Beishan Residence.
Yan Sui had been back for a while.
Yet Yan Zhaohua and Zou Shuangyun, who had called her home, still hadn’t returned.
She had prepared a whole lot of sweet, obedient things to say.
For example: I’ve already left the entertainment industry. From now on, I’ll behave and stay home, learning tea ceremony and flower arranging from Mom.
Or: I absolutely won’t go out and start a business. I’ll stay home and spend money like a good girl.
Or: I’ll listen to the family and marry into the Fu family, marrying Fu Yansheng, the man in charge of the Fu family, and live off a few million in allowance each month until I die.
She never got the chance to say any of it.
Yan Sui stared at Ms. Zou, as elegant and proud as ever, her expression dazed.
“You mean I’m not the Yan family’s biological daughter? You and Dad adopted me to comfort Grandma?”
Zou Shuangyun gave a slight nod. “Old Madam’s mental state isn’t very good. She often calls you Ruyi. That was the childhood nickname of my biological daughter.”
Yan Sui felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.
Her dream of being a happy layabout had shattered!
Zou Shuangyun had chosen this moment to tell her the truth for a reason. There had to be something else behind it.
“Of course, aside from Old Madam, the more important reason was your biological father. He once saved your dad’s life.”
Yan Sui’s biological father, Yan Shunguo, had once worked as a driver for the Yan family.
Back then, Yan Zhaohua had been attacked by someone. At the critical moment, Yan Shunguo saved him, buying him a chance to survive.
To compensate Yan Shunguo’s wife and daughter, Yan Zhaohua and Zou Shuangyun gave them a large sum of money.
But Yan Sui’s mother had abandoned her own daughter and run off with the money.
“At the time, my biological daughter, Ruyi, had been kidnapped and was missing. Old Madam was deeply traumatized and became delirious, so we adopted you.”
Yan Sui understood. She still felt grateful to the Yan family.
Zou Shuangyun and Yan Zhaohua put their interests first, and there wasn’t much warmth in the household, but they had never let her go without food, clothes, or a place to live.
Thinking back, Yan Sui felt a little guilty.
When she was young, she had even complained that her parents didn’t treat her well.
“Yan Sui, you’re grown now. There’s no need to keep some things from you. Your father and I have discussed it, and we’ve decided to bring her back.”
Yan Sui hurried to assure her, “Of course! Is there anything you need me to do?”
Zou Shuangyun said, “We need you to leave.”
Yan Sui’s face stiffened. Her dream had well and truly shattered.
“Why do I have to leave? I won’t get in her way.”
It was a bit shameless, but she still wanted to make a case for herself.
She was engaged to Fu Yansheng, after all. Weren’t Yan Zhaohua and Zou Shuangyun most concerned about that marriage alliance?
It made no sense to kick her out just like that.
Zou Shuangyun seemed a little surprised by her question.
She smiled faintly. “I won’t hide it from you. Ruyi doesn’t want you to stay in the Yan family.”
Yan Sui fell silent, then nodded.
After all, they had been mother and daughter for so many years. Zou Shuangyun sighed to herself.
“Your father and I have discussed it. We’ll give you ten million yuan. The apartment we bought for you will still be yours, and you can take everything you’ve had at the Yan family over the years.”
To Yan Sui, this was an unexpected windfall.
The apartment had been their coming-of-age gift to her: a three-hundred-square-meter flat.
She smiled. “Thank you.”
Then Zou Shuangyun took a document from her bag.
“Your father still has some relatives. Their information is in here. If you want to contact them, you can go find them yourself.”
Yan Sui nodded and took the document, flipping through it.
She saw that Yan Shunguo’s parents were both still alive, and that he had two brothers. They all lived in a village in Yanjiao.
She opened a map. It was dozens of kilometers from where she was now, beyond the Sixth Ring Road.
After she had looked through it for a while, Zou Shuangyun said, “All right. You can go upstairs and pack your things.”
It sounded as though she expected Yan Sui to move out that very day.
When Yan Sui looked confused, Zou Shuangyun explained, “Ruyi is coming home for dinner tonight.”
Yan Sui understood. They were afraid her biological daughter would be unhappy to see her.
“I understand. I’ll pack up as quickly as I can and move out.”
Zou Shuangyun smiled with satisfaction.
Yan Sui slowly went upstairs, her steps heavy.
As far back as she could remember, she had lived with the Yan family.
Every day she struggled to survive in the apocalypse, she had longed to come home.
Only today had she learned that this home had never really been hers.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t hurt at all.
She had always thought her parents’ distance from her was simply a matter of their personalities.
Zou Shuangyun and Yan Zhaohua had married for business reasons. Each had a career, and both put their interests first.
Now she understood: since she wasn’t their biological child, they had no reason to form too many emotional ties with her.
Yan Sui felt only a little wistful. The feeling vanished as quickly as it came.
It was fine. She still had a fiancé who was one of the richest men around.
She promised that once she married Fu Yansheng, she would spend plenty of money at home and wouldn’t cause trouble.
Thinking of that gave Yan Sui more energy to pack.
The Yan family had never been stingy with her. She had her own walk-in closet, full of designer clothes and bags of every kind.
There was too much to pack all at once.
She continued packing by herself for a while, until the housekeeper came upstairs and said, “Miss Yan Sui, Madam says you can take your valuables with you. I’ll have the rest packed up and shipped to you.”
Yan Sui gave a wry smile. They wouldn’t even give her that little bit of time.
Zou Shuangyun really was anxious about her biological daughter’s return.
“All right. Thank you for taking care of it.”
She packed some personal belongings and a few outfits, then carried them downstairs.
Before she reached the ground floor, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
Momo, who had been sitting beside Zou Shuangyun, rose to her feet. Across the room, her eyes met Yan Sui’s, and she smiled faintly.
Yan Sui looked astonished. Momo was the Yan family’s biological daughter?
As if she hadn’t noticed Yan Sui’s expression, Zou Shuangyun smiled and introduced them. “Yan Sui, this is my daughter, Ruyi.”
“Mom, I go by Momo now,” Momo corrected her. “Funny, isn’t it? I took my adoptive mother’s surname, and it turned out to be Yan too.”
She looked at Yan Sui provocatively. “Looks like your plans have fallen through.”
A fake heiress who’d taken someone else’s place—did she really think she could inherit the family fortune?
What a joke.
Yan Sui pulled at the corner of her mouth. It was a little awkward, to be sure.
She ignored Yan Mo and turned to Zou Shuangyun instead.
“I’ll be going, then.”
Zou Shuangyun nodded. “All right. Be careful on the way.”
Yan Mo looked displeased that Yan Sui was ignoring her.
“You regret it now, don’t you? You left the entertainment industry too soon. Go find Big Brother Qingci and beg him. Maybe he’ll help you.”
At the mention of Fu Qingci, Yan Sui’s face filled with disgust.
“Thanks for your concern. I’ve already left the industry, and I have no plans to return.”
She still had a fiancé, after all.
And what a coincidence: Fu Qingci was the Fu family’s illegitimate son. In terms of seniority, he should call Fu Yansheng Uncle.
If she married Fu Yansheng, she’d be Fu Qingci’s elder.
Just thinking about it made her happy.
When Yan Sui walked out of the Yan residence, the rain had already stopped and the sky had cleared.
She looked up. The Lantern Festival had only just passed, and there was still no sign of spring in Yancheng.
The bitter wind cut across her cheeks like a knife.
She pulled her scarf tighter, breathed out a cloud of mist, and carried her things away.