Chapter Two: Just a Pawn

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Yi Xinyan and the maid Liu Li were standing under the streetlamp talking. Liu Li shook her head guiltily. “No, I didn’t capture anything.”

“That’s impossible. Didn’t you personally take Yinuo to President Jiang’s bed?” Yi Xinyan asked anxiously.

“I did... I did take her over. At that time, President Jiang wasn’t in the room. I put her on the bed and left. Later, when President Jiang came back, she was gone.” Liu Li nervously looked at Yi Xinyan. “Then I took the young master and some guests to search the guest rooms one by one. When we reached Mr. Yan’s room, it took a long time for him to open the door. When we went in, he was alone, but I noticed bloodstains on his bed.”

“Bloodstains?”

Liu Li nodded.

Yi Xinyan pressed on, “You said you took my brother to look for Yinuo? Why was he with you?”

Liu Li explained, “The young master asked me if I saw the second miss. I told him I saw her hugging President Jiang as they went into the annex. So he asked me to bring him along to look for her.”

“Damn it!” Yi Xinyan slapped her thigh angrily, cursing as she walked, “You stupid girl, you can’t even handle something so simple. Not only did she run away, but now my brother knows. Wait until I get back—I’m going to deal with you.”

“That wretched Yinuo really has good luck,” Yi Xinyan cursed bitterly. “I wanted to put her on President Jiang’s bed to get some projects for Dad, and secretly film her with a man as leverage for the future. But you let her run away.”

Yi Xinyan’s curses crackled like firecrackers, shattering the quiet little lane with their sharpness.

Listening to their conversation, Yinuo froze like she’d been struck by lightning.

So it was her luck that had saved her from a scandalous disaster; Yan Ze hadn’t lied—she had been the one to throw herself into his arms.

How could things have turned out this way? Her mind felt like it had crashed, leaving her dazed.

Yinuo had been brought to the Yi family by Yi Leijun when she was four. He had told her that her mother was a good friend of his and though she had passed away, he was willing to raise Yinuo.

Since coming to the Yi household, she’d been cautious and obedient. She knew she was an orphan with nowhere else to go, so she tried to be good, fearing being cast out again.

Though the servants called her the Second Miss, she knew she wasn’t one. Every day when she came home, the first thing she did was scramble for chores—washing clothes, cooking—without complaint. No matter how hard she worked, her older sister and foster mother disliked her. The only one who treated her kindly was her foster father, Yi Leijun.

After Yan Ze saw the guests off, he came out and stood on the terrace. Being high up with a broad view, and with the night quiet, the earlier conversation between Yi Xinyan and Liu Li drifted unintentionally into his ears. Having caught half of it, he roughly understood what had happened.

With fair fingers holding a cigar, his starry eyes slightly narrowed. He took a deep drag and slowly exhaled the seductive smoke. Behind the smoke, his expression was dreamy. He quietly watched Yinuo standing under the tree, lost in thought.

However long she stood there, he watched as long. Only when Yinuo staggered away did he withdraw his gaze and pull out his phone from his pocket.

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“Assistant Li, help me investigate tonight’s events. The more detailed, the better.”

...

Yi Xinyan came running down from the third floor, pounding down the stairs to her room and shutting the door. “Mom, I just went up to check. That little bitch still hasn’t come back.”

“Oh? Then where has she gone?” Zhang Juan asked.

“I don’t know.”

Yinuo dragged her heavy steps back to the main villa of the Yi family. Her bedroom was on the third floor, a room cold in winter and hot in summer. Approaching the second floor, she noticed Yi Xinyan’s door was slightly ajar, faint light leaking from the crack.

She heard Zhang Juan speaking inside. Though their voices were low, whenever someone hears their own name, it always stings sharply. Yinuo quietly crept closer and pressed her ear to the door. Yi Xinyan’s voice came through:

“You don’t know—after Yinuo ran away, President Jiang threw a huge tantrum, saying we all conspired to deceive him. Mom, do you think Dad’s project will be ruined?”

“No!” Zhang Juan paused for a moment. “First, we’ll soothe President Jiang. Then, when the time is right, we’ll send Yinuo over. I will never let your father’s project fail.”

“Yinuo is just a pawn in our family. When it’s necessary, we’ll send her over to help your father win projects. Whether it’s President Jiang, Mr. Zhang, or Mr. Li, as long as the person is entertained well, how can we not get the projects?”

“What if Yinuo finds out and refuses?” Yi Xinyan worried.

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Juan said. “She eats our food and drinks our drinks. We’ve raised her all these years. It’s only right she helps bring in projects for your father. If she refuses, I’ll deal with her.”

Yinuo listened in shock, her legs trembling uncontrollably. Her whole body felt like a deflated balloon, unable to stand. The Yi family was so cruel to her. What should she do?

At first, she naively thought it was just Yi Xinyan scheming against her for their father’s project. But now she realized Zhang Juan was the mastermind behind everything. So the whole family knew about the plan except for her alone?

This family was a den of vipers—she couldn’t stay here anymore!

She leaned against the wall and slipped away quietly. At the stairwell, seeing no one, she sprinted to her bedroom.

She hurriedly shut the door, leaning against it while catching her breath. Large tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes—disappointment, sadness, but most of all anger and grief. After all these years, she thought someone in this family cared for her a bit, but it turned out she was just a pawn.

A pig never understands until it’s slaughtered, why the one who raised it is the one who kills it. Every action has a motive; gifts may conceal a hidden blade.

Yinuo immediately realized she was that pig destined for slaughter.

She refused to be that pathetic pig. She would leave this place, leave this family. She must move out first and then figure out what to do.

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Finally calming herself, she wiped the tears from her face. Crying was a sign of weakness. She refused to live a life controlled by others—she would become strong. Tonight she would pack; tomorrow she would find a place to move, far away from this merciless, devouring place.

Without hesitation—since so many were watching her room to see if she returned—she wouldn’t turn on the light. Borrowing the moonlight outside, she moved to the wardrobe to find her suitcase.

Suddenly, a sharp “click” sounded, and the room’s light switched on. The dazzling light made Yinuo squint. She raised her hand to shield her eyes, and after a moment, she saw who was in the room.

Yi Sicheng? Why was he in her room? Sitting on her bed? There were three or four cigarette butts on the floor by his feet, so he’d clearly been there a while.

“Big Brother? Why are you in my room?”

Yi Sicheng didn’t answer. He stood up and slowly walked toward her. “Xiaonuo, I haven’t seen you all night. Where have you been?”

So he came to probe—wants to know who she spent the night with?

Yinuo lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, and answered simply, “Just walking in the garden.”

“Didn’t you accompany the guests tonight? Why are you suddenly asking about me?”

“It’s late now. Some guests have gone home, some are still chatting at the banquet, and some went to rest in the annex.” After a pause, Yi Sicheng asked, “Did you go to the annex tonight? Or see anyone there?”

“No. Why would I go there?”

Yi Sicheng looked at her suspiciously. Seeing her cheeks flushed and eyes moist with tears, he asked, “You cried? Did someone bully you?”

“No. Something got in my eye.”

Lowering his head, Yi Sicheng looked into her eyes. “Let me see.” He reached out to gently hold Yinuo’s head to help blow her eye.

Yinuo stepped back carefully, deftly avoiding his hand. “Big Brother, aren’t you resting? I’m tired and want to sleep.”

Yi Sicheng’s raised hand froze awkwardly before he lowered it. “Alright, I’ll go out then. You rest first.”

At the door, he paused, as if thinking, then added, “If you run into any trouble, come find Brother. I’ll help you.”

“Okay.”