Chapter 12

Though Yue Yin’s character was a villain in the original story, she considered herself a law-abiding citizen.

She certainly didn’t want to end up in jail.

The monster’s grotesque eyes rolled, trying to be sly. “But everything I do is for you, for your great cause!”

“After all, these are your orders, I’m only trying to—”

Yue Yin, uninterested in hearing the creature’s excuses, said, “I despise being lied to.”

“I loathe anything that defies my will.”

A surge of danger filled the air, and the monster’s instincts screamed at it to flee. All its previous scheming vanished, and it finally realized the situation it was in. It clutched its head in terror, attempting to hide behind Mrs. Zhang.

Yue Yin knelt down, brandishing the knife, and plunged it into the monster’s head.

The creature let out a sharp cry of agony, but under Yue Yin’s grip, it dared not struggle. It whimpered, “Forgive me, Great One, most exalted deity, forgive me…”

It collapsed, sobbing and trembling on the ground, not daring to resist. Not because it felt remorse, but because it understood the overwhelming power Yue Yin held over it. Any resistance would only lead to its demise.

Yue Yin watched the creature grovel, her expression unreadable. “Be quiet. No more noise.”

“I hate loud, chaotic people.”

With a flick of her finger, she slit open the monster’s skull with the silver knife.

The creature clamped its mouth shut, shivering, not daring to make a sound.

Yue Yin peered at its exposed brain. “Empty.”

She released the knife, pulling it out with a hint of boredom. “No wonder you can’t remember what I say.”

The monster swallowed hard.

Ever since its creation, it had always been the one instilling fear in humans, savoring their despair and suffering as it consumed them. It relished that taste, even becoming addicted to it.

But this time, it was the one paralyzed by fear.

The agony it had once inflicted on countless souls now reverberated through its own body a thousandfold.

Time seemed to stretch painfully slow.

When the creature could bear it no longer, Yue Yin finally grew bored of its vacant brain.

She placed her hand over the monster’s head, and miraculously, its skull fused back together, leaving no trace of injury.

Yue Yin patted it on the head, grinning. “Remember to behave next time.”

While Yue Yin was terrorizing the creature, Mrs. Zhang hadn’t stopped her compulsive eating. Finally, sensing someone beside her, she turned her head slowly and looked at Yue Yin.

The girl smiled back, her eyes curved, watching her intently.

“Ahhh!” Mrs. Zhang’s shriek of terror sent shivers through those outside.

Her bloodshot eyes and crazed expression bordered on hysteria. “Monster… a monster…”

“She’s here, she’s here… We’re all doomed, we’re all going to die!” she mumbled, trembling like a madwoman.

Yue Yin watched her, amused. “Is that so? Well, as long as you stay alive, you won’t die.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Zhang fainted, while the monster cowering on her back tried to make itself as small as possible.

“Sis, are you alright?” Shen Xiaodi peeked around the door, rushing over.

“Yue Yin!” Bai Xiulian arrived right after, looking worried.

Shen Baozhu checked Mrs. Zhang, scolding, “Yuey Yin, that was way too dangerous!”

Yue Yin’s icy gaze fell on her, and she flicked the knife in her hand. Shen Baozhu quickly backtracked, adding, “If you got hurt, we’d all be worried about you!”

Oh, Yue Yin was terrifying!

Everyone was on edge, but despite her rough methods, Yue Yin’s approach was effective.

Mrs. Zhang was knocked out, no longer raving about gnawing on Shen Baozhu. Bai Xiulian had a bloody bump on her head, and the mother and daughter still felt shaken.

Reflecting on the events, Shen Baozhu cautiously said, “Aunt Bai, I suspect Mrs. Zhang might’ve encountered something supernatural.”

Bai Xiulian gasped. “It can’t be!”

Shen Baozhu, used to the paranormal, quickly picked up on Mrs. Zhang’s abnormality. She called her childhood friend, “Huai’an, something’s wrong with Mrs. Zhang… I think she’s possessed.”

Given her sensitivity to spirits, she was used to enlisting her friend’s help with such matters.

On the other end, Huai’an responded calmly. After hanging up, Shen Baozhu frowned in concern. “Huai’an is in C City but will come in a couple of days to help with Mrs. Zhang.”

