THD Chapter 22

The original female lead was currently being criticized for her table manners, yet no one dared say a word.

Whatever Ye Xiqing pointed at, someone immediately placed it onto her plate.

At eighteen, an age when a hungry person could practically eat an entire cow, Ye Xiqing had spent the whole day using her brain and was genuinely starving. The Ye family's dishes were exquisite, but she paid no attention to appearances while eating. She finished two bowls of rice, sampled every dish on the table, then moved on to the soup and dessert, still not entirely satisfied.

Watching her, the Third Young Master Ye clicked his tongue and said recklessly, "Little sister, you can really eat!"

Ye Xiqing quietly glanced at him.

The Third Young Master Ye immediately shut his mouth.

To be honest, Ye Xiqing's eyes were rather frightening. When she smiled, there was a hint of gentleness in them. But when she stared at someone silently, it felt as though a venomous snake were watching its prey.

At the moment, the Third Young Master Ye had no desire to offend her.

Partly because she was suspected of having some sort of mental illness in her previous life, and partly because if Father discovered the thoughts he had just entertained, wouldn't he end up suffering the same fate as his older brothers?

Of course, despite knowing that, he had no intention of warning the Eldest Young Master Ye or the Second Young Master Ye.

Better them than him.

Besides, wasn't this entertaining?

Because of the age gap, he had never been in a position to compete with his older brothers. But now, an entirely new path seemed to have opened before him.

Looking at Ye Xiqing again, there was even a trace of flattery in his eyes. Anyone unaware of the situation might have mistaken him for a good older brother endlessly doting on his younger sister.

The Third Young Master Ye was in a good mood, but his mother was filled with worry.

Everything that had happened recently was a devastating blow to her.

For the moment, she had no energy to care about her sons. Instead, she focused entirely on her newly found daughter.

Watching Ye Xiqing eat as though she had escaped from a famine, she felt a sharp pain in her heart.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly. Did you not even get a proper meal while you were out there...?"

Ye Xiqing: ...

Apparently, everyone felt entitled to comment on how much she ate.

Even when the Miao family had been at its poorest, nobody had ever criticized her appetite.

Before she could respond, however, Ye Xueli's face suddenly turned pale.

Twisting her fingers together, she said in a panic, "I'm sorry, Mom... I'm sorry, Sister... It's all because of me that Sister had to suffer like this..."

The moment she heard those words, Madam Ye's attention shifted away from Ye Xiqing.

She had many children, but her sons had all grown into adventurers who left home to pursue their own paths. No matter how much she chased after them, she could only watch their backs disappear into the distance and wait for them to return occasionally with stories of the outside world.

Only her daughter had remained by her side.

She had watched Ye Xueli grow from a little girl who nestled in her arms into a graceful young lady.

All those years of love and care could not simply disappear because they were not related by blood.

So she immediately turned to comfort her.

"No, no, it's not your fault. It's all..."

"The fault of the person who switched the children. I honestly don't know how that person can still eat."

The Third Young Master Ye: ...

Madam Ye: ...

Turning toward the source of the voice, they discovered that Ye Xiqing had already finished eating.

She stood with her arms folded, expressionlessly staring at the Third Young Master Ye.

Only then did Madam Ye remember that her daughter was a reborn person who knew everything.

Naturally, she knew exactly who had been responsible for the baby swap.

That realization made her understand something even more terrifying.

Her biggest problem was no longer mediating between Ye Xiqing and Ye Xueli.

It was mediating between Ye Xiqing and her own son.

The Third Young Master Ye was her biological child. In her heart, that naturally made the situation even more difficult.

Looking from one child to the other, she felt so anxious she could hardly stay still.

The Third Young Master Ye had never expected the conversation to suddenly turn toward him.

A moment ago, he had merely been tempted by Ye Xiqing's appetite and was reaching for a pastry.

Now his hand froze in midair.

"L-Little sister..." he stammered. "You know... I was still young back then... I didn't understand anything..."

Ye Xiqing simply looked at him without speaking.

Her thoughts, however, were moving rapidly.

Of course I know you were young.

Otherwise you'd be sitting at the dining table, not at the children's end.

Then she turned toward her mother.

"Mom, first of all, my appetite isn't excessive. This is a perfectly normal appetite for an adult. Don't let that idiot Third Brother mislead you."

"Secondly, I can pretend the past never happened. But I don't want my future life to be constantly affected by it."

She paused.

"Have you thought about what arrangement you're planning for me and this little sister?"

Madam Ye: ...

She had spent so much effort loving all of her children equally that she had completely failed to notice that some of their conflicts were fundamentally irreconcilable.

She possessed countless talents when it came to caring for her husband, her children, and her household.

Decisiveness, however, was not one of them.

