The Beautiful Older Sister I Picked Up Is Good at Flirting - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Huo Fanzhen sat under the locust tree in the garden, her fingertips absentmindedly pinching a newspaper, a thin mist of tears glimmering in her eyes.
On the front page of the newspaper was a missing person notice:
Huo Shuixian, female Omega, 28 years old, from Yuan Country. Left home on // and took *** flight to Su Country. Has been missing ever since… If the person herself sees this notice, please contact your family as soon as possible.**
Reward: 100,000 for any information. 1,000,000 for safe return.
Fanzhen stared blankly at the paper. The moment she blinked, a single tear fell right on the name “Huo Shuixian.”
The name “Huo Shuixian” was given to her before she was born, after her grandmother knelt and prayed devoutly at Luoyun Temple.
Her mother had been frail and not suited for pregnancy. When she insisted on carrying her despite the doctor’s warnings, her grandmother placed all her hopes on divine protection and asked for the name “Huo Shuixian.”
When she grew up and went to school, her classmates often mocked her for having an old-fashioned name. She cried and begged to change it, and her father eventually asked a master to bestow a scholarly name—Huo Fanzhen.
She lost her mother at birth, and her father gave her all his love, cherishing her like a treasure. He even chose not to remarry for her sake.
But in the end, he disregarded her wishes and “sold” her to a spoiled, good-for-nothing heir.
Fanzhen felt a true, stabbing pain in her heart.
She looked up at the slowly falling snowflakes in the sky. Only with this aching sting in her eyes could she hold back the tears.
After a while, she slowly looked down again, her gaze falling back onto the newspaper.
Normally, missing person notices would include both former and current names, the more details the better. But this one used the name she rarely went by, and even the description of her clothes when she left home was vague and imprecise.
Fanzhen suspected that this was likely a stalling tactic from Jiang Mingxiao to buy time with her father.
Jiang Mingxiao was her childhood friend. It was Mingxiao who helped her plan the escape from the wedding—otherwise, she could never have pulled it off.
Before sending her on the plane, Mingxiao had promised repeatedly: within three months, he would convince her father to call off the engagement to Song Lan.
But in these three months… where could she go?
The snow fell heavier and heavier. Fanzhen reached out to catch a flake. It melted in her palm into a patch of icy water.
Her palm was cold, but nothing compared to the chill in her heart. She had never felt so helpless before.
The world was vast, yet she had nowhere to go.
“Zhenzhen…” A voice suddenly called out above her.
Fanzhen turned around in a daze and saw Ying Granny standing before her, holding a heavy coat.
“Out here in the snow, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?” Granny Ying scolded softly, heart aching as she draped the coat over her shoulders. “Come inside. Granny’s making ginger soup for you.”
Fanzhen lowered her head slightly to hide her reddened eyes. “Granny, I want to watch the snow a bit longer.”
“What’s so great about snow?” Granny Ying crouched beside her, instantly sensing something was wrong. “Zhenzhen, are you crying?”
“I—I’m not…” Fanzhen lifted the newspaper with a forced smile. “It’s the news. So touching…”
Granny Ying glanced down at the paper, then looked back at her, eyes fixed with concern. “You’re good in every way, child, but you keep everything bottled up inside.”
“Granny…” Fanzhen pulled a cloth bundle from her pocket and handed it to her. “You’ve had that cough for a while now. I made some pear syrup candies using an old recipe from a Yuan Country doctor. It works well… I gave the recipe to Sister Huan. After I leave, she’ll make them for you…”
“What? You’re leaving?” Granny Ying’s expression changed instantly. “Where are you going?”
Fanzhen choked up. “I want… to go home…”
“Home?” Granny Ying looked surprised. “Didn’t you say you had no family left there? What are you going back for?”
“I’ve thought it through… I have to go back eventually.” Her eyes dimmed, voice full of bitterness. “Tomorrow I’ll go to the police… they’ll send me back to Yuan Country.”
Granny Ying grabbed her hand anxiously. “Does the young miss know you’re leaving? Has she agreed?”
Fanzhen lowered her eyes and bit her lip. “She won’t care.”
