Lin Hai's Extremely Chaotic "Interpersonal Relationships"

Upon hearing this, Shui Bing'er gently took her mother's arm and smiled, "And you too!"

Shui Yunshu couldn't help but chuckle, affectionately ruffling her daughter's hair. "You little rascal, you're being so sweet-talking today, are you possessed by Yue'er or something?"

Her tone was gentle, her gaze seemingly able to see through everything. "Speak, what brings you here specifically to see your mother?"

'I hope you'll spare me later, considering I'm possessed by the Yue'er,' Shui Bing'er thought to herself.

She then took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "Mom, actually... back then... the one who stole the ' Profound Ice Phoenix ' was... me."

"And then?" Shui Yunshu's smile remained gentle. "Did you come here specifically to ask me for a beating?"

Shui Bing'er suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with astonishment. "Mom... you..."

"That girl Yue'er has always been simple-minded; she wears her heart on her sleeve," Shui Yunshu explained with a smile.

"If she really did it, she would have been guilty and begging for forgiveness after being discovered. Why would she have acted so righteously back then?"

"Furthermore, although Xue Wu and the other children are on good terms with you and your sisters, Yue'er doesn't have the same prestige among them as you do. If they really want to plot something, they will inevitably have to get around you."

The Five Great Elemental Academies, after years of development, has two unique features:

Firstly, they are all integrated Soul Master Academy, covering primary, intermediate, and advanced levels. Students can enroll directly after Martial Soul Awakening and continue until graduation.

Secondly, the academy practices a semi-family-style management system. Many outstanding students are the children, in-laws, or other relatives of the academy's senior management, and they generally stay on as management members after graduation.

Xue Wu and her group are examples of this; they are the core members that Skywater Academy plans to develop in the future.

Although Shui Yue'er was the group's darling, she really couldn't get them to do anything.

"So you knew all along..." Shui Bing'er murmured, her heart filled with mixed emotions. "Then why... didn't you expose us all this time?"

"Why expose it?" Shui Yunshu asked back, her gaze gentle.

"Wasn't the situation quite good back then? It satisfied Yue'er's sense of loyalty and her desire to protect her sister, while also preserving your dignity as the family heir. Besides—"

Her tone shifted slightly, carrying a deeper meaning. "Mom has also been waiting, waiting for the moment when you, the future head of the family, will take the initiative to step forward and assume responsibility."

Shui Bing'er only realized at this moment that her mother had considered so much when dealing with this matter.

It seems I still have a long way to go before becoming a qualified head of the family.

Then, Shui Yunshu changed the subject, saying, "But I'm curious, why did you choose to suddenly confess this today?"

Upon hearing this, a faint blush swept across Shui Bing'er's fair cheeks. She lowered her head, her voice becoming even softer:

"Because we just saw ' Profound Ice Phoenix ' on the street..."

"What?!" Shui Yunshu was slightly taken aback at first, then her face instantly flushed with anger.

"Could it be that the Spirit Hall has put it up for public sale?!"

She subconsciously assumed that her daughter had seen her in a shop or stall.

The thought that the family heirloom, the patriarch's token of love, had been reduced to being sold off so casually filled a wave of humiliation and anger.

"No, no!" Shui Bing'er quickly waved her hand to explain, "It wasn't sold, it was on a man."

"A man?" Shui Yunshu's anger was instantly replaced by surprise and doubt, and she immediately asked:

"How old is the other person? What is their status? What do they look like?"

Her tone was urgent, completely devoid of her previous calm and composure.

"Judging from her appearance, she's at most twenty years old, as for her looks..."

Shui Bing'er's mind conjured up Lin Hai's handsome and otherworldly face, and she paused, then said shyly:

"He is extremely handsome, the most outstanding-looking man my daughter has ever seen... without a doubt."

Then, she told her mother in detail about seeing Lin Hai walking intimately with Dugu Yan and the other girls on the street, as well as the rumors that Shen Liuyu had heard.

Finally, she added, "I noticed the way Yue'er looked at that person... she seemed... quite fond of him too."

Shui Yunshu listened to her daughter's account, her expression shifting constantly.

When she heard that Shui Yue'er might also have had second thoughts, she looked at her graceful daughter before her, and then thought of herself, and couldn't help but let out a helpless, bitter smile:

"What a... ill-fated relationship..."

The reason why the "Profound Ice Phoenix" Jade Pendant became a family heirloom of the Shui Family is lost to time and cannot be verified.

However, for many years it has been used as a token of love between the head of the household and his wife.

Although it doesn't possess true authority like some sect tokens, within the Shui Family—

The person who wears this Jade Pendant is the lover recognized by the current head of the household.

This is precisely why "Profound Ice Phoenix" was sent to Spirit City back then, and why she felt so worried and resistant.

However, the Spirit Hall was too powerful, and Spirit City was not a place to reason.

Moreover, in a transaction where money is exchanged for goods, she has no reason to argue.

So many years have passed, she thought this thing would never appear again...

Unexpectedly, it has now not only reappeared in the world, but also in the body of a young man.

If the man is truly as rumored, capable of winning the favor of both Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, two exceptionally talented women, as well as the approval of Dugu Bo and Ye Yunyao, then he must be truly outstanding.

Therefore, even if the two sisters, Shui Bing'er Shui Yue'er, fall in love with him in the future, and even marry him together, Shui Yunshu would not find it unacceptable, since she and her sister had shared a husband back then.

However, the fact that the "Profound Ice Phoenix" is in the hands of this person means that he is very likely from the Spirit Hall, or has an extremely close relationship with the Spirit Hall.

If the Shui Family were to form a marriage alliance with him, it would be tantamount to boarding the Spirit Hall's ship, and the consequences of such an alliance would be unpredictable.

Moreover, rumors even say that the current Crown Prince Xue Qinghe is interested in him... This relationship is far too chaotic and complicated.

What made Shui Yunshu feel most embarrassed was that the current head of the Shui Family was not Shui Bing'er, but her, Shui Yunshu!

The appearance of this Jade Pendant left her in a state of utter confusion.

Shui Bing'er had not yet realized the significance of "family head" and her tone was full of worry. "Could it be... that he really wants to marry me and Yue'er together?"

"Putting aside whether those rumors are true or false, just looking at his appearance, it's simply impossible for him to marry into the Shui Family... and I can't marry outside the family in the future..."

"Moreover, he is very likely from the Spirit Hall. If our Shui Family gets too involved with him, I'm afraid there will be endless trouble in the future..."

Shui Yunshu waved her hand, interrupting Shui Bing'er.

She looked at her daughter with a complicated expression and asked a crucial question, "Bing'er, I'll only ask you one question: Do you dare to break the rules set by our ancestors?"

Shui Bing'er trembled slightly, remained silent for a moment, and finally slowly shook her head, whispering, "Bing'er... dares not."

Upon hearing this, Shui Yunshu smiled wryly and said, "I wouldn't dare either..."

A brief silence fell over the room. After a long while, Shui Yunshu seemed to have temporarily suppressed her worries, and waved her hand, saying:

"That's enough. What's done is done, there's no point in thinking about it anymore. Let's just take it one step at a time."