My Arrogant Young Lady

"We went to a nice restaurant, it's fine." Zhang Xuan glanced at me again, then walked into the bedroom.

It was just my aunt and me at dinner that night. My uncle hadn't come back since their argument. With only the two of us at the table, I ate listlessly. My mind was wandering, wondering where Zhang Xuan had gone with them that afternoon. That Wendi guy seemed to have a thing for Zhang Xuan; I hoped he wouldn't take advantage of her.

"Xi'er, is this bracelet a gift from your mother when you were little?" Suddenly, my aunt asked me in a strange tone.

"Yes." As soon as I saw her eyeing my bracelet again, I immediately became wary.

"Can I borrow your bracelet for my aunt to take a look?" my aunt asked me with a smile.

"It's nothing good, better not to look at it." I pulled up my sleeve to cover the bracelet.

At that moment, I saw a hint of anger in my aunt's eyes. But she didn't show it and quickly suppressed it. Then she smiled at me and said, "Xi'er, your mother has sent you to our family for so many years, and she hasn't even come back to see you once. This bracelet is a keepsake from your mother, so don't lose it."

"Auntie, where did my mom go?" I asked.

“He went to find your father,” your aunt said.

"So, do you know what she does? And what about my dad? Do you know what he does?" I asked.

"I don't know." My aunt gently shook her head.

"Auntie, can I show you my bracelet? Can you tell me what it is?" I thought for a moment and said.

“You silly child, how did you end up making deals with your aunt? Your aunt really didn’t know, and if she had, she would have told you. But your uncle knows best what your parents do. However, your uncle can’t tell you, he doesn’t even tell me,” your aunt said.

"Why?" I asked in surprise.

"I don't know, it's like there's some secret involved, all very mysterious. But I do know one thing: your family used to be very wealthy," Auntie said.

"My family used to be very rich? My family used to be rich?" I was surprised again.

"Well, when you used to come to our house, you always wore designer clothes, and all the food and toys you had were imported. And the money your mom gave my family... never mind, I won't talk about it." My aunt suddenly seemed annoyed, and her eyes went back to my bracelet.

Seeing that my aunt was annoyed, I knew that if I asked her any more questions, she might get angry. It's probably because her family has become wealthy; my uncle always says it's because of me, because of my mother, that they've become so rich. He also keeps saying he wants to repay my mother, which makes my aunt unhappy. She's probably afraid that if my mother finds out her family is rich, she'll ask them for money.

If I want to know what my parents do, I'll have to ask my uncle. But when I asked him before, he only said three words to me, "I can't tell you."

His three words struck me as odd. Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing; what did he mean by saying he couldn't say? I just couldn't understand it.

As I thought about it, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside me. I had a vague premonition that my parents might be coming to see me soon. Because for the past few days, I've always felt like someone is watching me from behind. And that girl's sneer I heard last time was definitely not my imagination.

If it was an illusion, how could the voice be so clear? The voice was a girl laughing at me.

Who exactly is that girl?

Thinking about all this, I noticed my aunt was still secretly staring at my bracelet. A thought suddenly struck me, and I took off the bracelet and handed it to her, saying, "Auntie, let me show you my bracelet."

"Really?" My aunt looked at me in surprise.

"Hmm." I smiled, feeling a little tired.

My aunt was overjoyed and immediately took the bracelet from me to examine it. She looked at it very carefully, constantly stroking it with her hands and occasionally holding it up to shine a light on it.

Originally, I didn't want to show my aunt my bracelet; I could keep her in suspense. The less she saw it, the nicer she'd be to me, and the more Zhang Xuan would get closer to me. But now, I have other thoughts. I want to know my background, what my parents do. If my aunt really has the ability to identify bracelets, she can tell if it's real or fake. If it's fake, I have nothing to hope for. But if it's real…

"Auntie, what do you think of this bracelet?" I asked my auntie cautiously, feeling nervous.

“I can’t quite put my finger on it. It looks real, but something’s not quite right,” my aunt said.

"Auntie, you can even tell the difference between bracelets now?" I asked.

“Hehe, back when we were poor, all the treasures I had were just junk. But these past few years, I’ve spent more money and broadened my horizons.” My aunt simply brought out her reading glasses and put on the bracelet she was using to observe me.

"Is it true?" I asked.

"Let me take a picture, I'll show it to the experts," my aunt suddenly said to me, putting down the bracelet.

"Fine!" I gritted my teeth.

My aunt quickly took a picture of my bracelet, then grabbed her car keys and left. I felt incredibly nervous, even more so than when I was waiting for my high school entrance exam results.

I glanced into Zhang Xuan's room and heard that it was quiet. She seemed very tired today; she had been drinking with Wendi and the others and had fallen asleep in her room.

