The food on the dining table was sumptuous, accented by white roses between the plates and dangling vines of herbs along the edges. Yuan Si always arranged the food in an artistic manner.
Five minutes after Yuan Luoyi and her three brothers sat down to eat, she understood why Yuan's Father disliked having his sons together.
Even though they were now terrifying serial killers, when they met their blood brothers, they would still argue like they did as children.
The second brother, Yuan Fa, stared disdainfully at the fourth brother, Yuan Si.
"I select my victims carefully, collect evidence, conduct fair trials, and only kill those who are guilty. Everyone I kill dies admitting their guilt and would surely give me a good review. But you've killed many innocent people. Where is your moral code?"
Yuan Si sneered coldly, "You have no right to lecture me on morals. You still owe me money!"
Yuan Fa said, "That's not owing you money, that's charging a reasonable legal consultation fee. Even between brothers, accounts must be settled."
Yuan Si slammed down his knife and fork heavily, "The price you charge me is five times what you charge others!"
Yuan Fa looked up at the ceiling with a pitying sigh, "I didn't say anything because of your young age and I was afraid of hurting your pride, but the reason I charge you five times more is that dealing with you requires five times the effort!"
The third brother, Yuan Yong, sitting next to Yuan Luoyi, did not join the argument.
He was afraid his sister would not get enough to eat, so every time a new dish was placed on the table, Yuan Yong would pick up his knife, and in a flash, snatch the best piece and place it firmly on Yuan Luoyi's plate.
Seeing Yuan Fa and Yuan Si's animosity escalating, Yuan Yong decided to intervene and settle their conflict before the table got overturned.
Yuan Yong said, "Although the second brother is a hopelessly selfish soul, he has always been quite fair in his pricing. Last time he only charged me double."
Unfortunately, Yuan Yong's comment only served to anger everyone further.
Yuan Si said, "What are you trying to prove by saying that? You've been kicked out of the Yuan family! You're the most intolerable person of us all!"
Yuan Fa said, "Charging you double was an act of kindness from me! Your salary is only seven figures a year! After saving for so many years, you still can't afford a private jet. Even poverty workers would shake their heads at you. And then you go around killing people, so I have to leave you some money to buy a bulletproof vest!"
Yuan Yong had already reached the pinnacle of drawing concentrated fire, but he was no longer interested in arguing. He preferred fighting directly over arguing.
Besides, arguing with Yuan Si always led to him losing track of the original point of contention without realizing it.
Yuan Fa had the firepower of ten mouths and could lecture endlessly with sound reasoning, leaving Yuan Yong unable to get a word in.
In the end, Yuan Yong chose to remain silent, as arguing with them was a losing battle. He still needed to look after his sister.
In any case, Yuan Yong's attempt at mediation succeeded. The conflict between Yuan Fa and Yuan Si was "resolved," at least for the next ten minutes when they would focus their resentment on Yuan Yong instead.
The dining table would not be overturned, and his sister would be able to eat her fill. A win-win situation.
Watching her brothers, Yuan Luoyi recalled what Yuan's Father had once said.
"Those five little demon kings are constantly causing trouble, trying to shorten my lifespan. They're in their twenties, but still argue childishly like five-year-olds. Raising such sons is truly unrewarding."
However, having experienced the darkest of times, Yuan Luoyi had grown accustomed to her brothers' "shocking words" and would not avoid them for months like Yuan's Father did to avoid his sons.
She raised her bowl and chopsticks, diving into the salad with gusto.
Yuan Luoyi was engrossed in her food, her cheeks puffed out as she ate. The events of the past few days had been overwhelming, draining her of a great deal of energy. She had not been eating well and needed to replenish herself.
[Ding!]
[System prompt: Host's influence in World Line 2 has reached 1000.]
Yuan Luoyi was somewhat surprised by the alarmingly high number.
She had only asked the fourth brother to help promote herself, and in just a few days, her influence had already risen this much.
The fourth brother had a truly massive global reputation, and he knew how to attract attention. More importantly, his followers in various industries supported him, and his vast network of connections, once activated, could wield tremendous influence.
Yuan Luoyi asked, "Has the Time Travel Portal opened?"
[System: The Time Travel Portal has opened. Host can now return.]
Yuan Luoyi quickly finished her food. She had been here for nearly a week, and she did not know the situation on the other side, so she had to hurry back.
She needed to see the fourth brother there. Previously, she had been afraid of signing a contract with him due to his control, but after interacting with the version here, she now knew how to deal with the one on the other side.
If successful, her influence on that side would also increase significantly, and the System might unlock more features.
After the last spoonful of salad, Yuan Luoyi hopped off her chair and embraced the second brother, Yuan Fa.
He immediately understood what she was about to do and said with a hint of melancholy, "You're going back, aren't you?"
Yuan Luoyi said, "Yes."
She then embraced the third brother, Yuan Yong, "Your wounds haven't fully healed yet. You should eat more too."
Yuan Yong sighed softly but eventually released her.
Finally, she approached Yuan Si and hugged his slender, bony frame.
She said, "Fourth brother, don't kill any more innocent people."
Yuan Si said, "Okay."
To Yuan Si, kindness and evil made no difference, but he was willing to follow his sister's words.
After bidding farewell to all her brothers, Yuan Luoyi disappeared.
The atmosphere in the dining room instantly changed, turning cold, tense, and mysterious.
Yuan Si took on a different demeanor, stretching out his body with his hands resting on the armrests like a coiled python, his sinister smile exuding an oppressive presence. He had been restraining himself in front of his sister.
"Second brother, tell me now, what's the deal with her?"
With his arms propped on the table and his fingertips pressed together, Yuan Fa's gaze also turned icy cold. He was still the person who would torture victims before brutally killing them.
Yuan Fa was reminded of the 11-year-old Yuan Luoyi committing suicide with a gun, her actions proving many things. Since then, Yuan Fa had been collecting clues and piecing together the truth, never stopping.
"She is our sister from another world, and she has come here to find the true culprit. There are many things she is forbidden from telling us."
"In the future, we will all die, and I should be the first one to die."
Yuan Fa let out a light laugh: "No, I am the second one. Yuan's Father, our eldest brother, was the first to die. He also understood what was going on with this 11-year-old sister. He knew he would die, so he entrusted her to me."
Looking at his two younger brothers, Yuan Fa's expression became serious: "After I die, you must protect her. Don't waste time killing each other. You must help her find the true culprit. We cannot let this sister die at the age of 18 as well."
