Volume One, Chapter Four: Fourth Brother's Show of Authority

The welcome banquet ended in discord.

The guests in the courtyard, filled with gossip and eager anticipation of drama, gradually dispersed, but the atmosphere inside the small Ho family building was quite different.

“Everyone sit down!” Ho Jianjun, still fuming, slammed his hand on the table and shouted at his three sons who had already stood up.

The third brother, Ho Zhenshan, couldn’t hold back and retorted stiffly, “Dad! How are you making us look today? Everyone in the compound knows you married a second time and brought back a stepdaughter. Now with all this commotion, how are we supposed to face people outside?”

“Face people?” Ho Jianjun laughed bitterly, pointing at Zhenshan’s nose. “I openly brought your Aunt Shen and your sister home, so how is that disgraceful? What’s embarrassing is you three! Not even a word of welcome, showing attitude to your elders and sister— is this the upbringing I gave you?”

The second brother, Ho Mingyu, adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly, “Dad, that’s not what we meant. It’s just that things should be handled more discreetly. Your grand display only makes Aunt Shen and Jiang Yu’s position in the compound even harder.”

The eldest brother, Ho Chenyuan, remained silent throughout, his quietness itself a firm stance.

Ho Jianjun looked at his three sons with a pang of disappointment.

He ceased arguing and turned resolutely to Jiang Yu. “Xiaoyu, don’t mind them! The school decision is final. Tomorrow, I’ll have Chenyuan take you to buy two sets of new clothes and a bicycle. A daughter of the Ho family must not fall behind at school!”

“Dad!” The three brothers exclaimed in unison, disbelief written all over their faces.

Buying new clothes and a new bicycle for a newcomer stepchild? Even they never received such treatment as children!

What kind of sweet talk has that little girl fed Dad?

Jiang Yu did not refuse the kindness but replied calmly, “Thank you, Daddy Ho. But new clothes aren’t necessary; I have some to change into. I can save up for the bicycle myself, so there’s no need to trouble the family.”

The more sensible she appeared, the more Ho Jianjun’s heart ached, and the more the three brothers suspected her of cunning.

The next day, Jiang Yu was taken to the county’s department store by Ho Chenyuan.

Without a word, Ho Chenyuan led her to the clothing section and left her with a curt “Pick whatever you want,” folding his arms and standing to the side.

Jiang Yu expected no warmth from him. She selected two sets of the plainest, most durable blue cloth student uniforms and requested two pairs of white sneakers, nothing more.

Ho Chenyuan, however, bought an additional brand-new Hero brand fountain pen and the latest, most fashionable Forever brand 28-inch bicycle of the compound on Ho Jianjun’s special instructions.

Handing her the pen, his voice was flat and devoid of emotion: “My dad told me to give this to you. Take it.”

His tone was as if completing a task, or perhaps offering charity.

Jiang Yu accepted it silently.

In her past life, she could barely afford a pencil, saving every penny to buy countless fountain pens like this for her eldest brother, Jiang Zhenguo.

How ironic.

“Thank you, big brother,” Jiang Yu said sincerely.

Ho Chenyuan was momentarily taken aback.

He had wanted to give the pen, simply because he didn’t want this stepsister to embarrass their fourth brother at school.

Yet Jiang Yu’s genuine eyes made him avert his gaze.

Pushing the bicycle, Ho Chenyuan walked silently beside Jiang Yu all the way.

On Monday, Jiang Yu rode the dazzlingly new bicycle through the gates of the military district’s children’s high school.

This was the place every child in the compound fought tooth and nail to enter, permeated with an air of aristocratic superiority.

The students, dressed fashionably and gathered in groups, looked at Jiang Yu with blatant scrutiny and rejection.

Jiang Yu paid no mind and locked her bicycle.

A brazen voice rang out behind her.

“Hey! You must be that new stepchild?”

Jiang Yu turned to see a boy in a navy-striped sailor shirt with a crew cut, surrounded by a group, looking at her with disdain.

His features bore a striking resemblance to the Ho brothers.

No need to guess—this was the Ho family’s notorious high school bully, her fourth brother Ho Siyue.

Before Jiang Yu could reply, one of Siyue’s cronies interrupted, “Hey, Siyue, why bother asking? Look at her poor, shabby look—who else could it be? I heard her mom’s some kind of seductress, spinning Commander Ho around her finger!”

Laughter erupted around them.

Siyue, brimming with arrogance, stepped in front of Jiang Yu, pointed at her brand-new bike, and sneered, “Not bad, huh? You just arrived and Dad’s already buying you a new bike. Feeling proud, are you?”

She was too tired to explain or argue with these brats and turned to enter the classroom.

“Stop right there! Did I say you could go?” Ho Siyue, utterly enraged by her ignoring him, yanked her backpack violently backward.

Rrrrrip—

Her worn canvas backpack tore apart with a snap.

Books, stationery, and the brand-new Hero pen spilled onto the ground.

The pen rolled a few rounds before stopping at a pair of gleaming military boots.

The surrounding air fell deathly silent.

Ho Chenyuan appeared at the end of the corridor as if out of nowhere.

He probably stopped by after delivering some files to check on his younger brother. Standing above them, his expression was calm but his eyes unfathomable.

Seeing his elder brother, Ho Siyue didn’t calm down but instead grew louder, “Big brother, look! She just came and tricked Dad into buying her a new bike, and now she’s ignoring me!”

He deliberately escalated the scene, hoping everyone would come witness Jiang Yu’s humiliation.

Ho Chenyuan walked over slowly. Without helping Jiang Yu or picking up the scattered items, he cast a casual glance at her and said in a mild voice that echoed through the corridor:

“Siyue, don’t cause trouble. Jiang Yu just came here and doesn’t understand many things yet; you should cut her some slack.”

Though he sounded like he was scolding his brother, the real meaning was clear: she’s a clueless girl who doesn’t know the rules—you all have to tolerate her, the outsider.

The laughter around them grew even louder.

Throughout, Jiang Yu’s face remained impassive.

She neither cried nor showed anger.

Quietly, she knelt down and gathered the scattered books into her arms one by one.

When she picked up the pen, an old scar on her wrist—borne from years of handling grease and machine parts—was inadvertently revealed.

Ho Chenyuan’s gaze fell on that scar, his pupils shrinking imperceptibly.

Just when everyone thought this farce would end with Jiang Yu’s embarrassed retreat, she did something that stunned everyone.

She stood up, walked over to the brand-new bicycle, and pulled out a piece of wire from who-knows-where.

Tinkering with the bent handlebars and loose chain that Ho Siyue and his gang had just caused, she set to work.

In barely a minute or two, the once-wobbly handlebars were perfectly aligned.

The slack chain was tightened with the wire she fashioned into a small tool, fitting snugly without a sound.

After finishing, Jiang Yu brushed the dust off her hands and slipped the wire back into her pocket.

Pushing the bike, she passed by Ho Chenyuan under everyone’s watchful eyes and walked straight to the school’s bike shed without looking back.

From start to finish, she never glanced once at those brothers.

Ho Chenyuan stood rooted, watching her slender yet upright figure retreat, his expression more complicated than ever before.