Chapter 26: The Showdown Begins

Shen Jiacai thought he had misheard and repeated, “I picked this fabric for my wedding! How could you make clothes for him instead?!”

“I paid for it,” Shen Yingying leaned lazily against the doorframe, her expression indifferent. “I bought the fabric with my money, so making clothes for my man—what’s the problem?”

Shen Jiacai finally realized he had been played. His face turned red with rage, practically fuming.

But remembering that the fabric for his future wife’s clothes was also here, he forcefully suppressed his temper and tried a gentler approach.

“Xiao Mei, are you still mad because I didn’t give you money?”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to give you money. I just didn’t want you to stop trying to get money from that landlord’s brat.”

“He’s got so much cash in his hands. If you don’t think of a way to take it, what if he spends it on another woman? You’d cry your eyes out! I’m doing this for your own good!”

As he spoke, he sighed dramatically.

“Forget it. Since you already made the clothes for him, just make the other set properly for me.”

“By the way, how are the clothes for your future sister-in-law coming along?”

“It’s been so long, and I haven’t seen a single piece. Mom’s already complaining about how slow you are. She wanted to come up and scold you several times, but I stopped her. If she finds out you’re neglecting your brother to favor that landlord’s brat, she’ll skin you alive!”

First, he tried to coax her, then used their mother as a threat.

If it were the old Shen Yingying, she would have caved immediately.

But Shen Yingying wasn’t the same person anymore. She let out a cold laugh.

“From the moment I heard you were getting married, I’ve been running around, spending money and ration tickets, practically emptying my own pockets for you.”

“And now that I’m in trouble, not only are you refusing to give me a single cent, you’re still trying to take things from me? Shen Jiacai, you must be dreaming while eating dog shit—what a ridiculous idea!”

“I won’t even pretend with you anymore. You want clothes? Not only will I not give you a whole set, I won’t even give you a single pocket!”

“And don’t bother using Mom to threaten me. You think I’m scared?”

“Making clothes for my man is the most natural thing in the world. Even if you bring the Emperor himself, I still wouldn’t be afraid!”

Shen Jiacai had never been talked back to like this before.

Especially not by his usually obedient little sister.

His face turned purple with rage, and his lips went pale.

Without thinking, he swung his uninjured hand at her. “Shen Yingying, you bitch! How dare you talk to me like this? I’ll beat you to death!”

But Shen Yingying was ready. She quickly took two steps back and swung the hot water bottle toward him.

Shen Jiacai was so startled that he dodged immediately—only to realize there was no actual water coming out.

Realizing he had been tricked again, he was about to charge at her when he suddenly heard a “pop”—she had pulled the wooden stopper from the bottle.

Shen Yingying squinted at him, shaking the steaming hot water bottle with a smirk, revealing a sharp little tiger tooth.

“Come on, then! Let’s see if you can beat me to death before I scald you to death. Let’s find out who wins.”

Seeing her smug expression, Shen Jiacai wanted to strangle her.

But one look at his already burned right hand, now red and throbbing, made him hesitate. If he got burned again, how would he bear it?

In the end, he chickened out.

“Real men don’t fight with women. If you don’t want to make it, then don’t! You think I can’t get clothes without you?!”

He stormed back into the room, searching everywhere for the fabric.

When he didn’t find it, he opened the wardrobe and saw the neatly stacked fabric, untouched. His expression finally eased.

He refused to believe that, with money and fabric in hand, he couldn’t get his clothes made!

But just as his hand reached for the fabric, something hard hit his back. He gasped in pain.

Then Shen Yingying’s voice rang out, “I paid for that fabric. Who said you could touch it?”

Shen Jiacai turned around and saw Shen Yingying standing there, holding the hot water bottle in one hand and a small rock in the other.

Clearly, she was the one who had just thrown it at him.

“Shen Yingying, are you trying to die?!”

Before he could react, she tossed the rock again, hitting him square on the forehead.

The rock wasn’t big enough to cause a concussion, but it still made him dizzy.

“If you dare touch it, I’ll make sure your face is so swollen even Mom won’t recognize you!”

Her voice was as cold as ice, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light—she was definitely not joking.

For the first time, Shen Jiacai felt fear toward his little sister.

This was the same sister who had always been submissive and obedient?

With a hot water bottle in one hand and a rock in the other, plus one of his hands already injured—if he pushed his luck, he’d be the one to suffer.

A wise man knows when to retreat. He angrily slammed the wardrobe shut and stormed out of the room.

As he walked out, he spat bitterly, “Looks like you’ve really grown wings and forgotten everything Mom taught you! How dare you treat me like this!”

“You think I can’t deal with you? You think Mom can’t deal with you?!”

“I’m going to tell her everything as soon as I get back, Shen Yingying! Just wait to get what’s coming to you!”

Shen Yingying wasn’t fazed by his threats. She took a few steps back and mockingly said:

“Mom this, Mom that. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were still clinging to Mom’s apron strings. Can’t function without her, huh?”

She put one hand on her hip, her brows raised.

“I’ll be right here, waiting to see how Mom deals with me!”

“And while you’re at it, tell her this: If she wants to treat her daughter like dirt under her feet while worshipping her son like a treasure, then she better stick to pampering her treasure and stop bothering me.”

“If she refuses to respect me as her daughter, then I won’t respect her as my mother! And I won’t be polite!”

“You dare talk back to Mom?! Shen Yingying, you’ve completely lost it!”

“It seems like your comprehension skills are lacking too. When did I ever curse at Mom? I simply asked you to pass on a message.” Shen Yingying sneered. “As long as she acts like my mother, I’ll act like her daughter. How is that cursing?”

This was outright unreasonable—turning black into white. Shen Jiacai was so enraged that he stumbled, tripped over the threshold, and fell flat on his face.

The fall was brutal. His already injured hand suffered even more, scraping off a large patch of skin—an absolutely miserable sight.

Shen Yingying looked down at him as if he were trash.

She raised an eyebrow in disdain and clicked her tongue. “Not only do you have comprehension issues, but you can’t even walk properly. Useless! No wonder you’re always crying for Mom. Honestly, you should just crawl back into her womb and get a do-over!”

“Shen Yingying!…” Shen Jiacai struggled to his feet, about to call out for his mother, but then he recalled Shen Yingying’s words.

After being scolded like this, if he still called for his mom, wouldn’t that confirm her accusations?

He forcibly swallowed the word “Mom” and instead spat out a weak threat: “B*tch! Just you wait!”

With that, he tightened his belt and fled in embarrassment.

Not willing to let him off easily, Shen Yingying put down the kettle, grabbed a couple of rocks, and hurled them forcefully at Shen Jiacai as he ran down the hill. “At least a b*tch is still human. You? You’re nothing but a useless coward! A waste of space! Pah!”

“I’m right here waiting for you. Let’s see what kind of storm a pathetic beast like you can stir up!”

Shen Jiacai was hit repeatedly, stumbling like a stray dog. He cursed as he ran, tripping over himself several more times.

Eventually, he had to cover his head and flee, tumbling down the hill in a panic.

But deep down, he refused to accept defeat. Just wait, Shen Yingying! Wait until Mom comes up here—you’re done for!