If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

Xi Lingxian cried, then suddenly seemed to remember something and went behind the desk to start searching.

A moment later, a stack of Xuan paper was thrown at Xi Song, scattering all over the ground.

Xi Song was startled by the hit and bent down to pick it up.

These are his lessons from the past six months at school.

The handwriting is illegible, and the content is all made up without any substance or depth, sometimes even containing frivolous and mocking words.

The Master's comments were increasingly harsh—"This child is beyond redemption!"

Xi Song blushed for a moment, then quickly regained her nonchalant expression, shrugging, "My older sister has been quite free lately, and she's actually starting to care about my studies?"

"I admit I'm bad at my studies, but so what? I don't need to trade with the emperor for a living, so what's the point of studying so much?"

Lingxian stared at him, her chest heaving with anger.

She remembered what this person looked like in her past life.

Around the age of twenty, he was so weak from taking Wushi Powder that he could no longer speak a coherent sentence.

When others mentioned the Second Master of the Xi family, they all said that he was a good-for-nothing who indulged in pleasure until his death, relying on his ancestors' wealth.

At that time, she thought it was just his own fault for not being good enough, but now she knows who pushed him into this mess step by step.

"You weren't like this before. Who taught you to drink and have fun?" she said, pressing him relentlessly, word by word.

Xi Song felt uncomfortable under her gaze and blurted out, "What my third brother said is true. For aristocratic children like us, studying is the least important thing. It's best to make connections and build relationships outside. If not, whatever we want is just a matter of a word from our family. Life is short. If we don't enjoy ourselves while we can, wouldn't we be fools?"

Xi Lingxian narrowed her eyes slightly.

Xi Hui.

She took a deep breath and bent down to pick up a piece of paper from the ground.

She had specifically sought it out.

She handed it to Xi Song, "Take a look at this."

Xi Song took it and glanced at it, his expression suddenly changing.

This article is written in a strong and elegant hand, reminiscent of a master; the content is also well-organized, drawing on classical texts and explaining the strategies for governing a country in a simple and easy-to-understand way; and at the end is the word "excellent" written by Confucius.

Xi Song stared at the page, the color draining from his face little by little.

"This is what Xi Hui, who spends all his time taking you out to eat, drink, and have fun, wrote? What do you think?"

Xi Song's hand, gripping the paper, trembled slightly.

He recalled what Xi Hui had said to him—

"Second brother, studying is the most boring thing. Let's just stop studying together. With our eldest brother supporting us, we should find some fun."

"We were born into a wealthy family. If we don't enjoy life while we can, wouldn't we be wasting the good fortune God has given us?"

But this paper, this excellent calligraphy, and this mastery of classical allusions—these are not skills that can be acquired overnight.

"He lied to me?" Xi Song murmured, "Why?"

He looked up at Lingxian, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Why? He was the one who took me out drinking and having fun, and he even said that if we didn't want to study, we wouldn't study together."

Looking at her younger brother's still-childish face and the hint of sadness in his eyes, Xi Lingxian suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her chest.

In their past life, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were surrounded by tigers and wolves.

This fool was deceived his whole life, never knowing that his third brother, who always took him out to eat, drink, and have fun, was actually plotting against him all along.

"Ah Song?" she spoke, her eyes filled with sorrow and tears. "Do you know what it means to kill someone with praise?"

Xi Song's face stiffened.

My stepmother's smiling face appeared before my eyes.

That always gentle and kind face, those words that always make people feel soothed and comforted—

"If Ah Song doesn't want to do his homework, then he doesn't have to. Studying is too tiring, and our Ah Song doesn't have to suffer like that."

"Ah Song is the young master of the Xi family. It doesn't matter what trouble he gets into. Besides, those people were the ones who offended him first. It's understandable that they should be taught a lesson."

……

Xi Song recalled that from childhood to adulthood, whenever he didn't want to go to school, his stepmother was always the first to speak up for him; when his father wanted to punish him, his stepmother would intervene; when the teacher kept him after school, his stepmother would send someone to pick him up; no matter how big a mistake he made, his stepmother never said a harsh word, but would only say, "Ah Song is still young, he'll be fine when he grows up."

His stepmother treated him even better than her own son.

When Xi Hui made mistakes, his stepmother was never so lenient; kneeling and copying were common punishments.

