Yan Jiao's eyebrows arched as she heard Yan Ruoliu turn back and shout at Yan Ruxue, "Why did you hit me? And why give Shan Gu to you?"
"Because you're trash! What can you do that I can't? You dared to act rashly to snatch Shan Gu? After all these years, Yan Jiao has been under my control, and now you've turned everything upside down!" Yan Ruxue poked Yan Ruoliu's forehead unmercifully with her fingertips, leaving nail marks. "Are you satisfied now? You've ruined your reputation, and you've dragged me down with you!"
Their fierce and familiar demeanor made it impossible for anyone to believe they were sisters. They would have thought Yan Ruoliu was a servant being bullied.
Yan Ruoliu seemed unable to tolerate it any longer. She sat up from the bed, slapped Yan Ruxue's hand away, and glared at her with red eyes, "Heh! You had her under control? You're not tainted! All your life, you've only known how to put on a show. You know best whether you're a human or a ghost behind closed doors!"
"Li'er!" Chen Wenyu, who had been sitting silently aside, couldn't help but interject.
Unexpectedly, Yan Ruoliu, fueled by her mother's favoritism, became even more agitated and ranted, "Why can't I say it? You and Father are the same, always prioritizing Sister! Yan Jiao's Shan Gu for Sister, Ling Yu for Sister, even the Ling Li Qiu, the big one for Sister, and I occasionally get a small one! If you weren't so biased, would I have rashly tried to snatch Shan Gu? Am I not your daughter!"
"Shut up!" Seeing Yan Ruoliu lose control and blurt out everything, Chen Wenyu subconsciously scanned her surroundings and said sternly, "If you had half of your sister's composure and sensibility, we wouldn't be so worried about you!"
"Composure and sensibility?" Yan Ruoliu seemed to find it amusing. "Then tell me, who was meeting men in secret tonight? She wants to be with some wild man and can't settle down, yet she blames me for it. I think she's good at framing others!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Yan Ruxue's sore spot had been touched, and she angrily lunged forward, intending to slap Yan Ruoliu again.
Fortunately, Chen Wenyu was quick and blocked her, trying to force Yan Ruxue away from the sickbed, "Xue'er, forget it. Li'er is still injured."
Yan Ruxue, however, did not stop, "That's the young master of the Sheng family from Jiangnan. If I can win him over, won't we all prosper? You short-sighted fool, you've ruined our years of hard work without realizing it. You took Shan Gu but didn't kill Yan Jiao. Now everyone knows, and do you think it will be easy to snatch Yan Jiao's Shan Gu again? Are you going to give it to Yan Jiao instead of relying on a big tree? I'm fixing the mess you made!"
As she spoke, Yan Ruxue haphazardly grabbed teacups from the table and hurled them at Yan Ruoliu, clearly in a fit of rage.
Chen Wenyu, with great effort, managed to push her away. Her usually neat hair was dishevelled. Seeing the two sisters glaring at each other like fighting cocks, she finally couldn't help but cry out, "Enough! My life is truly bitter. I've calculated every step to this day for you, and I've handled all sorts of dirty and difficult matters, yet you two are still fighting to the death. I truly don't know what to do!"
Chen Wenyu's cry seemed to have an effect. The two sisters stopped talking, but neither was willing to concede.
Seeing that they had stopped arguing, Chen Wenyu took Yan Ruxue's hand. "Xue'er, Mother knows you're anxious. Your father will be back tomorrow, and it's good that you want to secure the Sheng young master's heart, but you shouldn't have gone out so late! Even so, you should have informed me. Alas, look at the mess tonight..."
Yan Ruxue looked resentfully at Chen Wenyu. "These past few days, I naturally have to seize the opportunity. Nighttime is the most effective time to sway a man's heart. I must make Young Master Sheng decide to marry me. If you hadn't provoked Yan Jiao to come looking for me tonight, who would have found out?"
Chen Wenyu was stunned. She had been reluctant to speak harshly, but her daughter was now blaming her. Feeling annoyed, she let go of Yan Ruxue's hand. "Tong'er is lost!"
"What?"
"What?"
The two sisters exclaimed almost in unison. Yan Ruoliu almost jumped out of bed.
"Tong'er is lost!" Chen Wenyu sank onto a stool, her voice filled with despair, "If he's taken away or dies, how will you absorb Ling Li Qiu in the future? What will there be to divide into big and small? It's simply a fantasy."
"I still want to rely on Ling Li Qiu to recover quickly!" Yan Ruoliu was the most flustered. "Mother, hurry and find him!"
"Find him, why wouldn't we look!" Chen Wenyu became even more irritable. "Otherwise, why would we have ended up at Yan Jiao's place?"
"Didn't I send someone to watch Yan Jiao?" Yan Ruxue said immediately.
Chen Wenyu couldn't help but look at her reproachfully. "You still say that. When we arrived, the person you sent was lying in the mud. I don't understand how you found such a novice to keep watch."
"Can he be blamed for not watching? It's fine if you go search, but don't let her come to my courtyard!"
"Why are you blaming Mother? It's because you handled things poorly!"
For a time, the mother and daughters inside the room blamed each other, arguing incessantly.
Yan Jiao had no intention of listening further. She silently picked up the black puppy and walked out of the courtyard.
There was too much information tonight for Yan Jiao to process.
So, the Yan family's true heir was Yan Ruxue!
No matter how cruel or outrageous Yan Ruxue's actions were, Chen Wenyu couldn't bear to scold her too harshly, and instead tried her best to protect her, not to mention everything that had been planned for her since her birth.
Even Yan Ruoliu was merely a foil for Yan Ruxue, let alone Yan Jiao, who had always been treated as a tool. Yan Jiao's Shan Gu, her Ling Yu, and everything about her had long been earmarked by Yan Ruxue for her to seize since childhood!
And Tong'er, so young, had already become a tool for supplying Ling Li Qiu, enduring such excruciating pain since he was even younger.
How innocent!
How cruel!
Yan Jiao's emotions surged, and the hand holding the black puppy tightened involuntarily.
Dongfang Cangwu seemed to sense Yan Jiao's heavy heart. Despite the pain, he remained still and did not move restlessly.
Yan Jiao returned to her room and, after instructing Rong'er to rest, couldn't help but sit by the bed and gaze at Tong'er. She reached out and gently touched his tender little face, whispering with pity, "Such a pitiful child."
As Yan Jiao watched, she dozed off by the edge of the bed.
The black puppy's body trembled, and Dongfang Cangwu transformed. His clear eyes reflected the figures of the large and small beings. After a moment, he reached out and tapped Yan Jiao, moving her to the chaise lounge in the room.
The sleeping Yan Jiao appeared even smaller. After a moment of thought, Dongfang Cangwu personally fetched a blanket and covered Yan Jiao. His sleeve brushed against Yan Jiao's hand, only to be grasped by her in the next second.