Early the next morning, Yu Yin jolted awake. As she took in her surroundings, her heartbeat gradually steadied.
She had dreamed that after divorcing Zhao Shunian, she had fallen on hard times, ending up destitute on the streets, begging for change. Zhao Shunian had driven past in a luxury car with his new lover, splashing her with filthy water as the vehicle sped by. She recognized the black Bentley as Zhao Shunian's car, so she chased after him, shouting "Scrooge!" How heartless—he hadn't even given her a severance package.
Yu Yin felt annoyed that she'd had such an inauspicious dream. She had tens of millions in her bank account, after all—there was no way she'd end up that destitute.
Mother Ye, the villa's housekeeper, urged the kitchen to finish preparing the mistress's breakfast, saying the mistress would be coming downstairs soon.
Xiao Wen, the newly hired maid, stepped out of the kitchen and looked up to see her stunningly beautiful mistress descending the stairs in low-heeled pumps.
She thought to herself that Mother Ye truly was an old hand from the original estate—her skill in attending to the household was nothing short of masterful.
By the time Yu Yin reached the dining room, Mother Ye had just brought out breakfast: seafood congee, which she loved, along with several appetizing side dishes and pastries.
Yu Yin had grown up in a remote, impoverished fishing village nestled between mountains and sea. Her adoptive family had been poor, making their living by fishing, so the food she ate most often was the leftover seafood others had picked over—she practically lived on it.
Seafood seemed etched into her very genes. She never grew tired of it, and even as an adult she still loved it—though she had become increasingly discerning over the years.
Mother Ye, believing the mistress would be upset over yesterday's events, had deliberately instructed the kitchen to make seafood congee to cheer her up. The chef had put considerable effort into that bowl.
Yu Yin had no idea what was going through Mother Ye's mind. She had a medical checkup scheduled for today and had already made the appointment. She planned to go on an empty stomach, so she said, "Mother Ye, go ahead and share it among yourselves. I won't be eating."
Mother Ye watched Yu Yin's retreating figure, her imagination running wild. The mistress was so upset she couldn't even eat breakfast—and this was seafood congee, one of her usual favorites. Mother Ye couldn't help but sigh.
Xiao Wen caught a whiff of the fragrant, beautifully presented pastries and couldn't help but swallow. She had never tasted pastries like these. The mistress had said they could share them, and her hand itched to reach out.
Suddenly, Mother Ye shot her a sharp look, and Xiao Wen immediately withdrew her hand.
"Don't let it happen again."
Xiao Wen nodded vigorously. "Yes, I understand. I was wrong."
"Even if the mistress says we can share them, helping yourself to food on the spot is extremely rude. If you went to a restaurant outside, no waiter would ever do such a thing."
…
A Brunel Blue Bentley worth millions cruised slowly along the highway. Yu Yin drove with great caution—she believed in staying vigilant in times of safety.
She worried that her unpolished driving skills might cause her to hit another car or pedestrian, and she also worried about other cars hitting her. She had none of the swagger one might expect from someone driving a luxury car. Even the Wuling Hongguang that sped past her had more presence.
After arriving at the hospital, Yu Yin consulted the doctor thoroughly and underwent a full physical examination. She even requested expedited results, so she could receive the electronic report within the day.
When paying the fees, Yu Yin subconsciously swiped the card Zhao Shunian had given her. Only after the transaction went through did she realize she'd used the wrong one.
She reconsidered for a moment—well, this was all Zhao Shunian's fault anyway. He was the reason she needed a medical checkup, so it was only natural that he foot the bill. With that, she put the matter out of her mind.
After completing the physical examination, Yu Yin headed to the studio for work. She co-owned a curation studio with her friend Xiang Yue.
Originally, Yu Yin had wanted a job, but the Zhao family wouldn't allow her to work at an outside company. Her options were either to take a nominal position at one of the group's subsidiaries or to stay home and settle comfortably into the role of a proper wife.
Yu Yin wanted neither. She didn't want to join the group, where every move she made would be magnified and monitored. And she certainly didn't want to go to Liang Group.
