Volume One, Chapter 12: Teaching Zai Zai a Lesson

The words caused the expressions of everyone standing at the doorway of the Song family to change entirely.

Song Zuo slowly stood up, forcefully blinking away the tears in her eyes. With a cold expression, she walked to the bedroom door and glared icily at Song Min standing there. "You say it’s all your fault. Where exactly did you go wrong?"

"Song Zuo! Don’t push your luck," someone protested.

"Zuo Zuo, how can you be like this?" another voice chimed in.

Song Si Nian furrowed his brow and looked at her with impatience flashing in his eyes. It was as if the gentle words from just moments ago were nothing but a joke.

Song Zuo fixed her gaze on Song Min and repeated, "Where did you go wrong?"

Song Min choked up, then her eyes reddened as she turned and collapsed into Jiang Zhiyi’s arms, sobbing pitifully, "I was wrong to come back. I was wrong to foolishly hope for the love of Mom and Dad, wrong to expect harmony with my sister. It’s all my fault, all my fault."

She wept bitterly, then suddenly went limp, fainting in Jiang Zhiyi’s embrace.

"Min Min!" someone shouted.

"Call a doctor!"

The Song household erupted into chaos, a crowd quickly escorting Song Min back to her room. Only Song Si Nian remained standing at Song Zuo’s door, his face etched with disappointment.

"Zuo Zuo, you promised me just now. Have you forgotten?" he said.

Song Zuo replied calmly, "She wanted to apologize herself; she admitted she was wrong. I only asked if she knew where she went wrong. If she didn’t, why would she apologize?"

"Song Zuo!" Song Si Nian growled quietly, "Don’t you understand why Min Min apologized? It was for you, for this family."

"You’ve disappointed me so much! If I’d known your temper hadn’t changed, I never would have agreed to bring you back."

With that, he turned and left, his anger palpable.

The once lively doorway quickly emptied.

Song Zuo stood alone at the bedroom door, her eyes half-lowered, revealing nothing of her emotions.

Aunt Yang approached with a look of heartache, handing her some ointment. "Miss, please don’t be so stubborn. You’ve come back after such a long time; do you want to be hurriedly sent away again, just like a few years ago?"

In this family, Aunt Yang was truly the only one who cared for her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Song Zuo asked quietly.

Even now, she didn’t understand.

She had done nothing wrong, yet she was the one scolded, despised, and driven away.

Aunt Yang’s eyes reddened with sympathy as she grasped Song Zuo’s hand tightly. "Of course you haven’t done anything wrong! I don’t know what’s wrong with Master and Madam."

"The eldest and second young masters are strange too. They used to care for you so much… why now?"

Her voice broke as tears fell.

Aunt Yang had served as the Song family’s housekeeper for many years. She had never married and considered the Song family her own home and lifelong commitment.

She had watched all three children grow up.

The household was harmonious before the fourth young lady returned.

But as soon as she came back, Master, Madam, and the two eldest young masters seemed like completely different people.

"Miss, I’ve watched you grow up; I know your character well," Aunt Yang said fiercely.

"What has happened? How can they not trust you? What is going on in this family?"

Song Zuo smiled gently and brushed away the tears on Aunt Yang’s face. "Thank you, Aunt Yang."

Aunt Yang wept even harder.

Song Zuo hugged her and patted her softly on the back.

Yes, what exactly was going on in this family?

Suddenly, a rhythmic ringing broke the silence.

The phone in Song Zuo’s pocket began to ring.

Her expression shifted. She released Aunt Yang’s hand and soothed, "I’m fine, Aunt Yang. Please don’t cry."

Her phone continued to ring.

Aunt Yang wiped away her tears, regained her composure, and said, "Miss, go attend to your matters. Let me know if you need anything."

Song Zuo nodded.

After Aunt Yang left, Song Zuo immediately closed the bedroom door, checked her phone—it was an orange music app.

This app contained a ringtone she had specially set, only triggered when the organization had an urgent message for her.

And just now, that ringtone had sounded.

After verifying the room’s surroundings, she walked to the walk-in closet, opened her suitcase, and retrieved her communicator.

After several layers of verification, the screen lit up.

On it was a long string of numbers.

She stared at those numbers, her expression grave.

Ten minutes later.

Dressed simply in sportswear, she went downstairs directly to the parking area.

Uncle Qi was staring down at his phone, his face dark.

"Uncle Qi," she called.

He looked up, squinted briefly, then quickly returned to his usual demeanor. "Miss."

"Take me somewhere."

She said this and headed toward the car. At the door, seeing Uncle Qi hadn’t moved, she looked at him with some confusion. "Uncle Qi?"

"Right away!"

Uncle Qi respectfully got into the car. After asking for the destination, he drove away from the Song household.

Song Si Nian stood by the second-floor window, watching the car drive off.

"Hmph. She has the leisure to go out and play while Min Min fainted from anger," Song Si Yan said coldly from the side, eyes narrowed.

Song Si Nian said nothing, merely tapping on his phone.

"What are you doing?" Song Si Yan glanced over.

"Teaching Zuo Zuo a lesson," Song Si Nian replied as he put his phone away.

Hearing this, Song Si Yan looked incredulous. "You want to teach her a lesson? Aren’t you biased toward her?"

Though Min Min was the one being bullied, Si Nian always sided with Song Zuo.

"They’re both my sisters. I don’t favor either. But Zuo Zuo’s behavior is outrageous; she needs to be disciplined."

He looked tenderly at the girl lying on the bed, "Min Min shouldn’t suffer injustice for nothing."

Inside the car.

While waiting at a red light, Uncle Qi glanced at his phone, his expression shifting slightly. Through the rearview mirror, he looked back and saw Song Zuo’s full attention on her phone.

Song Zuo mentally reviewed the messages transmitted by the communicator.

She typed “Shen Bei” into her phone; all information about Shen Bei appeared.

Latest trending news was about Shen Bei’s relationship with popular actress Wei Qing.

A video showed Shen Bei gazing at Wei Qing with affectionate eyes, while she shyly lowered her gaze, cheeks flushed.

Song Zuo studied Wei Qing closely.

Wei Qing was stunningly beautiful.

To be precise, she was extraordinarily beautiful.

Beautiful to the point of seeming unreal.

Her appearance was flawless.

Her figure perfect.

Her voice flawless.

Too perfect.

There is no such thing as a perfect person in this world; no one can embody everyone’s ideal of beauty.

Yet now, even when Song Zuo tried to find a flaw in Wei Qing’s appearance, she could find none.

Perfection was synonymous with Wei Qing.