Chapter 6: Why Are You So Vicious?

As night fell, the brightly lit villa was eerily silent on the first floor.

All the servants had retired to their rooms, likely on Jiang Cheng’s orders, intended as a warning to Jiang Ming and Jiang Man: no one in this household could defy him.

Jiang Ming paid no mind to this and, after finishing noodles with Jiang Man, went upstairs with her.

They left their bowls openly on the dining table—an intentional act by Jiang Ming to provoke Jiang Cheng. He did not expect Jiang Cheng to make a big deal out of such a trivial matter; after all, it was just a meal. Surely, the illustrious Mr. Jiang wouldn’t fuss over something so minor.

The second floor was unlit, the corridor shrouded in dimness. Jiang Ming couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them from the shadows, but whenever she turned around, there was nothing there.

“Let’s go quickly,” Jiang Man said, sensing the malevolent gaze. No need to guess who it was—besides the perverse Jiang Sheng, no one in the family would behave like this.

Back in their room, Jiang Man still felt uneasy. Given Jiang Sheng’s unpredictable temperament, who knew what he might do next? The Jiang couple would undoubtedly cover for him.

As she was about to lock the door, Jiang Ming stopped her. “No need. Go get your eyebrow razors and replacement blades.”

Attack was better than defense.

They had to make Jiang Sheng understand that they were neither tools for his sick desires nor easy targets.

Jiang Man hesitated briefly, then turned to the vanity and gathered all her eyebrow razors.

“I didn’t expect you to have so many,” Jiang Ming said, slightly taken aback by the number.

“Well… I just like to dress up, so I bought a bit more than usual,” she admitted.

This was one of the few things Jiang Man could control for herself.

Once prepared, Jiang Ming turned off all the lights in the room to create the illusion that they were asleep.

Sure enough, within five minutes, the door creaked open.

A scream, raw and piercing, echoed through the Jiang family villa like a slaughterhouse cry.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Sheng?” Jiang Ming asked, stepping in from the balcony with her phone in hand, the screen lit and showing an ongoing call.

Beneath the blanket lay several inconspicuous razor blades, which would be hard to spot even in bright light, let alone in the dark.

The commotion drew the Jiang couple downstairs, where they found Jiang Sheng’s foot bleeding profusely.

“What happened to Xiao Sheng? Jiang Ming, what on earth are you trying to do?”

Li Baizhen had wanted to scold Jiang Ming when she independently made dinner in the kitchen earlier but was stopped by the equally displeased Jiang Cheng.

Now the couple’s expressions mirrored each other, clearly demanding an explanation from Jiang Ming.

Jiang Ming stood helplessly, tears welling in her eyes, her voice laden with grievance. “I… I…”

“What do you mean, ‘I’? You did this on purpose! Xiao Sheng didn’t offend you, so why did you deliberately put razor blades on the floor? And you didn’t even warn him! How cruel can you be?”

Li Baizhen harbored little fondness for the daughter who slipped beyond their control on her very first day. She vaguely sensed that Jiang Ming’s arrival would shatter the family’s previous tranquility.

“I didn’t…”

“What do you want? We’ve fulfilled your every wish, yet Xiao Sheng is your biological brother. Why would you hurt him?”

Jiang Cheng cut Jiang Ming off, his words sharp with accusation, showing no intention of hearing her side.

“Ah Ming, what’s going on over there?”

The voice came through the speakerphone; evidently, the family patriarch had overheard the earlier conversation.

He was not present and puzzled why the couple’s tone had suddenly turned stern and how Jiang Sheng ended up there.

Earlier, Jiang Ming had said she was on the balcony, and Jiang Man had gone to shower. She meant to express thanks to him.

“Dad…”

Jiang Cheng and Li Baizhen were caught off guard that the patriarch had heard their exchange and were at a loss for words.

“Grandpa, it’s nothing serious. Xiao Sheng accidentally cut his foot on the eyebrow razors we left on the floor when he came into our room. That’s why Mom and Dad are a bit upset,” Jiang Ming explained, her voice thick with nasal distress, clearly deeply aggrieved.

“So late, and you were already resting. Why did Xiao Sheng come to your room?”

The patriarch was no fool. From Jiang Ming’s tone, he hadn’t expected Jiang Sheng to visit so late.

“He was just concerned about his two sisters and wanted to check if they were comfortable,” Li Baizhen quickly explained, her tone noticeably softer than when she was accusing Jiang Ming.

“Xiao Sheng’s an adult. What’s he doing in his sisters’ room so late? And if he’s going to enter, why not knock? If he cut his foot, why wasn’t he wearing shoes? What is he trying to do?”

A barrage of questions left the couple flustered.

“Regardless of his intentions, he’s absolutely not allowed to enter his sisters’ rooms without permission again.”

The patriarch wasn’t interested in their excuses. His impression of Jiang Sheng had clearly diminished.

“Alright, Xiao Sheng will remember. Next time he’ll choose a better moment to check on his sisters.”

Before leaving, Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but add some cover for his son.

“Now go on, don’t disturb the two of them anymore.”

With the patriarch’s word, Jiang Cheng and Li Baizhen dared not protest further despite their concern for their son.

They supported Jiang Sheng, one on each side, as they left the room.

As he departed, Jiang Sheng flashed a meaningful smile, clearly displeased by this silent loss but with no words to respond.

“Come out now. Tonight, you can finally sleep well.”

To ensure Jiang Man’s days in the Jiang household were easier, Jiang Ming had her hide in the bathroom instead of confronting Jiang Sheng directly, avoiding further strife with the Jiang couple.

“Jiang Ming, you’re amazing.”

Jiang Man hadn’t expected Jiang Ming to leverage the patriarch’s influence so deftly, catching Jiang Cheng and his wife off guard and delivering a punishment to Jiang Sheng.

But this penalty couldn’t erase the deep hatred she had harbored for years.

“Don’t forget to pick up those blades and throw them away,” Jiang Ming said, unlike herself, she hadn’t been cut.

Luckily, the patriarch hadn’t fallen asleep tonight. Had he missed that call, who knew how much more trouble they would have had with Li Baizhen and Jiang Cheng.

This incident also deepened Jiang Ming’s understanding of Jiang Sheng.

A somewhat clever but ultimately spineless person who, when trouble arises, hides behind his parents.

It seemed dealing with him wouldn’t be difficult.

Still, living in this house meant staying alert every night. She wasn’t even sure if Jiang Sheng had keys to their rooms.

Tonight’s lesson would surely make him cautious, but who knew what he might do next to retaliate.

According to Jiang Cheng’s rules, they wouldn’t be allowed to live in dorms at university; they’d have to stay at home.

Constantly looking over their shoulders would distract her, inevitably wasting time dealing with this scoundrel.

In the Jiang household, only the patriarch could control Jiang Cheng.

It seemed she needed to find a way to move to the old residence.

That way, she could access the patriarch’s network and escape Jiang Cheng’s control—killing two birds with one stone.