Chapter 6 — The Eldest Sister from the Underworld

Ever timid and utterly helpless, constantly second-guessing every move they made, they used to drive me mad with frustration. Even on the brink of death, I still worried about the lot of them. Little did I expect that three years would pass and every single one of them would grow into such formidable forces. God only knows how much hardship they had to endure along the way. The stern lectures I had prepared grew lodged in my throat, leaving a bitter ache in my chest.

Alright, alright.

I cut them off, lifting a hand to ruffle the hair of Xie Yaoguang. Yet my fingers passed right through him, connecting with nothing at all. I froze in place. All eight of them were startled, too, and then they scrambled to lower their heads, shoving them right into my palm. Suppressing the sudden wave of emptiness, I twitched the corners of my lips into a smile. I "patted" each head in turn.

I know, you are all very impressive now.

They raised their heads to look at me, flashing foolish, gap-toothed grins, clearly about to start acting spoiled just like they used to. But my expression suddenly turned severe.

Done playing the fool, are we?

Very well, since you are done acting cute, it is time for us to settle some accounts.

Let us begin with the debt owed by the Qi family. I instructed Shen Zhiyu and the others to itemize every single cent they had spent on Qi Qingqing and her family over the past three years. The eight of them stiffened, exchanging uneasy glances, guilt practically written in bold letters across their faces. I prodded them further with a sharp glare. Only then did they spring into action. Finally, the itemized ledger was placed before me, and the figures were so absurd they made me laugh out loud with rage. Qi Qingqing’s pink sports car alone was worth twelve million. The luxurious villa where the Qi family currently resided had been paid for entirely in full—thirty million—yet the title deed was registered in the name of Qi's father! Qi’s mother indulged in every imaginable high-end beauty treatment every single month, and later on, they even went so far as to open an entire aesthetic clinic directly under her name! Qi Qingqing possessed the acting range of a brick and failed to land decent scripts, so these fools simply dumped sacks of cash into productions to cast her as the lead! When you tally up the grand totals and the minor expenses alike, they had blown through hundreds of millions.

Before I died, I never even enjoyed such lavish treatment!

A portion of the money they squandered on those parasites even came from my own inheritance!

Ah, I am going to die of pure fury!

I slammed my hand down fiercely on the table, but my hand simply phased right through the wood. I lifted my chin. Even though the Qi family members had been thoroughly tormented over the past half-month and looked visibly haggard, anyone could still tell they had been pampered into plump, rosy health, radiating the unmistakable glow of utter wealth. That only made my blood boil even hotter! Shen Zhiyu cautiously gauged my expression, lowering his voice.

Sister Xiaohang, do not distress yourself. I will immediately claw back everything we gave them, and all of their accounts shall be frozen.

As for the assets that cannot be recovered immediately, I will find a way to make them work off the debt.

The members of the Qi family jolted. Rage completely overpowered their lingering terror. Father Qi bellowed in fury, Qi Xing, you unfilial wretch! We are your biological parents! How could you let them treat us like this?!

Mother Qi chimed in, starting to recount every trivial little thing she had supposedly bought for me ever since I was born. But before she could ramble for long, her voice choked in her throat, unable to utter another syllable. I lowered my gaze to look down at them, a cold smile playing on my lips.

Lost your voice, have you? The truth is, from childhood until adulthood, the two of you never spent any real money on me.

My tuition fees were secured entirely through student loans, and whatever meager savings I managed to scrape together during my university years were stolen away by the two of you behind my back and handed straight to Qi Qingqing.

If the two of you were to list out every single luxury you bought for Qi Qingqing, I am certain you could talk for hours.

I was never someone who easily won affection. I never knew how to flatter people, I held onto grudges, and I fought tooth and nail for whatever I wanted. Perhaps that was precisely why my parents favored someone like Qi Qingqing, who possessed a honeyed tongue and knew how to play the spoiled darling. I stared at them in silence for a few long seconds, then let out a sigh.

I no longer owe the two of you a single thing.

Shen Zhiyu waved a hand at his subordinates, and the members of the Qi family were promptly dragged out of the room. Their fading wails drifted away, and the mourning hall finally grew quiet. My expression eased up a fraction. At that moment, Xie Yaoguang, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly spoke up.

Sister Xiaohang, how are you... faring down in the underworld?

I blinked in surprise.

Pretty well, I suppose?

Thanks to your generosity in burning mountains of joss paper for me, my social standing down there is exceptionally high!

A look of profound relief and eager anticipation washed over Xie Yaoguang's face.

Then... can we come down to the underworld to find you?

I turned my head to stare straight at him. His expression was frighteningly solemn. The other seven exchanged meaningful glances before turning their synchronized gazes back toward me. I had the distinct feeling that if I uttered a single "yes," each of them would immediately brainstorm a hundred different ways to end their own lives on the spot.

I raised a hand to swat him. Naturally, my hand passed right through empty air. I pulled my hand back, pretending as though nothing had happened, and cleared my throat.

All of you are going to live long, proper lives. If anyone dares to utter such nonsense again...

I flashed a ferocious, menacing smile.

I will snap their neck myself!

Very well, since the debt owed by the Qi family has been settled, let us talk about you lot.

I intend to inspect each and every one of your living conditions.

I fixed my eyes on Xie Yaoguang.

You talk the most nonsense, so let us start with you, shall we?

Prompted by my insistent demands, Xie Yaoguang led the way back to his apartment. The moment I stepped across the threshold, I furrowed my brows in immediate disgust. This place was entirely unfit for a living human being!