Yeran's eyes brightened as she looked at Mother Jiang, her thoughts clear in her gaze.
Mother Jiang stiffened slightly, but quickly put on a cold smirk. What was there to fear? They were all her people. What could Yeran, this little girl, accuse her of?
Upon hearing his father's return, Lu Xiu immediately ran over to hug him.
"Xiuxiu, what's wrong?" His father asked, seeing Xiuxiu's teary eyes.
Before Lu Xiu could answer, Mother Jiang quickly said, "Honey, you're back?"
Lu Xiu's father lifted his head to ask, "Xiuxiu, what's happened?"
Lu Xiu gripped his father's sleeve tight. "Father, the auntie wants to scold my elder sister!"
"Why?" Lu Xiu's father asked.
Mother Jiang suddenly showed a doleful face, her eyes slightly downcast as if feeling guilty. "Honey, this is it... On Yeran's first day of class, she was punished for falling asleep. I was worried she wouldn't study hard, so I scolded her. Yeran not only didn't listen but also argued back. That's when I lost it and said some harsh words. Xiuxiu, you like Xuexue very much, right? That's why you were upset when I scolded her. It's also my fault. I wasn't able to accompany Yeran more when she was young. Hence, she is distant with me and therefore behaves like this."
"Indeed, father. Mother is actually doing this for the good of Yeran. I even tried to console Yeran, but she continued to scold mother. I... I don't even know what to say anymore..." Jiang Anxue said, almost breaking down into tears.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu's father began to understand the situation. As for Yeran, she didn't bother dealing with them. Her temper was running high from the scene, and she had lost her appetite. She merely wanted to head back. If she had to see Mother Jiang and Jiang Anxue even one more time, she was bound to vomit, even if her stomach was empty.
"Alright then, Yeran is still a child. Feeling a bit sleepy is normal. Yeran," Lu Xiu's father said, "How about we let bygones be bygones. Why don't you apologize to your mother? Does that sound good?"
Inwardly, Yeran rolled her eyes. Apologize? What a beautiful thought.
Suddenly, she covered her eyes. "Uncle Lu, my eyes hurt a little. I'll head back to rest first."
After dealing with both Mother Jiang and Jiang Anxue – who could blame her for feeling a little eye sore?
Without waiting for any response, she made a beeline for the staircase. She went into her room, shut the door, and locked it all in quick succession.
"This — honey, look!" Mother Jiang's tears began to well up in her eyes as she put up a facade of vulnerability and innocence.
Lu Xiu suddenly lifted his head, his eyes blazing. "No! It's not like that at all! Father, although sister did fall asleep during class, she didn't utter a single word against the aunt!"
However, Mother Jiang seized Lu Xiu, patting gently on his head. "Xiuxiu, Mother understands that you have a close relationship with your sister, and you want to protect her. But you need to understand that one has to admit it when they're wrong. Mother is worried about your sister, too."
Lu Xiu, uncharacteristically forceful, shrugged Mother Jiang's hand away. "Don't touch me! You're not my mother!"
With that, the boy retreated to his own room and locked his door.
"Xiuxiu!" called his father, but Lu Xiu didn't respond.
"Sigh." His father shook his head. "Forget it, we should let the kids reflect on their actions."
Mother Jiang nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's right. Honey, let's eat. Xuexue was hungry but insisted on waiting for you before eating."
Father Lu broke into a gentle smile. "Xuexue, you're such a good girl. But next time, don't wait for me. If you're hungry, you should eat first."
The dining room was suddenly filled with warmth and harmony, a stark contrast to the confrontational atmosphere just moments ago.
Meanwhile, upstairs in a room, an adorable-looking kid was crouching down on the floor.
His eyes were slightly red, and his body was still shaking lightly.
After a while, his face darkened, and his brownish eyes glowed mysteriously in the dark.
Lu Xiu didn't understand what was happening. Looking at Mother Jiang's artificial face made him want to rip off her face with bare hands!
The thought of the blood and flesh underneath her skin, and the smell of blood filling the air...
Somehow, it gave him an inexplicable feeling of pleasure.
It was terrifying.
He knew it was terrifying.
Lu Xiu noticed that he had been acting strange lately, with disjointed thoughts appearing in his mind.
Disgusting images filled his head, and it seemed like he was enjoying them.
This frightened the little Lu Xiu.
He was scared that he was no longer himself.
Downstairs, Father Lu's and Mother Jiang's laughter could be clearly heard from his room.
The hamster he kept was happily running in its cage.
The small boy was crouching alone at the door, and suddenly, he wanted to find his sister.
*
As soon as Yeran returned to her room, she threw her bag onto the table and retracted into her quilt to play video games.
Frankly speaking, she doesn't care about Mother Jiang's drama, as this is not her actual world and everything going on is irrelevant to her.
But unexpectedly, Cinderella's little brother defended her so bravely, which left her a little moved.
In the original story, Cinderella was subservient and timid as a child, devoid of love. No matter what Mother Jiang said, he didn't dare to fight back or argue.
Recalling Lu Xiu's words, Yeran's impression of this little brother improved.
Just as she started the first game, she heard a gentle knock at the door.
Yeran had no choice but to take off her headphones and while still playing, she went to open the door. The boy, changed into pyjamas, had soft hair smelling of shower gel. His brown eyes sparkled, making him look quite delicate and handsome.
It was Cinderella's little brother, and he brought a little bag.