After Pei Shi rushed back to the event, Bai Tao, bored, picked up a manga to re-read, organized her outline, and started brainstorming the next chapter’s plot.

Given the current progress, the male and female leads were about to break through their ambiguity and express their feelings. But that seemed too fast. Bai Tao thought about it and decided there should be some twists.

Just as she was thinking of adding a malicious female character to her story, a loud knocking sound came from the front door of the villa, accompanied by a woman’s voice—

“Bai Tao, open the door! I know you’re at home!”

That voice was unforgettable. It was none other than her arch-enemy, Pei Fei.

As soon as she thought of a malicious character, the real one showed up.

Bai Tao rolled up her sleeves, feeling a rush of anticipation and excitement. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time, with all her past grievances against Pei Fei bubbling up.

The current Bai Tao was no longer the same person from five years ago; she was now the woman of a powerful man, Niu Hulu Bai Tao!

Reborn from the ashes, she had returned, shining brightly!

Bai Tao didn’t immediately open the door. Instead, she ran to the bathroom to put on a full face of makeup and changed into an expensive, formal dress. She made sure every detail was perfect, every pore ready to overwhelm Pei Fei with beauty and impact.

It had been many years since they last met, and she couldn’t afford to lose this battle. She had to intimidate Pei Fei from the very first glance!

Half an hour later, Bai Tao finally sauntered to the door and opened it gracefully, trying to act like a noblewoman: “Oh, Pei Fei, you’re here. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. Why don’t we…”

Before she could finish saying “catch up,” Pei Fei interrupted her, her voice full of rage—

“Who the hell is your sister-in-law! Bai Tao, you shameless woman!”

???

Pei Fei looked like she had come straight from the airport, dusty and disheveled, wearing casual sportswear, flat shoes, and a baseball cap, dragging a large suitcase. After cursing Bai Tao, she pushed her aside and walked into the villa.

Pei Fei threw off her hat, dropped her suitcase, rolled up her sleeves, and said, “My brother can’t deal with you, so I’ll take it upon myself to act on his behalf and deal with you!”

In the past, Bai Tao would have retaliated immediately, but now, considering her status and position, she felt she couldn’t act impulsively. Facing Pei Fei’s provocation, she remained calm: “Pei Fei, I advise you to be rational. Do you know how much your brother likes me? If he knew you were being so disrespectful to me, he would blame himself for not educating you properly.”

Bai Tao spoke reasonably: “I know you have issues with me, but Pei Fei, that’s all in the past. Now we’re family. You calling me sister-in-law means I will naturally take care of you…”

Pei Fei glared at Bai Tao, her eyes red with anger: “Who needs your care? Who wants to call you sister-in-law?”

Bai Tao sipped her tea calmly: “Let me put it this way. I read in the news that you’re still single, while Pei Shi and I have been married for a while. It won’t be long before we might have a child. You, however, won’t have children faster than me.”

She paused, her tone annoyingly smug: “So, Pei Fei, not only will you have to call me sister-in-law, but in the future, your children will have to address my children as big brother or big sister. This is the way the family hierarchy works…”

Pei Fei was practically jumping with rage: “Bai Tao! You are shameless! Who the hell will call you sister-in-law! Who the hell will recognize your child as the older one!”

Isn’t she supposed to be ‘elegant, noble, and dignified,’ coming from a scholarly family, with ‘elegance, nobility, and grace’ as her trademarks? Yet, this so-called elegance and nobility crumbled so easily in front of her?

Bai Tao looked at Pei Fei with pity and said earnestly: “I understand your inability to accept reality, but don’t forget, you’re now a famous pianist. You must maintain high standards for yourself at all times, just like me, remaining noble and graceful. Otherwise, you’ll negatively impact Pei Shi’s image, won’t you? You should consider your brother…”

“I’m considering my brother, which is why I flew back from Austria in such a hurry!” Pei Fei gritted her teeth. “I don’t know what kind of spell you’ve cast on my brother to make him so oblivious and even accompany you to those embarrassing gatherings. But don’t get complacent. Once I tell him the truth, he’ll divorce you immediately and throw you out! Don’t think for a second that my brother truly loves you!”

