The thirteen-year-old boy had rare, pure black pupils. His skin was morbidly pale, his lip color very light, and his facial features were richly beautiful. Slightly curly black hair rested softly against his cheeks, adding a touch of exquisite, eerie glamour.
Sometimes, hating someone is subjective.
But being good-looking is objective.
And the boy in front of her was far too objectively good-looking.
Shen Yi stared blankly.
"Hello, Xiao Yi."
He spoke with a smile, reaching out a hand to her.
It was a gesture inviting a handshake, elegant, polite, and impeccable.
A light gray cashmere knit sweater clung to the boy's slender frame, revealing a small section of a white shirt collar at the neckline.
With lowered eyes, he looked down at her from above, every movement exuding nobility.
...That condescending, high-and-mighty aristocrat vibe practically assaulted her nostrils.
Shen Yi stepped back reflexively, choosing not to shake his hand.
Almost the instant she retreated, Shen Wenta's smile dropped.
Shen Xun stood up from the sofa, walked over to Shen Yi's side, and called out:
"Third Brother."
Shen Wenta's gaze shifted to Shen Xun, and the layer of ice in his eyes melted slightly.
He nodded, his tone softening significantly. "Xiao Xun."
Wen Ya ignored the subtle tension between the children and smilingly put the luggage away. "This is your third brother, Shen Wenta. He's eight years older than you. He's been living at his grandfather's house before, and finally has time to come home and stay for a few days."
"Wenta, this is Xiao Yi." She rubbed Shen Yi's head, her gaze gentle.
"You two will get along well, right?" The woman's tone rose as she looked at her third son.
Shen Wenta gave a soft smile. "Of course, Mom."
Shen Yi wisely kept quiet.
She was an intuitive person, and this third brother's malice towards her was practically overflowing.
Shen Yi thought of what her father had instructed her before he left.
—If you run into your third brother, just greet him with your fists.
She couldn't help but thoughtfully clench her fists, then looked at Shen Wenta's frail, seemingly helpless appearance.
She decided it was better to endure it if she could.
After all, she had a feeling that if she punched him, he would cry for a long time.
Wen Ya wasn't particularly interested in the less-than-harmonious interaction between the kids. Nothing major could happen anyway, so after a few words of instruction, she hurriedly turned and went into the kitchen to start preparing today's dinner.
Almost at the exact moment the kitchen door closed, the warm mask on Shen Wenta's face rapidly faded.
Replacing it was undisguised scrutiny and disgust.
He didn't move from his spot, just turned slightly sideways to refocus his gaze on Shen Yi.
"I'm a bit curious, did Dad do a background check? A piece of trash like you, abandoned even by your biological parents, must have some sort of defect or hidden danger that normal people wouldn't accept, right?"
Shen Wenta tilted his head slightly, feigning a thoughtful look. "Oh, right. Trying so hard to scheme your way into our family, what exactly do you have your eye on?"
Shen Yi: ...
Good lord, this guy completely stopped pretending.
The girl looked dumbfounded, as if she had been scolded silly.
Seeing his sister at a disadvantage, Shen Xun's expression gradually turned cold. He stepped in front of her, his pure black eyes full of warning as he glared unblinkingly at Shen Wenta.
He didn't speak, but this fiercely protective stance said it all.
The curve of Shen Wenta's lips flattened.
He looked coldly at Shen Xun, who was blocking Shen Yi.
His favorite younger brother was actually using such a defensive posture against him for the sake of an outsider.
This filled him with an offended sense of anger.
Shen Wenta turned his head, ignoring the obstructing Shen Xun for the moment.
He took a step, bypassed his stupid younger brother, and walked up to Shen Yi. "It seems Mom and Xiao Xun have been completely bewitched by you lately."
"Coming from an orphanage," his eyes were icy cold as he scanned Shen Yi up and down. "Who knows if you brought back some dirty germs? Dad is really too casual, bringing any random stray cat or dog into the house."
"An orphan of unknown origins like you, acting so pitiful and loving to fish for sympathy..." The boy leaned close to her, his tone soft yet contemptuous:
"Should have died a long time ago."
To be completely honest.
His viciousness wasn't just mindless roaring, but an arrogant belittling and humiliation.
After this barrage of insults, Shen Yi was simply dumbfounded: ...
What kind of men hadn't she seen in her past life?
But guess what?
Ha, it was actually her first time encountering a vile jerk of Shen Wenta's type.
Seeing that Shen Yi remained silent, the boy couldn't help but feel bored.
