HBWMA -Chapter 12 First Encounter at Twelve

Inside the room, chaos lay everywhere. Anyone who didn’t know better would think it had just been ransacked by bandits.

A girl with multicolored dyed hair was jumping around the room like an enraged fighting cock.

“Let me out! That little beggar Jiang Huashan actually dared to scheme against me? I’m going to tear her apart!”

Old Master Shen had five sons and two daughters, but even with such a large family—and two granddaughters among his descendants—there were only three girls in total. The rest were boys.

With scarcity came value. And unlike traditional elders, the old master wasn’t bound by old-fashioned thinking. Compared to his noisy grandsons who only knew how to fight and snatch things, he preferred gentle, well-behaved girls. As a result, the girls in the Shen household were especially pampered.

Having been spoiled since childhood, Fu Sui’er had never suffered such humiliation. She simply couldn’t swallow this anger.

Aunt Feng worried she might suffer a loss and did everything she could to stop her inside the room.

“Er’er, be good. The young lady has already gone to the old master to demand justice. The old master has always doted on you—he won’t let you suffer for nothing. Be good, just put that down first.”

Fu Sui’er stood with one foot on the European-style princess bed, holding a crystal vase in her hand, her face twisted with rage.

“You think you can trick me? My mother only cares about running off with her pretty boy—why would she care about me? And my grandfather? He’s completely biased! Ever since that little beggar came to the Shen residence, he stopped loving me! That little bitch bullied me like this—I’m going to kill her!”

The veins on Aunt Feng’s temples throbbed. She was an old servant who had once served the Third Madam and had watched Shen Jiao and Fu Sui’er grow up, so their relationship had long gone beyond that of employer and servant.

Fu Sui’er, with heavy and inappropriate makeup on her face, tight suspenders and fitted pants, and nails painted rebellious black, looked more like a street delinquent than a young lady of the Shen family. If not for being in the Shen estate’s Winter Garden, no one would associate her with a noble miss.

“Er’er, who taught you to talk like this? How did the Fu family raise you into this?” Aunt Feng scolded, both angry and heartbroken.

Fu Sui’er’s expression darkened. She pointed at her.

“What? Trying to lecture me again just because you’re old? Where were you before? If you don’t like me, send me back to the Fu family—I don’t even want to stay here! So what if it’s the Shen family? Even some stray beggar from outside can bully me now! I’m going to tell my dad. If you won’t stand up for me, I still have the Fu family!”

At twelve years old, she was at the height of rebellion—a textbook case of a troubled adolescent girl.

Aunt Feng clutched her chest in frustration. “Er’er, listen to me!”

Fu Sui’er let out a cold laugh.

“Listen? Listen? Am I your dog? All my life, all you ever told me is to ‘be obedient.’ That’s all you know how to say!”

She lifted her chin defiantly.

“Let me tell you—if you don’t force that Jiang Huashan bitch to kneel in front of me and apologize, then don’t expect me to ever listen to you again!”

“You—” Aunt Feng was so angry she could barely breathe.

“Hey~ quite energetic, aren’t you?”

Jiang Huashan had been listening from outside for a while. Timing it perfectly, she pushed the door open with a smile.

Aunt Feng, still heartbroken over Fu Sui’er’s behavior, froze when she saw that gleeful face. Was this young lady out of her mind? How could she come provoking things at a time like this?!

“Jiang Huashan?” Fu Sui’er’s ferocious expression stiffened for a second. Then she gritted her teeth.

“You still dare come? And you’re smiling?”

She raised the crystal vase and hurled it at her.

“Er’er!” Aunt Feng’s expression changed drastically. “Watch out!”

Bang!

A loud crash.

Jiang Huashan didn’t move a single step. The supposedly fierce attack landed precisely at her feet.

At twelve years old, she was still immature. Even in anger, she didn’t truly dare to strike. Unlike years later, when a simple argument could turn into a life-and-death scheme.

Jiang Huashan herself didn’t know why she was thinking such things. She tilted her head and looked at Fu Sui’er.

“Why didn’t you dodge?”

That gaze felt like humiliation. Fu Sui’er’s rage exploded again. She jumped off the bed and rushed forward.

Seeing the vase miss its target, Aunt Feng finally relaxed. She quickly stepped forward to hold Fu Sui’er back, waving anxiously at Jiang Huashan.

“Miss Jiang, Er’er hasn’t calmed down yet. Please leave for now.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Fu Sui’er shouted. “Jiang Huashan, you still dare show up? Aunt Feng, don’t stop me—I’m going to beat her to death!”

Aunt Feng, already old and strained, could barely hold her back. Hearing this, she suddenly gained strength and yanked Fu Sui’er backward harder.

Right now, the young lady still had plenty of troubles to deal with. If anything else happened to the little miss, how could she face the late Old Madam?

“Ah!” Fu Sui’er cried out in pain. Not understanding Aunt Feng’s intentions, she only felt everyone was against her. In a fit of rage, she kicked backward.

Aunt Feng wasn’t prepared. She let out a pained groan and fell to the ground.

Jiang Huashan turned to look at Fu Sui’er.

The girl froze for a moment, a flicker of regret flashing across her face. She stepped forward, then hesitated and stepped back again.

After all, children were still children. Not everyone started out truly cruel.

“What are you doing?”

At that tense moment, Shen Jiao pushed the door open and walked in.

Her gaze first landed on Jiang Huashan, then subtly swept over the shattered glass on the floor. Only then did she slowly enter the room.

Shen Jiao?

Jiang Huashan turned back—and met a gaze filled with an unreadable scrutiny. Before she could discern its meaning, Shen Jiao had already walked past her without looking at her again. As they brushed past each other, Jiang Huashan caught a faint, elegant fragrance from her.