The atmosphere in the group chat suddenly turned awkward.
Yu Shishi had originally intended to show off by extending an invitation, but Yu Ting unceremoniously added her sister to the group, only for her sister to reject the offer first.
This left Yu Shishi fuming, forcing her to hastily delete the message she had nearly sent.
Unable to hold back, she @'ed Yu Ting: "Why did you suddenly add my sister?"
Chang Ming was also rattled—if there was anyone who least wanted the sisters to grow closer, it was him.
So he chimed in, questioning Yu Ting: "Yeah, why did you add her?"
"Don’t you have any sense of boundaries? This is our private little group. Isn’t it rude to just randomly invite someone we’re not even close to?"
Yu Ting, already irritated by the rejection, immediately recognized Chang Ming’s underlying nervousness in those words.
He shot back: "Not close? Fine for the three of us, but how dare you say that? Were those three months together fake?"
Chang Ming quickly messaged him privately: "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Shut up."
Yu Ting: "Come fight me up the mountain, you idiot."
Chang Ming: "Didn’t we agree to drop that? I haven’t even held it against you for stabbing me in the back a second time."
Yu Ting: "Haven’t held it against me? You were pretty bold lecturing me in the group just now. I thought you were using it as an excuse to pick a fight."
Chang Ming: "...Fine. I won’t provoke you, and you don’t provoke me."
Neither wanted to escalate things further, so they silently retreated from the private chat.
But Yu Shishi grew wary of Yu Ting’s earlier reply.
"What three months? Didn’t you only run into my sister last month?"
Moreover, according to Pei Ying, they had only confirmed her contact information the month before—there was no way it had been three months.
Yu Shishi began to realize that none of the information she’d been given seemed true. Had all four of them been lying to her?
Yu Ting wasn’t bothered by the timeline discrepancy. For one, he had never been the one to spread misleading information.
And secondly—he simply didn’t care. When Yu Shishi questioned him, he felt nothing but calm indifference.
So he replied dismissively: "Does it even matter? Your sister isn’t coming anyway."
"Even if we treat her like one of us, she clearly doesn’t see herself that way."
"I’ve always known she’s no fun—only shows up when there’s something in it for her. When has she ever been enthusiastic about us unless money’s involved?"
"You send her ten messages, and she might reply to one if you’re lucky. Like we’re all supposed to chase after her."
"She’s busy? With what? She doesn’t have any friends—just spends her days partying, gaming at home, or losing money at the mahjong table."
"If she won’t even come out now, can’t you tell she just can’t be bothered with you?"
Yu Shishi: "..."
Since when did she care? She hadn’t even wanted her sister to come in the first place.
But the way Yu Ting made it sound, she was some pitiful fool desperate for attention but getting rejected.
The other three, however, immediately picked up on the sour grapes in Yu Ting’s words—the bitterness of unrequited effort.
Pei Ying and Chang Ming were caught off guard by how far Yu Ting had fallen, while Jiang Liuxu barely held back from exposing and mocking him in front of Yu Shishi.
Fine, he thought. The longer Yu Shishi remains unaware of his half-hearted pursuit, the better.
Yu Shishi, meanwhile, was thoroughly annoyed but forced a smile as she replied to Yu Ting: "I was just curious why you added my sister. I didn’t expect to get an earful of complaints."
"I just didn’t want her to feel awkward in the group."
Yu Ting: "Why would she? The only person here she doesn’t know well is you. She’s never been awkward about taking money from us."
"Even if you made her uncomfortable, you’re still sisters. Blood ties don’t just disappear."
So now she was the outsider in the group? Yu Shishi nearly choked on her own rage.
Originally planning to have dinner, she was now too furious to eat. After a few curt words, she logged off and buried herself under the covers to sleep.
That said, despite his irritation, Yu Ting still had enough history with her to care. He asked the director for leave.
The next day, after filming his rescheduled scenes, he removed his makeup and headed down the mountain.
Pei Ying had initially wanted to hold the welcome party somewhere more private, but Yu Shishi insisted on hosting.
Reluctantly, the others agreed, bringing their prepared gifts to the designated spot.
Given Yu Shishi’s financial situation, she hadn’t chosen some extravagant venue costing millions.
But it was still a well-known upscale restaurant—she had reserved a private room with a great view.
Yu Ting was the last to arrive. As soon as he entered, he saw Yu Shishi in a white dress, her dark hair cascading down, a delicate necklace around her neck—still the same bright, gentle girl from his memories.
When she spotted him, she beamed. "Yu Ting, you’re here."
For a moment, Yu Ting was disoriented. Yu Shishi was the one he’d known for over a decade.
Yet seeing her face now, something felt off—as if his mind had somehow reversed their importance.
Snapping out of it, he smiled back. "Welcome back!"
Then he handed her his gift.
Yu Shishi opened it—a C-brand necklace, elegant and pretty, though not excessively expensive.
But compared to the pieces in her sister’s wardrobe, this ¥20,000 necklace seemed utterly ordinary.
Once again, Yu Shishi questioned why she’d spent years refusing extravagant gifts. If she’d just accepted them, wouldn’t Pei Ying and the others have showered her with the finest treasures?
Why bother pretending to be thrilled over some mass-produced trinket?
Too late to change things now.
Hiding her internal bleeding, she forced delight. "How did you know I wanted this one? I’ve been hesitating because of the price. Thank you!"
Yu Ting waved it off. "I know you. If it were too expensive, you wouldn’t take it. So I just picked the newest thing among the affordable options."
His words carried the familiarity of someone who understood her habits.
