd still felt that her entire being was exuding the radiance of someone resilient.
Her fierce, deep eyes were rare for someone of her age.
They were very dazzling and admirable.
Feng Yang didn't answer. He didn't make any comment about her.
Because he knew that all his adjectives wouldn't be sufficient to describe this wonderful girl who had cleared the minefield that night.
After eating, as they were returning to school, Zhao Yumo suddenly yelled out as they passed by the high school where Liang Xinyi was currently studying.
"Yun Xi, Yun Xi, look, isn't that your cousin?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Xi looked out the window. Feng Yang pulled the car over to a stop.
"Yo, there's a boy giving gifts to her." Zhao Yumo pointed to the boy out the window. "Look, that's the older brother of the academic committee member in my class. He's now in his freshman year of college. He has sought out Liang Xinyi several times now."
Zhao Yumo had to pass by that school in her car to get home, while Yun Xi's bus route didn't pass by that school. One of them lived in the northern direction, while the other one lived in the southern direction.
Therefore, she encountered Liang Xinyi more often than Yun Xi did.
"That seems to be some designer clothing she's wearing, doesn't it? The price isn't cheap either, right? A coat like that costs about 300 or 400 yuan. Is your classmate from a wealthy family?"
On this day, a coat that cost 300 to 400 yuan was considered very expensive.
Even when this domestic designer brand was at its zenith in her last life, a sweater or coat wouldn't cost more than 2,000 yuan.
To be able to afford this designer brand, he had to be a young master of a rich family.
"My foot! His dad is disabled and works part-time jobs. His mom is a babysitter. They've worked extremely hard just to pay for their children's tuition."
As if suddenly thinking of something, Zhao Yumo whispered, "D*mn! Is he using his parents' hard-earned money to please Liang Xinyi?"
Yun Xi nodded. "It's possible. Liang Xinyi recently got a lot of new clothes and shoes. I thought it was my mother who'd bought Liang Xinyi these new things to please her after she came back home."
"D*mn! No, I can't stand it anymore. What sort of people are they? It's too shameless to squander his parents' hard-earned money."
Before Yun Xi could react, she had already pushed open the door and gotten out of the car.