Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 123: Since When Do I Have an Aunt?

Xin Haiyun was married to Mrs. Liu’s paternal cousin, Liu Weijun. Just last month, she had returned to Ling’an with her husband’s family for his new assignment. He had been promoted to Standard Sixth-Grade Thousand Commander and now served under Song Xingfeng.

Given this connection, Xin Haiyun naturally wanted to grow closer to Mrs. Liu. She would often come over to chat, and with the General Mansion currently preparing for a wedding, she had been especially diligent, bustling about and doing everything she could to help.

She heard Mrs. Liu’s complaints, and since she was well aware of the Song Family’s situation, she quickly chimed in, "Sister-in-law, you’re right. The engagement was already broken, so what is she doing back here? It’s obvious she’s here to compete with our Lan’er! If you ask me, Sister-in-law, you can’t let her stay!"

"How could I not be aware of her wicked intentions? But you heard—the General was the one who brought her back. If I drive her out, how am I supposed to explain myself to the General? She is, after all, the General’s daughter. We can’t... We can’t be too harsh."

Mrs. Liu put on a show of being terribly conflicted, but Xin Haiyun just sneered. "Why should you trouble yourself with this, Sister-in-law? I’ll go take care of it for you! I’ll make sure that little tramp knows to back off when things get difficult!"

Nanny Tian quickly cut in. "Oh, Mrs. Liu! She can’t speak so recklessly! What would happen if outsiders heard? The Second Miss is quite formidable. It’s not just this old servant—even our mistress fell for her tricks!"

Mrs. Liu put on a frightened expression, as if she had been bullied into submission.

But Xin Haiyun was a renowned shrew in her hometown, with a reputation that spread for miles. Why would she be afraid of some wet-behind-the-ears girl? Besides, she was eager to make a good impression on Mrs. Liu. She slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet. "Has she gone completely feral? You’re her elder, Sister-in-law! No matter how capable she is, can she just disregard the debt she owes her family for raising her? If you ask me, it’s because you’re too soft-hearted that you let these young ones walk all over you! You just sit tight, Sister-in-law. I’ll go teach that rotten brat a lesson for you!"

Xin Haiyun took two of her own senior maids and stormed out, spoiling for a fight.

Mrs. Liu’s eyes narrowed as she said mockingly, "This cousin-in-law of mine is a notorious she-devil. Do you remember what a formidable woman my husband’s second aunt was? Even she was run out of town and forced to hide in the countryside by her." She glanced at Nanny Tian. "Go follow them. Fan the flames a bit."

"Yes." Nanny Tian’s eyes glinted with hatred. "My lady, just sit back and wait for the show."

’She had never forgotten her grudge over her son’s broken leg!’

***

The main gate of the Xubai Small Building was kicked open.

Song Lianhe had been tied up and brought inside by the guards. They shoved her in, turned to leave, and slammed the door shut with a BANG.

Song Lianhe struggled to sit up. She used her teeth to gnaw through the ropes binding her hands and couldn’t stop a curse from escaping her lips.

’You’ve got some nerve, Song Xingfeng. To think you’d keep me tied up for the entire journey back!’

She lifted her head and looked around the courtyard. It had only been a few days, but the place looked completely different.

Some parts of the mansion were being renovated for the upcoming grand wedding, so all the chests, screens, and vanities that couldn’t be stored elsewhere had been piled into her courtyard, cramming the once-spacious area to the brim.

’Heh. So they really never planned on me coming back.’

’If that’s the case, why is Song Xingfeng still pretending to be some kind, loving father?’

She got to her feet, stretched her stiff back, and wondered what she should do next.

Just then, a date bounced off her head.

Song Lianhe let out a small yelp. Clutching her head, she looked up and saw Xuan Mei lounging casually in a tree above.

"Ah! Sister Mei!!"

Seeing her was like seeing family.

Song Lianhe held out her arms, looking like she wanted a hug.

Xuan Mei leaped down lightly and landed in front of her. But just as she opened her mouth to speak, her expression changed in a flash. She grabbed Song Lianhe and yanked her aside.

An arrow shot past, embedding itself in the wall behind them with a WHIZZ.

