Yan Shi took in everyone’s expressions at a glance, and the cold smile at the corner of her lips couldn’t help but grow a few degrees more satisfied. “Uncle Wang, when are we going to the hospital?”
Butler Wang replied, “Young Miss, I’ve already called the caregiver by the Old Master’s side. Next Friday at three o’clock is visiting time.”
“Help me arrange it. I need to rest.” Yan Shi hugged the beautiful white cat in her arms and walked back into the villa.
Five years away, and the villa’s interior decoration and arrangement had already undergone significant changes.
Butler Wang instructed the servants to deliver the luggage to the best bedroom on the second floor—the master bedroom that only the head of the family could occupy.
Unexpectedly, Yan Shi suddenly spoke up: “Uncle Wang, no need. Help me send the luggage to my parents’ room. My room can be converted into a pet room. Keep everything as it was.”
Hearing this, the servants all stopped in their tracks and looked toward Butler Wang.
Butler Wang replied, “Young Miss, ever since the Master and Madam passed away and you left the Yan family, those two bedrooms have been occupied by the Young Miss’s aunt and cousin.”
Yan Shi frowned. “Doesn’t Aunt have her own room?”
“The Young Miss’s aunt said her room was too stuffy and poorly ventilated, and the cousin wasn’t used to staying in the guest room either. For the past five years or so, they’ve been living in those two rooms.”
In an instant, Yan Shi’s anger could barely be contained.
Her expression gradually turned cold. She gently handed the cat in her arms to a servant, then walked upstairs to the second floor with a blank face.
By the time the Yan family members entered the villa’s living room, Yan Feiyu looked at the mess of clothes and bags scattered all over the floor and immediately shrieked!
“Who told you to touch my things? Do you have any idea these are all limited editions?!”
The servants trembled in fear, not daring to answer.
But from the second floor came Yan Shi’s icy voice.
“What’s Auntie so agitated about? I’m just returning things to their rightful owner and helping you move your stuff out.”
As she spoke, Yan Shi stood by the railing on the second floor and casually tossed down handfuls of jewelry and accessories. She even threw her undergarments onto the living room sofa for all to see.
Then, she turned her gaze to Xu Rou. “Are you going to pack up yourself, or will I personally help you pack?”
A light, airy sentence with no emotional tone whatsoever—yet it carried absolute pressure!
Xu Rou looked up at the woman on the second floor, meeting that enchanting, delicate face, her eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
She couldn’t believe that this timid, cowardly eldest cousin had now transformed as if she’d been reborn!
“Eldest Cousin, I’ll pack up myself.” Xu Rou forced a smile.
But it was precisely that smile that deepened the coldness in Yan Shi’s eyes. She could never forget it.
Five years ago, it was with this same delicate, coquettish appearance that Xu Rou had stolen away her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, and even gotten her maternal grandfather’s family to accept her as a god-granddaughter.
Overnight, Xu Rou had taken over every position that belonged to Yan Shi.
As for her, she had been cast out under the label of a jinx.
“Xu Rou, I’m curious.” Yan Shi’s cold, clear features carried a hint of playful mockery. “If you lose your position as the eldest daughter of the Xu family, and then lose your status as the cousin of the Yan family, will the Gao family still want you?”
Xu Rou’s eyes flashed with alarm.
Yan Feiyu was furious beyond words and quickly moved to shield her daughter!
“You little bitch, what kind of madness are you spouting? Don’t forget, my surname is also Yan. I’m your biological aunt, your father’s own sister. What right do you have to kick us out?!”
Yan Shi leaned against the railing, her alluring figure accentuated by the dress she wore.
She smiled. “Aunt, I never said I was kicking you out—since when does a host drive away their guests?”
“It’s just that you’ve occupied this house for five years, and it’s time to give it back. Starting today, you’ll be staying in the guest rooms. Don’t say the new head of the family isn’t even giving you a place to stay.”
With that, she raised a hand toward the servants. “Continue. Move everything out, then disinfect the entire house from top to bottom. I have a weak constitution—I’d hate to catch some unclean contagious disease.”
The servants hurriedly acknowledged her orders.
Yan Feiyu was practically fuming. She stormed up to the second floor and blocked the way. “On what grounds! I’ve lived here far longer than you, little girl! This is my home!”
“My apologies, Aunt.” Yan Shi smiled, calm as drifting clouds. “This place bears the Yan name. I am the new head of the Yan family, so everything here follows my word.”
