Chapter 7

Once they got into the car, Lü Shiman seemed rather excited. “This is the first time Sister has bought me so many clothes. I’m so happy.”

“You’re happy, huh?” Ou Bailing, however, wasn’t particularly happy. She gave two awkward laughs before turning to look out the window.

The farther the car drove, the farther she got from her goddess.

Oh—kajima~

Ou Bailing’s body was being carried away by the car, but her mind had been left behind. Whenever Lü Shiman spoke to her, she barely bothered answering.

“Sister.” Seeing Ou Bailing staring absentmindedly out the window the entire time, Lü Shiman became a little unhappy. “What are you thinking about?”

Remembering how Sister’s eyes had lit up the moment she saw that Sister at the mall made her even more unhappy.

“Sister, did you fall for that Sister?”

“Huh?”

Ou Bailing was still fairly sensitive to the word “like.”

But because her mind had been completely blank just now, she suddenly caught that [stolen content]particular word without hearing the rest of the sentence.

What she heard was basically:

“xxx&^&^like&xx#$@*?”

“What do you mean, like?” Ou Bailing couldn’t help asking.

“Sister, do you like the Sister we ran into at the mall?”

“Me?” Ou Bailing pointed at herself, then let out two dry laughs. “How could that be possible? Didn’t I already tell you? How could I possibly like her? At most, I just look at her a little more because she’s pretty.”

“But the moment you see her, your eyes light up and your whole face starts glowing,” Lü Shiman said unhappily. “You look like a complete simp, rushing over to fawn on her the second you see her.”

Huh?

A simp?

Was it really that obvious?

No—was it really that bad?

Ou Bailing felt slightly uncomfortable with the word “simp.” She didn’t think she was one, but admittedly, every time she saw Fu Mingge, she did eagerly scamper right over to her.

“What are you saying? Show some respect to your elder.”

Ou Bailing stubbornly refused to admit it. She reached out and pushed Lü Shiman’s head, shoving it sideways, before saying, “Aren’t you the same? You come scampering over the moment you see me. Does that make you a simp too?”

“Yes.”

Lü Shiman straightened herself and said gloomily, “I’m Sister’s simp.”

Ou Bailing hadn’t expected her to admit it so readily and was momentarily at a loss for words.

She looked at this delicate little white-flower younger sister and thought that perhaps she should crush her hopes as early as possible.

There was no chance between them anyway.

Not only because they were legally sisters, but because Ou Bailing simply didn’t like her that way.

She didn’t have the slightest improper thought toward her.

“Right. I’m your Sister.”

Ou Bailing crossed her arms and looked at her with a somewhat condescending air.

“I’ll always be your Sister. It’s only right that you show me some respect.”

“……”

Lü Shiman looked at her.

Seeing Ou Bailing’s cold attitude and detached gaze made her heart ache.

She had been overflowing with happiness earlier because Sister had bought her clothes, but now it felt as though a basin of icy water had suddenly been poured over her head, chilling her straight to the bone.

She forced herself not to cry and turned her face away toward the window beside her.

She endured and endured, but tears still rolled from her eyes.

Ou Bailing glanced toward that same window and saw Lü Shiman’s tears reflected in the glass.

Seriously? She’s crying already?

Had she gone too far?

But if she didn’t say it harshly enough, Lü Shiman would keep harboring impossible hopes.

When it came to things like this, indecisiveness was the worst thing you could do.

Ou Bailing didn’t think she had done anything wrong.

She turned her head and looked out her own window.

The roads were packed with traffic and bustling with activity along the way.

Only when the car entered the suburban villa district did everything suddenly grow quiet.

The neighborhood was serene, elegant, and pleasant, tranquil yet full of life.

The flowers, grass, and trees were fresh and beautiful, brimming with vitality. A white cat leisurely padded along a fence, looking exceptionally lazy and graceful.

For the first time, Ou Bailing truly felt the beauty of this world.

Although it was a world inside a book, now that she was immersed in it, everything before her eyes was alive.

She herself had become a fictional character too.

Lü Shiman stayed silent throughout the drive, [read the original at bailiantales.com]occasionally raising her head to glance at Ou Bailing, only to lower it again after a while because she didn’t know what to say.

The two returned home together.

When Lü Yan saw them come back, she walked over to greet them.

“You’re back? Why did you buy so many things?”

The servants were carrying all the bags while Ou Bailing and Lü Shiman walked empty-handed in front.

For a moment, Lü Yan couldn’t tell whether the items belonged to her daughter or Ou Bailing.

