After Rebirth, I Married the Great Demon King

"I knew it—Sisi is the most sensible of all." Xu Ya’s expression immediately changed, and her usual smile returned.

She even reached out to pinch Yun Sisi’s cheek.

"Actually, having an older sister isn’t bad. It’s like Mom: she has a sister and a younger brother, and we’ve always had a great relationship since childhood."

Is it the same? Yun Sisi roared inwardly.

If she hadn’t been adopted from an orphanage, if she had grown up with Yun Shifei together, maybe she would feel like Xu Ya—that having another sister wouldn’t really matter.

But she was used to having her parents’ attention all to herself. She was accustomed to being the sole focus of their love. Could she truly be happy with someone suddenly taking that from her?

Yun Shifei!

Yun Sisi clenched her teeth in anger.

Her pain—it was all because of her.

She despised her. There was no way the two of them could coexist.

...

The next day, Yun Shifei went to the Cheng Family again for her lessons.

After the first day of assessment, Ming Zeqi already understood Yun Shifei’s situation and selected some junior high school-level books to teach her gradually.

Yun Shifei was able to keep up with the pace.

Many things she hadn’t understood before suddenly became clear when Ming Zeqi explained them this way.

Yun Shifei wasn’t stupid by any means, and now that she was putting effort into her studies, she was slowly learning to deduce and infer.

As they discussed the problems, Cheng Lie quietly sat nearby reading a book.

Before they knew it, the entire afternoon had passed.

"Then, let’s continue the lesson next week," Ming Zeqi said to Yun Shifei with a smile. His warm smile, like a spring breeze, made people feel at ease.

"Goodbye, Mr. Ming."

Yun Shifei also started packing her things to leave.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Haishuang walked in and said, "Shifei, why don’t you stay over for dinner tonight at our house?"

"Auntie, I’m sorry. My family might already be cooking dinner," Yun Shifei replied.

"I’ve already spoken with your parents. You’re staying here for dinner," Zhao Haishuang said, her face brimming with a smile.

Yun Shifei froze for a moment. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

She realized that the Cheng Family liked making decisions on their own.

Cheng Guomin insisted she be friends with Cheng Lie.

Zhao Haishuang didn’t even ask her before deciding she’d stay for dinner.

"You can hang out with Xiao Lie in the study for a while. I’ll call you both when dinner is ready." Zhao Haishuang closed the door as she spoke.

Earlier, Cheng Guomin specifically mentioned wanting Yun Shifei to stay for dinner to help her build a closer relationship with Cheng Lie.

She was more than happy to oblige.

She was beginning to understand what Cheng Guomin meant.

Cheng Lie was getting older, and with his current situation, which family would accept him?

Coincidentally, this girl from the Yun Family seemed to share a similar background with Cheng Lie. Maybe...

At this moment, in the study.

The atmosphere was so quiet that it felt suffocating.

Yun Shifei flipped through a book, but her thoughts had long drifted away from the material. How could she concentrate?

She thought back to what Cheng Lie had said yesterday.

When she praised Zhao Haishuang, Cheng Lie had replied, "She’s not my mother."

That was the second time he had spoken. She had planned to ask him more, but the arrival of the new teacher interrupted her.

Now she wanted to ask, but remembering Cheng Lie’s almost dark aura from yesterday made her shrink back.

She hesitated. What if she accidentally provoked Cheng Lie into becoming like that again?

Yet the oppressive silence—the kind where she could hear her own breathing—made Yun Shifei uncomfortable.

She asked Cheng Lie, "Did you eat the chocolate I gave you yesterday?"

Cheng Lie glanced at her. His teenage gaze was clear as water, yet utterly devoid of emotion.

Yun Shifei smiled. "I wasn’t lying to you. It tastes good, doesn’t it?"

As she spoke, she rummaged through her backpack and took out several pieces of candy to hand to Cheng Lie. "Here, these are also my favorite candies: sour and sweet, really delicious."

They were the same fruit hard candies she had given him before—brightly colored and varied in flavor, quite eye-catching.

Yun Shifei loved sweets.

Especially when she felt upset; the sweetness could lift her mood.

Eating sweets released dopamine, which could make people happier.

Even though life was bitter, just a little sweetness could be satisfying.

She didn’t know what Cheng Lie had gone through, but she could vaguely sense that his life wasn’t as smooth and peaceful as it appeared on the surface.

From the outside, Cheng Lie traveled in chauffeured cars. Cheng Guomin constantly cared for him. Everything he used was the best.

But material possessions didn’t necessarily mean anything.

At the very least, Cheng Lie didn’t seem all that happy.

Maybe eating something sweet could make him a little happier.

Cheng Lie’s gaze fell on the candies in her hand and her rough palms, an indescribable emotion stirring within him.

Then, his eyes shifted and landed on Yun Shifei’s face.

The girl was smiling brightly. Her face wasn’t particularly attractive, and there were faint bruises on her cheeks that seemed to indicate she’d been hit.

He remembered that she had been abducted and only reunited with her birth family after many years.

She had endured so much hardship, and even after finally returning to her parents, she still had struggles.

Yet she could still smile like that?

Cheng Lie couldn’t understand what Yun Shifei was thinking.

But he envied her in a way. She wouldn’t let pain linger into the next day. Did that make her happy?

"Dinner’s ready," Zhao Haishuang called out from the door.

"Coming, Auntie," Yun Shifei replied.

She placed the candies on the desk, then got up and left.

Cheng Lie’s eyes landed on the candies. After a moment, he brushed them off into the trash can.

He didn’t like sweets—not even a little.

"Shifei, try this fish—it’s incredibly fresh."

"And this roast chicken—freshly made."

At the dinner table, Zhao Haixia enthusiastically loaded food into Yun Shifei’s bowl, while Cheng Guomin encouraged her to eat more.

Yun Shifei looked at the small mountain of food piled in her bowl and felt troubled.

She couldn’t eat so much for dinner.

Especially with all the rich dishes like fish and meat.

But under the watchful eyes of the Cheng Family, she had no choice but to eat slowly.

Cheng Guomin didn’t forget about Cheng Lie, serving him food as well while asking Yun Shifei how her lessons were going.

Yun Shifei explained the progress of her tutoring sessions and didn’t forget to thank Cheng Guomin: "Uncle Cheng, the teacher you hired is amazing. I used to know nothing, but now I’m gradually understanding so much. Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I should thank you for being willing to study with Xiao Lie," Cheng Guomin replied cheerfully.

Hearing this, Yun Shifei couldn’t help but frown. She found Cheng Guomin’s comment a bit strange.

But she couldn’t quite figure out what was odd about it.

"Yeah, it’s my first time seeing Xiao Lie have a friend," Cheng Huai added.

Is that so? Yun Shifei froze for a moment. But how could she be considered Cheng Lie’s friend?

From her few encounters with Cheng Lie, it didn’t seem like he treated her as a friend.

What they were saying felt strange.

"Actually, I’m not really Cheng Lie’s friend," Yun Shifei hesitated for a while but decided to muster the courage to voice her thoughts.