Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Sold off and still helping count the money

“Hiss… Mom, what is wrong?” Busy flipping through the book and enjoying the drama, Du An Rao suddenly felt a sharp pain in her hand. She looked up and finally saw that at some point Mother Du had grabbed her hand.

“Did Mom hurt you by grabbing you? I am sorry, I am sorry, let me rub it for you.”

“It is fine, it does not hurt much.”

Du An Rao did not think much of it. She only thought Mother Du had lost control for a moment because she was angry that Du Yu Xi was being made things hard, and so she missed the chill hidden under Mother Du’s heartache.

No one knew better than she did that those casually written lines were all true. It was just that the real-life Du An Rao was a bit luckier. She had met an old master who could not bear to leave her there and took her up into the mountains to cultivate. Otherwise…

For a while, aside from heartache and lingering fear, Mother Du also felt endless hatred rise in her heart toward those culprits.

[At this point in the plot, Miss Li’s birth father should have been released from prison a year ago after finishing his sentence. They say you cannot get two different kinds of people from the same bed. Wang Xue He and her husband are definitely true love. One got caught and still remembered to tell his wife to run. The other got caught and was about to die but still made sure to tell her husband where their real daughter was.]

[So Miss Li already learned the truth a year ago and started secretly paying attention to Fourth Sister.]

When Du Yu Xi heard this, goosebumps rose all over her body. Even without thinking, she knew why that Miss Li was watching her.

[Huh? This Ye Meng Zhen actually likes my third brother and even secretly stuffed a love letter for him into Fourth Sister’s locker.]

“Pft…” Mother Du choked on her juice, scaring Du An Rao so much that she almost jumped up to get her a tissue.

Du Yu Xi, not far away, was also shocked. She rarely lost her composure, but now her eyes widened in disbelief as she asked: “You like my third brother?”

Ye Meng Zhen, who had been ranting non-stop ever since she was accused, suddenly froze. Her former arrogance vanished and, for some reason, she twisted shyly: “So what if I do?”

Then, as if she had thought of something, her face darkened: “Didn’t you already know? Why are you pretending?”

Du Yu Xi felt dazed. So it was actually true!

[Huh? Fourth Sister actually knew? That is not right. Wasn’t the love letter Ye Meng Zhen wrote to Third Brother stolen and thrown away by people sent by Li Qian Xi? After that, the president even brought up this matter on purpose in front of Ye Meng Zhen to sow discord between them. Otherwise Ye Meng Zhen would not be so hostile to Fourth Sister.]

Du Yu Xi’s heart was pounding like thunder, and her hands hanging at her sides unconsciously clenched.

Li Qian Xi. That girl’s name was Li Qian Xi? Was it because her existence represented both guilt and hope to the Li family? But that should have been her own name.

On the other side, after being forced to listen to a whole earful of rich family gossip, Xi Jing Yue’s expression changed slightly. Li Qian Xi? Was that just a coincidence or…

The man across from him noticed the change in his expression. His heart jumped, thinking he had said something wrong again.

“Did you write my third brother a love letter?”

“I… you…”

“Someone went through my locker. I only found out a couple of days ago that you once put something in it, but I have never seen that thing in my locker.”

Ye Meng Zhen was stunned: “You mean the love letter I wrote to your third brother was not thrown away by you?”

“Why would I throw away your love letter for no reason?”

“Who knows if you were jealous?”

Du Yu Xi frowned in confusion: “Why would I be jealous that my brother has a girl chasing after him? I am not a weirdo.”

Ye Meng Zhen choked for a moment, then stubbornly said: “How am I supposed to know if you are telling the truth or not?”

“Actually, I am very curious…”

“About what?”

“Just what do you like about my brother?”

Ye Meng Zhen: “…”

Du Yu Xi’s question was far too blunt. Ye Meng Zhen was dumbfounded, and after stammering for a long time she still could not give a clear answer.

In the end, it was Du An Rao, who had pricked up her ears to listen in, who was too impatient and gave the answer first.

[Of course she fell for our third brother’s face.]

Mother Du and Du Yu Xi: “???” Was she really that shallow?

[Ye Meng Zhen is a hardcore face-con. At the start of the school year she happened to run into Third Brother walking Fourth Sister to registration. From far away she saw Third Brother standing tall and straight under the mottled shade of the trees. The autumn wind was chilly, the shadows were swaying, the mood was perfect. How could she not be moved?]

Du Yu Xi: “Uh…”

Ye Meng Zhen had no idea that her little secret had almost been completely exposed. After hesitating for a long time, she still did not dare tell the truth and instead said: “Why should I tell you what I like about him? Do not change the subject. If you did not throw away my love letter, then who did?”

“That is something you should ask yourself.”

“Ask me?”

Now that she knew the truth, Du Yu Xi’s mind also turned quickly: “Who told you that I threw away the love letter you put in my locker?”

Ye Meng Zhen froze for a moment. It took her quite a while to react: “You mean… no way, it cannot be her!”

“Who is it?”

“Do I have to tell you just because you asked? In any case it definitely cannot be her. I even think it might be someone around you!”

Even though she said that, Ye Meng Zhen did not dare meet Du Yu Xi’s eyes while she spoke, which showed that she was not completely free of doubt in her heart.

[How is this little girl so silly? She has been sold off and is still helping them count the money.]

Mother Du and Du Yu Xi: “…” She was not even older than the girl, how could she call someone a little girl in such an old-fashioned tone?

But the two of them could also hear that Du An Rao was more frustrated with her than truly hateful. They guessed that Ye Meng Zhen had probably been used by others most of the time and was not bad at heart.

“Excuse me, let me say something. It is hard to tell who is right or wrong in this matter, but I think this Miss’s taste in people is definitely not as good as my sister’s.”

Du An Rao suddenly spoke up, startling everyone. Ye Meng Zhen’s face changed even more, and she snapped in anger: “Who are you? Do you not know that eavesdropping on other people’s conversations is very rude?”

“Me?” Du An Rao grinned, showing eight white teeth, and said: “This poor Daoist is exactly that uncultured hick from some remote place that you were talking about just now.”

Ye Meng Zhen: “…”

Was there anything more awkward than badmouthing someone behind their back and being heard by the party concerned?

Of course there was. It was when not only did the party concerned hear everything clearly, but they also called you out to your face.

“You… you…” Ye Meng Zhen’s face flushed red. After stammering for a long time without saying anything, she shut her mouth in embarrassment and sat down again.

Du Yu Xi glanced at Mother Du, who was hiding behind a potted plant in the partition, then stared at Du An Rao for a while before tentatively calling out: “An Rao?”

“It is me. Hi, Fourth Sister. Mom and I just finished shopping and came here to eat. The desserts in this place are so tasty. Sister, later can you help me ask if we can buy these desserts separately or maybe get a few more plates of them? Please, please~”

How could Du Yu Xi not see that Du An Rao was only using the desserts as an excuse? Her expression grew even softer.

“If you like them, just eat more. I will personally bring them over to you in a while.”

“Thank you, Fourth Sister!”

[Fourth Sister is so gentle, has such a good temper, and is also good-looking. Speaking of which, the reason Li Qian Xi is so nervous about Fourth Sister seems to be because Fourth Sister has a face that looks almost exactly like Madam Li’s when she was young. Fortunately the two families are only in the same city but far apart. If anyone from the Li family had ever seen Fourth Sister even once, this matter would not have been hidden for so long.]