Chapter 3: The Chaebol Heir’s Canary — “Hello, My Name Is Jiang Qiuyan.” Part 2

“Don’t call me Dad! I don’t have a shameless daughter like you!” Shi Huaixin raised his foot again, but hearing footsteps upstairs, he forced himself to stop.

Shi Yu looked up. Pei Shuyu was hurrying down the stairs.

Shi Huaixin leaned close to her and hissed in a low voice: “Get back to your room and reflect on what you’ve done. If you dare say one word to your sister, I’ll beat you to death!”

“Dad, why are you making Little Yu kneel on the floor again?”

Playing peacemaker, Pei Shuyu walked over and pulled Shi Yu up from the ground.

Shi Yu rose, pretending to be frightened as she hid behind Pei Shuyu. The moment she drew close, Pei Shuyu’s brow furrowed briefly before she gave Shi Yu a worried look.

“Little Yu doesn’t look well. I’ll take her upstairs first. Dad, you should go have a candlelit dinner with Mom. I’ve already booked the restaurant.”

“Our Yuyu is so thoughtful.”

Shi Huaixin’s gaze shifted from Pei Shuyu to Shi Yu. The smile vanished instantly. His ability to change faces was astonishing.

Pei Shuyu brought Shi Yu to her room without a word. Once the door was shut, she grabbed her hand and asked urgently, “Little Yu, tell your sister the truth. Did someone hurt you?”

Shi Yu glanced at her and kept silent.

Pei Shuyu realized she’d been too hasty and softened her tone: “Little Yu, if anything happened, you have to tell me. I’ll help you.”

“Really, nothing happened. If something did, I’d tell you.”

Shi Yu said this, but inwardly she knew perfectly well that no one in this world would help her. The only way to escape was to save herself.

Still, she didn’t dislike Pei Shuyu. Since arriving here, everyone had bullied her. Pei Shuyu was the only one who’d been kind.

Even if it was all an act, she was still a good person at heart.

Pei Shuyu remained worried but didn’t push when Shi Yu said nothing. She lent Shi Yu her pajamas, told her to shower, and had the servants prepare a meal.

Just three days apart and her face had thinned by a whole ring. It was clear what kind of days those had been.

Coming back drenched in a heat-period alpha’s pheromones and insisting no one had hurt her… could she have been threatened?

Pei Shuyu glanced toward the bathroom, a mix of emotions churning inside.

Her mother had told her to keep her distance from Shi Yu, but looking at this poor little thing, she couldn’t help but soften.

Dad punished her at the drop of a hat, the servants didn’t take her seriously. If she didn’t help either, then Shi Yu was truly too pitiful.

Shi Yu had barely eaten anything in three days. Her body was so weak she didn’t dare shower for long. She dried off and pulled on the pajamas, catching sight of herself in the mirror.

Red, puffy eyes, a haggard face. She looked like her vital energy had been drained.

No wonder Pei Shuyu had asked. Who could see this and not imagine the worst? Fortunately, the alpha’s clothes had been big enough to cover the marks on her neck, or Pei Shuyu might have called the police.

She dropped the outfit on the floor, then thought better of it and folded it up to take out. Holding the clothes to her chest, the pheromones kept drifting up to her nose.

Crisp pine and cypress. Very reassuring.

When she came out, Pei Shuyu smiled. “Dinner’s ready. Come eat.”

Shi Yu had no reason to refuse. The Eldest Miss’s food was incomparably better than the leftovers she usually ate. The aroma carried all the way from here. Only a fool would sacrifice a good meal for pride.

Shi Yu dug in heartily. Pei Shuyu picked at a few bites, then said with sudden melancholy, “Little Yu, your sister can’t protect you much longer.”

Shi Yu stopped chewing. “Where are you going?”

Pei Shuyu turned to look out the window, her gaze growing wistful.

“I’m getting married soon.”

Shi Yu pressed her lips together. “Is it the beta you mentioned before, or…”

Pei Shuyu looked at her with a bitter smile. “Silly Little Yu. How could Mom and Dad ever let me marry a beta?”

Shi Yu thought as much. Though Pei Shuyu was the Eldest Miss, in Shi Huaixin’s eyes she was merchandise to be sold to the highest bidder. As an S-Class omega, her ultimate destiny was always going to be a business marriage.

“But my fiancée is quite nice. Life after marriage shouldn’t be too hard.”

She said it with a smile, but Shi Yu could taste the bitterness beneath. Not knowing how to comfort her, she could only keep eating.

After dinner, Shi Yu returned to her room, the tiny windowless closet that had been converted from a storage space.

She lay down the moment she entered. Three days of relentless demands without sleep had pushed her body well past its limits. She was utterly depleted.

When she woke again, the dim light in the room made her feel as if she’d crossed into another life.

Checking her phone, she saw she’d slept for two whole days.

