Chapter Thirty-Five: Uncontrollable Emotions

When she returned to her own courtyard, she found two troublemakers already waiting for her. Perfect—she still had nowhere to vent her earlier fury, and now these two had delivered themselves right to her door.

Yan Heru strode into the courtyard, brimming with anger. Yan Heqi was the first to spot her, but instead of speaking up herself, she nudged Yan Hemiao beside her.

Realizing the cue, Yan Hemiao immediately stormed forward, unleashing a torrent of abuse.
“Oh! Look at the airs you’re putting on these days. Don’t you know you’re embarrassing the whole family? It’s a wonder someone like you is even still alive—”

A sharp slap cut her off.
Yan Hemiao clutched her face in disbelief. “You actually dared hit me! Do you even know your place? How dare you lay a hand on me!”

Raising her hand to strike back, Yan Hemiao found her wrist caught and twisted back by Yan Heru, who shoved her away. Yan Hemiao tumbled to the ground in utter humiliation.

Witnessing this, Yan Heqi shrank back in fear. Yan Heru noticed and let out a cold laugh.

“What’s wrong? Are you frightened just by looking at me? She’s already said all those things to me—aren’t you going to say something yourself?” Yan Heru fixed her gaze on Yan Heqi, who began to panic.

The Yan Heru she remembered was always timid and meek—how had she suddenly become so sharp? Could it be that she had discovered something?

Yan Heqi tried to compose herself, but her efforts were too clumsy. Yan Heru could see right through her, and her feeble attempts at composure only made her want to laugh.

After failing to get any answers about her mother from the old matron, and with the whole Yan family conspiring against her, Yan Heru had been seething with pent-up rage. She found it odd, though, how easily she’d been angered lately—she’d never been so quick-tempered, no matter what had happened in the past. Was it because she now inhabited a different body, and even her temperament had shifted?

“I…I didn’t mean anything. I just came with Eighth Sister to check on you, but I never thought you’d strike her the moment we arrived…” Yan Heqi retreated another two steps.

From the outside, it must have looked as if Yan Heru was a wicked woman bullying and threatening her sisters.

But Yan Heru no longer cared what others thought of her—especially not in this household, where she’d never mattered to anyone. No matter how upstanding her image, the Yan family would always deem her unworthy, so there was no point in keeping up appearances.

“She insulted me first. Do you think, just because I’m her elder sister, I must always tolerate her?” Yan Heru smiled sweetly, but the threat beneath her words made Yan Heqi shudder.

Suddenly Yan Heqi regretted urging Yan Hemiao to come here and stir up trouble. It seemed they hadn’t come to give Yan Heru a hard time—rather, they had brought trouble upon themselves.

“Yes…Eighth Sister was indeed at fault. I’ll take her away at once. Please, Sister, don’t be angry,” Yan Heqi said, bending down to help Yan Hemiao up. Yan Heru was acting so uncharacteristically today—she decided she’d better retreat and reconsider her plans.

But Yan Hemiao would not be so easily restrained.

She shoved Yan Heqi away, not even bothering to dust herself off, and pointed at Yan Heru, ready to charge at her.
“You shameless wretch! How dare you hit me? I’ll make you regret it! In this household, you are worth less than a servant!”

“Eighth Sister!” Yan Heqi cried in alarm.

She hadn’t expected things to escalate so far. If Yan Hemiao really got hurt, Madame Cheng would never forgive her. Even with Lord Yan’s protection, she couldn’t escape punishment. As the family matron, her mother had little power to shield her.

Yan Hemiao’s temper was explosive, and Yan Heqi couldn’t hold her back.

When Yan Heru heard herself being told she was worth less than a servant, a sudden surge of fury overtook her—her hands acted before her mind. She slapped Yan Hemiao hard across the face, and then delivered a fierce kick.

Yan Hemiao, raised in sheltered luxury, had never suffered such a beating. In just a few blows, she collapsed, unconscious, where she fell.

Yan Heru knew her own strength and was certain Yan Hemiao had only fainted, but Yan Heqi didn’t know that.

Terrified, Yan Heqi glanced at Yan Heru’s dark expression, then at Yan Hemiao’s motionless body, and assumed the worst.

“Sister…she…Eighth Sister, you…” Yan Heqi’s hands trembled. Overwhelmed by fear, she stumbled as she backed away and fell to the ground.

Yan Heru watched her coldly, took two steps closer, and Yan Heqi scrambled backward in panic, abandoning all pretense of composure.

But crawling was no match for Yan Heru’s stride—she caught up, seized Yan Heqi, and gripped her chin.

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Planning to run off and tattle?” Yan Heru’s voice was as cold as ice, chilling Yan Heqi to the bone.

“N-no…I…I’m just tired…I want to go back and rest…” Yan Heqi stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Yan Heru released her chin and smiled. “Don’t breathe a word of what happened today. Otherwise, her fate will be yours too.”

Yan Heqi nodded frantically, terrified that any hesitation would doom her to the same fate as Yan Hemiao.

“Good. I always knew you were clever. Keep this secret well,” Yan Heru continued to threaten her.

“Don’t worry, Sister! I won’t tell anyone you killed Eighth Sister! I know nothing of what happened today—I’ve forgotten it all! Did anything happen at all?” Yan Heqi began playing dumb.

Yan Heru was taken aback for a moment by her words.

Killed Yan Hemiao? She thought she’d killed Yan Hemiao?

It was almost laughable, but Yan Heru decided to make use of this misunderstanding. “Very well. Go back.”

Given permission, Yan Heqi scrambled out of the courtyard, leapt to her feet as soon as she was clear, and ran off without a backward glance, not caring how disheveled she looked.

Yan Heru couldn’t help but laugh.

But when her eyes fell on the unconscious Yan Hemiao, her face darkened again.

She dragged Yan Hemiao into the house and pricked her with a few needles to ensure she wouldn’t wake unexpectedly.

She didn’t trust Yan Heqi to keep quiet—Yan Heqi was sure to run and snitch.

Since she’d resolved to take her revenge on the Yan family, she might as well start from within, by sowing discord among them.

Looking at Yan Hemiao lying on the bed, a smile touched Yan Heru’s lips as a brilliant idea came to her.

Yan Heqi, I can’t wait to see whom you’ll run to with your tale.