"Hua Hua, stop making a scene. All you want is a rich boyfriend, right? I’ll introduce you to one after your cousin’s wedding banquet is over."

"Mom, what do you know? Go make a scene before that bitch’s wedding is over. My uncle is so concerned with appearances, he might just give in."

"Hua Hua, that’s not a good idea. We could ruin our relationship with them completely. Besides, your second brother still hasn’t found a job..."

"All you care about are your sons! First, it was helping my older brother find a job, and now you’re begging them for my second brother..."

"Alright, alright, your mother is right. You’re still young. You’ll have other chances."

Huahua’s father had heard the commotion and rushed over, grabbing his daughter and speaking impatiently.

"Mom, look! Dad doesn’t care about me at all. Doesn’t he see how old I am? I’m well past the age I should be getting married, but I still haven’t met anyone suitable."

The girl tried to continue complaining, but her father stopped her. "Hua Hua, can you just drop it? Today is your cousin’s big day."

"Dad, all you care about is that bitch Li Xiulan! Anyone who didn’t know any better would think she’s your daughter!"

Hua Hua complained, her face a mask of indignation. She grew more agitated as she spoke, eventually breaking into tears.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged woman standing beside her kept her head hung low, appearing deeply saddened.

Seeing this, the girl’s father quickly walked to her side and gently patted her back to console her.

"Dear, don’t get upset; it’s bad for your health. I told you long ago that girl of ours has gone astray. I told you not to bring her out to make a spectacle of herself."

The middle-aged woman lifted her head and stared at her daughter with bloodshot eyes, her lips trembling.

It seemed she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only sighed softly and said nothing more.

They were Li Xiu’s second maternal uncle, aunt, and their daughter, Hua Hua, who was a cousin of the same age.

Huahua’s mother had damaged her health while giving birth to her daughter, so Hua Hua was sent to be raised at her paternal aunt’s house.

Hua Hua grew up alongside Li Xiulan, and their relationship seemed quite good when they were children.

Although she was the daughter of Li Xiulan’s maternal uncle, she was not technically part of the Li family.

Therefore, when relatives of the Li family gave out red envelopes during the holidays, they only ever gave them to Li Xiulan, never to Hua Hua.

Even though the red envelopes back then only contained twenty cents, who would bother preparing an extra one for someone who wasn’t a direct relation?

The young Hua Hua probably didn’t understand the implications; she was happy as long as Li Xiulan shared ten cents with her.

But human desire is boundless, and little by little, Hua Hua grew to resent her cousin.

She would find all sorts of excuses to ask Li Xiulan for her lucky money and snacks. Li Xiulan, ever kind and sensible, always gave her own share to her cousin.

Practically all of Li Xiulan’s allowance and snacks ended up in Hua Hua’s pockets and mouth.

However, Li Xiulan’s older brother wouldn’t stand for it. Knowing his sister was too kind-hearted, he would warn Hua Hua whenever his mother and sister weren’t around.

This made Hua Hua even more resentful, because her own two brothers never stood up for her; they only snatched her things.

As they grew older, Hua Hua’s resentment intensified.

Hua Hua’s dislike for Li Xiulan deepened, but she didn’t dare tell anyone, because the aunt who doted on her was Li Xiulan’s own mother.

At first, whenever Hua Hua went home, she would complain tearfully to her parents, but they always took Li Xiulan’s side.

They figured that since their daughter was living at his sister’s house, eating their food and not costing them a single cent—and on top of that, their niece treated their daughter well, always sharing everything she had—what was there to complain about?

’She’s asking for a beating.’ That’s what Huahua’s father thought, and that’s what he did. Whenever Hua Hua came home to complain tearfully, he would give her a harsh beating.

If one beating didn’t work, he’d give her another. Her two brothers also berated her for being ungrateful, saying that if they had a cousin that good, they’d be on their knees thanking her.

Her family’s actions only made Hua Hua hate her cousin, Li Xiulan, all the more.

Hua Hua’s personality grew increasingly rebellious, though at first, no one noticed.

It wasn’t until she started junior high that they noticed. Every time she came home for the holidays, she would do nothing but bad-mouth her cousin.

And she said such vile things that Li Xiulan’s uncle—and his sons—wanted to beat their ungrateful daughter and sister to death.

Because she hadn’t raised the girl herself, Huahua’s mother still had a soft spot for her and would take her side, pulling her into an embrace.

She would wipe away her tears and console her, but as time went on and her daughter’s behavior only worsened, even Huahua’s mother grew tired of defending her.

At their wits’ end with Hua Hua, the family had no choice but to bring her back home to continue her schooling, hoping it would stop the daily arguments with Li Xiulan.

But she had only been home for a few days before she started complaining, either about their poor standard of living or the shabby state of their house.

Hua Hua, of course, was indignant. She didn’t feel she had done anything wrong. ’Why should my cousin get to be doted on by so many people?’

’While I’m despised by my own parents and brothers? How is that my fault?’

So, she raised hell at home every day until her father, left with no other option, had to beg his sister to take her back to the Li family for school.

Whether it was because Hua Hua had finally matured or because two weeks of a hard life at home had scared her straight, she reined in her behavior somewhat.

She knew the Li family didn’t truly welcome her, so she put all her effort into finding a boyfriend at school.

But as it turned out, the boy already had a crush on Li Xiulan and was just looking for an opportunity to get close to her.

Upon learning that Hua Hua was Li Xiulan’s cousin, the boy started enthusiastically buying her green bean popsicles to curry favor.

He hoped Hua Hua would put in a good word for him with Li Xiulan, but people were very indirect in those days.

The boy was so vague that Hua Hua mistakenly assumed he was interested in her.

This continued until their first year of high school, when the boy finally asked Hua Hua to deliver a love letter to Li Xiulan. Instead, Hua Hua opened it herself.

She not only harassed him relentlessly but even used the letter to threaten him. This scared the boy so badly that he dropped out of school and enlisted in the army.

The poor kid was only seventeen.

Then, Hua Hua tearfully accused her cousin in public of stealing her boyfriend.

Li Xiulan was dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe Hua Hua was capable of saying such a thing.

All her life, she’d been so good to Hua Hua. How much money and how many things had she given her over the years?

Hua Hua had always been lazy. Whenever they were together, Li Xiulan did all the chores. If Li Xiulan had a single bite to eat, Hua Hua would get one too.

Li Xiulan herself had lost count of all the ways she had been good to her cousin.

And in the end, her cousin had turned on her with false accusations. The betrayal broke Li Xiulan’s heart. For the first time, the two cousins had a public argument, which even escalated into a physical fight.

Li Xiulan’s parents were absolutely furious. They cut ties with Hua Hua on the spot, forbidding her from ever stepping foot in the Li family’s home again.

Although Li Xiulan usually didn’t hold grudges against Hua Hua, she wasn’t a complete fool. Of course she knew her parents were acting in her best interest.

So when Hua Hua came running to argue with her, Li Xiulan met her with cold scorn for the very first time.

The two cousins nearly came to blows again, so Mr. Li had no choice but to have his driver take her home...