Chapter Seventy-Two: She Is the Younger Sister

Only then did Shangguan Enran recall this morning’s trending topic on Weibo.

Her nerves vanished in an instant. With a smile at the corners of her lips, she leaned forward, “Mr. Huangpu, are you jealous?”

The gentle steam drifted over Huangpu Shenqing’s face, carrying the fresh fragrance unique to young women, causing a subtle crack in his expression.

He reached out to tap her nose. “What do you think?”

“That’s just my brother. Not by blood, but he’s like a brother to me. Who would have thought someone would take a photo of us having dinner?”

“That’s no excuse. He’s still a man. Enran can only trend on Weibo with me.”

“It won’t be long now. Once Brother Ye catches the person and clarifies things, the hype will die down naturally.”

“It’s been so long—he hasn’t found out yet?”

“Maybe Brother Ye wants to know who’s behind it. Besides, not everyone is as capable as Mr. Huangpu.”

Shangguan Enran’s tone was flattering, her eyes glinting with mischief.

“Little one, a man’s true abilities aren’t meant for this sort of thing.”

Huangpu Shenqing’s voice was low and magnetic as he leaned close to her ear.

It made Shangguan Enran feel inexplicably flustered, the sensation both alluring and ticklish, as if a cat were pawing at her ear.

“Then what are they for?”

“You’ll know in time.”

Later, Shangguan Enran was unable to get out of bed for three days, and understood completely.

That night, Ye Ziyan announced he had caught the culprit and already made a clarification in the news.

Shangguan Enran opened Weibo and discovered her follower count had already reached 5.03 million.

The trending topic read: “Best Actor Speaks Out, Supports the Girl Next Door.”

Ye Ziyan’s latest Weibo post was as straightforward as ever: “She’s my sister.”

Yes, still the same style as always!

In truth, most fans liked him for this very reason.

He was a rather reserved celebrity, but he truly prioritized acting. Neither arrogant nor overly modest, he knew when to advance and when to retreat.

He would even participate in charity programs for free, and was the first celebrity to lead by example in donating to charity.

On top of that, he had superb acting skills, good looks, refined taste, and outstanding popularity.

His global fanbase now approached 1.48 billion, making him a household name in many parts of the world.

A rough calculation: four major countries, more than two hundred smaller ones, adding up to around 5.2 billion people.

Ever since he posted on Weibo, Shangguan Enran’s fans had been increasing rapidly.

And the numbers kept climbing.

Truly, the powerful traffic of a top idol was something else.

She decided to stop checking, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

But unexpectedly, she dreamed of Huangpu Shenqing, and woke up blushing from embarrassment.

—

Meanwhile, Huangpu Qingyin had already been discharged from the hospital and returned to the old house.

She was furious—her injuries had worsened during her hospital stay.

A terrible scar now marred her forehead, impossible to remove no matter what she tried. She could only cut bangs to cover it. The ones responsible for this outcome were Shangguan Enran and Huangpu Shenqing.

Only after returning did she learn that both her mother’s Bai family and her grandmother’s Jun family had collapsed, all because of that illegitimate child, Huangpu Shenqing.

Her father had lost his job as well, and their household was filled daily with sighs and curses.

Her grandfather told them to find work themselves. Why should they? Why should the company be handed over to him? Why should they have to go out and find jobs? Shouldn’t they fight to take it back?

“Qingyin, what’s wrong?” Bai Xi looked at her daughter’s increasingly sullen face with concern.

“Mom, what are we supposed to do now? Are we really going to give him the company? Is Grandpa really being partial?”

Huangpu Qingyin was indignant.

“What are you saying? How could your grandfather be partial to him? He simply can’t do anything for the time being. Compared to us, your grandfather is the most furious one.”

So many years of hard work, only to benefit someone else—how could he not be filled with regret?

“How long must we wait? Until he destroys us bit by bit?”

“I don’t know what he intends to do. Tell me, why did he run you over that day?”

“I already explained—it was because of what happened at the mall last time, which I didn’t make up for.”

“Maybe I would have believed that before, but now? Our Bai family is ruined, your grandmother’s Jun family is in shambles—do you think I’d still believe you?”

“Believe it or not, it wasn’t my fault.”

“Then why won’t you tell me the real reason? Hm?”

“I just…”

Unable to answer, Huangpu Qingyin caught sight of her grandfather and the steward approaching out of the corner of her eye. “Grandpa, you…”

With a sharp smack, her grandfather struck her across the face.

“Grandpa, you hit me? Why did you hit me?” Huangpu Qingyin shouted in anger.

“Fool! Do you have any idea what kind of background Shangguan Enran has? You deserved to be run over. If Huangpu Shenqing hadn’t done it, I would have sent someone myself.”

Old Master Huangpu was seething with rage. At that moment, he wished he could hand Huangpu Qingyin over to the Shangguan family to avoid further disgrace—she was nothing but a liability.

“Father, what’s going on?” Bai Xi was still confused. What did he mean by saying if Huangpu Shenqing hadn’t run her over, he would have sent someone else?

“Control your daughter. If she ever offends someone she shouldn’t again, let her face the consequences herself—I won’t intervene.”

With that, Old Master Huangpu leaned on his cane and prepared to leave.

“What kind of background does she have? Who is she, exactly?” Huangpu Qingyin rushed forward and grabbed his sleeve.

“She is Shangguan Xing’s daughter.”

He said this, pulled her hand away, and turned decisively. He still had many matters to attend to.

Though he was old, what belonged to him would not be taken by anyone.

“Shangguan Xing’s daughter… The Shangguan family… Ha! The Shangguan family… She’s truly lucky, isn’t she? But why? Why her?”

“Qingyin, what’s wrong? What did your grandfather mean? What happened? Are you going to drive me mad?”

“Mom, Shangguan Enran—she’s Shangguan Xing’s daughter.”

“Who? The one you had a conflict with last time?”

“Yes, Mom, what should I do? I’ve offended the Shangguan family.”

“Don’t worry. Didn’t your grandfather say it? You’re injured as well, so this matter should be over.”

“That’s right. My injuries are far more serious than hers. How could she possibly come after me? She won’t.”

“From now on, stay away from her. At least for now, we can’t afford to provoke her.”

“I understand.”

Little did they know it wasn’t because they had already suffered enough that they escaped retribution.

Rather, Shangguan Enran simply didn’t consider them worth her time.

And after Shangguan Xing had someone investigate, it was confirmed that Huangpu Shenqing had indeed run over Huangpu Qingyin that afternoon. Since she had already received her due punishment, he let the matter rest.