Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

Yun Shuwen recognized the venison on the grill; it belonged to his family's deer.

He recognized the wine those people were holding; it was aged wine that had been stored in the Qin family's cellar for decades.

These things should have been his. He was Qin's only son. Why couldn't he spend his mother's property?

But now he can't even afford a meal, while his mother lets Xiao Fang, that outsider, lead a group of纨绔 (spoiled brats) and squander money on the estate.

Last time I went to my mother to ask for money, she only sent one message—"No."

No?

The Qin family had a huge estate, a hundred or so deer that they could kill at will, and decades' worth of wine that they could drink freely, but when it came to him, "there was nothing" left?

Yun Shuwen clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, leaving white marks.

For a moment, he wanted to rush over, overturn the grills, and point his finger at Xiao Fang, yelling at him:

"This is my family's estate, get out!"

But he dared not.

He recalled the last time he had scolded Yun Shuyao.

How did that man beat him so badly that he was unconscious? That beating kept him in bed for two whole months, and his ribs still ache slightly to this day.

He swallowed hard, suppressing his anger.

He's here to make money, not to cause trouble.

As long as he sees his mother and speaks a few words to her, she won't really watch him starve to death.

He went around to the other end of the veranda, keeping a low profile to avoid attracting anyone's attention.

But he underestimated Xiao Fang's insight.

Xiao Fang was standing under the willow tree, holding a teacup in one hand and with his arm around Yun Shuyao's shoulder, lazily listening to Lu Zhao boast about how good his riding skills were.

His gaze swept casually across the area before settling on the furtive figure loitering in the corridor.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Lu Zhao".

Xiao Fang interrupted Lu Zhao's self-praise, raising his chin slightly towards the corridor.

"There's a blind fool over there."

Lu Zhao followed his gaze and immediately recognized him.

Yun Shuwen, the good-for-nothing from the Yun family whose title was revoked.

In the elite circles of Beijing, Yun Shuwen's reputation was barely better than that of a stray dog ​​on the street.

He bullies the weak and fears the strong, and is an opportunist. He even joined his father in forcing his sister to marry a scumbag.

Later, he would cry poverty and act pitiful to everyone he met, which was disgusting.

"Hey!"

Lu Zhao put the wine bowl on the ground and rolled up his sleeves.

"I was just worried about not having anyone to liven things up."

He beckoned to several spoiled young men, who then discreetly flanked him from both sides.

Yun Shuwen was walking forward with his back bent when he suddenly noticed two more people in front of him. When he looked back, his path behind him was also blocked.

His face turned pale instantly, and he turned to run away, but Lu Zhao grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"Why are you running, brother-in-law?"

Lu Zhao grinned, emphasizing the words "brother-in-law" with a sarcastic tone.

"You came without even saying hello, that's too formal."

Yun Shuwen struggled for a moment, but was held up by the two spoiled brats on either side of her arms, her feet almost leaving the ground.

His voice trembled with panic.

"I...I'm here to find my mother! Let me go!"

Xiao Fang walked over unhurriedly, still holding the cup of tea in his hand.

He stopped in front of Yun Shuwen, looking down at him with a detached gaze, as if he were looking at an ant.

"Looking for your mother-in-law?"

Xiao Fang took a sip of tea, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"If you need anything from your mother-in-law, you can talk to me instead."

When Yun Shuwen met Xiao Fang's eyes, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Those were the eyes he feared most in his life.

When he smiles, he's alright, but when he doesn't smile, he's as cold as a poisoned blade.

Although Xiao Fang's lips were curved in a smile, the smile didn't reach his eyes at all.

"I...I am—"

Yun Shuwen's voice began to tremble.

"I wanted to send my greetings to my mother..."

"Greetings?"

Xiao Fang chuckled, handed the teacup to Yun Shuyao beside him, and freed his hands to stretch his wrists.

"Your mother-in-law doesn't need your filial piety, but there is something I'd like to talk to you about."

He grabbed Yun Shuwen by the collar and dragged him to the edge of the lotus pond.

