Chapter 12: Call Me "Brother" One More Time and Let Me Hear It

It was because of this trending topic that the number of people sliding into her DMs increased, some even sending creepy, distorted images.

The direction of the comments under Ying Luwei's Weibo also shifted—

【Luwei, please don't let your niece trick you.】

【Some people just take advantage the more you're good to them. You can't spoil them, sisters, am I right?】

【It was clearly her who pushed Luwei down the stairs.】

Ying Zijin felt nothing at all; instead, she was reading them quite intently, picking up some new internet slang along the way: "It's not even a big deal."

She didn't care about the Ying family, and she cared even less about these people.

As long as they didn't cross her, irrelevant things had never been able to affect her.

"That won't do." Fu Yunshen smiled deeply, his voice calm. "Such a well-behaved and multi-talented little one—it breaks my heart to see you being scolded like this."

Ying Zijin rubbed her ears and moved her phone a little further away: "Can we make a deal? Can you stop calling me 'little one'?"

*Tsk, his voice is actually quite pleasant.*

*It feels like it could cure her morning irritability.*

"Hmm?" Fu Yunshen slowed his tempo. "A three-year age gap creates a generational divide. I'm five years older than you; if you aren't a little one, what are you?"

Ying Zijin paused, her eyebrows arching: "Brother?"

Treating her like a child, and now wanting to be her "big brother"?

The girl's voice was naturally on the cool, ascetic side, but because she had just woken up, it carried an added layer of softness. The extreme contrast made her even more alluring, the kind of voice that made one want to go out and buy a cat.

Even Fu Yunshen was momentarily stunned.

His peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly. "Why don't you call me 'brother' one more time and let me hear it?"

"You're dreaming."

"..."

Fine, negotiation failed.

Fu Yunshen gave up.

The little one was a bit hard to fool.

Ying Zijin took a sip of water. As she turned her head, her gaze swept down from the window.

She happened to see a woman stepping out of a Maserati outside the iron gates, supporting an elderly woman.

*Swish!*

In an instant, a segment of the future flashed before her eyes.

"I have something I need to handle." Ying Zijin narrowed her phoenix eyes. "I'll treat you to dinner later, and I'll bring you something as well."

"Mm, alright." Fu Yunshen lowered his voice, sounding lazy. "Brother will wait for you to bring me something for kidney deficiency..."

The call was hung up immediately.

Ying Zijin expressionlessly put her phone into her pocket.

*Calling himself brother... what kind of hobby is that?*

Just then, there was a loud, heavy knocking on the door: *Thud, thud, thud.*

"Second Young Mistress, get up quickly! Are you trying to make the Madam angry again?"

There was no response.

The butler's face darkened. He took out his keys, intending to open the door and go straight in, but before he could act—

*Bang!*

The heavy door collapsed directly.

It fell straight toward his head, missing him by a mere inch.

A large amount of sunlight poured in from the window, illuminating the dim corridor.

The butler was stunned. He stared blankly at the girl standing against the backlight, his legs trembling uncontrollably, nearly losing control of his bladder.

Ying Zijin kept her hands in her pockets and said indifferently, "It's time to change the door."

She had only pushed it, and it fell.

What was this called in the 21st century?

Oh, "tofu-dreg" construction.

The butler's legs were still shaking. He swallowed hard, wanting to speak, but no sound would come out.

The commotion upstairs naturally did not escape Zhong Manhua's ears. She frowned and was preparing to go upstairs to check personally when the doors to the old residence opened.

A gentle female voice rang out, tinged with surprise.

"Sister-in-law, haven't you eaten yet?"

"Luwei?" Zhong Manhua turned around and was genuinely stunned. "Mother, why are you here too?"

Old Mrs. Ying leaned on her cane. "What, am I not allowed to come, this old woman?"

"Mother, I didn't mean that." Zhong Manhua's heart skipped a beat as she hurried forward. "I just didn't expect you to come; nothing has been prepared."

Ever since she gave birth to her second child, Old Mrs. Ying had moved out to live in a downtown apartment with Ying Luwei, only returning during holidays.

"There is nothing to prepare. I'll leave once I've settled things." Old Mrs. Ying showed no gratitude. "Call that daughter of yours out."

She clearly disliked her so much she wouldn't even utter her name.

Zhong Manhua guessed as much. She pursed her lips and said softly, "Mother, please sit first. I'll go right away."

"Sister-in-law, Mother hasn't seen you in a long time; please keep her company." Ying Luwei smiled. "I'll go find Xiaojin instead; I should apologize to her as well."

"Apologize?" Unexpectedly, these words enraged Old Mrs. Ying. She struck the floor heavily with her cane and sneered, "Manhua, your daughter has truly become something. She does something wrong herself, yet expects others to apologize."

"Since when did our Ying family become so incapable of distinguishing right from wrong?"

Zhong Manhua felt stifled, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.

"Wei'er, don't go." Old Mrs. Ying held Ying Luwei's hand, her voice cold. "Since when is it the custom for an elder to go and beg a junior?"

Zhong Manhua took a deep breath, her voice rising: "Ying Zijin!"

At the staircase, the girl turned around slowly.

She looked up, scanned the hall, and seemed unphased by this "three-way interrogation" scene: "Is something the matter?"

This indifferent attitude made Zhong Manhua's temper flare. "Don't you greet people when you see them?"

"Stop." Old Mrs. Ying raised her hand, her tone lukewarm. "I only have one granddaughter."

Her biological granddaughter was currently studying abroad in Europe; an adopted daughter was not her granddaughter.

Ying Zijin nodded slightly, nonchalant yet poised: "Fine. I don't have the habit of recognizing relatives randomly either."

Old Mrs. Ying's cane shook in her hand; she nearly lost her breath.

Her intention was to embarrass this adopted daughter, but who knew she would be the one mocked instead?

Zhong Manhua's expression changed drastically as she shouted angrily, "What kind of words are those? How can you be so unpleasant?"

"Sister-in-law!" Ying Luwei was startled and hurried to soothe her. "Sister-in-law, please don't be so angry. Xiaojin is still just a child; we should speak to her patiently."

"Speak patiently?" Zhong Manhua's eyes turned red with rage. "Impolite! Apologize!"

Her biological daughter truly was her curse, making her unable to hold her head up in front of her mother-in-law.

Ying Zijin looked up, her posture lazy and unrefined: "Do I know you?"

This attitude of indifferent disregard made Zhong Manhua even angrier: "Ying Zijin!"

"Enough." It was Old Mrs. Ying who spoke up. She said indifferently, "I didn't come today to watch you discipline your daughter. Let her explain—at that banquet, why did she push Wei'er down?"

She closed her eyes. "Could it be that she thought that without Wei'er, she could become the mistress of the Jiang family?"

These words were a direct strike to the heart.

Zhong Manhua's expression changed instantly, her voice panicked: "Mother, there is absolutely no such thing. Please do not believe the rumors."

"Yes, Mother." Ying Luwei also urged, "It never happened. Why are you being so serious? Don't you trust me?"

***

*(Translator's Note: To clarify, there is no "original host." The protagonist has always been the female lead. She simply hadn't woken up due to previous severe injuries, meaning her consciousness and abilities were absent. Now that she's awake—)*

*Ying Zijin: I'm afraid if I break your legs, I'll have to call 120 (ambulance) for you.*

*Fu Yunshen: In a society ruled by law, wait for brother to find you a burlap sack.*