Chapter 5: Pushing Too Far

Seven days after Bai’s father and mother’s passing, they were laid to rest in the ancestral tomb, under the watchful eyes of Bai Jinxi and her uncle.

The very next day, Yun Moyi, accompanied by a young man, knocked on the door of the Bai residence.

The boy was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with fair skin, rosy lips, and a handsome face. After entering the house, he stood straight, his eyes scanning the surroundings, seemingly admiring and pleased.

If Bai Jinxi hadn’t experienced those events in her previous life, she wouldn’t have imagined that beneath his elegant appearance lay such a vile and despicable heart. Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover.

Seeing Bai Jinxi staring at her son in a daze, a hint of triumph flashed across Yun Moyi’s brow. She gently nudged Lu Yian

“You must be Sister Xi’s younger sister. I am Lu Yian” Lu Yian bowed slightly to Bai Jinxi, his face radiating warmth.

“Sister Xi, this is my son. He’s four years older than you. Just call him An Gege! An’er passed the scholar’s exam last year. His teacher said he could try for the provincial exam next year. After you come of age, I’ll arrange your marriage.”

Yun Moyi smiled at Bai Jinxi, bringing her hand and Lu Yian’s together, acting like a mother-in-law looking at her future daughter-in-law.

Bai Jinxi suppressed the urge to yank her hand away. She forced a shy smile and slowly withdrew her hand, curtseying to Lu Yian “Sister Xi greets Yunyi and An Gege.”

“Madam! The rooms for you and the young master have been arranged. They’re in the Xilin Garden, near the east side. This servant will help you with your luggage.”

Tiandong, unable to contain herself, hurried forward, curtseying to Lu Yian with a blush. She slowly lifted her head, revealing a small begonia flower in her hair, and reached out to take the luggage from Lu Yian’s hand.

“Tiandong!” Banxia hissed. “The young lady and the guest are still talking. Don’t interrupt.”

Tiandong rolled her eyes at Banxia secretly, then looked at Bai Jinxi with feigned grievance, curtseying.

“Young lady, this servant has no other intentions. I just thought perhaps you might have something to talk about, so I’ll help Aunt Yun and Young Master Lu with their luggage first…”

She glanced shyly at Lu Yian, standing nearby, then lowered her head, acting like she was wronged.

“Young lady, Tiandong…”

Banxia looked at Bai Jinxi with concern. In her opinion, Young Master Lu was the young lady’s future husband, and Tiandong’s behavior was clearly inappropriate.

Bai Jinxi gave her a reassuring smile, then turned to Tiandong with a cold expression. “I’ve spoiled you rotten. You’ve become so disrespectful. Go ahead. After you’ve put the things away, return to Yuxiu Studio!”

After Tiandong left, Bai Jinxi took Yun Moyi and Lu Yian on a tour of the Bai residence. As they approached the Yuanxi Hall, Bai Jinxi seemed to remember something and said apologetically.

“Yunyi, An Gege, due to the short notice, we’ve only managed to prepare the Xilin Garden. Yunyi will stay in the main room, and An Gege will have to make do with the side room for now. We’ll arrange for An Gege to move to a nearby courtyard once it’s ready. I hope you won’t mind, An Gege.”

Lu Yian frowned. He had come to the Bai residence expecting to enjoy the good life. Being confined to a study was not to his liking.

“No need to bother with arranging anything. An’er and I can squeeze in together.”

Seeing her son’s displeasure, Yun Moyi quickly spoke.

She had said the same thing in her previous life.

At the time, she genuinely believed that Yun Moyi was being considerate, and she felt both grateful and guilty, thinking she owed them both. So, she tried her best to be kind to them…

But not long after, Yun Moyi used the excuse that Lu Yian was growing up and needed to prepare for the civil service exams to claim the main room for him. At that time, the only courtyard in the mansion that was immediately available was the Yuanxi Hall, where Bai’s father and mother had lived, which was cleaned daily.

So, Bai Jinxi gritted her teeth and let Yun Moyi move in. She didn’t expect that the day after she moved in, she had the furniture and decorations replaced, completely erasing all traces of Bai’s father and mother’s life.

But it was too late. Even though she was heartbroken, she could only accept it.

Yun Moyi occupied the main room, making everyone who visited the Bai residence believe that she was the mistress, leading to a situation where no one found it strange when the Bai residence became the Lu residence…

This time, Yun Moyi wanted to become the mistress of the Bai residence and move back into the Yuanxi Hall? Dream on!

Bai Jinxi used a strategy of retreat, saying apologetically, “Actually, my parents’ Yuanxi Hall is also cleaned daily, but…” She choked back a sob, her eyes welling up.

“But Sister Xi wants to keep my parents’ room as it was when they were alive. That way, when Sister Xi misses them, she can go and pay her respects. It wouldn’t be convenient for anyone else to live there…”

Standing at the entrance of the Yuanxi Hall, Bai Jinxi looked at the closed courtyard door with reluctance.

“Ah, of course. There’s no way I would dare to live in Sister Rong’s room. Sister Xi, don’t be sad.”

In front of all the servants, Yun Moyi, despite the curses in her heart, could only pretend to be generous and say that she would never live in Bai’s father and mother’s courtyard.

But she had just said she could squeeze into a courtyard with Lu Yian, and now she couldn’t go back on her word. She had to swallow her anger…

“Mother! Why did you say that? Are we going to stay in this cramped courtyard forever?!”

After touring the mansion and getting their bearings, Bai Jinxi sent Yun Moyi and Lu Yian back to the Xilin Garden.

As she closed the door, Lu Yian complained in dissatisfaction.

“Ugh, I didn’t expect that little vixen to say that directly. I was planning to pretend not to know and move to the main courtyard a few days later.” Yun Moyi pouted in dissatisfaction.

“It’s fine. You still don’t know my mother’s methods? It’s a piece of cake to win over that little brat! Humph, wait until she treats me like her mother. Then she’ll beg me to move to that Yuanxi Hall!”

Yun Moyi sneered, a mocking smile on her face.

“Heh, look at her. Her eyes were glued to you today. Taking down that little vixen will be a breeze! That little brat has a decent face. An’er, if you like her, go ahead and take her. Don’t worry about responsibility. But be careful. We can’t turn against her yet!”

“Mmm…!!”

Yun Moyi and Lu Yian didn’t know that while they were scheming about how to devour Bai Jinxi, the object of their discussion was standing silently by the bamboo grove behind the Xilin Garden, listening to everything.

After returning to the Yuxiu Studio, Bai Jinxi said that she had lost one of her emerald green earrings, so she went back along the same route to look for it.

As she passed the back wall of the Xilin Garden, Bai Jinxi bent down with Banxia to search.

That’s when she heard Yun Moyi and Lu Yian’s conversation.

Banxia was so angry that her face turned red. If Bai Jinxi hadn’t quickly pulled her back, she would have jumped through the window to confront them.

“Shh, be quiet! Don’t alert them! Now we know they’re not good people, so we’ll be more cautious in the future.”

Bai Jinxi covered Banxia’s mouth with one hand and held her clothes tightly with the other, whispering in her ear.

“Mmm…” Banxia nodded vigorously, signaling for her young lady to let go.

“Young lady, let’s tell the old master and have him kick them out!” Banxia covered her mouth and whispered cautiously, only for them to hear.

“Let’s go back first. We’ll discuss it later…”