Chapter 6: Little Sister Knows How to Tattle

Bai Shuqin never imagined that the person who had just been driven out of the house would reappear in less than an hour—this time inside the Jiang Family’s garden.

Shock flickered across Bai Shuqin’s face, but only for a moment. Almost instantly, her gaze shifted to the middle-aged woman beside Guan Xuxu, dressed unmistakably like a nanny. In that instant, she understood.

So this must be Guan Xuxu’s biological mother.

A Maid.

Well, that made sense. Someone who came from the mountains could hardly expect to find a respectable occupation. Being able to work as a maid in a place like this was already considered quite decent.

Guan Ruirui clearly came to the same conclusion.

Inwardly, she felt both disdain and amusement, yet outwardly she wore an expression full of sympathy and concern.

“Jiejie, so your family member works here? But you must be careful—this is the Jiang Family. Don’t go touching anything you shouldn’t, otherwise, if you cause trouble for them, that would be quite bad.”

The butler leading the way couldn’t help but let his expression crack slightly upon hearing those words. He was just about to explain when Guan Xuxu spoke with cold indifference:

“No need to trouble yourself.”

She paused, those clear almond-shaped eyes shifting past Guan Ruirui, falling on the faint gray shadows clinging tightly behind her. Guan Xuxu’s brows lifted ever so slightly as she continued,

“If I were you, I’d be staying quietly at home right now, not wandering about aimlessly.”

At home, the protective talisman she had set up kept ordinary malevolent spirits from approaching, but away from there, it was another matter entirely.

Bai Shuqin saw that even after leaving their house—after only acknowledging a nanny as her mother—Guan Xuxu could still act so infuriating. Her face nearly twisted with anger. Yet, mindful of the Jiang Family’s butler nearby, she forced herself to hold it in. Instead, she turned to persuade Guan Ruirui.

“Ruirui, you have a good temperament, but you must know who deserves it. For someone ungrateful, who can’t tell right from wrong, what’s the point of trying to advise her?”

With that, she turned to the butler, sighing in helplessness as though explaining,

“I’m sorry you had to see this. She’s a child our family once adopted. We never expected that after all those years of raising her, the moment she found her biological father, she would turn her back on us. Sigh. This child was always wayward, sneaky and dishonest. At least when she was with us, we could overlook it. But now that she’s in someone else’s household… who knows what kind of trouble she might cause?”

Bai Shuqin looked the very picture of worry, though every word she spoke practically hinted that keeping someone like Guan Xuxu in the Jiang Family was bound to bring disaster.

The butler, however, felt a chill run through him as he listened.

So this Madam Guan truly had no idea that the young lady standing before her was the Jiang Family’s long-lost eldest daughter?

To speak such slander of her, and right in front of him, a butler of the household… It made him wonder just what kind of life the young lady must have endured back in the Guan Family.

Originally, because the Guan Family had raised the young lady for so many years, the butler had treated them as honored guests. But now, his attitude cooled noticeably.

Bai Shuqin, however, mistook the butler’s change of demeanor for agreement with her words, assuming he too harbored dissatisfaction toward Guan Xuxu. She sneered inwardly.

She was waiting to see this ungrateful wretch driven out—let her try putting on airs in front of her then.

As for giving up that representative quota, Bai Shuqin no longer saw the need to bargain. With her ties to the Jiang Family now, why waste time? It was just a spot—if Ruirui wanted it, they could simply take it.

Meanwhile, the maid  who had stood silently to the side since Bai Shuqin and Guan Ruirui approached remained quiet. The Jiang Family had strict rules; servants generally did not speak freely with their masters’ guests.

Yet the more she listened, the stranger the guest’s words sounded.

Wasn’t she… wasn’t she talking about the Jiang Family’s newly returned eldest young lady?

Ah… this—

The butler, unable to restrain himself, finally spoke:
“Madam Guan, Miss Guan, you…”

But before he could finish, another voice cut in.

