A sharp pain pierced Wen Wan’s chest.
In her previous life, she had searched every corner of the Xu family estate for that bracelet, only to discover now that Xu Mingzhe had given it to his mistress’s child.
She walked over to the bed and studied the little boy carefully. His features resembled Lin Xiaoman far more than they did Xu Mingzhe. Reaching out, Wen Wan gently brushed his cheek. The child smacked his lips in his sleep, rolled over, and continued sleeping peacefully.
For a fleeting moment, hesitation crossed her mind.
The child was innocent…
But then memories from her previous life crashed over her like a tidal wave—her father’s death, her brothers driven mad, and herself being tortured in the cattle shed.
The warmth in Wen Wan’s eyes disappeared, replaced by icy resolve.
She gently lifted the child’s wrist and slipped off the gold bracelet. The boy frowned slightly but never woke.
“Don’t blame me. If you must blame someone, blame your shameless mother.”
She tucked the bracelet into her storage space.
Without another moment’s hesitation, Wen Wan began sweeping everything in the room into her space. The crib, toys, wardrobe, even the paintings hanging on the walls—nothing was spared.
Finally, her gaze fell upon the sleeping child.
She hesitated for only a second before carefully lifting him, blanket and all.
“Sleep well, little one. When you wake up, you’ll have a new home.”
With those words, she placed the child into a corner of her storage space as well.
Ten minutes later, the little courtyard had been stripped completely bare.
The peasant woman still stood motionless by the doorway, her eyes vacant.
Wen Wan walked up to her and snapped her fingers.
“When you wake up, you’ll remember that a gang of bandits stormed in and stole everything—including the child. Do you understand?”
The woman nodded mechanically.
After leaving the courtyard, Wen Wan said she wanted to return to her parents’ home.
Xu Hao looked as though he wanted to say something several times, but in the end he only sighed softly and turned the car toward the Wen family villa.
When the car stopped in front of the estate, Xu Hao suddenly spoke.
“I’m leaving.”
Wen Wan paused halfway through unfastening her seatbelt.
“Leaving? Where are you going?”
“The Southern Frontier.”
Determination filled Xu Hao’s eyes.
“The army is recruiting educated new soldiers. I signed up.”
He turned to face her, his gaze carrying emotions too complicated to hide.
“Would you come with me?”
Wen Wan understood exactly what he meant.
Leave the Xu family behind. Escape this swamp. Start a new life together.
She should have been happy for him, yet an inexplicable feeling welled up inside her.
“When do you leave?” she asked softly.
“In half a month.”
His hands unconsciously tightened around the steering wheel.
“Before then… I still hope to hear your answer.”
Wen Wan lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting shadows across her face.
She wasn’t oblivious to Xu Hao’s feelings.
He was the only member of the Xu family who had ever treated her with genuine kindness, and more than once he had hinted that he wanted to take her away from all this.
But the only thing in her heart now was revenge.
“A Hao… you know I… I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to answer now.”
Xu Hao interrupted her quickly, forcing a smile.
“Tell me after I come back.”
After a brief pause, he added,
“No matter what you choose to do, I’ll support you. Just… don’t push yourself too hard.”
Wen Wan nodded, pushed open the car door, then glanced back at him before getting out.
“Take care.”
Back in her bedroom, Wen Wan locked the door and immediately got to work.
She dug out an old outfit from the back of her wardrobe—a plain white shirt, black trousers, a wide-brimmed hat, and a face mask.
It was a disguise she had learned to use after being sent to the countryside in her previous life, one that allowed her to blend into a crowd unnoticed.
When night fell, she quietly slipped out of the Wen residence and hired a rickshaw to take her straight to the Su family mansion in the western part of the city.
Su Lan had been her classmate at the girls’ academy.
On the surface they had acted like close sisters, but behind her back Su Lan had constantly competed against her.
More importantly, it was Su Lan who had introduced Lin Xiaoman to Xu Mingzhe and repeatedly covered for their secret affairs.
She had even introduced Lin Xiaoman to her father, Su Chun, as his adopted goddaughter.
With the Su family’s influence backing her, Lin Xiaoman had become even more brazen.
“So you enjoy destroying other people’s families?”
Wen Wan gazed at the brightly lit Su mansion in the distance, her eyes flashing with cold intent.
“Then I’ll let you experience what it’s like to have your own family torn apart.”
She got off the rickshaw two blocks away and approached on foot.
The Su family, wealthy bankers, lived in a mansion even grander than the Xu estate.
After observing the guards at the front entrance for a while, Wen Wan quietly circled around to the side.
An ancient locust tree stood there, its thick branches stretching over the courtyard wall.
In her previous life, Su Lan had proudly told her this was her secret route for sneaking out at night to meet lovers.
Who would have thought it would prove useful in this way years later?
Wen Wan climbed the tree with practiced ease, lightly vaulted over the wall, and landed silently in the Su family’s rear garden.
Using the darkness as cover, she slipped through the bushes until she reached the side of the main building.
Through a half-open window, she could see the dining room.
President Su was entertaining several prominent businessmen with drinks, while Su Lan and her mother accompanied the guests.
Perfect timing.
Wen Wan retreated to a pavilion deep within the garden.
She took the little boy out of her storage space, laid him gently at the front entrance, and left a note beside him.
“Godfather, your son wants to see you. —Lin Xiaoman”
She had barely climbed back over the wall when a commotion erupted inside the Su mansion.
Women’s screams.
A man’s furious roar.
The sharp crash of porcelain shattering.
A cold smile curled across Wen Wan’s lips as she disappeared into the night without looking back.
The next morning, Wen Wan was awakened by a frantic knock at her door.
She threw on a robe and opened it, only for Xiao Tao to rush in, panting.
“Miss! Huge gossip!”
“What happened?”
“The Su family exploded last night!”
Xiao Tao gasped for breath before continuing.
“They found a child at the front gate. Everyone’s saying it’s President Su’s illegitimate daughter!”
Wen Wan feigned surprise.
“Really? Uncle Su always seemed like such an upright man.”
“Exactly!”
Xiao Tao lowered her voice conspiratorially.
“But here’s the best part—the child was wearing a Su family heirloom around her wrist, a gold lock pendant! They say President Su gave it to an old lover as a token of affection when he was younger!”
Wen Wan almost laughed out loud.
Yesterday she’d forgotten to search the little brat properly.
Who would’ve thought there’d be such an unexpected bonus?
Not bad.
“Madam Su completely lost it on the spot and demanded a divorce!”
Xiao Tao vividly reenacted the scene.
Wen Wan calmly poured herself a cup of tea and asked,
“What happened to the child?”
“Madam Su took the child away. She says she’ll keep the kid until the truth comes out.”
Xiao Tao clicked her tongue.
Good.
The bigger the chaos, the better.
After washing up and finishing breakfast, Wen Wan headed to the antiques market and bought an entire cartload of counterfeit porcelain.
Then she returned to the Xu family’s old residence.
Emptying the estate outright would be too obvious.
Instead, she planned to replace everything with these worthless fakes.
When the Xu family finally discovered the switch…
They were in for one unforgettable surprise.