CHAPTER 48 NAÏVE AND LOVELY?
Curiosity is a fundamental part of being human (or so they say).
Anyway, right now Ye Zhibai’s curiosity was completely piqued!
Guang Yu’s telepathic voice came, “Why do you still have such a tight expression? You were clearly curious about that girl just now, right? Oh, right, you just have that kind of face. Sorry, hehe.”
Get lost!
Does my curiosity need to be written all over my face?
Hearing the head maid’s sigh earlier, Ye Zhiyun did not pick up on the topic.
Instead, she wanted to end it before it began.
With her sister here, there’s no need to discuss unhappy matters.
Ye Zhiyun crossed her arms softly, hugging Ye Zhibai’s arm like a sloth clinging to a branch.
She only replied to the head maid with a brief statement.
“No need to mention her.”
“Understood, Second Miss.”
?
Ye Zhibai was puzzled.
Don’t just leave it at that!
It’s like when your relatives at the dinner table suddenly start talking about something everyone else knows but you, and just as you’re getting interested, they switch topics with a “never mind.”
Accompanied by a few hearty laughs.
Isn’t that infuriating!
This kind of behavior is really inconsiderate, you know?
Actually, it’s fine if I don’t hear it… after all, this probably has little to do with Ye Zhibai.
But… with over an hour left to reach their destination in the East District, having nothing to do and not knowing the story would be quite boring!
Ye Zhibai decided to assert her right to know.
She pinched Ye Zhiyun’s school uniform sleeve with her thumb and forefinger.
“Yun’er, that person just now… who is she?”
Ye Zhiyun turned her head, slightly surprised.
Staring into her sister’s deep and unruffled purple eyes, Ye Zhiyun hesitated for a long time…
Oh no, it wasn’t a long time, just a few seconds.
A few seconds and she couldn’t resist the silent plea in Ye Zhibai’s gaze!
Oh, sister, don’t look at me like that. It makes me want to hug you and show you love more than answer your question!
You’re just causing delays!
Ye Zhiyun sighed heavily, her answer filled with resignation and a hint of doting.
“Sigh… sister, you’re wonderful in every way, except you’re too kind.”
“?”
Why didn’t I know that!
I was just asking who that girl was, and you’re calling me kind!
Ye Zhibai’s speechless silence was interpreted by Ye Zhiyun as agreement.
“That’s just how you are, sister… overly kind, unable to leave even a stray kitten in the rain alone, let alone a living person. Lin Zihan may be insufferable, but she’s still a person. If she can get even a bit of your care, she might feel her life is worth it.”
Don’t just define someone’s life for them!
She’s still alive!
Ye Zhibai quickly interrupted her sister’s musings, “So… that Lin Zihan, she used to be close to us, right?”
“Not exactly close,” Ye Zhiyun said truthfully. “She would occasionally come to our house for big family gatherings or major business meetings. She calls herself a childhood friend, but we didn’t see her much. However, starting from elementary school, we have always been in the same school, that’s true.”
That actually sounds pretty familiar.
Like a neighbor, but one who doesn’t visit often, kind of a childhood friend?
But if she could be a neighbor to the Ye family, she must be a very wealthy young lady!
However… didn’t the head maid say “used to be” or something?
Ye Zhibai probed for answers.
“Yes, she has a very refined air, like a child from a wealthy family.”
“She used to be, but now she’s probably living in relative poverty.”
“……”
Could you please explain why!
It’s clear to Ye Zhibai now that Yun’er doesn’t care about Lin Zihan at all.
This was evident from how she kept finding chances to nuzzle Ye Zhibai’s face with her own!
Since the head maid brought this up, she knew that Second Miss preferred not to dwell on past events. So, since the eldest Miss wanted to hear about it, it was her duty to explain.
“Eldest Miss, here’s the story. At first, our Ye family was the leading enterprise in Qihai City, and the Lin family, where Miss Lin comes from, was probably the second-largest. This was when Second Miss was in elementary school. But after that, the Lin family started to decline due to poor management, getting worse year by year. Miss Lin Zihan’s father gambled everything on a major project, which ended up in total failure. Although they managed to pay off the debts, the Lin family vanished from Qihai City. We believe Miss Lin’s current life is quite difficult.”
Ah… is that so? Ye Zhibai wasn’t aware of this. She knew that the Ye family was the top enterprise in the city, but not much about the others.
It was hard to imagine how a company comparable in size to the Ye family could collapse so quickly within a few years. In other words, a young lady who was once as prominent as Yun’er suddenly fell from grace—it must have been difficult for her to accept. But Lin Zihan seemed quite optimistic, even while getting hit, she was still defiant. In that sense, she’s indeed a strong person.
Just as she was thinking this, Ye Zhiyun poured cold water on her thoughts.
“Sister, let me remind you, that person is like a fox—cunning and unpredictable. Who knows what she’s up to this time. You shouldn’t take her words to heart or trust her. If you remembered her from childhood, you wouldn’t have much sympathy for her.”
“Her… childhood?”
The head maid, driving in front, chuckled. “Ha… I remember! Miss Lin was so mischievous as a child. Second Miss, are you referring to that time? The time when you two had a major falling out and swore to be enemies forever.”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
What incident are you talking about?!
Ye Zhibai dreaded such conversations!
Without making her wait, Ye Zhiyun began recalling the situation and explained it to her.
It wasn’t so much storytelling as it was like a sister complaining to her older sibling.
“When Lin Zihan was a child, she wasn’t just mischievous… she was downright spoiled! Sister, when we get home, I’ll show you some palace dramas with bratty little princesses—she was just like that! No, even worse!”
“You don’t know this, but once she came to our house and said it wasn’t as nice or spacious as hers. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but she broke the cup I gave you as a birthday present. My birthday gift to you… Haha…”
Yun’er’s eyes already gleamed with a dark light, even though she was only halfway through the story.
Stay with me, Yun’er, finish the story!
Ye Zhiyun shook her head and continued.
“That awful girl… after breaking the cup, she didn’t stop there. While you and I were cleaning up the shards, she laughed and called you mute, mocking you for being unable to speak. The moment she said that… I made her shut up.”
“How… how did you make her shut up?”
“I gave her a good beating, and she ran away crying.”
I figured, classic you.
The physical shut-up method, effective!
But… kids are like that, saying mean things without understanding the consequences. It’s normal, nothing too outrageous. Getting a good beating might have taught her a lesson.
Thinking about it, Lin Zihan’s elegant demeanor now shows how much she has changed.
The head maid added with a smile, “Oh, and at that time, Second Miss made a very bold declaration!”
“What was it?”
“Miss Lin called you mute, and Second Miss said she’d remember it. She announced that whenever she saw Miss Lin, she’d beat her up! Kids can be so funny and innocent when they’re being competitive.”
“……”
Ye Zhibai was silent, recalling Yun’er’s sudden and aggressive reaction earlier.
Head maid, are you sure Yun’er wasn’t just keeping her promise from back then?!
——Innocent and Cute? .