“What’s going on here?”

It was Jiang Huai, who had come after finishing his phone call. Spotting the people gathered around Guan Xuxu, his steps unconsciously quickened. In just a few strides, he was standing before them.

The moment she saw Jiang Huai, Guan Ruirui’s eyes lit up.

Bai Shuqin, too, gave the young man a careful once-over, her gaze lingering on the diamond cufflinks and the luxury watch worth millions on his wrist, secretly wondering which young master of the Jiang Family he might be.

The butler’s expression grew more solemn upon seeing Jiang Huai. He was about to explain but quickly realized that his young master’s question had been directed at the eldest young lady. Pressing his lips together, he chose to remain silent.

As for Guan Xuxu, whether it was because of Jiang Huai’s earlier defense of her or for some other reason, hearing him ask made her, almost against her own will, complain a little:

“Oh, they were just giving me a hard time.”

With just those few words—sharp, concise—the air abruptly fell into an eerie silence.

The moment Bai Shuqin realized what had been said, she shrieked, “You wretched girl, what nonsense are you spouting?!”

As she spoke, she raised her hand, about to strike Guan Xuxu.

Jiang Huai had been amused at first, hearing his younger sister “complain” to him. But the instant he saw Bai Shuqin’s movement, the smile at the corner of his lips vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.

Yet before he could act, the younger sister he thought of as a pitiful little thing had already moved. Guan Xuxu swiftly raised her own hand and caught Bai Shuqin’s wrist in a precise, decisive grip.

Her sudden reaction stunned not only him but also Bai Shuqin herself. She had clearly not expected resistance and instinctively tried to yank her hand back.

But though Guan Xuxu’s hold looked light, the strength in it was unyielding. Bai Shuqin couldn’t shake free for a moment.

Keeping her grasp firm, Guan Xuxu leveled a cold, unflinching gaze at Bai Shuqin.

“Don’t forget—I am no longer a daughter of the Guan Family, and I will never again submit to your beatings and scolding.”

With that, she released her grip cleanly. Bai Shuqin, who had been struggling against the restraint, stumbled backward the moment she was let go, nearly falling.

“Mother!”

Guan Ruirui cried out, hurriedly reaching to steady Bai Shuqin. When she turned back toward Guan Xuxu, her face was full of shock and disbelief.

“Jiejie, no matter what, Mother is still the one who raised you. How could you lay hands on her just because of a disagreement? You… you’ve gone too far!”

Even now, Guan Ruirui tirelessly worked to smear Guan Xuxu’s name.

After all, who would believe in the character of someone who dared raise a hand against the people who had raised her?

Guan Xuxu had grown utterly weary of Guan Ruirui’s hypocritical act. Her almond eyes lifted sharply as she retorted without the slightest courtesy:

“Which eye of yours saw me lay a hand on her? If your eyes are blind, don’t assume everyone else is as blind as you.”

At the side, Jiang Huai listened, amusement glimmering in his gaze.

So his younger sister, who usually appeared so obedient and easy to bully, was actually this sharp-tongued when provoked.

Not bad—truly worthy of being a child of the Jiang Family.

While he listened with interest, Bai Shuqin, on the other hand, was burning with humiliation and rage. That girl she had raised—she had every right to hit her, and Guan Xuxu should have obediently taken it!

But not only had she resisted, she had even dared insult Ruirui. Forgetting entirely that this was the Jiang Family’s estate, Bai Shuqin shoved Guan Ruirui aside and lunged straight at Guan Xuxu.

“You wretched girl! You little slut—!”

Expressionless, Guan Xuxu stepped back, ready to respond, but before she could act, another figure moved faster, stepping squarely in front of her.

The man’s back was broad and upright, radiating a solid sense of safety.

The trace of a smile in his features was now completely gone, replaced by a commanding aura. His presence was sharp and overwhelming, cold and fearsome.

“This is the Jiang Family,” he said icily. “Not a place for anyone to run wild.”