◎Survival Instinct◎
In the hall—
When Hua Man and the others arrived, the dining table presented a warm and harmonious scene, just as expected.
This was Hua Man’s first time seeing the legendary wife.
She was an elegant and intellectual-looking woman, her face bearing a perfectly measured smile as she gazed at her husband and daughter with eyes full of affection.
As for the so-called husband, he had the typical beer belly of a middle-aged man, with thinning hair. The look he directed at Zhao Yang was filled with heartache and guilt.
The Eldest Miss’s arrival was like dropping a massive stone into a calm lake. The man scrambled awkwardly to his feet, panic evident on his face. “A’Zhao, why are you here?”
“Does Dad not welcome me?” Yang Zhao said as she approached.
Qin Fangqin immediately rose from her seat as well, her smile no longer as natural as before. “How could that be? Old Zhao was just talking about you, A’Zhao. Come, sit down.”
“A’Zhao?” Yang Zhao glanced over. “Who gave you the right to call me that?”
The atmosphere froze instantly.
The Eldest Miss seemed determined to get an answer. Seeing that Qin Fangqin had fallen silent, she turned to the man. “Dad, does she have the right?”
Zhao Ming chuckled awkwardly, hesitating not even a second. “Of course not.”
Hua Man’s pupils shook.
Last night, she had tossed and turned, even imagining scenes of the Eldest Miss suffering endless grievances in this home after losing her mother as a child. But now?
So, the Eldest Miss wouldn’t actually hit her own dad, would she?
Why did her father look so terrified of her?
Glancing at Qin Fangqin again, she seemed to have anticipated this answer, showing no surprise. Zhao Yang, however, with bruises and bloodstains on her face, flushed alternately pale and red, her expression extremely unpleasant.
The Eldest Miss curled her lips and stepped forward, prodding the gift box on the dining table with the handle of her whip. “What’s this? Is Dad giving his little sister a birthday present?”
The word “little sister” carried a strange tone that sent chills down the spine.
“How could it be?” Zhao Ming denied again, speaking righteously. “A’Zhao, Dad remembers what yesterday was. How could I celebrate the birthday of the murderer on such a heartbreaking day?!”
“Is that so?” Yang Zhao tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“Of course! You have to believe Dad!”
Hearing her father, who had just moments ago looked at her with such loving concern, now fawning over Yang Zhao and calling her a murderer to her face, Zhao Yang couldn’t help but close her eyes.
Was this the father she had dreamed of since childhood?
Was this the family she wanted?
Yang Zhao casually took the seat at the head of the table. She looked at Qin Fangqin, her light tone carrying an undeniable accusation. “Assistant Qin, I heard you bullied one of my people yesterday?”
Hua Man, who had just stationed herself behind her, froze.
Qin Fangqin clearly hadn’t expected the Eldest Miss to pick a fight over this. She smiled. “Has the Eldest Miss misunderstood something?”
It was her daughter who had been bullied—when had she ever bullied one of the Eldest Miss’s people?
“Misunderstood?” Yang Zhao’s smile faded. “Do you think I’m like you, some rabid dog that bites indiscriminately?”
“That’s not what I meant…” Qin Fangqin began.
She tried to defend herself, but Zhao Ming cut her off. “Assistant Qin! You’ve gotten far too bold! How dare you bully A’Zhao’s people!”
“Dad!” Zhao Yang finally couldn’t hold back, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at him tearfully.
Unfortunately, Zhao Ming’s survival instinct outweighed his fatherly love.
“I’m sorry.”
Knowing she could only bow her head in such moments to avoid an escalating mess, Qin Fangqin swallowed her anger and lowered her head.
“Are you apologizing to me?” Yang Zhao raised an eyebrow. “The one who was bullied wasn’t me.”
Qin Fangqin stiffened. What did that mean?
Was she supposed to apologize to whoever she had supposedly bullied? But she had no idea who it even was among the Eldest Miss’s entourage!
Yu Shan?
Or…
For a moment, Qin Fangqin’s mind couldn’t dredge up a second name.
Suddenly, she remembered something and jerked her head up, her gaze locking onto the figure behind the Eldest Miss.
Seeing her look over, Hua Man’s heart skipped a beat.
Why was she looking at her?
The person the Eldest Miss meant couldn’t possibly be her.
Though she had indeed been outmaneuvered by Qin Fangqin’s side yesterday, she wouldn’t delude herself into thinking the Eldest Miss would stand up for her.
Wait…
What if it wasn’t about standing up for her specifically, but just using it as an excuse to target that mother-daughter pair?
“Little Man, I really must apologize for offending you yesterday,” Qin Fangqin said tentatively.
Hua Man instinctively glanced at the Eldest Miss.
The Eldest Miss’s expression didn’t change, but her words were cutting. “If apologies worked, what would we need police for?”
It really was about her…
In that instant, Hua Man felt a complex mix of emotions.
Though she knew the Eldest Miss was just using it to torment that mother-daughter duo, her heart still raced uncontrollably.
“What does the Eldest Miss mean, then?” Qin Fangqin asked directly.
“I heard you threatened her yesterday,” Yang Zhao said with a sigh. “She’s one of mine—threatening her is no different from threatening me.”
Hua Man’s eyelid twitched violently. How did the Eldest Miss know?