I felt like Wendi might be interested in Zhang Xuan, so I called Lu Zhicheng after thinking for a moment. "Brother Cheng, what did you guys do this afternoon?"

“Singing, eating. Wang Xi, were you angry at noon today? Were you ignored by Brother Wendi and are you a little unhappy? If you're unhappy, just say so, and I'll ignore Brother Wendi from now on,” Lu Zhicheng said to me.

"I wasn't upset, something just suddenly came up, so I didn't go," I lied to Lu Zhicheng.

"Oh, is that so? What's the rush? You didn't even come to hang out with me. But this afternoon, we had a great time. Brother Wendi specifically told us at the karaoke bar today that Young Master Bao should protect us from now on. If he hears of anyone hitting us again, he'll personally avenge us. Also, so you and Zhang Xuan are siblings?" Lu Zhicheng said.

"What? How did you know?!" I immediately widened my eyes upon hearing Lu Zhicheng's words.

“Zhang Xuan told us herself, she told us everything about you! She even treated us to dinner tonight and asked Brother Wendi to take good care of you. Wang Xi, I’m so envious of you, having such a beautiful and rich older sister. Damn, why don’t I have such a beautiful older sister?” Lu Zhicheng said.

Then, Lu Zhicheng told me some of what Zhang Xuan had said. He told me that the reason Zhang Xuan always criticized and mocked me was to try to make me more ambitious. And her denial of our relationship was to motivate me to work harder. But now that I'm always disappointing, she's given up. She won't provoke me anymore; I can become whatever I want.

Hearing Lu Zhicheng's words, I couldn't help but sneer inwardly. I thought to myself, what kind of person is Zhang Xuan so caring? Isn't this like pouring boiling water on flowers in the dead of winter?

I have a congenital condition that prevents me from engaging in strenuous exercise. If I want to improve my health, I can only walk slowly, not run. Sports like basketball and soccer are even further out of my reach; no matter how much I exercise, the results are minimal. And every few months I have to stay in the hospital for a period, and when I come back, I can't understand anything the teacher is saying. Even if Zhang Xuan tries to motivate me, I can't improve without her tutoring.

Damn, Zhang Xuan's way of showing concern for people is absolutely amazing; she's a total oddball.

Lu Zhicheng really annoyed me, and I thought I'd have to talk to Zhang Xuan about it tomorrow. She's already asleep tonight, so I won't disturb her.

The next morning, I got up early to prepare for breakfast and school. I also wanted to see Zhang Xuan and talk to her about how she should treat me in the future. But for some reason, neither Zhang Xuan nor my aunt got up this morning, and the house was unusually quiet.

I sat there blankly in the dining room for ages before I realized it was Saturday!

Just then, Zhang Xuan's door opened. Perhaps because she went to bed early yesterday, she woke up especially early today. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she glared at me as soon as she saw me and said, "Why are you up so early?"

"Because I'm going to school today..." I said, blinking.

"Heh, you idiot." Zhang Xuan sneered, then looked at the wall clock and said, "Perfect timing, let's go to Zhongjie in a bit."

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm selling you shoes, you idiot!" Zhang Xuan cursed at me again.

Because Wendi treated me to lunch yesterday, Zhang Xuan's plan to take me shoe shopping fell through. I wasn't expecting much anyway, thinking Zhang Xuan might have forgotten. But I didn't expect her to remember, which touched me. Although she was still as sarcastic as ever, I felt a warm feeling inside.

"Let me take a shower, then we'll go out." Zhang Xuan gave me another fierce look before heading towards the bathroom.

"No need." Suddenly, his aunt's voice came from behind.

"Why?" Zhang Xuan asked in surprise when she saw her aunt come out as well.

"Ha ha……"

Chapter Twenty-Six: A Chance Encounter with Tang Wendi

My aunt's laughter was cold, and so was her attitude. Her eyes were cold as she looked at me, her face etched with meanness. Today's aunt was completely different from yesterday's. It was as if she had reverted to her old self.

I listened to my aunt's cold laughter and saw her cold smile. A vague unease crept into my heart, and I seemed to understand something.

My aunt sneered, giving me a disdainful look, and said, "Xuanxuan, you don't need to take him shopping anymore, and you don't need to buy him shoes. Wang Xi has no conscience; no matter how good you are to him, it's all in vain. From now on, you are not allowed to spend a single penny on him, and you are not allowed to get too close to him, do you understand?"

"Why?" Zhang Xuan asked in surprise.

"Because his bracelet is fake!" My aunt looked at me disdainfully and sneered.

"..." After hearing her aunt's words, Zhang Xuan looked at me with even greater surprise.

