Zhao Yuan looked at Bai Xi feeling sorry for her.
She was wearing a long white dress and her face was fair and delicate. She was holding a glass of warm water and staring at her feet.
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm also looking forward to seeing
"Lingling, don't worry. Mommy will always love you," Zhao Yuan sighed, "My dear child, you don't have to be afraid when you're with mommy. If she does anything bad to you again, I'll send her back!"
Zhao Yuan was very biased. She had only seen one of them a handful of times, while she had raised another for more than 20 years. Naturally, Bai Xi was more important.
Bai Lin was the real daughter who had been taken away by mistake. She was only taken back into the Bai Family when she was eight years old. However, she did not have the slightest manners and caused chaos in the Bai Family. She had even deliberately used hot water to scald Bai Xi.
Zhao Yuan guessed that she was jealous about how Bai Xi was doted on despite having no blood relationship with the Bai Family, thus the vicious treatment.
The Bai Family's way of dealing with such a vicious person was to send Bai Lin to the countryside, and 12 years had passed now in a blink of eyes.
It was only then Bai Xi wore some hints of a smile. She moved closer and comforted her mother, "Jiejie was young and insensible at that time. She didn't splash the hot water on me on purpose."
The young man with a buzz cut, who was playing games on the couch, huffed angrily, "Jie, it's because you're too nice that you're being stepped over and shat on by the barbaric wild bird."
Zhao Yuan glared at him. "What are you talking about?!"
Bai Shao had just finished a round of his game when he ran over to sit next to Bai Xi, telling Zhao Yuan, "Mom, I really don't know what you're thinking. Even I can tell that she's back with ulterior motives. She probably only wants money. Why did you let her come back?"
Bai Xi patted Bai Shao's arm with a frown and said softly, "Xiao Shao, Bai Lin's your biological elder sister, after all. I'm the unnecessary person here. All these years, I've taken her place and being indulged by the family, but I've never felt at ease. Now that she's back, I'm returning what I should return to her. It's alright."
Bai Xi pursed her lips into a smile after speaking but worry clouded her gaze.
Bai Shao was resentful of his biological sister, whom he had no impression of since a long time ago. "For her to be my sister? Does she deserve to be one? She's just a piece of trash. How could she be compared to you?"
"Bai Shao!" Zhao Yuan scolded.
"What did I say wrong?" Bai Shao retorted, "She dropped out of high school before she could even finish it. Now that she's doing badly, she's coming home to ask for money. She's not like my Lingling-jie, so pretty and outstanding, and is famous in the showbiz with just one TV drama. She's worthy of being called the showbiz fairy."
Zhao Yuan was not taking Bai Lin's side saying what she did, so she helplessly said, "You're a member of the Bai Family still. You should be more polite."
Bai Shao sneered and picked up his phone again for another round of game. "Fine, fine. But I'll say this in advance. I only have one sister, Bai Xi. Don't even think about making me call that person my sis."
Bai Xi's lips curled up promptly but she picked up the teacup to hide it.
...
Someone knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, the butler came to the hall and told Zhao Yuan, "Madam, it's Miss Bai Lin."
The three of them wore varying expressions as they looked at the door in unison.
Bai Lin entered with her luggage. She took off her sunglasses and tucked them in her pocket casually, glancing at the three people and greeting indifferently, "Oh, you're all here."
City A was very hot, so Bai Lin was dressed simply. She wore a white t-shirt with shorts and a pair of sneakers that seemed worn out probably from the many years of wear and tear.
Despite that, her body proportions were excellent. Her legs were long and her waist was slim. Her facial features were delicate and elegant, actually looking more eye-catching than Bai Xi who was gaining fame in the entertainment industry.
Bai Shao was stunned before he retracted his gaze.
She was a bumpkin yet she insisted on wearing the sunglasses to put up an act.
Bai Xi got up and went forward, smiling as she went to pick up Bai Lin's luggage. "Mom and I have been waiting at home for a long time. Jie, go and wash up. We'll have a meal together when you're done."
"Yeah," Bai Shao mocked, "I can smell a certain someone's shabbiness all the way from here."
Bai Xi turned to look at Bai Shao gently. "Xiao Shao, don't talk like that. She's your sister."
"Where's my room?"
Bai Lin did not have it in her to watch the drama queen put on a show of some harmonious family skit, so she interrupted her.
Bai Xi was still persistent in picking up Bai Lin's luggage. "Jiejie, you must be tired. I'll take care of this."
Bai Lin looked Bai Xi up and down. The latter was slender and fair, which fitted the current aesthetic of being fair, young, and thin. She did look delicate and pitiful. She basically had the perfect combination to set someone up and play victim.
Bai Lin avoided her. "No thanks."
Bai Xi kept her hands with a pout, hiding the dark glint in her eyes. When she looked up again, there was only feigned disappointment. "Alright... I'll take you to your room."
Zhao Yuan was upset by Bai Lin's reaction when she took in the scene.
It seemed that Bai Lin still held a grudge against Bai Xi after all these years. Bai Xi was offering to help her despite their past grudges but she was displeased about it instead.
Come to think of it, what kind of upbringing could an uncultured girl raised in the countryside have?
Bai Lin came to the second floor. Her room was a guest room spanning 40 square meters that looked clean and tidy. For a country bumpkin who had never seen much, it was pretty much luxury.
"Mom and dad are very happy to hear that you're coming back and have gotten the room prepared for you through the night," Bai Xi said while she observed Bai Lin's expression, though not finding surprise, excitement, or inferiority that she had wanted to see from the latter's face.
On the contrary, she seemed to be a little... disdainful?
Bai Lin tossed her luggage on the ground and regretted coming back.
She had three villas with different interior designs in City B where the price of land was sky high. This small room was barely livable to her.
After retiring from the mercenary group and those days of flirting death, Bai Lin was growing to love life more and was unwilling to suffer in any way, big or small.
If it were not for the old lady, who would want to come to such a cheap place?