Looking at Ye Xiqing, she felt as though her heart were being torn apart.

She looked ready to cry.

Ye Xiqing: ...

Having successfully cornered her mother, Ye Xiqing shifted her gaze to Ye Xueli.

"Do you intend to leave this family?"

Ye Xueli froze.

She had not expected such a direct question.

Instinctively, she turned toward her mother and brothers for help.

Unfortunately, her usually doting Third Brother was too busy worrying about what a "mentally ill person" might expose next.

Her loving mother was equally afraid of worsening the conflict between her son and daughter.

Neither could save her.

In despair, Ye Xueli looked back at Ye Xiqing.

What greeted her was a smile.

"Looks like you don't."

"In that case, if you're staying in this house, then you should understand the difference between you and me."

Ye Xueli stared blankly.

She seemed to understand something.

Then, all at once, she burst into tears.

She wanted desperately to compete with Ye Xiqing for everyone's affection.

But she was also terrified of her.

So terrified that she could barely think.

All she could do was cry.

"I'm sorry, Sister! I know I was wrong!"

"But I really don't want to leave!"

"How about I become your maid from now on? I'll serve you every day!"

"Please don't send me away!"

"Waaah!"

Ye Xiqing: ...

The situation appeared to be under control.

Yet if she were not concerned about maintaining her image, she would have liked nothing more than to dig her fingers into her scalp and scream.

In her previous life, the system had constantly complained that "the villainous supporting female character wasn't villainous enough."

As a result, it had sworn to find her the most vicious villainous supporting female character possible in this life.

According to the system, Ye Xueli was supposed to be a master schemer.

A truly calculating woman.

Someone one hundred times more dangerous than Miao Shuangshuang.

A woman who would infuriate readers, make audiences grind their teeth in hatred, and ultimately drive the original owner to her death.

The ultimate villainous supporting female character.

And this was her?

Forget being one hundred times stronger than Miao Shuangshuang.

If Ye Xueli could survive even a single round against Miao Shuangshuang, she would deserve a lifetime achievement award for villainous supporting characters.

Ye Xiqing asked the system speechlessly, "System, is your combat power rating really accurate?"

System: ...

You're not even following the original plot anymore, yet you're worried about my original combat power ratings? Even if the villainous supporting character was incredibly powerful, you've already destroyed her biggest backing. What else could she possibly do?!

The system was furious. How could Ye Xueli have been defeated so completely?

But no matter how angry it was, the system could only watch. This was all Ye Xiqing's fault for tearing up the script.

Because of the system's terrifying descriptions, Ye Xiqing had gone all out against the so-called ultimate villainous supporting character, leaving no room for mercy.

Unexpectedly, after a single exchange, she felt as though she had used a cannon to kill a mosquito.

Of course, perhaps this was also part of the villainous supporting character's terrifying nature. Even someone as combative as Ye Xiqing no longer felt any desire to continue fighting. That was another kind of frightening power.

Having completely lost the will to fight, Ye Xiqing calmly said, "Stop crying. I'm not buying it."

"Your biological parents are the kind of people who abandoned a three-year-old child. I won't force you to go back to them, nor will I stop you from investigating whether there was more to the story. You're an adult now. You can take responsibility for your own choices."

"If you want to stay, that's fine too."

"But remember this. Our relationship isn't good enough for you to pretend that nothing happened and casually chat with me."

"At the same time, our relationship isn't bad enough for you to act as though you're living under someone else's roof and make your mother worry."

"Your mother is the person in this family who cares about you the most."

"She's also the person I care about the most."

"I don't want her to be sad."

"In the end, you and I have no real connection."

"I don't care about your share. I only care about my own, and whether everything that belongs to me is back in my hands."

"Whether you're publicly introduced as an adopted daughter or the Ye family suddenly announces that there are twin daughters, I don't care."

"As long as it doesn't affect me."

"From now on, I'll live on the second floor, you'll live on the fifth floor, and we'll stay out of each other's business."

Both Ye Xueli and Ji Yuxiu were stunned.

They had prepared themselves for every possible cruel and terrifying decision this "ruthless devil" might make.

Unexpectedly, it seemed that nothing had happened at all.

The mother and daughter clung to each other and cried for a long time before finally realizing something.

Because of the Eldest Young Master Ye's selfless sacrifice, they now had the conditions necessary to peacefully coexist.

Ji Yuxiu excitedly pulled Ye Xiqing into another embrace.

"Thank you, Qingqing!"

"Because of you, I didn't lose either of my daughters!"

As she was hugged, Ye Xiqing turned her head slightly and replied without hesitation.

"It's okay, Mom."

"As long as you're happy, I'm willing to do anything."

Ji Yuxiu cried even harder.

Her daughter.

Her own daughter.

Her daughter was simply too perfect.

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