The scent of incense lingered in the Feng ancestral hall, thick and old—just like the secrets buried within its walls.
Feng Xiao Xiao stood quietly behind a carved wooden screen, unnoticed, listening to the conversation unfolding between her grandfather, Old Master Feng, and the rest of the family.
She hadn't planned to eavesdrop. But the moment she heard Feng Qian's voice dripping with fake concern, she froze.
"I'm just worried about Xiao Xiao, Grandfather," Feng Qian said gently. "She's been... different lately. So quiet. I'm afraid something might be wrong."
Fake. Poisonous. Green tea btch,* Xiao Xiao thought bitterly, her nails digging into her palm.
Her grandfather's voice came next, firm and low. "She's not wrong. She's focused. Finally seeing things clearly. That is not a cause for concern—it is a reason to celebrate."
Feng Xiao Xiao blinked, heart tightening in her chest.
He believes in me? Even now?
A flash of memory struck her like lightning—her grandfather arguing with her father, slamming his cane on the floor.
"She is your daughter! If you cannot treat her mother with respect, then give me custody of her!"
Her father's cold reply: "That woman is dead. What's left to argue about?"
Xiao Xiao's mother had died heartbroken, humiliated by her husband's mistress—Madam Lin—and betrayed by her own family. And in her past life, Xiao Xiao had blamed the wrong people.
She had hated her grandfather for the arranged marriage, resented him for being harsh—but in truth, he was the only one who truly protected her. Even when she spat in his face, he still stood by her.
And Feng Qian? She had played her role too well—smiles, gifts, fake kindness. But it was all an act. Xiao Xiao remembered now—how Qian had slipped sleeping pills into her drink, how she watched her brother choke on poisoned tea and did nothing.
She's dangerous, Xiao Xiao realized. And Grandfather knows it too.
"I've seen enough," Old Master Feng said sharply, cutting through Madam Lin's weak protests. "From now on, Xiao Xiao will have full legal authority over her assets. And my personal guards will be by her side—day and night."
Feng Qian's hands clenched around her silk handkerchief.
"Father, isn't that—" Feng Zheng started.
"Silence," the old man said, his voice filled with cold fury. "You've done nothing for your daughter. You didn't protect her mother. Don't pretend to care now."
Feng Xiao Xiao stepped back, pressing a hand over her heart. Her throat tightened with emotion.
She had been so blind. But this time, she'd open her eyes.
She wasn't just going to protect herself.
She would protect her grandfather, the man who loved her because he loved her mother. The only person who remembered the legitimate wife of the Feng family—and defended her daughter even after death.
I won't let them poison him, she swore. Not again.
From the shadows, she turned and left quietly. No one noticed her presence.
But from this moment on, she would not be a silent observer.
She would be the storm.