Despite growing up in a modern world that promotes gender equality, Liu Zihao held a deeply patriarchal worldview, with a purity that could likely only be found millennia ago.
This was hardly surprising. Influenced by his mother—who had hammered into him since childhood that, as the only son, he was his father's rightful heir—and bolstered by his father's blatant favoritism, it would have been a shock if Liu Zihao hadn't turned out this way. Perhaps only if he were the reincarnation of some great sage could he have bypassed this destiny.
Because of this, Liu Zihao was convinced that his future as the head of the family and leader of the family business was set in stone. Was it a problem that, legally speaking, Liu Fengying was far more qualified for these positions? Should he feel threatened by the fact that she was intellectually superior? In his opinion, these facts amounted to nothing; what weight did they hold against the natural order of the world?
To him, his half-sister was like a rabid dog that had lost touch with reality: he felt it was best to avoid her to prevent any potential losses, yet he never feared she could actually obstruct his "bright destiny" by herself.
However, Liu Zihao was aware that for his plans to succeed, it was of paramount importance that Liu Fengying remain without powerful supporters. Consequently, he had always feared she might marry into an influential family—the kind with centuries of history and members embedded in every structure of power.
To his relief, after she left home, Liu Fengying failed to blossom into the beauty everyone expected, partly due to the scars from her fall down the stairs and partly due to her own negligence. As a result, she fell off the radar of high-quality potential partners.
Furthermore, her temperament was unbearable; Liu Zihao believed a man would find more peace marrying a she-wolf than his half-sister.
Yet, this didn't leave him entirely carefree. He knew there were plenty who would marry her despite these flaws just to gain a pretext to seize his family's wealth. Thus, as Liu Fengying approached her eighteenth birthday—the legal age for marriage—he went to great lengths to ruin her reputation, wanting to ensure that no one from an influential family, where public image is everything, would ever want a relationship with her.
With these calculations in mind, his sister's words hit him like a thunderbolt: if Liu Fengying was now breathtakingly beautiful, wouldn't it be as easy as a snap of her fingers for her to marry an influential man, one capable of helping her seize what rightfully belonged to him as the family's successor?
And that was one of the better-case scenarios. Inspired by the soap operas he watched with his mother as a child, Liu Zihao imagined that if Liu Fengying played her cards right—not rushing to choose a husband but maintaining an ambiguous attitude toward her suitors—his family could be besieged by an army of businessmen, politicians, lawyers, and celebrities, all eager to please her.
Realizing his "bright path" was suddenly overgrown with thorns, Liu Zihao couldn't help but sigh, thinking it would have been wonderful if Liu Fengying had remained disfigured for life.
He didn't stop at mere thoughts. As fresh fuel was added to the fire, his hatred for Liu Fengying grew exponentially, approaching the same intensity it had reached the moment he lost control and pushed her down the stairs. It wasn't long before dark intentions began to take root.
'If she was disfigured once, why couldn't it happen a second time?' he thought, his gaze turning suddenly cruel. After all, the best defense is offense; why should he let Liu Fengying gain the power to oppose him?
"What kind of evil thoughts are sprouting in your mind now?", Liu Zihao was abruptly interrupted by Liu Zihan. If even a stranger could have seen the malice on his face, how could his own sister miss it?
"What are you talking about? Is now the time to amuse yourself by falsely accusing your brother?" Liu Zihao snapped. He appeared genuinely indignant that his character was being questioned.
Of course, he had no intention of sharing his ideas with her. Since she had argued with him two months ago over the rumors he had spread about Liu Fengying, he was certain that now, as he planned something far worse, she would not only disagree but try to stop him.
However, to ensure his behavior didn't seem unnatural or suspicious, he intended to convince her to help suppress Liu Fengying's popularity instead.
Furthermore, his plan couldn't be implemented overnight. First, he had to talk to some of his friends who knew people willing to do "dirty work." Thus, he needed to ensure that Liu Fengying didn't fall under the protection of someone influential in the coming days.
His strategy? The same rhetoric he used every time he fought with Liu Zihan over her refusal to take his side: the idea that Liu Fengying hated them and their mother and wouldn't be satisfied until they were thrown onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
So, after silencing Liu Zihan, intending to strike while the iron was hot, he continued in an imposing tone: "If you have nothing better to do, you should think of a way for us to get out of this situation..."