He was secretly pleased with himself back then, thinking, "So what if I'm his biological son? My stepmother seems to like me more."

But at that moment, her sister's words, "praise to death," were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head.

In the sweltering summer heat, he felt a chill creeping down his spine.

He used to think it was because his stepmother trusted him and thought he was sensible, but now...

Xi Song's hands trembled slightly as he looked up at Ling Xian.

In those eyes, there was surprise, doubt, and a hint of fear that one dared not think too deeply about.

Lingxian felt a pang of pity and gently patted his back. "Your sister and I were both once like this, mistaking a thief for our mother and failing to recognize people. Fortunately, it's still early, and there's still time to save everything."

"Sister..." His voice trembled slightly, "You, your stepmother and the others... have always wanted to?"

"Ah Song, do you think all of this could be a misunderstanding or a coincidence?"

Xi Song spoke, her voice hoarse as if sandpaper had been scraped, "Sister, I... I'm scared."

Lingxian looked directly into her younger brother's eyes and asked, word by word, "What's the use of being afraid? Will being afraid make them let us go?"

"If the Yu family can't even tolerate you and me, do you think they can tolerate my elder brother?"

Xi Song's body suddenly trembled. "She'd target my eldest brother? But how could she possibly have that kind of power?"

Xi Rui, the eldest son of the Xi family, was one of only two aristocratic scions in Jiankang City who could rival Wang Jue in fame.

He joined the army at the age of fifteen. He was brave and skilled in battle, and had extraordinary strategic acumen. He once led five hundred cavalrymen to resist the attack of the Later Xin army, winning a victory against overwhelming odds and becoming famous throughout the land.

Xi Song felt useless; he could accept being tricked, but his elder brother…

He really didn't think that the Yu family could touch his elder brother.

"You can't guard against thieves forever; your elder brother is an upright and honest gentleman, while the treacherous and vicious nature of those villains is impossible to guard against. As long as your elder brother is alive, she won't dare to do anything to you or me openly. Besides, your elder brother is the eldest son, and everything in the Xi family will be his in the future. Do you think any stepmother could tolerate that?"

Xi Song understood, yet he didn't quite grasp it.

"Does the Yu family have the ability to interfere in Jingkou?"

"Of course not."

"If she wants to deal with my elder brother, she will only do so when he returns to Jiankang. So from now on, whenever my elder brother returns to the capital, the two of us will have to take people and protect him every step of the way."

"Us?" Xi Song stared wide-eyed, pointing at himself in disbelief. "Protect Big Brother?"

"If you and I were together, our thighs wouldn't even be as thick as Big Brother's wrist. Big Brother would probably laugh himself to death if he heard that."

The somewhat somber and sorrowful atmosphere was largely dispelled by Xi Song's two witty remarks.

Xi Lingxian choked, "No matter what, it's always better to be safe than sorry. It's always good to be cautious."

Xi Song stared at her blankly.

A gaze peeked through the window and landed on Lingxian's face, clearly illuminating the bitter smile on her lips.

"Sister," he said softly, "I feel like you've become a different person."

"You used to be the most carefree person, only interested in fashionable clothes, jewelry, and handsome young men. You never cared about the trouble I got into, saying that Father would cover for me and the sky wouldn't fall. How come you suddenly..."

He paused, struggling to find the right words, "How come all of a sudden... you understand everything?"

What he actually wanted to say first was how he suddenly grew a brain, but he was so afraid of being beaten if he said it that he changed his mind.

Lingxian lowered her eyes. "I had a dream."

Xi Song was taken aback. "A dream?"

"Yes, after I fell into the water that day, I developed a high fever and was unconscious for a long time. I had a very long, terrifying, and very real dream."

"In my dream, you were drained of your strength by the Five-Stone Powder and became half a cripple; my elder brother was tricked into falling off his horse, broke his leg, and became disabled for life."

Xi Song's lips moved, but no sound came out.

"And I..." Xi Lingxian turned her gaze back to his face, "I married the wrong person, was poisoned by my trusted confidants, and only when the Yu mother and daughter came to see me before I died did they reveal their true colors."

Her eyes were vacant, her expression blank, and then she smirked at the end, "But I'm no pushover either. Before I died, I stabbed Xi Yao to death and took one of her down with me."

Xi Song: "..."