The pampered little villainess who would one day try to destroy the real Chi daughter's life.
In her past life, Chi Huaijin had watched Yunyin's rise from this exact spot, her fake sweetness, her manipulative tears, and the way she stole everything that once belonged to Huaijin herself.
But now… now, she was the one who'd returned first.
Yunyin's smile turned smug. "What are you doing sitting there like a statue? Can't you play? Or did your poor daddy not teach you how?"
Huaijin blinked again, tilting her head. Then, in the most adorably polite voice, she said, "Oh, I can play. I just don't like boring toys."
"Boring?!" Yunyin puffed up. "These toys are imported! From overseas!"
Huaijin gave her a sweet, innocent look. "Ohh… from overseas? You mean from the place where they sell dolls that break when you drop them?"
Yunyin's jaw dropped. "They don't break! You just don't know how to handle expensive things!"
"Really?" Huaijin blinked innocently. "That's what people usually say before they break them."
The older servants passing by paused mid-step, pretending not to laugh.
Yunyin stomped her foot. "You— you're just jealous!"
"Of what?" Huaijin asked sweetly, her big eyes blinking with exaggerated confusion. "The toys? Or that your dress looks like Grandma's tablecloth?"
Even the stoic butler, walking past the hall outside, nearly dropped his tray.
Yunyin's cheeks turned red. "You—! You're so mean!"
"I'm honest," Huaijin corrected with a small shrug. "You should try it sometime too, being honest."
The tension broke for a second as Yunyin glared daggers at her, huffing and puffing like an angry kitten. Huaijin calmly dipped her fingers in the water beside her, creating ripples that shimmered under the sunlight.
'Ah, this is nostalgic,' she thought with an inward sigh. 'Last time, she made me cry. This time, I'll just make her speechless.'
The two girls stared each other down for a while, a silent war between innocence and arrogance. To anyone walking in, it would've looked like two angels simply playing in the sun, but in truth, the extra and the fake daughters of the Chi family were meeting for the first time, and sparks were flying quietly beneath the smiles.
Finally, Yunyin crossed her arms. "Just so you know," she sniffed, "Grandfather said that Uncle Yuanfeng will marry my Aunty soon. So your Daddy will be my uncle, too."
Huaijin froze. Then, with the most dramatic gasp she could muster, she clasped her tiny hands over her mouth.
"Really?!" she squealed. "That's amazing!"
Yunyin blinked, caught off guard by the reaction. "Huh?"
"Yeah! That means you'll be my sister! Oh no, I should start practicing calling you Big Sis Yunyin, right? Big Sis~ Big Sis~"
Yunyin's eyes widened in confusion. "W-wait, no, that's not—"
Huaijin clasped her hands dramatically. "Oh, Big Sis Yunyin! Then you'll have to protect me from the meanies at school, right? And share your dolls? And give me piggyback rides? Wow, I'm so lucky!"
The servants standing nearby were biting their lips to keep from laughing.
"I—I didn't say that!" Yunyin stammered, her plan backfiring spectacularly. "You— you're weird!"
Huaijin grinned innocently. "Thank you!"
Yunyin stomped her foot again and stormed off, her little buns bobbing furiously as she disappeared through the doorway, muttering something about "annoying brats."
The moment she was gone, Huaijin finally let out a soft giggle.
'Ah, revenge really can be cute when you're only six.'
When Luo Ming returned a few minutes later, he paused at the doorway to find her humming happily, dipping her toes in the water like nothing had happened.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," he said gently.
"I am!" Huaijin chirped. "I made a new friend!"
The butler raised a brow, looking toward the door where Yunyin had vanished. "Friend, you say?"
Huaijin nodded solemnly. "Mm-hmm. A very interesting friend!"
Luo Ming smiled faintly, bowing his head. "Then I hope you two get along."
"Oh, we will," Huaijin said sweetly, a mischievous sparkle glinting in her eyes. "We'll get along perfectly."
*
*
*
The laughter and chatter of servants echoed faintly through the corridors of the Chi Manor. The grand chandeliers had already been lit in preparation for the family dinner, their light falling like molten gold across the marbled floor. The manor was as grand as she remembered, no, even more splendid. Every corner gleamed with wealth, history, and arrogance.
Chi Huaijin sat quietly in the playroom, her tiny legs swinging rhythmically from the edge of a velvet-covered bench. After Chi Yunyin was gone, she relaxed once again, looking perfectly content, as if admiring the garden through the window, but her thoughts were miles away.
Her small fingers curled around the hem of her dress, her gaze calm yet far too composed for a six-year-old.
She could faintly hear her father's voice somewhere down the hall. He had been summoned by Grandfather Chi to the study, a place she knew too well from her previous life. The air in there would be heavy, every word weighted with scorn and expectations. Her heart clenched when she thought of her father's polite but strained smile. He always lowered his head in front of his father, even though he deserved better.
"Dad…" she murmured softly, her lips trembling as she spoke to no one in particular.
She wished she could barge in, take his hand, and say, 'Don't listen to him! You're already enough!'
But for now, she stayed seated, quietly waiting like a good little girl.
The butler, Lou Ming, had been assigned to keep an eye on her earlier. He was younger than she remembered him in her previous life. His smile was genuine, his presence gentle. He had just left after being called away by another servant, leaving her alone.
Everything was quiet.
And then—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of small, polished shoes echoed from the doorway.
Huaijin turned her head slightly, her dark eyes narrowing instinctively.
Chi Yunyin.
Well, why of coursse she came back after being shamed by a little girl who came out of nowhere.