"Brother-in-law, it seems you've overlooked the part where your…" Madam Zhi paused, momentarily unsure how to address Linda. They weren't married, after all.
In the end, she simply used her name. "…Linda disrespected me first. My daughter merely spoke up for me. If Yeri must apologize, then I expect Linda to apologize to me as well."
Linda shot to her feet. The word mistress had always been her sore spot, especially now, when she was already trapped in constant emotional turmoil from Nolan's other woman.
"Apologize?" Linda shrieked, her voice sharp and piercing. "Are you fucking deaf?! This dead girl blatantly insulted me! She completely disregarded the fact that I'm her elder and didn't even give me face!"
She laughed hysterically, sounding more and more like a shrew. "Acting all high and elegant, but it turns out she learned nothing. I should've expected that from a stepmother. If anything, Zenia, you've really hidden yourself well! Playing the virtuous and gentle stepmother while leading this dead girl astray!"
Madam Zhi's face drained of color, her expression frozen in disbelief at Linda's accusations.
"That's enough." Nolan cut in sharply.
But Linda only shot him a fierce glare.
If only he had married her back then, she wouldn't be constantly looked down upon and treated with such contempt.
Sensing her mother was on the verge of lashing out, Venice hurriedly spoke up, she couldn't afford to sever ties with either side just yet. "Mom, I'm not feeling well. Could you get me some warm water?"
Linda blinked, the fury in her eyes dimming slightly. Without another word, she turned and headed toward the kitchen.
Yeri watched Linda's retreating back until it disappeared from sight. Then she stood as well, her appetite completely gone.
"Uncle is right," she said calmly. "I should uphold conduct and elegance, but only for the right audience, and only for those who deserve it."
"Yeri Zhi! What do you mean by that? Are you rebelling against your uncle now?!" Nolan shouted.
But Yeri couldn't be bothered to respond. She didn't even glance back as she walked away.
Madam Zhi followed close behind, her face etched with worry.
Only Venice remained seated, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. This was the first time she had successfully pushed Yeri out of the picture, forcing her to leave on her own.
So what if Yeri had a vile tongue? She still lost this round, reduced to eating elsewhere in her own home.
Madam Zhi, however, couldn't allow Yeri to skip dinner entirely so the two ended up eating quietly in Yeri's room.
Afterward, Yeri stayed inside to catch up on the lessons she had missed. Because of the black veins on her face, she had opted for online classes for a week. She also sent a message to Shin Keir, informing him that she planned to stay home for the next few days.
Past nine o'clock, Venice knocked on her door again but Yeri ignored it.
After waiting for a while and realizing Yeri had no intention of opening the door, Venice grumbled under her breath and eventually left.
Scrolling through her phone to pass the time, Yeri found that netizens were still buzzing about Shin Keir's engagement. Every so often, Calin Ricci's name appeared in the comments as the presumed fiancée.
Several other socialite names, ones Yeri wasn't familiar with were also mentioned.
What was most ridiculous was that some bored netizens had even started a poll to guess the identity of Shin Keir's future wife.
Aside from the engagement news, there were rumors of Tristan's supposed new fling, accompanied by paparazzi photos. Another socialite's scandal followed, then the revelation of a well-known philanthropist and so-called father figure coming out as gay, and finally, news of a second-tier family declaring bankruptcy.
Yeri was stunned by the colorful cascade of scandals. One after another, they spilled across her screen, as if netizens were hosting a feast, gleefully indulging in the downfall and chaos of the upper class.
In their country, scandals involving the elite were often the juiciest, sometimes even more widely searched and discussed than celebrity gossip. They were like freshly served meals, consumed with enthusiasm and hunger.
As she continued scrolling, another headline appeared: Hadi Keir publicly calling for a divorce.
Yeri's eyes narrowed. This was the scoundrel who had nearly gotten her killed indirectly.
If she was stepping into the Keir family, then she needed to know exactly who stood on poor terms with Shin Keir to protect herself.
While she was still reading, a chat group she was in suddenly became active, messages popping up one after another.
Yeri frowned slightly, momentarily confused as she glanced at the unfamiliar usernames flooding the screen.
Then it finally clicked. Back when the eldest young master Lin had sent her a message and Shin had promptly blocked him, she had later unblocked the contact herself.
It seemed they had added her to their group chat.
Yeri opened the conversation and began scrolling upward, backtracking through the messages to see what she had missed.
It turned out that Calin had announced her engagement. One of the members in the group happened to be her ex, and out of sheer curiosity, everyone wanted to know whether the fiancé was him.
