Lian Huahua had always held herself in high esteem, and though she wasn’t the center of attention at the Lian Family, she never regarded her other cousins in the eye. Today, she was hit by the most honest and least esteemed Lian Yeye, which was a greater blow to her pride than the physical slap on her face. She wanted to fight back immediately but sadly, she was no match for Lian Yeye in strength.

"Lian Yeye, you have some nerve, do you no longer wish to live..." Lian Huahua said almost hoarsely.

"Oh my, Sister Huahua, what’s happened to you? Why did you fall? Get up quickly." Lian Manman pretended as if she had just noticed Lian Huahua had fallen, exclaimed, and went forward to help her up.

At this point, Lian Duoduo also ran over, and the two of them, one on each side, pulled Lian Huahua off the ground.

As soon as Lian Huahua regained her footing, she pushed Lian Manman away and reached out to grab Lian Yeye.

"Duoduo, why weren’t you watching her? If someone were to come by now and see Sister Huahua like this, what would we say?" said Lian Manman. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

With a contorted expression, Lian Huahua heard Lian Manman’s words, retracted her hand quickly, looked around to see that no one was approaching, and felt reassured. However, she didn’t dare to lash out again.

"Just you wait, I..." Lian Huahua grumbled as she walked away with Lian Duo.

"Sister Huahua, you’re not thinking of tattling on Yeye, are you?" Lian Manman walked over and looked into Lian Huahua’s eyes as she spoke.

Lian Huahua, already at a disadvantage from Lian Yeye, had thought of going back to her room to find either Lian Shouli or Lady Zhao, or even Lady Zhou, so they could severely punish Lian Yeye. Now, Lian Manman had called her out, and Lian Huahua glared at her angrily.

"Sister Huahua, I advise you to think it over," Lian Manman said, "Yeye is not the same as before; she has nothing to lose and fears nothing. If you complain about her, she will only use it as a chance to expose what you’ve done to her. Whoever will be at a greater loss then is obvious without me saying."

Lian Manman’s words cooled Lian Huahua’s anger slightly. But how could she swallow such an insult?

"Sister Huahua, you’re smarter than all of us. When Yeye gets angry, she doesn’t care about anything, but Sister Huahua wouldn’t do anything foolish, right?" Lian Manman said with a smile.

Lian Huahua knew that Lian Manman was correct and, flattered by another compliment, her anger subsided further.

"Sister Huahua, we’re legitimate cousins and should be closest to each other. You know in your heart what you’ve done. You quarreled with Yeye and got hit by accident, so you’re hardly wronged." Seeing Lian Huahua’s face soften, Lian Manman continued, "Sister Huahua, think about it, if it were you, surely just a slap wouldn’t have sufficed, right? Yeye didn’t speak ill of you in front of others, which was giving you face."

Lian Huahua glanced at Lian Manman and Lian Yeye. If she were Lian Yeye, what would she do? No, she could never be Lian Yeye.

Reading between the lines, Lian Manman knew her words had been in vain. If Lian Huahua could put herself in other’s shoes, she wouldn’t have committed the actions she had in the past.

If family bonds couldn’t move Lian Huahua and reason couldn’t persuade her, then the only option left was to talk about gains and losses.

"Sister Huahua, my grandmother said that in the big families in the city, where there are many people, plots, and gossip, things are not as simple as in our rural homes. A new bride faces many picking at her faults. Sister Huahua, we are your sisters, and if we can’t contain ourselves and carelessly speak the truth in front of the Song Family, think about how they will view you." Lian Manman said with a sly smile, "Sister Huahua is better at speaking than us. If you’re thinking of winning them over first by speaking ill of us and belittling us, to ensure that no one believes us, then you’re mistaken. The Song Family will think, if your sisters aren’t good people, how good can you be?"

Lian Huahua’s eyes widened, and her thoughts thundered. Lian Manman’s words had truly struck a chord. Indeed, once married into the Song Family, she could not sever ties with the Lian Family. Even if she couldn’t rely on Lian Manman and the others to support her, the least they could do was not to hold her back.

If Lian Manman and the others remained as obedient as before, that would be one thing, but now it was clear that one was cunning and the other unruly. Honest cousins wouldn’t ruin her plans; she could ignore or oppress them. However, unscrupulous cousins could ruin her plans, and she had no choice but to make amends and endure them.

"Manman, you’re right," Lian Huahua managed a strained smile, "As legitimate cousins, we should support each other and not create a spectacle for outsiders to gossip about."