"Because of Chacha, I'm very happy now," Xu Yanshu said, trying to sound relaxed. "Thank you."
Xu Chacha shook her head, "There's no need for thanks among family members. Although Chacha is a bit slow, she will try her best to be filial to her older sister!"
"As long as your sister is here, no one will ever let you suffer again." Xu Yanshu rested her chin on the top of Xu Chacha's head and solemnly said, "Sister promises."
"It's so nice to have an older sister."
Xu Chacha felt that the book portrayed Xu Yanshu as too bad, but in fact she never thought of taking anything from the original owner.
She had always lived cautiously, fearing abandonment and being unwanted. If the original owner of this body hadn't been so aggressive, perhaps the two of them wouldn't have ended up becoming enemies.
For example, right now, she's just a thirteen-year-old child who has only been in the Xu family for half a year. She even has to hold her breath to the minimum before daring to exhale.
Xu Chacha thought of her former self. When she first arrived at her aunt's house, she was about the same age as Xu Yanshu. The happiest thing for her every day was going to school, and the thing she least wanted to do was go back to that oppressive home.
But she didn't want Xu Yanshu to become like that.
...
To thank Wen Mubai and to introduce Xu Chacha to people in the industry, Xu's parents quickly organized a small party, inviting only prominent figures, at the Xu family villa.
This villa is usually vacant, and people only come and go occasionally for large family gatherings or events like this.
Xu's mother took leave to dress up Xu Chacha. Unlike Xu's father's embarrassingly poor taste, the clothes she made for Xu Chacha were all suitable for her age and not too outrageous.
The dress is a tender green, which complements the skin tone perfectly. The length of the dress is just above the calves, revealing half of the slender, lotus-root-like legs. The round-toed leather shoes, polished to a shine, add a touch of playfulness to the formality, and they won't hurt your feet even after wearing them for a long time.
"Our baby is so beautiful." Xu's mother rubbed Xu Chacha's face and affectionately nuzzled her nose.
Xu Chacha's cheeks were pinched so hard that her chubby cheeks bulged together, and her pink lips were forced to pout. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, feeling like a fish that couldn't blow bubbles.
"Sister...Sister is also very beautiful." Under her mother's "clutches," she struggled to pronounce the words.
Please, please go and rub her face.
"Your older sister is very pretty, and you are very pretty. Mommy likes both of you."
"Madam," Butler Zhang knocked on the door, "the Wen family has arrived."
"Okay, I'll be right down." Xu's mother turned around and took Xu Chacha's hand and Xu Yanshu's hand together. "Follow your sister and don't run around."
Xu Chacha nodded, but her attention drifted to the small garden outside the window.
The wall here isn't high, and a calico cat is putting its paws on it, wiggling its rear end, trying to jump in.
Xu's mother told Xu Yanshu about the approximate time to bring Xu Chacha down, patted Xu Chacha's head, and followed Butler Zhang downstairs.
No sooner had she left than Xu Chacha began urging Xu Yanshu, "Sister, come play with me for a while."
She pointed to the garden.
Xu Yanshu looked out the window. "It's too sunny outside."
Xu Chacha pouted, "I'm not afraid of the heat, but I'm afraid of being bored. I want to go play with the cats."
In the garden, the calico cat had already jumped in and was swatting mosquitoes while shaking its head in the beautiful flower field.
"How about I take you after this is over?" Xu Yanshu still couldn't disobey her mother's instructions.
"Just for a little while." Xu Chacha tugged at her arm and shook it, smiling sweetly. "Sister, if you come with me, you won't be afraid I'll get lost. That way, it won't be considered disobeying Mom, right?"
This little mouth of hers can really fool people. Xu Yanshu pursed her lips and struggled for a moment, but still lost to Xu Chacha's coquettish offensive.
"Okay, but you can't play for too long, we have to meet the guests soon."
"Mmm! I'm super good!"
Xu Yanshu had been to this villa once before, but she wasn't familiar with the area, so the two of them circled around several times before finally finding the entrance to the back garden.