Bai Xiulian clasped her hands, visibly uneasy. “I hope it’s nothing sinister. I don’t know what’s been going on lately. Yue Yin was kidnapped during a part-time job, and now this with Mrs. Zhang…”

Shen Baozhu recalled Yue Yin’s scornful words last night.

Slowly, she suggested, “Aunt Bai, can you keep Yue Yin from taking on part-time jobs?”

She remembered her brother telling her that some people in society were more dangerous than spirits. Yue Yin had once been close to her, affectionate and clingy when she first arrived at the Shen family.

But since she began working, Yue Yin grew increasingly silent, solitary, and even hostile.

“The servants mentioned she even took Xiaodi to tell fortunes at a park recently…”

Shen Baozhu bit her lip. “Aunt Bai, maybe you could talk to Yue Yin. She should focus on her studies. Her working outside reflects poorly on the family, as if we’re neglecting her.”

“I’ve always treated Yue Yin like a sister and tried to advise her, but she’s so hostile to me… she won’t listen…”

Bai Xiulian frowned, her brow furrowing. “I’ll talk to her tonight.”

Holding Shen Baozhu’s hand, she sighed, “If Yue Yin were as sensible as you, I wouldn’t be so worried.”

Elsewhere, Yue Yin was staring blankly at her homework.

“Why does this crap homework need me to write it?” She tossed the pen aside and called, “Xiaodi, come finish this for me!”

Xiaodi sipped his yogurt through a straw, replying sincerely, “Sis, you really need help. Maybe some medication?”

Yue Yin fell silent. “…Fine, if you won’t do it, there’s no need to insult me.”

Forget it; she’d get Jiang Suliu to do it for her.

When Bai Xiulian came in, she found the siblings laughing together.

She couldn’t help but smile, but then remembered the servants’ reports of Yue Yin’s recent antics and immediately grew stern.

“Yue Yin, could you please try not to worry me so much?” Bai Xiulian looked at her daughter, frowning. “I’ve told you before, now that you’re in the Shen family, stop doing such pointless things.”

“Since you came back, you’ve caused trouble, taken part-time jobs, got yourself kidnapped, and now you’re telling fortunes in the park… The Shen family doesn’t need you to work; just stay out of trouble.”

Yue Yin looked at her, noting that Bai Xiulian bore little resemblance to her. She was a delicate beauty with a soft, melancholic demeanor, like a fragile vine needing a tree for support.

This wasn’t Yue Yin’s first encounter with Bai Xiulian.

After the kidnapping, Bai Xiulian came home briefly before leaving again to accompany Shen Baozhu in a competition.

To her surprise, Bai Xiulian’s first concern upon returning wasn’t her daughter but the trouble she’d caused.

It made Yue Yin wonder who was truly Bai Xiulian’s daughter.

Xiaodi couldn’t stand it, blurting out, “Mom, she was kidnapped!”

Bai Xiulian frowned. “I know, and I told her so many times to be mindful and not to work, considering our family’s status…”

Xiaodi was furious. “My sister is self-reliant!”

Yue Yin watched them argue, munching on sunflower seeds.

She turned to Bai Xiulian, mocking, “What’s our family’s status?”

Xiaodi blurted out, “Grandpa said he once herded cattle!”

Bai Xiulian covered her face, scolding, “Enough! Yuey Yin, seeing your brother and me argue because of you, does it make you happy? Can’t you be more sensible?”

Yue Yin, fed up, grabbed her workbook, ripped it apart, and yelled, “Enough!”

Xiaodi jumped up, distraught. “Yue Yin, are you crazy? That was my summer homework!”

Yue Yin froze, realizing her mistake.

Oh, she ripped the wrong one!

She had planned to use this as an excuse not to do her own work.

Xiaodi, devastated, started crying, “You’re crazy, Yue Yin! I don’t ever want to do homework with you again!”

Yuey Yin, irritated, turned back to Bai Xiulian. “Are you out of your mind?”

“I don’t know about your difficulties, but I know you’re wearing shoes worth 30,000. If you cared so much about me, you could spare a little more money.”