Chapter 2

Early the next morning, I left the “crime scene.”

Mrs. Shen was downstairs.

She looked visibly disappointed when she saw my exposed, fair skin.

Then she saw Shen Jibai, and her eyelid twitched violently.

She shot off the sofa and pointed at my nose. “You little vixen! How dare you do that to my son—”

Shen Jibai slipped and nearly fell over on the perfectly level floor.

“Mom, don’t blame her. I… I wanted it…”

Mrs. Shen choked on her next words. Her expression grew uglier still.

I laughed so hard I shook, and rewarded him with a kiss on the spot.

That afternoon, we visited the Shen family estate.

The moment we walked in, I saw a stern-looking man at the center of an admiring crowd.

The male lead, Shen Yi.

Disgust flickered unmistakably in his eyes when he saw me.

Fair enough. The original owner of this body had clung to him like gum.

Someone murmured something, and an amused smile slowly curled his lips.

He sat down and stuck one leg out in front of me. “Sister-in-law,” he said with a chuckle, “my shoe’s dirty.”

A blast went off in my head. I suddenly remembered this scene from the book.

To humiliate Shen Jibai, the male lead had publicly ordered his brother’s wife to clean his shoes.

The original woman had been so hopelessly obsessed with him that she’d actually rushed over to do it, delighted, disgracing both herself and Shen Jibai.

Shaking with anger, I walked over and stamped on his foot as hard as I could.

Shen Yi cried out, his whole face contorting in pain.

I feigned surprise. “Oh dear, I didn’t mean to! Did that hurt? But surely you wouldn’t hold a tiny accident against your new sister-in-law on her very first day in the family?”

Shen Yi choked, then forced out through gritted teeth, “Of course not!”

“Wonderful. I knew you understood how to show respect to your elders.”

Having made my point, I turned to leave—and stepped on his other foot for good measure.

His face livid, Shen Yi sprang up. “You—”

I put on a frightened expression and flung myself into Shen Jibai’s arms.

“Honey, your little brother’s so mean. I’m scared.”

For once, he wrapped both arms firmly around my waist, his chest solid and strong. His dark eyes were unfocused, but there was an authority in them that needed no anger to make itself felt.

His voice was icy. “My younger brother was raised outside this family. Apparently, he still hasn’t learned our most basic rule: respect your elders.”

Mr. Shen’s face darkened. “Your manners get worse by the day. Is that any way to speak to your elder brother and his wife?”

Shen Yi had never been groomed as an heir. As it was, his father found fault with everything about him.

If Shen Jibai hadn’t suddenly gone blind, he probably never would have been allowed through the Shen family’s doors.

He knew his actual standing perfectly well. It was nowhere near as glorious as outsiders imagined.

His expression stiffened. He quickly humbled himself and apologized with the utmost respect.

I leaned against Shen Jibai and smiled without restraint. “That’s all right. You’re still a good boy if you learn from your mistakes.”

Oh, that felt good.