CHAPTER 68: ABOVE THE CLOUDS

"Bai Ran, I will absolutely never agree to you marrying into our family. Unless I die, you can forget about it," Yun Shu’s eyes were frosty and piercing, as though her gaze alone could perforate Bai Ran with a thousand holes right then and there.

With a smile brimming on her face, Bai Ran looked at Yun Shu, "Lady Yun, although I also do not wish to marry into your family, I cannot let the child grow up fatherless. Hence, I’m sorry, but I must. I know you wish to find someone perfect for President Yun, a young lady of high status and grace, but if word gets out that I’m carrying President Yun’s child, can you imagine any noblewoman willing to leap into this pit of fire?"

Yun Shu’s fingers trembled with rage. This Bai Ran was insufferable.

"Ah, I almost forgot, I have a dinner date with a friend." Bai Ran covered her mouth with a laugh, "Lady Yun, I came today just to give you a heads up, we should get the wedding over with sooner rather than later. If it’s drawn out and I start to show, with all the gossip that’ll follow, my skin might be thick enough not to care about losing face, but Lady Yun and President Yun are surely more concerned about their reputations. It’s best to handle such matters quickly."

Then she turned to Yun Ya with a smile, "Little Yun Ya, Auntie is leaving now. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to see each other in the future."

"Goodbye, Aunt Bai," Little Yun Ya replied.

With Yun Shu’s icy gaze following her, Bai Ran walked out of the living room in her high heels, hips swaying as her footsteps echoed "clack clack clack."

Yun Ya glanced at Yun Shu and, with a hint of a smirk, went upstairs.

The more Yun Shu thought about it, the angrier she got. But Bai Ran was right about one thing: if the news of the pregnancy got out, the scandal-hungry media would surely hound Yun Shen, smearing his reputation. What reputable lady would then dare to marry into such a scandal?

No, she would never allow such a thing to happen.

She called Yun Shen, but his secretary answered. President Yun was in a meeting and couldn’t take the call.

"Tell him to call me back the moment he’s done with his meeting." Yun Shu left that message and hung up.

After some thought, she realized she couldn’t just sit idly by. She remembered someone who had all but disappeared from the scene recently.

"Jinse, what have you been busy with lately?"

——

"Sister, who was on the phone?" Kang Jinxian emerged from the bathroom to see Kang Jinse talking on the phone on the living room balcony and asked curiously.

"An elder. Ah Xian, I have to go out for a bit. You stay home and be a good girl. There’s food in the fridge, and if anything comes up, just call me." After arranging everything, Kang Jinse picked up her bag and headed out the door.

Kang Jinxian’s eyes darkened a shade as she suddenly ran over and hugged Kang Jinse’s waist, her eyes almost brimming with tears, "Sister, don’t leave me alone at home, I’m scared."

Kang Jinse felt a little helpless. Since their mother’s death, Ah Xian had become much more timid and reserved and clung to her all the more. It would have been one thing if it were someone else, but Yun Shu...

Clutching her waist tightly, Kang Jinxian’s voice was thick with dependency and reluctance, "Sister, don’t worry, I’ll be very good and never cause you any trouble."

"Alright then, just stay close to me, and do whatever I tell you to," Kang Jinse relented.

With a trace of darkness in her eyes, Kang Jinxian softly affirmed with a "Hmm."

——

"Aunt Yun," Kang Jinse entered the living room with Kang Jinxian in tow, each carrying a fruit basket.

"What’s all this for, bringing so many things when you visit?" Yun Shu shook her head with a smile as a perceptive maid quickly approached to take the baskets.

"Lady Yun is an elder, how could I come empty-handed? The fruits are imported, good for beauty and nourishment."

Yun Shu smiled and affectionately patted her hand, "You’re thoughtful."

Then her eyes fell on the young girl trailing behind Kang Jinse, "And who is this?"

"It’s my sister, Jinxian, she’s too clingy, so I can only keep her by my side." After saying this, she turned her head toward Kang Jinxian, "Ah Xian, this is Aunt Yun."

"Hello, Aunt Yun." The young girl’s voice was sweet and soft, and she looked very well-behaved with her head bowed.

Yun Shu smiled gently, "Lift your head so Auntie can take a good look at you."

On hearing this, Kang Jinxian lifted her head. Although her facial features were not exceptionally delicate, she had clear and elegant eyebrows and eyes, and a pair of moist eyes like those of a timid deer, which instantly softened everyone’s heart.

"What a cute little girl." Yun Shu affectionately touched her fuzzy short hair, with undisguised adoration in her eyes.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of affinity; she liked this little girl at first sight, perhaps because of those overly clear eyes, which seemed as though they could cleanse one’s soul.

Seeing how much Yun Shu liked Ah Xian, Kang Jinse’s smile deepened at the corners of her mouth. It seemed bringing Ah Xian was the right decision.

While they were talking, Kang Jinxian sat quietly beside Yun Shu, almost without making her presence felt.

Yun Shu looked at the well-behaved little girl beside her and patted her hand with a smile, "At this time of year, many flowers in the garden are in bloom. You young girls love these the most; go have a look." Turning her head, she instructed the maid, "Ah Huan, take Miss Jinxian to the garden to play."

"Yes, Lady Yun."

Kang Jinxian first glanced at Kang Jinse, who nodded with a smile, then politely said to Yun Shu, "Thank you, Auntie."

With Yun Shu’s satisfied gaze upon her, she left the living room with Ah Huan.

As soon as Kang Jinxian left, the smile on Yun Shu’s face gradually faded, and she turned her head to look at Kang Jinse, a flash of sternness in her eyes.

"Jinse, do you want to marry Yun Shen?"

——

Yun Ya stood on the balcony, looking at the slender figure in the garden, her fingers tightly clutching the railing, with the veins in her fair hands exposed, yet she was oblivious to it.

Kang Jinxian—

After waiting for so long, you’ve finally appeared.

With her back to the direction of the maid, but directly in Yun Ya’s blind spot from the second floor, the little girl’s gaze was fixed on a blooming peony. The desire to destroy and the quietly burning hatred in the depths of her eyes were palpable even from a distance.

Why do you bloom so beautifully? Why are you allowed to bask in the sunlight with dignity? Why...

A smile unfolded in the depths of Yun Ya’s eyes as her fingers gently tapped the railing.

Kang Jinxian, in this life, you won’t take away my light and honor again; I will have your beauty stripped off, and expose your filth and ugliness to the sunlight.

I stand above the clouds, looking down on your lowliness like a mere ant.

On the Panshan Road outside the manor, a black sedan approached.

That was Yun Shen’s car; were they about to meet so soon?

A mature man, a frail little lolita—if it wasn’t for what she had seen with her own eyes in her past life, Yun Ya would never believe these two individuals could become entangled.

Hah... I will let you both taste what it truly means to be in excruciating agony, to be in so much pain that you wish for death.