Si Zuochen had never called Jiang Ran “mother.”
To him, she had always been “that woman.”

In his eyes, she simply didn’t deserve the title.

“Not exactly,” Si Youlin lowered his gaze. After a moment of silence, he added, “But today, I pushed her into the water.”

“Oh?” Hearing this, Si Zuochen raised his eyebrows in surprise, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his lips. “You’ve grown bold, huh…”

“She can’t swim. Did she drown?”

Si Youlin shook his head. “Song Yuqing was there. I didn’t succeed.”

At the mention of that name, a trace of gloom flashed between Si Zuochen’s brows, his expression darkening.
“She really treats the Si family like her own now—coming and going as she pleases, with no sense of being an outsider.”

“A woman that cheap is nothing but trouble. She should’ve been kicked out a long time ago!”

Hearing this, Si Youlin recalled what had happened earlier. Tilting his head slightly, he said, “She’s already been driven out.”

“What?” Confusion appeared on Si Zuochen’s face. “By whom?”

At present, Jiang Ran was clearly the one in charge of the Si family. Song Yuqing had always clung closely to her, currying favor at every turn. Who would dare drive her away?

“Jiang Ran,” Si Youlin said slowly, his brows furrowing.

What?

Si Zuochen paused, disbelief evident as he spoke again.
“Her?”

She actually had a falling-out with Song Yuqing? Had the sun risen in the west?

Si Youlin nodded. “Not only did she not hold me accountable for pushing her into the water today, she even spoke up to stop Song Yuqing when she tried to hit me.”

Hearing this, Si Zuochen shot him a thoughtful glance.

Then he snorted. “What? That moved you?”

“Of course not!” Si Youlin denied it reflexively.

“Good.”

Si Zuochen lowered his head slightly. His messy bangs hid his eyes, making his expression unreadable, but his words were icy cold.

“Don’t expect someone like her to suddenly grow a conscience. She doesn’t have one.”

“Chances are those two had some kind of conflict today, and she just used you as an excuse to kick her out. Give it a few days, and they’ll be teaming up again to bully us.”

“Birds of a feather flock together. Trash like them all run in the same circle.”

Disgust filled Si Zuochen’s voice, a flash of contempt flickering in his eyes.

As he lectured Si Youlin, he was also warning himself.

Maternal love was something that had never existed for them in the first place.

“Mm, I know,” Si Youlin nodded, then added, “But she really was abnormal today.”

Si Youlin lifted his gaze to look at him, signaling him to continue.

“I almost got into a car accident today. She suddenly rushed over and shielded me.”

“A car accident?” Si Zuochen shot to his feet at once, grabbing Si Youlin and inspecting him from head to toe. “Were you hurt? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Perhaps because of growing up in such a family, he had always been cold and detached. Si Youlin was one of the few people he genuinely cared about.

He would rather something happen to himself than let anything happen to Si Youlin.

“I’m fine, really.” Seeing Si Zuochen’s concern, Si Youlin quickly explained.
“I wasn’t hurt at all. That woman, on the other hand, got injured trying to protect me.”

“She did?” Si Zuochen frowned, his voice turning cold. “Serves her right.”

There was nothing in his impression of that woman except loathing.

Getting hurt was nothing—he would have preferred her dead.

Compared to his indifference, Si Youlin hesitated as he recalled Jiang Ran’s reckless dash to protect him.

“Brother… she was injured because she saved me…”

Catching the implication in Si Youlin’s words, Si Zuochen shot him a sidelong glance, displeasure showing in his eyes.

“What? Bought you over just like that? Take a look at the injuries on your body—who do you think caused them?”

As he spoke, he reached out and gently stroked the bruise on Si Youlin’s neck. Si Youlin shuddered instinctively.

Years of abuse had left him unaccustomed to being touched by others.

Then he heard Si Zuochen ask softly, “Do you still remember how you got this injury?”

Si Youlin pressed his lips together and said nothing.

How could he forget?

If his brother hadn’t broken down the door in time that day, he might already be a wandering ghost somewhere.

It was laughable when you thought about it—the cause had been nothing more than him calling her and Lu Ziyi “a toad lusting after a swan, ugly and promiscuous.”

Who knew which sentence struck a nerve? A few careless words had almost cost him his life.

At the thought, coldness instantly filled Si Youlin’s eyes.

“And besides, don’t you think it’s a little too convenient?” Si Zuochen said at just the right moment. “Helping you dodge disaster—maybe it was all a play she staged herself.”

“Don’t forget, that woman is no saint.”

A look of realization crossed Si Youlin’s face. Thinking of the photos he’d taken earlier that day, everything suddenly made sense.

“Heh…” Si Youlin let out a cold laugh.

So she wasn’t just violent—she wasn’t completely brainless either. He had almost fallen for it.

“Figured it out?” Si Zuochen asked.

Hearing this, Si Youlin nodded slowly and continued,
“I also saw her acting intimately with Lu Ziyi today, so I took photos. Looks like she realized beatings don’t work anymore and decided to play the emotional card.”

“Lu Ziyi?” At the mention of the name, Si Zuochen curved his lips slightly, disdain plain in his eyes.

“Two of a kind. He’s only hanging around her for money, yet that idiot thinks he’s genuinely devoted to her.”

“Ridiculous. Sooner or later, she’ll be scammed out of both money and dignity by that man.”

Thinking that Jiang Ran had chosen this method just to silence him sent a chill down Si Youlin’s spine, his disgust for her deepening.

He followed up coldly, “Serves her right.”

The two of them stayed at the internet café for the entire day. As night fell, Si Youlin showed no intention of leaving.

Seeing this, Si Zuochen couldn’t help reminding him, “It’s getting late. When are you heading back?”

Si Youlin waved him off, eyes fixed on the computer screen as he replied casually, “Just seeing that person makes me sick. I’m not going back.”

Si Zuochen frowned. “So you’re planning to play games here all night?”

Normally, he didn’t interfere much with Si Youlin, but when it came to school, he took on a distinctly elder-brother role.

When Si Youlin didn’t respond, Si Zuochen sighed and said again, “Exams are coming up in a couple of days. Your grades have been unstable lately—you should cram a bit while you still can.”

“Grades?” Si Youlin stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Si Zuochen, a hint of mockery in his voice.

“What’s the use of good grades? It’s all just for show anyway. Who actually cares?”

“Father’s lying unconscious, that woman doesn’t give a damn about us—what’s the difference between ranking first or dead last? It’s just pointless effort.”

Si Youlin stated his feelings lightly, but for some reason, Si Zuochen felt a quiet pang of sadness.