Chapter 658 Brother and Sister

Li Xiaodong glanced at Li Xiaojuan’s face again and sneered. "This new face of yours isn’t as pretty as your old one. Are you sure you can hold on to that young master?"

At his words, Li Xiaojuan instinctively touched her face. She’d had plastic surgery in Xiangcheng that altered her face and even her vocal cords. However, whether it was due to the surgeon’s poor aesthetic sense or a partially failed procedure, she was now far less attractive than before. She used to be considered pretty; now, she could only be called average at best.

She was resentful about this, and even felt a sliver of regret. But the one thing this world didn’t have was a cure for regret.

"Regardless, we don’t have a choice." Pushing aside her resentment, Li Xiaojuan took a deep breath. "We’ve already boarded this ship. The one in Xiangcheng won’t let us back out now. Besides, don’t you want to avenge Mom, Dad, and our aunt?"

"Hmph. Speaking of which, the only reason I’m in this state is because they dragged me down with them." Li Xiaodong snorted. "If they hadn’t been so insatiably greedy back then, insisting on taking what wasn’t theirs, would any of this have happened? If things hadn’t gone wrong, would I have ended up like this? And you!"

As he spoke, he angrily pointed at Li Xiaojuan. "You just ran off without a word, leaving me to care for Grandma all by myself. You’re some ’good sister,’ you are."

Li Xiaojuan sneered. "And I suppose you were such a good grandson? Did you take good care of her? Didn’t she starve to death in the end? It was the neighbors who couldn’t stand to watch any longer. They were the ones who took care of her body and buried her. Where did our ’good grandson’ run off to then?"

Li Xiaojuan’s words made Li Xiaodong squirm. "You’ve got some nerve," he shot back. "It’s not like you, the ’good granddaughter,’ were there taking care of her. We’re two of a kind, so neither of us has the right to judge the other."

"Hmph." They both snorted coldly and turned their heads away from each other.

Su Qing stood silently in the corner of the alley, her eyes narrowing slightly as she listened to the siblings’ conversation.

Xiangcheng!

’I can’t believe Li Xiaojuan actually has ties to people from Xiangcheng.’

’But who is this ’young master’ from Xiangcheng they’re talking about?’

’Who in Xiangcheng could possibly hate me and the Li family so much that they’d be willing to go to such lengths to destroy us?’

For the time being, Su Qing had no intention of tipping her hand. Her intuition told her there was more to this than just Li Xiaojuan and some young master from Xiangcheng. Logically, even if she had offended a young master from Xiangcheng, he wouldn’t so easily move against the Li family. The Li family wasn’t a force to be trifled with, especially by someone in Xiangcheng who had no business conflicts with them.

’Wait a minute!’

Su Qing looked up slightly in the direction of the main compound. ’Speaking of business conflicts... could it be...?’

Su Qing refocused her attention on the courtyard where the siblings were. She heard Li Xiaodong speak again. "Hey, I’m just giving you a heads-up. The Li family isn’t someone you can mess with so easily. You know what happened to Dad and our aunt when they went up against them. It didn’t end well."

"Then you don’t have to worry about it," Li Xiaojuan said coolly. "He said he has a plan. When the time comes, all we have to do is follow his instructions."

Hearing this, Su Qing’s mind immediately went to the items Li Xiaojuan planned to give to Su Shengguo and his wife. ’If I’m not mistaken,’ she thought, ’she’s planning to use those things to frame the Li family.’

"Hmph." Su Qing then heard Li Xiaodong sneer, "Just make sure you don’t get caught in your own trap and drag me down with you. That’s all I ask."

Hearing that, Li Xiaojuan angrily threw the towel in her hand back into the washbasin with a SPLASH. "What a wonderful brother you are!" she snapped at Li Xiaodong. "Look at the state you’re in! I haven’t abandoned you, I’m still supporting you! And what about you? Nothing has even happened yet, and you’re already trying to wash your hands of me. Fine! You want to cut ties? Then stop eating my food and living under my roof. Get out of here! Let’s see how long you can survive on your own."

Li Xiaodong’s expression stiffened. He curled his fingers awkwardly before softening his tone. "Hey, look at you. I was just talking. Why get so angry? You’ve got a temper just like Mom’s, flying off the handle at the slightest thing. We’re the only family we have left now. If we don’t rely on each other, are we supposed to go our separate ways?"

"Hmph." Li Xiaojuan snorted but said nothing more.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong. I’ll call you Qiqi from now on, okay?" Li Xiaodong said quickly. "Wait until my leg gets better. Then I’ll be the one to support you."

"Like I need you to," Li Xiaojuan huffed, though her tone was no longer as sharp.

Seeing her reaction, Li Xiaodong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Qiqi," he added, "you’re the only family I have left."