Their laughter stopped when they saw Yun Shifei.
"Sister, you’re back," Yun Sisi greeted Yun Shifei gently.
"Shifei, your sister just won a gold medal in this dance competition," Xu Ya said, her mood seemingly very good, her face glowing with happiness.
"Congratulations," Yun Shifei said to Yun Sisi.
That’s it? Yun Sisi felt a bit dissatisfied inside.
Yun Shifei... was she really no longer jealous of her? Not like in the past when jealousy drove her to madness?
She bit her lip, determined to provoke her in front of their parents.
Yun Shifei was heading back to her room to put down her bag, but Yun Sisi followed her: "Sister, I want to give you this gold medal. Actually, the person who should have been on that stage was you—it was me who took your place."
Yun Sisi jogged a few steps and handed the gold medal to Yun Shifei.
Even with Yun Shifei’s good temper, she found it hard to tolerate Yun Sisi’s pretense. She had already stepped back so much in this lifetime, yet Yun Sisi still clung to her.
Unable to help herself, she stepped back: "No need. It’s yours. Keep it well."
But Yun Sisi seemed triggered by those words. Her eyes reddened, and tears quickly started to fall. She cried pitifully, sobbing: "Mom, does Sister not like me? Why won’t she accept my gift?"
"Yun Shifei, are you bullying Sisi again?"
Xu Ya and Yun Tiancheng were in the living room and didn’t hear the commotion upstairs between the sisters.
Hearing Yun Sisi’s words, Xu Ya immediately came upstairs.
She squinted at Yun Shifei, looking a bit upset.
Just because Yun Sisi called her, she assumed Yun Shifei was bullying Yun Sisi?
At that moment, Yun Shifei felt a complicated mix of emotions in her heart.
In her past life, she had a short temper, and Xu Ya didn’t believe her.
In this life, she tried hard to be obedient and no longer competed with Yun Sisi.
Yet Xu Ya still didn’t believe her.
Clearly, she was her biological daughter, but Xu Ya always treated her like an outsider.
Always afraid she would harm the daughter she had cherished for over ten years.
If that was the case, why did they even bother bringing her back from Lotus Town in the first place?
Even though Yun Shifei had mentally prepared herself, she still felt an unbearable chill at this moment, cutting to the bone and making her tremble.
If enduring grievances only brought more grievances, she wasn’t willing to endure anymore.
Yun Shifei stared at Xu Ya, her gaze cold and stubborn, making Xu Ya’s heart skip a beat.
When did this child develop such an expression?
Then, she heard Yun Shifei deny it: "Mom, I didn’t."
She hadn’t bullied Yun Sisi.
Xu Ya snapped out of her thoughts, looking at Yun Sisi, who was crying sadly, then at the defiant Yun Shifei.
Emotionally, she tended to believe Yun Sisi—after all, she had watched her grow up, obedient and with excellent grades.
But locking eyes with Yun Shifei’s gaze, suddenly she wasn’t sure who to believe.
That gaze was terrifying, carrying a resilience that made people afraid to make eye contact with her.
"Mom, it’s my fault. Don’t blame Sister. I just thought that all my achievements are thanks to her. If Sister hadn’t left this family back then, she would’ve been the one standing on stage competing now." Yun Sisi spoke between sobs.
"So, I wanted to give her my gold medal. Who knew Sister didn’t appreciate it? Maybe she doesn’t like me. Mom, don’t scold Sister, it’s my fault for being overly sentimental."
Yun Sisi, noticing that things weren’t going as planned and that Xu Ya hadn’t immediately scolded Yun Shifei, decided to adopt an aggrieved and magnanimous stance to provoke Xu Ya.
Sure enough, Xu Ya became angry upon hearing Yun Sisi’s words.
"Yun Shifei, what are you thinking? Sisi is giving you a gift—why won’t you accept it?"