“And what if I refuse to listen!”
Seeing the situation spiraling, Yan Feihong rushed to defuse the conflict.
He quickly played peacemaker. “What’s there to argue about when we’re all family? Let’s talk this through properly.”
He knew full well that in the entire Yan family now, this younger sister was the only one still on his side!
Yan Yi and Yan Shen hurried over as well, with Yan Yi adding snidely, “Who’s family with her? I’m terrified of being dragged down with her!”
At those words, Yan Shi’s gaze turned suddenly icy.
So this was it—everyone in the Yan family had their own hidden agenda.
Even when they needed her to save them, they couldn’t muster a shred of humility.
“Since Second Sister put it that way, please have Uncle Wang relay a message to Grandfather for me.” Yan Shi said. “It’s not that I refuse to save the Yan family—it’s that the Yan family doesn’t care to be saved by me.”
She curved her lips in an elegant, dignified smile, but couldn’t be bothered to spare the Yan family a single glance as she turned and descended the stairs.
Only then did panic set in for Yan Feihong.
The reason they’d desperately begged Yan Shi to return was for the shares she held, wasn’t it!
“Xiao Shi! Xiao Shi! Yi Yi was out of line—your Second Uncle will make her apologize!” Yan Feihong chased after her with a fawning smile, shooting a vicious glare at Yan Yi.
But Yan Shi’s pace was quick, and she gave Yan Feihong no chance to stop her.
Just as she reached the villa’s entrance, Yan Shi suddenly paused and turned around. “Oh, one more thing…”
Yan Yi sneered. “I thought she could keep up the act longer. No one begging her to stay, so she can’t keep performing.”
“Second Sister, keep your mouth shut.”
Compared to Yan Yi, Yan Shen was far more sharp-witted.
She felt like something about this eldest cousin had changed, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Yan Shi smiled brightly. “Remember, after you go bankrupt and move out of the villa, be careful not to damage the place. I have plenty of money to buy it—make sure to call me first.”
She raised a hand gracefully. “Bye-bye.”
Less than three seconds after Yan Shi stepped out of the villa, Yan Yi’s shrill cursing erupted, mixed with Yan Feiyu’s scathing rebukes of her!
The entire Yan household was thrown into chaos in less than half a night!
…
Shen Group, CEO’s office.
Shen Ci’s fingertip traced the edge of the report, his gaze cold as ice.
A row of suit-clad bodyguards stood in formation, not daring to make a sound.
His assistant stammered, “Sir, we’ve done everything we could to investigate, but there’s still no information about the missus.”
Shen Ci, in his tailored suit, wore a grim expression.
The office lights were off, shadows cast over him, making his already imposing aura even colder and more oppressive.
A hint of red tinged the corners of his eyes as he said coldly, “What the hell are you people good for? You can’t even find a single woman!”
Shen Ci refused to believe it.
A woman like Yan Shi—what tricks could she possibly have to vanish into thin air?
“We’ve failed you, sir!” The assistant broke out in a cold sweat. “But sir… madam… after madam left the villa, no one saw her again. We’ve mobilized every resource in the city to search, and there’s no trace or word of her whereabouts. Someone may be helping madam cover her tracks.”
“Your meaning is… she has someone else by her side?” A shadow of menace immediately darkened Shen Ci’s handsome features. “Investigate! I want results within three days!”
“Yes, sir!” The assistant quickly acknowledged, then handed over the documents he’d just received. “Also, sir, our people have reported that the Fu Corporation’s plan to acquire the Yan Corporation has fallen through.”
“Fallen through?” Shen Ci swept a cold, sharp gaze over the documents, his tone dripping with derision. “The Yan Corporation is already on its last legs and they still can’t seal the deal. The Fu family isn’t all that impressive after all.”
“Sir, word is that the Yan family’s eldest daughter has returned.” The assistant replied, “This eldest Miss Yan holds roughly forty percent of the Yan Corporation’s shares, and she also has the inheritance from the Yan family’s main branch. The fate of the entire Yan family now rests in her hands.”
“However, our sources say this eldest Miss Yan doesn’t get along with the rest of the Yan family.”
“Also, this eldest Miss Yan… shares the same name as madam.”
Shen Ci, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open!
In that moment, his gaze was cold enough to kill!
“Investigate!”
“Yes, sir!”
Shen Ci’s expression turned ruthless.
Yan Shi?
The eldest Miss Yan?
He’d like to see whether the sheep he’d kept for over five years was actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing.