Qin Yun retorted, "Didn’t you say I was an outsider?"

"You!" Pei Yuan’s cheeks puffed up with anger, but she couldn’t refute it because she had indeed said that before.

Qin Yun casually glanced at the two of them, "Entertain your Sister Qingqing properly. After all, I’m not familiar with her, and there’s no need for us to interact."

"Sister Qin Yun, we know it’s hard for you being pregnant, so we thought we’d come over and chat with you. After all, you don’t have many friends here, and we’d like to keep you company to make you feel more comfortable. Pei Yuan is young and immature, so don’t mind her harsh words."

Qingqing spoke timidly again, offering Qin Yun a careful smile, but the sullen glint in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

"Who told you I’m not comfortable? If I can’t feel comfortable in my own home, then you must feel like sitting on pins and needles being here. Oh, sorry, Pei Yuan is too young to know better and didn’t invite you to sit, don’t mind her." Qin Yun said with a half-smile, her eyes shimmering, looking extremely beautiful.

Even Qingqing was momentarily stunned before realizing she had been mocked.

She clenched her hands at her sides tightly, her brows furrowing.

This woman is quite difficult.

She thought she could easily use Pei Yuan to deal with her, but she didn’t expect her to carry herself with such poise, completely unaffected by them.

"Pei Yuan is just like that, too simple-minded and without guile." Qingqing took a deep breath, then looked up and smiled at Qin Yun.

Her brows and eyes showed some conflict, grievance.

She looked as though she had been bullied.

Pei Yuan flared up at those words, "Qin Yun, can’t you have some decency? Qingqing has been coming to our house since she was a child and it’s like her own. What are you, to dare to mock that she’s a guest?"

Qin Yun gave her a cold look, and lightly retorted, "If she’s not a guest, then what? A servant? Their family shouldn’t be so fallen as to need Qingqing to come out and serve people, should it? If their family is indeed in such dire straits, then that’s really too pitiable."

She spoke evenly, her demeanor calm, seemingly genuinely pitying the poor and ugly Qingqing.

Qingqing felt as though her carefully maintained weak image was instantly torn apart. If not for Pei Yuan’s worried glance, she might have broken her facade.

"Sister Qingqing, don’t listen to Qin Yun’s nonsense. She’s just trying to sow discord between us!" Pei Yuan anxiously tried to comfort Qingqing, worried she would feel hurt by Qin Yun’s words.

Qingqing quickly snapped out of it, and with a trembling shake of her head, said hesitantly, "I... I’m fine. Sister Qin Yun just arrived, so it’s understandable she might think we’re up to no good. It’s all my fault, insisting on coming to see Brother Pei’s wife, leading to this misunderstanding. It’s my fault, I’m sorry."

Qingqing apologized, her voice choked, even her shoulders trembling.

She acted as convincingly as if it were real.

Qin Yun watched coldly, not knowing why she intensely disliked such people, finding it annoying to even glance at them.

"You have nothing to apologize to me for, and I have no misunderstanding of you. Figure out who you really are. As a guest, behave like one, and don’t covet things that don’t belong to you, for you won’t be able to handle them."

Qin Yun finished speaking and turned to leave, but before she could move, someone grabbed her hand, causing her to stagger.

"Oh no!"

Qin Yun instinctively shielded her lower abdomen, just about to adjust her posture to ensure she wouldn’t fall when, in the next moment, she was pulled into a firm embrace.

Feeling a familiar scent, Qin Yun sighed in relief, "Pei Yan?"

"Brother Pei Yan."

"Brother Pei Yan."

Three voices rang out, each with a different tone.

Qingqing even shivered a bit, barely managing to hide her guilty conscience, looking pitifully at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan’s heart was in his throat, and his hands holding Qin Yun trembled slightly.

Lucky he returned, lucky he happened to come over to check on Qin Yun, and lucky the distance between them wasn’t far, allowing him to protect Qin Yun in time.

If the distance had been slightly greater, he would have had to watch helplessly as Qin Yun fell to the ground.

Just the thought of that scene ignited a fierce anger, unstoppable.

"Who was it?"

Pei Yan hadn’t seen clearly who had pulled Qin Yun just now.

But he was certain that Qin Yun didn’t lose her balance on her own.

Pei Yuan looked puzzled, "Brother Pei Yan, what are you asking?"

Beside Qingqing, her hand clenched again, face pale. She bit her lip and asked aggrievedly, "Brother Pei Yan, what’s wrong with Sister Qin Yun? Why would she suddenly fall? Could it be she doesn’t want to talk to us?"

She kept her head down, not daring to meet Pei Yan’s eyes.

Even so, she could distinctly feel a burning gaze landing on her.

The gaze felt like it had thorns, making it impossible for her to hide.

Pei Yan stared at Qingqing. He knew Pei Yuan was just slightly spoiled and not truly bad-hearted, incapable of pulling someone to make them fall.

"Who do you think you are? Why should she have to talk to you?"

Pei Yan’s cold voice instantly plunged Qingqing into an ice cave.

What’s Brother Pei Yan saying?

He wasn’t like this before.

Why did Pei Yan completely change after she studied abroad for a year?

Qingqing anxiously explained, "No, I didn’t mean that, I was just worried about Sister Qin Yun."

"Stop saying Sister Qin Yun. Her parents only have one daughter, and they have no intentions of acknowledging a goddaughter, so she has no sisters, got it?"

Pei Yan left no room for Qingqing, causing her to tremble all over, barely able to stand, as if she was about to fall.

"Sister Qingqing, are you okay?"

Pei Yuan quickly supported Qingqing, looking resentfully at her brother, "Brother Pei Yan, how could you talk to Sister Qingqing like that? She has been waiting for you ever since she returned from studying abroad, you can’t..."

"Shut up, Pei Yuan, you’re grounded for half a month starting from when you get back." Pei Yan suddenly turned to look at Pei Yuan, and Pei Yuan was so startled by his stare that she inadvertently stood straight.

"Okay."

She didn’t dare defy Pei Yan’s words, only reluctantly agreeing.

Pei Yuan could only say, "Sister Qingqing, why don’t you head back first?"

Qingqing hesitantly gave Pei Yan several glances, but Pei Yan paid her no mind, wholly focused on Qin Yun, anxiously asking if she was alright, if she felt uncomfortable anywhere.

"Then Brother Pei Yan, I’ll take my leave."

Qingqing finished speaking, waiting for a long while, thinking Pei Yan would at least say a couple of words to her out of basic courtesy.

But Pei Yan didn’t even lift his head.

The air was thick with awkwardness.

Pei Yuan patted Qingqing’s hand sympathetically and led her out.

Just as they reached the door, Pei Yan’s low voice sounded from behind, "Stop."

Qingqing quickly turned around, looking at Pei Yan with hope, "Brother Pei Yan, is there something you need?"