Song Lianhe’s eyes widened in shock. "This is..."

’An assassin!!’

The thought had barely registered in her mind when Xuan Mei said, "Stay here," and vaulted onto the wall in pursuit of a black-clad figure.

Before Song Lianhe could even react, the door was pushed open once more.

"Mrs. Liu, this way please."

Nanny Tian ushered the woman inside.

"Mm."

Xin Haiyun, putting on all the airs of an official’s wife, walked in while being supported by her maids.

She was short and stout, and held her chin up slightly, a woman accustomed to looking down her nose at people.

Seeing the state of the courtyard, she instantly understood just how unwelcome Song Lianhe was in the mansion.

She lowered her gaze with a contemptuous smile, then walked over and said in a shrill, affected voice, "This must be the Second Miss."

"That’s her."

Nanny Tian looked at Song Lianhe, craning her neck as she said coldly, "This is the mistress’s cousin-in-law, which makes her your aunt. Aren’t you going to come and pay your respects, Second Miss?"

’Aunt?’

’The original owner of this body had no memory of this person, but the novel had mentioned her in passing. It said Mrs. Liu had a cousin-in-law who acted as her loyal lackey, handling all the dirty work that couldn’t see the light of day.’

’Mrs. Liu’s cousin-in-law. Cannon fodder character number N from the original book.’

’Now that I remember who she is, it all makes sense. Mrs. Liu sent her here just to get under my skin!’

Song Lianhe couldn’t even be bothered to lift an eyelid. "My mother was my maternal grandfather’s only daughter, so where would I get an ’aunt’ from? Whoever’s family she belongs to can pay their own respects. I wouldn’t care if you put her on an altar and kowtowed to her!"

Nanny Tian knew how sharp Song Lianhe’s tongue could be and didn’t want to be humiliated again, so she just glared at her hatefully and kept her mouth shut.

Xin Haiyun, however, flew into a rage. ’How dare a little slip of a girl like her humiliate me?’

"You damn little whelp! It’s only because my sister-in-law is too soft that she lets you get away with this! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson on her behalf, you child who was born but never raised!"

She raised her hand high, aiming to slap Song Lianhe across the face.

Song Lianhe sneered, swiftly grabbing her hand and delivering a backhanded slap of her own—

The sound was a crisp, resounding SLAP.

It all happened so fast that the slap left Xin Haiyun completely stunned. She clutched her face, and when she finally processed what had happened, she shrieked, "You dare hit me?!"

She had never suffered such humiliation. Her eyes turned red, and she looked ready to kill.

"Grab this little bitch! Grab her now! How dare she lay a hand on an elder? I’ll beat her to death!"

The two senior maids she had brought with her put their hands on their hips, rolled up their sleeves, and moved to grab Song Lianhe.

Seeing things were getting out of hand, Nanny Tian didn’t try to intervene. Instead, she backed away, her intention to distance herself from the mess blatantly obvious.

But then she froze, quickly rubbing her eyes, afraid she was seeing things.

What was going on? The two maids were lying on the ground, completely motionless. The way she looked at Song Lianhe changed completely.

’What kind of Sorcery did she just use?’

To handle emergencies like this, Song Lianhe had long ago prepared a variety of drugs for self-defense. Forget two people—the dose she carried was enough to take down two oxen!

She slowly raised her head, a strange smile on her face. "Anyone else want to try?"

Nanny Tian was terrified. She stumbled backward, screaming, "Mur-murder! She’s a murderer!"

Xin Haiyun’s face turned pale at the scream, but compared to Nanny Tian, she was a veteran of a hundred battles. "Stop trying to act all mysterious! I’m not afraid of you!"

Song Lianhe crooked a finger, her smile growing even more sinister. "Then come here."

"You think I’m afraid of you?!" Xin Haiyun was about to charge forward when someone suddenly grabbed her arm. "Aunt, you mustn’t!"

Song Xilan had arrived just in time to stop her. "Aunt, this is the General Mansion. If you cause a scene here, have you considered how you will explain yourself to my father?"

’Song Lianhe couldn’t help but sigh. ’As expected of the story’s heroine. She’s smart and knows how to strike a fatal blow with a single sentence.’’