As it happened, Xiang Yue had just resigned from the museum and was planning to strike out on her own as an independent curator—if she hit a dead end, she could always go back to museum work. Yu Yin had money, and Xiang Yue had talent, so they joined forces to open a curation studio.
The Zhao family had some objections to this, but Zhao Shunian made the final call and approved it, which allowed Yu Yin's studio to proceed without a hitch. She had seen the methods of people like them—if they hadn't agreed, the studio never would have gotten off the ground.
The building housing the studio was in a prime location. It belonged to the real estate subsidiary of Zhaoshi Group. In recent years, the real estate sector had been sluggish, and the company was shedding some low-value heavy assets to lighten its load—but this property was clearly not among them.
This place was worth its weight in gold. Excluding property management fees, the studio's annual rent alone would be at least tens of millions. If it weren't for the fact that this was Zhao family territory, and they had signed Yu Yin a contract waiving rent for fifty years, she wouldn't have chosen this location.
Both she and Xiang Yue felt that fifty years was longer than the studio's lifespan was likely to be—it was essentially Zhao Shunian providing them the space for free.
Yu Yin and Xiang Yue's studio was called Yinyue Studio. When people heard the name, they'd often ask what kind of music studio it was. Every time they encountered this question, they were tempted to give a flippant answer—saying it was a music studio brimming with artistic flair that specialized in commercial curation.
As Yu Yin walked into the studio, a young woman in a Jil Sander pleated dress happened to be in the office area, communicating with a subordinate about work.
That young woman was Xiang Yue. In the eyes of others, Xiang Yue was the picture of a fashionable, capable career woman. But as her college roommate and close friend, Yu Yin knew her true nature best—in private, she was an unserious, offbeat character whose mind was always churning with all sorts of dirty thoughts, yet she was a love theorist with zero practical experience.
During their college years, Xiang Yue had been the relationship strategist of the dorm. Another roommate had said that since Xiang Yue had no practical experience, she was unreliable as a strategist. Xiang Yue countered that this reasoning was flawed—strategists rarely took to the field themselves; they commanded thousands of troops from the safest position.
When Xiang Yue spotted Yu Yin, she came over and slung an arm around her shoulder. The first words out of her mouth were: "Can you manage to leave at six today? Or better yet, just stay and OT with me?"
Yu Yin looked slightly guilty. "I haven't decided yet. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
She quickened her pace toward the office.
Yu Yin was never punctual about her work hours—she often didn't show up at the studio until ten or eleven, then headed home around five in the afternoon.
Xiang Yue looked at her with an expression that said she saw right through her. "Tomorrow and tomorrow, and then it just fades away."
Xiang Yue followed her into the office. The two of them bantered for a while before diving into work, discussing the arrangements for an upcoming exhibition of a collector's pieces.
Yu Yin did not come from an art background; in the studio, she was responsible for backend management. Studying art was very expensive, and she had never been able to afford it in the past. When dormitory assignments were made during her university years, she was placed in a mixed-major dormitory, and it was there that she first met Xiang Yue.
Yu Yin started school a year earlier than most people, entering university at the age of seventeen. Her scores on the college entrance examination were outstanding, earning her admission to a top-tier prestigious university.
In that small county town, where educational resources were extremely scarce, her achievements stood as an inspiring example.
Yu Yin's adoptive parents, who had spent most of their lives bowing their heads, could finally hold them high—they had a daughter who had made something of herself. The place where she grew up had a severe preference for sons over daughters, and her adoptive parents had only one biological daughter and her as an adopted daughter. In that community, not having a son meant being looked down upon and subjected to gossip and scorn; the pressure and suffering they endured were considerable.
Yu Yin changed her fate through education, coming to the capital for university. Liang Lisheng was invited by her school to give a lecture, and she served as a volunteer at that event. That was their first meeting, and at the time, she had no idea that he was her biological father.
Several years later, Yu Yin's fate took a dramatic turn because of Liang Lisheng. His daughter, Liang Yilin, had broken off her engagement and disappeared without a trace after running away from home. He wanted Yu Yin to take Liang Yilin's place and marry into the Zhao family to fulfill the marriage alliance.
……