The Zhu family lived in the most upscale garden villa complex in the city center, in exquisite standalone villas.
Every time she visited the Zhu residence, Ming Yazhi still marveled at the surroundings. She averted her gaze from the various flowers planted throughout the villa’s garden, making no effort to hide the envy in her eyes.
Watching the woman who moved with elegant composure across the garden, she instinctively sat up straighter.
Ming Yazhi greeted Auntie Shu politely and obediently as she approached.
She thought back to her first visit to the Zhu residence, when she had mistaken Auntie Shu for the lady of the house. Not only had she made a fool of herself, but she had also deliberately showered Auntie Shu with excessive compliments, leaving a poor impression.
Ji Shu gave Ming Yazhi a slight nod, then her gaze settled back on Zhu Fan, who was about to open the car door and get out.
Before Zhu Fan’s hand could even touch the door, Auntie Shu had already opened it for her.
She bent down to step out of the car and thanked Auntie Shu.
When Ji Shu noticed the men’s shirt and wrinkled skirt hem on Zhu Fan, her brow furrowed slightly.
Ming Yazhi grabbed at her own skirt, too guilty to meet Auntie Shu’s gaze.
Zhu Fan’s expression remained fairly composed as she parted her lips to ask, “Has my sister been brought back?”
Auntie Shu’s expression was respectful, a hint of a smile spreading at the corners of her eyes as her furrowed brow relaxed. “The master, madam, and Miss Wan arrived home at three in the morning. Madam was so happy she didn’t sleep all night. The master is in the kitchen right now making breakfast with madam.”
Ming Yazhi breathed a sigh of relief—at least she hadn’t delayed the Zhu family’s breakfast time. She chimed in with a fawning, envious tone, “I haven’t had breakfast made by Mom and Dad in so long. They’re always too busy with work to pay attention to me. A Fan is so lucky.”
If this were any other day, after she said those words, Zhu Fan would definitely invite her to stay for breakfast.
Ming Yazhi glanced at Auntie Shu, who had returned to her stern, unsmiling expression, then looked at Zhu Fan, who remained silent.
She wasn’t oblivious—she knew she shouldn’t stay any longer.
Could it be that Zhu Fan had discovered something was wrong with that drink?
Ming Yazhi’s mind raced, but she kept a sweet smile plastered on her face as she raised her hand to bid Zhu Fan and Auntie Shu goodbye.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but today’s Zhu Fan seemed strangely different—and colder toward her than usual.
Meeting Auntie Shu’s gaze, Ming Yazhi struggled to maintain her smile.
She remembered Zhu Fan telling her that Auntie Shu had worked for the Zhu family for many years, was kept on at the decision of Grandma Zhu, and held considerable sway in the household.
Ming Yazhi sneered inwardly. She’s just a maid in the Zhu family—what’s she so high and mighty about? No matter how well-behaved and polite Ming Yazhi was during every visit, Auntie Shu always wore that cold, unfeeling poker face.
The black business car drove away, and Ji Shu withdrew her gaze.
A few flashes of memories between the original body and Auntie Shu flickered through Zhu Fan’s mind.
Auntie Shu had been strict with the original body since childhood, and that strictness was tacitly approved by Grandma.
Sunlight fell upon the tree branches, then silently settled on the petals of every blooming flower in the garden. Finally, it landed on Auntie Shu’s stern features, rendered almost translucent by the light.
When Zhu Fan pushed open the door to her own room, she was still shaken.
Auntie Shu’s gaze made her deeply uncomfortable—that stern, severe look gave her the feeling of being seen through with nowhere to hide.
Ever since entering the villa, Zhu Fan’s shock hadn’t stopped.
It was only now, alone in her room, that she dared to let it show.
Everywhere she’d passed, from the decor to the ornaments, was exquisitely luxurious. Whether it was the chandeliers polished to a gleaming shine or the lavish gold-thread handmade carpet laid over the marble floors, everything radiated opulence and extravagance.
