She couldn't understand. Why wasn't Yun Shifei shouting or making a scene? She didn't even cry.
In the past, whenever Xu Ya scolded her, she'd lose control, yelling about how they never thought highly of her in the first place, and even dragging her into the argument.
Ultimately, these conflicts would fizzle out due to the three of them reluctantly choosing to back down.
Yun Sisi understood this act of tolerance—it seemed like concession, but it was actually a form of protest. Sooner or later, in Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya's hearts, Yun Shifei would only remain as a faint blood tie—devoid of anything else.
At this point, Yun Shifei also knew what Yun Sisi was thinking.
But she was no longer her old self. Having been reborn, there was no way she'd make the same mistakes as her past life.
In this lifetime, her rule for survival was: Play meek, live in peace!
"Dad, Mom, Sisi, I'm sorry. I've caused you all so much worry. If you don't like me being here, I can go back to live in Lotus Town." Her voice was soft and sweet.
It was rare to see Yun Shifei so calm and docile, like a little lamb, unlike before when she'd lose her temper every time they tried to discipline her.
Yun Tiancheng couldn't help stepping forward to gently pat her on the head. "Shifei, you're our daughter. How could we not want you?"
As he spoke, he shot a glance at Xu Ya.
Xu Ya's heart softened as well. She said to Yun Shifei, "It was wrong of me earlier. I shouldn't have hit you."
Seeing this version of Yun Shifei, they began to reflect on their own actions.
No matter how flawed she was, she was still their daughter. After all the years she had spent living in the countryside, it was already a blessing for her to return. What more could they ask of her?
Xu Ya softly added as she fetched the medicine kit to apply ointment to Yun Shifei's face.
Meanwhile, Yun Sisi was completely dumbfounded.
What was going on? This wasn't how things were supposed to unfold!
Yun Shifei should have been enraged, fighting back, making a big scene!
She stared at the three of them in a daze.
At this moment, Xu Ya carefully tended to Yun Shifei's wound, while Yun Tiancheng spoke gently to her, comforting her emotions.
The three of them appeared so close, like a true family.
And she—she was the outsider!
This realization made Yun Sisi feel extremely uncomfortable.
She was not an outsider. If Yun Shifei had never returned, she would still be the only young lady of the Yun Family, treasured like a princess!
"Sister, weren't you in that room earlier today? Why did you run off?" Yun Sisi's tone was innocent as she suddenly asked, "Oh, I remember. You were planning to meet Brother Mu there. Did you see him?"
Yun Sisi was referring to Mu Chengzhu.
Yun Shifei's eyebrows twitched. How could she forget? Earlier today, Yun Sisi had brought her to that abandoned building, just to arrange a meeting with Mu Chengzhu.
The name Mu Chengzhu had essentially marked her entire previous life.
After Yun Shifei returned to the Yun Family and laid eyes on Mu Chengzhu for the first time, she had fallen utterly head over heels for him.
She had spent all her efforts chasing after him, following him wherever he went.
Eventually, her obsession came true—they ended up together.
But in the end, Mu Chengzhu had pushed her off a building from over ten stories high—all for Yun Sisi.
"Yun Shifei, your death means Sisi can inherit the Yun Family fortune. Someone like you isn't even worthy to be the mistress of the Mu Family!"
That voice of Mu Chengzhu seemed to still echo in her ears.
Like a curse haunting her.
The deeper the love had once been, the greater the hatred was now in hindsight.
Yun Shifei inhaled deeply, steadying her emotions.
In this new life, she was determined to live for herself.
Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya couldn't help but look at Yun Shifei after hearing Yun Sisi's words.
They knew a little about what had transpired between Yun Shifei and Mu Chengzhu.
The Yun Family had always maintained close ties with the Mu Family. Yun Sisi and Mu Chengzhu grew up together like childhood sweethearts.
But after Yun Shifei returned, she frequently sought Mu Chengzhu's company, even though he kept her at arm's length.
