Whether to maintain her composure or simply to drive her brother out of his mind, Liu Zihan adopted an extremely relaxed attitude, acting as if she were completely oblivious to his troubles.
"What do you mean? What kind of situation?" she asked Liu Zihao, pretending not to understand where he was heading with this.
In addition to appearing blind to the threat posed by their half-sister's explosion in popularity, her question sounded as if it were asked merely for the sake of conversation, without any genuine interest in the answer. Feeling like a general finding his soldiers dead drunk right before a battle, Liu Zihao saw red:
"Sister, is it still not clear to you that Fengying's main goal in life is to destroy us?" Liu Zihao snapped, barely restraining the urge to swear; after all, he needed Liu Zihan's help.
He then launched into a tirade about how much trouble Liu Fengying could cause them if she managed to capture the attention of one or more influential men, describing all sorts of possible futures for their family—each bleaker than the last—ranging from going bankrupt to being sent to work in an illegal mine.
Liu Zihan had to admit that her brother could be truly dedicated when he was passionate about something; it was just a pity he didn't show the same zeal when it came to school. As for the grim scenarios he painted, she couldn't judge how realistic they were, but she suspected the cruelties they contained were more reflective of what he would do to Fengying if he feared no one, rather than what she would do to them.
However, if there was one thing Liu Zihan was certain of regarding these scenarios, it was that her brother's premise was absurd. She was sure that Liu Fengying would never place her fate in the hands of a man, no matter how kind he was to her or how powerful he might be.
The reason for this wasn't hard to grasp for anyone who had actually paid attention to Liu Fengying; specifically, she was terrified of running into a bastard just as her mother had.
Furthermore, Liu Zihan believed there was a higher probability that her half-sister was attracted to women rather than men. This wasn't because of the possessiveness Liu Fengying had shown toward her in the past; Liu Zihan felt that her attitude back then had been more the result of an obsession than actual attraction. In a way, her brother and her half-sister were similar: once they set their sights on something, they were capable of going to the ends of the earth for it.
However, having spent their early adolescence together—the very period when the first sexual impulses emerge—it had been impossible not to notice certain clues. For instance, Liu Fengying was likely to cast a second glance at a beautiful girl, yet she treated boys, no matter how good-looking they were, as if they were thin air.
Of course, Liu Zihan had no intention of letting her brother or their parents find out these things, especially her suspicion about her sister's lack of attraction to men. Far from considering Liu Fengying less dangerous and leaving her alone, they would only see her sexual orientation as a weakness—a vulnerable spot where they could strike.
"And what exactly could I do to prevent all this?" Liu Zihan asked after her brother finally stopped talking.
Setting aside the fact that she had no intention of taking any action against Liu Fengying, Liu Zihan found her brother's request utterly absurd: could she really make people dislike what is beautiful? As for trying to compete with Liu Fengying for popularity, Liu Zihan believed that was a battle impossible to win.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence in her own appearance; her facial features, at least, were comparable in delicacy to Liu Fengying's. However, what fascinated everyone about Liu Fengying was her mere presence, as she possessed an innate grace and a regal air. Such things couldn't be acquired overnight, and anyone who tried to imitate her would only succeed in compromising themselves, becoming nothing more than a cheap copy in the eyes of others.
But to Liu Zihan's surprise, her brother had actually thought of a method for her to keep their half-sister away from those interested in courting her.
"What's so hard about it? Have you forgotten how, a few years ago, when people started paying attention to you, Fengying stuck to you like glue and wouldn't let anyone say even two words to you? Now, you should simply pay her back in kind..." he said with a satisfied smile, feeling very clever.
".....," Liu Zihan was utterly speechless. Was her current relationship with Liu Fengying even at a level where she could do such a thing? She would have to be completely shameless just to imagine it.
Besides, while such ambiguous behavior might be overlooked in fourteen or fifteen-year-olds, it would almost certainly raise eyebrows when it came to near-adults. To be precise, she risked being suspected of harboring "impure thoughts" toward her own sister.
"Have you completely lost your mind? How...? No, that's out of the question..." Liu Zihan finally snapped. It wasn't that she had forgotten she had no intention of helping Liu Zihao, but her brother's words had truly hit a raw nerve.
