Shi Qingxue pouted with displeasure and was skillful in pretending to be pitiful. “Purr, Brother, you are bad. You have my sister and forget me. Nobody loves me. Nobody cares about me. I am so poor…”
At last, she even hummed a tune with no rhythm miserably and ridiculously.
Shi Baoning wanted to laugh but couldn’t laugh out in public, so she had to glare at Qingxue to warn her.
Shi Qingxue thought she was bullied and turned to Dong Hui for help, saying pitifully, “Mother, even my sister starts to bully me. I am really unwanted. What should I do?”
Dong Hui could do nothing to her little daughter who behaved recklessly. She knew the girl was pretending but couldn’t help comforting her, “Many people want you. Qingxue, you are a lovely girl and everybody wants you. The gifts your brother gave are not valuable. I will prepare better gifts for you, okay?”
“Really?” Shi Qingxue stopped rubbing her eyes and peeped at Dong Hui between her fingers, requesting in a hurry, “Then I want the painting Wind, Flower, Snow and Moon produced by the Master of Painting Zhao Yan of the last dynasty. Can I have it?”
The Master of Painting Zhao Yan was extraordinarily skilled in painting and had died decades ago, but his paintings were highly praised and there were few paintings left. People might be unable to buy one at a high price. The painting lovers thought that the ownership of a paining produced by Zhao Yan stood for the noble status.
Dong Hui’s grandfather had made friends with Zhao Yan and was lucky to get a masterpiece. Then the Dong Family had given it to Dong Hui as a dowry.
Shi Qingxue had known it earlier and coveted her mother’s property for a long time, so she couldn’t help but ask for it boldly.
Dong Hui had bragged and had to agree even if she was unwilling. “Okay. I will tell Zheng to find it from the warehouse later and then send it to your room. Are you happy?”
Shi Qingxue felt contented and smiled. Then she said something nice and made everybody burst into laughter.
The family talked and laughed, and the betrothal gifts were given and received smoothly.
Shi Baojin watched enviously and compared with the scene when she received the betrothal gifts. She was jealous and resentful.
Why was their ceremony of accepting gifts more cheerful than a wedding? The betrothal gifts were complete and everybody was here. But she hadn’t seen the second young master of the Zhao Family, Zhao Liang since they proposed marriage.
But it was useless no matter how resentful Shi Baojin was. Not to mention that she didn’t have a position in the First Master’s Family. She was abandoned even in the Third Master’s Family. Zhou Ruyu didn’t take her to heart but always talked about Shi Baoyou. Perhaps it didn’t matter if she died.
Shi Baojin hated everybody.
She was reluctant to ruin her life, so when Shi Baoning accepted the gifts, Shi Baojin came to congratulate the future bride regardless of her dignity and wanted to keep a good relationship with Shi Baoning who was the best-tempered. This was her only chance.
It was a pity that Shi Baojin didn’t know how to swallow humiliation. Not to mention that she couldn’t endure any grievance. She just exploded as soon as she saw Shi Qingxue like before. When Shi Qingxue entered the room, she was attacked in speech by Shi Baojin, so no matter how soft-hearted Shi Baoning was, she couldn’t be coaxed by only a few words.
Moreover, there was Wenren Chi who had fallen out with everyone in this mansion except the First Master’s Family.
He was grateful to Shi Junhe and his wife and would marry Shi Baoning, so he could treat them the way as before, but he just wanted anybody else to stay away.
After the ceremony, Wenren Chi kicked “everybody irrelevant” out of the East House without showing mercy.
“Chi, would the Third Master’s Family and Grandma make comments?” Although Shi Baoning didn’t want them to ruin the harmony, the angry eyes of the Third Master’s Family when they left made her uneasy.
Wenren Chi was aware of Shi Baoning’s love for Mo Shujun but didn’t explain. “I am here. Take it easy.”
“But I am afraid of…”
“Go in and keep Mother company.” Wenren Chi smiled faintly and stopped Shi Baoning’s worry, pushing her into the room.
Shi Baoning had no choice but to enter the room.
But Shi Qingxue witnessed that and was surprised. “Brother, did you have a fight with my sister?”
Wenren Chi paused for a while and asked as if nothing had happened, “No. How is it possible?”
However, noticing his reaction, Shi Qingxue didn’t believe him but looked worse, saying firmly, “You lied to me. There must be something wrong.”
She grabbed Wenren Chi’s sleeve anxiously. “Chi, what’s wrong with you?”
Wenren Chi was surprised at Shi Qingxue’s sharp eyes. He didn’t say much, but she could see through him. However, he couldn’t explain, so he had to try to smile, expressing powerlessly, “I am really fine…”
It was impossible for Shi Qingxue to believe his words, but looking at his forced smile, she felt sad. What Mo Junyu said undoubtedly made her suspicious of Wenren Chi. No matter if it was true, she couldn’t take it calmly.
“Then, you…” It was hard for Shi Qingxue to mention it, but at last her gut made her choose to ask directly, “Are you in connection with Prince Junjiu?”
She was so straightforward that Wenren Chi didn’t even have the chance to beat around the bush, unless he lied to her.
But he faced Shi Qingxue’s expectant eyes…
“Yes.” He couldn’t lie to her, even if it might ruin his plan.