"Meow~ Meow meow~" Xu Chacha crouched down, clapping her hands and meowing like a cat in an attempt to get the cat's attention.
She was short, but she walked fast. Xu Yanshu was half a step slower than her even while holding a parasol to catch up.
"Ah! Kitty!"
Xu Chacha's voice rang out from around the corner, and Xu Yanshu quickly chased after her, "Chacha, slow down, don't fall."
Xu Chacha caught the stray cat. Although it roamed outside all day, its fur looked quite clean, so it probably groomed itself often.
She's a clean little calico.
Xu Chacha carefully lifted her skirt before squatting down in front of it. The cat wasn't afraid of people, and when it saw the foxtail grass in her hand, it shamelessly came over to reach for Xu Chacha's hand.
Xu Yanshu finally caught up with this troublemaker and raised her arm to hold the umbrella for her.
"Sister, do you want to pet it too? It's so cute." Xu Chacha, a cat-loving expert, skillfully picked up the little calico cat and handed it to Xu Yanshu.
"Cha Cha." Xu Yanshu called out, trying to remind Xu Cha Cha that someone was behind her, but she was a step too late.
As Xu Chacha stepped back, she accidentally stepped on the person's shoe. She turned around to apologize, but her shoulder was pushed hard. She lost her balance and fell to the ground with a thud. The cat in her arms was also startled and jumped out.
"Get away, don't let that filth come near me." Wen Shiyu patted off non-existent dust from her body, her tone very unfriendly.
Xu Yanshu quickly helped Xu Chacha up, and for the first time, she didn't suppress her temper in front of her, "Wen Shiyu, why did you push her?"
"What's wrong with pushing her? Anyway, no matter how much you try to please her, you won't inherit the Xu family's wealth in the end. Why are you taking care of her like a servant?" Wen Shiyu didn't think there was anything wrong with her behavior at all.
Xu Yanshu did not immediately refute; her first reaction was to look down at Xu Chacha's expression.
Seven years old is an age when one should be sensible and should be able to understand the meaning behind Wen Shiyu's words, if she really misunderstood her motives...
Xu Chacha understood perfectly. She understood perfectly that the arrogant little boy in front of her was a stumbling block on her path to a closer relationship with Xu Yanshu.
The little boy bit his lower lip, his eyes a little red. He was so angry at Wen Shiyu's words that his cheeks puffed up, like a round, spiky pufferfish.
"You're not allowed to say anything bad about my sister! You big bad guy!"
You can tell that Xu Chacha was scolding very forcefully, but when paired with that soft, childlike voice, all her momentum vanished.
It's like tickling someone's heart.
Chapter 14
Wen Shiyu chuckled, not expecting that Xu Chacha, who had been wronged, would turn around and speak up for Xu Yanshu.
Finding the little one quite amusing, she walked over and pinched Xu Chacha's cheek. "So this is your little sister."
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" Xu Chacha turned her head and struggled.
Xu's mother also liked to pinch her cheeks like that, but Wen Shiyu was different; she was a stumbling block!
"Don't touch her." Xu Yanshu slapped Wen Shiyu's hand away. "Apologize to her."
"Apologize?" Wen Shiyu found the word too novel. "I haven't even pursued the matter of her getting my clothes dirty, and she's asking me to apologize instead. Xu Yanshu, have you gone mad from being someone's adopted daughter?"
Xu Yanshu often heard this level of sarcasm from Wen Shiyu. Perhaps the other party felt that it was just stating the facts, and although it was a bit harsh, it was still "honest advice that is hard to swallow," so she could tolerate it.
But this time, Wen Shiyu wasn't just talking about her; it was Xu Chacha who was being bullied.
Xu Yanshu felt that she might have to disobey her mother for the second time today; she couldn't get along well with Wen Shiyu.
Xu Yanshu clenched her fists at her sides; for the first time, she was so impulsive that she wanted to solve the problem with force.
