Chapter 57: Chapter 57 Mockery"Yun Shifei probably won’t go, right?" Mu Jiayu suddenly brought her up.

    "We only have three tickets. My parents said not to tell her for now, to avoid her kicking up a fuss wanting to go." Yun Sisi said softly.

    "True enough. She’s got issues—always insists on grabbing things that aren’t hers. Plus, if she finds out my brother is going, she’ll probably want to go even more."

    The girl’s casual mocking left Yun Shifei feeling like an unwitting victim of collateral damage.

    But she didn’t care about the performance itself, nor did she care whether Mu Chengzhu would attend. What stirred something unpleasant inside her was hearing Yun Sisi say that Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng had told her not to let her know.

    No wonder Yun Sisi seemed like she was floating on air these past few days, radiating smugness every time she looked at her.

    At first, she thought it was because Yun Sisi had become friends with Cheng Lie—but now it seemed that wasn’t it.

    Yun Shifei couldn’t help but reflect on the events of her previous life.

    She vaguely remembered it happening before.

    Yun Sisi had received three tickets to the dance troupe performance because of her competition win.

    But back then, Yun Sisi had flaunted them right in her face, announcing she was going with Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng.

    She had been furious that they had excluded her and made a scene.

    That led Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng to feel she was overly immature. In the end, although they hadn’t gone to the performance as she had hoped, their affection for her had faded significantly over time as a result.

    Now, because she was reborn and had changed those events, even Yun Sisi’s behavior had shifted.

    She no longer boasted in the same overt way as before.

    But was this really under Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng’s instruction?

    Were they afraid she’d be angry if she found out?

    That didn’t seem likely—since her rebirth, she had become far less impulsive than she once was.

    So timid now, even if she was terribly bullied, she still tread cautiously.

    There was no way Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng would fear her anger.

    They were probably more worried that leaving her behind while they watched the performance would hurt her feelings, right?

    Yun Shifei didn’t say anything, just quietly walked past Yun Sisi.

    Not far away, Cheng Lie stood in a corner.

    He had overheard Yun Sisi and Mu Jiayu’s conversation.

    Watching Yun Shifei pause briefly in her step before leaving, he couldn’t tell what she might be feeling at that moment.

    Perhaps she was deeply hurt.

    She fought so hard to fit into that family, yet she wasn’t even given a ticket to the performance.

    At dinner that evening, Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya exchanged a glance before looking at Yun Shifei, who was silently focused on eating. Yun Tiancheng asked, "Shifei, are you still going to the Cheng Family for tutoring tomorrow?"

    Yun Shifei shook her head. "Didn’t Mom and Dad already agree? I’m not going to the Cheng Family for tutoring anymore."

    "Why?" Yun Sisi asked, puzzled.

    Since Yun Shifei had only spoken to Yun Tiancheng about it, Yun Sisi wasn’t aware of what had happened.

    "Your sister doesn’t get along well with Cheng Lie; they don’t click," Yun Tiancheng explained.

    Upon hearing this, Yun Sisi’s eyes lit up momentarily.

    Could it be that because Cheng Lie liked her more, even if he didn’t openly accept her, he was somehow rejecting Yun Shifei?

    If that’s true, that would be fantastic!

    Yun Sisi had been distressed before, thinking her charm had faded when Cheng Lie didn’t seem moved by her.

    She now felt that maybe Cheng Lie was just playing hard to get.

    On the surface, he acted dismissively, but maybe he was starting to like her after all.

    Hmm...

    Maybe she should seize the opportunity to bond more with Cheng Lie.

    If she could win over both Cheng Huai and Cheng Lie, and strengthen her ties with the Cheng Family, Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng would surely like her even more.

    In that moment, Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng exchanged yet another glance. Xu Ya said to Yun Shifei, "Shifei, your sister won first place in her recent competition, and the organizers awarded us three tickets to the dance troupe performance. We had already agreed to accompany Sisi to the event..."

    While she felt their decision was somewhat understandable—after all, they had made a promise to Yun Sisi—something about saying it aloud still unsettled her deep inside.

    Both hands are flesh after all...

    But Yun Tiancheng found it even harder to say, leaving the task to Xu Ya.

    Yun Sisi, meanwhile, gazed at Yun Shifei with a gloating expression.

    She eagerly anticipated Yun Shifei’s outburst. When that happened, she would step in to coax and mediate, further cementing her good standing in their parents’ eyes.

    Having such a foolish woman like Yun Shifei around as a foil felt like a gift.

    But contrary to her expectations, Yun Shifei once again displayed behavior no one anticipated.

    "It’s okay, you guys can go," Yun Shifei said lightly.

    Listening to Yun Shifei’s indifferent tone, the other three could hardly believe their ears.

    "Shifei, you... you’re not upset?" Yun Tiancheng asked. sea??h thё n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Why would I be upset? I can stay home and study instead."

    Looking at the obedient girl before him, Yun Tiancheng felt a pang of regret deep in his heart, a sense that he had failed her in countless invisible ways.

    He vowed to make it up to her tenfold in the future.

    Xu Ya, too, was filled with emotion, thinking Yun Shifei truly seemed to have grown up.

    Only Yun Sisi was left gritting her teeth in frustration.

    Why had Yun Shifei turned into this unflappable ghost of a person? She wasn’t even the least bit shocked.

    Yun Sisi had wanted to pierce Yun Shifei’s defenses.

    Instead, she found herself disgusted by the lack of response.

    Still, it wasn’t so bad—after all, Yun Shifei would be left home alone while she went off with Mom and Dad.

    Imagining that scene, Yun Sisi grew cheerful again.

    The performance was scheduled for the next evening.

    Just as she had announced the previous day, Yun Sisi dressed herself in a pink dress.

    She let Xu Ya tie her hair into two pigtails, adorned with two pink bows.

    She truly looked like a princess.

    "Mom, do I look pretty?" Yun Sisi asked, smiling sweetly as she gazed at Xu Ya, her eyes sparkling.

    Xu Ya’s face was as tender as could be.

    "Our Sisi is the most beautiful girl in the world."

    The most beautiful!

    Hearing the compliment, Yun Sisi felt so elated she could practically float.

    Just as Yun Shifei descended the stairs, Yun Sisi shot her a smug glance.

    Biological daughter or not, she couldn’t compare to someone who was adopted like her.

    Yun Shifei ignored Yun Sisi’s provocation.

    She headed downstairs, poured herself a glass of water, and returned to her room.

    Soon after, she heard the sound of a door closing and a car driving away.

    The house grew quiet, leaving only Yun Shifei and Aunt Zhong behind.

    Aunt Zhong was busy in the kitchen preparing food.

    Even though Yun Shifei couldn’t eat much on her own, Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng had instructed Aunt Zhong to prepare extra dishes, fearing she might feel sad while they were gone.

    "Aunt Zhong, let’s eat together," Yun Shifei invited.

    Aunt Zhong was surprised by Yun Shifei’s invitation, but being a servant, she felt it wasn’t her place to dine with her employer.

    "Miss, you go ahead and eat."

    "It’s so lonely eating by myself," Yun Shifei insisted.