The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

Yao Yingxi stayed in the hospital for three days before being discharged.

She spent several days in the hospital, and didn't even touch the materials that Xi Yuanchen had asked her to review within a week.

Back in her apartment, Yao Yingxi continued reviewing the documents.

She didn't know if Xi Yuanchen showing her Hengyuan's information was already helping her, but she knew the simple principle of knowing yourself and your enemy.

After a whole day of looking, Yao Yingxi had only read one-tenth of the material. In the middle, she encountered many things that she didn't quite understand and had to keep looking them up online.

Her phone is a smartphone from two or three years ago. Besides making calls and browsing the internet for news, it has virtually no other functions.

There is a computer in Xi Yuanchen's study, but she is not allowed to touch it.

The next day, Yao Yingxi used her meager savings to buy a laptop.

As she looked at the materials, a thought became clearer and clearer in her mind: she wanted to go back to school.

With that in mind, Yao Yingxi did just that. She started searching for schools online and looking up related information.

When Xi Yuanchen arrived, Yao Yingxi was on the phone consulting. Hearing the door open, she turned her head and her eyes met Xi Yuanchen's.

The two hadn't seen each other for a week. On the other end of the phone, the teacher from the institution was still saying something when Yao Yingxi said "sorry" and hung up.

Xi Yuanchen walked over from the entryway, glanced at the notebooks and computer screen spread out on the coffee table, and asked, "You want to study?"

His voice was no different than usual, nor was his expression, as if nothing unpleasant had ever happened between them.

Yao Yingxi stood up, her expression and tone unchanged, and answered him as before: "Yes, I want to sign up for a class."

Xi Yuanchen didn't say anything, making the already awkward atmosphere between the two even more awkward.

Yao Yingxi clenched her fingers: "Then I'll go cook."

After saying that, he went into the kitchen.

Xi Yuanchen watched her retreating figure and said in a deep voice, "No need, I'll just grab something and leave."

Yao Yingxi turned around, and Xi Yuanchen had already gone to the study.

About two or three minutes later, Xi Yuanchen came out of the study and left.

Yao Yingxi stayed in the kitchen until the door closed, then she came out.

The events of that night left a very bad impression on Yao Yingxi, to the point that she subconsciously wants to hide and escape whenever she sees Xi Yuanchen.

She wanted to smile at him, to be completely open with him, or to fawn over him and try to please him, but she couldn't.

Yao Yingxi sat on the sofa and closed her eyes. Suddenly, her phone rang.

As soon as the call connected, Liang Yu's voice came through: "Yingxi, are you busy? Why don't you try to persuade Yueyue?"

"What's wrong with Yueyue?" Yao Yingxi turned off the computer, got up and went to the entrance to change her shoes: "I'll be right there."

Half an hour later, Yao Yingxi arrived at Liang Yu and Yao Yingyue's home.

As soon as she entered the house, she asked, "Where's Yueyue?"

"In the bedroom."

Yao Yingxi walked quickly to the bedroom door, raised her hand and knocked: "Yueyue? Your sister is here, open the door."

"How long has she locked herself in there?" Yao Yingxi turned her head to look at Liang Yu.

“It’s been several hours.” Liang Yu’s face also showed obvious anxiety. “I’ve been trying to persuade her for hours, but she just won’t open the door.”

"Yueyue?" Yao Yingxi raised her hand and patted the door, then tried to turn the doorknob, but the locked door wouldn't budge. "Yao Yingyue, open the door!"

Yao Yingxi said in a low voice, "If you don't open the door, I'll kick it down, you believe me?"

As soon as Yao Yingxi finished speaking, the sound of something breaking came from the room, followed by Yao Yingyue's voice: "Leave me alone! Can't you just leave me alone?"

"I beg you!"

Neither of them expected Yao Yingyue to be so emotional. From a young age, Yao Yingyue had always been the typical obedient girl—quiet, sensible, and a little introverted, but she never lost her temper with anyone.

Yao Yingxi and Liang Yu exchanged a glance and did not ask Yao Yingyue to open the door.

The two went out onto the balcony, and Yao Yingxi looked at Liang Yu: "What exactly happened? Everything was fine before."

"It's my fault." Liang Yu glanced at the bedroom door, a look of guilt and self-reproach on his face: "I've been busy with work lately, so I haven't paid much attention to Yueyue's feelings."

"Although the matter of the previous post has subsided and many people have stopped talking about it, a few of Yueyue's classmates at school have targeted her and said a lot of nasty things to her face."

“She has been in a bad mood lately. When I asked her, she only said that she was a little tired. I only found out when I picked her up from school today that she had been suffering from verbal abuse.”

"How long?"

"what?"

"Yueyue's mood is off."

"It's been more than ten days."

Yao Yingxi looked at Liang Yu, suppressing the urge to slap him, turned around and walked to the bedroom door, composed herself and spoke again: "Yueyue, open the door, let's talk."

"Yueyue?" Yao Yingyue raised her hand to knock on the door again, but the bedroom door was opened.

Yao Yingyue stood in front of Yao Yingxi with tears streaming down her face. When she saw her, tears fell in large drops again.

"Don't cry." Yao Yingxi walked over, hugged her tightly, and wiped away her tears. "You've cried for so long, you've used up all your tears. What will you do if you can't cry anymore?"

"Didn't your sister tell you..." Yao Yingxi looked down at her: "A girl's tears should be worthwhile."

"Sister..." Yao Yingyue hugged Yao Yingxi and burst into tears, "What should I do? How can I face people in the future? The things they said were so awful, so vicious..."

"Sis... I feel like I can't take it anymore..."

Yao Yingyue spoke haltingly through tears, hugging her and only able to pat her back.

Yao Yingyue cried for a long time until she was exhausted and finally fell into a deep sleep.

Yao Yingxi stood up, took the quilt and covered Yao Yingyue with it, then quietly left the bedroom.

Liang Yu had been sitting in the living room the whole time. When Yao Yingxi went out, she smelled a strong smell of smoke.

The ashtray on the coffee table was already full of cigarette butts.

"How is Yueyue?" Liang Yu turned around immediately upon hearing the voice.

Yao Yingxi watched him walk over, noticing the cigarette between his fingers: "Asleep? When...did you start smoking?"

Remembering that Yao Yingxi didn't like him smoking, Liang Yu subconsciously put out his cigarette, giving an awkward smile: "It's been a while, Yingxi..."

Yao Yingxi's phone rang, interrupting Liang Yu's unfinished sentence. Yao Yingxi took out her phone and glanced at it; it was Xi Yuanchen's number. She looked at Liang Yu, walked to the balcony, and answered the call.

Xi Yuanchen's cold voice came from the other end of the phone: "Where are you?"