1
When the car stopped, I was dozing off. My head hit the car window with a thud. It didn't hurt, but I was a bit dazed.
"We're here." The man driving was my biological father, Su Jianguo. He glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his eyes empty, as if looking at a package just picked up from the courier station.
I pushed open the car door, and a damp, earthy smell filled my nose. The house before me was gray, with peeling walls like someone with psoriasis. The yard was pitifully small, piled with broken baskets and old jars.
A woman in silk pajamas came out of the house. She should be my biological mother, Wang Qin. She looked me up and down, frowning.
"Why are you so thin?" she said, as if evaluating an underfed pig.
I didn't speak. When I left my adoptive parents' home, I only had one backpack. Inside were two changes of clothes and a worn-out copy of Andersen's Fairy Tales.
The room was dim. A girl sat on the couch, eating sunflower seeds while watching TV. Seed shells were scattered all over the floor. When she saw me, her eyes lit up—not with joy, but with the gleam of someone watching a spectacle.
"Oh, so this is the real heiress?" She stood up, circled me, and pinched my arm. "Tsk, like a bean sprout. Sis, what have you been eating for eighteen years?"
She was Lin Weiwei, the girl who had stolen my life.
Su Jianguo and Wang Qin looked a bit embarrassed but said nothing. Apparently, they had long been accustomed to her temperament.
I looked at her, and she looked at me. She wore a beautiful princess dress, her hair styled in big waves, her nails painted with shiny polish. I wore faded jeans and an old T-shirt. Standing under the same roof, we were like people from two different worlds.
"Alright, alright, don't just stand there." Wang Qin broke the silence. "Ranran, you... you can stay in that small room for now. We'll buy you things this afternoon."
She pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. The door was narrow, with a hole in it.
I walked over and pushed it open. Inside was a wooden bed and a paint-peeling table. A musty smell hit me. This place was worse than the balcony where my adoptive parents in the city stored their junk.
I didn't cry. From the day I learned I wasn't their biological child, I had rarely cried. Tears were useless.
I threw my backpack onto the bed and sat on the edge. Outside the window was a wall covered in moss. A sliver of sunlight squeezed over the wall, just illuminating my toes.
I felt empty inside. Not sad, not wronged, just empty. It was as if my eighteen years of life had been lived as a shadow. Now, the shadow had been pulled into the sunlight, only to discover it was nothing at all.
The door was pushed open a crack, and Lin Weiwei peeked her head in.
"Hey, aren't you curious?" she asked with a cat-catching-mouse smugness, "Curious why I could be the Lin family's heiress for so many years?"
I looked at her without saying a word.
She didn't need my answer anyway. "Because," she said, walking in and standing before me, leaning down. The perfume was overwhelming, making my nose itch. "I know how to please people better than you do. Mom and Dad raised me for eighteen years. I'm their daughter. You're just... an accident." She extended a finger and tapped my forehead. "Get it? An accident. Now that accident has shown up at their door, but it's still just an accident."
She straightened up and walked out with a smile, her high heels clicking on the floor.
I sat on the bed, motionless. The sunlight moved from my toes to my knees, then slowly onto the bed. Dust motes danced in the light.
I felt my pocket. Inside was the two hundred yuan my adoptive mother had given me. She had said, "Ranran, if things don't work out there, come back. I'll make you braised pork."
She wasn't my mother, but her braised pork was more delicious than anything I had ever eaten in my life.
I closed my eyes. I felt like a sponge dropped into water, gradually being soaked by something called "reality," becoming cold and heavy.
2
The next day was Lin Weiwei's eighteenth birthday party.
Lin Weiwei had woken up early. Many people had come to the house—makeup artists, stylists, and workers moving flowers. The originally shabby little house looked even more pathetic against the backdrop of fresh flowers and ribbons.
Wang Qin was busy in the kitchen, while Su Jianguo directed workers parking in the yard. They both had an excited look of vindication, as if they were the ones celebrating their birthday today.
Lin Weiwei stood before the mirror in a pure white dress, twirling around. She really did look like a princess.
I stood at the doorway in yesterday's clothes, watching.
"What are you standing there for?" Wang Qin peeked out from the kitchen, holding a spatula. "Go, clean up those empty bottles in the yard. When guests arrive, it will look bad."
I nodded and turned to clean up. Those beer bottles and glass shards were piled in the corner. I picked them up one by one and put them in a large cardboard box. Dirt quickly filled my fingernails.
Lin Weiwei came out of her room and saw me squatting on the ground, frowning.
"Mom, you're making her do this?" she said. "When my classmates arrive, it will be so embarrassing."
"Then what should she do? We can't let her eat at the table dressed like that, can we?" Wang Qin said.
"Let her help in the back kitchen." Lin Weiwei's eyes twinkled as she smiled. "Consider it... experiencing life."
And so, I was sent to the back kitchen. The back kitchen was a makeshift shed, the stove temporarily built with bricks, smoky and fiery.
Wang Qin handed me a basket of potatoes.
"Peel all of these. Skin them, cut them into pieces."
