Unnaturally allowing Yan Xiaye into the room, Mother Yan's eyes dodged as she rambled, "You child, you should have called before coming back. By the way, did Yan Shuirou not come home last night because of you? She finally got a heart transplant, you must not hit her again, did you hear me?"
After five years, in this family, the only person entitled to care and affection was still only Yan Shuirou.
Yan Xiaye stopped in her tracks with her back to her mother, her heart silently torn apart.
From childhood to adulthood, she had long been accustomed to being treated this way by her family, yet each time it inevitably caused her heartache.
"Don't worry, your precious Yan Shuirou is so cherished by you, how could I dare lift a finger on her?" Holding back the lump in her throat, Yan Xiaye raised her eyes to look at the ostentatiously luxurious living room in front of her, thinking about the millions in gambling debt Li Beicheng used to threaten her, she frowned with exasperation, "Where did all this come from?"
Mother Yan's embarrassment turned into awkwardness as she stammered in defense, "Of course it was gifted by the Li Family! Anyway, they're so rich that even a tiny fraction slipping through their fingers is enough for your dad and me to live comfortably. Li Beicheng hasn't said a word, and here you are, fresh out of jail and already rushing to your parents to collect a debt?"
As she spoke, her confidence grew, and she pointedly jabbed her finger at Yan Xiaye's forehead as if throwing a tantrum, "It's said that daughters take after their fathers, but I didn't believe it. Are you just unhappy to see your parents living well and came back specifically to slap us in the face?"
Between guilt and anger, Mother Yan's probing hand had no measure of strength, causing a faint redness to bloom on Yan Xiaye's porcelain white forehead.
"Mom, are you being silly? No matter how rich the Li Family is, that's their money. Why should they give us anything for nothing?" Yan Xiaye stepped back to avoid her mother's forceful finger and felt restless, "What happened to our former little house? If we sell this place now, how much can we get back..."
Although the value was probably nothing compared to a ten-million debt, being able to pay off even a little would be something, as usury was not something ordinary families like theirs could afford to touch.
"You nonsense-talking brat!"
Mother Yan was so agitated her chest heaved with anger, glaring at Yan Xiaye as if she wasn't her daughter but an enemy who came to strip away her good life, "We're not selling! As long as your dad and I are alive, we'll die in this mansion, so don't you even think about touching our assets!"
"Me have designs on our family's assets? During the five years I was in prison, you and dad never visited me once! If it weren't for the fact that you are my biological parents, why would I even have to deal with Li Beicheng..."
Seeing the daughter who used to be obedient and easy to bully getting angry, Mother Yan suddenly changed her tune and began crying, wiping her tears, "I know you blame us, but it is your own doing that you ended up in prison. You know the condition of your sister's health. We were afraid that visiting you might upset her and cause her illness to flare up again. What would we do then?"
Listening to her mother repeatedly making excuses for Yan Shuirou, Yan Xiaye's face turned deathly pale, and she was at a loss for words.
Just at that moment, the villa's door was unlocked and opened.
In the doorway appeared the slim and graceful figure of Yan Shuirou, wearing a light pink designer dress and stepping into the room in small lambskin boots, she walked in with poise.
After entering, she first smiled and helped steady Mother Yan before slowly turning her attention to Yan Xiaye, a smile on her lips like a breeze in spring, flawless to any observer, "Xiaye, how come you made Mom cry just after you got back?"
Yan Xiaye's gaze turned cold, and she said dispassionately, word by word, "Yan Shuirou, you really have the nerve to show up in front of me."
The five years in prison had changed Yan Xiaye; she was no longer her previous submissive self.
Yan Shuirou felt a shiver in her heart but her façade was even more tender and graceful, "I haven't done anything wrong, why shouldn't I appear before you?"
While speaking, she tilted slightly and casually reached up to brush her waist-length hair.
The snow-white neck was adorned with several clear, vividly colorful kiss marks.
Yan Xiaye's distinct black and white pupils contracted to their extremes in an instant, and the atmosphere around her turned icy cold.
"Oh my, you two sisters should speak nicely. I'll go wash some fruit for you," Mother Yan said, sensing trouble and beating a hasty retreat.
As she watched her mother's figure disappear behind the wall, Yan Shuirou's forced smile also faded.
Fingertips provocatively tracing those kiss marks, she stared steadily at Yan Xiaye and said, "You understand now, don't you? No matter what you do, it's futile. Beicheng has only ever had me in his heart, ever since we first laid eyes on each other, that's when we knew what love at first sight truly was."
Yan Xiaye's smile was both mocking and dismissive as she glanced sideways at her without responding.
Her calm, composed demeanor didn't match the hysterics Yan Shuirou had imagined.
Feeling slightly panicked, she bit her lip and provoked further, "I understand that from your point of view it's hard to accept, but there's nothing wrong with loving someone. Can't you understand us at all?"
"Yes, I truly can't understand," said Yan Xiaye, her smile undiminished. "Perhaps it's because while you two were busy exchanging tender glances, I was busy finding out how much your medical expenses were, and how to beg the hospital for a few days' grace, so I could brazenly go to the Li Family to borrow money."
The scene was just like yesterday.
Even Yan Shuirou, with her thick skin, couldn't help but blush, her slender body swaying involuntarily, nearly losing her balance.
Before that could happen, Yan Xiaye swiftly reached out and grabbed her wrist, looking into her eyes with a light laugh, "I suggest you stand firm. You may want to pretend that you fell and accuse me of pushing you, but don't forget, your daughter has to live with me, her 'real mom,' day and night. If anything happens, don't blame me for not taking proper care."
"You!" Yan Shuirou was startled and immediately stood firm, shaking off Yan Xiaye. "You're actually threatening me with Ya'er?"
Besides Li Beicheng's affection, Ya'er was undoubtedly her other trump card for marrying into the Li Family.
If something were to happen to that trump card...
Yan Xiaye quietly watched the delicate Yan Shuirou lose her composure, her smile growing even more brilliant, "That's right, this is a threat. If you're unhappy about it, feel free to go beg Li Beicheng now. Let's see if he will give up the Li Family inheritance, divorce me, and marry you?"
Yan Shuirou had no response, and her face turned exceedingly ugly.
With resentment, she stared intently at Yan Xiaye in front of her. Her emotions were not just hatred and disgust; there was also an indescribable strangeness and fear.
In retrospect, her maneuver to have Yan Xiaye imprisoned five years ago was a misstep.
The harsh life in prison was difficult, but it also forcefully stripped away Yan Xiaye's previous softness and innocence, causing her to shine with a unique brilliance.
No wonder Li Beicheng was furious with her last night...
After all, she had underestimated her...