I laughed when I saw my aunt's realistic expression.

When I gave the bracelet to my aunt yesterday, I already knew what the outcome would be. If the bracelet was fake, I believe my aunt would immediately turn on me. She would never be kind to me again, and she wouldn't let Zhang Xuan get close to me. But I'm not afraid, because I want to know about my origins. Even a small clue would be helpful.

If this bracelet is genuine, it means my parents are someone of high status. And the truth about someone following me will gradually come to light. But if the bracelet is fake, it means my parents are just ordinary people. As for being followed, it might just be my imagination. No one is coming to see me anymore; my parents won't come. I will never see my parents again.

Haha, I knew it! How could my bracelet be genuine? If my parents were really important people, why would they leave me here to be bullied?

Thinking about all this, I smiled and glanced at my aunt. Then, feeling dejected, I walked towards my room.

"Can't even lift a bag of rice, what a useless piece of trash. Talk to your uncle later, and he can go live at school from now on. We don't support idlers in this family!" My aunt said coldly behind me.

“Okay…” Hearing my aunt’s words, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

Outside the window, everything was turning white; the sky looked so gloomy. The room was dark, and I sat on the bed, feeling a chill in my heart. Gradually, despair crept into my heart. I never dared to hope that the bracelet was real, nor did I ever imagine my parents were important figures. But why didn't they come looking for me?

Mom, Dad, do you know how much I've suffered in this family since I was little?!

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I almost screamed in anguish. Suddenly, I began to hate my parents. I hated them for being so heartless as to abandon me. It was one thing for my father to be irresponsible, but why did he have to take my beautiful mother's heart with him? If it weren't for him, how could my mother have sent me to this cold-hearted family and left me to go find him!

I hate not only my parents, but also my aunt. She'll do anything for money. She's been putting on such a good act these past few days; I almost thought she was actually starting to treat me well. Ha! Her acting is superb, and she's such a hypocrite. When she saw my bracelet wasn't real, she said I was heartless and that no matter how good she was to me, it wouldn't matter. What a great excuse!

And Zhang Xuan, was all her kindness towards me fake? Yesterday she admitted to our relationship, was she also deliberately lying to me?

Thinking about this, I feel a deep pain in my heart again.

"What are you doing? Why did you take your coat off again? Put it back on quickly, let's go to Zhongjie Street!"

Suddenly, the door opened. Zhang Xuan, dressed in a very beautiful outfit, appeared before me, exuding a delicate fragrance.

"Sister...you...?" I was surprised to see Zhang Xuan come looking for me again.

Perhaps noticing my slightly red eyes, Zhang Xuan let out a surprised "Eh." Gradually, a sardonic smile, just like her aunt's, appeared on Zhang Xuan's face. Chin held high, Zhang Xuan looked at me arrogantly and said, "How pathetic. Your parents aren't important figures, so you're probably heartbroken and want to cry, right? I told you long ago that your bracelet was fake. If it were real, how could your parents have put you here to take advantage of my family? Hehehe, that's hilarious. Look at you now, it's really funny."

Zhang Xuan was mocking me again, but I was already used to her mockery. I wasn't in the mood to argue with her, so I frowned and said, "Sister, you've misunderstood me. I never expected my parents to be important people; I'm just disappointed."

"What are you disappointed about?" Zhang Xuan asked me.

“These past few days I’ve felt like someone’s following me, and I suspect they’re my parents. But my suspicions might be wrong; they might not have come looking for me,” I said.

"Hehe, you have quite the imagination. You're just a loser, who would be so bored as to follow you? Your parents might be dead, so stop overthinking it," Zhang Xuan said.

"What did you say?!" I was instantly enraged and glared at her, yelling.

"Damn it, why are you yelling at me? Your parents don't care about you at all, so why are you defending them? They don't want you anymore, so what if I said they're dead? Shouldn't such irresponsible parents be scolded?" Zhang Xuan got angry too, raising her eyebrows to look at me.

"You're not allowed to talk about them like that!" I said angrily, my face turning red.

"Alright, are you going to come buy shoes with me or not? If not, I'll go shopping by myself," Zhang Xuan said.

"I'm not going," I said angrily.

"What? You're not going? Are you kidding me? If you don't go, I'll have taken a bath for nothing!" Zhang Xuan said.

“Anyway, you only wash once a day,” I said.

"We'll have to wait until tonight," Zhang Xuan said.

"Oh, then wait for me to wash my face first, and then I'll go with you." After saying a few words to Zhang Xuan, my anger subsided.

"Let's take a shower first, then we'll sneak out." Zhang Xuan winked at me.

“Okay, I understand,” I said.