“Okay, be careful and ask for directions if you can’t understand the map!”

Sheng Weixia noted down Jiang Pengtao’s address and ended the call, then mentally reviewed the progress of buying and transferring the house.

“Where are you going?” Yu Shulan stood at the door of the west wing, interrupting her train of thought.

Sheng Weixia realized that this was the “landlord” asking the “tenant” about their whereabouts.

So she said briefly: “I have something to do tomorrow, I’m going to see my cousin.”

“What’s the matter? Need any help?” Yu Shulan wouldn’t leave.

After arriving in Beijing, she realized how lonely it would be to study here alone.

All her familiar friends and companions were gone.

Even Sheng Weixia, who was not usually her type, she felt could be a good person to chat with.

“No, it’s about the house I bought.” Sheng Weixia stopped there, pointing at the sky. “You’re a senior in high school, shouldn’t you be studying?”

Yu Shulan didn’t realize she was being chased away, she even stepped closer, excitedly asking: “Where did you buy it? What kind of house is it?”

Sheng Weixia: “A small house.”

Seeing that she wouldn’t say, Yu Shulan’s temper flared up again: “What’s so great about it! If you say I’m fat, I’ll pant…”

“It’s not that great, so can you go study now?”

Compared to this courtyard, what was hers?

Seeing the rejection in Sheng Weixia’s expression, Yu Shulan suddenly remembered Yu Shi’s warning before they left: “If you cause trouble like last time again, you’re going back to the old house. Don’t even bother with school, the Yu family can afford to support a useless person.”

The arrogance instantly disappeared. Yu Shulan leaned back, sat on the couch in the room, and said pitifully: “You look down on me, think I’m shallow and rude, don’t you? You don’t want to talk to me, right?”

The more she spoke, the more pitiful she felt, imagining being sent back to the old house by Yu Shi and living a miserable life.

Yu Shulan’s ability to change her face instantly left Sheng Weixia speechless: “I didn’t think that.”

Although shallow and rude were true.

“Look, I even brought you to my house. Except for my brother’s main room, I’ve shown you everything…” Yu Shulan became even more aggrieved. “You’re so good, you won’t tell me where your house is…”

“…” Sheng Weixia felt like she was facing a three-year-old child who insisted on trading candy with others. She said helplessly, “You know, this is my first time in Beijing, I don’t know the exact address. It’s really a small house, probably about the size of those few rooms next to your gate.”

“That’s not small.” Yu Shulan leaned closer to her, her voice muffled. “That’s your own house, you know. Don’t think this place is so big, it’s not mine. It’s all my brother’s…”

“How is that possible?” Sheng Weixia looked surprised.

Although older generations might have a preference for sons over daughters, it was a bit too much to have such a huge difference in treatment between siblings.

“Why not?” Yu Shulan didn’t know what was wrong with her today, why she was so fragile and wanted to confide. “This house was left by my brother’s mother, not my mother…”

Sheng Weixia was caught off guard by this secret of the rich family.

Looking closely, Yu Shulan indeed didn’t resemble Yu Shi at all. Yu Shi’s eyebrows were deep, his eyes and hair color were light, but Yu Shulan’s features weren’t as sharp, and her hair was thick and black.

So they were half-siblings.

Sensing her subtle observation, Yu Shulan stubbornly stretched her neck and said in a huff: “What? You think I’m pitiful? Yes, my dad is in seclusion and doesn’t care about anything, my brother is too lazy to care about me, I’m pitiful… I’m not pitiful!”

“You’re not pitiful.” Sheng Weixia withdrew her gaze and said softly, “You’re very lucky.”

Being fearless requires someone to support you.

Yu Shulan didn’t expect her to say that. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she mumbled with her head down: “Like you, your parents are still alive, you study well, you’re also… beautiful. You have no idea how pitiful I am. My mother didn’t get a marriage certificate, I’m not as well-born as Xue Ling, and I’m not as smart or good-looking as my brother. No one in the old house looks down on me, even the cook can bully me. Once, I accidentally caused trouble, but my grandfather praised me for being like a Yu family member, daring to do anything. That’s when I slowly became bolder. Later… later, my brother grew up and became successful, and I became more and more out of control.”

After saying that, she felt a little embarrassed for saying such things and turned around to stand up.

Sheng Weixia: “But you didn’t go hungry or cold when you were young, you weren’t beaten by adults when they were unhappy, your wounds weren’t left untreated, you didn’t have to worry about being hidden from school and forced to go on blind dates, and you didn’t have to rack your brains to find ways to earn tuition fees. Also, at least you have a brother who protected you while you grew up, that’s already a kind of luck.”

