Chapter Eleven: A Mocking Smile

The car had only just driven in, a slow journey down the lane, but for those waiting anxiously inside for the final verdict, it was a torment that seemed unending.

Yuan Xiangdie could not understand why Yuan Yao'er was always causing her trouble, never willing to let her go. Even now, she found herself foolishly hoping that Jin Yuan would descend like a deity to save her.

"I must be insane," she murmured in a weary, dejected tone—words Yuan Yao'er, who happened to be standing nearby, overheard.

A mocking smile flashed in Yuan Xiangdie’s mind, as venomous as a curse.

"So you know it too. If you’d pretended to be crazy and clueless from the beginning, maybe I would have let you off. But no, you had to act so clever. You embarrassed me so badly at the banquet, made those society ladies laugh at me for ages."

For someone like Yuan Yao'er, spoiled and fiercely proud, public humiliation was a fate worse than death.

But what did that have to do with her? The events at the banquet were not of her making. It was Yuan Yao'er who had reaped the consequences of her own schemes, plotting to disgrace Yuan Xiangdie before everyone. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it had nothing to do with her—so why was she being blamed as the villain?

Her gaze grew sharp. "My dear sister, you insisted on taking me that day, saying I needed ‘to see the world.’ Can you really claim you hadn’t planned all of it in advance?"

Yuan Yao'er faltered under her relentless questioning. She had indeed set traps for Yuan Xiangdie that night, but things had gone awry, and she couldn’t recall if her schemes had succeeded. After Yuan Xiangdie danced with Young Master Jin, she vanished from sight, leaving Yuan Yao'er anxiously biting her manicured nails, the rhinestones she’d so carefully applied flaking off one by one.

Yuan Xiangdie narrowed her eyes, noting the familiar gesture. Just like when they were children—whenever Yuan Yao'er grew anxious or unsettled, she chewed her nails.

Something was off about Yuan Yaoer's attitude. Had her plans perhaps harmed the wrong socialite? Someone had reported back, claiming the job was done, but who exactly had been targeted?

Yuan Yao'er let out a strangled sob, her unease increasing as she mentally reviewed the noble young ladies who had vanished from her social circle lately. But no matter how she tried, she could not recall who was missing—only a vague sense that she had offended someone formidable.

Elsewhere, after the incident at the banquet where Qiao Shanshan was suddenly assaulted by a drunken man, the security company’s boss—who was there as a client—had stepped in to help. He was the man in sunglasses that night.

After collecting her gown, Qiao Shanshan arrived at the boss’s house as agreed. Biting her lower lip, her eyes full of unwillingness—she knew how treacherous and dirty the entertainment industry could be. That was why she always cherished her reputation, kept herself clean, avoided ambiguous relationships, and relied on her own efforts. Even if directors hinted that she could land roles through backdoor deals, she always refused.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She truly didn't know what to do now. Hands trembling, one clutching the strap of her bag, the other ringing the doorbell with slender fingers.

Han Guo, sitting in the living room, had already noticed the woman hesitating at his doorstep. The housekeeper, seeing her employer swirling a glass of wine and looking uncharacteristically pleased, wondered if something good had happened. When the bell rang, curiosity drew her to the door—her employer rarely interacted with others, and visitors were almost unheard of.

Qiao Shanshan heard the door open slowly, but to her surprise, it was not the formidable man she expected.

"Miss, may I ask who you’re looking for?"

The housekeeper, accustomed to turning away women from her employer, tried to send Qiao Shanshan away as she would any other, not realizing the woman had already slipped inside.

"Miss, I’m sorry, this is a private residence—"

"It’s all right, let her stay. You may go for now. I’ll call you back when I need you."

Han Guo made no move, merely set his wine glass down and noted the logo on the bag in her hand—so the custom-made dress must be inside.

His eyes darkened. No matter how far this woman ran, he would always find her, always keep her by his side.