Liu Zihao's plans weren't poorly conceived; one might even say he had an innate talent for "palace intrigues." Perhaps in a past life, he had been part of an ancient emperor's harem. Unfortunately, his execution was lacking; seeing his overreaction to her accusation, Liu Zihan's suspicion didn't fade—she was now almost certain he was up to no good.
As for his attempt to use her as a weapon against their half-sister, it was no surprise; it wasn't the first time he'd tried. And just like before, she had no intention of being manipulated.
Firstly, it went against her feelings. Despite their strained relationship, Liu Zihan still cared for Liu Fengying. Her feelings weren't superficial; in fact, they were arguably stronger than those for her brother. After all, "distance lends enchantment," whereas her brother had been getting on her nerves daily for the past two years.
Moreover, the original reason for her conflict with Liu Fengying no longer existed. Specifically, she had been angry because Fengying's departure was the final blow that shattered her illusion of a "complete and happy family".
Unlike her brother, who was too young to remember the time they lived alone with their mother, she vividly recalled the prying eyes of neighbors and the teasing of classmates—the common plight of children from 'broken' homes. Therefore, her greatest wish had always been to belong to a normal family.
For a while, that dream came true beyond her wildest imagination. Suddenly, she, her mother, and her brother moved into a luxury mansion with a caring father and a beautiful, kind sister.
Having finally obtained everything she ever wanted, how could she not cling to that state of affairs? Despite the conflicts that erupted once it was revealed that she and her brother were the illegitimate children of Liu Fengying's father, she still hoped that things would eventually return to normal.
But now, with the passage of time, she realized that the way things had unfolded was the only possible outcome. What harmony could be built on a foundation of treachery? Simply put, the normal family she thought she had finally gained had never truly existed; therefore, no matter what she did, it was impossible to recover something that was only ever an illusion.
By the time she accepted the truth, her friendship with Liu Fengying had suffered greatly. Guilt, combined with her family's desire to use her as a weapon against Liu Fengying, made her doubt they could ever be close again.
Moreover, she had begun to resign herself to the situation, believing deep down that she deserved Liu Fengying's coldness. Sometimes, in the grip of self-destructive impulses, she even hoped Fengying would hate her as much as the rest of the family. Yet, she was never tempted to actively cause her harm; in her mind, simply standing by and watching from the sidelines as Liu Fengying sank deeper into the darkness was a betrayal enough.
As for the other reason she would never support Liu Zihao—even if he were fighting someone she cared nothing about—it was the certainty that she had absolutely nothing to gain. Was her brother truly someone she could rely on in the future? Setting aside the fact that he showed no promise of future competence, lacking both intellectual depth and discipline, he was fundamentally ungrateful. Liu Zihan was quite sure her brother viewed her as nothing more than a bargaining chip to be traded for greater influence.
Furthermore, not only would she have nothing to gain by helping him, but she would most likely have something to lose; should his plans go awry, he would not hesitate to make her his scapegoat.
Remembering how she had failed every time she tried to use logic or emotion to stop him from opposing Fengying, her head began to ache. She would have had more luck convincing a lion to become a vegetarian.
'Or rather, a jackal...' she corrected herself. Looking at the spoiled, spineless boy in front of her, she felt it was an insult to the King of the Jungle to compare him to her brother.
So, she decided to let him play his hand this time without contradicting him. Also, she was curious to see just how far he had progressed in his capacity for malice.
****Author's thoughts:
There are now 7 advanced chapters available on my Pa*tre*on page, so anyone who wishes to support this novel can do so by becoming a member. Additionally, the number of advanced chapters will continue to increase.
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I'm also going to share a spoiler regarding Liu Zihan, as some readers—especially on RR—aren't too happy with 'orthopedic literature.
Massive spoiler ahead, attention!!!1
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Actually, she and Liu Fengying do not share the same father. To be more precise, Liu Zihan's mother cheated on Liu Fengying's father after finding out he was going to have a child with his wife. Honestly, this was a small compromise I had to make. As an avid reader of Japanese yuri manga, I've developed a taste for all sorts of 'forbidden' relationships.
Initially, the idea of something developing between Liu Fengying and her sister hadn't even crossed my mind—to be honest, I'm still not entirely sure how things will unfold. Since I hadn't planned for this direction from the start, I had to make this compromise so that I wouldn't have to change the novel's tags.
But I'm not bothered by this change. On the contrary, it gives me the opportunity to develop all kinds of interesting plotlines.