For the next two days, Yun Shifei stayed with Old Mrs. Xu.
Meanwhile, Yun Sisi and Xu Yi were constantly going out.
"Sister, do you want to come out and play with us?" Yun Sisi asked Yun Shifei.
Yun Shifei shook her head. "You guys go ahead. It’s too sunny outside; I don’t want to go out."
"Alright then." Yun Sisi responded with a seemingly innocent smile, not insisting further.
Yun Shifei couldn’t discern what Yun Sisi might be scheming, but she simply felt it would be awkward to hang out with her.
Their relationship wasn’t close enough to warrant spending such casual time together.
Yun Sisi wanted to put up an act for the elders, but Yun Shifei had no desire to play along.
She much preferred curling up indoors, accompanied by ice cream, green bean soup, watermelon, cola, and other treats.
Although Nantian Town wasn’t as hot as the city, the midday sun was incredibly intense, making it suffocating to be outside during that time.
Amid the incessant buzzing of the cicadas outside, Yun Shifei hugged a watermelon while watching TV, gradually feeling drowsy.
She spent two whole days in this lazy and contented state.
Old Mrs. Xu couldn’t take it anymore. "Shifei, you should go out with your sister tomorrow. You can’t come here for a visit and end up just staying at home—where’s the fun in that?"
"I’m lazy," Yun Shifei lazily leaned her head against Old Mrs. Xu’s shoulder, her tone listless.
The rare display of affection from this girl softened Old Mrs. Xu’s heart, leaving her unsure how to respond.
Unable to resist, Old Mrs. Xu stroked her hair. "You little rascal, you can’t be this lazy. Or maybe you don’t feel like going out with your sister? Then I’ll call Jiaojiao to come keep you company."
"Sure, I’d love to see Sister Jiaojiao." Yun Shifei held a particularly good impression of Xu Yuejiao.
Thinking for a moment, she added, "I heard Sister Jiaojiao gets good grades. I’ll ask her if she’ll teach me to study."
"You..." Old Mrs. Xu laughed helplessly. "It’s summer vacation, and you’re still thinking about studying."
She recalled hearing that although Shifei’s grades were poor, the girl always worked hard, even attending tutoring sessions on weekends.
Now that she finally had an extended summer break, she was still thinking about academics.
This determination made her stand out from most people.
Old Mrs. Xu couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion.
What kind of life would this child have led if she hadn’t been abducted back then?
Considering the hardships she had endured, her tenacious spirit allowed her to survive and grow into this. But had she been nurtured from a young age, wouldn’t she have radiated an even greater brilliance than Yun Sisi?
As her hand brushed against Yun Shifei’s, the thin calluses and accumulated scars made Old Mrs. Xu’s heart ache.
On the third day, Yun Shifei thought Yun Sisi would go off with Xu Yi again, but to her surprise, Yun Sisi grabbed her hand with a pitiful expression. "Sister, do you dislike me? You reject me every time I ask you to go out."
"The weather’s too hot, and I don’t want to go out." Yun Shifei unobtrusively withdrew her hand; she disliked Yun Sisi’s tendency to act. Whenever Yun Sisi began putting on an act, Shifei instinctively suspected she was scheming something shady.
"We’re going to the mountain today, there’s a temple there where we can eat vegetarian meals. It won’t be hot."
Yun Sisi was referring to Datong Temple, located north of Nantian Town. With a history spanning thousands of years, it was said to be highly auspicious.
"Shifei, it’s a nice temple and not far from home. You can pray to Buddha for blessings in your exams. Go, have fun." Old Mrs. Xu suggested. Secretly, she hoped Yun Shifei could build a better relationship with Yun Sisi. While Yun Sisi often subtly competed with Shifei, she was still an adopted daughter of the Yun Family. The two sisters saw each other all the time; if this outing could mend their relationship, it would be ideal.
After some thought, she added, "I’ll call your Sister Jiaojiao later. Her house is nearby, so she can come pick you up."
With Old Mrs. Xu encouraging her, Yun Shifei had no choice but to go out with Yun Sisi.
"Sister, let’s take a shortcut. It’ll be faster." As they walked, Yun Sisi turned into an alley.
The narrow and elongated alley radiated a damp chill distinct from the outside warmth just standing at its entrance.
It was virtually deserted, dirty, and chaotic.
Yun Shifei hesitated at the entrance, refusing to step in.
"What’s wrong?" Yun Sisi turned to look at her, her heart pounding nervously. Could Yun Shifei have figured something out?
"Sisi, don’t you think this place is filthy?" Yun Shifei pointed to the ground, where a rat darted past quickly.
Yun Sisi instinctively wanted to scream but hastily covered her mouth.
She couldn’t show fear—her goal was to lure Yun Shifei into this alley, where Xu Yi’s boyfriend’s men were already lying in wait.
Soon, they would pounce from behind, gag Yun Shifei, render her unconscious, then take her away.
The plan was flawless. They couldn’t afford any mishaps at the first step.
Why was Yun Shifei resisting this alley?
Didn’t she grow up in the countryside? How could such filth faze her?
Yun Shifei’s sixth sense told her something was off. For someone like Yun Sisi, who loved cleanliness and prettiness, it was extraordinary that she would willingly take such a filthy shortcut.
This reminded her of when she had just returned after her rebirth, and Yun Sisi had taken her to that abandoned house—a place equally filthy and dilapidated—only to knock her unconscious there...
Would this place repeat something similar?
What was she planning?
Yun Shifei didn’t want to think about it; she turned to leave.
"Sister!" Yun Sisi panicked and called out urgently. She had spent two days planning with Xu Yi; everything was ready. How could she let Yun Shifei leave now?
As her anxious voice rang out, Yun Shifei saw Xu Yi appear before her.
"Now that you’re here, don’t even think about leaving."
Xu Yi shoved Yun Shifei into the alley.
At that point, the pieces fell into place in Yun Shifei’s mind. She realized that the past two days of Yun Sisi and Xu Yi’s frequent outings were likely all in preparation for this moment.
So this was their plan...
Now, being forcefully shoved into the alley by Xu Yi, Yun Shifei stumbled, grabbing onto the rough wall for balance.
The abrasive surface scraped against her hand, delivering a sharp sting.
"What do you want from me?" She demanded.
"Of course, to make you disappear from our sight. You were never supposed to come back. Poor Sisi!" Xu Yi declared with a commanding presence.
Again, it was Yun Sisi’s instigation.
Yun Shifei glanced at Yun Sisi.
Yun Sisi still wore her innocent façade—her psychological fortitude was undeniably impressive.
At this point, Yun Shifei was surrounded by two men.
"Behave yourself, and they won’t hurt you. Otherwise, they’ll break your legs and drag you away," warned Xu Yi.
The two men, unmistakably local hoodlums, held clubs in their hands.
Yun Shifei’s face turned pale with fear.
But she knew that fear alone wouldn’t save her.
Quietly, Yun Shifei pressed herself against the wall. Everyone assumed she had abandoned resistance.
Xu Yi smiled smugly, stepping forward to grab her.
But as she approached, Yun Shifei suddenly shoved her aside and bolted out of the alley.