But they only made Yu Shishi want to scream: "You could’ve tried again—maybe I’d accept now!"
She’d never felt this way before. But knowing these guys had handed her sister gifts worth thousands or even billions, while she got scraps worth a pittance, twisted her insides with envy.
Yet what could she do? After maintaining this persona for over a decade, she had no choice but to keep up the act.
Once Yu Ting arrived, Yu Shishi signaled the restaurant to serve the dishes.
Over the meal, she shared stories from her months of traveling, and the four of them engaged warmly, laughing and chatting.
It almost felt like nothing had changed—like she was still the radiant center of their world.
But the shadow of her sister’s presence, along with their collective secrecy, pricked at her like a thorn she couldn’t ignore.
So when the conversation hit its peak, Yu Shishi steered it toward her real agenda—
"Speaking of which, how have you all been while I was away?"
"We talked almost every day, but being apart still makes it feel like so much happened."
"I only just found out yesterday that you’ve all gotten to know my sister—even doing business with her."
Yu Shishi looked puzzled: "What kind of business is this anyway? I asked Jiang Liuxu about it yesterday, but he was being all mysterious."
She glanced at the four men, each reacting differently.
Jiang Liuxu wore the same unbothered expression as yesterday, neither willing to explain nor showing any guilt.
Yu Ting’s face first flashed with confusion, then realization, as if he’d completely forgotten about it until Yu Shishi brought it up.
His reaction left Yu Shishi speechless—she wanted to shake some sense into him. You spent tens of millions there, and you’re acting like you just woke up?
With Jiang Liuxu and Yu Ting already being infuriating, Pei Ying’s silence and Chang Ming’s obvious evasion actually seemed normal by comparison.
Yu Shishi blinked and turned her focus to Pei Ying—
"So what exactly is this business? Is it something you can’t tell me?"
"Do you all know about it? Am I the only one kept in the dark?"
Her expression turned dejected.
Pei Ying was still choosing his words when Yu Ting cut in bluntly: "It’s nothing big, really. Just some mutual backstabbing, post-backstabbing therapy, and a bit of advice on relationship issues."
"Hardly worth keeping secret."
Yu Shishi’s voice rose sharply: "Backstabbing? What do you mean? You’d better explain."
Chang Ming lunged to cover Yu Ting’s mouth, but it was too late—the guy had already spilled everything without a care.
"It’s not as bad as it sounds. Just verbal jabs and psychological warfare."
"Jiang Liuxu obviously wouldn’t admit it, but he started it. I was filming just fine when he hired your sister to tear into me out of nowhere—almost ruined my shoot."
"Was I supposed to take that lying down? So I hired your sister to retaliate. Turns out I hit the wrong target and dragged Pei Ying into it. Then everyone got involved. Since I needed emotional stability for filming, I even paid extra for your sister’s therapy sessions."
He pointed at Jiang Liuxu. "All thanks to this scheming glasses-wearer."
Yu Shishi was stunned. She wanted to look at Yu Ting like he was an idiot, but her self-control held firm.
"That’s it? You spent ten million hiring my sister just to trade verbal blows?"
Was her sister’s mouth made of gold? A few words cost ten million? And they actually went back to her for therapy after being insulted?
But Yu Ting missed the point entirely.
He scoffed. "Worth every penny. Your sister’s ‘verbal therapy’ hits hard. I’ve had enough of certain people anyway. A few million to see them humiliated? Bargain."
Jiang Liuxu: "Says the one who got stabbed so bad he couldn’t act and nearly got fired from his drama in the middle of the night."
Pei Ying: "Still better than the guy who lost his temper after being watched by two people."
Chang Ming: "I wasn’t even involved in this mess at first!"
Yu Shishi: "..."
She should’ve been happy—after all, the root of their conflict was her.
But the thought of these idiots fighting while her sister raked in fortunes made her dizzy with rage.
So while she was carefully managing things, her sister swooped in to profit?
No wonder her sister said she owed her current lifestyle to Yu Shishi.
Forcing herself to change the subject before she exploded, she asked, "What’s wrong with you all? Aren’t you friends?"
Jiang Liuxu smiled. "Don’t worry. We’ve called a truce."
Yu Shishi sighed in relief. "Good. But my sister mentioned ongoing business with you. What’s that about now?"
Yu Ting: "Oh, that’s her advising us on how to pursue you."
"Being your sister, her methods worked like a charm. You’ve noticed, right?"
Yu Shishi: "???"
Her mind buzzed as recent memories flashed by—the exhausting, confusing behavior she couldn’t make sense of.
The source of all her sleepless nights?
Her sister coaching these guys to chase her simultaneously—earning millions per tip—while she scrambled to keep up?
Her vision darkened. She swayed, gripping the table to stay upright.
Voice weak, she stared at Yu Ting’s clueless face.
Through gritted teeth, she asked, "So when you picked fights with me before… that was my sister’s idea?"
Yu Ting looked even more justified than her. "You were too busy talking to Chang Ming to notice anyone else. I ran out of ideas, so I paid for help. Turns out you did have time for me—you just didn’t want to."
Seeing her expression darken, he added reassuringly, "Relax, it won’t happen again. I’ll tell your sister to cancel that service."
Before Yu Shishi could process this, Jiang Liuxu interjected, "You think you get to decide whether the business continues?"
Yu Ting opened his mouth to argue, but his eyes caught movement outside as a server entered with their food.
He bolted up: "Was that Shen Ying who just walked by?"
The others hadn’t noticed, but Yu Ting paled.
"No mistake—it was her. She was with a group of young men and women, laughing like they were having a blast!"
