Lin Shiyu bit her lip, nodded, and said no more. Instead, she walked over to Gao Qingqing and began to clean up.
Gao Qingqing disliked Lin Shiyu intensely, especially since Ye Feng and Lin Shiyu were now living in the Gao Family residence, and Old Sir Gao was so fond of Ye Feng. If Gao Tianshou were to act on a whim again, like he did that day about giving everything to Feng, Gao Qingqing would be devastated.
Therefore, Gao Qingqing decided to start with Lin Shiyu. If she could make living there unbearable for Lin Shiyu, Lin Shiyu would naturally ask Ye Feng to move out. Once Ye Feng and Lin Shiyu left, Gao Qingqing would be relieved.
Lin Shiyu came in front of Gao Qingqing and then proceeded to clean up a dirty spot on the floor.
Gao Qingqing walked by Lin Shiyu, but just a few steps later, she kicked over a trash bin.
"Ouch!" Gao Qingqing yelped as the trash bin was knocked over and its contents spilled out, dirtying the floor once more.
Not only did Gao Qingqing show no remorse, she instead started yelling, "Lin Shiyu! What is the meaning of this? Why did you put the trash bin here? Don’t you know it’s easy to trip over? I almost fell over it just now!"
Lin Shiyu frowned, her eyes showing anger. Gao Qingqing had clearly caused the incident herself, yet she had the gall to blame Lin Shiyu for it, claiming the placement of the bin was to fault. This would never have happened if she had walked normally.
"Older cousin, you were the one who ran into the trash bin just now..." Lin Shiyu said, frowning.
"That’s enough!" Zhou Shuyun glared at Lin Shiyu with a stern look. "Shiyu, even if Qingqing was at fault just now, you should really place the trash bin in the corner. That way, it wouldn’t be kicked over. Understand? Come over here and clean this up right now!"
"Fine!" Lin Shiyu replied with a dark face, a raging fire burning within her.
She had planned to go out today, but Zhou Shuyun had stopped her instead with chores like washing dishes, laundry, mopping, and sweeping. Now, Gao Qingqing was causing her trouble, pushing Lin Shiyu’s irritation near the breaking point.
However, Lin Shiyu still managed to hold back and moved in front of the sofa to start tidying up.
But at that moment, Gao Qingqing took a sip from the teacup on the coffee table.
"Ouch!" Gao Qingqing yelped again, suddenly letting go, and the teacup fell from her hands. The tea spilled onto Lin Shiyu’s clothes, and the cup fell to the floor and shattered.
Gao Qingqing glared at Lin Shiyu, full of anger. "Lin Shiyu! What is the matter with you, making the tea so hot?!"
Lin Shiyu became furious instantly and was about to lash out when Zhou Shuyun scolded, "Gao Qingqing, stop causing trouble! The tea wasn’t made by Shiyu. Why are you asking her? If you keep this up, I’ll get angry!"
Gao Qingqing was taken aback, not expecting to have chosen the wrong excuse to quarrel, and her face showed embarrassment.
But Lin Shiyu was thoroughly enraged. Gao Qingqing was clearly looking for trouble, as evidenced by the mud on the floor, the overturned trash bin, and now the tea—these were all deliberate actions against Lin Shiyu.
Zhou Shuyun spoke coldly, "Shiyu, come on now, clean this up quickly. If you don’t clean the tea soon, it will stain and become impossible to remove."
At that moment, even Lin Shiyu’s patience had reached its limit; she threw the mop she was holding to the floor.
"You’re all going too far. I’ve been trying my hardest to clean, and yet you treat me ! You’re clearly just looking for trouble with me. Whoever likes cleaning can do it—I’m done! I’m not a maid in this house; I am someone else’s daughter. At home, I am the princess of our family, the treasure of my parents.
I can handle being asked to study, but dealing with you all singling me out, constantly causing me trouble? I can’t take it anymore!" Lin Shiyu exclaimed angrily.
"Lin Shiyu! I’m your cousin, and she’s your grandmother; how can you speak to us like that? Watch your tone!" Gao Qingqing glared at Lin Shiyu and yelled.
Enraged, Lin Shiyu shot back, "I know she’s my grandmother, but that doesn’t give her the right to act entitled and disrespectful just because she is older. Are such words appropriate?"
"You little wretch, who are you calling entitled and disrespectful!" In an instant, Gao Qingqing was furious, raising her hand and delivering a fierce slap across Lin Shiyu’s face.
"Slap!" A crisp, loud sound echoed in the living room, and Lin Shiyu was sent sprawling to the floor by the blow. As Lin Shiyu fell, her hand landed on the shattered pieces of a teacup.
"Ah!" Lin Shiyu cried out as a long gash was sliced open on her palm by the shards of the teacup.
Zhou Shuyun immediately became anxious and furiously yelled at Gao Qingqing, "Gao Qingqing, you’ve gone too far! She is Ye Feng’s wife; how could you hit her!"
Without a hint of guilt, Gao Qingqing said with disdain, "So what if I hit her? Who told her to insult you?"
"Get out of here, disappear from my sight this instant!" Zhou Shuyun glared at Gao Qingqing and cursed.
Gao Qingqing was startled; it was the first time she had ever seen Zhou Shuyun so angry.
Zhou Shuyun’s stern treatment of Lin Shiyu wasn’t because she disliked Lin Shiyu but rather out of the hope that Ye Feng would do well. That’s why she was so strict with Lin Shiyu, but Gao Qingqing’s deliberate targeting made Zhou Shuyun extremely angry, especially seeing Lin Shiyu injured.
Feeling wronged, Gao Qingqing ran back to her room without looking back.
Zhou Shuyun hurriedly helped Lin Shiyu up, looking at her with concern and Asking, "Shiyu, are you okay? Shall I call someone to bandage you up?"
Lin Shiyu, with head bowed and face gloomy, shook her head, "No need, I can take care of it myself."
Without waiting for Zhou Shuyun to respond, Lin Shiyu headed towards her own room; Zhou Shuyun couldn’t stop her.
After returning to her room, Zhou Shuyun stood anxiously at the door, knocked, and said, "Shiyu, perhaps we should go to the hospital and have it checked out..."
"No need, Grandma, it’s just a superficial wound, nothing serious. I’m tired. You should go to sleep too," Lin Shiyu’s voice came from inside the room.
No matter how much Zhou Shuyun called, Lin Shiyu wouldn’t open the door. With a shake of her head, Zhou Shuyun gave up and then sat down in the living room, staring blankly in the direction of Lin Shiyu’s room.