I picked up a potato and a peeler. The potato skin was thin, easy to peel. I peeled slowly, my mind empty. Just peeling, one after another.
As dusk approached, guests arrived one after another. The yard lit up, and the sounds of music, laughter, and clinking glasses drifted to the back kitchen like another world.
Wang Qin carried out a dish and returned empty-handed.
"Ranran, go take out that fruit platter. Place it on the side of the main table, remember, on the side. Come back right after you put it down, don't linger in front."
I nodded, washed my hands, and picked up the plate of fruit.
The platter was beautiful, with watermelon carved into flowers and grapes, large and purple, one by one.
I carried the plate carefully toward the main table. The yard was brightly lit, everyone dressed in beautiful clothes. I wore a faded T-shirt, with potato mud still on my hands, looking out of place.
I could feel all eyes falling on me. Those eyes held curiosity, contempt, and sympathy.
Lin Weiwei was surrounded by a group of boys and girls, like a queen. When she saw me, a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes.
I placed the fruit platter on the corner of the table and turned to leave.
"Hey, classmate."
A boy called out to me. He looked handsome, wearing a brand-name suit, his hair slicked back. He was Lin Weiwei's boyfriend, Zhou Zi'ang.
"Who are you to Weiwei? The new nanny?" he asked with a smile, and those around him laughed too.
I shook my head without speaking.
"Don't tell me you're that... the real heiress from the countryside?" another girl exaggeratedly covered her mouth. "Oh my god, really! Compared to Weiwei, it's like heaven and earth."
The laughter grew louder.
Lin Weiwei didn't stop them. She just held her wine glass, smiling at me, enjoying it all.
I stood there with the empty plate, feeling like an exhibited monster.
"Look at her, so country-like," Zhou Zi'ang said. "Weiwei, your family is really a charity, taking in anyone."
"Zi'ang, don't say that," Lin Weiwei pretended to stop him, but a smile hung on her lips. "After all, she's also... my sister."
She emphasized the word "sister."
I didn't look at them again. I turned with the plate and walked back to the back kitchen step by step.
Behind me, the laughter grew even louder.
In the back kitchen, I was alone. I threw the plate into the sink, the faucet running with the sound of rushing water.
I didn't cry.
I just put my hands under the faucet, washing again and again.
Washing my hands, my arms, my face.
The cold water on my skin felt comfortable. As if it could wash away those gazes stuck to my body and those piercing laughter.
I looked up at the dark sky outside the shed.
No stars.
Just like my life, pitch-black, without any light.
3
I washed for a long time until Wang Qin came in to urge me, saying help was needed to serve the dishes.
I turned off the water, shook the droplets from my hands, and walked out.
The yard was already in chaos. Someone was singing drunkenly, others were playing truth or dare.
I kept my head down, weaving through the crowd, placing dishes on the table. No one noticed me anymore; their attention was on Lin Weiwei and the interesting games.
I quietly retreated to a large tree in the corner of the yard, watching it all.
Like watching a movie that had nothing to do with me.
In the movie, the heroine was radiant, the hero handsome and wealthy, everyone revolving around them.
And I was the extra without even a line.
Just as I was about to return to that small dark room and completely hide myself, a car stopped at the yard entrance.
It was a black car, ordinary-looking, but as it approached, everyone in the yard subconsciously fell silent for a moment.
The car was steady, without a sound. The door opened, and a man got out.
He was tall, dressed in a black suit without a tie, the top two buttons of his collar undone. His appearance... was hard to describe. It was the kind of face where you couldn't find any flaws, but couldn't say what was particularly handsome either. But when he stood there, all the lights in the yard seemed to dim.
He had a very cold aura that made people不敢靠近.
Everyone in the yard was stunned, including Lin Weiwei.
Lin Weiwei quickly recovered. She immediately smoothed her dress, put on her most perfect smile, and went up to him.
"Hello, may I ask if you are..." her voice was sickeningly sweet, "A friend invited by Zhou Zi'ang?"
The man didn't look at her. His gaze passed over everyone and landed directly on me in the corner, the one in the old T-shirt trying to shrink into herself.
His gaze was calm, like deep water. But looking at that water, I felt as if I was being stared at by scorching sunlight, with nowhere to escape.
I didn't move. I even forgot to breathe.
He took a step and walked toward me.
He didn't walk fast, but each step felt like it was stepping on everyone's heart.
The yard was deathly silent.
Everyone watched him, watched him walk from the brightly lit center to this darkest corner.
The smile on Lin Weiwei's face froze. She extended her hand, awkwardly stopped in mid-air.
He stood before me.
He was tall; I needed to tilt my head to see his face clearly.
He looked at me without speaking.
I looked at him too, equally silent.
We just stood there, surrounded by death-like silence.
Time seemed to stop.
"You..." he finally spoke, his voice low, a bit hoarse, but pleasant, "have not been living well."
Not a question, but a statement.
My nose tingled. That sourness rushed from my stomach to my nasal cavity, to my eyes.
