After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

The cold wind outside was still raging fiercely, and the icy cold air was crashing against the windows, which were tightly sealed and kept out.

Inside the room, the young man in the white brocade robe always had a faint smile on his lips. Each smile was like a gentle spring breeze, gradually warming the heart of the girl beside him.

Boom boom boom!

Just then, a knock on the door suddenly rang out.

"Brother Shen, Madam is back."

As was customary, Xia Ling got up early and rushed here to greet Shen Shuchou and inform him of the news that his wife had returned to the mansion.

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuchou, who was inside the room, immediately stood up from his chair.

"You keep eating, I need to go somewhere. With me here, nothing will happen."

Shen Shuchou spoke softly.

"Um!"

Upon hearing this, Fifth Sister felt a sudden surge of nervousness, but she didn't know how to respond, so she simply gave a soft reply.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Shuchou pushed open the door, and in an instant, a chilling aura rushed into the room like a tidal wave.

Seemingly fearing that the cold would once again invade the girl inside, he hurriedly closed the gap again.

Even in the briefest of moments, Xia Lingyi managed to catch a glimpse of Fifth Shushuang inside the room.

In an instant! The faint smile on the girl's lips vanished like smoke, and the bitterness in her heart surged up again.

Where is my mother now?

Shen Shuchou asked.

"The lady is in the central courtyard."

Xia Lingyi's voice carried a hint of sullenness.

"good!"

Shen Shuchou murmured something, then strode towards the central courtyard.

"Shen..."

Xia Lingyi watched Shen Shuchou's departing figure, hesitant to speak.

Once his figure had completely disappeared from sight, Xia Lingyi turned her gaze to the door.

Without the slightest hesitation, she pushed open the door and went straight in, only to run into Fifth Shushuang, who was about to get up and leave.

"Sister Xia, the buns are still warm, have some."

Fifth Shushuang spoke first.

Xia Lingyi gazed at the bun wrapped in oil paper in the girl's hand, and then at her youthful yet already blossoming face.

The bitterness in my heart grew deeper and stronger. I thought of the past, when Brother Shen would buy me steamed buns, but now the owner of those steamed buns has changed.

Little did she know that Shen Shuchou had originally planned to share the steamed buns with her, but it just so happened that Wu Shushuang came looking for him, so he let her come in and enjoy the steamed buns first.

The girl happened to witness this scene, but she was completely unaware of it. She only felt extremely bitter inside, several times more bitter than a sour jujube.

"Brother Shen, how could I possibly ask to taste the steamed buns I bought for you?"

Xia Lingyi said calmly.

Fifth Shushuang was well aware of the deeper meaning behind this. From the moment she first met Xia Lingyi yesterday, Fifth Shushuang had already discerned that Xia Lingyi harbored a deep and tender affection for Shen Shuchou.

"Since Sister Xia isn't eating, then Shu Shuang will take her leave now."

The fifth book was spoken in a soft and gentle tone.

Deep down, she knew that she was a stranger who had intruded into Xia Lingyi's life.

Fifth Shushuang understood Xia Lingyi's feelings very well, and therefore did not want to create any unnecessary misunderstandings or entanglements with this girl.

But the more nonchalant she appeared at this moment, the more Xia Lingyi, who was filled with jealousy, felt angry.

"I wonder where my fifth sister's ancestral home is, and when she and Brother Shen got engaged."

Xia Lingyi blocked the way.

"I am now all alone, and there is no engagement between me and you, sir."

Fifth Shu lowered her head slightly, her red lips parted slightly, and her voice was as soft as the buzzing of a mosquito.

She did not mention her arranged marriage with Shen Shuchou, nor did she discuss the affairs of the Fifth Family.

Upon hearing this, Xia Lingyi's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise, but her jealousy did not diminish in the slightest.

"Then why are you here?"

Xia Lingyi stared intently at Fifth Shushuang, her tone sharp and questioning.

Fifth Shu Shuang raised her eyes again and slowly said, "My meeting with you, young master, was purely by chance. He only offered me a little help."

Xia Lingyi snorted coldly and said, "Take care of them? I'm afraid they have ulterior motives."

Fifth Book's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she remained silent.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the room became increasingly heavy, as if a thick layer of frost had been formed.

"Fine, whatever you do, even if you want to be Brother Shen's wife, you'll have to get past me first."

