Chapter 3: If You’re Unwilling, Then Why Not Leave?

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Ye Ruyue nervously listened for a long time at the door but heard nothing. Just as she was about to open it and take a look, Ye Siran pushed her inside. She had calculated everything but never expected Ye Siran to be outside—and to push her into the room like that.

Was that fool aware of something?

That shouldn’t be possible!

She had been especially timid since childhood, scolded by her biological mother more than ten times a day for being clumsy—no wonder she seemed foolish!

Strangely, that unfortunate fool was born into a woman who couldn’t survive without a man. She was originally the granddaughter of the prestigious Ye family in the capital, and her biological father was a martyr who had saved Uncle He.

But her selfish mother clung to her for the sake of the alimony constantly demanded from the Ye family.

That woman couldn’t live without a man; less than a year after her husband died, she remarried Ye Ruyue’s divorced father, bringing along her five-year-old daughter.

Though her father was a rural man, he had earned admission to the capital’s university through his own merit.

Her biological mother was a rich heiress, but when her maternal family sensed trouble, they urged her mother to divorce and emigrate abroad.

Ye Ruyue was only six then, expecting hardship with a stepmother and had prepared to return to live with her grandparents in the countryside.

Unexpectedly, the useless stepmother, eager to win her father’s favor, treated Ye Ruyue even better than her own daughter.

And it wasn’t just empty flattery—it was genuine kindness.

When one person prospers, another must suffer—and that unfortunate one was Ye Siran.

Three years later, their little brother was born, and all the diaper-changing fell on Ye Siran.

At first, Ye Ruyue didn’t dare to shirk her duties and feigned some effort, especially since the useless stepmother and Ye Siran said nothing.

But gradually, she became bolder, eventually dumping all the cooking and laundry onto eight-year-old Ye Siran.

If it weren’t for her father scolding her when he saw it, she wouldn’t even bother pretending.

Ye Siran worked tirelessly every day on household chores, with no time to dress up, making the contrast between her and the meticulously groomed Ye Ruyue stark.

So Ye Ruyue conceived the idea of stealing Ye Siran’s fiancé. The second young master of the He family had been outstanding since childhood and was known as a gentle and refined gentleman.

He would not easily reject her enthusiasm but had no intention of breaking off his engagement.

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It took her a long time before Brother Hongwen openly muttered about wanting to call off the engagement, and she owed this to her biased stepmother.

The stepmother constantly belittled Ye Siran in front of Brother Hongwen and gave her all the delicious food and beautiful clothes.

She was raised to be pure and adorable, loved by everyone, but Uncle He and Aunt He had never liked her.

Uncle He refused to change his daughter-in-law out of gratitude for the life-saving favor, while Aunt He valued the Ye family’s status.

But fate had its way. Five years ago, the Ye family suddenly fell from grace and was sent to a farm in the far northwest.

Although Aunt He’s attitude toward her softened somewhat, she still refused to let her son call off the engagement, hoping the Ye family would recover.

Uncle He even gave Ye Siran a university placement to prevent her from suffering in the countryside.

Since Uncle He did not agree to Brother Hongwen marrying someone else, once she and Brother Hongwen were physically involved, what could he do?

At that moment of weighing her options, Ye Ruyue was suddenly pinned to the ground by a crazed He Hongwen.

“Ouch!” A sharp pain made Ye Ruyue cry out sharply. “Brother Hongwen, stop! Someone’s coming soon!”

“Isn’t it just as well? The door isn’t locked. If you didn’t want this, why didn’t you leave earlier?”

“...Can you please be a little gentler...”

“No, I’m in pain... Be good, don’t make trouble.” He Hongwen had wanted to curse but ended up soothing her while roughing her up.

Seeing the usually refined He Hongwen show no mercy, Ye Ruyue could only whimper.

Especially with the thought that Ye Weiguo had already called someone and they would arrive soon, she dreaded anyone discovering that the medicine on Hongwen was from her—then she would be in deep trouble.

Fear mounting, Ye Ruyue cried louder.

Meanwhile, He Hongwen had lost all reason, ignoring her pain and worries.

Soon, He Hongwen growled lowly and was about to get up when someone pushed open the door.

“Oh my goodness! Come quick and see! The second son of the He family and the eldest daughter of the Ye family are on the floor together!”

“My heavens! Are young people nowadays so impatient?” an aunt patted her thigh and exclaimed.

“Heavens! Truly, the world is going downhill!”

“What are you saying? The second son of the He family rolling around with the eldest daughter of the Ye family? Isn’t he engaged to the second daughter of the Ye family?”

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“You’re so behind the times! Haven’t you heard him yelling all day about wanting to marry the eldest daughter of the Ye family?”

“Oh my, the second son of the He family and the eldest daughter of the Ye family’s dream has come true. Go get Sister-in-law He.”

Hearing someone say his dream had come true, He Hongwen shouted angrily, “Get out, go away! Who let you in?”

“We were called by Weiguo, who said his eldest sister asked us to come catch the mouse.”

“Could it be that the eldest daughter of the Ye family deliberately called us as witnesses?” an aunt said, covering her mouth.

Ye Ruyue’s parents came home from work and saw Ye Siran carrying a bowl of fragrant spicy scrambled eggs from the kitchen.

Yet their daughter’s room was crowded with people. Ye’s father frowned and asked, “Ranan, what is your sister doing in her room?”

“Dad, Mom, I’ve been cleaning and cooking all day, I don’t know what my sister is up to,” Ye Siran said softly, head down.

“You useless girl! So many people came and you didn’t even notice? If anything happened to your sister, I’ll beat you to death...” Ye’s mother was about to scold sharply.

Ye’s father interrupted, “Wife, why are you scolding Ranan? Let’s go see.”

He spoke as he pulled his wife toward their daughter’s door, then turned back and gently reminded Ye Siran, “Ranan, set the table for dinner first.”

“All right,” Ye Siran replied indifferently, watching her stepfather and biological mother’s backs as she spat out a word.

She thought to herself, it wasn’t her fault that in her past life she had blindly fawned over them like a sycophant. With such a venomous biological mother, the stepfather and stepsister seemed much kinder.

She had just eaten three fried eggs and a bowl of rice soup. Usually, she only dared to quietly eat her own portion, feeling guilty for even one extra bite.

Every time after cooking, by the time she sat down to eat, only leftovers remained on the table. Her biological mother said nothing, and her stepfather and stepsister pretended not to see.

After many times like this, she started eating her share of meat dishes secretly before they were even served.

She felt she had not lost out, while her stepfather and stepsister thought she was foolish, so the family lived together in uneasy harmony.

From today on, she resolved to break this superficial peace.

Not far away, her biological mother’s angry voice interrupted Ye Siran’s thoughts.

“Hongwen? You’ve tainted Yueyue. Hurry up and put on your clothes, then go tell your parents to come discuss your marriage with Yueyue.”