"Well, go through what you have done and said today and see if there's anything you have to apologize for."
Lin Mu obliged. "Okay, okay, give me some time to think about it."
Lin Mu obediently counted the things that he did and said like a kindergartener, "I shouldn't have mocked you at the police station; I should have greeted your grandparents when I entered the house."
As Lin Mu recited his list, Chi Caishen stood there, dumbfounded. This was definitely not the Lin Mu he recognized.
The way Chi Caishen looked at Lin Mu was still unfriendly, but at least it was no longer as hostile as before. Suddenly, Chi Yun turned her head around to look at Chi Caishen, which caused the latter's heart to skip a beat. What does this woman want now?
"What about him?" Chi Yun raised her finger and pointed at Chi Caishen. Clearly, this offense had not crossed Lin Mu's mind. "You want me to apologize to him?"
"You did get into a fight with him."
"He fought back, didn't he?"
The rebuttal caused Chi Yun to frown. She tapped the cane repeatedly against her palm.
"Fine, fine! I'll apologize. I'll apologize right now!"
Lin Mu turned to Chi Caishen with a fake smile. "Young Master Chi, I'm sorry!"
"I won't fight with you anymore in the future. When we meet again, we shall stay out of each other's way!"
Chi Caishen ignored him. After all, this bastard's apology was definitely not sincere.
But... Chi Caishen could not help but turn cautiously towards Chi Yun.
She had Lin Mu apologize in person to me. At that moment, Chi Caishen's emotions were complicated.
"Can I go now?!" Lin Mu said through gritted teeth. He looked impatient as hell. She heard rumors online that said that the girl had a very good temper. The rumors were wrong! The girl was a demon from hell!
Lin Mu wouldn't be surprised if Chi Yun had murdered someone and buried them underground.
"You can go. Remember to bid farewell to Elder Chi and Old Madam Chi before you do." Chi Yun chased the kid away without even looking at him.
It was Lin Mu's turn to be indignant. He was beaten, and he was forced to apologize, but in the end, she wouldn't even spare a glance at him.
Lin Mu walked down the stairs, dejected. He walked stiffly, like he had just been put through the dryer. I swear to not come close to anyone from the Chi family again!
Even though the house had good sound insulation, the commotion from upstairs wasn't really that muted. In other words, everyone downstairs heard what happened earlier.
Qu Xuan's face was pale. She was worried about her future after she married into the Chi family. Would she be constantly bullied by Chi Yun?
In her selfishness, she believes Chi Yun was only doing this to scare her. Chi Yun was making an example out of Lin Mu for Qu Xuan to witness!
If she dared to hit Young Master Lin, who was Qu Xuan?
Qu Xuan's heart started to panic. She watched with a gaping mouth as Lin Mu walked down the stairs.
"Young, Young Master Lin, are you alright?" Even though Lin Mu was quite rude to her earlier, he was still the sole heir of the Lin family. So, in spite of her reservation, Qu Xuan went forward to show concern.
Lin Mu winced as he walked down the stairs, but as Qu Xuan rushed towards him, he quickly straightened himself. He put on a casual front and said, "What do you mean by that? I am perfectly fine!"
"I'm so sorry on Miss Chi Yun's behalf. I have no idea she..." Qu Xuan jumped to apologize to Lin Mu to get into his good graces, but she miscalculated one thing.
If Lin Mu accepted this apology, it would mean that he admitted he had been beaten by a girl, and that definitely was not going to happen!
"The hell are you going on about? I'm perfectly fine, and Miss Chi Yun is a gracious and magnanimous host!"
Qu Xuan was surprised that Lin Mu would come to Chi Yun's defense. Lin Mu bowed respectfully at Elder Chi and Old Madam Chi before he hurriedly left the premises. Lin Mu had no mood to deal with Qu Xuan, the passerby.