I suddenly lowered my head, biting my lip.
I couldn't cry. Crying in front of them meant losing.
"Who are you?" I heard my own voice asking, dry like sandpaper.
He didn't answer. He took a black business card from his suit pocket and handed it to me.
The card was minimalist, with only a name and a phone number.
The name was: Jiang Che.
"This is my number," he said. "Whenever you don't want to live this way anymore, call me."
I looked at the card, black with gold-embossed letters, gleaming coldly under the light.
I didn't take it.
My hands were dirty. I had been peeling potatoes, then washing dishes, dirt filling my fingernails. This card was too clean; I was afraid I would dirty it.
He seemed to see my thoughts. He took my hand.
His hand was warm, dry, and strong.
He directly stuffed the card into my palm.
"Take it," he said, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
His fingertips touched my palm, and a current-like tingling sensation spread instantly from the contact point throughout my body.
I quickly pulled back my hand, clutching the card.
"Mr. Jiang... Jiang?" Lin Weiwei finally reacted, running over to block us. "You... you must be mistaken? She's just a distant relative of our family, knows nothing. I'm the Lin family's heiress, Lin Weiwei."
She pointed to herself, trying to reclaim everyone's attention.
Jiang Che finally glanced over her. That look was cold, like ice.
"Lin Weiwei?" he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Among the people I know, there's no one with that name."
Lin Weiwei's face turned pale instantly.
After saying that, he looked at no one else, turned, and walked toward the black car.
The door opened and closed.
The car drove away silently, just as it had arrived.
In the yard, what remained was a silence more terrifying than before.
This time, everyone's eyes, like nails, pinned themselves on me and the black card in my hand.
I clutched the card, its edge digging into my palm.
But this time, I didn't lower my head.
I lifted my head, looking directly at Lin Weiwei's pale face.
In that empty place in my heart that had been empty for eighteen years, something seemed to be breaking through the soil.
4
Jiang Che left, but he left behind a bomb.
That bomb was the business card in my hand.
I clutched it, returned to that small dark room, and closed the door.
The room was unlit. I leaned against the door, slowly sliding to the floor.
Moonlight shone through the hole in the window, landing right on my open palm.
Jiang Che. Jiang Che.
I silently repeated this name in my heart. This name was like a key, inserted into my rusty heart lock, turning gently.
I looked at the phone number on the card, a string of digits that seemed unreal under the moonlight.
Who was he?
Why did he come looking for me?
He said I wasn't living well. Yes, I wasn't living well. But in this world, many people weren't living well. Why me specifically?
And his words, "Among the people I know, there's no one with that name."
What did that mean?
Lin Weiwei's expression, I felt satisfied just thinking about it.
I brought the card to my nose, couldn't smell anything, but I felt it still retained the warmth of Jiang Che's fingertips.
I carefully put the card in my pocket, placing it against my chest. Then I went to wash up.
I took off my clothes and wiped my body with cold water. I had a sweaty, greasy smell. I wiped hard, my skin turning red.
As if this could wipe away all the humiliation and resentment from today.
The next day, I woke up early.
The yard was quiet. Last night's party had ended, leaving only a mess.
I walked out of the room. Wang Qin was sweeping. She saw me, her eyes dodged a bit, and she didn't speak.
Lin Weiwei hadn't gotten up yet.
I walked into the kitchen, poured myself a bowl of porridge. On the table were yesterday's leftover steamed buns, already hard.
I sat on a small stool, eating the porridge with pickled vegetables, one mouthful at a time.
It was an ordinary breakfast, but I ate it with relish. Since yesterday, that empty place in my heart seemed to have been filled with something. Not anything else, but hope.
Just as I was about to finish, Lin Weiwei got up.
She had messy hair, wore pajamas, and looked terrible, as if she hadn't slept well last night.
When she saw me, her eyes immediately turned red.
"You bitch!" she rushed over, snatched my bowl, and smashed it on the ground.
With a crack, the porcelain bowl shattered into several pieces, porridge splashing everywhere.
"What kind of spell did you cast on that man? Why would he come looking for you?!" she yelled at me, her voice sharp and piercing.
I didn't move, just watched her quietly.
"You think you're something special with a man backing you up?" she pointed at me, her fingers trembling. "Let me tell you, Su Ran, you'll never compare to me! Mom and Dad raised me for eighteen years. I'm the master of this house! You're just..."
Before she could finish, I interrupted her.
"Where's that business card?" I asked, my voice calm.
Lin Weiwei was stunned.
"I asked you, where's that business card?" I repeated.
She subconsciously clutched her chest.
"Give it back to me," I said.
"I won't!" she screamed. "That man left it for me! He was looking for me! You stole my life, and now you want to steal this too?!"
As she spoke, she actually started crying, tears falling in large drops.
"Why? Why were you born the Lin family's heiress while I had to grow up in a dirt-poor family? Why do you have everything, while I have to fight for everything? Now you're back, you want to take everything from me. Let me tell you, no way!"
She cried hysterically, like a tantruming child.
