Even If I Knew It a 'Green Tea', I Would Still Take the Bait (Forced Nph) - Chapter 1: Go Home

Chapter 1: Go Home

The stifling summer heat rolled on as Yu Fu sat in the Mercedes, a car rarely seen in the small town. She was exhilarated to be leaving the old, gloomy neighborhood behind.

When she was seven years old, her parents had taken her twin sister away, promising Yu Fu’s grandparents that they would come back for her once they had established themselves in the northern city.

However, as her father’s company went public and her mother gained a reputation in the education field, an entire decade passed without them returning to fetch their younger daughter.

The neighbors upstairs and downstairs would gossip, saying, “Your parents don’t want you anymore.”

Back then, Yu Fu didn’t understand. She thought her relationship with her family was like a young child just starting kindergarten, waiting to be picked up by her parents after school. Sadly, that was not the case. During this time, they could only see each other during Chinese New Year at their hometown, and after Yu Fu entered middle school, her parents stopped even coming back for that, only greeting her grandparents through video calls.

On many a quiet night, Yu Fu found her parents’ and sister’s faces growing blurry in her memory, and her attempts to restore the clarity always ended in disappointment.

This unspoken yet undeniable yearning only began to settle after her sickly grandparents passed away in succession. People from the northern city came to fetch her, so she would not rot in this small town far from the capital, nor become the abandoned infant in the local gossips’ eyes.

That day was Yu Fu’s first time on an airplane, and she found everything fresh and intriguing, her round, bright eyes shining with excitement.

After getting off the plane, a car came to pick them up. Yu Fu dozed off on the way, only to be stunned speechless when the luxurious villa came into view.

She knew her family was wealthy, but she never imagined it would be as extravagant as the ones in the idol dramas – a grand manor that they could reside in.

“Second Miss, you’re back,” a maid in uniform greeted her.

Yu Fu was bewildered, her legs feeling weak as she stepped out of the car. Just a few days ago, she had been cleaning the old, rundown house, doing laundry and cooking for her elders. Now, there were people bowing to serve her.

“I…” She blushed and gave a small bow. “Thank you…”

Clumsy, like a timid doe peeking out from the lush forest, her eyes shy, her shoulders stiff, her face wearing a soft smile – gentle, without a trace of the edges one would expect from a superior.

Her eyes were as clear as a doe’s, pure and innocent.

The maid’s mood brightened, enthusiastically carrying Yu Fu’s luggage and leading her into the villa with a warm welcome.

At this time, the master and mistress had not yet returned home. Only the elder Miss, who had just come back from her boyfriend’s birthday party, was home, angrily smashing the porcelain downstairs and scaring everyone away.

Now that the second Miss had arrived, the maid saw her as a lifeline. “The elder Miss is home. Would you like to go upstairs and greet her?”

Yu Fu’s memories of her sister, Yu Han, were quite distant.

However, there was one thing she remembered clearly. When they were young, both of them had lived with their grandparents, who had a cat. Yu Han had thrown stones at the cat, and the frightened cat had jumped up and scratched Yu Fu’s face as she stood next to her sister. Yu Fu had cried in pain, but Yu Han had gone to their grandfather first, accusing Yu Fu of yanking the cat’s tail, which was why she got scratched.

That day, Yu Fu had been taken to the clinic for a vaccine, and on the way back, she had cried as their grandfather spanked her. Yu Han had sat by their grandmother, eating hot dumplings, unconcerned about Yu Fu, her attention on their grandfather instead: “Grandfather, it’s time to eat.”

Emerging from the distant, dusty memories, Yu Fu hummed in acknowledgment and obediently said, “I’ll go upstairs to find her now.”

One step, two steps…

She walked up to the second floor, gradually approaching the room the maid had indicated, her heartbeat accelerating uncontrollably.

She could probably guess how glamorous and beautiful her sister was now, vastly different from the small-town girl who rode her bicycle to school every day. But when she finally saw the elegant figure sitting on the bedside through the open door, she couldn’t help but feel a pang in her chest, struggling to breathe.

Yu Han was very slender, wearing a beautiful dress, her long hair draped over one shoulder, exposing her slender, pale neck. Leaning slightly forward, she was tapping on her phone, seemingly video-chatting with someone, her facial features smiling softly.

Yu Fu’s feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch.

“Earlier, there were too many people, so I didn’t have a chance to give you the gift I bought.” Yu Han’s voice was sweet and cloying. “When are you done? Come over to my place to pick it up. I spent a long time picking it out.”

The call was on speaker.

A voice as cold as jade rang out in the hallway. “No time, there’s a family banquet later.”

Pressed against the hard wall, Yu Fu felt that voice colder than the surface she leaned on, sending shivers down her spine.

Yu Han’s tone was in stark contrast, soft-spoken and patient. “Okay then, please help me pass it on to Uncle and Auntie.”

Beep beep beep beep—

The sudden alarm from Yu Fu’s phone in her hand startled her, nearly making her heart burst. She quickly silenced it in a panic.

Yu Han, who had been on the phone from the bed, was now standing at the doorway.

Seeing the awkward and embarrassed Yu Fu, she had neither joy nor displeasure on her face, just a faint hum of laughter. “You’re back and didn’t even come in to say hi, you startled me.”

“…”

Yu Fu lowered her eyelashes, wanting to apologize but afraid to speak up.

The cold voice sounded again. “Who is it?”

Looking at the handsome boyfriend on the screen, Yu Han’s lips curled up slightly. “My sister.”

She then silently flipped the camera, directly filming the timid, head-bowed Yu Fu, her tone gentle. “Do we look alike?”

Yu Fu heard something amiss, instinctively looking up, only to realize the phone had been filming her for who knows how long. She panicked and hastily covered her face, unable to hide her flushed embarrassment.

The feeling was like that of Lady Liu entering the Grand View Garden, or even worse. She was mortified, her heartbeat racing frantically from the shame.

She could hear Yu Han’s light laughter, and Yu Fu anxiously dug her nails into her palms, trying to ignore it, but her hearing was hyper-sensitive.

The male voice in the video remained as cold as the mountain snow. “She has a round face.”