CHAPTER 91: 087 BEING TOO CLEVER BY HALF (SECOND RELEASE)

Yun Shen had arrived early in the morning and was accompanying Yun Shu and Kang Jinxian in the back hall.

Today, Kang Jinxian was wearing a simple and elegant white princess dress, her short hair accented with a crystal hair clip at the side of her ear, fresh and soft, instantly catching the eye.

She stood by Yun Shu’s side, stealing glances at the handsome and upright man, her heart racing.

Yun Shu smiled and patted her hand, "Haven’t changed your way of addressing me yet?"

Kang Jinxian paused for a moment and then shyly spoke, "Big brother."

Her voice was as soft as a cat’s call, lacking strength, yet it brushed lightly and feather-like across Yun Shen’s heart. He frowned as he looked at the girl who barely reached his waist; she had just lowered her head, revealing her delicate white neck and slightly reddened ears—

"Hmm," he pulled out a red envelope from his chest and handed it to Kang Jinxian.

"I’m busy with work; I hope you can spend more time accompanying our mother in my place."

Kang Jinxian hesitated and looked towards Yun Shu who said with a smile, "Accept it. It’s from your brother."

Kang Jinxian then reached out to take it, her fingertips inadvertently brushing past Yun Shen’s fingers. His fingers were cool and rugged in a way unique to men, igniting a sudden and intense warmth in her heart.

The girl’s fingers were slender, carrying a refreshing coolness like warm jade, causing faint ripples in his heart which he quickly and subtly suppressed.

Kang Jinse couldn’t stop grinning at the scene, even happier than the parties involved.

The deal for her little sister to become Yun Shu’s goddaughter was set in stone. As the saying goes, proximity brings early benefits. With her sister standing here, she would have enough reason to frequent the Yun Family residence.

It wasn’t in vain that she had tried her best to lay out a path for her sister. Fortunately, her sister lived up to her expectations and did not let her down.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Bai Ran and Ji Yunya appearing at the doorway. She didn’t know how long they had been standing there or how long they had been watching, and she clenched her fists involuntarily.

The appearance of Bai Ran and Yun Ya instantly dropped the previously harmonious atmosphere to freezing point.

Bai Ran seemed unconcerned as she walked in and greeted Yun Shen with a familiarity that suggested they were a loving couple who had just woken up from the same bed that morning.

Kang Jinse spat bitterly to herself, "Despicable woman."

Yun Shen acknowledged her with a slight nod, his cool expression revealing nothing, a response that somewhat pleased Kang Jinse.

At the very least, it proved that Yun Shen still didn’t show a good face to Bai Ran at this stage.

"Aunt Ah Xian, you look really beautiful today," Yun Ya said sincerely as he approached Kang Jinxian.

Seeing Ji Yunya, Kang Jinxian involuntarily shrank back, a near instinctual bodily reaction—especially when she saw his sweet smile heading her way, recalling the frantic and resolute expression on the girl’s face as she wielded a small knife towards her arm in the cramped bathroom.

"Thank you," she said, her gaze falling on the butterfly hairpin by Ji Yunya’s ear. As Ji Yunya turned her head, the wings of the butterfly gently fluttered, creating ripples like those on a lake, further enhancing the girl’s rosy lips and elegant nobility.

Subconsciously, she reached out to touch the crystal hairpin by her own ear, feeling a faint bitterness in her heart.

Yun Shu’s gaze was indifferent as it fell on Ji Yunya, her lips curving into a faint, cool, and mocking smile under the blazing white light.

At this moment, a waiter spoke respectfully from outside the door, "It’s time."

Yun Shu stood up and straightened her skirt, taking Kang Jinxian’s hand with a gentle smile, "My little princess, are you ready?"

Kang Jinxian took a deep breath, nodded vigorously, and with a face set in an expression as though prepared for death, pleased Yun Shu.

"Don’t be nervous, you are my Yun Shu’s goddaughter; hold your head high and stick out your chest; you have the capital to look down on others."

Bai Ran took the initiative to walk over to Yun Shen, latched onto his arm, and discreetly pushed Kang Jinse—who was walking by Yun Shen’s side—away, causing Yun Shen to frown subconsciously.

With a flirtatious smile, Bai Ran seductively said, "Do you want the rumor that our marriage is troubled to spread? A leader should understand that to repel foreign enemies, one must first secure one’s own house, right? Otherwise, how can one command respect?"

Her remarks successfully made Yun Shen fall silent.

"Women who are too clever for their own good are generally not liked." As he reached the door, his cold and deep voice faintly rang out.

Bai Ran curled her lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

She was not in his good graces to begin with, so why should she exhaust herself trying to win his heart? Things as they are now were just fine.

Maintaining a balance with neither overstepping boundaries—why tire oneself out with pointless efforts?

Left alone, Kang Jinse’s gaze, sharp as if laced with venom, fell upon that graceful white figure and she clenched her teeth in frustration.

"It’s like scratching at your heart, isn’t it?" Yun Ya’s mocking voice came through.

Kang Jinse’s gaze suddenly locked onto Yun Ya, her eyes narrowing coldly as she burst into a light chuckle and said, "Ji Yunya, let’s see how long you can remain smug. You demon, you are about to meet your end by the hands of heaven."

Yes, a demon—this was Kang Jinse’s view of Ji Yunya. No matter how she confronted Yun Ya head-on in usual times, when she calmed down, she couldn’t help but feel a chill run through her. Such behavior at such a young age—Ji Lanyi must’ve birthed two demons in one go.

A strange light flickered fast in Yun Ya’s eyes, he chuckled and said, "Oh? People say a scourge lives for a thousand years, yet I feel like I might live a very long time. As for you, you’ve tried every means possible to marry father. Be careful not to lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot."

The remark was a stark warning, and he had no expectation that Kang Jinse would understand. Self-proclaimed cleverness, ha...the future held much in store for her.

With that, he no longer gazed upon Kang Jinse’s ashen face but lifted his feet to leave the room.

——

Yun Ya stood in a corner, observing the mother and daughter on the high platform coldly. Yun Shu publicly announced that from this day forward, Kang Jinxian was her goddaughter. Kang Jinxian, with modest shyness, cast her gaze downward, her natural beauty under the lights invoking pity.

Today you are in the spotlight, but tomorrow I will personally drag you through the mud.

Kang Jinxian, I remember every single debt between us—how Miaomiao died, those years of imprisonment, the honors that belonged to me that you took away, and the lives that you indirectly caused to perish. Even if reduced to ashes, I remember them all.

Enjoy this final glory while you can. The most painful thing in life is not to die in a foreign land, nor is it when the one you love is unlike any other, nor is it betrayal by kin. It’s what you once had and then lost—the distance from the clouds to the mire is the measure of light-years of my hatred for you.

I’m going to make you wish you were dead.

Someone gently tugged at her sleeve. As she turned, the complex emotions in Yun Ya’s eyes vanished like a receding tide, covered by a clear glow as gentle as a breeze caressing one’s heart.

Yan Song’s heart skipped a beat. Such a gaze was a bit intoxicating...

With slightly furrowed brows, Yun Ya asked, "Brother Yan?"

Yan Song snapped back to reality, a bit awkwardly averting his gaze to the marble floor. His voice was somewhat terse as he said, "I’ve been looking for you for a while now. Why are you hiding here?"

With a light chuckle, Yun Ya asked, "Why were you looking for me, Brother Yan?"