When Song Nanzhi returned, the banquet had already dispersed. Shen Yanting had left in a hurry after taking a phone call.
Nanny Zhang was wiping down the table when she looked up and saw her come in, startled.
“Miss Nanzhi, weren’t you resting in your room?”
Song Nanzhi’s heart skipped a beat. “Nanny Zhang, what’s wrong?”
Nanny Zhang jutted her chin toward the upstairs and lowered her voice. “That Miss Shen hasn’t left.”
“She said she saw you throwing up and feeling unwell, so she specially asked me for some hawthorn pills and wanted to keep you company.”
“She’s been up there for a while now.”
What? Shen Yuexi went to see her?
A chill ran down Song Nanzhi’s spine. A weasel paying respects to the chicken—what good intentions could that mean!
Damn! That dress…
Song Nanzhi turned and hurried toward the staircase.
Before she even reached the room, she heard Shen Yuexi’s voice raised from inside.
“…Youfan, look! This is what I get for being kind!”
“Auntie said she ate too much, so I thought I’d bring her some hawthorn pills, but what does she do?”
The door was ajar. Song Nanzhi stopped just outside.
She saw Shen Yuexi hold up the dress. “Look at this fabric, this style!”
“It’s practically identical to the one I’m wearing—she clearly did it on purpose!”
“She knows full well today is our engagement day. Tell me, what is she trying to do!”
Song Youfan looked at the dress, his expression souring as well.
Shen Yuexi grew even more aggrieved, the rims of her eyes turning red.
“I just wanted to smooth things over between us—after all, we’ll be family soon…”
“But what does she do? This is how she treats me? Youfan, I feel so hurt.”
Say what you will, but Song Youfan actually fell for it. The scene before her was not suitable for young eyes.
The male and female leads of the original novel were like stubborn plasters—she wanted to avoid them, yet they went out of their way to pin blame on her.
Song Nanzhi’s gaze turned cold. She pushed the door open and walked straight in.
She pretended to cover her face, leaving gaps between her fingers. “What are you two doing in my room!”
Both of them froze stiff, then quickly pulled apart.
Song Youfan turned to see her and leapt back a step, fumbling to straighten his glasses.
Shen Yuexi quickly resumed her pitiful, delicate expression.
“Sister Nanzhi, where did you go? I saw you throwing up badly, so I specially brought you hawthorn pills.”
Song Nanzhi walked to the center of the room and looked at her.
“Miss Shen, you seem to care about me even more than my own brother does.”
Song Youfan flinched at the jab, his face stiffening.
“Yuexi came out of kindness to check on you—what kind of attitude is that!”
He grabbed the dress, his voice rising. “And what about this dress? What’s the meaning of this?”
Song Nanzhi glanced at the dress, her tone flat. “It’s just a dress. I bought it, never wore it, and kept it in my own room. Is that a crime?”
Shen Yuexi clearly hadn’t expected this reaction. Her prepared speech instantly stalled.
“Sister Nanzhi, I know you’re upset, but isn’t buying it in the first place proof of ill intent?”
“Ill intent?” Song Nanzhi let out a light laugh. “It was sitting quietly in a box in my room. How exactly did it offend Miss Shen’s eyes?”
In this day and age, casually slapping labels on people was a mistake.
“You—” Shen Yuexi was choked speechless.
Song Nanzhi swept her gaze over Shen Yuexi’s outfit. “Miss Shen, there’s something I’m not sure I should say.”
Shen Yuexi paused, then said irritably, “What do you want to say?”
“This dress… it’s pretty, sure, but it’s far too flashy.”
“You know the current climate out there, Miss Shen. Your family lives in the compound—you should know better than us.”
“Shouldn’t we all be practicing ‘frugality and simplicity’ in how we dress?”
“Miss Shen just got engaged to my brother, and already you’re wearing a dress with such bright fabric and such fine craftsmanship.”
“If word gets around…”
“People might say we haven’t shaken off our capitalist habits, and that we’re dragging our future daughter-in-law into showing off. Wouldn’t that invite disaster?”
Song Youfan was taken aback. He never expected his usually troublesome sister to say something like this.
On reflection, it actually made sense—so that’s why she bought it but never wore it.
Shen Yuexi felt stifled by her words, holding the dress with a pale, green-tinged face.
What had gotten into Song Nanzhi today?
She had deliberately leaked the dress’s design to the servants, waiting for Song Nanzhi to make a scene at the banquet.
Then the Song family would kick her out for good.
But not only had Song Nanzhi not worn it, she’d turned the tables and mocked her instead.
And just now, Youfan had clearly looked at her with a hint of admiration in his eyes!
“Whatever. Since it’s so offensive to the eyes, I’ll just throw it away.”
With that, Song Nanzhi walked straight to the window, in a clear gesture of dismissal.
Song Youfan tugged at Shen Yuexi’s arm. “Yuexi, forget it. It’s just a dress.”
Shen Yuexi shot a vicious glare at Song Nanzhi’s back, her chest heaving.
That expensive dress—she had swallowed her pride and coaxed Youfan into buying it.
And Song Nanzhi was just going to throw it away?
In the end, she hurled the dress onto the bed. Song Nanzhi, just you wait!
With a belly full of unspent fury, she was half-persuaded, half-dragged out by Song Youfan.
The door closed behind them.
Song Youfan coaxed her, “Mom said she’s going to send Nanzhi to the countryside for re-education. Just don’t bother getting angry with her.”
Shen Yuexi’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
That meant the factory recruitment quota… would fall right into her lap.
Song Nanzhi watched them leave—those two clingy, persistent nuisances.
But how did Shen Yuexi know she’d bought an identical dress?
She suspected the hawthorn pills were just a pretext; the real motive was to rummage through her skirts.
Whatever. She couldn’t worry about that now. She needed to get out of this quagmire as soon as possible.
She remembered the original novel mentioning that Shen Yanting’s unit was stationed on a remote island, where conditions were bound to be harsh.
Besides, she was pregnant now—she’d need money for everything once she got there.
The pocket money the original owner had wouldn’t last long.
Money…
The original owner’s biological parents had passed away when she was six, leaving behind some property.
She’d been too young then, so her adoptive parents had held it in trust for her.
But so many years had passed—she was an adult now, and they’d never once mentioned that money.
Now, wasn’t it time they returned it to her?
After dinner, Song Nanzhi walked toward the master bedroom on the east side of the second floor, her steps light.
Before she could even raise her hand to knock, the faint sound of conversation from inside made her freeze mid-motion.
“…It’s settled, then. Take her to complete the rural relocation paperwork first thing tomorrow morning.”
That was her adoptive mother, Yun Shuang, speaking. “Send her off as soon as possible, before any more trouble brews.”
Song Mingyu’s voice sounded hesitant. “Isn’t this… a bit rushed?”
“Besides, the factory quota just came down—such a good opportunity…”
“You fool!” Yun Shuang cut him off. “She provoked Yuexi again today over that dress.”
“If she really pushes Yuexi to her limit one day, and we lose the daughter-in-law we’ve secured, wouldn’t our son’s future be ruined?”
Song Mingyu frowned. “So you’re saying… we wait until Youfan’s wedding is done before bringing her back?”
Yun Shuang let out a cold laugh. “That countryside place—conditions are terrible.”
“A pampered girl like her—it’s hard to say whether she’ll even survive it…”
Song Nanzhi’s mind exploded at those words. So this adoptive mother of the original owner was a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
The original owner had waited foolishly in the countryside, only to end up with no one even to claim her body!
The original owner might have been easy to manipulate, but she was not!
Song Nanzhi took a sharp, deep breath and shoved the door open with force.