The man immediately denied it.
"Live?" Yeri muttered when she saw Zoren Lin's reply, mentioning Calin's livestream.
With nothing else to do and driven by curiosity, Yeri searched for Calin's account, clicked on it, and joined the livestream.
On screen, Calin looked radiant and lively, like a girl basking in love. She chatted animatedly, happily sharing the news of her engagement.
When netizens flooded the bullet comments asking who she was engaged to or whether it was Shin Keir, Calin didn't answer directly.
Instead, she smiled and said it was one of the blind dates arranged by her mother.
Yeri watched for a moment before a new message popped up in the group chat.
Saeki had replied, so she switched back to read it.
[Saeki]: I don't know who exactly she's engaged to, but apparently it's some businessman who just returned from abroad.
[Zoren]: She's really something. Wasn't it not long ago that she got into a car accident with Allen while still clinging to Tristan?
[Tristan]: Something interesting is about to happen. Looks like I'll be busy from now on.
[Saeki]: What do you mean? Don't keep it to yourself, share it with us!
Yeri continued reading. Just as she was about to exit the chat, someone noticed her online.
[Daniel]: Hello, sister-in-law Yeri!
Yeri's mouth twitched.
Who was Daniel again? And which one of them was Calin's ex?
Before she could sort it out, more messages followed, greeting her one after another.
[Zoren]: Sister-in-law, I sent you an invitation last week for my birthday banquet, it's the day after tomorrow. You're coming, right?
Yeri froze. Invitation? Banquet?
[Yeri]: I'm sorry, I had a fever not long ago and must have overlooked it. How did you send the invitation?
[Zoren]: I sent it to Shin, with your name on it. He probably forgot since you were sick.
Yeri: "…"
No wonder. Though she had a feeling it wasn't because she'd been sick, he simply hadn't wanted to tell her.
In the end, Yeri could only say she would ask Shin about it. She then made an excuse about being sleepy and exited the chat.
Besides, she couldn't promise she'd attend anyway. She wasn't sure whether the black veins on her face would disappear by then.
She continued scrolling aimlessly. Just as drowsiness crept in, raised voices echoed from outside.
Yeri cracked the door open slightly, and the argument became clearer. Downstairs, Linda and her scumbag uncle were fighting again.
They truly had no shame, arguing loudly in someone else's house, with no regard for the actual owners.
Yeri shut the door and went back to bed.
That same night, a loud shattering sound jolted her awake. Groggy, she fumbled for her phone. It was already past one in the morning.
She stepped out of her room to check what had happened, but she didn't need to go far.
Passing one of the guest rooms, she heard their voices again, Linda ranting, screaming shrilly like a banshee.
The door to the master bedroom opened, and her mother stepped out as well.
The moment Madam Zhi saw Yeri, worry filled her face, concerned for her health and the fact that she couldn't even rest properly.
Frustration surged in Yeri's chest, but she forced herself to endure it for her mother's sake.
Madam Zhi was just about to step in and mediate when Yeri quietly stopped her. With the mentality of those two, nothing good ever came from interference.
In fact, it might even be better if they ended up stabbing each other to death.
---
The next morning, Yeri was woken up by her phone ringing incessantly. Half-asleep, she instinctively reached to hang up but answered it instead.
"I'm outside your house."
Shin's deep, magnetic voice instantly chased away the last remnants of her drowsiness.
Without thinking further, Yeri hurried downstairs and rushed outside.
A black Maybach was parked neatly by the gate. Secretary Yun greeted her with his usual polite smile, showing not the slightest reaction to her bare face or the faint black veins still lingering beneath her skin.
"Miss Zhi, the boss is inside."
Yeri nodded and slipped into the back seat.
Shin was in the middle of a phone call and ended it the moment he saw her get in.
"You said you'd be staying here for a few days," he said, handing her a bag. "So I brought your school materials from the penthouse."
"Ah… thank you." Yeri had originally thought of asking the nanny to retrieve them. She hadn't expected him to do it personally.
Before she could say anything else, Shin's phone began ringing again, one call after another. He was clearly busy.
Shin didn't linger. He leaned over, pressed a brief kiss to her lips, and said in a low voice, "I'll be busy for the next few days, but you can call me anytime."
Yeri "..."
Still slightly dazed, Yeri carried the bag back inside. She didn't notice that the black veins on her face had already faded significantly.
An hour later, Madam Zhi woke up, and the two of them shared a rare, peaceful breakfast together.
It turned out that the shameless family of three had left early that morning. Yeri thought it was perfect timing, they hadn't run into Shin Keir at all.