Bai Shuqin never expected that the person she had just kicked out of her house less than an hour ago would reappear before her eyes in the Jiang Family garden.
Her face was a mask of sheer astonishment. A second later, her gaze flickered toward the middle-aged woman standing beside Guan Xuxu, who was clearly dressed as a domestic worker, and a sudden realization dawned on her.
This woman was likely Guan Xuxu's biological mother.
Just an A-Sao.
It made sense. Coming from the mountains, what kind of respectable job could she possibly find? To be able to work as an A-Sao in a place like this was already considered quite decent for someone of her standing.
Guan Ruirui had evidently reached the same conclusion.
Internally, she felt nothing but disdain and amusement, yet her face projected an image of deep sympathy and concern. "Sister, so your family works here? You should know that this is the Jiang Family estate. You mustn't touch anything recklessly, or you might end up causing trouble for others."
The Butler leading the way felt his expression twitch slightly at those words. He was just about to open his mouth to explain when he heard Guan Xuxu speak in a cold, detached voice.
"Don't bother."
After a brief pause, her clear almond eyes shifted toward the area behind Guan Ruirui. Seeing the pale gray shadow clinging almost tightly to the girl's back, Guan Xuxu's brow lifted slightly as she added, "If I were you, I'd stay home and behave myself right now instead of wandering around aimlessly."
The Guan residence still held the protective tools she had crafted previously, which ordinary ghosts and yin spirits wouldn't dare approach. But once Ruirui left that area, it was a different story entirely.
Seeing that Guan Xuxu still maintained such an irritating attitude even after leaving her home and only managing to find a nanny for a mother, Bai Shuqin's face nearly contorted with rage. However,
mindful of the Jiang Family Butler's presence, she suppressed her temper. She turned to Guan Ruirui and advised, "Ruirui, you have a good heart, but you have to distinguish who is worth your kindness. Why waste your breath on an ungrateful wolf who doesn't know good from bad?"
Turning back to the Butler, she explained with an air of helpless resignation, "I apologize for the scene. This was a child our family once adopted. Who would have thought that after all the effort we put into raising her, she would turn her back on us the moment she found her biological parents? Sigh.
This child was never well-behaved; she was always clumsy and troublesome. We could tolerate her because she was in our home, but now that she's in someone else's house, there's no telling what kind of mess she might cause."
Bai Shuqin looked deeply worried, but her underlying message was clear: she was subtly warning the Jiang Family that keeping someone like Guan Xuxu around was bound to lead to disaster.
The Butler, hearing this, was secretly appalled.
Did this Mrs. Guan not know that the young woman standing before her was the Eldest Miss the Jiang Family had spent so much effort to find?
To disparage the Eldest Miss so blatantly right in front of him, a butler he couldn't even imagine what kind of life the girl must have led in the Guan Family.
The Butler, who had originally intended to treat them as honored guests out of respect for their role in raising the young lady, suddenly found his demeanor turning cold.
Bai Shuqin, however, mistakenly assumed the Butler's darkened expression was a result of his growing dissatisfaction with Guan Xuxu. She sneered inwardly.
She wanted to watch this ingrate be thrown out. She wanted to see if the girl would still dare to maintain that arrogant attitude afterward.
As for making Xuxu hand over the representative spot, Bai Shuqin believed that now that they had a connection with the Jiang Family, there was no need for further discussion. It was just a spot; if Ruirui wanted it, they would simply take it.
The A-Sao had remained silent since the moment Bai Shuqin and Guan Ruirui approached. After all, the Jiang Family had many rules, and servants generally did not speak to the master's guests without cause.
However, the more she listened to what this guest was saying, the more uncomfortable she felt.
It sounded as if this woman was insulting the Eldest Miss the Jiang Family had just brought home.
Well, this was awkward...
Seeing the situation, the Butler couldn't help but speak up. "Mrs. Guan, Miss Guan, you..."
Just as he spoke, another voice cut through the air.
"What's going on?"
It was Jiang Huai, who had just finished his phone call and come looking for them. Seeing the group gathered around Guan Xuxu, he instinctively quickened his pace and stepped up to them.
The moment she saw Jiang Huai, Guan Ruirui's eyes practically lit up.
Bai Shuqin also sized up the young man. Her gaze swept over the designer watch on his wrist and his multi-million dollar cufflinks, secretly guessing which young master of the Jiang Family he might be.
Upon seeing Jiang Huai, the Butler's expression became solemn. He was about to answer when he realized his young master was looking at the Eldest Miss, so he pressed his lips together and remained silent.
Whether it was because of Jiang Huai's earlier defense of her or some other impulse, Guan Xuxu found herself tattling to him.
"Oh, they were just giving me a hard time."
Her words were sharp, concise, and straight to the point, yet they caused the air to fall into an eerie silence.
Bai Shuqin, recovering first, let out a piercing shriek. "You dead girl, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?!"
As she screamed, she raised her hand to strike Guan Xuxu.
Jiang Huai had found it quite novel to watch his little sister "tattle" on someone, but the moment he saw Bai Shuqin's movement, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a chilling frost.
However, before he could intervene, his supposedly pitiful little sister had already moved. Her hand shot up with lightning speed, precisely and firmly catching Bai Shuqin's raised wrist.
The sudden move stunned everyone, including Bai Shuqin, who clearly hadn't expected her to fight back. Instinctively, the older woman tried to pull her hand away.
Yet, despite Guan Xuxu's grip looking effortless, the strength behind it was undeniable. Bai Shuqin found herself unable to break free.
Holding the wrist firmly, Guan Xuxu looked at Bai Shuqin with cold, indifferent eyes.
"Don't forget, I am no longer a daughter of the Guan Family. I will no longer let you beat or scold me as you please."
As she spoke, she abruptly let go. The force of Bai Shuqin's own struggle, combined with the sudden release, sent her staggering backward.
"Mom!"
Guan Ruirui cried out in alarm, reaching out to support Bai Shuqin before she could fall. When she turned back to Guan Xuxu, her face was filled with feigned disbelief.
"Sister, regardless of everything, Mom is still the person who raised you. How could you lay a hand on her over a few words? You... you've gone too far!"
Even now, Guan Ruirui was tirelessly trying to make Guan Xuxu look like the villain.
After all, no one would ever trust the character of someone who would physically attack the adoptive mother who had raised them.
Guan Xuxu was truly fed up with Guan Ruirui's hypocritical performance. Her almond eyes narrowed as she snapped back without hesitation.
"Which of your eyes saw me lay a hand on her? Just because you're blind, don't assume everyone else is as blind as you."
Jiang Huai watched from the side, a glimmer of amusement and novelty in his eyes.
He had thought his sister was a soft, easily bullied little thing, but he hadn't expected her to be so sharp-tongued.
Excellent. Truly a child of the Jiang Family.
While he watched with interest, Bai Shuqin was consumed by humiliated rage because Guan Xuxu had actually dared to fight back. She had raised the girl; if she wanted to hit her, the girl should have stood there and taken it!
Not only had she resisted, but she had also insulted Ruirui. Forgetting that this was Jiang Family territory, Bai Shuqin pushed Guan Ruirui aside and lunged toward Guan Xuxu.
"You dead girl! You little slut"
Guan Xuxu watched her with a blank expression, stepping back and preparing to move, but unexpectedly, a figure moved faster than her. A broad, tall back shielded her completely, providing a heavy sense of security.
The smile in his eyes had vanished entirely. His entire being radiated an oppressive, bone-chilling aura that was absolutely terrifying.
"This is the Jiang Family, not a place where you can run wild."
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