The young girl’s trembling hand tightly gripped the knife as she cut a piece of Egg Cake for herself and began to taste it.
As soon as it entered her mouth, the first thing she noticed was the unique fresh sweetness and smoothness of animal cream, a flavor Yudong had never tasted before.
Her teeth moved down slowly, tearing through the soft and fluffy sponge of the Egg Cake.
The hidden diced mango and strawberries were revealed.
The wheat aroma of the Egg Cake and the sweet and sour notes of the fruit mixed with the deliciousness of the cream, simultaneously stimulating the girl’s taste buds.
It was delicious, truly delicious…
It wasn’t like chewing wax at all… even though it was such an expensive item…
…
The girl chewed the Egg Cake slowly and cautiously, as if savoring every bit.
“Mm… it’s… truly delicious…”
She could have said those words without any hesitation.
“Delicious? Then I’m relieved. I’ll cut a little bit for Liuyin as well.”
Even though the words carved into the Chocolate Plaque were also a Blessing for her.
But why did her heart feel like it was shattered? It hurt so much…
“Liuyin, come and try the Egg Cake; it’s quite good.”
If only this sentiment were meant for me alone… how wonderful that would be.
Watching Yezhe smile at Liuyin, the girl suddenly felt that what was in her mouth wasn’t Egg Cake, but more like a razor blade; every swallow brought an unbearable pain.
This pain began to spread from her throat, down her esophagus, drilling into her internal organs, and then throughout her entire body.
For a moment, the pain was so intense that she didn’t dare swallow anything else.
The plate was deformed from her grip. Forcing herself to endure, the girl placed the small paper plate holding the Egg Cake onto the table and sat back down.
“Mm! So delicious!”
From the very first bite, the Egg Cake perfectly captured Liuyin’s taste buds, so much so that by the second bite, the girl was simply devouring it.
“Liuyin, eat slowly. Don’t eat so fast.”
Yezhe’s voice was full of doting affection.
He even reached out to wipe the cream from the corner of Liuyin’s mouth, while Liuyin looked at Yezhe with a giggling smile.
So annoying, so annoying…
The warm scene from moments ago became utterly disgusting in Yudong’s eyes, so much so that her stomach began to churn.
“Older Brother, what is this black thing? Is it Chocolate?”
Just how long did she have to keep pretending? To what extent did she have to degrade herself?
“No, you cannot eat this.”
Yezhe shook his head gently, his tone still mild.
“This is specifically a Blessing for Older Sister.”
Compromise, compromise, and compromise again…
“Oh.”
Hearing this, Liuyin withdrew her hand dejectedly.
A flash of disappointment crossed her face, but it was quickly covered by the sweetness of the Egg Cake.
In the end…
She wasn’t the one in the wrong, right?
It all started because he sought her out first. He was the one who took it upon himself to come and help her.
“Liuyin, this Egg Cake was originally bought for your Older Sister, so you have to thank Older Sister, okay?”
He clearly could have chosen to turn a blind eye…
He could have turned a deaf ear to her; he could have treated her as a stranger who had nothing to do with him, letting her rot away in the darkness where no one cared.
“Come, take the Chocolate Plaque and hand it over to Older Sister.”
Yezhe picked up the Chocolate Plaque, tucked it into Liuyin’s hand, and signaled with his eyes for the girl to send the Chocolate over.
Clearly…
“Mm, I understand.”
How hateful…
Of all people, I had to meet you… If only I had never met you…
This increasingly unfamiliar self, this increasingly disgusting self, this self that craved love more and more…
It’s all because of you!!
And so…
Yudong slowly raised her eyes, her cold gaze locking onto Yezhe’s back.
You will bear all the consequences for this… right?
The sadness in her eyes receded quickly like an ebbing tide, replaced by an endless rage and a hint of almost insane obsession, devouring what little remained of her rationality.
First, Yudong felt her vision go dark, and a sharp ringing sound echoed in her ears.
Immediately after, a surge of burning power exploded from her chest, traveling through her blood vessels to every part of her body.
