Chapter 4: Can You Stand Up?

“Si Fuqing!” Zuo Tianfeng roared, “I didn't even hold your attitude toward your aunt yesterday against you, and yet you dare to come back today? Are you truly looking to rebel?!”

Zuo Qingya stopped crying and stared at Si Fuqing in a daze.

After a long moment, she also erupted in anger: “Fine, Si Fuqing! You played the good girl while Grandpa was still around, but now that he’s gone, your true colors are showing. You really are a master of pretense!”

If Old Master Zuo had known Si Fuqing had such a personality, would he have still spoiled her?

“Not bad,” Si Fuqing clapped her hands. “That’s a great reason. Thank you.”

She had been worrying about how to explain why her temperament had changed so drastically.

Well, this was perfect: she had been faking it before.

“Don't make me say it a second time.” Zuo Tianfeng’s fury intensified, “Take everything out of that bag!”

Si Fuqing shook the bag in her hand, her eyes curving with a smile: “If you have the ability, come and take it yourself.”

Just like Ling Chen, she walked out of the door with an air of casual indifference.

Fuming with rage, Zuo Tianfeng smashed a glass.

“Dad!” Zuo Qingya began to cry again, “You didn't even care when she treated me like that just now. Who is actually your daughter?”

“Stop crying!” Zuo Tianfeng was incredibly annoyed. “Go back and study immediately. If you had even a third of your sister's ability, I wouldn't say a word to you.”

Zuo Qingya stomped her feet and ran off in a huff.

“Go check her room,” Zuo Tianfeng commanded the butler with cold fury. “See what she took.”

The butler acknowledged the command and hurried upstairs.

Ten minutes later, he came down and said respectfully, “Master, I’ve checked everything. The jewelry, bank cards, and other valuables are all here. Only one book is missing from the bookshelf, but those books were all purchased by her herself.”

Zuo Tianfeng frowned. “What kind of book?”

“It’s a biography of an emperor,” the butler said quickly. “*The Legend of Emperor Yin*. It’s commonly sold in bookstores and is a required reading for middle and high school students.”

Zuo Tianfeng immediately lost interest and waved his hand.

In truth, if Si Fuqing had taken a few hundred thousand, he wouldn't have said much, considering Old Master Zuo had raised her for so many years.

He hadn't expected she would only take a book.

As expected, she would never be fit for high society.

Since it was just a single book, Zuo Tianfeng didn't press the matter further. He hurried back to his study to grab some documents and headed out again.

**

At five in the afternoon, the sun was setting.

Golden light burst through layers of white clouds, looking like red flames burning inside white lanterns.

The wind suddenly picked up, and the clouds surged like ocean waves.

Walking down the street, Si Fuqing felt like setting down a bowl, sitting down, and tapping a wooden fish.

She was truly poor.

After renting a small apartment ten kilometers away from the city center using the money in her personal bank account, she only had fifteen hundred left.

For a celebrity to reach this state was somewhat tragic.

In a few days, she would be so poor she wouldn't even be able to afford a Coke.

That was not good.

Furthermore, she had to find a way to see Old Master Zuo's remains.

Si Fuqing frowned. She checked the time and headed to a supermarket across the street to buy daily necessities.

Ahead, a pitch-black car was parked there.

It had no license plate and no logo.

Shen Xingjun emerged from a nearby convenience store and opened the car door: “Shi Yan, there’s news.”

“Hmm?” The man sitting in the passenger seat did not open his eyes, merely offering a faint response.

He wore a black suit, with two buttons of his white shirt undone beneath it, the collar casually turned.

A silver-black watch was on his right wrist. His fingers were long, and his fingertips were as white as jade.

His posture was casual, yet it could not hide his innate nobility.

Despite having an excessively handsome, youthful face, he possessed an intimidating aura, as if he were an emperor holding the power of life and death.

“I wonder why you use a courtesy name like an ancient person?” Shen Xingjun laughed. “Or is it that your Yu family has such strict etiquette? That you must follow the rules of your ancestors?”

“But I haven't seen the noble sons of the capital being as rigorous as you. Should I call you by your name, Ming Xiheng, or your courtesy name, Shi Yan?”

Yu Xiheng kept his eyes closed. “I am used to it. Call me whatever you like.”

Shen Xingjun chuckled. “You used to say your manners were strict, but now it seems you are quite unconventional.”

As he spoke, he dialed a number. “Shi Yan, I’ll call the other side again to confirm the time.”

Yu Xiheng nodded, his eyes still closed.

A second later, his ears twitched, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

They were a pair of exceptionally beautiful phoenix eyes, long at the corners, with a restrained, deep, and profound spiritual light.

Within his line of sight, a six or seven-year-old girl was standing in the middle of the road, looking lost.

And right in front of her, a large truck was making a sudden sharp turn, looking as if it were about to run her over.

Yu Xiheng’s eyes shifted slightly, and he raised a finger.

“Watch out!”

A voice rang out at that moment—a very familiar female voice.

Those two words caused his hand to pause.

Yu Xiheng turned his head. His calm, placid gaze only showed a slight ripple when it landed on Si Fuqing, who had moved a step ahead of him.

He saw her scoop up the little girl and roll on the ground; a second later, the truck roared past.

At the critical moment, the crisis was averted.

Seeing that both were safe, he withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again.

The hidden weapon between his fingers vanished instantly.

In front of the black car, Si Fuqing released the little girl and looked at her left hand.

The wound had reopened and was bleeding.

One word: miserable.

Si Fuqing used her right hand to pat the little girl's head. “Don't run around like that next time, okay?”

The little girl was clearly terrified; she stood frozen, unable to recover, tears streaming down her face.

Si Fuqing: “...”

In the past, people would run away when they saw her; she didn't know how to coax children.

“Go find your family quickly,” Si Fuqing asked again. “Do you know the way?”

The little girl nodded blankly, but her tears flowed even harder. She pointed at Si Fuqing's hand, her voice trembling with sobs: “Blood, big sister, blood...”

“It’s just a small injury, it’s fine.” Si Fuqing used her right hand to prop herself up and stand, smiling. “Little one, you must stay safe. Next time, there might not be a pretty and cute big sister like me to save you.”

The little girl was stunned again, staring at her blankly.

Si Fuqing had indeed stood up.

However, her legs were numb from her previous movement. She froze for a moment and couldn't help but stumble backward a few steps.

*Thud—*

An arm caught her waist just in time.

The man's thigh was warm, long, and powerful.

Si Fuqing could clearly feel the firmness beneath the suit trousers and the hidden explosive strength within.

Yet, his body was extremely cold, like ice and snow, devoid of any warmth, as if his entire being were forged from frost.

A second later, a male voice fell from above her head.

The tone was low, with a cold edge to the end of the sentence.

“You can still stand?”