Ye Family Fortress.
After watching the show at Skywater Academy, Ye Lingling could only feel that it was absurd.
She turned to look at the man beside her, who was leisurely sipping tea, and gritted her teeth.
"The sisters from the Genius Ranking, the mother from the Combat Power Ranking—husband, you really know how to play!"
Before the Sky Screen descended, she had thought her husband was an honest man. Normally, he wouldn't even spare other women a glance.
Now she finally knew the truth. It wasn't that he didn't look; he just didn't have the time. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle them all!
"Hmph!" Ye Lingling snorted, picked up her teacup, and took a long, angry gulp.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu hurried over. Her lively little face was full of "concern." "Sister, you're not jealous, are you? What's the big deal? If my mother were still here, I could even... as long as Brother Cao liked her."
Ye Lingling's mouth twitched. What kind of outrageous thing was that?
Zhu Zhuyun also spoke languidly. "Exactly. Besides, there's no way you could be jealous of them all. There are plenty more coming."
Zhu Zhuqing unexpectedly chimed in. "That's right. If you can't stand it, Sister, you might as well let go."
Ye Lingling took a deep breath, forcing down the anger churning inside her.
These little hussies really were up to no good.
Every one of them was a scheming bitch. They called her "Sister" to her face, but secretly they all wanted to be the principal wife.
She set down her teacup, smoothed the loose hair at her temple, and smiled calmly.
"Your big sister was only teasing and flirting with her husband. My ten years with him—how could you possibly understand?"
Ten years together, day in and day out, sleeping side by side every night. What could you, who only met him in dreams, possibly compare with me?
Xiao Wu blinked, her smile innocent as could be. But her words nearly made Ye Lingling choke. "It's no fun if you keep bringing up those ten years, Sister. Ten years is nothing. I've spent at least eighty years with Brother Cao in my dreams!"
Ye Lingling's hand paused slightly.
Zhu Zhuyun said, "Seventy years for me."
Zhu Zhuqing said, "Eighty years for me."
Ye Lingling's face darkened a little.
So hers was the shortest?
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly thought of something and turned to Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, if we both spent eighty years together, how come you're so much stronger than me?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head, her smile still innocent. "Maybe you should ask yourself if you trained hard enough! One minute you'd say you were shy, the next you'd say you were afraid it would hurt, and then you'd say you needed some water to take a break. How could you compare with me like that?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly flushed red. She was left speechless.
Watching this, Ye Lingling felt a wave of helplessness rise in her heart. She couldn't help but mock them.
"If you keep at it for decades, won't you till the land until it's worn out?"
Zhu Zhuyun chuckled. "You haven't been to the Dream Space, Sister, so you don't know. You recover incredibly quickly inside. The more you fight, the stronger you get; the stronger you get, the more you fight."
Ye Lingling was completely at a loss for words. One against several—she was clearly at a disadvantage.
She turned to look at the man who was still leisurely drinking tea, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance. "Husband, your principal wife is being bullied. Aren't you going to say something?"
Cao Xiyu put down his teacup and looked at his wife's puffed-up face, then at the little hussies who were either gloating or snickering. He cleared his throat.
"You're all sisters, all family. Keep it down. Otherwise... I'll have to enforce the family rules."
He put extra emphasis on the words "family rules." At that, all the women's expressions changed.
Just then, space rippled in the courtyard.
Three graceful figures emerged.
The one in front had a voluptuous figure and a fierce air about her. It was Liu Erlong.
Behind her were the gentle Ah Yin and the dignified, noble Tang Yuehua.
The three women stood together, each with her own charms, yet all were mature beauties in their prime.
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly, and she rushed forward. "Godmother! You're finally here!"
She plunged into Liu Erlong's arms with such enthusiasm that the other women were stunned.
Liu Erlong patted the back of Xiao Wu's head and laughed. "You're all grown up, and you're still acting spoiled."
Xiao Wu looked up with a radiant smile. "In front of you, Godmother, I'll always be a child."
Cao Xiyu wasn't surprised at all.
Just like in the original story, Xiao Wu had taken Liu Erlong as her godmother. The two of them were very much in sync and completely uninhibited when they were with him—very nice!
Liu Erlong let go of Xiao Wu, stepped forward, and bowed slightly to Ye Lingling. "Liu Erlong pays her respects to Sister."
Ah Yin also stepped forward and curtsied. "Ah Yin pays her respects to Sister."
Tang Yuehua spoke last, her voice cool as moonlight. "Tang Yuehua pays her respects to Sister."
All three were mature women, no longer young, with plenty of life experience. They didn't make a fuss like Xiao Wu and the Zhu sisters.
Their manners were impeccable, and every movement showed the poise and composure unique to mature women.
Ye Lingling nodded slightly, and some of her displeasure faded.
At least these three were more sensible than those little hussies.
"We're all sisters, so there's no need for formalities. Sit."
Xiao Cui hurriedly brought over chairs and refilled their tea.
The three women took their seats, and the atmosphere in the courtyard became much more harmonious than before.
Liu Erlong picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and looked at Cao Xiyu with a hint of grievance in her eyes. "Brother Cao, it's been so long."
"It has been a while," Cao Xiyu replied with a slight smile.
Ah Yin looked up, her deep-blue eyes full of tenderness. "Brother Cao, Ah Yin is here."
Tang Yuehua said nothing. She only gazed quietly at him, her eyes filled with longing and anticipation, along with a trace of bashfulness she could barely conceal.
Cao Xiyu nodded and said gently, "It's good that you're here. You can live here from now on. No need to keep wandering around."
All three women nodded in unison, their faces breaking into relieved smiles.
Watching this, Ye Lingling felt a jumble of emotions. She sighed, picked up her teacup, and took a small sip.
Forget it, forget it. Things were already like this—what else could she do?
At worst, she'd have her husband enforce the family rules a few more times and teach those little hussies a proper lesson!
Skywater Academy.
Shui Qing'er sat quietly by the window, staring blankly at the Sky Screen.
Her fingers rested lightly on the window frame, their tips cool, just like the turmoil in her heart.
Having left the academy, she didn't know where she ought to go.
Ye Family Fortress, where countless sisters had gathered?
No. That wasn't where she belonged.
She had spent most of her life here. Every blade of grass and every tree had been steeped in her hard work.
Rather than go somewhere unfamiliar and watch a bunch of young girls squabble over a man, she might as well stay and keep running Skywater Academy.
"Brother Cao," she whispered, her voice so low that only she could hear it. "Have you thought of me? I miss you so much I can't even close my legs..."
She recalled the scenes from her dreams. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and the corners of her mouth lifted without her noticing.
Behind her, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.
"Mother," Shui Bing'er stepped forward and asked softly, "aren't we going to Brother Cao's place? Everyone else has gathered at Ye Family Fortress."
Shui Yue'er came over too, her eyes full of anticipation. "That's right. Yue'er misses Brother Cao! All the sisters are over there. Wouldn't it be a little strange if we were the only ones who didn't go?"