"Yes, harmony in the family leads to prosperity, but you're not our family either," Cheng Lizhu said.
"Not family?" Ye Zisu chuckled bitterly, slumping to the ground, despairingly scanning her surroundings.
She had lived in this house for 17 years, only to be told she wasn't family in the end!
Then why had they made the mistake of switching her at birth?
And if they had made a mistake, why couldn't they have just let it continue?!
Yu He, it's all Yu He's fault!
If Yu He hadn't returned back then, all of this would still be hers!
Ye Zisu's eyes turned scarlet, filled with hatred as she glared at Yu He. Her gaze flickered to the fruit knife on the coffee table, and a murderous intent instantly formed in her mind.
"Grandma Yu, please, would you mind taking your granddaughter away?" Ye Qichen said to Old Mrs. Yu.
"Alright. Thank you for taking care of her all these years, and please, treat Nannan well," Old Mrs. Yu stood up and went to help Ye Zisu, "Let's go, child."
"Get lost! I'd rather die than go back with you!"
Ye Zisu shoved Old Mrs. Yu away violently, grabbed the fruit knife from the coffee table, and lunged at Yu He.
Everyone: "!!!"
They were all stunned by her sudden outburst. Even the little pet pig, which had been sleeping on Yu He's lap, sensed the murderous intent, woke up, bared its teeth, and snarled at Ye Zisu.
At the critical moment, a "bang—" of a gunshot echoed.
Yu He sat on the sofa, unharmed and unruffled, finishing her tea.
Ye Zisu stumbled and fell before her, the fruit knife clattering to the floor at Yu He's feet.
Ye Zisu felt a searing pain in her back leg. She tried to get up but found her leg too painful to move.
She looked back to see a blinding pool of blood on her back leg, soaking a large portion of her skirt. "Ah—"
Yu He calmly set down her teacup and soothed the agitated little pet pig, "Tiramisu, don't be afraid, your daddy is here to pick you up."
As she spoke, she looked up to see two tall figures standing at the living room entrance.
The man at the forefront, exuding a formidable aura, was Qin Beiting, and beside him, cleaning a gun, was Lu Yiming.
A gun!
Ye Qichen's heart leaped. Guns were forbidden in the country!
Yet, they dared to display it so openly!
No, how could the head of the Qin family, the seventh young master Qin, and the eldest young master of the Lu family appear here?!
"Sorry, forgot to attach the silencer," Lu Yiming said apologetically as he noticed everyone staring at him.
However, there was no sincerity in his tone.
Yu He: "..."
Ye Qichen: "..."
Hearing Lu Yiming's voice, Ye Zisu turned and saw Qin Beiting. She seemed to have found a savior, her eyes lighting up.
Ignoring the wound on her leg, she eagerly crawled towards him.
Old Mrs. Yu, with the compassion of a healer, saw her state and immediately took out bandages from her canvas bag, "Zisu, don't move, let me stop the bleeding first."
"You old hag, don't touch me!"
Ye Zisu yelled, then continued crawling joyfully towards Qin Beiting, leaving a trail of blood.
"Brother Beiting, I knew you'd come. Save me quickly. I saved your life once, and now you must save mine. I don't want to leave Bei City..."
Qin Beiting, with a cold expression, subtly shifted his foot to avoid Ye Zisu's outstretched hand and walked towards the sofa.
Lu Yiming, looking at Ye Zisu's pathetic state, had felt a pang of guilt earlier for firing the shot. But upon hearing her words, the guilt vanished instantly.
Truly, the pitiable have their hateful aspects.
Was she foolish, or was she foolish, to still think she was the boss's savior.
As Qin Beiting passed Old Mrs. Yu, he paused for a moment and said softly, "For the sake of Sister Yun'er's kindness, spare her life."
Yun'er...
"You..." Old Mrs. Yu looked at Qin Beiting in shock. How did he know her daughter's name?
As she looked closer, the man before her slowly overlapped with the boy from her memories.
Qin Beiting, the illegitimate son of the Qin family patriarch!
She hadn't recognized him earlier and had even told him that Yu He had come to Bei City when he had found her.
Qin Beiting's presence here, could it be...
Old Mrs. Yu turned to Yu He with apprehension.
Yu He handed the little pet pig to Qin Beiting and stepped forward, taking Old Mrs. Yu's arm, "I'll see you out."
They went out to the courtyard, where a black jeep was already waiting to take Old Mrs. Yu and Ye Zisu back to the countryside.
Yu He briefly explained her transaction with Qin Beiting, "Don't worry, I have my limits."
Old Mrs. Yu knew her stubborn nature; once she decided on something, she would see it through. Unable to persuade her, she only gave a few instructions and let her be.
Under Lu Yiming's orders, a maid helped the blood-soaked Ye Zisu, who was lying on the ground, into the jeep.
Old Mrs. Yu took a look. Due to excessive blood loss, Ye Zisu had fainted.
She administered a couple of needles, stopped the bleeding, and left without delay.
As she was leaving, Yu He handed Old Mrs. Yu a bank card.
"If you're short on money, come to me. Don't travel thousands of miles to find work again."
Old Mrs. Yu did not refuse, "Alright, I'll decline the offer there."
She had been known as a medical immortal back then, but after her daughter had an accident in the Qin family, she had gone into hiding with Yu He, no longer using her title to treat patients.
It was only unexpected that the Gu family had still found out about her and invited her to treat Old Mrs. Gu. She had accepted as she wanted to see Yu He in Bei City.
However, after Ye Zisu's incident, she had seen through the Gu family's true nature and no longer wished to treat them.
"Won't she lose too much blood if you don't take her to the hospital?" Cheng Lizhu watched the jeep drive away, a hint of worry in her voice.
The "she" she referred to was naturally Ye Zisu, who had been forcibly carried into the car by the maid.
"No," Yu He replied.
She believed that with her grandmother's medical skills, a gunshot wound like that was nothing.
In the living room, the bloodstains on the floor had already been cleaned.
Qin Beiting and Lu Yiming were now sitting on the sofa, drinking tea, while Ye Jianming and Ye Qichen busied themselves serving them.
"Thank you both for saving my sister. Forgive my presumption, but how did Seventh Young Master Qin and Young Master Lu get to know my sister?" Ye Qichen asked.
It wasn't just him who was curious; Ye Jianming couldn't fathom how Yu He, who grew up in a poor mountainous area, could know these two young masters, and seemingly on such familiar terms.
If he had known this earlier, he would never have publicly announced Yu He as his adopted daughter!
"That's not important. You just need to remember that she is my woman," Qin Beiting said, putting down his teacup.
"Cough..."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Ye Jianming, caught off guard, choked on his tea, his face turning red as he coughed uncontrollably.
Ye Qichen fared slightly better, suppressing his cough and saying sternly, "Seventh Young Master Qin, my sister is still a minor!"
"We know. Don't worry, Brother Ting is very discreet," Lu Yiming patted Qin Beiting's shoulder, making Ye Jianming's heart pound with unease.
Only Lu Yiming, from one of the four great families, would dare to pat Qin Beiting on the shoulder like that.
Ye Qichen: Not reassured at all!