At the critical moment, Xu Chacha's angry, childlike voice rang out again.
"What are you saying, you big bad guy!" Xu Chacha felt she wasn't satisfied after saying that, so she jumped up and kicked Wen Shiyu in the knee.
Wen Shiyu hadn't taken Xu Chacha seriously, and was caught off guard by her kick.
I didn't expect that she, who looks so small, could kick so hard.
"Ouch—you're crazy!" Wen Shiyu bent over, rubbing her leg, and glared at Xu Chacha. "Do you know who I am?! You just kicked me like that."
Xu Chacha certainly knew who she was. She was the illegitimate daughter of the Wen family in the book. She entered the entertainment industry as a child star at the age of ten through an advertising audition. After growing up, she transformed into a singer. At her concerts, she sang seven out of ten songs off-key, yet she was still marketed as a talented singer.
However, no matter how old she gets, she can never change her bad temper.
"I know you're a bad person, that's enough!" Xu Chacha hid behind Xu Yanshu, not afraid of her at all.
"Who are you talking about? You're such a country bumpkin, raised in the countryside for four years. You have no manners at all." Wen Shiyu pretended to push Xu Chacha again, but Xu Yanshu protected her with one hand.
"Take back what you just said." Xu Yanshu grabbed her wrist, her tone angry. "You're not allowed to bully my sister."
"Ouch! That hurts!" Wen Shiyu had been pampered since childhood, and she would complain for a long time even if she was scratched by paper. Xu Yanshu grabbed her with such force that she felt like her wrist was about to break. "Are you sick too? Are you teaming up with her to target me? Are you still my deskmate?"
"Do you know what day it is today?" Xu Yanshu ignored her words. "It's the day the Xu family celebrates the return of my sister. You can keep making a scene, and it would be best if Uncle Wen came to see your pathetic and ugly state."
"What are you saying..." Wen Shiyu had never heard Xu Yanshu speak to her in such a tone before.
In her eyes, Xu Yanshu was just a little follower who could be ordered around at will, a trash can for venting her frustrations by copying homework. She never thought that such a docile person would rebel against her.
"I'll only say this once, so listen carefully." Xu Yanshu looked at her and said, word by word, "Apologize to her right now, or I'll tell Uncle Wen everything that just happened, along with everything you've done and said before. Do you want to guess how he'll view you after he finds out how you spoke ill of his eldest daughter behind her back?"
Xu Chacha's eyes were practically sparkling; it felt so good to have someone protecting her! She knew she hadn't mistaken her for her sister.
Wen Shiyu, who fears nothing, is only afraid of her father, and her attitude softens instantly.
"I apologize...Isn't an apology enough? Just don't tell my dad."
Xu Yanshu pulled Xu Chacha in front of her, "We can begin."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you, and I shouldn't have called you a country bumpkin." Wen Shiyu lowered her head in frustration.
"Anything else?" Xu Chacha pressed.
"Anything else? What else?"
“You said something bad about my sister, so you have to apologize to her.” Xu Chacha clenched her little fists and leaned close to her. “You’re really annoying, you know that?”
"You—" Wen Shiyu was about to explode, but Xu Yanshu stopped her with a look. "Fine, I'm sorry."
"Mmm." Xu Chacha crossed her arms over her chest, looking like a little adult. "Remember, don't just apologize verbally; you also need to reflect on your actions when you get back."
Wen Shiyu held back her profanity, not wanting to be humiliated by the two sisters any longer, and turned away in anger.
Xu Chacha ignored her and ran over to the calico cat, covering its ears with her hands. "Didn't you hear me? You're not dirty, you're a cutie. You deserve an apology too."
"Meow meow meow?" the tabby cat asked, puzzled.
...
With little time left before the deadline set by Xu's mother, Xu Yanshu led Xu Chacha back quickly to the room they had just been in.
Fortunately, the garden is maintained every day, so the patch of lawn where Xu Chacha fell was relatively clean, and her skirt wasn't dirty. However, she did get a cut on her knee from a pebble.