Xu Rou appeared at the stairway at some point and rushed over to grab Yan Shen’s arm. “Third sister, will you teach me how to bake a cake?”
Yan Shen was clearly startled, patting her chest. “Xiao Rou, how come you made no sound at all coming up here?”
Xu Rou smiled shyly and gently. “Sorry for startling you, third sister.”
“Enough, look at how timid you are.” Yan Yi shot a glare at Yan Shen and swaggered down the stairs.
Yan Shen looked aggrieved, pouting.
“Don’t be upset, third sister. How about I accompany you out for some shopping?” Xu Rou blinked her eyes, looking quite endearing.
Yan Shen nodded. Perfect—she didn’t want to stay home at all right now, and she had no idea when Yan Shi would discover the secret in the dressing room.
So the two of them linked arms and headed out.
It wasn’t until evening that the two returned, laden with bags and packages.
The moment they stepped into the living room, they sensed something was off. Everyone was sitting on the sofa, and even Yan Shi, who was supposed to attend a cocktail party, was there.
Several ruined gowns were scattered across the floor.
Seeing this, Yan Shen’s body stiffened.
“You’re back. Come take a look at these dresses—do they look familiar?” Yan Shi crossed her arms, a hint of a smile curling at the corner of her lips as she looked up at the newcomers.
The maple-leaf red lipstick on Yan Shi’s delicate, thin lips added a touch of dominance. Paired with her cool, fair complexion, she looked even more noble, her presence commanding full attention.
“These are big sister’s dresses—how would we find them familiar?” Yan Shen’s expression stiffened slightly as she forced a smile, looking especially strained.
“Shen Shen knew they were my dresses without even looking closely, and you still say they’re not familiar? I haven’t even worn any of these yet.” Yan Shi’s smile grew deeper.
The more she smiled like that, the more Yan Shen’s hands trembled.
In a daze, the things in her hands clattered to the floor.
Yan Yi, sitting across from her, kept furrowing her brows and winking, inwardly anxious. Stupid fool—just deny it to the end. She didn’t believe Yan Shi would dare do anything to them without any evidence.
“Big sister, you… I…” Yan Shen’s lips trembled, her face pale. Her features, which usually carried a hint of delicacy, were now frozen in panic, at a loss.
“Big sister, there’s no need to scare Shen Shen like that, is there? Maybe these dresses were already damaged when they were delivered. You can’t just blame everything on your own family, right?”
Yan Yi quickly stood up, cutting off Yan Shen’s words, afraid the other might say something she shouldn’t.
If she’d known this one was so useless under pressure, she should have asked Xu Rou for help.
“Yi Yi still knows we’re family, huh? Then has Second Uncle told you that your credit card limit is also in my hands right now?”
Yan Shi tilted her head, propping her chin on one hand against the sofa armrest.
She hadn’t actually planned to attend the cocktail party anyway—the baby in her belly had been a bit unsettled these past two days. To avoid any accidents, she’d been trying to steer clear of crowded places.
It just so happened she had time to deal with these small fry.
“What?” Yan Yi’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she immediately looked at Yan Feihong beside her. “Dad, is what she said true? Why is this?”
Her credit card had always been paid off by Yan Feihong—how had it come under Yan Shi’s control?
“You’re not young anymore. You’ve been graduated for over a year now, and it’s time you found something proper to do. Starting tomorrow, you’ll go intern at the Yan Corporation, starting from the bottom.”
Yan Feihong put on a stern expression, deftly changing the subject.
He had long harbored this intention—he still needed to place his own people within the company. Since he couldn’t openly contend with Yan Shi, he had to find a way to push Yan Yi and Yan Shen up the ranks.
“I don’t want to go! Why should I start as an intern at the company while she gets to be the CEO of the Yan Corporation?”
Yan Yi was indignant.
If she had to work under Yan Shi, would she have any good days ahead?
“Because I hold over half the shares. Does Sister Yiyi have that kind of leverage too?” Yan Shi’s smile turned cold.
Quite the scheme they had—trying to slip Yan Yi into the company without a clear reason. With this young lady’s temper and her status as the Yan family’s daughter, wouldn’t she just bulldoze her way through the company?
Hmph, it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Yan Shi, don’t be so arrogant! Everything you have belongs to the Yan family. What do you have to show off? Are you bragging about your parents being dead and you getting to inherit their estate?”
Yan Yi, blinded by rage, began to speak recklessly.
She stood before Yan Shi, her gaze fixed intently on the other woman.
Yan Shi sat up straight, raised her hand, and with a sharp smack, delivered a resounding slap across the other’s face, the impact stinging her own palm.
“Even if you inherit the estate, you will never become the head of the Yan family. Since you look down on the Yan Corporation so much and don’t want to be an intern there, then go out and support yourself on your own.”
“How dare you hit me!” Yan Yi’s eyes went wide with fury. She was about to strike back when Wang Cheng, standing nearby, reached out and seized her wrist.
Yan Shi rose and pushed past the person before her. “As for these clothes—you know exactly what happened with them, so you’re paying for every single one!”
With that, Yan Shi stepped directly onto the staircase. “Acheng, go clear out my dressing room and tally up the bill properly for Second Miss Yan.”
“Yan Shi! You—!” Yan Yi wrenched her hand free from Wang Cheng’s grip and was about to shout again when Yan Feihong cut her off with a sharp rebuke.
“Enough! Yan Yi, you—!” Yan Feihong’s face was full of regret and frustration. Seeing that she completely failed to grasp his intentions, he could only let out a long sigh and walk out of the villa.
Yan Yi’s eyes brimmed with tears, her stubbornness refusing to yield.
But when Wang Cheng emptied every piece of clothing from the dressing room and the bill was handed to Yan Yi, she finally burst into tears.
“They’ve cut off all my credit cards. Where am I supposed to get over two million from?”
Wang Cheng remained expressionless, paying no heed to her tearful display, and returned directly to the sunroom at the top floor.
Beneath the dark night, the sky was filled with stars. Yan Shi lay in a rocking chair, gazing at the starry expanse, lost in thought.
Hearing the door open, she knew who it was and spoke slowly, “Wang Cheng, at this hour, do you think anyone from the Shen family would still be at the hospital watching over Grandmother?”
“Miss, do you still want to go visit Old Mrs. Shen?” Wang Cheng’s face showed concern.
After all, Shen Ci had already sent people abroad to investigate news of Yan Shi. If he hadn’t arranged people overseas first, Shen Ci would probably be at their door by now.
“You don’t understand—in the five years I was away, only Grandmother Shen cared about me. She and Grandfather are the same—they truly dote on me.”
It was upon hearing the news that Old Mrs. Shen was seriously ill and hospitalized that Yan Shi felt somewhat unsettled.
The only person in the Shen family she could not stop worrying about was Old Mrs. Shen.
She was anxious at heart, but she did not act rashly.
Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng was silent for a long moment before saying, “Miss, you must think this over carefully.”