“They’re all hers. Nothing to do with me,” Ou Bailing said.

The moment Ou Bailing spoke, Lü Yan fell silent.

She was somewhat afraid of her.

Seeing that her daughter looked upset, Lü Yan wondered whether Ou Bailing had bullied her again. But with Ou Bailing standing right there, she couldn’t exactly ask.

Only after Ou Bailing went upstairs did Lü Yan pull her daughter aside and quietly ask, “What happened? Why are your eyes red? Did she bully you again?”

“No… boohoo…”

As Lü Shiman spoke, she felt even more wronged and couldn’t stop herself from crying again.

“Then what happened? Why are you crying?” Seeing her daughter cry made Lü Yan’s heart ache too.

“I just… I just…”

Of course Lü Shiman couldn’t bring herself to say that Ou Bailing had explicitly rejected her.

Perhaps the other woman had already noticed her feelings, which was why she had treated her so ruthlessly.

She had been so happy at first.

But in the end, all that remained was sadness.

Lü Yan couldn’t help pulling her daughter into her arms and comforting her.

“All right, all right. Don’t cry. Mommy’s here, okay?”

The moment Ou Bailing returned to her room, she threw herself onto the comfortable large bed.

She had planned to take an afternoon nap, but the moment she got into bed, she couldn’t sleep.

How strange.

She climbed back up and looked at the warm yellow color scheme of the bed.

The bedding, stuffed toys, and everything else were yellow.

“This is way too yellow.”

Ou Bailing couldn’t help making fun of it.

“What a brilliantly yellow future I have ahead of me!”

Dissatisfied with all the yellow furnishings on the bed, she called someone in and ordered everything changed to pink.

Mm.

Soft, girlish pink.

Just looking at it made her feel especially at ease.

Now Ou Bailing could finally hug her soft pink blanket and sleep peacefully.

Lü Yan and Lü Shiman came upstairs and saw servants carrying blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, and other things out of the room.

Lü Yan couldn’t help asking, “What’s going on? What are you doing?”

“Madam,” a servant holding a yellow blanket explained, “the Eldest Miss said she wants the bedding changed. She doesn’t like these yellow things and wants everything replaced with pink.”

“Oh.”

Lü Yan responded while watching an endless stream of servants carry things out.

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

Lü Shiman spotted a warm yellow duck-shaped pillow and said to the servant, “Sister doesn’t want this anymore? Give it to me.”

“Yes, Second Miss.”

The servant was about to hand her the duck pillow when Lü Yan suddenly stopped her.

She said to her daughter, “If you want one like that, Mommy can buy you a new one. Why take something she doesn’t want anymore?”

Lü Yan loved her daughter dearly and usually tried to give her the best of everything.

What she hated most was seeing her daughter suffer any grievance.

Picking up something another person had discarded could easily make others look down on her, and she didn’t like that.

“Mom, I just want this one.”

Lü Shiman took the pillow and hugged it against her chest.

The pillow was almost as large as she was, though fortunately it wasn’t heavy.

Seeing her mother’s disapproving expression, she added, “It’s just a pillow.”

That was what she said aloud.

But in her heart, this pillow felt almost like Sister herself.

It held extraordinary meaning to her.

“All right. Do what you want.”

Seeing how badly she wanted it, Lü Yan didn’t say anything more.

Now that Lü Shiman had gotten the pillow, she quietly returned to her room.

Lü Yan watched her go, finding her daughter rather strange today.

She had no idea what was wrong with her, and whenever she asked, the girl refused to say.

Sigh.

By dinnertime, Ou Bailing came downstairs yawning.

Ou Jun was displeased the moment he saw her lazy appearance, but he didn’t say anything.

Ou Baisong didn’t want to speak to her either, lest he end up furious again.

Lü Yan and Lü Shiman had even less to say.

They merely watched her silently.

Ou Bailing sat down at the dining table.

Seeing everyone looking at her, [unauthorized copy]she asked, “Why are you all staring at me? Do I have food on my face?”

Ou Jun rolled his eyes.

Ou Baisong clicked his tongue.

Lü Yan and Lü Shiman exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and silently continued eating.

While eating, Ou Bailing remembered that she had maxed out her card buying clothes for Lü Shiman earlier.

She looked toward her father.

“Dad, give me a credit card with no limit.”

Ou Jun immediately responded irritably, “What credit card with no limit? There’s no such thing.”

“There isn’t?”

Ou Bailing thought for a moment.

Could it be that unlimited credit cards didn’t exist in this world?

That wasn’t impossible.

So she compromised.

“Then transfer ten million into my card. I’ve spent all my money.”

The moment Ou Jun heard that, he felt like a debt collector had come knocking.

He really had given birth to a little debt-collecting demon!

Ou Jun secretly took several deep breaths, comforting himself.

Don’t get angry. Don’t get angry. Getting angry won’t kill the person who made you angry.

Ou Baisong couldn’t help asking from beside him, “What do you need that much money for?”

“Picking up girls.”

Ou Bailing said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You think picking up girls doesn’t cost money? I’m not like you, Big Brother, living such a pure and ascetic life. I want to give all those pitiful Omegas a home.”

Hearing that, Ou Jun slammed the table and glared at her.

“What did you just say, you bastard?!”

Ou Bailing looked over at him.

She had the appearance of a gentle and refined young woman, yet the words that came from her mouth were always capable of infuriating people to death.

“Dad, don’t you expect me to carry on the family line? Big Brother isn’t in good health. He might not be capable. Who knows whether he’ll even be able to have children in the future? So I need to produce plenty of branches and leaves for the family.”

Those words thoroughly offended a certain someone.

This time Ou Baisong couldn’t sit still either.

He burst into furious curses.

“You—what the fuck is wrong with you?! Who are you saying isn’t capable?!”

As he spoke, he instinctively glanced toward the mother and daughter sitting across from him, feeling as though he had lost all face in front of them.

Ou Jun, on the other hand, fell silent.

Because he suddenly felt that Ou Bailing had a point.

His gaze shifted toward his Alpha son.

“Baisong, what exactly is going on with you? You’re already twenty-three, and I’ve never heard of you taking an interest in any Omega. Are you really… not capable? In that regard…”

“Dad!”

Ou Baisong hurriedly interrupted him.

“What are you talking about?!”

“Maybe you should go to the hospital and get checked…”

Ou Jun couldn’t help finishing his sentence.

Lü Yan and Lü Shiman silently lowered their heads and kept eating, pretending they didn’t exist.

Ou Baisong’s dignity had been flung all the way to Siberia.

He wished he could simply close his eyes and die on the spot.

“See?”

Ou Bailing spoke up again.

“Looks like the important task of carrying on the family line will have to fall to me after all. Dad, hurry up and transfer the money.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Ou Baisong was half-dead from rage.

But what could he do?

He couldn’t beat her in a fight.

He couldn’t beat her in an argument either.

Seeing Ou Baisong capable of nothing but impotent rage, Ou Bailing didn’t take him very seriously.

She glanced toward the mother and daughter across from them.

“Big Brother, can you stop spewing filth every time you open your mouth? There are other people here. Can you show them some respect?”

Lü Yan & Lü Shiman: “……”

With Ou Bailing looking at her, Lü Yan had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, “All right, that’s enough. Stop arguing and eat. The food is getting cold.”

Everyone lowered their heads and continued eating.

An eerie silence descended over the dining table.

As Ou Bailing ate, she fantasized about marrying her goddess and having a whole bunch of adorable children with her.

Pink bubbles filled her eyes as she imagined it.

Then she returned to reality and saw Lü Shiman looking at her.

Meeting those sorrowful, misty eyes—

Uh.

Had this kid still not given up?

What a headache.

Ou Baisong kept glancing across the table, intentionally or otherwise.

His gaze especially loved settling on Lü Shiman.

Ou Bailing turned her head and happened to catch the way her older brother was looking at her.

A light bulb suddenly went off in her mind.

Wow~

Wow~

Look at the secret she’d discovered!

Could this cheap older brother of hers possibly…

like this cheap younger sister?

Thinking that, she looked toward Lü Shiman across the table.

Seeing Ou Bailing looking over, Lü Shiman held herself back for a moment before finally asking quietly, “What is it, Sister?”

“Ah, nothing.”

Ou Bailing smiled at her.

“Manman is already eighteen, right? You’ve grown into such a pretty young woman.”

The moment Lü Yan heard that, she immediately looked over vigilantly.

Ou Jun frowned and said, “It’s bad enough that you fool around outside. Are you planning to set your sights on Manman too? If you dare extend your filthy claws toward her, I’ll break your legs!”

“If I extend my filthy claws toward her, shouldn’t you break my hands?” Ou Bailing corrected him.

Ou Jun snorted coldly.

“I’ll break both your hands and your legs.”

“Ooh~~”

Ou Bailing nodded as though she had finally understood.

Then she redirected the attack toward the person sitting beside her.

“What if it’s Big Brother?”