Chapter 88: Some Loose Ends
Before they knew it, a month of classes was coming to an end.
During this month, Si Er had lived each day to the fullest.
His cultivation had improved significantly, and Guagua had feasted well on gossip.
More importantly, it seemed that everything he wished for had actually come true.
For example, ever since Xuanxuan’s second brother, Yu Beiming, entered Lianshui City, many of Bai Lianrou’s secrets had been exposed to the public.
Soon after, with the help of City Lord Yu and City Lord Jun, City Lord Si uncovered even more of Third Master Si’s misdeeds. The list of people seeking to hunt him down grew longer and longer.
Now, Bai Lianrou’s stronghold—Shuangqiao Town—was under siege from all sides. Both Bai Lianrou and Third Master Si were too busy dealing with their own crises to care about the fates of Si Ran and Si Jiaojiao.
Si Jiaojiao was the daughter of Third Master Si and Bai Lianrou. Years ago, Third Master Si had swapped her with Si Eldest Uncle’s biological daughter, disfiguring and discarding the real child.
When Si Eldest Uncle first learned that the daughter he had raised was not his own, he felt uneasy. But considering she was still his niece and had been lovingly raised by him and his wife, he did not intend to drive her to her death.
He thought it best to simply return everyone to their rightful places. There was no need to do anything to a young girl. So he had Si Jiaojiao packed off to Wuqiao Alley in the Si clan’s ancestral grounds.
That alley was specifically for children born to the Si family’s mistresses. Those without parental support received a small monthly stipend. Though their treatment was inferior to other clan members, they would never lack food or warmth.
But Si Jiaojiao had been pampered since childhood by Si Eldest Uncle and his wife, her two brothers, and even her grandfather. How could she endure such humiliation? She immediately made a scene.
Yet making a scene was useless. Every time Si Eldest Uncle saw her lively and unharmed, he thought of his own biological daughter whose fate was unknown.
The more Si Jiaojiao protested, the more he disliked her.
Unwilling to accept this, she shouted, “Is bloodline really that important? Is it more important than the ten-plus years of feelings between us?”
“Even if it is important, we’re still family! We share part of the same blood!”
The moment those words left her mouth, she was clawed across the face by Madam Si.
“You share some blood with my husband, but what does that have to do with me? By what right did you enjoy the love I should have given my own daughter?”
“And you’re still not satisfied? You want to keep occupying everything?”
“You and your father are the same—despicable, shameless, reckless, and ambitious!”
“But why must your ambition be paved with other people’s flesh and blood? And your own family’s flesh and blood at that!”
Madam Si trembled with rage, while Si Jiaojiao lashed out recklessly in return.
“So what? Mother, Father—right now, I’m your only daughter! I’m the one you’ve raised for sixteen years!”
“As for that switched child, she’s probably already dead! If you refuse to keep me, then you won’t have any daughter at all—”
Before she could finish, Madam Si pounced on her and pinned her to the ground, beating her fiercely.
“You’re the one who deserves to die! You deserve to die! You, your father, your mother, and that bastard Si Ran all deserve to die!”
“My daughter is definitely alive! She must be alive and well!”
Si Eldest Uncle felt chilled by Si Jiaojiao’s words as well. He immediately ordered her to be expelled from Dongyao City.
After all, since Third Master Si had already been driven out, it was only natural that the daughter born of his mistress would also be expelled.
Out of genuine fury, before Si Jiaojiao left the city, Madam Si confiscated all the valuables on her person.
“These were prepared by our main branch for our biological daughter. What right do you have to take them?”
“Hand them over!”
Si Eldest Uncle had no objections. In fact, he felt fortunate he had acted quickly—because three days after Si Jiaojiao was expelled, Old Master Si returned alone to Dongyao City.
He had come to plead on behalf of Third Master Si and to arrange matters for Si Jiaojiao—but everything was already too late.
Old Master Si raged helplessly at home, and in the end, only succeeded in chilling the hearts of the main branch.
After leaving Dongyao City, Si Jiaojiao went to Central City to seek help from Si Ran—but Si Ran was struggling to protect himself.
Originally, Si Ran still possessed considerable wealth. After all, he was just a child, and City Lord Si, as an elder, found it difficult to settle accounts with him directly.
But that was fine—Yu Beixuan could have Yu Bei Tiger take action.
When Yu Bei Tiger went to Azure Dragon Academy, not only did he make those scoundrels publicly disgrace themselves, he also quietly took most of the valuables on Si Ran.
Because Yu Beixuan believed those things had originally belonged to Si Er and should never have remained in Si Ran’s hands.
Even if City Lord Si had already provided compensation. Even if Si Er had no real use for most of Si Ran’s resources.
It didn’t matter.
Whoever benefited, it absolutely could not be Si Ran.
Yu Beixuan had long since arranged for those resources to be exchanged for new ones suitable for Si Er—and then racked his brains trying to stuff them into Si Er’s hands.