"Yes, sir." Though surprised, the housekeeper recognized that there must be a reason for his actions. Besides, since the woman had come to him, whatever happened wasn’t his fault.

Jin Yuan’s tall figure stretched in the evening glow as he stood at the manor gates, brows furrowed, staring at the rusty doorbell. No one seemed to care for it, and the path inside was littered with fallen leaves and wilted flowers. How could any place where his beloved lived be allowed to fall into such decay? Just looking at it made him unhappy—who could be happy here?

His young assistant, arriving by car, quickly understood the situation. Today, Tian Xiaomeng’s sole purpose was to serve as the boss’s translator—a seemingly minor but actually crucial role.

She jumped out of the car and, without a backward glance, went to the iron gate, pulling out a handkerchief to press the rusty bell.

At once, the security guard in the gatehouse sensed something was amiss.

"Boss, do you think we should pass along this message?"

The bell was not at the main entrance anymore; from the past, this was the Yuan family’s main gate. But ever since that mother and daughter sold off all the valuable property and jewelry, the rights to the gate had been transferred...

The gatehouse guard was an elderly man who had worked there nearly seventy years. Out of respect for his seniority, the estate developer had kept him on.

"Never mind. Since the gate now belongs to the developers, the manor’s no longer involved. Someone should notify them, so they’re not left waiting at the wrong entrance."

The younger guard took the hint and drove off in his patrol cart to the scene.

"The main gate is now part of the development area. If you’re looking for the family, you’ll have to go around to the back entrance."

From a distance, Tian Xiaomeng caught this timely advice just as her boss was about to explode. She couldn’t understand how anyone could be so careless as to sell off the manor’s main gate—how greedy could they be?

The guard only noticed a beautiful woman and a striking man—the latter often appeared on the financial news, and his own sister would swoon over that face.

Jin Yuan was a man shrouded in mystery—someone the guard’s family admired from afar.

"Sir, the main gate and all rights to it have been handed over to the developers. If you wish to visit the residents, you’ll have to use the back entrance."

The back entrance was now as lavishly decorated as the front, though its location was unique to this household.

"Aunt Yang…"

When Xiaowei awoke, he found the woman gone, and as a child deprived of a sense of security, he would usually cry to attract adult attention.

But not this child. Upon waking, he quickly logged onto his data tablet—one his father had bought for him. Though he often found the man annoying, especially with his constant hovering, Xiaowei still cared deeply, never willing to waste even a little affection on others.

As he opened the trading site, he saw a reply from ‘Da Da.’ Glancing at the clock, he realized he would see Da Da in just a few minutes.

He dressed himself quickly, but couldn’t find his shoes, so he padded around in socks—bare feet would be too cold.

Soon, Xiaowei appeared at the top of the spiral staircase, watching as two women argued heatedly below. Zhang Xi sat silently, like a bodhisattva, offering neither help nor advice.

"You think you’re worth anything? Your only use is as a nanny. The child’s fondness for you is your good fortune. Don’t forget—your fate is tied to ours. If we fall, your family’s business falls too. If you want your grandfather well cared for, you’ll keep your mouth shut and marry as you’re told."

Yuan Yao'er had always been willful, restraining herself only in front of outsiders.

Yuan Xiangdie had been insulted in every conceivable way, but never expected such words from someone who appeared so ladylike.

Strangely, as Yuan Yao'er ranted, she felt no urge to argue back. Why bother fighting with a dog that bites you?

"How ridiculous. If a dog bites you, do you bite the dog back to make things even?"

Such scornful words made Yuan Yao'er feel like the country bumpkin she’d once been when she first entered the family, watching Yuan Xiangdie live like a princess, always receiving whatever she desired.

Her shame grew—born of a deep, unacknowledged inferiority and envy.

Xiaowei was no fool. Jin Yuan always had so many excuses, always surrounded by people, yet Xiaowei, his own child, was the most neglected.

"Madam… a gentleman is here requesting to see the child."