The people gathered around the lotus pond automatically made way for it.

Yun Shuyao stood under the willow tree, holding Xiao Fang's teacup in her hand, watching everything with a blank expression.

Xiao Fang pressed Yun Shuwen against the railing by the lotus pond, leaving half of his body suspended above the water.

Yun Shuwen kicked her legs in terror, looking down at the murky pond water and the fallen lotus leaves below, her voice cracking with fright.

"Xiao Fang! What are you doing! I'm Shu Yao's own brother!"

"My own brother?"

Xiao Fang lowered his head, his voice so soft that only the two of them could hear it.

"When you were disciplining her with family rules, why didn't you remember that you were her own brother?"

Yun Shuwen's pupils shrank sharply. Here we go again. Is he going to punish him for this again?

Xiao Fang straightened up, the smile on his face disappearing.

He released his grip and tilted his head slightly towards Lu Zhao.

Without saying a word, Lu Zhao kicked Yun Shuwen in the lower back, sending him flying into the lotus pond.

With a loud splash, water sprayed three feet high, knocking over a cluster of lotus leaves nearby.

The surrounding playboys, who had been watching the spectacle, burst into laughter.

Some people patted the railing and cheered, while others whistled.

Yun Shuwen struggled desperately in the water, choking on several mouthfuls of water.

The pond is not deep, but the bottom is full of silt.

He stepped in, and half of his leg sank into the mud. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank.

Yun Shuwen finally managed to stick his head out of the water, gasping for breath, his mouth filled with mud and duckweed, looking utterly disheveled.

He frantically pulled himself toward the shore, and just as his hand touched the railing, he saw a bamboo pole fall from the sky.

Lu Zhao held one end of the bamboo pole, while the other end pressed against his chest, pushing him back down.

"What's the rush?"

Lu Zhao squatted on the railing like a naughty child, teasing the frogs in the water with a stick.

"This water is so refreshing, let's soak a little longer."

The bamboo pole tapped him on the head again, not hard, but it was extremely humiliating.

Yun Shuwen's head was pushed into the water, then struggled to emerge, her hair covered with green duckweed and water plants, like a clump of rotten algae.

The playboys on the shore laughed so hard they were doubled over. One girl even took out a handful of melon seeds and started cracking them open as she watched, as if she were watching a very exciting show.

Yun Shuwen choked violently, the mud filling his nose and ears, and his eyes burning red from the filthy water.

He looked towards the shore, where Yun Shuyao stood in the shade, holding a cup of tea, quietly watching him.

"younger sister--"

Yun Shuwen seemed to have grasped at the last straw, her voice shrill and pitiful, tinged with sobs.

"Sister, save me! I'm your own brother!"

"Your father is dead, and now you only have your mother and me left—"

Yun Shuyao walked over from the shade, her movements unhurried, her skirt swaying gently in the breeze.

She looked at the disheveled man in the water, her eyes showing no anger, no pity, and no hatred.

It's something more chilling than hatred.

indifferent.

It's like looking at someone who has nothing to do with you.

"When you forced me to jump into that fire pit of the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion."

Yun Shuyao spoke, her voice not loud, but it felt like an ice pick piercing Yun Shuwen's ear.

"My mother is my only family."

Yun Shuwen's face froze.

The bamboo pole came at him again, this time with great accuracy and force, piercing his chest and knocking him backward into the water.

He poked his head out and desperately reached out toward Yun Shuyao, his fingers opening and closing spasmodically, his voice broken and intermittent as he choked on the water.

"What you said... glug... you're wrong... if you don't save me... glug... I'm going to drown!"

Yun Shuyao looked at him as he was about to sink, and suddenly smiled.

That smile was beautiful, with the corners of her mouth and her eyes curved.

But in Yun Shuwen's eyes, it was even more terrifying than Xiao Fang's sneer.

"You don't need to worry."

Yun Shuyao raised her voice and addressed the spoiled young masters on the shore who were holding bamboo poles:

"He won't drown; he can swim."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere on the shore changed instantly.