Xia Lingyi bit her lip, turned around and left.

She knew that Fifth Shushuang must have been hiding something from her, but she didn't want to make things difficult for her any longer.

This will only displease Shen Shuchou, and he himself will hardly benefit from it.

Fifth Shushuang watched her departing figure, sighed softly, and felt as if a jar of seasonings had been overturned, with all sorts of feelings mixed together.

On the other side, the family was having a gathering in the courtyard.

Shen Shuchou bowed respectfully to each of the four people in front of him.

"Mother."

Shen Shuchou first called out to one of the noblewomen.

This woman was Wang Lan, who had bought him. Although she was over forty years old, she was still graceful and charming.

"It's getting cold, you should wear more clothes."

Wang Lan looked at Shen Shuchou with deep affection and said.

"Mother, it's alright."

Shen Shuchou smiled slightly and comforted him.

Then, he turned his gaze to a middle-aged couple on the other side and said, "Father, Aunt."

"Um!"

Shen Zhoucheng responded softly. He was obese, and his clothes were extremely gorgeous. Even his hands were adorned with a gleaming jade thumb ring, which showed his wealth and status.

Beside him, his aunt, Li, was dressed in fine silk and satin, adorned with gold hairpins and pearls, and her makeup was exquisite.

However, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were hard to conceal; she simply nodded slightly, as if in response to Shen Shuchou's greeting.

Finally, Shen Shuchou turned his gaze to the young woman standing next to Li Shi.

She was dressed in a blue dress, her eyebrows were lightly drawn, and her lips were lightly touched. She merely nodded slightly, but her face showed no enthusiasm.

His entire being exuded a chilling aura, like an iceberg that chills to the bone, making him unapproachable and keeping people at a distance.

A delicate and elegant longsword was also tucked into her slender waist.

This is his eldest sister, Shen Xuejian.

"Where's your second brother?"

Shen Zhoucheng, seated at the head of the table, suddenly asked a question, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Second brother, he probably went out to find food because he was hungry."

Shen Shuchou gave a slight reply.

"What kind of behavior is this! There's food at home, yet you still go out every day to hang out with those scoundrels and spend money recklessly."

Shen Zhoucheng snorted coldly, his face instantly turning ashen, clearly extremely dissatisfied with Shen Jianxing's actions.

"Oh dear! Jianxing has grown up. Spending some money is no big deal. Having more friends means having more options. Besides, some people don't even have Jianxing's good fortune."

Li, standing to the side, spoke softly, her words seemingly casual but actually concealing a hidden meaning.

Wang Lan instantly realized that the words implied a reference to Shen Shuchou, and immediately looked at him.

When she saw that Shen Shuchou's face remained calm and composed, she sighed softly in her heart once again.

She felt deeply guilty towards Shen Shuchou. Although she had raised him with great difficulty and they lived in such a wealthy and luxurious home, the blessings he enjoyed were less than one-tenth of those of Shen Jianxing.

The root of all this lay within her. Li had always loathed her, and therefore naturally felt no affection for Shen Shuchou either.

Moreover, with the finances firmly in Shen Zhoucheng's hands, she was truly powerless to allow Shen Shuchou to squander money recklessly.

Shen Shuchou's basic expenses were mostly covered by money she received from the Wang family, but this was not a long-term solution, and she could not rely on her maternal family's support forever.

Upon hearing Shen Shuchou's words, Shen Xuejian felt a strange sensation welling up inside her.

But before she could think it through, a figure rushed toward her.

The newcomer was Shen Jianxing, who had gone out yesterday afternoon. He was panting heavily as he ran up to the group and, like Shen Shuchou, bowed to each of them.

Immediately afterwards, he pretended to be unsteady on his feet and leaned against Shen Shuchou.

He glared at Shen Shuchou with a veiled threat in his eyes, then lowered his voice and said, "Third brother! You shouldn't be talking nonsense, right?"

"Second brother, you can rest assured. I'm not a dog; I won't eat shit."

Upon hearing these words again, Shen Jianxing's forehead instantly became covered in black lines, and he wished he could kick him away.

But to his secret relief, Shen Shuchou did not speak nonsense.

Shen Xuejian witnessed the entire scene of the two whispering to each other.

Furthermore, when Shen Jianxing's arrival caused a faint scent of rouge to permeate the air, her originally cold eyes instantly became filled with a dangerous intent.