Chapter 258: Chapter 258

Ye Ling finished speaking, smiling as she reached over again, as if the two people watching beside them didn’t exist. Her audacious demeanor truly surprised the Liu siblings.

Ye Qian bit her lip; the first time she could endure it, the second time she had to endure despite herself, especially with the Liu siblings present. But being humiliated in front of them was unbearable. Tears welled up uncontrollably, and she fought hard to hold back, wanting to extend her hand out. Ye Ling’s behavior made her own goodness stand out even more, but her body just refused to cooperate, preventing her arm from being raised.

At this moment, Xiang Weilai and Zhang Linong walked over; Zhao Guodong was emptying the water from his ear, observing Ye Ling with a smile, while Ye Qian sat in the water looking utterly aggrieved. The Liu siblings looked on, unsure of what happened, glancing around inquisitively.

"I slipped my hand earlier, causing my sister to topple into the water. I didn’t manage to pull her up, and she ended up sitting back in the water." Ye Ling shrugged, explaining innocently to everyone, while extending her hand to Ye Qian, "Come on, this time I’ll definitely hold onto you, sister."

These few people surrounded Ye Qian, standing all around her, trapping her in the center. With everyone else standing, the boys wearing swim trunks, when Ye Qian looked up from below, she appeared to be of lower status. Facing the boys’ attire, she felt both ashamed and embarrassed, desperately wishing for a hole to crawl into.

She had endured until now; how could she let Ye Ling take all the advantages, so she reached out her hand again, "Sister, don’t take it to heart. Falling into the water doesn’t hurt."

Her words subtly accused Ye Ling of intentionally making her fall.

Ye Ling paid no attention, her eyes flashing with a hidden intent, thinking she might repeat her previous actions. However, Ye Qian was immediately on guard, pulling her hand back before Ye Ling could exert force, deliberately falling into the water again. In reality, her body hadn’t lifted high. But since she was sitting in the water, the splash made it look heavier than it was.

Ye Qian bit her lip and promptly spoke, "No problem, no problem, I slipped my hand."

This attempt at covering up ended up helping Ye Ling conceal the situation.

Ye Ling’s lips curled into a smirk as she forced words of concern out while grinding her teeth, "Though it’s summer, my sister is still a girl, and having wet clothes sticking to the body isn’t good. You should get up soon, especially with so many people around."

The exchange between the sisters was brief, and those standing around had barely managed to observe before everything unfolded. Seeing things could get problematic, Liu Zhiyuan, who had been nearby from the start, bent down proactively to help Ye Qian up.

He turned to instruct his sister beside him, "Liu Rui, take Ye Qian to change clothes."

Ye Qian, with tear-rimmed eyes, said softly, "Thank you, Brother Zhiyuan."

She shot a resentful glance at Ye Ling before leaving with Liu Rui. Compared to Ye Ling’s assertiveness, Ye Qian was naturally seen as the victim by outsiders.

However, with the exception of Ye Ling, Ye Qian, and Liu Rui, the rest were all boys. The boys were generally carefree and wouldn’t confront Ye Ling even if she did bully Ye Qian.

Xiang Weilai smiled, turned, and said, "Time to eat."

On this outing, they had brought a lot of delicious food. Although they were mostly boys, they were still concerned. With Ye Qian helped away, it left Ye Ling awkward, yet Xiang Weilai’s words shifted everyone’s focus away. Zhang Linong glanced at Xiang Weilai’s back, unsure of his intentions, whether he was being conscious or not.

Looking up, Zhao Guodong had already pulled Ye Ling forward, "Let’s eat; I’m starving."

Once people dispersed, the situation just faded away.

Walking a step behind, Liu Zhiyuan looked at Ye Ling’s retreating figure, lost in thought. Sun Mingjie complained, "Did you see that? She bullied Ye Qian right in front of us. Who knows what she does behind closed doors. No wonder Aunt Bai, who’s usually so good-natured, has conflicts with her daughter; the problem must lie with Ye Ling."

"That’s the Ye Family’s issue, let’s not get involved," Liu Zhiyuan said lightly.

Sun Mingjie wasn’t upset, as Liu Zhiyuan was known for his integrity and never talked behind people’s backs. Over the years, Sun Mingjie had become accustomed to it.

He turned to chat with Dong Haoyu, who had a good temperament: whatever Sun Mingjie said, he listened but didn’t answer back, satisfying Sun Mingjie.

Ye Ling and the others arrived to eat; noticing the absence of Ye Qian and Liu Rui, Bai Xue was the first to ask. When told they went to change after falling into the water, Bai Xue looked at her eldest daughter, clearly suspecting that the younger daughter’s fall was instigated by the elder.

Zhao Guodong got annoyed and whispered to Ye Ling, "Why does your mom blame everything on you? I’m honestly glad I don’t have a mom anymore."

"Don’t be ridiculous." Ye Ling knew he was trying to console her, "She’s her own person, and I’m mine. She doesn’t regard me as her daughter, and I don’t regard her as my mother."

"So long as you’re unbothered." Zhao Guodong tore off a drumstick from the roast chicken and placed it on Ye Ling’s plate, "Eat more; I noticed you haven’t picked anything."

Ye Ling glanced at her plate, with food placed there by Zhao Guodong, Zhang Linong, and even Wang Ping, who pushed food from afar. This section comprised children sitting together, men in one group, and women in another. When Liu Rui and Ye Qian returned in clean clothes, they saw Ye Ling’s plate abundantly filled with food.

With the Liu family’s means, Liu Rui didn’t mind but felt Ye Ling’s actions were somewhat petty. It wasn’t about the food itself, as she noticed her brother’s empty spot and pulled Ye Qian over. Ye Qian saw Ye Ling eating voraciously and her eyes were filled with mockery. She looked around at the courtyard children; seeing Ye Ling pile food on her plate without anyone showing contempt bothered her. However, she didn’t know that the food was placed by those around Ye Ling.

Despite Ye Ling’s slim and petite appearance, her appetite matched Zhao Guodong and the other boys. By the time Ye Qian and Liu Rui returned, they had already put their chopsticks down, while Ye Ling ate alongside Zhao Guodong and the others. This text is hosted at novel⚑fire.net

Liu Rui was amazed, whispering to Ye Qian, "Your sister really can eat."

Ye Qian smiled helplessly, leaving much unsaid. Liu Zhiyuan and the other boys glanced at Ye Ling, wondering how someone so thin consumed so much. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations and month tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)