The Beautiful Older Sister I Picked Up Is Good at Flirting - Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Shen Tian’s lips curled into a smug smile, but the next second, her expression shifted. She waved the chubby boy away:
“Go! Sun Yuqing is heading this way.”
The boy quickly ducked into the shadows, while Shen Tian adjusted her expression and poured the pheromone-inducing agent into her palm. She then casually bumped into Sun Yuqing’s shoulder.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Sun Yuqing generously shook her head:
“It’s fine.”
A flash of cunning passed through Shen Tian’s eyes, but by the time she looked up again, her face wore a flawless smile.
“Miss Sun, where are you taking that plate of pastries?”
Sun Yuqing blushed slightly:
“Sister Fu is by the lake watching the fireworks. I was afraid she might get hungry, so I brought her something to eat.”
Shen Tian sneered inwardly. “Sister,” she mocked silently. That sweet tone was almost syrupy.
“Oh? Is that caviar tartlets?” Shen Tian leaned over curiously and helpfully added:
“I’ve known Xiaoyi for a long time, but I’ve never seen her eat caviar.”
She reached under the plate and gently flipped the pastries, making sure the inducing agent coated each one. Then, she placed the chicken-horn pastries on top:
“Xiaoyi likes these.”
Sun Yuqing’s eyes lit up:
“So Sister Fu likes chicken-horn pastries? Thank you, Miss Shen. If you hadn’t told me, I might’ve gotten on her bad side.”
“Oh, don’t say that. You’re so cute—how could anyone not like you?” Shen Tian patted her shoulder with false affection.
“Go on. The fireworks show is about to start.”
As they spoke, a series of fireworks exploded in the sky. Sun Yuqing excused herself and hurried toward the lake, while Shen Tian followed silently, melting into the crowd under the cover of darkness. She stealthily made her way to Xia Yicheng’s side.
Xia Yicheng whispered:
“All set?”
Shen Tian gave her an “OK” sign:
“Relax. Everything’s foolproof.”
A massive peony-shaped firework burst overhead, turning night into day for a split second.
Fu Siyi lifted her eyes. The flickering flames were reflected in them, like a sky full of stars.
Sun Yuqing shyly brought a chicken-horn pastry to Fu Siyi’s lips, her eyes sparkling with admiration:
“Sister, have a pastry.”
Fu Siyi instinctively stepped back, creating some distance before reaching out to take it:
“Thank you.”
As the firework exploded, Shen Tian and Xia Yicheng exchanged a quick look.
Shen Tian hunched down, weaving through the crowd, edging closer to Sun Yuqing.
At this point, Sun Yuqing was still unaware of the danger. Seeing Fu Siyi eat the pastry, she quickly offered another one:
“Sister, if you like it, have some more.”
“No, thank you.” Fu Siyi politely but distantly declined.
Suddenly, she felt a jolt—someone had bumped into her. The path by the lake was narrow, and with people squeezing past from behind, Fu Siyi took several steps back, her once-steady stance starting to falter.
Shen Tian, hidden in the crowd, seized the moment. She forcefully shoved Sun Yuqing from behind. Caught off guard, Sun Yuqing stumbled forward—straight into Fu Siyi.
Fu Siyi lost her balance and toppled into the lake.
The loud splash cut through the night air, startling everyone. Sun Yuqing stood frozen, speechless with shock, watching as Fu Siyi sank beneath the water’s surface.
Fu Siyi was actually a strong swimmer, and under normal circumstances, getting back to shore would’ve been easy. But the pheromone-inducing agent reacted violently to the freezing water, rapidly spreading through her body. Her limbs turned limp, her strength sapped. Her few desperate strokes were no match for the cold, surging lake water swallowing her up.
Seconds later, Shen Tian let out a bl00d-curdling scream:
“Someone help! Xiaoyi fell into the lake! Help!”
As she yelled, she discreetly kicked the drug-laced pastries into the water, destroying the evidence.
Sun Yuqing finally snapped out of it. She instinctively stepped forward to jump in:
“I’ll save her—”
But Xia Yicheng rushed over with several servants and viciously shoved her back:
“You’re the one who pushed her in! Don’t act like you care!”
Then she shouted to the servants:
“Out of the way! Saving her comes first!”
The winter lake was freezing. By the time Fu Siyi was pulled from the water, her clothes were soaked, her lips had turned purple, and she was half-conscious.
Fang Songxian elbowed her way to her side and anxiously patted her cheek:
“Xiaoyi, wake up! Did you swallow any water?”
