Lu Yanzhao had already finished applying the medicine, so he released her hand and stood up.
Yu Zheng lowered his head to look… He had thought his sister was genuinely badly hurt, but the red mark was already almost gone.
He let out a sigh of relief. Then, after thinking about it, he understood what his sister was really up to.
If this had happened before, she definitely would not have come to the hospital over something so minor.
Yu Zheng sat down beside her. “You’re actually worried about Fourth Sis and wanted to come check on her, right?”
Yu Xiaxing said, “As if.”
Yu Zheng looked at her. “Then why did you specifically choose this hospital?”
Yu Xiaxing replied, “Isn’t it enough that it’s close to school?”
Yu Zheng said, “…Fine, fine, fine…”
The siblings were still talking when Lu Yanzhao’s phone suddenly rang.
He answered it, listened to the details, and then went online to check the trending searches.
Yu Xiaxing noticed that his expression had darkened slightly. “What happened?”
Lu Yanzhao handed her his phone.
On the screen was a screenshot of several trending topics.
#Shengde Arts Exam Class Forces Out Off-Campus Institution#
#Shengde School Board Member Accused of Malicious Competition#
#Infighting Among the Wealthy—What a Show!#
Below the trending topics was a video of Qiao Tang arguing and fighting with the parents.
It turned out that the parents had gone to demand refunds today, intending to use the money to enroll at Shengde instead.
Not only had Shengde sent its legal team, but the Yu Corporation had sent its own as well.
Qiao Tang had angrily shouted, “Oh, so it was Seventh Miss Yu who incited you to come after me! Let me tell you, I’m not afraid of Seventh Miss Yu! Just because she was born into a wealthy family, does she think she can suppress us? Monopolize the market? I have connections in the Yu family too! Once today is over, I’ll practically be half a member of the Yu family!”
Yu Xiaxing scrolled through the comments below.
Many people guessed that Qiao Tang was the girlfriend of one of the Yu family’s young masters and would be marrying into the family once the day was over.
Others guessed that she was gay, and that she was involved with one of the Yu family’s daughters.
Some people even guessed the truth: she was the mistress of Fourth Miss Yu’s fiancé.
One highly upvoted comment read:
[So Fourth Miss Yu opened her own arts exam prep center, then monopolized the market and tried to crush everyone else’s?
I hate those wealthy families who cut off other people’s livelihoods. What, do they really think the real world is some domineering-CEO novel?
If you have a grudge against someone, you can just make it impossible for them to survive in the city? You can wave your hand and force an institution into bankruptcy?
Everyone, join together and boycott the Shengde Arts Exam Center! Whatever you do, don’t sign up!]
When Yu Xiaxing saw that comment, the corners of her lips shot upward.
What a sensible person! I hope you stir things up even more!
But as she smiled, she began to feel that something was off.
Although Qiao Tang had indeed dragged her into the mess by accusing her of malicious competition and monopolizing the market, this whole incident had erupted too quickly, hit too accurately, and chosen its angles too perfectly. It did not seem like Qiao Tang’s handiwork.
Qiao Tang did not have that kind of ability—or the nerve.
There was someone else pulling the strings.
Just as Yu Xiaxing was thinking this, she suddenly sensed someone watching her from not far away.
She looked up.
Yu Lingyi was walking over from the side with a cup of water in her hand.
When she saw Yu Xiaxing and Yu Zheng, she paused. “What are you two doing here?”
Yu Zheng drawled lazily, “We came to watch your premarital checkup, Fourth Sis.”
“Thanks.” Yu Lingyi smiled calmly, then looked at Yu Xiaxing. “Xingxing, did you hurt your hand?”
Her voice was gentle, and her eyes held genuine concern.
The thought of how her little sister had gone to such lengths behind the scenes to scheme for her made it impossible for her not to place her sister in the softest corner of her heart.
Yu Zheng answered for her, “It’s nothing. She was just worried about you and insisted on finding an excuse to come to this hospital.”
Yu Xiaxing kicked him.
Afterward, she turned to Yu Lingyi. “Fourth Sister.”
Yu Lingyi: “Hmm?”
Yu Xiaxing said, one word at a time, “You used me.”
Yu Lingyi was a little surprised, but quickly returned to her usual composure. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Yu Xiaxing sneered. “You knew about Su Hao and Qiao Tang from the beginning. You also knew that Shengde has been getting a lot of attention lately, and that even the slightest incident could make the trending searches.”
“So you deliberately fanned the flames, and even sent the group’s legal team over to blow the whole thing up.”
“Fourth Sister, you rode my coattails.”
Yu Lingyi did not immediately defend herself. Instead, she first looked at Yu Xiaxing’s hand. “Does the burn hurt?”
Yu Xiaxing: “Don’t change the subject.”
