Xu Xinyao

Xu Yuan's words drew no response from Zhou Chen.

He knew perfectly well what he should and shouldn't say. When it came to the Prime Minister's family affairs, it was best to keep his mouth firmly shut.

For a moment, the two of them fell silent.

Xu Yuan stared at the young women dancing on the hall's stage, their jade-white feet bare and their long sleeves swirling, while he thought about his Fourth Sister.

Of course he knew about the Prime Minister's Fourth Miss.

Xu Xinyao, one of Cangyuan's heroines.

But until just now, his impression of Xu Xinyao had remained rooted in what he knew from his previous life. He hadn't deliberately searched through his predecessor's memories.

That was right.

When Xu Yuan had called Xu Xinyao a bitch just now, he'd meant every word. He'd had no ulterior motive; it had all come straight from the heart.

From the God's-eye view he'd had in his previous life, he'd never felt much for this heroine.

But after Zhou Chen's reminder, Xu Yuan began searching his memories for information about his Fourth Sister.

Most of them were fragmented and hazy, but he could piece together the general shape of their relationship.

At present, his relationship with this Fourth Sister could only be called terrible.

That didn't surprise Xu Yuan in the slightest.

Given what his predecessor had been like, it would've been strange if they'd gotten along.

Still, it was worth noting that the siblings had been on decent terms as children.

In fact, according to his memories, he seemed to have secretly fallen for his adoptive sister when they were young.

The sort of love that ran in the family.

That was because Xu Xinyao had been gentle and kind from childhood.

With his two elder brothers shining so brightly, the mediocre Xu Changtian had grown up withdrawn and isolated.

But when they were children, his two brothers had been there to comfort him, so his withdrawn nature hadn't been too pronounced.

Then Xu Changge and Xu Chang'an both came of age and left to travel the world, and it became increasingly obvious.

Fortunately, his little sister Xu Xinyao had been willing to stay by his side, keeping the withdrawn child company.

To put it more poetically,

she was the gentlest beam of light in his heart.

But even that gentle beam gradually grew into a searchlight as they got older.

Its glare left his predecessor unable to open his eyes.

And worst of all, after staying for two years, that light left too.

When Xu Xinyao's interest and talent in formations came to light, their father asked if she wanted to leave and study the art.

His predecessor begged her not to go, but she went anyway.

Still a little kid, he saw it as a betrayal.

What happened afterward was just as Xu Yuan had recalled earlier.

His predecessor became a complete recluse.

By the time Xu Xinyao returned after completing her studies, Xu Changtian had become an entirely different person.

Watching her once quiet Third Brother grow worse by the day, the kind-hearted Xu Xinyao tried to stop him.

But who was Xu Changtian?

Even his own brother couldn't beat sense into him with a whip. Did she really think a mere adoptive sister could talk him out of it?

More often than not, her intervention ended with Xu Xinyao reporting him, then Xu Changge coming home from his travels and having his younger brother strung up for a beating.

His personality already warped beyond recognition, Xu Changtian laid all of this at Xu Xinyao's feet.

He started attacking her birth, calling her a bastard, and even laying hands on her.

At first, Xu Xinyao's kindness kept her from giving up on her Third Brother, but she simply couldn't endure Xu Changtian's increasingly twisted nature.

As his behavior in the Imperial Capital grew more outrageous and reckless, the siblings gradually came to a complete falling-out.

In less than ten years, their relationship deteriorated to the point where they could barely bring themselves to speak.

As the memories ended, a trace of wistfulness entered Xu Yuan's eyes. But a moment later, it turned to amusement.

Xu Xinyao was a perfect heroine.

Yet when Xu Yuan had played Cangyuan in his previous life, he'd never been able to like the Prime Minister's Fourth Miss.

Now that he had his predecessor's memories, his opinion of her had changed a little.

As one of Cangyuan's heroines, Xu Xinyao did her role justice.

Ever since she and the protagonist had met by chance early on, she'd given him all sorts of material support.

At first, Xu Yuan had actually liked her quite a bit.

After all, who didn't love a rich woman?

Xu Xinyao had several romance routes in Cangyuan that could reach their conclusion.

They met, went on adventures, and eventually fell in love.

They met, became lovers who fought like cats and dogs, and eventually fell in love.

They met, he rescued the damsel in distress, they went on adventures, and eventually fell in love.

From the protagonist's perspective, Xu Xinyao really was perfect.

She was rich, gentle, kind, and understanding. She even had the strength to help the protagonist through her mastery of formations.

But the problem was,

back then, Xu Yuan hadn't just been able to put himself in the protagonist's shoes. He'd also had a God's-eye view of Cangyuan's characters.

As Xu Xinyao's identity had gradually come to light, he'd lost interest in her.

In many of Cangyuan's worldlines, as the protagonist's interference sent the Prime Minister's faction into decline and its situation spiraling out of control, many people betrayed her father, either for their own interests or simply to survive.

And among the traitors in those worldlines was the esteemed Fourth Miss, Xu Xinyao.

In some worldlines,

her betrayal had even played a pivotal role.

Xu Yuan had always believed that everyone had their own logic for how they acted.

People were imperfect, so that logic could be contradictory or even hypocritical. But whatever they did, it had to stem from the position they occupied.

Xu Xinyao had completely abandoned the position she occupied.

Because she believed the protagonist was on the side of justice, and because she believed her adoptive father's actions had brought devastation and death to all under heaven.

So she chose to put righteousness above family.

How noble, how righteous, how filial.

"."

At that thought, Xu Yuan felt like laughing for no reason. But after a couple of chuckles, he gave a small shake of his head.

He hadn't seen enough of the Great Yan Dynasty to know what the rest of it was really like.

But in Cangyuan, the whole world was already seething beneath the surface.

The Barbarian Tribe to the north, the Ancient Abyss in the southwest, and the sects within the Great Yan Dynasty—so many forces were already growing restless.

As the Prime Minister's Fourth Miss, Xu Xinyao knew all of this.

But she wanted to find a way to bring everyone together and resolve things without resorting to force.

She thought about it, and she tried.

In many worldlines, she worked toward that goal again and again. But sadly, her efforts always became a joke in the end.

Because on this chessboard, where great chaos was bound to come, her father had made the first move.

Like a collapse of faith.

She began to struggle.

She began to waver.

She chose to betray them.

Betrayal.

Xu Yuan let out a long breath, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Sure enough, no matter how beautiful she might be in his memories, he just couldn't bring himself to like this woman.

He wasn't asking her to abandon her beliefs and help. The least she could do was stay neutral and keep out of it, right?

Anyone could betray the Prime Minister, but not you, the Fourth Miss Xu Xinyao.

He was the one who gave you a home when you were at your most helpless.

He was the one who lifted you from hunger and misery to the clouds, giving you the finest education and material comforts. Everything he could provide, he gave you the best of.

The kindness of raising someone outweighed the kindness of giving birth. He wasn't your father, yet he was more than a father; he wasn't your mother, yet he was more than a mother. Your eldest brother and Second Brother treated you as their own, too.

And yet,

you chose to stab them in their weakest spot, when they least expected it.

Thanks, everyone, for the votes and investments.