A sharp ringing filled Fu Siyi’s ears. Her head was too heavy to lift. With the last of her strength, she clutched Fang Songxian’s sleeve:
“Songxian… Don’t take me to the hospital… there’ll be reporters… take me back to the Fu residence…”
Fang Songxian was frantic:
“You’re still worrying about your mom’s reputation? Are you trying to die? Hey, Fu Siyi, stay with me!”
Fu Siyi tried to speak, but consciousness slipped away. She coughed violently, spitting out water before collapsing completely in Fang Songxian’s arms.
Fang Songxian had never dealt with anything like this. She was at a complete loss.
Shen Tian’s sinister eyes flickered. She stepped forward and volunteered:
“Let’s do as Xiaoyi asked—don’t go to the hospital. I’ll take her home.”
The agent was about to take full effect. If another Omega got the chance to get close to Fu Siyi now, any future bonding with Shen Tian would be useless.
She calculated quickly—if she could detour to a hotel on the way back and release her pheromones while Fu Siyi was in heat…
By morning, Fu Siyi would never be able to leave her.
Shen Tian crouched down, just about to lift Fu Siyi into her arms, when a sudden force shoved her hard to the ground.
“No need for your concern. I’ll take care of Xiaoyi,” Xia Yicheng said coldly. Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Fu Siyi into her own arms.
“I’ll take her home.”
Shen Tian swallowed her anger and forced a smile:
“But… today’s your birthday. All the guests are waiting inside. Wouldn’t that be inappropriate…”
Xia Yicheng raised her chin with pride:
“I don’t care about them.”
She turned to the servants and shouted:
“Are you two dead? Help me get her into the car!”
Sun Yuqing trailed behind, crying and trying to get into the car with them, but Xia Yicheng shoved her aside.
“What are you following for?”
“I… I want to take care of her…”
Xia Yicheng blocked the door:
“Take care? You’re the one who pushed her into the lake. Trying to finish the job now? Get lost!”
…
Later That Night
The temperature had dropped sharply in the winter night. Fanzhen sat alone in a corner of the garden, staring blankly at the dark wrought iron gate.
Was Miss Fu still at the party? Had she been drinking?
Fanzhen worried she might get a headache from the alcohol and decided to go to the kitchen to make her some hangover soup.
She had just turned around when a harsh car horn pierced the night, followed by Uncle Zhong’s panicked shout:
“Aunt Ying… Aunt Ying! Miss Fu has fainted!”
The words hit Fanzhen like a bolt of lightning. Before her mind could react, her feet were already flying.
She and Aunt Ying arrived together, pulling Fu Siyi out of the car.
Cen Wan had heard the noise and rushed out too, helping Aunt Ying support Fu Siyi.
“Dear heavens, what happened? Why is Xiaoyi soaked like this?”
Uncle Zhong’s voice trembled with emotion:
“Miss fell into the lake…”
Hearing that, Fanzhen’s heart twisted in pain. She knelt beside Fu Siyi, seeing her pale face and purple lips, her heart aching terribly.
She grabbed Fu Siyi’s hand—ice cold like a block of frozen iron. Without a second thought, Fanzhen pulled her into her arms, holding her tightly, trying to warm her with her own body.
Xia Yicheng stepped forward, frowning at the sight. She tried to pull Fanzhen away.
Just then, Fanzhen turned and asked:
“Where’s her coat?”
Xia Yicheng replied indifferently:
“It got wet, so I took it off.”
The thought of Fu Siyi wearing soaked clothes for nearly two hours made Fanzhen’s chest burn with anguish.
“Why didn’t you cover her with something? How could you let her freeze like this? You could’ve taken off your coat to wrap her—”
Xia Yicheng sneered at her:
“My coat isn’t some cheap thing. It’s made of full golden island fox fur—over three million yuan.”
“And my Miss Fu’s life isn’t worth three million?!” Fanzhen exploded, for the first time losing all composure and shouting without restraint.
Xia Yicheng had never been spoken to like that by a servant before. She raised her hand to slap her:
“You lowly girl. Country bumpkin. Illegal trash… How dare you talk to me like that?”
But before the slap could land, Cen Wan caught her wrist with a cold glare:
“Yicheng, don’t go too far. This is the Fu household.”
As the most respected elder in Fu Siyi’s life, Cen Wan’s words forced Xia Yicheng to tamp down her anger. She lowered her voice obediently:
“Aunt Wan…”
Cen Wan was still worried about Fu Siyi’s condition. Xia Yicheng’s behavior only added to her distress. She turned to Fanzhen with desperation:
“Fanzhen, what should we do?”