Hearing this, Yu Shulan stopped, carefully considered what she said, and felt that if these experiences happened to her, it would be truly unimaginable misery. The feeling of discomfort in her heart subsided, replaced by a faint warmth. She sniffed: “I won’t bully you anymore, I’ll consider you a… friend.”

She uttered the word “friend” in a voice as low as a mosquito, then quickly opened the door and ran out.

Sheng Weixia looked at the swinging door, slightly stunned.

The second daughter of the Yu family, who seemed to be living a life of luxury in the eyes of outsiders, actually had so much unspoken heartache inside.

Therefore, you can only live freely when you don’t live in the eyes of others.

After a while, it was time for dinner.

There were only two of them at the large round table, so Yu Shulan asked someone to set up the food on a small table next to it for serving dishes.

“Want to go for a walk after dinner?” She sucked on the tip of her chopsticks and looked up at Sheng Weixia. “This is only my second time living in this house, let’s have a good look around!”

How could someone who had only been here twice be able to show her around?

As if understanding Sheng Weixia’s gaze, Yu Shulan said in a muffled voice: “This house hasn’t been back for that many years, my brother hasn’t even lived here much. Is it strange that this is only my second time here?”

She muttered again, “To be honest, this time my brother transferred me to Beijing, he didn’t even make me stay in the school dorm, he let me live here. I really didn’t expect that.”

After they finished eating, Yu Shulan insisted on showing her around:

“Look, the main room is my brother’s, the two rooms on the sides, one is his study, the other… I’ve never been in there, I don’t know what’s inside, I’m afraid to go in, I’m afraid my brother will kick me out.”

Sheng Weixia looked at the flower-patterned windows, which had obvious signs of repair but were still exquisite and perfect: “There aren’t many entire courtyards like this, your brother’s mother must have come from a good family…”

Seeing Yu Shulan’s expression change, she immediately stopped. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Actually, Yu Shulan was curious. She rolled her eyes and whispered: “You really don’t know anything! My brother’s mother, oh, my dad’s original wife, had one-quarter British blood. Back then, the situation was tense, she wasn’t in good health, and she cried every day after giving birth to my brother. Then she passed away. This house was later found by my brother when he found the deed, and he applied to the housing management bureau to get it back. I don’t know anything else.”

Yu Shulan’s few words made her suddenly remember Yu Shi sitting in the water pavilion, his lips tightly pursed as he said, “I know.”

It turned out he had no mother since he was young.

Yu Shulan, as if she had accidentally let something slip, continued, “So, I was born out of wedlock. Isn’t it good enough that my brother still cares about me? Besides, he let me live here. If I dare to get close to him, I’m really asking for trouble.”

She seemed to be acting carelessly, but she actually knew everything.

She couldn’t say she was perfect, but she knew her boundaries very well.

Children from big families are not truly naive.

Seeing that she didn’t continue to ask questions, Yu Shulan snorted: “You’re a little too straightforward, but you’re still quite sensible. Come on, let’s go for a walk!”

Sheng Weixia was dragged out for another walk.

When they came back, the maid brought her a thick stack of books: “A Jiu sent them over. He said Yu Shao asked you to finish all the exercises before school starts.”

Yu Shulan stared at the books, dared not speak but grabbed them and went back to her room. Halfway there, she turned back to look at Sheng Weixia, raised her chin slightly: “I don’t know how to do them, can I ask you?”

Looking at her tough-but-fragile appearance, Sheng Weixia reluctantly nodded: “Alright, no charge.”

“You’re really… obsessed with money!” Yu Shulan exclaimed.

The next day, she didn’t rush to find Jiang Pengtao. She went to Luo Qiaorong’s house by car, as agreed.

Yu Shulan, using the excuse that her classes hadn’t officially started yet, followed them like a tail.

When they arrived, they realized that there was a guard post outside Luo Qiaorong’s house. They had to call and confirm before they were allowed in.

Walking inside, they felt that the courtyard was very deep. The houses inside were staggered in height, but they were all clean and orderly.

They found the house number for the Luo family. It was an independent villa with five-colored vines climbing up the exterior wall, the white wall and green leaves were very elegant.

It turned out that Luo Qiaorong’s family background was so unusual. No wonder Yu Shi said that it was safe to take her car.

Yu Shulan curled her lips: “What can I say about you? Can you be a little more thoughtful? You don’t even know the background of the people you’re socializing with? No wonder you grew up in the countryside.”

But Sheng Weixia didn’t take “countryside” to heart at all. Instead, she nodded: “I make friends based on whether we get along or not, as for their family background, why should I know? She’s rich, she won’t spend her money on me. She’s powerful, but maybe it’s not her own power. If I flatter her because she’s rich and powerful, then I’m not treating her as a friend.”