They had sensed Yun Shifei's feelings for Mu Chengzhu were unusual during those years when she should've been solely focused on her studies. To prevent distractions, they had sternly warned her to avoid spending time with him.
But hearing Yun Sisi's implication today, could it be that Yun Shifei hadn't gone out to wander but had gone to meet Mu Chengzhu?
Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya's expressions shifted slightly.
Yet Yun Shifei remained composed, looking back at Yun Sisi with a calm detachment.
Her cold, still gaze was like a sharp blade, inexplicably making Yun Sisi's heart tremble.
When did Yun Shifei develop such a look in her eyes? And why did it fill her with an ominous sense of unease?
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Yun Sisi went to open the door and was greeted by Uncle Cheng from the Cheng Family. He was holding a number of gifts and appeared mildly surprised.
"Uncle Cheng, what brings you here? Please, come in and have a seat."
Yun Sisi's tone was light and sweet, her lips curving into a soft, serene smile—she always carried a demeanor admired by elders.
But inwardly, she was uneasy. Why was Cheng Guomin here at this particular time?
Could it be that the situation she had orchestrated involving Yun Shifei and Cheng Lie had been discovered?
"I'm here to thank Shifei," Cheng Guomin said.
Thank Yun Shifei?
Yun Sisi was momentarily dumbfounded.
"Old Cheng, what happened?" Yun Tiancheng asked.
"Cheng Lie went missing this evening, but fortunately, Shifei found him and brought him back." Cheng Guomin explained.
What?! There was such a thing?
Once again, Yun Sisi's eyes widened into an incredulous stare at Yun Shifei. She couldn't even remember how many times she had gawked in shock tonight.
It was genuinely baffling how everything that happened today kept spiraling out of her control!
Up until today, every one of her schemes against Yun Shifei had succeeded seamlessly.
But this time, her meticulously laid plans to utterly ruin Yun Shifei's reputation… had all fallen apart!
Her attempts to secretly isolate Yun Shifei and make her life unbearable? Foiled once again.
Even more humiliating was the fact that Cheng Guomin was now here to give credit to Yun Shifei, raising her status even more.
Their neighborhood was home to only the wealthiest families, and the Cheng Family was among the elites. Cheng Guomin had ventured into business early on and achieved remarkable success—not only did he own numerous enterprises within the country, but he also had significant assets abroad.
She even remembered her father once trying to seek a business collaboration with Cheng Guomin.
The astonishment extended to Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya as well.
After Cheng Guomin left, Yun Tiancheng turned to Yun Shifei and asked, "Is that why you took so long to come home—you were bringing Cheng Lie back? Why didn't you tell us?"
"Our teacher says that when we do good deeds, we shouldn't seek recognition," Yun Shifei replied softly.
That was what she said, but in truth, she had deliberately lingered near the Cheng Family's entrance for a short time, waiting for just the right moment. Coincidentally, that was when Cheng Guomin's car had pulled up from work. She'd timed everything so he would see her leaving.
Cheng Guomin would naturally ask why she and Cheng Lie had ended up there. If Cheng Huai didn't conceal the truth, the fact that Yun Shifei had escorted Cheng Lie back would undoubtedly come to light.
With Cheng Guomin's tact and emotional intelligence, he was sure to return the favor by bringing gifts to the Yun Family.
She had carefully orchestrated every step, using this opportunity to subtly alter Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya's perceptions of her and completely gloss over tonight's incident.
This was the best outcome she could achieve under these circumstances.
No matter how many flaws were in Yun Sisi's elaborate scheme, Yun Shifei knew she couldn't expose her in front of their parents.
Yun Sisi had always maintained the facade of being kind and gentle.
Her parents also placed great trust in Yun Sisi's words.
If there were ever a conflict between what she said and Yun Sisi's claims, their first instinct would inevitably be to believe Yun Sisi while accusing her of lying.
Just like her previous life—when Yun Sisi falsely claimed she'd tried to seduce Cheng Lie to cling to the Cheng Family—her parents had believed Yun Sisi's baseless accusations without hesitation.
What followed was their utter disappointment in her.