Mrs Shen and the others looked at the little girl who stood in front of them. If someone told them that she was only five or six years old, they would believe it.
She was really too thin, so thin that it was slimming down her cute face, and made her eyes seem even bigger than they already were.
They liked Emily at first because she was the only one that could be close to Shen Yu, who was the heir of the Shen family. But now, as they saw how this girl whose life was plagued with so much misfortune still had eyes that gleamed with innocence, it hit the soft spot in the hearts of every woman in the Shen family.
Unless the person had a heart made of cold, hard rock, who would want to say anything mean to such a small and pitiful child?
"Since you've come to the Shen family, we won't mistreat you. Eat more! You look like a stick figure."
It was rare for Old Madam Shen to soften her tone. If one listened carefully, there was still an obvious stiffness in her voice as she wasn't quite used to speaking this way.
Emily's eyes curved into a crescent. Although Grandma's words sounded a little harsh, she could tell that Grandma was caring for her and asking her to eat more.
All Emily knew was that people who gave her food are good people.
"Grandma is so nice. Thank you, Grandma."
The children also came to give their welcome gifts to Emily one after another.
They were all very happy to have a younger sister at home.
Before, they could only envy other people's younger sisters. Now, they had a younger sister of their own. How nice.
Although this new younger sister of theirs wasn't quite as good-looking, it didn't matter. They would take care of her.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, come out quickly. I'm here to play with you."
Before they arrived, Shen Xue ran into the living room.
She didn't expect to see everyone here. Shen Xue was startled for a moment, then greeted them naturally.
"Hello, Uncles and Grandma. Hello, Aunties. Hello, Brothers. How has your day been?"
"Good, good. How can I not be good when I see a cute little girl like you?" Old Lady Shen said cheerfully.
Emily looked at Shen Xue curiously. This new sister of hers was so pretty, and she wasn't shy in front of people at all. She seemed so amazing.
Shen Yu had been paying attention to Emily from the corner of his eyes.
Seeing that Emily had been looking at Shen Xue, he finally spoke. "This is Shen Xue. Just know her. No need to pay too much attention to her."
The cold look on Shen Yu's face made Emily a little puzzled. Did her brother not like Sister Shen Xue?
"Hi Shen Xue, I'm Emily," she greeted her with a smile.
Shen Xue carefully examined the girl that caught her attention from the moment she entered the room.
It was already autumn, yet she was still wearing summer clothes.
Her clothes were covered in crooked patches, and the stitches on them looked like crawling centipedes. The girl had sewn them herself.
At first glance, the girl's limbs were thin and small, and her face was sallow and emaciated. One look was enough to tell that she didn't have enough to eat. She was so frail that it changed the look of her cute face.
But because there was barely any fat on her face, her eyes were emphasized and looked big and round, cute yet pitiful, evoking a sense of sympathy in anyone who saw them.
However, if one looked closer, one would notice that the girl's facial features were in perfect proportions.
Instinctively, Shen Xue didn't like this girl.
For some reason, she felt that this girl would be a hindrance to her.
"Hi Emily. Do you want to play with me? Your older brothers are here too. Let's play together."
Shen Xue watched as Emily, who was obviously from a poor background, sat beside Shen Yu.
No one had received such treatment before.
Shen Xue felt even more annoyed.
Shen Yu always ignored her and didn't allow anyone to get close to him.
Initially, there were no exceptions, so Shen Xue had already given up.
In her heart, Shen Yu was a freak.
He almost didn't talk at all, always kept a straight face, and never smiled. He also didn't allow others to get near him, as if everyone else was carrying germs and bacteria.
'What a freak,' she thought.
Now that she saw how close he allowed Emily to get to him, and how he didn't say a word about it, Shen Xue felt extremely agitated.
Why was he treating Emily so specially?
She remembered that there was once when she was about to fall and accidentally tugged on Shen Yu's arm.
Afterward, Shen Yu washed that arm for a whole hour. His arm even turned red from rubbing. She was also warned by her parents not to go near Shen Yu ever again.
She was anxious to see an outsider who seemed to be inferior to her in every way surpass her.
"Emily, let me bring you out to play. I know a lot of friends around here."
Shen Xue held Emily's hand affectionately, wanting to bring her away from Shen Yu's side.
She was very clear about Shen Yu's place in the Shen family. As long as this Emily was helpful to Shen Yu's illness, everyone would like her.
Even though she often went to the main house in the past few years, only her brothers treated her with some sincerity. Her aunts and uncles, on the other hand, treated her the same way as they would guests from outside the family.
Emily struggled a little uncomfortably. This sister was being too enthusiastic towards her.
She instinctively raised her head and looked at Shen Yu.
Shen Yu looked at how obediently Emily was behaving, and nodded demurely, agreeing to let her go.
Shen Yu knew most about Shen Xue's character in the entire Shen family. Even Old Mr Shen Yan and the adults thought nothing much of that little girl. No one thought that such a little kid would be able to cause any significant trouble, which was why they allowed their children to play with her.
However, Shen Yu did not think so. Shen Xue was a greedy wolf cub who did not know how to be content. Right now, she was weak and frail, and barely managed to keep up her kind and cheerful façade. Once she grew up and became stronger, she would bare her claws and teeth to rip her enemies apart.
But Shen Yu wasn't afraid of Shen Xue's tricks.