Her entire arm trembled uncontrollably due to this power.
“Older Sister, I wish Auntie a speedy recovery, hee-hee.”
The girl sitting beside her took the Chocolate Plaque from Yezhe’s hand and turned toward her, holding it up before her eyes.
Liuyin’s smile was bright and pure, without a single trace of impurity, filled with the genuine sincerity of a child.
“Hm? Older Sister, are you feeling unwell? Why is your face a bit red?”
The soft, sweet voice drew closer. The gaze of the girl beneath her was filled with concern as she looked at Yudong.
And that look, mixed with complete innocence, was like a Basin of bone-chilling cold water poured over her head, forcibly extinguishing the fire of rage that had burned throughout her body.
The voice she hated most had happened to pull her back at the critical moment.
…
Endure it. I can’t lose it yet… if I break down now, everything will be ruined…
Striving to suppress the impulse within her, Yudong’s violently trembling hand ultimately did not rise. Instead, she clenched it into a fist, her fingernails digging deep into her palm, leaving several red marks that seeped with blood.
“No, I… I’m fine.”
The voice was squeezed out from between her teeth, the end of her sentence carrying a trace of an undetectable quiver.
Looking into Liuyin’s clear, slightly brown pupils, Yudong seemed to see her own reflection within them.
A disgusting, broken, rotting figure…
“I’m going to the restroom.”
Throwing out those words, Yudong gave the others almost no chance to react. She suddenly stood up, her hand shoving the chair aside. The legs of the chair made a harsh scraping sound against the floor, and then she turned and rushed out of the Dining Room like a whirlwind, her pace so fast it was as if she were escaping an impending disaster.
“Ha!”
Inside the restroom, Yudong slammed the door behind her, the heavy Glass Door letting out a muffled “thud.” She strode to the sink, her fingers roughly twisting the faucet open, and icy water immediately gushed out.
Yudong caught the bone-chilling water in her hands and splashed it violently onto her face, over and over again, until her cheeks were numb. Only then did she stop.
Thank goodness… I didn’t act on impulse just now…
Looking at her pale, crazed reflection in the mirror, Yudong couldn’t help but sigh.
If she had really raised her hand to hit someone, she would truly have no chance left.
“Aaaaaahhhhhh…”
So angry, she was dying of anger…
The girl clenched her fists tightly, the veins on the back of her hands bulging hideously from the force.
I can’t strike, and I can’t endure it. Besides, they’re just siblings with no blood relation. How can I be this jealous!
Calm down… calm down.
Liuyin is just a child; she’s no threat to me…
Her clinginess is only because Yezhe is her brother. Aside from that, there’s nothing…
Nothing!
Dammit! You ■■ Yezhe, why did you have to pick up a little girl at a time like this!! If it were a boy, I wouldn’t have lost control like this!!
You’re just a male ■! You put on a smiling face for everyone! Aren’t you disgusting!
You even take an extra look at the Wind-and-Custom Women on the street! What, am I not good-looking enough…
…Indeed…
I’m not good-looking…
Without foundation, I can’t hide these dark circles at all… my face is also ghostly pale…
In the end, I really am like a lunatic…
But that doesn’t stop you from being a Scumbag!
You Pervert! Sao 0! What else can you do all day besides tempting me to the point of desperation!
Acting all gentle every single day… You even provoke every Stray Dog and stray cat that passes by!
How cheap can you be!!!
One day…
I swear!! One day! I’m going to ■ you until you’re crawling on the Bed, begging me for mercy!
The wide-eyed girl spoke these words to the mirror through gritted teeth.
If it hadn’t been for Yudong’s nails digging hard into her palms, she would have shouted those words loud enough for the entire building to hear.
“Whew…”
The cursing didn’t last long. Compared to before, Yudong became much calmer now that she had vented the darkest parts of her inner self.
A crazed calmness.
Just get him drunk… get him drunk, then lock the door. Nothing else matters after that…
…I hate you so much, Yezhe… truly.