Chapter 229: Of Course Not
"Yun Zijin! Do you even see me as your brother?!"
Xia Zhiyun was furious with Yun Zijin. ’How could Mom and Dad have a child so completely ungovernable? If she were half as sensible as Jiao Jiao, they wouldn’t be in this situation.’
"Of course not."
On this, Yun Zijin had a very clear understanding.
Xia Zhiyun was left speechless by her words. But then again, considering her recent attitude toward them, it was exactly what he expected her to say.
PFFT!
At Yun Zijin’s words, someone nearby couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
However, perhaps realizing it wasn’t the right time or place, the person quickly clapped a hand over their mouth, stifling any further sound.
"What on earth will it take for you to come home with me? You have the Xia Family’s blood in your veins! You’ve been officially recognized, so what does it look like for you to never come home?!
Do you have any idea what people are saying about you out there?!"
Xia Zhiyun was trying to threaten her with her own reputation.
"Of course I do. I’m the pitiful wretch whose own parents and brother only dote on the fake heiress, right?"
"So you know that, and you still won’t come home?"
"But I don’t see myself as pitiful. Your Xia Family is about to go bankrupt, and I have no intention of going back just to get saddled with all your debt.
No way... don’t tell me? You aren’t actually planning to do that, are you?"
Yun Zijin’s face was a mask of exaggerated shock, her performance comically transparent.
But Xia Zhiyun fell strangely silent.
’He had indeed thought about it. In his mind, since Yun Zijin was so rich, it was only natural for her, as a member of the Xia Family, to help cover the family’s deficits.’
It was only at this moment that Yun Zijin truly understood the depths of the Xia Family’s shamelessness.
’If I hadn’t bonded with the System, if I were still just a poor student making ends meet with part-time jobs, a scheme like this would have ruined my entire life.’
’Some biological brother and parents they turned out to be.’
"Zero One, throw them all out! And from now on, no one from the Xia Family is allowed in the Wuyou Milk Tea Shop. Anyone they bring with them gets stopped at the door, too!"
’I really didn’t think Xia Zhiyun would stoop to this. It’s just as bad as forcing me into an arranged marriage.’
At Yun Zijin’s command, Zero One and his team acted. They each grabbed one of the intruders and unceremoniously tossed them out of the Wuyou Milk Tea Shop.
Just then, Yun Zijin’s phone began to chime. DING! DING! DING!
It was from the five-person group she had just messaged; everyone was starting to pop up.
『Dijing’s #1 Handsome: Zijing, whatever you need, just say the word.』
『Sheng: I’d be happy to collaborate with Miss Yun.』
『Mr. Fu: Alright, alright, what’s the plan? What are we stirring up?』
Lu Yunque had also sent her a private message.
『L: Did the Xia Family do something?』
’Out of the four of them, I have to admit Lu Yunque understands me best.’
『Qingqing Zijing: The Xia family business is failing. Xia Zhengguang and his son want to use an arranged marriage to solve the crisis, and the candidate... is unfortunately me.』
The "unfortunate" was twofold: it was unfortunate for Yun Zijin to be disgustingly singled out by the Xia father and son, and it was unfortunate for the Xia father and son to have chosen her. By provoking her, they had picked a fight they couldn’t win.
『Dijing’s #1 Handsome: Whoa~ Gotta say, the Xia Family sure has guts!』
I mean, who didn’t know that Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque have been getting close lately?
Considering Lu Yunque’s reputation for keeping women at a distance, the very fact that there were rumors of him getting close to a girl spoke volumes.
『Mr. Fu: They really do have guts!』
『Sheng: What do you want to do?』
Sheng Hao was clearly the most direct of the bunch.
Although Yun Zijin and Sheng Tian were on bad terms, it didn’t stop Sheng Hao from being friendly with her.
『Qingqing Zijing: To make sure they don’t get the chance to arrange a marriage, of course.』
『L: I’ll help you.』
When Lu Yunque saw the message Yun Zijin sent in the group chat, his expression instantly turned icy. Mo Bin, who was in the middle of giving a report, suddenly felt the temperature in the room drop.
He looked up, saw Lu Yunque’s expression, and knew things had gone south.
’Who was it?! Who ruined the president’s mood in the middle of my report? If my report gets shot down, they’re the one to blame!’
"Pre... President?"
Mo Bin called out weakly to Lu Yunque.
"That’s enough. Proceed with the arrangements as you’ve outlined. You may leave."
Now that he knew what the Xia Family was planning, Lu Yunque wanted to ditch work and go find Yun Zijin.
’I don’t know how Zijin is feeling right now, but this is something that infuriates even me, an outsider. I doubt she feels nothing at all. The Xia Family was her biological family, after all. To think they would stoop to this.’
Heaven’s calamities can be dodged, but one can never escape the consequences of their own actions!
＊
「Wangyou Milk Tea Shop.」
Having heard the entire exchange between Yun Zijin and Xia Zhiyun, Qin Sitong couldn’t help but feel her heart ache for her friend.
’I knew the biological family she found wasn’t good to her, but I had no idea they were this shameless. And he was her own brother! But from the way he spoke in the shop, you’d never know he considered her a sister at all. It’s no wonder Zijin doesn’t want to go back. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t want to go back to such a dreadful family either.’
Besides, Qin Sitong hadn’t liked Xia Jiajiao when she’d met her at Huan Yan Fang.
’What a bunch of freaks. Yun Zijin must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to end up with them as relatives.’
Her heart aching for Yun Zijin, Qin Sitong finished the order she was working on and came out from behind the counter.
"If you’re feeling down, you can talk to me. I promise I’m a good listener."
Seeing Qin Sitong’s worried expression, Yun Zijin chuckled. "What are you worried about? That I’d be sad? You’re really overthinking it. I don’t have any feelings for them to speak of."
’To be honest, since the family acknowledged me in July, we’ve barely even met a handful of times. The Xia Family doesn’t like me, and I don’t like them. It would be best if we just left each other alone. Unfortunately, some people just can’t keep to themselves.’
"I’m glad you’re not sad. But if you start dwelling on things, you have to talk to me!"
Qin Sitong was genuinely afraid that Yun Zijin would dwell on the Xia Family’s actions, become depressed, and end up with psychological issues.
"Don’t worry, I’m fine."
Qin Sitong had meant to comfort Yun Zijin, but somehow it had turned into Yun Zijin comforting her instead.
A little embarrassed, Qin Sitong hurried back behind the counter. Just then, a new order for a Wangyou Milk Tea came in, and she threw herself into her work.
At this moment, Yun Zijin’s phone rang.
The caller ID was Lu Yunque.
Yun Zijin raised an eyebrow. ’Shouldn’t he be busy right now?’
"I’m outside the milk tea shop."
Before Yun Zijin could say anything, Lu Yunque’s voice came through the receiver.
Yun Zijin was surprised. ’Did the great president just ditch work?’
Yun Zijin said a quick word to Qin Sitong, grabbed her half-finished Wangyou Milk Tea, and went outside.
As soon as she stepped out of the shop, she saw that familiar car.