Granny Ying, shrewd as ever, could tell something was off. Those rich girls usually just came to the Fu house for lunch. But today, they insisted on staying for dinner—and even wanted a midnight snack if it weren’t for the snow.
It was obvious—they had ulterior motives.
Granny Ying muttered under her breath in frustration: “That foolish Alpha… doesn’t even know to keep what’s good hidden away…”
“What did you say, Granny?” Fanzhen sniffled.
“Nothing…” Granny Ying helped her up and patted her shoulder. “Granny says, don’t go anywhere. Stay here at the Fu house and rest.”
Fanzhen leaned close and suddenly threw herself into her arms, her voice muffled against her shoulder. “Granny, don’t try to stop me. I’ve decided… I know you treat me like your own granddaughter, and I’ll repay you someday…”
Granny Ying’s eyes instantly reddened. She held Fanzhen tightly, stroking her back as she whispered, “Don’t say silly things. As long as I’m here, I won’t let you leave…”
…
Whether it was from the cold or just fate, Granny Ying’s words came true—Fanzhen developed a high fever the next day. Her whole body burned, and she was too weak to even get out of bed, let alone leave.
With Fanzhen ill, her duties fell to Sister Huan. Ever since the “lost book” incident, Huan had a lingering fear of the study. She carefully knocked on the wooden door with a fresh cup of coffee. “Miss…”
Fu Siyi answered, and Huan nervously approached, placing the fragrant coffee on her desk.
Fu Siyi looked up from her files. When she saw it was Huan, her expression darkened slightly. “Why is it you?”
Huan had worked for the Fu family for over four years and knew their eldest daughter was notoriously hard to please—but today’s oppressive aura was on a whole new level.
She stammered nervously, “Um… Fanzhen is sick… Granny Ying asked me to come instead…”
Upon hearing “Fanzhen is sick” and not “gone,” Fu Siyi felt an inexplicable wave of relief. But it only lasted a second—her expression quickly turned icy again, her voice growing sharp. “She’s sick?”
Huan observed her face carefully. “She… she has a high fever and can’t get out of bed.”
Fu Siyi’s hand paused, then she swiftly closed the file and stood up. “I’m going to check on her.”
Huan was stunned. “Y-You’re going to see her? In the servants’ quarters?”
She had never seen Fu Siyi go there—if she needed someone, they came to her. Not even Granny Ying ever received that courtesy.
Fu Siyi turned and shot her a cold look. “Is that a problem?”
“N-No problem.” Huan snapped out of it and quickly followed.
Between the main and servant quarters was a long corridor. Fu Siyi walked straight down. At the corner, she ran into Fang Songxian carrying a bouquet of flowers.
The moment they saw each other, Fang snapped, “Fu Siyi, I heard Fanzhen is sick the second I walked in. How are you taking care of her? She was fine yesterday—hey, don’t just walk away! If you can’t care for her, give her to me—”
Fu Siyi ignored her completely, continuing on like she didn’t exist.
The servants looked on in shock, exchanging stunned glances as Fu Siyi marched toward the servant rooms.
She stopped and turned to ask Huan, “Which room is hers?”
Huan pointed, trembling, “That one… third door…”
Fang Songxian rushed forward, but Granny Ying stepped out and blocked her. “Miss Fang, please don’t go in. Even if she’s a Beta, she’s unmarried—it’s not proper.”
Fang struggled against her, trying to peek inside. “Come on, Granny! Just one look! I brought her flowers—hey, don’t pull me—just let me see her!”
Fu Siyi pulled her aside a few meters and gave her a sharp warning glance. “Don’t make a scene.”
Then she turned to Granny Ying. “How is she?”
Granny Ying sighed. “She had a fever through the night. It still hasn’t broken. I don’t know if…”
Fang blurted out in panic, “Why didn’t you take her to a hospital?”
Granny Ying looked troubled. “Miss Fang, we’re just servants. Usually we just take some medicine and rest. Besides… Fanzhen has no ID. No hospital would take her.”
Fang’s anger was instantly doused. She mumbled, “How can she possibly endure this…”
Upon hearing this, Fu Siyi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Slowly, her gaze turned toward Fanzhen’s room. Hidden behind shadows, her expression was unreadable.