The original body’s room was decorated in cooler tones, and both the size of the room and every item within it far exceeded her imagination.
Before transmigrating into this book, her life had been comfortable and well-off.
But it was only now that she truly understood what the world of the wealthy was like!!! This was it.
Zhu Fan gazed at the soft, plush bed, longing to throw herself onto it and sleep until the world turned upside down.
Did she really have to eat this breakfast?
Yes, she did. This day was an important one for the Zhu family.
Zhu Fan reluctantly tore her gaze away from the bed.
The moment she stepped into the walk-in closet, her eyes went wide.
This wasn’t a closet—this was a luxury boutique! After marveling at it, Zhu Fan grabbed the nearest item, a black long dress that reached her ankles.
The black hem was suddenly yanked by a hand that appeared from behind—
Zhu Fan was so startled her soul nearly left her body. Without a second thought, she hurled the hanger in her hand.
“Ow ow ow!!”
A girl in cartoon pajamas, hair disheveled and completely lacking in dignity, was crouched on the soft carpet clutching her forehead where the hanger had struck, tears streaming down her face.
Zhu Fan recognized her as the original body’s younger sister, Zhu Ci.
Before Zhu Fan could even apologize, Zhu Ci suddenly let out a wailing cry at the top of her lungs.
Zhu Fan was stunned speechless by the sobbing.
She tried to communicate with Zhu Ci. “Where did you come from?”
She remembered closing the door when she entered.
There was no way she wouldn’t have noticed a whole person walking in.
Zhu Ci didn’t answer, though her crying quieted slightly.
She had woken up the moment her sister entered the room.
Thinking of the real daughter who had returned home, Zhu Ci cried even harder.
“Wah wah wah…”
Zhu Fan realized that her throw had indeed been quite heavy, so she explained, “I didn’t mean to hit you just now.”
At those words, Zhu Ci cried with even more justification.
Zhu Fan covered both ears with her hands. “You go ahead and cry. I’ll go find you a Band-Aid.”
“I don’t want one. It’s ugly. I want Grandma, Mom, and Dad to all see how you’ve abused me.”
Zhu Fan’s hand paused mid-motion, her gaze falling on the pink Hello Kitty Band-Aid that had been knocked to the floor.
Zhu Ci scrambled up from the ground, hands on her hips. “I’m going to go tell Mom and Dad right now!”
There was no trace of grievance left in the girl’s eyes—beneath the swollen eyelids was nothing but blatant threat.
“I’m also going to tell Grandma that you went out seducing men last night.”
Zhu Ci had always been spoiled and fearless in this household. Seventeen years of being treated like a precious princess had soaked into her very bones.
So what if the real daughter had been found? She refused to believe that her grandmother, who gave her everything she asked for, and her parents, who loved her, would abandon her.
Zhu Ci collided with someone as she burst out of the room. She snapped, “Do you have eyes or not? Can’t you watch where you’re going?”
He Wan stumbled from the impact and instinctively stepped back, her waist slamming hard against the stair railing.
She instinctively clutched the school bag strapped over her shoulder.
Zhu Ci took in the girl before her—a cheap blue-and-white school uniform, a dusty black backpack, skin that wasn’t fair enough, looking utterly plain and countrified. She lifted her chin with disdain and haughty pride. “So you’re Zhu Yuan?”
Auntie Shu, who had been coming up the stairs, witnessed the scene.
Zhu Ci noticed Auntie Shu’s stern expression. Though afraid, she still let out a proud snort, then raised her head like a haughty peacock and strode back to her own room.
“Miss Yuan, is your waist alright?”
Auntie Shu’s concern and the way she addressed her made He Wan uncomfortable and a little at a loss.
She lowered her head slightly. “Auntie Shu, I’m fine.”
Ji Shu looked at the girl who was still wearing yesterday’s school uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail, clutching her backpack and looking ill at ease. Her heart ached as she reached out to rub her waist. “Miss Yuan, did you sleep well last night? The old lady has already arrived—she can’t wait to see you.”
