The Fake Heiress and Her Five Villainous Brothers

[Ding!]

[System prompt: Host, please prepare yourself. Tracing Back Time is about to end.]

Yuan Luoyi's remaining time was running short.

She was still wearing the coat her second brother, Yuan Fa, had left for her. No matter how cold the night was, her body remained comfortably warm.

Raising her hand, she wiped away her tears with her sleeve. Yuan Luoyi took deep breaths repeatedly, striving to control her sorrowful emotions.

She had to pull herself together and press on; her journey to catch the murderer was far from over.

This attack had inflicted considerable harm on her brothers. Only after returning to the mountain villa were they able to treat their wounds. Disciples patrolled the surroundings with weapons, forming a solid protective barrier, but the danger was not yet over.

She needed to solve the final puzzle, ensuring everyone's salvation!

Her third brother, Yuan Yong, knowing his sister was about to leave, said, "We'll be waiting for you here, always."

Yuan Luoyi replied, "Understood! I've memorized the address here. Even if I appear elsewhere next time I return, I'll find my way back."

She hugged her third brother Yuan Yong, whose arm was injured, her fourth brother Yuan Si, whose forehead was bleeding, and her fifth brother Yuan Rui, whose leg had been shot.

Under her brothers' watchful gaze, Yuan Luoyi vanished, leaving Yuan Fa's coat to fall empty on the ground.

The little girl it had sheltered was now heading to a new timeline to confront the crafty true culprit face-to-face.

After a spell of dizziness, Yuan Luoyi returned to her own room.

It was dawn, the horizon emanating a faint glow like a comet's tail. Below it, the sun's boundless radiance would soon dispel the night's darkness.

Not yet fully recovered from her sorrow, Yuan Luoyi sat motionless in her chair.

She looked at her hands. As an 11-year-old girl, her strength was far from matching her brothers', and her hands were small, barely able to grasp the revolver her second brother had tossed her.

How could someone so weak defeat the true culprit?

Yuan Luoyi was at a loss, but she knew one thing: at this moment, her heart held not a trace of fear.

Her brothers had fearlessly faced death to protect her; now it was her turn to protect them, equally fearless in the face of death.

Outside the window, the sun rose slowly, its clear light flooding into the room.

Yuan Luoyi decided it was time to act. Today, she had something incredibly important to do. 𝐟𝐫eewe𝗯𝐧𝚘ve𝐥.c𝚘𝚖

The note her second brother had left her was covered in blood stains, each stroke chaotic. In his final moments, the pain had been unbearable, his hand constantly trembling.

Yet what he wrote was, "Go ask Father Yuan Meixi."

This was the golden key to unlocking the mystery.

Yuan Luoyi had heard the name Yuan Meixi once or twice before. She was her father's sister, who had died from illness at nine. Beyond that, she knew nothing.

Fortunately, today was Sunday, and Yuan's Father hadn't left home yet. Yuan Luoyi had plenty of time to accomplish this task.

Pushing open her door, Yuan Luoyi went to the study to find Yuan's Father.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Yuan Luoyi knocked, but there was no response. Usually, Yuan's Father would read a bit in the morning after getting up, but today the room was empty.

This made Yuan Luoyi a bit panicky. Sometimes when Yuan's Father left, he wouldn't return for months, completely unreachable.

As she searched for the true culprit, they were also gradually approaching her. The danger escalated with each passing moment.

She couldn't delay too long.

"What are you doing here so early?"

A familiar voice came from behind. Her second brother, Yuan Fa, appeared at the corridor's corner. His room was right next to the study, and it seemed he'd come out to check after hearing the knocking.

He had just gotten out of bed, wearing loose blue and white striped pajamas, holding a toothbrush cup in one hand and a toothbrush in the other.

Her emotions burst forth suddenly. Yuan Luoyi ran towards Yuan Fa, burying herself in his embrace, causing him to sway unsteadily.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down! You'll spill the water! What's wrong? We just saw each other yesterday. Why are you so excited?"

Yuan Luoyi choked with sobs. She couldn't explain; under the system's constraints, there were many things she couldn't say.

He was warm, uninjured, and not in pain.

That was enough.

Faced with his suddenly clingy sister, Yuan Fa felt a bit happy, yet a bit troubled.

Yesterday, after successfully exploiting Yuan Si, he was in an exceptionally good mood. He went on a big shopping spree at the mall, and on a whim, bought prison-style blue and white striped pajamas.

Now, with his sister hugging him and crying, it felt as if he'd really committed a crime and gone to jail, and his sister was visiting him in heartbreaking grief.

He needed to immediately change into that expensive suit to maintain his noble and aloof elder brother image.

Yuan Fa said, "Let go first, I'll change into something else."

Yuan Luoyi reluctantly let go and followed Yuan Fa into his room.

The tall black wooden bookshelves were filled with many law-related books, as well as numerous game discs. He had also bought a starship model worth two hundred thousand yuan, displayed in a bulletproof glass case—clearly, he really liked it.

On the computer desk were some odds and ends: pens, a phone, credit cards. In the corner, Yuan Luoyi discovered her missing snacks, now nearly consumed.

After washing up, Yuan Fa changed into a neat suit. He opened his arms to Yuan Luoyi: "I'm ready now, let's continue the hug!"

Yuan Luoyi shook her head, "No need, I feel my mood has already stabilized."

Yuan Fa stood stiffly in place. The duration of his clingy sister experience card was indeed too short.

Yuan Luoyi asked, "Second Brother, where did Dad go?"

Yuan Fa said, "He went out to gather with friends. He'll probably return very late. Do you have something to discuss with him?"

Yuan Luoyi sighed in relief. Good, he wasn't on a long trip. She'd have to wait until he returned in the evening to ask.

Yuan Luoyi remembered that her second brother should also know about Yuan Meixi. She said, "I wanted to ask him about his sister. Do you know anything about her?"

After a moment's contemplation, Yuan Fa said, "Not much. She died too young, and Father is reluctant to mention her. The Old Man did say that she developed a mental illness at a very young age. To save her, the Old Man developed many drugs, but none were effective. She passed away at nine."

Drugs?

Yuan Luoyi recalled the medicine her fifth brother Yuan Rui took. That was developed by Yuan Jianghai, allowing Yuan Rui to maintain a certain degree of clarity, unlike her other brothers who had deteriorated so thoroughly.

Yuan Fa said, "Oh, right! Since you're here, let me show you yesterday's spoils. Your second brother signed a lucrative contract on your behalf!"

He rummaged through a pile of documents, pulled one out, and handed it to Yuan Luoyi.

Flipping through the pages quickly, Yuan Luoyi had a sudden realization—this was the contract she had signed with her fourth brother, Yuan Si.

From now on, he would help Yuan Luoyi with publicity and find opportunities for her to act in movies and TV series. Of the income earned, 90% would go to Yuan Luoyi, while the remaining 10% would belong to Yuan Si's company.

Yuan Fa explained, "Generally, the newcomers signed by Yuan Si are given a 30-70 split—he takes 70%, and the newcomer gets 30%. Thanks to my tireless efforts, he's offered you these generous terms."

It sounded quite impressive.

However, at the very bottom, Yuan Luoyi noticed a line of fine print.

"As the agent, Yuan Fa will charge a 15% commission fee."

In the old timeline, Yuan Si had mentioned that the highest commission fee in the market was 10%, yet her second brother had given her a price that was one and a half times that...