Lin Zihan occasionally scooped a spoonful of dry, bland rice into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it down.
It had no flavor.
When she had no appetite, nothing tasted like anything.
But throughout the meal, she kept nodding from time to time.
She never contradicted Elsa even once.
What was there to contradict, anyway?
Contradicting would only lead to pointless arguments.
That was the lesson Lin Zihan had learned over the past few years.
The best policy was to keep nodding—or throw in a sincere “Ah, yes, yes, yes!”
Finally, mercifully, Elsa’s lecture came to an end.
A spark of light suddenly returned to Lin Zihan’s eyes!
It was as if color had flooded back into the dining table!
She thought of Little Bai’er’s adorable little face again!
Hee hee—people always wanted to share happy thoughts, even with a “sick” mother. And truth be told, Lin Zihan had no one else to confide in.
“Hey, Mom, there’s another reason I stewed the beef today. Yesterday, I ran into a playmate from when I was little. Seeing her so healthy made me really happy, so I was in a great mood!”
“Your playmate from when you were little…?”
“Yeah! You remember the Ye sisters, right? Ye Zhiyun and Ye Zhibai—I used to play with them all the time as a kid. Ye Zhiyun was way too fierce… but Little Bai’er was the best! She’s so cute and fun. I’ve always liked her a lot.”
“You… talked to them?”
“Yeah! Little Bai’er just got out of the hospital. Mom, maybe you could find time to visit her? Ah, but going to the Ye Family now might require an appointment first. You have no idea—yesterday, Ye Zhiyun even beat me up! She’s still as fiercely protective of Little Bai as ever…”
Crash!!!
…
The dining table, which had just brightened…
went dark again.
Elsa shot to her feet and smashed her half-eaten bowl and chopsticks onto the floor!
Rice mingled with the beef Lin Zihan had painstakingly stewed, scattering everywhere.
And then came her stormy tirade.
“Zihan!! How dare you go provoking people from those major families! Haven’t I told you a thousand times to steer clear of them—to get as far away as possible? Have you forgotten how your father bankrupted us because of them?! How could you?!”
Lin Zihan kept her head lowered, her golden bangs half-hiding one of her scarlet eyes.
Her voice dropped even lower.
“Mom… what happened back then had nothing to do with the Ye Family.”
“Even if it didn’t, they’re all cut from the same cloth! If they decided to put you in mortal danger, do you think you’d stand a chance of escaping? We’ve finally had a few peaceful years—do you really want to invite disaster back into our lives?!”
At those words, Lin Zihan’s voice sank further still.
“You know full well… that was just the family’s superstition… I’m not the one who brought any disaster… and I didn’t even provoke them. I just…”
“Then you still shouldn’t go anywhere near those major families! Starting tomorrow, you avoid those two sisters like the plague—keep your distance! The Gaokao is just days away. Can’t you let your mom worry a little less?!”
“Mom… you’re going crazy.”
“You say… what? What did you just say to me?!”
“Pretend I didn’t say anything. It was my fault—I’m sorry.”
“What kind of attitude is that?! Everything I do is for your own good!”
Lin Zihan’s blood pressure skyrocketed.
She had been so careful, walking on eggshells—how had a perfectly nice lunch turned into this powder keg?
All she had wanted was for her mom to enjoy some beef and share in her happiness.
Now, she had zero appetite left.
Lin Zihan smoothed down her school uniform skirt and crouched to pick up the larger shards of shattered porcelain bowl, tossing them into the trash.
Then she flipped her chopsticks around and used the clean ends to retrieve the fallen chunks of beef, placing them in a fresh bowl.
It seemed such a waste to throw out the beef— she could rinse it off with water later and reheat it for dinner.
But to Elsa, already erupting in rage, the sight was utterly unacceptable!
“Zihan! What do you think you’re doing? Is this any way for the eldest miss of the Lin Family to behave? What happened to the upbringing I gave you?!”
Her heart had gone still. Maxed-out blood pressure eventually led to calm.
“I’m no longer the eldest miss of the Lin Family…”
Lin Zihan’s brow twitched. With a sharp clunk, she slammed the bowl and chopsticks onto the table. Without another word, she headed straight to the entryway to change her shoes.
By now, her voice carried none of the earlier sharp edges or other emotions.
It was as if nothing had happened at all.
She was even smiling.
“Mom, you just keep resting. No need to go to the flower shop this afternoon if you don’t feel like it. I’ll clean up the mess on the floor when I get back from school—you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Zihan…!”
“Off to school! I’m going to be late!”
Clunk.
Lin Zihan didn’t slam the door.
She closed it lightly and gracefully.
Outside, her face was wreathed in smiles as she cheerfully greeted every neighbor and auntie she passed.
“Off to school, Zihan?”
“Yeah! I’ve gotta pick up the pace—this time of day, I’m cutting it close!”
She was like a beaming, carefree little sun—a ray of joy.
Just that carefree.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhibai had slept a proper, natural awakening.
Waking naturally from a nap was a rare, milestone-worthy event!
In fact, when she woke up naturally, she wanted to keep sleeping.
Woo woo—before, she’d had to head to her part-time job by six in the afternoon and get chewed out by her boss. Now that she didn’t have to work, why not sleep a bit more?
But… at six in the afternoon, the sparrows in the courtyard were still chirping away noisily.
Ye Zhibai pulled the blanket over her head, but it couldn’t block out that racket, worse than any alarm clock’s shrill beeping.
Sigh… why couldn’t these cute birds just fly into the oven themselves?
You wouldn’t have to call anymore, I wouldn’t be hungry anymore—win-win for everyone.
But worse than the birdsong…
was the fox’s howl.
“Ye Zhibai!! Get up already! The sun’s going down! The drinks are all gone! You still sleeping—you trying to get a moon tan?!”
Guang Yu!!!
If you’re out of drinks, go buy more yourself! Someone without an ID card calling for takeout like you’re entitled!
Ye Zhibai jolted awake.
She saw Guang Yu waving at the sparrows in the courtyard; with a flap of wings, they all scattered.
You scummy fox—you’re in cahoots with these chattering birds, aren’t you!
Rubbing her aching forehead, Ye Zhibai sat up and shook her head. “What time is it?”
“Almost seven! Man, you humans have the weirdest schedules. You nap at noon and still won’t get up now? Aren’t you missing out on all the joys life has to offer?!”
“Keep it short… speak human.”
“Woo woo, you skipped lunch, and now you’re sleeping through dinner—you’ll starve! I want wasabi! And big pancakes!”
See? Say it like that, and it makes perfect sense.
Still, Ye Zhibai genuinely had no idea what was for dinner.
A few minutes later, Ye Zhiyun happened to peek into her room to check if she was awake yet—and just like that, she settled the question.
“Sis, perfect timing—you’re up! Dad just messaged me. He’s free tonight and cleared his schedule. He’s set up a family reunion dinner for us in the banquet hall! Honestly, it was overdue. You’ve been back for days now, and we haven’t had a proper one yet—that’s practically criminal!”
Yun’er, thanks for the explanation.
But honestly, even without a reunion dinner, it wasn’t exactly criminal!