He Wan was extremely unaccustomed to being touched by strangers. She stiffened and managed a “thank you” to Auntie Shu.
Ji Shu couldn’t help but notice the faint dark circles under the girl’s eyes.
She must not have slept well.
Thinking of the expectations of the master, mistress, and the old lady, she tried to soften her expression, afraid of frightening the girl who had just come home.
“The zipper on your backpack is open.”
A cool, clear female voice drifted into her ears.
Because of its gentle, unhurried tone, the voice carried a hint of softness, dispersing into the morning air and stirring something in anyone who heard it.
He Wan instinctively looked toward the speaker.
Zhu Fan stood in the doorframe, backlit against the sunlight, smiling at her with quiet warmth.
When Zhu Fan came out of her room, Ji Shu told Zhu Yuan that this was her older sister.
He Wan stood rooted to the spot, dazzled by the girl’s beauty. The word “sister” that had risen to her lips simply wouldn’t come out.
Ji Shu looked at the quietly standing girl, pity flickering in her eyes. Seventeen years ago, a mistake by a hospital nurse had caused these two girls’ lives to be swapped.
Zhu Fan walked over to the dazed Zhu Yuan and zipped up her backpack for her. The girl’s school uniform was creased where the heavy bag had pressed into her shoulders. Zhu Fan gave the bottom of the bag a slight lift with her hand. “What’s in here? It’s so heavy.”
“Green tangerines.”
They were what her eldest sister had chased after her to give her when she was taken away from the He family.
Zhu Fan looked at Zhu Yuan, who was gradually becoming less anxious, and asked with a smile, “Can I have one?”
If she hadn’t transmigrated into this book, the tangerines her grandmother had planted in the garden would almost be ready to pick and eat too.
He Wan quickly set down her backpack, unzipped it, and picked out a larger green tangerine for Zhu Fan.
Beneath the girl’s thick lashes, her eyes were large, her pupils clear and pure, as if a pool of light was about to spill over, only to be held back by a faint red tear mole at the corner of her right eye.
Zhu Fan gazed at those beautiful, untainted eyes and the features that resembled her own by five or six parts, and felt an inexplicable urge to draw closer.
The green peel came away, releasing a tart, astringent fragrance into the air.
As her teeth bit through the segment, sourness flooded her taste buds.
Zhu Fan was jolted by the sourness, her face scrunching up into a wrinkled mess.
So sour…
Auntie Shu laughed out loud watching the young miss who could barely open her eyes from the sourness yet still kept stuffing segments into her mouth.
“A Wan, give Auntie Shu one. Don’t mind that these tangerines are green—they’re not sour at all… not sour at all…”
Zhu Ci came out in her changed clothes and saw this scene. It stung her eyes terribly.
“A whole backpack of rotten, unripe sour tangerines. What’s there to treasure and show off?”
He Wan’s hand, reaching for a tangerine to give Auntie Shu, froze in midair.
Zhu Fan frowned, bent down, fished a tangerine out of the backpack, and handed it to Auntie Shu.
She glanced sideways at Zhu Ci. “What makes you so high and mighty?”
Zhu Ci’s face cycled through pale and green at her sister’s light, casual retort, until finally her entire face flushed red.
Auntie Shu accepted the green tangerine, not a trace of disdain in her eyes.
Hearing the eldest young miss’s words, a glimmer of gratification passed through her eyes. She had been following behind the eldest young miss since she was one year old. Over all these years, she had watched the young miss’s temperament grow colder and colder—whether toward family or strangers, her emotions became less and less visible to others.
She had worried that the eldest young miss would treat the newly returned biological sister coldly.
Her worry had been unnecessary.
Zhu Ci clenched her fists in anger and spat out a harsh threat, “You’re all bullying me! I’m going to tell Dad, Mom, and Grandma, wah wah wah…”