Chapter 49: What Are You Worth?

She opened her mouth, only to realize she had no idea what to say.

But everyone in Birch Garden was a servant of the Shen family. Shen Xin furrowed her brows, striving in the gaze of the crowd to recover from her earlier display of shock, then looked at her with eyes brimming with tears and delight.

“Chaoxi!”

“I knew you’d be all right. Thank goodness.”

Her voice carried a hint of a sob, and to the servants within Birch Garden, it seemed as though her concern for Shen Chaoxi was immense—so much so that she was nearly moved to tears upon seeing her return.

Shen Chaoxi raised an eyebrow in response.

Seeing Shen Xin’s expression change faster than a mask in a Peking Opera, she couldn’t help but smile with a trace of puzzlement.

“Shen Xin.”

The girl’s face was as pale as snow, pure and flawless, like a naturally born delicate white blossom.

“Our relationship isn’t so close that you need to mourn for me, is it?”

Her slender jade-like fingers played with a fragment of jade ring at her fingertips. Then she lifted her gaze calmly and spoke in an unhurried tone, yet her words sent a shock through everyone present.

“What?!”

Hearing the eldest miss’s words, the servants’ expressions shifted.

“What does that mean?”

They exchanged glances, as if they had uncovered something extraordinary.

“Do our eldest miss and Miss Shen Xin not get along?”

A young servant who had only joined the Shen household in recent years stared blankly at the scene, whispering her question.

All they knew was that Shen Xin was also a miss of the Shen family; it was said Old Master Shen had adopted her over a decade ago. But for reasons unknown, he suddenly sent her abroad, and those were old matters now.

Those who had joined the Shen family in recent years had no idea what transpired back then, only vague rumors.

They thought, since Old Master Shen had instructed them to treat Shen Xin as they would the eldest miss, they should take care of her accordingly.

Yet none expected the eldest miss’s attitude to be so cold.

Watching the scene unfold, the staff in Birch Garden didn’t dare make a sound, anxiety written all over their faces as they watched.

Shen Xin bit her lip discreetly, but with everyone present, she couldn’t afford to lose her composure. She had to swallow her anger, her eyes reddening as tears threatened to fall.

“Chaoxi, what are you saying?”

Shen Xin deliberately feigned ignorance.

“I was worried about you…”

It had begun—she was acting again.

“Worried about me?”

The disdain and sarcasm in Shen Chaoxi’s eyes were unmistakable as she glanced at Shen Xin’s hypocritical face.

“Are you not afraid that if I truly died, your crying would anger me enough to crawl out of my grave and come for you at midnight?”

Who was it, after all, who tried to push her off the cliff? Why was Shen Xin the one crying most heartbreakingly?

When she fell from the cliff, Shen Xin was nothing like this.

If she hadn’t seen through Shen Xin’s false face ten years ago, she might still be as naive as she was then.

When grandfather brought Shen Xin home, she—Shen Sisi’s eyes only saw the Shen family’s eldest miss bullying the dependent Shen Xin—always defended Shen Xin and yielded to her.

Otherwise, why would her brothers show Shen Xin kindness right in front of her?

She was spoiled from childhood, and she refused to share her brothers’ affection with anyone—never even a fraction!

Yet even as a child, she’d understood how to care for Shen Xin’s feelings, always coaxing her brothers to treat Shen Xin well.

And the result?

The moment Shen Xin’s malice was stirred, she pushed her straight into an abyss from which there was no return.

She had only been seven years old!

“Chaoxi…” After hearing her words, Shen Xin’s fair and delicate face suddenly betrayed a hint of nervousness.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

She deliberately shed tears in front of everyone, looking pitifully at the girl before her.

“Did I do something wrong to make you angry?”

For a moment, Shen Chaoxi nearly laughed in exasperation.

She truly wanted to say, you did nothing wrong.

The mistake was mine.

I wasn’t pure and innocent enough, nor shameless enough.

“Heh,” Shen Chaoxi let out a cold laugh.

She hadn’t even spoken yet when suddenly, a girl in a pink cheongsam squeezed through the crowd, pushing aside the servants.

“What are you all doing?”

Seeing Shen Xin’s eyes red from being bullied and tears streaming down her face in front of everyone, Shen Sisi’s expression shifted.

“Shen Xin, sister…”

She hurried forward, grabbing Shen Xin’s hand.

“Are you all right?”

She seemed ready to stand up for Shen Xin against everyone.

“Shen Chaoxi!”

Shen Sisi pulled Shen Xin behind her, stood in front herself, raised her chin, and faced the cold, aloof girl in the wheelchair.

“If you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t bully Shen Xin, sister.”

This brainless one.

For the second time, Shen Sisi simply assumed Shen Chaoxi was bullying Shen Xin, and without distinguishing right from wrong, rushed forward to defend her.

But this time, Shen Sisi wasn’t mistaken.

Because she really was here to bully Shen Xin.

“At you?”

The girl in the wheelchair suddenly curled her lips into a mocking smile.

This time, she didn’t even bother to spare Shen Sisi’s feelings.

“And who are you, to be worth my anger?”

Her tone was teasing, and anyone with sense could hear the insult hidden within her words.

If she hadn’t held back, the word “nobody” would have been branded on Shen Sisi’s forehead.

“You!”

Shen Sisi frowned, completely unprepared for Shen Chaoxi’s blunt dismissal.

“Sisi, I’m fine.”

Even now, Shen Xin continued to put on her false act.

She shook her head at Shen Sisi, who was defending her.

“Shen Xin, sister! She treats you like this, and you say you’re fine?”

Shen Sisi was genuinely worried.

After all, she’d been sent abroad by the Shen family for ten years, only just returned, and now Shen Chaoxi was bullying her in front of everyone.

Who knew what would happen to Shen Xin, sister, in the Shen household from now on?

“Shen Chaoxi, Shen Xin just returned. She’s also part of the Shen family.”

“You think bullying her like this, humiliating her in front of everyone, is right?”

“Sisi, miss…” At this moment, a servant who had been observing quietly for a while stepped forward, tugging at the hem of Shen Sisi’s dress, her expression troubled.

Her look was telling Shen Sisi: stay out of this today.

But Shen Sisi didn’t understand.

“What are you doing?”

Shen Sisi immediately retorted.

“So you also think Shen Chaoxi is right to bully her?”

The servant lowered her head, and hearing Shen Sisi’s clueless words, she felt a jolt in her heart.

She dared not meet the eldest miss’s gaze, hurriedly pursed her lips, and carefully withdrew.

“Shen family member?” Shen Chaoxi laughed.

Her almond-shaped eyes curved, laced with coldness that contradicted her sickly pale face.

In that moment, she no longer resembled the gentle Shen family heiress.

“When have I ever said Shen Xin is worthy of being called a Shen family member?”

At those words, Shen Xin’s face changed instantly.