Su Jianguo and Wang Qin heard the noise and ran in.
"Weiwei, what's wrong? What's wrong?" Wang Qin hugged her, patting her back continuously.
Lin Weiwei threw herself into her arms, crying uncontrollably. "Mom... she wants to steal my things... she wants to steal that man..."
Wang Qin looked up and glared at me fiercely. "Su Ran, what do you think you're doing? Weiwei is your sister. Can't you let her have her way? Has her life been easy for eighteen years?"
Su Jianguo also frowned at me. "Ranran, stop making trouble. It's just a business card. Give it to Weiwei, let it go."
I looked at them, watched them protect Lin Weiwei like a rare treasure.
And in my eyes, they were my biological parents.
How ironic.
"I'm just taking back what belongs to me," I said, my voice still calm.
"Does it belong to you?" Lin Weiwei lifted her head from Wang Qin's arms, smiling through her tears. "If you have the guts, come and get it yourself!"
She took out the black business card from her chest pocket.
She held it up, waving it in front of me.
"See, it's mine now."
After saying that, she put the business card in her mouth, making a motion to swallow it.
"You dare!" I finally reacted, rushing forward to grab it.
She screamed and turned to run.
I chased after her.
We chased in that small yard. She ran, I chased. She treated that business card as her final provocation to me.
I couldn't catch her. She was too familiar with every corner of this yard.
She ran into her room and locked the door behind her.
I stood at the door, banging hard.
"Open the door! Lin Weiwei, open the door for me!"
Inside, there was no response.
I only heard a tearing sound.
Like something being torn apart.
My movements stopped.
I leaned against the cold door, all my strength seemingly drained away.
I slowly, slowly, slid to the floor.
Hope, when it comes, is as beautiful as it is cruel when it shatters.
5
I sat at Lin Weiwei's door for a long time.
There was no sound in the room.
I knew the business card had been destroyed by her.
I leaned against the wall, eyes closed. That little flame that had好不容易 ignited in my heart was completely extinguished by a splash of urine.
No, something more disgusting than urine.
Su Jianguo and Wang Qin watched from the side, wanting to say something but not daring. Finally, Wang Qin sighed and went to the kitchen to cook. Su Jianguo handed me a cup with warm water.
"Have some water," he said.
I didn't take it.
He awkwardly placed the cup on the ground beside me.
"Weiwei... she has this temper, spoiled by us since childhood. Don't take it to heart," he tried to explain.
I opened my eyes and looked at him. "She's my sister, right?"
Su Jianguo was taken aback, then nodded. "Yes... yes."
"When a sister steals from her older sister, the older sister can't get angry and must let her have her way, right?" I asked.
He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
I smiled. That smile probably looked uglier than crying.
"My dad said, if I'm wronged, I should go home," I said. "But, it seems... I don't have a home anymore."
I stood up, without looking at him again, nor at that closed door.
I walked back to that small dark room and closed the door.
I sat on the bed, looking at that small patch of sky outside the window.
The sky was blue, with a few white clouds drifting by.
Very peaceful, very beautiful.
But none of this had anything to do with me anymore.
Jiang Che. That name was like a dream. Now, the dream was over.
I lay on the bed board, hands behind my head.
I thought of my adoptive parents' home. Although they didn't love me, at least I had a clean room, a comfortable bed, didn't have to peel potatoes, didn't have to watch people's expressions.
I thought of my adoptive mother. Her braised pork, sweet and melting in the mouth.
I thought of Jiang Che. The warmth of his fingertips when he handed me the business card.
All of it, so close, yet so far.
I just lay there, motionless, until dark.
For dinner, I didn't go.
Wang Qin came to knock on the door, saying the food was ready and asking me to eat.
I didn't respond.
She didn't insist either.
Later, I heard her talking with Su Jianguo.
"Let her starve! She's just being stubborn with us! Weiwei hasn't eaten all day because of her!"
"That's not fair to say. That child... is also pitiful."
"Pitiful? Since she came, our family hasn't had peace! Let me tell you, Su Jianguo, if you still side with that wild girl, we'll get a divorce!"
Then, the sound of a door slamming.
I closed my eyes. So, in their hearts, I wasn't even worth a meal.
The night deepened.
My stomach growled with hunger.
I turned over, burying my face in the pillow. The pillow had a musty smell.
I felt my pocket. The two hundred yuan was still there.
I could leave.
I could use those two hundred yuan to buy a ticket back to the city. Back to a place that didn't belong to me but at least could feed me.
But, just leave like that?
Like a stray dog, tail between my legs?
Let Lin Weiwei laugh? Let my so-called "home" continue to be occupied by her?
I wasn't resigned.
Why?
Why should my life be stolen by her? Why should my life be so pathetic?
That sourness rushed up from my stomach again.
But this time, it didn't reach my eyes.
It burned into a fire in my chest.
I jumped up, took out those two hundred yuan, and my old phone.
I opened the phone.
I remembered that number.
The number Jiang Che gave me, I only glanced at it once, but it was etched in my mind.
Eleven digits.