Yu Lingyi had no choice but to say, “I didn’t smear Shengde. I merely stirred up the chaos on Qiao Tang’s side. Someone else is trying to smear Shengde and hurt you.”
Yu Xiaxing fell into thought.
Who could it be?
Lu Yanzhao asked Yu Xiaxing, “Director Yu, would you like me to issue a clarification from the official account and put an end to the rumors?”
Yu Lingyi did not want Yu Xiaxing to deal with it so soon. She hoped her sister would wait a little longer, but she also felt she had no standing to advise her… After all, it was only natural for someone to want to defend her own reputation.
Unexpectedly, Yu Xiaxing suddenly said, “Of course not.”
Yu Xiaxing was ecstatic. She said to Lu Yanzhao, “Leave it up! Let them curse me to their hearts’ content!”
Lu Yanzhao, Yu Zheng, and Yu Lingyi: “???”
Yu Xiaxing looked at Yu Lingyi. The more she looked, the more pleased she became. She raised a hand and patted her shoulder. “Not bad, not bad.”
Although she had no idea who was smearing her, at long last, things were playing out just like they had in her previous life—her siblings had finally started making moves against her!
She had known it. With seven siblings in the Yu family, how could I be the only one causing trouble every day?
Everyone had finally developed a little competitive spirit!
Excellent! Absolutely excellent!
Now this was what you called a succession battle! This was what you called infighting in a wealthy family!
Come at me! All of you, hurry up and come at me!
The more Yu Xiaxing thought about it, the happier she became. Even the look she gave Yu Lingyi grew several shades more affectionate.
“Fourth Sister, you’re finally learning how to be human.”
Yu Lingyi had no idea about the celebration going on inside Yu Xiaxing’s head.
But she knew that her little sister wore every emotion plainly on her face.
Her happiness right now was unquestionably genuine!
Yu Lingyi’s eyes grew slightly misty.
This little sister, who had been at odds with her since childhood, had clearly been branded a brainless, vicious businesswoman by the public and cursed all over the trending searches. Yet she did not blame her in the slightest.
So, all those times her sister had cursed at her and mocked her… had it actually been out of exasperation at her inability to live up to expectations?
Now that her sister saw she had finally learned to fight back, she was genuinely happy. Even though Yu Lingyi had borrowed her sister’s popularity, her sister was perfectly willing to let her make use of it.
Yu Lingyi’s throat tightened. Lowering her head, she said, “Thank you, Xingxing.”
Yu Xiaxing grew wary. “What are you thanking me for? What are you trying to do? Don’t let your imagination run wild!”
From the side, Yu Zheng had been observing all this. He understood what was going on as well.
He pulled Lu Yanzhao aside and said in a low voice, “I’ve figured it out. Fourth Sis went through all this trouble just to make sure that scumbag could never have children. Putting this on the trending searches is so she’ll have the moral high ground when they tear into each other later.”
“So you go back to school and get ready. Once that scumbag comes out after his surgery, I’ll let you know. Then you can issue a clarification and make sure your sister cuts ties with this whole sordid mess.”
A hint of amusement appeared in Lu Yanzhao’s eyes.
Perfect timing—the arts entrance exam prep class was about to officially open.
Yu Lingyi was riding on Yu Xiaxing’s coattails.
But Qiao Tang and Su Hao—the little celebrity and the wealthy family’s live-in son-in-law—were both attention-grabbing labels in their own right.
When the time came, Shengde’s arts prep class could take advantage of the buzz and promote itself more extensively.
This wave would be a case of the sisters borrowing each other’s momentum, helping one another soar ninety thousand miles into the sky.
Yu Zheng glanced at Lu Yanzhao and saw him gazing at his younger sister with an exceptionally gentle look.
Yu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Lu Yanzhao came back to himself. “I wanted to report to Director Yu first.”
Yu Zheng said, “Don’t make my tsundere little sister too embarrassed to back down.”
Lu Yanzhao thought about it and decided that made sense. In any case, his boss had entrusted the entire arts prep class project to him, and he had full authority over the promotional side as well. There was indeed no need to report back.
He told Yu Xiaxing that he had something to take care of, then left first.
The three members of the Yu family were still there.
Yu Xiaxing rather wanted to stay and watch the show. She was just about to provoke Yu Lingyi a little when, suddenly, a doctor in surgical scrubs walked over.
Most of his face was hidden behind a mask, leaving only a pair of eyes so cold they were almost devoid of emotion.
He removed his gloves, his movements unhurried and graceful. Every gesture exuded elegance.
Yu Xiaxing stared at him for a long time. The longer she looked, the more familiar he seemed.
Frowning, she asked Yu Zheng in a low voice, “Who is that?”
Yu Zheng recognized the doctor at a glance. His little sister had been very attached to this man when she was young.
But she had spent many years studying abroad and had only returned this year. She had probably already forgotten him.
