Mu Xia watched Mu Xinyue lead Situ Qingshan upstairs, her eyes devoid of pity. Instead, they held a sharp, cold glint. That slap from Mu Xinyue, it seemed, had been worth it. But it would also be the last time Mu Xinyue would ever lay a hand on her. After Situ Qingshan was gone, Situ Hai approached Mu Xia. “Shanshan,” he said, “That’s your nickname, isn’t it?” Mu Xia nodded. Her nickname, Shanshan, was a homophone for the "Shan" in Situ Qingshan's name. She was starting to dislike it. “Here’s the thing, Shanshan.” Situ Hai sighed, putting on a troubled expression. “Your sister has been spoiled rotten by me, and for her to do something so wicked… I share the blame. We should have called the police, but she is your sister, after all. We’re family. And besides, no real harm was done to you, and she’s already suffered the consequences. So let’s just drop it, shall we? We’ll pretend it never happened. I’ll punish her severely in private, and I’ll make it up to you. How does that sound?” Hidden in the sleeve of her pajamas, Mu Xia’s hand slowly clenched into a fist. *No real harm was done?* If that snake had actually bitten her, Situ Qingshan would have had everything arranged to keep it quiet. By morning, her body would have been cold. And Situ Hai wanted to pretend nothing happened? To just ground Situ Qingshan for a month? In that moment, Mu Xia saw Situ Hai’s true colors with perfect clarity. He would never cast Situ Qingshan aside as long as it didn’t compromise his own interests. After all, another daughter was just another bargaining chip to curry favor with the powerful. Situ Hai was a man who put his own interests above all else. It made it even harder for Mu Xia to understand how her own mother could have ever fallen for such a man. Her heart turned to ice. The last shred of familial affection she held for Situ Hai vanished completely. Yet, she let none of this show on her face. She offered a thoughtful smile and nodded obediently. “I don’t know what’s best, Dad. I’ll do whatever you say. My sister is still young; I don’t blame her. I’ll act as if nothing happened, and we can go on being good sisters. I just hope she won’t hold a grudge over this.” “Don’t you worry,” he said. “I’ll make her forget about it, too. No one will ever speak of this again. You two will get along just fine.” “We will.” Mu Xia’s lips curved into a smile, revealing the faint dimples in her cheeks. To anyone watching, she looked utterly sweet and understanding. Situ Hai breathed a sigh of relief, genuinely pleased. This daughter of his was not only beautiful but also forgiving and incredibly obedient. She was even more docile than he’d imagined. And docile was good. Docile was easy to control… “It’s getting late. You must have been frightened, so go get some rest. If you need anything at all, just let me know. Anything I can give you, I will.” Situ Hai was in high spirits. Uncharacteristically generous for a man who was usually so tight-fisted, he handed Mu Xia a card. “There’s a million dollars on this one. Combined with the million I gave you before, that’s two million you can spend as you please. When it’s gone, just come to me. You can’t live as frugally as you did in the countryside anymore. You need to carry yourself like a daughter of the Situ family. Tomorrow, I’ll have the butler take you shopping for new clothes.” “Thank you, Dad! You’re the best!” His vanity immensely satisfied, Situ Hai’s earlier annoyance with Situ Qingshan’s antics evaporated. Humming a Beijing opera tune, he headed upstairs. The moment Mu Xia returned to her room, the sweet, obedient smile vanished from her face without a trace. No matter how foolish Situ Qingshan was, she had Mu Xinyue protecting her. Mu Xia had no one. She had only herself. Her fists clenched. Feeling drained, she sank onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Maybe being alone wasn’t so bad… Besides, she wasn’t truly alone. Her parents abroad treated her well, and her little brother adored and depended on her. He must have missed her terribly while she was gone. But to keep them from being dragged into this whole mess, she had to cut off contact for now. Still, the thought of her brother brought a soft, unconscious smile to her lips. Just then, her phone rang. Mu Xia answered. It was a friend of hers from Country M. “San, how have you been?” the caller asked in a distinct London accent. “I’m doing well, Vincent. I just got back to my family’s home in the country, actually. Ran into a minor issue, but it’s been handled. What can I do for you?” Her English was fluent and unaccented, indistinguishable from a native speaker’s. The man on the other end sounded a bit hesitant. “Well, you know that island project I’m working on? The late-stage expenses are piling up, and I’ve run into some cash flow problems. I was wondering if you might be able to lend me some money… or perhaps even invest in exchange for a stake?” Mu Xia replied, “I’m very optimistic about your island project. Tell me, how much do you need? I’d be happy to be a part of it.” “That’s fantastic! With you on board, it’s like—what’s that saying in your country?—like giving a tiger wings! I need a billion US dollars. Is that feasible for you?” “Not a problem,” Mu Xia agreed without a moment’s hesitation. After hanging up, Mu Xia contacted her private financial manager abroad. Working from her computer, she transferred one billion US dollars to Vincent’s account and instructed her lawyers to draw up an investment contract. Once that was done, her gaze fell upon the two bank cards from Situ Hai. A scornful smile touched her lips as she deleted all traces of the transaction from her computer. Meanwhile. After Mu Xinyue dragged Situ Qingshan back to her room, her patience finally snapped. “You idiot!” she shrieked. “How many times did I tell you not to make a move until we knew exactly what we were dealing with when it comes to Mu Xia? Why won’t you ever listen?!” Tears of indignation streamed down Situ Qingshan’s face. “I-I didn’t think this would happen…” she sobbed. “But Mom, you have to believe me! Mu Xia must have put that snake there to bite me! I clearly told the nanny to put it in *her* room.” “Of course I know that!” Mu Xinyue shot back, utterly exasperated with her daughter’s incompetence. Situ Qingshan froze, confused. “Then why didn’t you stand up for me? That Mu Xia is no saint herself!” Mu Xinyue sighed. “I’ve taught you so much, yet you still haven’t learned how to read a room. Your father clearly trusts her right now. Besides, you were the one who put the snake in her room first. Trying to explain anything now would be pointless. It would only make him angrier!” “Then what am I supposed to do? I can’t let her frame me like this! Did you see the way the servants were looking at me? Everyone in this villa thinks I got what I deserved.” Mu Xinyue fell silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful. “It seems Mu Xia is more complex, more difficult to read than I anticipated. I’ll dig into her background as quickly as I can. Until then, you must get along with her. Even if you have to fake it, you will act like you’ve learned your lesson and want to be good sisters. That’s what will make your father happy. You know how much he despises drama in his own house—and people who disobey him.” “But… I’m grounded. I can’t even leave my room.” Mu Xinyue reminded her, “Silly girl, have you forgotten? Your certificate ceremony is in a week. Endure it for one week. When you steal the show at the ceremony, all of this will be forgotten.” “Okay! I’ll practice hard all week. I’ll be sure to dazzle everyone at the ceremony!” “I’m so glad to hear you say that, dear…” Five days passed in the blink of an eye.