I pressed them one by one.
My hands were shaking.
My heart beat as if it would jump out of my throat.
The call connected.
"Beep..."
"Beep..."
"Beep..."
Each sound was like a knock on my heart.
Just as I was about to give up, the call was answered.
On the other end, there was no sound.
Only very light breathing.
I held the phone, using all my strength, said two words into the microphone.
"Save me."
6
On the other end of the phone, there was silence for about three seconds.
Those three seconds felt as long as a century.
Then, I heard Jiang Che's voice.
"Address."
Only two words, cold, but like a calming needle, instantly stabilizing my crumbling heart.
I gave the address.
The call ended.
I held the phone, sitting in the dark, my heart still beating fast. But this time, it wasn't fear, but excitement.
The excitement of a survivor.
I didn't know what Jiang Che would do.
I didn't know what would happen tomorrow.
But I knew my life wouldn't be as pitch-black as it was just now.
I waited all night.
When dawn broke, I walked out of that small dark room.
Wang Qin and Su Jianguo were having breakfast. Seeing me come out, they were both stunned.
I ignored them, walked to the living room, and sat on the sofa.
This was the first time I had sat on this sofa. It was a bit hard.
Lin Weiwei was also up. When she saw me sitting on the sofa, she looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"What... what are you going to do?" she looked at me warily.
I looked at her and smiled.
This was the first time since returning to this family that I had smiled genuinely.
"Nothing," I said. "Just wanted to see how a good show begins."
As soon as I finished speaking, the sound of car engines came from outside the yard.
Not one car.
Many cars.
One after another, all black luxury sedans, parked neatly at the yard entrance, surrounding the shabby yard completely.
Su Jianguo and Wang Qin were dumbfounded, their chopsticks falling on the table. Lin Weiwei's mouth was wide open, unable to say a word.
The first to get out was Jiang Che.
He was dressed the same as yesterday, in a black suit without a tie.
Behind him followed more than a dozen men in black suits with sunglasses. Their movements were uniform, like one person.
Jiang Che didn't look at anyone, walked directly to me.
"Su Ran." He called my name.
"Mm," I responded.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
I nodded.
He extended his hand to me.
I placed my hand in his.
With a pull, he lifted me from the sofa.
"Let's go," he said.
"Stop!" Lin Weiwei screamed. "Where are you taking her? She's my family! You can't take her away!"
Jiang Che finally stopped and turned to look at her.
His gaze was as cold as ice.
"Family?" he smiled, his smile tinged with contempt. "Miss Lin, I think you've misunderstood something."
He paused, saying word by word: "From today on, Miss Su Ran's life has nothing to do with your Lin family anymore."
After saying that, he pulled me and walked out.
The men in black automatically made way for us.
I followed him, walking out of the yard that had trapped me for days.
The sunlight on my body was warm.
At the yard entrance, a very expensive-looking car was parked. Jiang Che opened the door for me, and I got in.
The car was comfortable, with leather seats and a fresh, pleasant scent in the air.
Jiang Che sat beside me, and the car started.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To take back everything that belongs to you," he said.
The car drove into the city's most high-end shopping mall. The mall manager was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing Jiang Che, he bowed at ninety degrees.
"Mr. Jiang, you've arrived."
"Mm," Jiang Che responded, pulling me inside.
The entire mall had been cleared.
In the empty mall, there was only us.
"Change her, from head to toe, into the best," Jiang Che said to the manager, then pointed at me.
The manager immediately nodded and bowed to me. "Miss Su, this way, please."
I was led into a VIP room. The manager clapped his hands, and racks of clothes were pushed into the room.
Dresses, haute couture gowns, casual wear, professional attire...
One after another, clothes I had only seen in magazines were now before me.
I was a bit overwhelmed.
Jiang Che walked over, casually picking up a champagne-colored dress.
"Try this one," he said, handing me the clothes.
I took the clothes and walked into the fitting room.
When I changed and came out, I saw a stranger in the mirror.
The girl in the old T-shirt, with dry yellow hair and dim eyes, was gone.
In the mirror was a person in a beautiful dress, her hair casually styled by the stylist, looking glossy. There was light in her eyes.
Jiang Che walked behind me, looking at me in the mirror.
"Very beautiful," he said, his voice tinged with satisfaction.
From behind, he wrapped his arms around my waist.
His chin rested lightly on my shoulder, his warm breath on my ear.
"Miss Heiress," he whispered, "welcome back to your world."
7
I felt like I was dreaming.
A gorgeous, unreal dream.
I stood before the mirror, looking at the stranger inside. The champagne-colored silk clung to my body like a second skin.
Jiang Che's arms were still around my waist, warm and strong. His scent enveloped me.
I could feel the rise and fall of his chest, steady and powerful.
"Do you like it?" he asked in my ear.
I didn't speak, just looked at the mirror. In the mirror, we nestled together, looking well-matched.
"Don't like it?" he asked, his hands tightening a bit.
"No," I finally spoke, my voice trembling. "It's that I like it too much."
