After bidding farewell, Tangxi Li arrived alone at the An Family Mansion.
The copper gate was equipped with smart devices. Upon hearing that she was the eldest young lady, the servant opened the door and led her into the courtyard.
The top-tier artistic garden, designed by a renowned landscape master, was lush with vegetation and exuded a strong artistic atmosphere.
Passing through the lawn and circling around the swimming pool and fountain, Tangxi Li reached the main entrance of the villa.
The French-style villa, with five floors above and two below, was exquisitely luxurious, and the interior decoration was even more magnificent.
Tangxi Li changed into slippers and, accompanied by the servant, took the elevator to the third floor to meet Madam An.
At this time, the An family members were either at work or school, leaving only Madam An and the second young lady, An Qian, whom she had personally brought back home.
As the two reached the third floor and stepped out of the elevator, they heard intense quarreling coming from one of the rooms.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of slaps landing on someone.
“An Qian, you really have the nerve! Even I thought you went to France, but you were actually sleeping with a male celebrity right under our noses! Do you know that because of your scandal, the marriage between the An and Ji families has fallen through?”
“Ah… It hurts, it hurts… Mom, stop hitting me. The marriage falling through must be because Ji’s second son didn’t take a liking to that bastard. What does it have to do with me?”
“You still dare to talk back? Anyway, your father won’t let you off the hook. I’ll beat you to death!”
“Ah, it hurts…”
The wailing echoed throughout the third floor. The maid felt somewhat awkward—it seemed… this wasn’t the best time.
“Young lady, shall we go downstairs and wait?” the maid cautiously glanced at Tangxi Li’s expression.
Tangxi Li raised an eyebrow but did not object, turning back willingly.
As they neared the elevator, a figure in red scrambled out of a room in a disheveled state, rushing toward the staircase.
Immediately after, a noblewoman dressed in a luxurious branded suit chased out, threatening angrily, “An Qian, if you dare run again, I’ll freeze all your bank cards right now!”
An Qian, who had already descended several steps, immediately stopped and wailed as if mourning her parents, “Mom, you’re so cruel!”
She resignedly turned back.
The evening sunlight streamed through the corridor window, casting a shimmering glow on the expensive gold-flecked wallpaper.
A strikingly beautiful face bathed in the orange light caught An Qian’s attention.
She tilted her head and walked over, scrutinizing the girl. The girl wore a black shirt and a white horse face skirt embroidered with koi fish, her sleek, straight-cut short hair giving her a cool and beautiful appearance.
“Who are you?”
A new maid?
No, not a maid.
Soon, An Qian dismissed this thought, for she noticed the luxurious, delicate diamond watch on the girl’s right wrist.
That was… An Qian’s eyes shifted—it was the limited-edition watch released last year by the top luxury jewelry brand Destiny!
Only three existed worldwide, with a market price of 100 million, but it was virtually impossible to acquire.
“I’m talking to you. Who the hell are you?” Not receiving an immediate response, the proud heiress of a wealthy family grew visibly displeased.
At this moment, Madam An, Gu Yuqing, also noticed Tangxi Li. The girl’s stunningly beautiful face, illuminated by the evening glow, made her momentarily feel as if she were seeing an old acquaintance.
Almost instantly, the name “Tangxi Yun” was on the tip of her tongue.
But in the blink of an eye, she snapped back to reality—dead, that wretched woman was already dead!
So, the person before her… she thought she knew who it was.
The maid who had accompanied Tangxi Li upstairs respectfully prepared to answer An Qian’s question.It was Tangxi Li who, meeting An Qian’s gaze, spoke first, “I’m the bastard you were talking about.”
Her clear voice carried a hint of mischief, paired with her smiling eyes, making her look just like the villainess in a TV drama.
An Qian was momentarily stunned, then shock flooded her eyes—An Wu Yang! She was actually An Wu Yang!!!
Madam An, Gu Yuqing, had already guessed her identity and wasn’t surprised.
She scrutinized Tangxi Li from head to toe with sharp eyes.
From this defiant remark, she gleaned one message: this girl was no pushover!
The air remained silent for several seconds.
Gu Yuqing laughed lightly, breaking the awkwardness first.
Adopting the demeanor of a noblewoman, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and spoke with grace and enthusiasm, “So it’s Wu Yang! Welcome back to the country. Where did you go earlier? Why are you only returning now?”
As she spoke, she walked over to Tangxi Li, intending to affectionately take her hand.
The familiarity in her gesture made it seem as though they’d parted just days ago, not years.
Tangxi Li sidestepped nimbly, avoiding her touch, the hem of her horse-face skirt swaying in a half-circle at her feet.
“I went to pay respects to my mother,” she answered truthfully, lifting her eyelids to stare directly into Gu Yuqing’s eyes. She smiled sweetly, “Ms. Gu, as my mother’s best friend, have you ever dreamed of her in the dead of night?”
Her voice was soft, her smile pure and innocent, like that of a carefree girl raised in an ivory tower.
Only her gaze was icy cold, deep and unfathomable as an abyss.
Gu Yuqing felt trapped by her stare, overwhelmed by an invisible, powerful pressure.
The noblewoman’s aura she had mustered began to falter.
But after years of navigating high society, she quickly regained her composure.
“Of course I have!” she exclaimed, feigning sudden sorrow. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed your mother.”
Tears welled up instantly, streaming down her face and smudging her immaculate makeup.
As she wiped her tears, she shot a meaningful glance at An Qian.
Taking the hint, An Qian quickly adjusted her emotions and said mournfully, “Sister, you don’t know… after Aunt Yun passed, Mom was so heartbroken she couldn’t eat or sleep, crying every day…”
“Who says I don’t know?” Tangxi Li interrupted her performance, speaking with absolute certainty. “No one knows better than I do how heartbroken Ms. Gu was!”
“Huh?” An Qian was taken aback, inadvertently led along by her words. “You know?”
“Yes, I know.” Tangxi Li circled behind Gu Yuqing, brushing imaginary dust from her shoulder with a faint smile. “After my mother died, Ms. Gu was so grief-stricken she lost her appetite and was utterly heartbroken, so…”
She paused, like a beautiful witch emerging from a dark forest, calm yet sinister, her eyes lingering slowly, deliberately, over Gu Yuqing’s face.
Her smile widened, growing increasingly meaningful.
Gu Yuqing felt her scalp tingle under that gaze.
It was as if the other held a sharp blade, elegantly tracing it over her heart—dangerous and twisted.
Her intuition told her this girl would say nothing pleasant.
Sure enough, the next moment, she heard, “So, Ms. Gu couldn’t wait to marry Mr. An Minghe while my mother’s body was still warm. Not only did she take care of Mr. An, but she also brought along two stepchildren whose DNA matched Mr. An’s by 99.99%. What a devoted best friend… Oh my…”Tangxi Li suddenly exclaimed mid-sentence as if stumbling upon some earth-shattering gossip, covering her mouth with both hands in exaggerated shock. “Look what I’ve discovered?”
Her bright eyes darting left and right, Tangxi Li clapped her hands and laughed heartily, “Turns out the two stepsons are actually Mr. An’s biological children! Congratulations, congratulations!”