However, Liu Zihao, with his patriarchal and "straight male" mindset, couldn't see why Liu Zihan was so opposed to his plan.
"What's the problem? After all, your relationship fell apart because of you," he retorted accusatorily, as if he had played no part in it whatsoever. "If you apologize and act obedient again, it probably won't be long before you're back in her good graces. You were her favorite toy for so many years... how could she not be happy to have you back?"
Well, whether he had done it intentionally or not, Liu Zihao had truly managed to rub salt in the wound with those words. No matter how hard she tried to find excuses, Liu Zihan was aware that she was primarily to blame for the state of her relationship with her sister. Ultimately, she hadn't fought with Fengying because of her brother's or mother's instigations, but because she had tried to force her own ideals upon her.
But while she had no choice but to admit the first part of Liu Zihao's words was true, unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the rest; Liu Zihan doubted it would be that easy to make her half-sister forgive her.
If Liu Fengying were still acting the way she had two weeks ago, her eyes full of reproach every time she looked at her, Liu Zihan probably wouldn't have been so pessimistic. In a way, since their conflict, their relationship seemed stuck in a sort of "limbo," as if time had stood still for them. Thus, even though a year and a half had already passed, Zihan had lived with the illusion that they hadn't truly drifted apart and that a single sincere conversation would be enough to reconcile.
However, after the way their last two encounters had gone, Zihan suspected that Fengying no longer wanted anything to do with her. Although her sister had spoken calmly and had been unexpectedly polite, it didn't give her the feeling that their relationship was beginning to mend, but rather an overwhelming sense of alienation. It was as if she had become a mere acquaintance to Liu Fengying—someone for whom she no longer felt even the slightest attachment.
Furthermore, seeing how close Fengying had become to her deskmate and how joyful their interactions were, Liu Zihan was forced to accept a cruel truth: she was nowhere near the irreplaceable presence she had imagined herself to be. And now, thanks to her popularity, what girl wouldn't want to be her half-sister's friend? It was even possible that some might think of being more than that, should they find out about Liu Fengying's preferences in a partner. In that case, would there even be any room left in Liu Fengying's heart for her?
Even though Liu Zihao had no way of knowing how deeply his words had shaken his sister, he felt incredibly proud of himself; seeing that she no longer contradicted him, he concluded that she had agreed to put his plan into action.
"Anyway, Mom said she wants to talk to you at dinner too, so come downstairs in about ten minutes. And starting tomorrow, keep me posted on how things are going with Fengying..."
Considering his goals achieved, Liu Zihao decided he no longer had a reason to sit with his face glued to a cold ass and headed to his room. He was much more relaxed now than when he had first arrived; planning to attack his half-sister from both the front and the rear, he was certain she wouldn't be able to hold her own against him.
Honestly, he thought that with such a talent for power games, it would be a pity to limit himself to the role of CEO; perhaps he should even consider a career in politics.
"Haaa..." Liu Zihan sighed, suddenly realizing she was left with no one to offload her avalanche of negative emotions onto.
Moreover, watching Liu Zihao walk away so full of himself, like a puffed-up peacock, she rolled her eyes: what exactly had he achieved so far to have such unwavering confidence in his own power?
And ultimately, what was the reason Liu Zihao was so motivated to fight their half-sister? Liu Zihan was fairly certain that just as their father didn't want to hand over the reins of the company to Liu Fengying, he wouldn't want to hand them to Liu Zihao either. After all, their father was currently living his dream; what reason would he have to step back voluntarily?
The best proof of this was that, despite their father's preference for Liu Zihao, he had made no effort to correct his character, nor had he ever shown interest in how well he performed at school. Was this how someone prepares an heir? Most likely, Liu Zihao was destined to remain nothing more than a wealthy "second-generation" socialite until his hair turned gray.
But now was not the time to dwell on such things. Realizing she would soon have to endure another round of unpleasant discussions, Liu Zihan returned to her room, intending to clear her mind. After all, her mother was someone far more difficult to ignore than her brother, so she needed to have a massive reserve of patience ready for when they met face-to-face.
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