Qin Fangqin’s gaze fell on Hua Man, and she finally couldn’t hold back. “Little Man just joined the Eldest Miss’s side, and you’re already this close? It was just some joking words—why take it so seriously and bother the Miss over it?”
A massive accusation dropped from the sky, and Hua Man could only remain silent.
“She has a name,” Yang Zhao said, frowning. “Assistant Qin, you know I have mysophobia. Calling her like that causes me a lot of distress. It makes me feel like…”
She drew out her tone. “You’ve dirtied her name.”
…
This was Hua Man’s first time witnessing the Eldest Miss’s war with that mother-daughter pair up close. Honestly, it was nothing like what she had imagined.
She thought that no matter how arrogant and domineering the Eldest Miss was, she’d restrain herself in front of her father—like those bratty kids who, no matter how mischievous, were ultimately reined in by blood ties.
But in reality, the supposed head of the household was even more spineless than Zhao Yang.
Even after the Eldest Miss left, that so-called father showed not a hint of anger. He just kept fawning over her. Despite his wife and daughter being humiliated by the Eldest Miss, he remained unmoved, wagging his tail at her like a dog.
But with the Eldest Miss making such a scene today, Hua Man had thoroughly been branded as part of her camp.
Recalling the Housekeeper’s words yesterday about them being in the same boat, Hua Man’s heart filled with complexity.
The Eldest Miss made Qin Fangqin pay her an additional sum as “mental distress compensation.”
In just half a day, she had pocketed a fortune.
On the way back, Hua Man couldn’t help calling out to her. “Eldest Miss.”
Yang Zhao didn’t turn her head. “No need for thanks, and don’t even think about refusing it out loud, or I’ll get angry.”
Hua Man: “…”
The Eldest Miss still held her whip in hand. Having witnessed her whipping prowess, Hua Man chose to shut her mouth.
But then the Eldest Miss suddenly stopped, her gaze fixing on Hua Man’s face.
Her eyes always seemed to sparkle like stars, bright and shiny, making it hard to look away once their eyes met.
Hua Man clenched her fist, forcing herself to lower her head.
“Why aren’t you talking?”
The Eldest Miss’s tone sounded dissatisfied.
Hua Man considered her words. “You told me to shut up.”
Now probably wasn’t the time to bring up Hua Xi. She didn’t think the Eldest Miss would be in a good mood after seeing that happy family scene—even if her arrival had shattered it, leaving the hall in chaos.
“Ungrateful,” Yang Zhao said, shaking her head. “After all my effort to get justice for you.”
It was for her?
Hua Man hesitated, holding back for a long time before deciding not to call her out.
She didn’t want to talk much with the Eldest Miss, but the Eldest Miss seemed to have opened the floodgates, grabbing her to ask:
“Don’t you find it strange? Don’t you think my dad—that dear dad of mine—is like a dog I keep? Don’t you… want to know why?”
She was like a hunter setting a trap, luring the prey in.
Hua Man shook her head. “No.”
Yang Zhao’s brows furrowed instantly. “Why?”
“Eldest Miss.” Hua Man lifted her gaze. “The more you know, the faster you die. I’m still young—I value my life more than my curiosity.”
Yang Zhao was stunned.
A moment later, she burst out laughing. “You don’t want to hear it? Then I’ll tell you anyway.”
With that, she stepped closer to Hua Man, reaching out to pinch the other’s perpetually stern face. Once the coldness melted away, she withdrew her hand in satisfaction. “It’s because this house bears the Yang surname, while he bears Zhao.”
Hua Man had just escaped the Eldest Miss’s clutches when this bombshell hit her unexpectedly, causing her movements to pause.
“Isn’t it ridiculous?” Yang Zhao smiled. “A dog daring to betray its master—disgusting.”
Without thinking, Hua Man asked, “If it’s so disgusting, why let them occupy the magpie’s nest and live in the Yang Family?”
Only after speaking did Hua Man realize she had overstepped.
She shouldn’t ask such questions, nor know these answers.
Delighted by the phrase “occupy the magpie’s nest,” Yang Zhao stared at Hua Man for a few seconds before tossing aside her whip.
She closed the distance between them again, bending down. Watching Hua Man’s ears turn visibly red, she couldn’t help curving her lips and whispered in her ear, “Isn’t it more fun to give them hope first, then drag them down to hell?”
Hua Man’s eyelashes trembled lightly.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell if her wildly pounding heart was due to the Eldest Miss’s clearly unhinged answer, or the overly intimate distance between them… and the fragrant breath of the Eldest Miss.
She turned her head away in embarrassment, her gaze meeting Gao Yanhua’s, who trailed a few steps behind.
The other woman winked ambiguously at her and mimed zipping her lips.
Hua Man: “…”
After work, Gao Yanhua caught up to Hua Man.
“Don’t worry, I can keep a secret. I absolutely won’t blab everywhere.”
Hearing this, Hua Man stopped. “Won’t blab about what?”
Gao Yanhua faltered, looking at Hua Man’s expressionless face. She chuckled awkwardly. “You and the Eldest Miss…”
“What I am to the Eldest Miss is what you are to her,” Hua Man countered calmly. “Is our relationship with the Eldest Miss something shameful? Why can’t it be talked about?”
Gao Yanhua blinked.
Watching Hua Man’s back as she left without hesitation, she let out a soft breath of relief.
Hua Man probably wasn’t that* embarrassed, was she?
Um…
She wouldn’t go tattle to the Eldest Miss, right?
