Chapter 044

Chapter 44: Throw Him Out

[Madam Yu wants me to go back right now. I can guess the reason with my toes. It must be Yu Jiao Jiao running home to cry and tattle again. I would have to be a fool to walk back there and ask for bad luck. Besides, I do not want more ties with those people. If we can avoid each other in the future, it is best we do not disturb one another’s lives.]

Unfortunately, that wish was never going to come true.

A teenage boy barged into her courtyard. Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes turned cold as she looked at him: “Yu Zi Xuan, did you feed your manners to the dogs?”

Yu Zi Xuan was the Yu Clan’s Fifth Young Master, fifteen years old, and the only brother of the two young ladies.

She looked at the bold-faced boy in front of her, yet a simple and honest face flashed in her mind. In a blink, that face broke apart like starlight and faded, leaving only Yu Zi Xuan’s expression of disgust as he snapped: “You are the bold one. What are you that you dare to scold me?”

Yu Zhi Yi had a chair brought over. She leaned back in ease and even crossed one leg over the other, then said with lazy calm: “And what are you, that you dare to trespass into the Chancellor’s Manor?”

Yu Zi Xuan’s face stiffened.

Ever since Yu Jiao Jiao returned to the Yu Clan, their parents and the five brothers had grown colder to Yu Zhi Yi. Among them, Yu Zi Xuan changed the most. The reason was simple. To him, Jiao Jiao was his benefactor.

In his eyes, Yu Zhi Yi was nothing. She had stolen ten years of Jiao Jiao’s happy life and even tried to take Jiao Jiao’s credit. Just thinking about how he had clung to her and called her sister for ten years made him sick.

He lifted his chin and said in a tone that took everything for granted: “Even though I do not want to admit it, you are my eldest sister in name. Of course I can come to the Chancellor’s Manor.”

This attitude was exactly the same as in her past life. They despised her, yet used the word family to chain her.

In that life, she had still longed for a bit of warmth, so she endured them. But now…

She smiled without warmth and said: “If you do not want to admit it, then do not. It suits me too, because I do not want to recognize an ingrate as a brother. Someone, throw him out. If he refuses to go,” her gaze turned icy, “do not be polite. Hit him.”

Yu Zi Xuan stared wide-eyed: “You wouldn’t dare!”

He learned very fast that she not only dared, she was absolutely firm.

Standing before the tightly shut Du Manor gate, Yu Zi Xuan rubbed his nose, which stung from the gust when the door slammed. He stamped his foot and raged: “Good for you, Yu Zhi Yi. You call me an ingrate? You are the biggest ingrate!”

He shouted at the closed gate: “If you had not teamed up with others to bully Jiao Jiao, do you think I would bother coming to you? I am telling you, keep acting out. Once you lose the Yu Manor to back you up, let us see what gives you the nerve to act tough!”

No one in the Yu Clan had expected Yu Zhi Yi to refuse to return to the Yu Manor to confess, and even throw Yu Zi Xuan out of the Chancellor’s Manor.

Yu Jiao Jiao had been crying while she waited with bright hope for Yu Zhi Yi to come back, apologize, and obediently force Red Luan to spit out that money. But she cried until her eyes were swollen, and only Yu Zi Xuan came back.

Seeing his sour expression, everyone was puzzled.

Noticing all eyes on him, Yu Zi Xuan’s face grew darker. Grinding his teeth, he said: “She thinks that, because she married into the Chancellor’s Manor and has Du Zi Heng to back her, her wings are hard now. She is not coming back.”

Being thrown out was too shameful, so he did not mention it.

Everyone in the Yu Manor fell silent.

Yu Jiao Jiao was so shocked she forgot to cry.

No one knew better than she did how much Yu Zhi Yi valued family and the people of the Yu Manor. In the last life, even though Yu Zhi Yi left the Capital City that year and only returned later, rising to become a marchioness because of Zhang Tian Shun’s merit, she did not return to the Yu Manor to throw her weight around. Instead, she did all she could to help them through hard times. Several brothers even earned merit with her support and shone in the Court Hall.

How had everything changed the moment of rebirth?

Wait…

Unease prickled through Yu Jiao Jiao. Unless that woman had given up on the Yu Manor. But in this life, the thing that would make Yu Zhi Yi give up had not happened yet. Unless that woman had also been reborn.

The more she thought, the more alarmed she became. She did not even catch what her five brothers were saying.

Eldest Brother Yu Meng Qin clenched his teacup and said coldly: “Good. If she will not come back now, then never come back.”

Second Brother gave a cold laugh: “Do not be so sure. I think it will not be long before she returns to cry and ask us to stand up for her.”

They already had news. Du Zi Heng was not as spotless as the Capital said. He had a sweetheart before the wedding. Because of that person’s status, Madam Du refused to let her into the manor, so Du Zi Heng was forced to marry.

They guessed Yu Zhi Yi was acting tough only because she did not yet know about that woman. Once she learned that the woman was the apple of Du Zi Heng’s eye, and even that the person he carried to a physician a few days ago, rumored to be a man, was actually that woman, she would surely lose her mind. When she made a scene, she would have to lean on her maiden family.

Third Young Master Yu sat in his wheelchair and frowned: “No matter what, she is our sister. I think we should warn our brother-in-law.”

A woman kept in the house and a woman kept outside were not the same. A concubine inside the manor, no matter how favored, was still at the mercy of the principal wife, something the madam of the house could control. But keeping a woman outside, while shameful to speak of, showed that the woman’s place in the man’s heart was special.

Du Zi Heng was known for his talent. Becoming a high-ranking official in the future was not impossible. Once Chancellor Du died and Du Zi Heng had full say, the first thing he might do would be to move against the principal wife and make room for the woman outside. The reputation would be ugly, but with their methods, they could still turn it into something proper.

Yu Zi Xuan snorted: “Warn him? Is that woman worthy of us lifting a finger?”

Fourth Brother said nothing.

Seeing his brothers did not agree, Third Young Master Yu felt torn, but he said no more.

Yu Zi Xuan turned to the absent-minded Yu Jiao Jiao and vowed: “Jiao Jiao, do not worry. This time we will grind down that woman’s sharp arrogance for you.”

Yu Jiao Jiao had been lost in thought and did not hear. If she had, she would have told them that Yu Zhi Yi did not care about that woman. Well… she did not believe it in her heart, but she knew one thing: waiting for Yu Zhi Yi to back down because of that woman was impossible.

Too bad she had not heard. Seeing her brothers’ concerned eyes and how ready they were to torment Yu Zhi Yi for her, she felt moved and proud. Her unease sank for the moment. [Even if that woman has been reborn too, so what? She still could not beat me. Zhang Tian Shun, the future prince, is mine.]

Yu Zhi Yi did not expect that a rare step outside would lead to her overhearing whispers about herself. Two people, one standing and one sitting, blocked the way not far ahead, and the person they were discussing was her.