Chapter 10: A Late-Night Encounter

At dinner, Cheng Yiyi was already planning her escape route.

The brother across from her had given her fifty thousand yuan just to get rid of her.

If she stayed in the Shen family any longer, wouldn’t she be humiliating herself?

But even so, she wanted to meet Shen Anyue.

Because no matter what, that girl was her mom and dad’s biological daughter.

Even if she was bad, even if she went too far, she couldn’t change the fact of blood.

Cheng Yiyi knew she probably couldn’t correct her, but she still had to take a photo back for her parents to see, right?

From her adoptive parents’ perspective:

Their real daughter, lost for eighteen years. What did she look like now? That was enough to pique anyone’s curiosity.

And the steward uncle had said Miss Shen liked to stay at home.

So she’d definitely come out for dinner tomorrow!

She’d snap a photo and leave. No need to trouble the Shen family’s legitimate heirs into chasing her off.

“Whoa, Brother Lin is really going all out today?”

“The plating is so careful.”

Shen Xingyao was full of praise for the dishes. “So refined. He must have put in real work.”

During the meal, Shen Xingyao had his earphones in listening to music, so Cheng Yiyi didn’t ask any more questions.

After finishing, she stood up decisively and headed to her room.

She shut the door tight and leaned against it, only then feeling a bit of security.

‘So annoying…’

Cheng Yiyi didn’t understand why the Shen family had arranged this room so delicately.

Did they plan to take in an outsider like her out of kindness?

But Cheng Yiyi didn’t want to live under someone else’s roof.

Because in her view, dignity mattered more than wealth.

She had strong self-esteem and a thick skin.

When she was young, the boys in her class mocked her family background to get her attention.

Trying to boost their so-called presence that way.

But Cheng Yiyi didn’t care.

Because…

Wasn’t it the truth?

Her family was really poor back then. So what?

Hearing a fact was nothing she couldn’t handle.

In those situations, one “you’re ugly” from Cheng Yiyi was enough to strip the other person of all self-esteem.

Under the covers, Cheng Yiyi still had many worries.

What if she was kicked out early tomorrow morning?

What if…

No, wait!

Cheng Yiyi suddenly realized: how much worse could the worst-case scenario get?

At worst, she’d just pretend she’d never met the Shen family.

As for the fifty thousand, it should be small change to a big family like this. They wouldn’t take it back, right?

And Cheng Yiyi firmly believed that after getting into Huaqing University on her own grades, she’d have a great future too!

‘If the Shen family dares to push me, I’ll go to other families and rip off their fig leaves!’

‘Worst case, I’ll smash the pot!’

‘I’ll be a clan traitor!’ (A spy among the great families.)

With that, Cheng Yiyi felt much better.

She roughly mapped out her future in her head, then prepared to sleep.

‘Great, I can’t sleep…’

Even though she’d come to terms with things, Cheng Yiyi was still in the Shen family. Deep down, she considered herself an outsider, wrapped in unease, and truly couldn’t doze off.

After going back and forth, she decided to go out for a stroll.

After all, judging by how the servants acted, they didn’t seem to know her real status.

Sneaking some words out of the servants and getting a bit of dirt on them was a good option too.

But when she pushed open her door, she heard clear footsteps around the corner of the hallway.

She knew this corridor connected all the bedroom doors.

‘Third brother?’

Her curiosity got the better of her. Turning the corner, she ran straight into someone.

“Mmph-ah…”

Cheng Yiyi’s heart was firmly pinched by Shen Anyue’s outfit.

She was wearing pajamas, with cute shorts to stay cool, showing off a pair of fair, delicate legs.

In the dim light, Cheng Yiyi could confirm that her feet had reached food-grade standards!

“Si… Sister?”

Shen Anyue’s soft, sweet voice snapped the dazed Cheng Yiyi back.

“When did you come back?”

Shen Anyue was taken aback. The news she got from Mom and Dad was that Cheng Yiyi would be home at noon tomorrow.

“What?” Cheng Yiyi had completely figured things out, so facing the Shen family’s legitimate heiress, she showed no fear at all. “You don’t welcome me?”

“No, no, no!” Shen Anyue shook her head like a rattle-drum, her whole body screaming that she was easy to push around.

She took half a step back, not daring to look Cheng Yiyi in the eye. “I just didn’t know you were back. I’m sorry…”

Shen Anyue apologized on reflex.

Because in her own mind, everything she had was supposed to be Cheng Yiyi’s.

Although she hadn’t meant to steal Cheng Yiyi’s life back when she was in swaddling clothes.

But things had come this far. Shen Anyue knew she’d gotten things she should never have had.

So she felt guilty.

Really… guilty to the core!

Even the idea of handing over the position of the young miss was something she’d proposed before the Shen family found Cheng Yiyi.

So in front of her sister, Shen Anyue was soft to begin with, her temper going straight to zero.

To put it bluntly:

Even if Cheng Yiyi slapped her across the face right now, Shen Anyue would only lower her head and apologize.

She might even ask if Cheng Yiyi’s hand hurt.

‘Ugh, still acting?’ Cheng Yiyi sized up the person in front of her while muttering inside. ‘With a face this pretty, and still scheming behind the scenes? Pisses me off!’

‘A total waste of Mom and Dad’s genes!’

Shen Anyue, of course, had no idea what Cheng Yiyi was thinking. She only knew that as soon as she raised her head, she’d meet her sister’s furious eyes.

It frightened her, timid as she already was, into standing rooted to the spot.

“What are you going to do?”

Because of the height gap, Cheng Yiyi had to look down at her to ask.

She was curious. What kind of trick was Shen Anyue planning at this hour?

“I… I want to go eat…”

Shen Anyue’s schedule was a mess.

During holidays, she always woke up near noon.

So she could never manage breakfast.

That was why she had the habit of eating a midnight snack.

And she wasn’t picky. She often ate staff meals with the servants.

That was exactly why the night-shift staff meal had been upgraded so much.

“Eating at this hour?” Cheng Yiyi demanded.

“Then… then I won’t eat.”

Shen Anyue thought: ‘I’ll just go hungry this once. It won’t kill me. As long as my sister is happy…’

She also assumed Cheng Yiyi was the controlling type who couldn’t stand her messy routine.

With no temper to speak of, all she could do was comply.

‘Oh, this girl is so good at playing innocent?!’ Cheng Yiyi had already cursed Shen Anyue out inside and out. (Not outside, though. The girl’s looks were too good. No criticism to be had.)

(Though “no criticism” was debatable.)

“Sister, is there anything else you need?”

Even starving, Shen Anyue was too scared of the person in front of her to go back to her room. She even addressed her with polite honorifics.

“Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?”

“Mm…” (Her eyes shimmered with infinite grievance, tears welling up.)

‘I’ve been wronged…’

Shen Anyue had hardships in her heart but didn’t dare speak them.

She used to naively think she could sit down with the true heiress she’d never met and talk things through calmly.

Even if she had to give up her status and money altogether, she wouldn’t complain, because those things were never hers.

What she feared most was making this sister unhappy.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

A Tangy New Life After Breaking Up with My Girlfriend

HaremRomanceSlice of Life

Read Now →
Not interested