"Are you mute?" He straightened up, resuming his aloof posture, his tone laced with undisguised contempt. "Or did I hit a sore spot, and you don't even know how to retort?"
Just as Shen Wenta was about to unilaterally end this verbal bullying and turn to go upstairs—
Shen Yi moved.
Without any warning, the fist that had been tightly clenched at her side swung upwards, landing a solid punch right on Shen Wenta's jaw.
As Shen Yi threw the punch, she frantically repented in her heart, thinking, I am sorry.
She had wanted to endure it at first, but this guy was just too damn vile!
Shen Wenta clearly hadn't expected Shen Yi to actually dare to hit him. He froze for a second, then raised his hand to block.
However, he overestimated his body's agility and underestimated the strength Shen Yi had developed under Wen Ya's training, along with the buff from her rage.
The instant the girl's fist struck him, the boy's gorgeous face twisted with anger and disbelief.
Immediately after, Shen Yi pounced on him.
The unexpected impact sent him crashing onto the soft carpet behind him.
Before he could recover from the dizziness and pain, Shen Yi used her body weight and momentum to pin his arms and legs firmly beneath her!
Shen Yi had always possessed a wild streak. Growing up in an orphanage, she was no stranger to group fights.
Combined with Wen Ya's continuous training of her strength and stamina, compared to someone like Shen Wenta who lacked exercise year-round, she still held the advantage despite the height difference.
As the old saying goes, wild punches can beat a seasoned master.
Not to mention, Shen Wenta was an absolute weakling. Pinned to the floor by her, he couldn't move at all.
Shen Yi grabbed his face and gave a fake smile. "Your face is so pale, let me add some color to it, brother."
With that said, her fist smashed directly into his face this time.
Sure enough, trading verbal blows with this kind of vile jerk was completely useless.
Smashing a fist into him felt so much better.
Shocked and furious, Shen Wenta tried to resist, reaching out to grab her arms and flip her off him.
But he quickly realized that this sister's strength far exceeded his expectations.
Right after, another fist smashed into his nose.
The intense pain made him subconsciously raise his hand, touching the area just below his nose with his fingertips.
On his fingertips was a glaring, fresh smear of deep red.
Shen Wenta stared at that spot of red on his fingertips for two seconds, then slowly raised his eyes to look at Shen Yi straddling him.
He laughed out of extreme anger: "Shen, Yi."
Facing his exasperation, Shen Yi actually mimicked his earlier demeanor, feigning elegance as she tidied up her own miserably tangled mess of hair.
Then, squeezing out a fake smile identical to the one Shen Wenta had just worn, she pinched her voice and spoke with affected pretension:
"Oh my god~ My noble young master actually knows my name. This humble servant is truly flattered."
The imitation was incredibly crude, yet dripping with absolute sarcasm.
Shen Wenta was trembling with anger at this wretched girl, his chest heaving violently. His physical disadvantage made him feel even more humiliated.
Throwing all manners and grace to the wind, the young man suddenly reached out and tightly grabbed a hold of Shen Yi's long hair, which had come loose during the fight.
Shen Yi immediately grabbed the other side of her hair in an attempt to save her long locks, screaming, "Shen Wenta, if you pull my hair out and make me bald, I will kill you!"
The two threatened each other, glaring viciously.
Shen Wenta wore a wicked expression. With a sudden, forceful yank, he ruthlessly snapped off a section of the soft lock of hair he was holding.
Shen Yi stared at her broken lock of hair, her expression going completely blank for a second.
All she could think of was...
I have grown stronger, but I have also gone bald...
Gone bald...
Bald...
Ahhh!!
Shen Yi completely lost it right then and there.
She turned, snatched the cake off the guest table, aimed it right at Shen Wenta's exquisitely beautiful face—
And smashed it perfectly on target!
Cream instantly smeared all over his face.
It stuck to the young man's black hair and his expensive cashmere sweater. His beautiful face was completely covered in frosting, turning it entirely snow-white.
He looked exactly like a snowman that had come to life.
Both of them were a complete mess.
It had to be said, this truly was an exhilarating showdown.
Watching the fight from the sidelines, Shen Xun had originally planned to get a rope to tie up his third brother.
But after observing for two seconds, he came to a conclusion.
Shen Wenta, this weakling, was absolutely no match for Xiao Yi.
So, he quickly ran upstairs and opted to grab a camera instead.
Aiming the lens at his third brother, who was currently pinned to the floor, face covered in cake, and looking exactly like a snowman king, Shen Xun swiftly pressed the shutter:
"Smile, Third Brother."
Shen Wenta: "..."
Fuck.
