Chapter 6 – “Relenting”:

Ye’s mother was already on the ground, throwing a tantrum. Seeing her stepdaughter looking at her with a face full of dependence, she hardened her heart and slammed her head against the floor.

As she hit the ground, she threatened: “Ranran, if you don’t go to the He family to cancel the engagement, I’ll die right in front of you.”

Ye Siran watched her mother risk herself so fiercely for her stepsister, pounding the muddy ground with a deafening “bang-bang.”

Even knowing that her biological mother hated her and deliberately favored her stepsister, her heart still ached as if being twisted by a knife.

If her mother would ignore their mother-daughter bond and force her with threats of death, then why couldn’t she respond in kind?

So she knelt in front of her mother and cried: “Mom… if you die in front of me, then I’ll die too. If both of us die, who will take care of Dad and my little brother?”

“…”

Ye’s mother froze for several seconds, unable to react. She hadn’t expected her daughter to be so indifferent to her life.

Her daughter had always been obedient, never defying her, and her eyes would light up with joy at even the slightest praise. She had never, ever talked back like this.

Seeing her daughter seemingly ready to die with her, Ye’s mother didn’t know whether she should keep hitting the floor.

This daughter felt unfamiliar, and it made her uncomfortable. She sharpened her voice: “Ranran, have you gone crazy?”

“Mom, your daughter hasn’t gone crazy. Everyone knows I’ve liked Brother Hongwen for many years. If you want me to go to the He family to cancel the engagement, I’d rather die.”

Kneeling on the ground, Ye Siran’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, reflecting her grief and helplessness.

Ye’s father and Ye Ruyue were both stunned by the tears lingering in Ye Siran’s eyes.

In the past five years, they had never seen Ye Siran cry. At home, she had always worked tirelessly on chores—washing, cleaning, cooking, doing laundry—and ate leftover scraps without complaint.

But now, she was willing to die rather than give up her engagement to He Hongwen. Ye Ruyue was dumbfounded.

She had already been with Brother Hongwen. If she couldn’t marry him, then who else could she possibly marry?

Seeing the sharp father-daughter pair stunned, Ye Siran felt a strange sense of relief, though her eyes were still filled with sorrow.

Choking on her words, she said: “Mom, get up quickly. If you actually die, Sister will be responsible! It was she who egged you on to try and end your life.”

“………”

Ye Ruyue stared wide-eyed at Ye Siran’s tear-streaked face. She had no words.

She had schemed for so long, and now He Hongwen had her, but he refused to marry her, while Ye Siran wouldn’t cancel her engagement even if it meant dying.

Having lost her purity but gaining nothing, Ye Ruyue could only wail in frustration.

“You—little sister, it was clearly you who defied Mom! How can you blame me? Wuuu…I don’t want to live!”

“Big sister… did you make Mom try to die because you’re afraid of going to prison, and that’s why you don’t want to live?”

“Ye Siran, don’t talk nonsense. I didn’t make her try to die. She wanted to do it herself. What does it have to do with me?”

“Mom, did you hear? Sister didn’t make you try to die. Why are you trying to end your life then?”

“……”

Ye’s mother was left speechless by her daughter’s question. She herself didn’t even know why she had wanted to.

Ouch! My head hurts so much!

Ye Siran looked at her mother through blurred tears. In her past life, she would never have dared to talk back to her mother, nor to look directly at her stepfather.

At that time, she had thought it was difficult for her mother to marry her stepfather with a “burden child” like her in tow.

Her stepfather was gentle, cultured, and marrying her uneducated mother, along with a fragile child like her, seemed like a big loss on his part.

So she kept a low profile, enduring a miserable life dependent on others.

Even after marrying He Hongwen, she had no sense of belonging in the He family, shrinking away from everyone.

It was only her father-in-law in her past life who finally explained things to her.

After her own father passed away, her grandparents had wanted to take her back into the Ye family, but her mother had refused—just so she could have a reason to ask the Ye family for living expenses each month. Her stepfather had married her mother for her family’s connections.

She wasn’t a burden child—they were just using her as a cash cow. She was their benefactor.

Her father-in-law said she was too kind, unable to see through these tricks, and had been ground down for five years for no reason.

Five years ago, before her grandfather’s family fell on hard times, they didn’t dare openly mistreat her—they just made her do more chores.

After her grandfather’s family had misfortune, her mother openly favored Ye Ruyue and secretly tormented her to please her stepsister.

Such a mother didn’t deserve to be a mother. Reborn, she would not give her poisonous mother any respect, nor would she compromise easily.

Although she wanted to leave this house and get away from the biased, heartless He Hongwen, she wouldn’t leave so easily. That was why she was confronting them head-on.

“Ranran, we’re going to the He family to cancel the engagement now.” Ye’s mother, seeing her stepsister crying her heart out, stood and tried to pull Ye Siran up.

“I won’t go, unless… you give me money.” Ye Siran hadn’t finished speaking before Ye’s father interrupted her.

“That’s enough. Don’t say another word.” Ye’s father growled, showing the authority of the head of the household. Immediately, Ye’s mother and Ye Ruyue fell silent.

Although Ye Siran kept crying, her tears were silent; no sobs escaped her lips.

The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was terrifying, scaring Ye Weiguo into wailing.

“Waa… waa… Dad, Mom, Sister, please stop arguing. I’m starving!”

Seeing her beloved son cry, Ye’s mother barked at Ye Siran: “Weiguo’s hungry. You brat, take your brother to eat now!”

“Big sister will take you to eat.” Ye Siran reached for Ye Weiguo, only to have him push her away.

Although ten-year-old Ye Weiguo wasn’t as tall as eighteen-year-old Ye Siran, he was much chubbier.

Seeing Ye Siran fall, he didn’t feel guilty; instead, he said fiercely: “I don’t want you to take me! I want big sister to take me!”

He then stomped to Ye Ruyue: “Big sister, you’re hungry too, right? Let’s go eat.”

“Weiguo, big sister doesn’t feel like eating right now! Dad, Mom, you two go eat first!”

“Yueyue, get up and eat. Things have come this far, Ranran won’t just watch you die.” Ye’s mother hurriedly helped Ye Ruyue.

“Mom, are you really trying to kill me?” Ye Siran’s tears finally fell.

“Ranran, Mom doesn’t want to force you either. But can you just watch Yueyue die?”

Ye’s father looked deeply at the stepdaughter who had been pushed down by his son and gently said: “Children, Mom, Ranran, enough talk. Let’s eat first.”

“Ranran, your father has treated you well since you were little. You should be grateful. Yueyue has already been with Hongwen. You still…”

“Don’t say it. If you want me to help big sister and Brother Hongwen, that’s not impossible either.”