Shi Huaixin had confined her. No one would care whether she lived or died.

Shi Yu didn’t want to cause trouble, but her stomach was gnawing with hunger. She had no choice but to sneak to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, she found only fresh vegetables. Cooking now would definitely alert someone.

She’d have to endure until morning.

Shi Yu turned to go back and noticed a faint light through the window. Drawing closer, she saw it was Shi Huaixin. He seemed to be on a phone call, his expression unreadable.

“Don’t worry. Once my eldest daughter is married, I’ll send her over to you…”

“Why would I be reluctant? Just a useless little bastard. She’s an eyesore at home. Since you like her, I’ll just give her to you for fun.”

Shi Huaixin let out a few disgusting laughs and strolled away. In just a few words, he had decided Shi Yu’s fate.

Shi Yu stood frozen. It took a long time before sensation returned to her body.

She stumbled back to her room. Even wrapped entirely in the blanket, she couldn’t stop trembling.

A few red bills lay in front of her, the most she’d managed to scrape together through whatever means she had. But this money was nowhere near enough.

Without bribing the right people, she couldn’t even get out of this villa.

Shi Yu felt like crying but had no tears. She sat on the cold floor for a long time before finally deciding to ask Pei Shuyu for help.

She crept upstairs on tiptoe and heard Pei Yiyi’s voice through Pei Shuyu’s door.

“You are the daughter of me, Pei Yiyi. Stay away from that illegitimate girl from now on. Don’t taint your own status.”

“I know, Mother. I just felt sorry for her. I was only throwing her some scraps.”

Shi Yu’s hands and feet went cold. She didn’t even remember how she got back to her room.

Afterward, Pei Shuyu was taken away by Pei Yiyi, supposedly to pick out a diamond ring and wedding dress abroad. Shi Huaixin, cold-shouldered by the mother and daughter, used Shi Yu as his punching bag, leaving her with beatings and berating but no chance to escape.

A month later, Pei Shuyu and Pei Yiyi returned. Pei Yiyi seemed to be in good spirits, even giving Shi Yu a few extra glances.

Pei Shuyu looked poorly, weighed down by worry. When Pei Yiyi spoke to her, her responses were absent-minded.

“You must be tired from such a long flight. Go rest first.”

Pei Shuyu looked relieved. She glanced at Shi Yu standing by the dining table and said softly, “I’d like Little Yu to keep me company.”

Pei Yiyi gave her a look that granted permission.

Pei Shuyu looked at Shi Yu happily, but Shi Yu avoided her gaze and mechanically went about her chores.

Pei Shuyu called out to her with disappointment. Shi Yu flung down the rag and said, “Eldest Miss, please step aside. I haven’t wiped this part yet.”

Pei Shuyu stepped aside and headed upstairs, dejected.

Pei Yiyi gave Shi Yu a displeased look. Seeing the girl listless as a frostbitten eggplant, she ultimately said nothing.

The next morning, someone knocked on Shi Yu’s door.

Shi Yu thought it was the auntie coming to assign chores, but when she opened the door, Pei Shuyu was standing there.

“Little Yu, we’re meeting with the Jiang family today. Do you want to come?”

In the past, she would have simply ordered Shi Yu along. But after yesterday, she didn’t dare be so presumptuous.

Shi Yu agreed without hesitation. This was a rare chance to escape.

She secretly resolved that no matter how difficult, she had to get away this time!

Pei Shuyu was getting married soon. The moment she left the house, Shi Huaixin would surely hand her over to that alpha again.

Whatever it took, she had to run.

Pei Shuyu was delighted she agreed. She lent Shi Yu a beautiful little dress, had her own makeup artist do Shi Yu’s face, and finally took her in a car worth millions to the hotel.

Sitting in the car, Shi Yu thought, Looks like Shi Huaixin and Pei Yiyi really value this marriage arrangement. Otherwise, why would they let Pei Shuyu bring me along?

Before, to erase her existence, she couldn’t even show her face in front of outsiders. If a guest dropped by unexpectedly, she’d be shoved somewhere out of sight, as if she were some shameful, filthy stain.

Pei Shuyu tried to talk to her. Shi Yu deliberately ignored her, and they exchanged not a word the entire way.

It was already autumn. The wind carried a chill. After getting out of the car, Shi Yu pulled her coat tight and followed Pei Shuyu toward the hotel.

A faint woodsy fragrance drifted on the breeze. Shi Yu suddenly thought of that alpha.

Jiang something Qiu, was it? Forget it.

The private room door opened, and the alpha whose name she’d forgotten appeared before her.

The alpha glanced at her, looked away as if nothing had happened, and stood to greet everyone.

While Shi Yu was still in a daze, a fair, slender hand reached out toward her. The other’s voice was clear as mountain spring water.

“Hello. My name is Jiang Qiuyan.”