…
The atmosphere upstairs had frozen in awkwardness. Chi Caishen had never been able to stay so quietly in the same room as Chi Yun when they were young; this was a first. After all, his crazy little sister was always in a state of anger or being angered. The chance of her sitting down quietly was zero.
But now Chi Yun has completely surprised him. This grown-up Chi Yun was a complete stranger to him. She had whipped Lin Mu for him and even made Lin Mu apologize for him. Thinking about Lin Mu's face, which was puffed up in resentment, Chi Caishen broke into a laugh.
No! This is impossible! This is just too much. Am I dreaming?
While Chi Caishen was still in his fantasy world, Chi Yun suddenly walked towards him. Then the cane was raised alongside Chi Yun's arm. The sound of a pig squealing echoed inside the room again.
"Fuck!" As the cane snapped against his skin, Chi Caishen cursed. This is so fucking painful! Now that I understand what Lin Mu was feeling earlier, who wouldn't have begged for mercy in a situation like this?
"Chi Yun! What are you doing?!" He thought the girl had turned over a new leaf, but he was mistaken.
"I hit him because he attacked you, and that is a sign of disrespect for the Chi family."
"Now I am hitting you because you have opted for fists to resolve the problem. That is not the Chi Family way! Our family runs real estate, not a martial arts dojo!" Chi Yun paused for the knowledge to sink in.
"And to make matters worse, you even lost in the fight! For shame!"
Hearing that, Chi Caishen's face burned. It was common for boys to get into fights. In fact, Chi Yun's four older brothers were unstoppable fighters when they were kids. Chi Caishen, though, clearly didn't inherit that gene. If the news of his loss spread, the reputation of the Chi family would be affected.
Seeing the dazed look on Chi Caishen's face, Chi Yun lifted the cane and gave him another whip. "This whip is for the disrespect shown to your elders. Have you considered how your father and our grandparents would feel before you got into that fight? Does your family mean nothing to you?"
Chi Caishen took the whipping and didn't cry out. Instead, he glared fiercely at Chi Yun. There were complicated emotions in his eyes. Hatred, anger, helplessness… but there was no repulsion like before. And what does she mean by my father and our grandparents? Now that Chi Bastard is my father, shouldn't it be 'our father'?!
Looking into Chi Yun's serious countenance, Chi Caishen didn't know what to think. Everything was too unexpected.
At that moment, Chi Yun put away the cane. Chi Caishen lifted his head in confusion and asked, "Wait, you're not going to hit me anymore?"
Chi Caishen's tone was prideful but also slightly whiny. It sounded like he was asking for attention from his family. The moment Chi Caishen said that, he regretted it.
Chi Yun did not notice the change to his tone, or if she did, she didn't show it. Instead, she answered openly, "The lesson is over. Lin Mu is not a member of the Chi family, so his lesson lasted longer; only then will he understand that the Chi family is not easily bullied." In fact, Chi Yun used even less force when she hit Chi Caishen compared to when she dealt with Lin Mu. "But you are family, so you get special treatment."
Family? After she left me? Chi Caishen was surprised by the use of that word. His mouth opened, but he soon closed it. He couldn't bring himself to say that he wasn't family with Chi Yun.
Chi Yun exited the room and then came back carrying the first-aid kit.
Chi Yun placed Chi Caishen on the chair, but instead the lad started to fidget around restlessly. "Be patient; don't move!" Chi Yun ordered, and instantly Chi Caishen quieted down.
Chi Caishen tried to process the complicated emotions in his heart. It was very difficult to describe. He did not quite understand it, but overall, there was warmth underneath his feeling of crabbiness.
Chi Yun carefully helped to dress Chi Caishen's wounds. After she was done, Chi Yun stood up and returned to her room. It was not until Old Madam Chi called for them that the two of them walked out of their respective rooms and came downstairs.
Old Master Chi was stunned when he saw Chi Caishen come down the stairs. The rascal would normally have to be persuaded and urged multiple times before he would follow the given order. Why is Chi Caishen being so obedient today?