I liked this new self. Liked these beautiful clothes, this bright room, and even more... the feeling he gave me.
A feeling of being cherished, of being placed on a pedestal.
Jiang Che smiled. I could feel the vibration in his chest.
"That's good," he released me. "Since you like it, let's begin the first step."
He pulled me out of the fitting room.
The manager was waiting respectfully outside.
"Mr. Jiang, Miss Su."
"All of these, wrap them up," Jiang Che pointed to everything in the room. "Also, send all sizes in your mall that fit Miss Su to this address."
He gave an address.
The manager's eyes lit up, but he maintained his professional calm, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes! I'll take care of it right away!"
Jiang Che pulled me, leaving the mall.
We got back into the black car.
"Now, where are we going?" I asked.
"Home," Jiang Che said.
"Home?" I was stunned.
"Yes," he looked at me, his eyes holding a light I couldn't understand. "To take back the home that should have been yours."
The car drove back to the place I had escaped less than a day ago.
But this time, my mood was completely different.
I was no longer the dusty Su Ran, at anyone's mercy.
I was the heiress, wearing haute couture, with Jiang Che by my side, about to reclaim everything.
The car stopped at the yard entrance.
Jiang Che got out first, then opened the door for me.
I stepped out of the car in high heels.
The sunlight was bright, a bit glaring. I subconsciously raised my hand to shield my eyes.
The yard gate was wide open.
Su Jianguo, Wang Qin, and Lin Weiwei stood in the yard like three statues.
They looked at me, at my clothes, at the powerful-auraed Jiang Che beside me, all stunned.
Especially Lin Weiwei.
Her eyes were fixed on the champagne-colored dress I was wearing. I knew she had also liked this dress yesterday, but it was too expensive, and she couldn't bear to buy it.
Now, this dress was on me.
Her face turned red, then white, her expression wonderfully varied.
"You... you..." Wang Qin stammered.
Jiang Che ignored her. He pulled me, step by step, toward them.
With each step, their faces grew paler.
We stood before them.
"I haven't finished taking my things," I said, my voice not loud but clear.
"Your things?" Lin Weiwei screamed. "What things of yours are still here? You're just..."
"Shut up."
Jiang Che spoke.
Just one word, but Lin Weiwei was as if her throat was choked, unable to say another word.
Jiang Che took a file folder from his pocket and threw it on the table in front of Su Jianguo.
"Open it," he said.
Su Jianguo, with trembling hands, opened the file folder.
Inside was a document.
He glanced at it and was completely stunned, the document falling from his hands.
"This... this is impossible..." he muttered.
Wang Qin picked up the document, took one look, and collapsed to the ground.
"How... how could this be..." she pointed at Jiang Che, then at me, "You... you're liars!"
Another paper fell out of the file folder.
I bent down and picked it up.
It was a DNA test report.
On it, in black and white, was written:
Exclusion of parent-child relationship between Su Jianguo, Wang Qin, and Lin Weiwei.
And another report, hidden behind, was mine.
My parent-child relationship with them was confirmed without error.
So, Lin Weiwei wasn't even their biological child.
She was just a stranger left at the Lin family's doorstep and mistakenly brought home by them.
8
The air seemed to freeze.
In the yard, it was so quiet you could hear everyone's heartbeat.
Su Jianguo slumped in his chair, as if all his bones had been removed. Wang Qin sat on the ground, her face ashen.
Only Lin Weiwei was still standing.
But she was also swaying.
"No... impossible..." she seemed to be saying to herself, or to us, "I'm their daughter... My name is Lin Weiwei... I'm the Lin family's heiress..."
She repeated these words like a mantra. As if saying it enough times would change reality.
Jiang Che didn't speak anymore.
He just had another person get out of the car.
A well-dressed man with gold-rimmed glasses, looking very refined.
He walked to Lin Weiwei.
"Miss Lin, or rather, Miss Zheng," the man began, his voice gentle. "It's time for you to know the truth."
He took out another document from his briefcase.
"Eighteen years ago, you and Miss Su Ran were born in the same hospital. Due to a nurse's mistake, you were switched. Your biological parents are Zheng Guofu and Li Xiulian. They are ordinary workers in this city. And Miss Su Ran is the biological daughter of Su Jianguo and Wang Qin."
The man paused, pushing his glasses.
"But shortly after your birth, your biological parents both died in an accident. You became an orphan. The hospital couldn't find your family, and at that time, the Su couple had just 'happily welcomed a daughter' and were very fond of you, so they naturally adopted you."
The man handed the document to Lin Weiwei.
"So, you're neither the Lin family's daughter nor any heiress. You're just an orphan adopted by kind people."
Lin Weiwei didn't take the document.
She just stared at the man, her eyes filled with bloodshot.
"You're lying! You're all liars! You're ganging up on me!" she suddenly screamed, like an enraged beast, pouncing on the man, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"
Her movements were quick and sudden.
But Jiang Che's movements were faster.
He just sidestepped, blocking in front of Lin Weiwei.
