Chapter 163 - 163: One-Hundred and Sixty-Three: Lambasted
Tears were a woman’s best weapon. It had always been so since ancient times, and they were applicable in any situation.
Once Yun Liu started crying, she became the weaker party. They would be accused of bullying her if they said anything further. Yun Nan frowned; of all of Yun Liu’s tricks, she hated this one the most—it worked on the Yuns every time. Someone else was present who hated people like Yun Liu even more than Yun Nan: Yan Tang.
Yan Tang handed Yun Liu a couple of sheets of tissues and said, “Stop crying. If crying can solve problems, then everyone would do nothing but cry all day. Hold your tears, and let me ask you a few things first so I can clarify things. It’ll stop Shi Xiu from being so pushy—don’t forget, she has her brother and sister-in-law to back her up.”
Yan Tang’s words stunned Yun Liu. ‘Yan Tang has never liked me,’ she thought, ‘ Why is she suddenly speaking up for me? However, Yun Liu wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth; anyone who spoke up for her was her lifeline at this moment.
She accepted the tissues, wiped her tears, and looked at Yan Tang with tearful eyes. Yan Tang glanced at her before looking at the surprised Shi Xiu and Yun Nan.
She swept a glance at the others and commented, “I think we know the rough story between you girls.”
She then pointed at Yun Nan and Shi Nian. “You two were betrothed when you were kids, but you—*she pointed at Yun Nan*—went missing. The betrothal is still valid.” Yan Tang asked Yun Liu, “Have the Yun family ever considered letting you replace Yun Nan and marry Shi Nian?”
Yun Liu nodded hesitantly. Yan Tang looked at Shi Nian and rather impolitely inquired, “And you? Do you have any feelings for this young lady? Did you make her any promises or some such?”
Shi Nian hurriedly shook his head. “No. Never.”
Yun Liu cried at that. Yan Tang stated, “I get it now. Yun Liu, you have an unrequited love for Shi Nian, don’t you? No wonder you dislike your sister so much!”
She then looked at Yun Nan. “It’s no wonder she doesn’t like you and always wants to make things difficult for you. It makes sense if you think about it. She was originally an orphan and finally found a family. Now that you’re back, she’s in an awkward position. Moreover, you’re the official fiancée of the person she has a crush on.”
Yan Tang shook her head and sighed, “Yun Liu, I don’t blame you. Who wouldn’t fall for a man like Shi Nian? Yun Nan is a beautiful and talented woman; anyone standing beside her would feel pressured. Understandably, you love Shi Nian and hate Yun Nan!”
Yun Liu was stupefied. Yan Tang seemed sympathetic, and her words weren’t wrong but were still unpleasant to her.
Yan Tang stared at Yun Liu and said, “However, there’s one thing you should know.” Her solemn tone and words made Yun Liu look at her attentively. Yan Tang slowly uttered under Yun Liu’s gaze, “There’s a saying; I don’t know if you’ve heard of it before. ‘What will be, will be.’ If it’s meant to be, it will happen. Otherwise, don’t push it. Shi Nian might have liked you, and Yun Nan might have liked having you as an older sister had you been content with your role as an adopted daughter and were truly as gentle and well-behaved as you make yourself out to be. It’s ironic, but that’s how it is—sometimes, the more you care about something, the more afraid you are of losing it. And the more afraid you are of losing it, the more likely you are to lose it.”
Yang Tang pointed at Yun Nan. “Is it her fault you couldn’t make Shi Nian fall in love with you despite her going missing for so many years? Of course not; that lies with you. You can’t blame others when you’re the one unable to make Shi Nian fall for you.’
Yun Liu was so dumbstruck she even forgot to cry. This was the first time she got reprimanded so directly.
“And you!” Yan Tang pointed at Yun Nan. ‘You were able to roam and survive on the streets alone; it shows that you’re mentally strong and capable of surviving on your own. Then why must you return to the Yun family? They don’t like you, so why go back? Isn’t that asking for abuse? Don’t you feel sad about how they treat you? Won’t your adoptive parents feel sad?”
Her words gave Yun Nan pause. Yun Nan then swiftly smiled and replied, “I’ve already left the Yun family.”
Yan Tang wasn’t surprised by her response. She nodded and told Yun Nan,
“That’s wise of you.”
She calmly added, “Please excuse my harsh tongue. The things I hate the most are green tea b*tches and naive, selfless idiots. I tend to rebuke them every time I come across one. Shi Xiu, of all the things you could learn, you choose to act like a green tea? Did you think you have to fight fire with fire? Cut it out.”
Shi Xiu applauded and cheered, “That was amazing, Yan Tang! Thank you for that! You’re right, Yang Tang. I’ll learn from you in the future! Your lecture was so satisfying! It was great!”
Yun Liu wished the world would end right this moment so she didn’t have to sit here and be humiliated by them. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into the palms of her hands.
Yun Nan noticed and sighed deeply. She wasn’t—and didn’t want to, couldn’t— be a saint. Yun Liu chose this path herself..