The True and False Heiresses

After thoroughly humiliating Xu Zhen, Jiang Bin called out to Shen Shixu and An Chengyu, who had been watching from the sidelines, "Master, little senior brother, if you run into shameless people like these in the future, don't hold back.

"The more polite you are to shameless people like them, the more they'll walk all over you.

"You have to slap them down hard. Only when it hurts enough to teach them a lesson will they realize you're not someone to mess with.

"Especially you, little senior brother. You're young, so people are bound to try to bully you because of your age. You can't let them push you around."

Hearing Jiang Bin mention him, An Chengyu patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, junior brother. Your senior brother won't let anyone take advantage of him. If anyone dares mess with me, I'll have Datong send him flying with one punch."

Jiang Bin gave An Chengyu a thumbs-up. Seeing his approval, An Chengyu hugged Shen Shixu's leg and beamed.

Once he finished speaking, Jiang Bin sneaked a glance at Shen Shixu. Seeing that he wasn't angry, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid Shen Shixu would think he was leading An Chengyu astray.

Xu Zhen burst into tears from anger. Jiang Bin folded his arms and sneered. "Oh, can't win the argument, so you're crying again? Why are you always making such a scene? Even if you're not sick of it, I am. If you're not here to eat, hurry up and get out of our way. We're still hungry!"

Yan Weixuan pulled Xu Zhen aside. Jiang Bin rewarded him with an approving look, then turned around and smilingly ushered Shen Shixu inside. "Master, please come in!"

Holding An Chengyu's hand, Shen Shixu walked past him and went inside first. Jiang Bin followed, with Datong behind him, and the four of them strode into the restaurant without a care.

Xu Qing looked at Yan Weixuan and Xu Zhen's ugly expressions and knew that if she stayed, she would certainly become their punching bag.

Although she was terrified of Shen Shixu, she wanted to face Yan Weixuan and Xu Zhen even less. Watching the two act so lovey-dovey while claiming theirs was merely a bond between brother and sister was truly nauseating.

She lifted her skirts and followed Jiang Bin. Noticing her behind him, Jiang Bin stopped and looked at her. "Why are you following us? What, are you here to apologize for your fiancé and your younger sister?"

Xu Qing shook her head. "Yan Weixuan isn't my fiancé, and Xu Zhen isn't my younger sister."

"If you aren't here to apologize, then why did you follow us?"

Jiang Bin's question left Xu Qing at a loss for an answer. "I, I..."

Shen Shixu glanced at Yan Weixuan and Xu Zhen, who were still by the entrance, and understood why she had come to them.

"You followed us because you didn't want to stay with them, correct?"

Xu Qing froze when someone saw through her intentions, but once she realized it was Shen Shixu, she no longer found it surprising.

She clearly had no idea who this man was, yet she felt that he could see through everything.

Perhaps he could even help her. She lifted her skirts and knelt right there in the second-floor corridor. "Young master, please help me!"

Their group's argument at the entrance had already attracted plenty of attention. Now that one of them had abruptly knelt, everyone looked over with even greater curiosity. Feeling so many gazes fixed on him, Shen Shixu frowned.

He flicked his sleeve and told Xu Qing, "Since you have a favor to ask of me, come inside and explain it properly."

With that, he entered the Heavenly Character No. 1 private room, which was empty. After they went in, the waiter stationed by the door brought in a pot of tea and several plates of pastries. Seeing that they had something to discuss, he tactfully withdrew.

Once inside, Xu Qing explained what she wanted Shen Shixu to help her with. "Young master, I beg you to help me break free of the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence!"

Before Shen Shixu could say anything, Jiang Bin exclaimed in shock, "Wait, what do you mean? Isn't the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence your home? Why do you want to break free of it?"

Xu Qing gripped her sleeves and lowered her head, unsure where to begin.

Just as she was wondering how to explain, someone else spoke for her.

[Big brother, this girl named Xu Qing is quite pitiful. She and Xu Zhen are the true and false heiresses. She's the real one, of course, and Xu Zhen is the fake.]

Xu Qing was completely disregarded at the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity's Residence and knew nothing about many important matters. For instance, she was unaware of the matter of Shen Shixu's inner voice, which all the young noblemen and noblewomen in the Capital knew about.

Hearing an unfamiliar voice come from Shen Shixu, she stared at him with wide eyes. Afraid she might say something, Jiang Bin disregarded the proprieties between men and women and grabbed her hand.

When Xu Qing turned to him in alarm, he shook his head and signaled with his eyes for her to remain silent.

It was Xu Qing's first time being so close to a man. Coupled with the fright 011 had just given her, it left her mind in a daze. Never mind speaking—she had even forgotten to blink.

If her eyes hadn't begun to sting, she might have kept staring until the next day.

Absorbed in what 011 had said, Shen Shixu didn't notice the contact between them. [The true and false heiresses? Why didn't you mention that when we were at the entrance?]

011 chuckled and explained, [Well, I thought you were having such a good time watching your disciple argue, big brother, so I decided to wait until Jiang Bin finished before telling you.]

[Who knew the true heiress would come to us herself? That's why I'm only bringing it up now.]

Shen Shixu had been wondering whether 011's slow reaction meant something had gone wrong with the last upgrade. Who would have thought it was simply being considerate of him!

[So that's why. Thank you for always thinking of me.]

[It's no trouble at all. You're my big brother. When you're happy, I'm happy too.]

[Besides, Jiang Bin has quite a sharp tongue. Watching him argue just now, I learned plenty of things to say when arguing with others!]

[Now, when I argue with other systems, I won't get angry because I can't out-insult them.]

Shen Shixu thought 011 really did have a child's temperament, getting angry simply because it couldn't out-insult someone.

Still, it was his own child to spoil. If it was interested in that sort of thing, he could have Jiang Bin argue with people a few more times so 011 could learn properly.

[Enough of that. We've gotten off topic. Big brother, listen while I tell you the rest.]

[All right, go ahead. I'm listening!]

[Ahem. Xu Qing and Xu Zhen were born on the same day. Back then, the Lady of the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity was on her way to visit her family when she encountered heavy rain. One of the sedan bearers slipped, causing her to fall. The shock sent her into premature labor.]

[A woman can't hold back childbirth. Under those circumstances, they could only find somewhere to settle her so she could give birth, so they went to a nearby village.]

[The Lady of the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity paid a family to use their home for the birth. As luck would have it, there was an old midwife in the village, and she safely delivered her child—Xu Qing.]

[The Lady of the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity fainted after giving birth. Her attendants were busy scrambling to arrange the journey home, and in all that confusion, someone seized the opportunity.]