Lin Weiwei crashed into his arms and was easily subdued.
"Let me go! You devil! Let me go!" she struggled, crying, flailing her limbs.
Jiang Che frowned.
He seemed a bit impatient.
"Enough."
He coldly uttered two words.
Then, he did something I never expected.
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Action."
Just one word.
The call ended.
The next second, the air around me seemed to change.
From the dozen or so black cars in the yard, people got out simultaneously.
They weren't the bodyguards from before.
They wore various clothes—suits, T-shirts, jackets.
But each of them took out a phone or a tablet.
Then, in unison, they raised their devices.
Toward us.
Toward this shabby yard.
Toward the collapsed parents and the hysterical Lin Weiwei.
I heard a loud voice from one of the tablets.
"Reporting to the Chairman! 'Sky Dome' Group, all members assembled! Awaiting orders!"
Immediately followed by a second voice.
"Reporting to the Chairman! 'Vast Sea' Consortium, all members assembled! Awaiting orders!"
Third, fourth, fifth...
One after another, unheard-of but clearly world-class giant names came from those devices.
After each name followed the phrase, "Awaiting orders."
The voices converged, shaking the heavens.
Su Jianguo and Wang Qin were completely stunned. They opened their mouths like fish out of water, their faces filled only with fear.
Lin Weiwei also stopped struggling.
She stared blankly at all this, at the voices from around the world rushing in like a tide.
Then, she saw.
She saw the faces behind each video.
Some faces were familiar, some were strange.
But without exception, they were people I could only see on financial news, on television.
Tycoons controlling the global economy, magnates holding the pulse of technology, powerful politicians...
Every one of them, toward the screen, toward us, bowed deeply.
In unison.
"Welcome home, Miss Heiress!"
Thousands of voices converged into a huge torrent, instantly drowning everything.
I stood motionless.
I felt my soul, as if washed away by this torrent, floating in mid-air.
I watched all this, like watching the most absurd yet shocking silent play.
My mind was blank.
I only heard Jiang Che beside me, in a voice only we could hear, softly say:
"Su Ran, now the whole world knows who you are."
9
The whole world knew.
This sentence, like a bullet, hit my brain.
I looked at those respectful faces on the screens, listening to the "Welcome home, Miss Heiress," and my only thought was:
Who am I?
I am Su Ran. A girl who was switched at birth, raised in an ordinary family for eighteen years, then returned to her biological parents, only to be humiliated and bullied.
How could I be the "Miss Heiress" that made all the world's tycoons bow and salute?
"What... what's going on..." I heard my own voice, drifting.
"Your true identity is the sole heir of the 'Su' family," Jiang Che's voice sounded in my ear, like an explanation, or a verdict. "A family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, wealthier than nations, but has always remained hidden from the world."
Family?
This word was too distant for me.
"Then... my adoptive parents..." I asked.
"Your adoptive parents are just an ordinary branch of the family. Their task was to raise you in a normal environment until you turned eighteen, the day you became an adult," Jiang Che said. "And they... obviously didn't complete this task well."
His gaze fell on Su Jianguo and Wang Qin.
That gaze was cold, with a judgmental meaning.
"As for Lin Weiwei," he continued, "she, an impostor, could stir up such a big storm. There must be someone behind her."
He paused, then said to the gold-rimmed glasses man: "Lu Jingxing, investigate. Dig out everyone involved, one by one."
"Yes, Chairman," the man named Lu Jingxing answered respectfully.
Chairman?
Jiang Che... who exactly was he?
I turned to look at him.
He seemed to sense my question.
He lowered his head, looking at me, his eyes holding complex emotions I couldn't understand.
"I am your," he said, "guardian."
Guardian.
These three words, he said so naturally, so matter-of-factly.
My heart, for no reason, skipped a beat.
Just then, Lin Weiwei, who had been in a petrified state, suddenly let out a piercing scream.
"Ah—!"
She rushed at me like a madwoman.
But this time, her target wasn't Jiang Che, nor Lu Jingxing.
It was me.
"It's all you! You stole everything from me!" her eyes were bloodshot, her face ferocious. "I'll kill you! I'll die!"
In her hand, at some point, appeared a fruit knife.
That knife, I recognized. It was the one Wang Qin had me use to peel potatoes yesterday.
The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Everything happened in a flash.
I had no time to react.
I could only watch helplessly as that knife stabbed toward me.
I even smelled the faint potato residue on the blade.
I thought I would feel pain.
I would bleed.
But none of that happened.
Just before the blade touched my body, a figure blocked in front of me.
It was Jiang Che.
He didn't even dodge.
He just extended two fingers.
Index and middle fingers.
Like catching a feather, he easily caught the sharp fruit knife.
The blade stopped less than a centimeter from his fingers.
Motionless.
Lin Weiwei used all her strength, but the knife couldn't advance another millimeter.
"You..." she looked at Jiang Che in disbelief, at those two fingers that seemed to carry immense force.
Jiang Che's face showed no expression.
He just gently twisted.
Crack.
A crisp sound.