Bai Tao was infuriated: “Who are you calling garbage? Pei Shi loves me too much to throw me out! You don’t know the depth of his love for me!”

Bai Tao instinctively gave examples: “He drinks to shield me from alcohol, protects me when I’m scared of dogs, comes to me whenever I call him, and even gave me an English name, Fiona, without hesitation! Do you know the meaning of Fiona? To him, I am gentle, elegant, intelligent, and creative. You know nothing! Your brother loves me to the point of no return!”

“Pah!” Pei Fei spat. “That’s because he doesn’t know what you’ve done!”

Pei Fei sneered and said a name slowly and clearly: “Zhong Xiao.”

Bai Tao was stunned: “Huh? What?”

Pei Fei, now calm, looked at Bai Tao with a mocking expression and repeated the name: “Zhong Xiao.”

Could it be someone she met after five years?

“Who is Zhong Xiao…”

Bai Tao pretended to be nonchalant, but inwardly she was puzzled. Then Pei Fei dropped a bombshell—

“Did you enjoy your affair with Zhong Xiao a few months ago?” Pei Fei sneered. “Stop pretending. I know everything.”

!!!

“The latest news about your affair with that young guy was hot just a few days ago, wasn’t it? You spent money to suppress the information, right? Afraid that my brother would see it and know what kind of person you are. Isn’t it exciting to have an illicit affair with Zhong Xiao while keeping it secret? And you dare to pretend not to know who Zhong Xiao is? Isn’t he your younger ex-boyfriend?”

Bai Tao was shocked. What? Her life over the past five years had been so eventful? She not only got married but also had an ex-boyfriend? And even had a younger lover? Zhong Xiao? A name she had never even heard of…
Damn it…

My past five years have been quite eventful…

Seeing Bai Tao fall silent, Pei Fei sneered even more. “As for you saying my brother loves you? Don’t kid yourself. Just the fact that he named you Fiona shows he can’t possibly like you.”

Bai Tao, still trying to maintain her composure, angrily asked, “What’s wrong with that?!”

“Fiona’s meaning is nothing like what you think. Have you seen ‘Shrek’? It’s my brother’s most hated cartoon. The princess, Fiona, suddenly turns into an ‘ogre,’ which scared the hell out of him as a child. Fiona is his most hated character!”

“And I’m sure my brother already knows you cheated on him!” Pei Fei continued confidently, “Naming you Fiona definitely has a hidden meaning. Besides being annoying, you were unfaithful, giving my brother a green hat! So, he gave you a ‘green’ name! Fiona! It’s as green as it gets! Every time he hears that name, it’s a constant reminder of how you cheated on him!!! He won’t love you sincerely anymore!”

No! Bai Tao couldn’t believe it! If she were Fiona, wouldn’t that make Pei Shi Shrek? Who would insult themselves like that?!

But Pei Fei, not giving Bai Tao a chance to refute, just shot her a disdainful look: “My mission this time back is to ‘clear the side of the emperor,’ not letting my brother be tangled up with you anymore. As long as you don’t divorce him, I won’t leave. Once I throw him a party to celebrate his return to single life and find him a new girlfriend, I’ll leave. You can’t fool my brother anymore!”

With that, Pei Fei turned to leave.

Bai Tao, feeling chaotic inside, still instinctively called out, “You forgot your suitcase!”

Without looking back, Pei Fei replied, “The suitcase is full of banners and balloons for celebrating my brother’s return to single life. Keep them. They might be hung up in this house soon enough!”

…

Pei Fei left arrogantly, leaving Bai Tao staring at the suitcase in a daze.

Although her face showed little emotion, Bai Tao’s mind was in turmoil. Did she really cheat? Could the news reports be true? Did she really have a lover?

Was her future self so shameless, relying on Pei Shi’s love without principles, to cheat and play both sides?

What kind of mess had she gotten herself into after time-traveling here!

Bai Tao grew increasingly anxious. She began rummaging through her things, attempting to find any evidence of an affair, like a secret phone used to contact a lover…

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