“Then what happened on the Qingluo Mountain…”
Wenren Chi confessed, “I stopped the person Father sent to Fan City to ask for help. Prince Junjiu wanted to kill him with the bandits’ help.”
Shi Qingxue bit her lower lip so hard that it bled, and then she controlled herself, asking in a trembling voice, “Why?”
Wenren Chi glanced at Qingxue quickly and the dazzling red blood made him heartbroken. He reached out to touch her lip by instinct, but she avoided him.
However, Shi Qingxue didn’t dodge but stared at him with complaints in her bright eyes.
He concealed his frustration and answered with no emotion, “I want to take revenge, for the murder of my father.”
“What?” Shi Qingxue was startled and thought she had misheard, but Wenren Chi’s sad eyes told her that it was what she had guessed.
Qingxue stayed silent for a while and then raised her head, saying firmly, “No way. You must be wrong.”
Wenren Chi thought she couldn’t accept the truth and smiled bitterly while shaking his head. “Qingxue, this is between me and…”
He couldn’t say the word “Father”, but he couldn’t mention the name “Shi Junhe”, either.
“This is the gratitude and resentment between me and your father. Leave it to us, okay?”
Even though he knew it was impossible, Wenren Chi still hoped that Shi Qingxue could keep out of it.
“No way!” Shi Qingxue answered decisively and ruined Wenren Chi’s last expectation.
Could he and she only be enemies?
Wenren Chi restrained the bitter feeling and stressed in a cold tone, “I would never give up the revenge.”
“Not necessarily.” On the contrary, Shi Qingxue smiled, feeling relaxed, as if she was not talking about the hatred but about something unimportant like Wenren Chi’s favorite food.
Wenren Chi was speechless.
There was something wrong. He almost thought that Qingxue was madly angry with him.
Shi Qingxue continued, “I am not crazy.”
Fine.
Wenren Chi knew that he couldn’t hide anything from her and just said tiredly, “I hate to tell you, but my father’s murder is unbearable. I am sorry.”
“I didn’t say that you can’t take revenge!” Shi Qingxue answered naturally, which made Wenren Chi think that she supported him to avenge his father on Shi Junhe.
But it would be just illusion.
He looked at Qingxue vaguely. “Stop messing around, okay?”
If Shi Qingxue continued to speak, he was afraid that he wouldn’t insist.
“Brother, I didn’t mess around.” Shi Qingxue realized that Wenren’s attitude was not right, so she responded seriously.
She tentatively grabbed his hand hard. When Wenren Chi looked at her, she said in a low voice, “What I said was from my heart, but… Chi, are you so sure that Father killed Uncle Bo?”
Wenren Chi held his breath. The evidence was supposed to be certain, but after Shi Qingxue asked, he hesitated again.
It would rather be his last expectation than uncertainty.
Maybe it was not him?
Shi Qingxue also got this point and asked anxiously, “Can you tell me what on earth happened? No matter if it is true, I should have the right to know the truth.”
Wenren Chi lowered his voice and said deeply, “Sixteen years ago, there was a war on the border of the three countries of Mo, Liang and Zhao. My father and yours led the Shi Army to fight against Liang Country and returned with victory at last. Do you know that?”
Shi Qingxue nodded repeatedly. “Of course I know. The Shi Army defeated Liang Country in the battle and drove the enemies out of the border, who didn’t dare to intrude again for the past more than ten years. Grandpa told me many times about this battle. I…”
Suddenly she thought of something and her excitement turned to caution. “It’s said that in that battle, Uncle Bo…”
“Yes, my father died in that battle, but he didn’t die with glory at war. He was trapped to death because they didn’t save him in time.” Mentioning Wenren Bo again, Wenren Chi had hatred in his eyes, as if he had witnessed his father’s humiliation and pain.
Shi Qingxue squinted up at him cautiously and asked in doubt, “What does it have to do with Father?”
Wenren Chi sneered and replied cloudily, “Because your father wanted to take control of the Shi Army, he intentionally delayed the rescue, which caused my father’s death.”
“No way. You must get it wrong,” Shi Qingxue screamed and couldn’t believe the so-called truth.
Wenren Chi had expected her reaction and said indifferently, “Fine. You have heard the story you wanted to know. Go back now!”
Shi Qingxue’s eyes widened and she couldn’t accept that he didn’t go on. “No. There must be some misunderstanding. It must be…”
“Enough!” Wenren Chi rudely interrupted Shi Qingxue’s imagination.
He sneered to conceal his bitter feeling and looked cold to cut off his emotions, kicking Shi Qingxue out mercilessly. “I don’t care about your unrealistic thoughts or how you would deal with me after knowing it. Anyway, I won’t give up the plan to take revenge.”
Wenren Chi announced his plan to “take revenge” again in order to firm his determination.
Unexpectedly, after hearing his words, Shi Qingxue wasn’t shocked or flurried as before. She calmly and insistently grabbed his hand and stressed each word. “I don’t believe that Father would have done something like that.
So, no matter what the truth is, we should find it first, right?”
Wenren Chi frowned and couldn’t bear to shake off Qingxue’s hand. He just asked with displeasure, “How do you plan to find it?”
“At least after you ask Father.”
Shi Qingxue smiled at Wenren Chi and pulled him into Shi Junhe’s study.