My sister, whom I raised, has turned evil after faking her death for three years.

The moment this thought exploded in Cui Jiayi's mind, a series of hurried footsteps came from the office door.

A figure wearing a black mask and a dark hoodie strode in and, without saying a word, kicked Cui Jiayi squarely in the stomach.

The kick was quite powerful, sending Cui Jiayi flying backward and knocking over a potted green plant by the door. The pot shattered on the ground, and mud splattered onto her expensive suit dress.

She curled up on the ground, clutching her stomach, in so much pain she couldn't even make a sound, only hissing gasps.

Jiang Yi trembled with fright, shrinking into the corner like a startled quail, hugging her knees and burying her face in them, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Her shoes still had bits of crushed pothos leaves stuck to them, but she didn't care anymore.

She had been pampered by her family since she was a child and had never seen anything like this before.

The person stopped, ripped off their mask, turned around, picked up the trash can in the corner, bent over, and started vomiting.

He vomited so violently that it looked like he had stepped on something extremely disgusting. He was holding the trash can in his arms, his whole body curled up like a shrimp, his shoulders shaking.

The male teacher standing next to him subconsciously took half a step back, his expression as if he were looking at some incredible spectacle.

This guy just kicked a woman away, and now he's hugging a trash can, vomiting and unable to speak. The contrast is just too great.

Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes widened even more, and this time his mouth formed a huge "O": "Brother?!"

The program raised its hand to stop him, without even looking up, and gestured "wait a moment" with its free left hand.

He gagged twice more in front of the trash can, finally suppressing the nausea, then took out a pack of tissues from his pocket, slowly wiped his mouth, folded the used tissues, and threw them into the trash can.

He stood up, straightened the collar of his hoodie, smoothed out the wrinkles on the sleeves, and his expression returned to its usual indifferent and composed state.

It seems that the person who was just vomiting into the trash can for so long wasn't him at all.

He walked up to Cheng Xiaoyu and patted the chubby boy on the head.

Cheng Xiaoyu looked up at him, the bruise on his left cheekbone particularly noticeable under the light.

"Okay, as long as you didn't lose." Cheng Xuyan looked down at the injury on his face, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "You still know how to protect your little sister, not bad."

Cheng Xiaoyu, flattered by the praise, instinctively wanted to grin, but the corner of his mouth twitched, pulling at the wound on his lower lip. He hissed in pain and quickly pursed his lips, instead puffing out his chest and patting his round belly: "Of course! I'm a man! I promised to protect Xiaoran!"

Seeing the chubby boy's smug look, Cheng Xuyan felt helpless and ignored him, his gaze passing over the chubby boy's head and landing on Su Qing.

The sounds of voices, footsteps, and Jiang Yi's suppressed sobs from the corner of the office were still there, but he just stood there, less than a meter away, looking at Su Qing.

My stomach was calm, and my heart was beating a little faster, but not the kind of palpitations I feel during a panic attack.

Her hair was a little loose today, and there were still some small specks of mud splattered on her cheeks, but her eyes were still the same as when he first saw her at the door, as stubborn as a blade of grass growing from a crack in the wall.

Su Qing was puzzled by his gaze and returned him a questioning look.

She looked down at herself, then looked up at Cheng Xuyan, making sure there was nothing strange on her face, and then frowned slightly.

Then suddenly a hand reached out from behind Cheng Xuyan and hooked around his shoulder.

The newcomer was about the same height as Cheng Puyan, with clear features and a smile playing on his lips. As soon as he stopped, he pressed Cheng Puyan's stiff arm down from mid-air: "Hey, what did I tell you? Even if this girl is your only exception, there's no need to keep staring at her, is there? She's getting uncomfortable under your gaze, haven't you noticed?"

The expression on Cheng Xuyan's face finally changed from calm and self-possessed to a suppressed helplessness.

He took a deep breath, turned his head, and stared at the newcomer with a gloomy gaze, his eyes saying, "Can't you find somewhere else to act like a jerk?"

  

The newcomer was completely oblivious to his death stare, and instead casually peeked out from beside Cheng Xuyan and waved to Su Qing.

He looked to be about the same age as Cheng Xuyan, wearing a clean white T-shirt and dark gray casual pants. He had very good features, with bright eyes and a high nose bridge. When he smiled, he had a bit of a roguish air about him. He was the type who had never lacked suitors since childhood.

Su Qing didn't know him, but she felt that someone who could put his arm around Cheng Xuyan so skillfully was probably not a simple character.

Jiang Ren stopped laughing, took her hand off Cheng Xuyan's shoulder, and stood up straight.

He took a step forward, stood in front of Su Qing, lowered his head slightly, and said in a sincere tone, without a trace of perfunctoriness: "Miss Su, my name is Jiang Ren, and Jiang Yi is my cousin."

"Cui Jiayi is my mother's stepsister. Although she's not a proper relative, she's been bullying people outside by using the Jiang family's name. Our Jiang family can't escape responsibility for this. The responsibility for today's events lies entirely with us. On behalf of the Jiang family, I apologize to you."

After he finished speaking, he turned slightly to the side, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Yi, who was huddled in the corner, and then looking at the little girl behind Su Qing, whose hair was disheveled and whose knees were injured. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, and his tone softened a bit, "This little girl has also been wronged. I will bear the medical expenses, subsequent compensation, and all the losses today. Whatever she needs, the Jiang family will take full responsibility."

Su Qing looked at him.

This person apologized with a very proper posture and a sincere attitude, without any intention of bullying others. He was a completely different species from his aunt and cousin.

Jiang Renchong and Su Qing nodded, then turned around and walked towards the corner.

His steps were slow, but each step carried a chilling sense of oppression.

Jiang Yi huddled in the corner. When she saw him coming over, she trembled even more violently. She hugged her knees tightly, her nails digging into her school uniform sleeves.

She looked up at Jiang Ren with teary eyes, her lips moved a few times, and she squeezed out a soft "Brother..."

"Shut up."

Jiang Ren's voice wasn't loud, but it was as cold as a knife just taken out of the freezer.

Jiang Yi's tears streamed down her face, but she dared not utter another word.

She had never seen Jiang Ren speak to her in such a tone before.

Jiang Ren looked down at her spoiled little cousin, her usually smiling eyes now devoid of any smile, only filled with chilling disappointment and a warning: "Jiang Yi, you can always get away with anything at home, but once you leave the Jiang family, no one is obligated to cover for you. I'm telling you, from today onwards, you are not allowed to have any contact with Cui Jiayi. If I find you hanging out with her again, you'd better think carefully about the consequences."