The stainless steel fruit knife broke into two pieces.
The blade fell to the ground with a clear sound.
In Lin Weiwei's hand, only the handle remained.
She completely collapsed.
She knelt on the ground, wailing loudly.
Like a poor creature whose beautiful dreams had all been shattered.
Su Jianguo and Wang Qin also collapsed on the ground, trembling.
They looked at Jiang Che as if looking at a devil from hell.
Jiang Che didn't look at them again.
He turned to face me.
He raised his hand, gently wiping my cheek with his thumb.
"Scared?" he asked.
I shook my head.
I was indeed scared. But not by Lin Weiwei, but by Jiang Che.
By his unfathomable, terrifyingly powerful strength.
"It's over now," he said. "Everything is over."
He took my hand.
"Let's go."
I followed him, step by step, out of this yard filled with lies and deception.
Those tycoons from around the world still maintained their bowing posture.
Their screens, like mirrors, reflected my current mood.
Confusion, shock, and a hint of... secret excitement.
My past had been completely reset.
My future was a blank slate.
And the man beside me was my author.
What kind of story would he write for me?
10
The car started slowly.
Through the car window, I watched that shabby yard grow smaller and smaller, finally disappearing from view.
I didn't look back.
There was nothing there worth remembering anymore.
Inside the car, it was quiet.
Jiang Che sat beside me, not speaking. He just closed his eyes, as if resting.
But I could feel he wasn't asleep.
His aura was still powerful, like an invisible net enveloping the entire space.
I looked at him.
At his chiseled profile, his slightly furrowed brow, his long, thick eyelashes.
What kind of person was he?
Guardian? Chairman?
These words were too illusory.
What I wanted to know was the real him.
"Jiang Che," I spoke, breaking the silence.
He opened his eyes and looked at me. "Mm."
"Is all this real?" I asked. "Am I not dreaming?"
He smiled.
That smile was faint, but like sunshine, instantly illuminating his cold face.
"If you think it's a dream," he said, "then I hope you never wake up."
My heart felt as if gently struck by something.
A bit numb, a bit itchy.
"I... I still feel it's not real," I said. "As if I'm not me anymore."
"You are you," he said, his tone certain. "Su Ran. Never changed."
He paused, then added: "It's just that you've taken back the light that should have been yours."
Light?
I looked at the street scenery flying by outside the car window.
Those streetlights, like flowing rivers of stars.
Perhaps, he was right.
I wasn't changed.
I was just polished.
"So now, where are we going?" I asked again. I had asked this question once today, but this time, my state of mind was completely different.
"Back 'home'," he said.
"'Home'?" I looked at him confusedly.
"A place that truly belongs to you," he said.
The car drove into an area I had never seen before.
Here, like a paradise deep in the city. There were mountains, water, and forests.
The car stopped before a huge lake.
In the center of the lake stood an island. On the island rose a magnificent, castle-like building.
A bridge extended from the shore to the island.
"That's..." I was too stunned to speak.
"The 'Su' family's main residence," Jiang Che said. "Also, your home."
The car drove across that long bridge.
Finally, it stopped before the castle's giant, carved wooden door.
The door opened.
Jiang Che got out first, then extended his hand to me again.
I placed my hand in his.
We walked into the grand hall.
In the hall stood two rows of servants in black uniforms.
Seeing us, they bowed in unison at ninety degrees.
"Welcome home, Miss Heiress!"
The voice was loud and respectful.
I looked at them, at this magnificent palace-like place, finally feeling a bit of reality.
This was... my home?
Jiang Che pulled me through the hall, up the spiral staircase, to the second-floor corridor.
Finally, he stopped before a giant door carved with roses.
He pushed it open.
"This is your room," he said.
I walked in, completely stunned.
This wasn't a room.
This was practically a princess's fairy tale world.
Huge floor-to-ceiling windows, outside which was the entire lake view. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The room had a huge walk-in closet, a study filled with books, and an open-air balcony where you could see the stars.
What touched my heart most was the huge, round bed in the center of the room, covered with velvet bedding.
It looked so soft, so comfortable.
I couldn't help but walk over and reach out to touch it.
"Do you like it?" Jiang Che's voice came from behind me.
I nodded, a bit embarrassed.
"That's good," he said.
He walked in front of me, very close.
I could smell that fresh, pleasant scent on him.
"From today on, this is everything to you," he said. "And I..."
He paused, lowered his head, and leaned close to my ear.
His warm breath on my earlobe made my whole body freeze.
"I am yours," he whispered, his voice with a hint of seduction, "Completely."
My face instantly burned.
My heart beat as if it would explode.
I looked up, wanting to say something, but met his deep, bottomless eyes.
In those eyes were stars, the sea, and... a burning flame.
"Then... now..." I stammered, completely losing my composure, "What... what should I do?"
Jiang Che smiled.
He extended his hand, gently lifting my chin.
His fingers were a bit cool, but the touch was hot.
"Now," he looked at me, word by word, as if announcing a sacred decree, "The first thing a young lady should do is..."
"Sleep."