KOREAN Faded

In City T, an outdoor birthday party was being held for the second Young Mistress of the Yin family in the off-site setting of the Thirteenth Month Hotel. It’s just that the atmosphere here was not so good, with tension on the verge of a fight.

“Sister, how can you do this to me? I’m your younger sister!” Yin Ruoyun looked at Yin Xiaoxiao opposite her, aggrieved. Tears were welling up in her eyes, refusing to stain the exquisite face, and she was rendered a bit of distressing stubbornness. “Sister, I was not close to you since I was young. You don’t like me, and I dare not pester you, but this doesn’t mean that I don’t love you! After all, you are my sister!”

There stood a beautiful young girl across the site from Yin Ruoyun, wearing delicate makeup. But now her face was all pale with her small hands clenching into fists, dangling beside her body, which couldn’t be stopped from shaking.

Yin Ruoyun staggered forward, grabbed Yin Xiaoxiao's arm, and managed to keep her still, tears finally falling. She appeared pitifully vulnerable.

People around formed a semi-arc automatically, surrounding the Yin family. They were whispering about the ‘joke’ of the two sisters.

“Sister, at home, I dare not scramble for any love from our parents nor our elder brother, and not even a scrap of caring from our little brother. I dare scramble for nothing. I’ve left everything to you. So, sister, could you please at least spare a bit of something for me? Sister...” Yin Ruoyun was almost begging, with tears flooding her face. Trembling mildly, she grasped Yin Xiaoxiao’s arm harder and harder with the strength coming out from a figure slightly thinner than her sister. “Please, sister, give me back my boyfriend.”

“Does the first Young Mistress of the Yin family want too much? Taking the boyfriend away from her sister! How ill-bred can she be!”

The guests couldn’t help talking about it openly, ignoring the existence of Yin Xiaoxiao. These words were obviously against her.

“You bet! I heard that the second Young Mistress of the Yin family is going to be engaged to her boyfriend. Why did the first Young Mistress appear like this? What’s she up to? She’d better not forget the two Young Masters in the Yin family! It’s not her turn to behave so willfully just because she is the first Young Mistress!”

“I was told a long time ago that the first Young Mistress of the Yin family was immoral and ill-behaved. No man will want to marry such a girl. Shame on her to seduce her sister’s fiancé!”

...

Every single word of the people around went into Yin Xiaoxiao’s ears. There was a sharp pain on her arm where it was grabbed, a definite feeling of the fingernails embedded in her skin. But she remained still, staring at the other person involved who was standing aside without saying anything.

Xiang Chen, who had been with her for four years, said he was going home to visit his sick sister two days ago, yet now appearing as her sister’s fiancé at the Yin’s family feast!

Ignoring Yin Ruoyun’s words, Yin Xiaoxiao pulled away the hands clenching on her arm. With the pain not vanished, she walked to Xiang Chen step by step. She raised her eyes and asked him softly in a quivering voice, “Xiang Chen, I only have one question. Who is your girlfriend?”

As soon as her voice fell, jeers ran out from the guests. The noises were still on when a familiar figure shadowed in front of her, pulled her body away, and raised the hand without hesitation.

Slap!

The hand fell on Yin Xiaoxiao’s cheek, making a crisp and loud sound.

“Yin Xiaoxiao, behave yourself! Do not shame the Yin family! Don’t you think your reputation is bad enough?”