Chapter 6: Qiqi Is Your Younger Sister—Why Are You So Petty With Your Sister?

Xia Ying froze, still holding the fruit she had just sliced, staring in shock at her daughter’s recent actions.

After Ye Muqi threw the person out, she clapped her hands in satisfaction—finally, she had gotten rid of that annoying fake white lotus.

“Qiqi, you…” Xia Ying looked at Ye Muqi turning around, snapping out of her daze. “What happened to you? You used to adore your cousin Huihui.”

Why had she suddenly become so rough with Ye Huihui?

Even after witnessing such behavior, Xia Ying’s first instinct wasn’t to scold her daughter but to ask her for an explanation.

Ye Muqi felt a warm sensation in her heart. She suddenly felt reluctant to leave this home she’d only been in for a few days. These parents had truly treated the original her well.

“Mum,” Ye Muqi said directly, “Huihui was there the day I fell into the river.”

She didn’t say Huihui pushed her—after all, there was no evidence—but she hinted that Huihui had been at the river. Maybe someone else saw her, too.

“What?”

Xia Ying was shocked. Many thoughts flashed through her mind.

Ye Huihui was by the river?

Then why didn’t she save Qiqi?

Why didn’t she call for help?

Why wasn’t she there when Qiqi was taken to the hospital?

Xia Ying didn’t want to think the worst, but all signs pointed to an unsettling conclusion.

She didn’t doubt Ye Muqi’s words. She knew her daughter well. Although she could be a bit dramatic and not particularly clever, she never lied.

“Don’t say anything about this outside for now. Your father and I will find a way to look into it,” Xia Ying said seriously.

If it really was Huihui, then even if she was her niece, she wouldn’t let her off easily.

…

Outside the door, Ye Huihui stood dazed, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at the tightly shut door, waiting a long while for Xia Ying to come and open it—but no one came.

What’s going on?

Ye Huihui looked at the closed door. Her pitiful expression vanished, her gaze turning dark, her face twisted with fury.

“That damn Ye Muqi—how dare she treat me like that?” she muttered under her breath.

What the hell had happened to Ye Muqi after coming out of the hospital? It was like she’d become a completely different person!

And what about what she said earlier—did she really see Huihui push her, or was she just testing her?

Ye Huihui bit her lip, staring at the scattered fruit on the ground, her heart aching. She had spent her hard-earned money on that fruit!

“Damn bitch…”

In the end, she couldn’t bear to leave the fruit she had bought lying there, even though the apples were already bruised. So she crouched down and picked them all up.

She glared one last time at the shut door, then angrily kicked the wall and stomped off, muttering curses under her breath.

This old, cramped apartment block housed many people. There was only one staircase, the inside was dimly lit, and every floor had several households. The soundproofing was poor.

As soon as you walked in, you’d hear all sorts of noises—arguments, crying children, even the clanging of cooking from enclosed corridors.

The corridor only had windows at each end, with long rows of units on both sides, so smells lingered unpleasantly in the narrow space.

Ye Huihui had just come from her dorm, which was far better in both condition and environment. Seeing this run-down apartment again, she felt even more disgusted.

She wanted to live in the kind of dorm Ye Muqi lived in—not this dump!

With a sour expression, Ye Huihui entered her home with the fruit. The house was old, barely furnished, and her mood instantly soured further.

That night, Ye Weiming and his wife returned from the construction site, covered in dust and dirt from head to toe.

“Mom, Dad…” Seeing them brought Ye Huihui’s thoughts straight to Xia Ying.

Other people’s moms wore nice clothes at home, but her parents looked filthy. The contrast was stark, and her eyes filled with resentment.

Why did Ye Muqi get such good parents and a nice dorm to live in?

Weren’t they born to the same parents? Why was her father so inferior to his older brother, Ye Zhengfeng, who worked in the steel plant while her dad could only get odd jobs?

He worked to the bone every day and still couldn’t make much money. Their house was shabby and even cost them money, unlike Ye Muqi’s family, who lived in a well-appointed dorm provided by the state.

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She was increasingly disgusted with her home.

“Huihui, why didn’t you cook?” Lin Yanhong asked, expecting to come home to a warm meal.

But there wasn’t even rice in the pot, let alone dishes.

“Don’t even mention it,” Huihui grumbled, pointing to the fruit on the table, looking pitiful. “I bought fruit especially to visit Ye Muqi today, but not only was she cold toward me, she even kicked me out!”

As she spoke, she grew more furious, telling Lin Yanhong all about how rude and arrogant Ye Muqi had been—adding plenty of embellishments to make herself sound like the wronged party.

“I even picked out the best fruit, and she acted like it was beneath her!”

“…” Lin Yanhong glanced at the fruit, swallowing hard. She hadn’t eaten fruit in a long time. “Qiqi’s family is well off. She can eat whatever she wants.”

Even Lin Yanhong sounded a bit jealous talking about Ye Muqi’s family situation.

Their family couldn’t compare at all.

Fruit couldn’t fill a stomach and was expensive. They wouldn’t normally buy it, but for Ye Muqi’s family, they could afford it anytime.

“But still, I spent my hard-earned money on that fruit!” Huihui fumed.

“Sigh…” Lin Yanhong let out a soft sigh. “You’re the older sister. Qiqi’s the younger one. Why be petty with your little sister?”

Clearly, Lin Yanhong didn’t want to offend Ye Muqi’s family over such a small matter.

Huihui was furious. So all her complaining had been for nothing?

She got mistreated at Ye Muqi’s house and now was getting brushed off at her own?

Everyone always told her to give in. But she was only one year older than Ye Muqi. Why should she always be the one to compromise, especially when her family was worse off?

And it wasn’t like she did anything wrong—Ye Muqi had been the one to kick her out. Why should she have to back down?

With such weak parents, she really felt helpless.

At this point, Huihui was so angry she couldn’t even be bothered to argue with Lin Yanhong. She stomped into her room, furious.

Bang!

The door slammed shut with a loud thud as Huihui locked herself inside.

“If the door breaks, you’re paying to fix it!” Ye Weiming grumbled after taking a sip of water. The slam had gotten on his nerves.

“Let it go,” Lin Yanhong muttered, heading to the kitchen.

After a while, dinner was ready—just two plates of vegetables and a bowl of white rice. Then she went to call Huihui.

“Huihui, dinner’s ready.” Lin Yanhong called out after some time.

“I’m already full from being angry—who needs to eat?” Huihui shouted from inside.

“Let her starve if she doesn’t want to eat,” Ye Weiming snapped. “What’s wrong with her?”

Lin Yanhong: “……”

Still, she saved a portion for her daughter anyway.