Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xia Ruya was filled with disgruntlement and anger. Images of Wen Xinya flooded her brain.
Ever since Wen Xinya reunited with the Wen Family, nothing Xia Ruya did went smoothly, just like her plan which she had devised meticulously this time. She initially thought that her plan was clever and smart. Yet, it was still foiled by Wen Xinya in the end.
It had never crossed her mind that Wen Xinya would be able to get into the good books of Old Mr. Wen within less than a year of reuniting with the family. Recalling the way Old Mr. Wen had looked at her, she deduced that he must have found her suspicious and hence, declined the help offered by the Xia Family.
Xia Ruya began to get a major headache, for she knew that her father and grandfather were definitely going to reprimand her for failing to carry out the plan and that she would have to face the music when she returned home.
Hence, she deliberately sought an excuse to stay in the Wen Family’s Old Mansion, so as to let the Xia Family know that she still had a place in the Wen Family. Thus, there was nothing the Xia Family could do to her even if they were upset with her.
As soon as she stepped foot inside the Xia Family home, she began to be overwhelmed with frustration and anger. Although they were her biological family, she did not enjoy being around them at all. After all, she grew up in the Wen Family home and had been pampered and doted on for twelve years. The Xia Family were inferior to the Wen Family in almost every aspect, be it class, culture or manners. She truly despised the Xia Family’s despicable and mercenary nature.
A servant scurried towards Xia Ruya and exclaimed, “Second Missy, Old Sir and Sir would like you to go to the study now.”
“Got it!” Xia Ruya said with a look of disdain in her eyes. She thought to herself, Even the servants here are inferior to those at the Wen Family home. These servants don’t have any manners at all. Back in the Wen Family, the servants would never yell and exclaim in such a flustered manner, for they had been through proper training and etiquette classes.
The servant stared at Xia Ruya and muttered angrily under her breath, “Psht! She’s just an illegitimate daughter. Who does she think she is? Does she actually still regard herself as the glorious and mighty Miss Wen?”
Xia Ruya froze and stopped in her tracks, feeling incredibly humiliated. Ever since she returned to the Xia Family, the servants had never treated her with respect.
She took a deep breath and unclenched her fists before walking towards the study.
“Hey, I was just wondering who has come home. Turns out it’s the glorious Miss Wen from the Xia Family.” As soon as Xia Ruya entered the study, she heard the sarcastic remark which angered her greatly.
Xia Ruya looked over to see that it was her stepmother Chen Linfang, who seemed to be gloating and staring at her smugly. She subconsciously lowered her head and yelled, “Mother!”
Chen Linfang humphed and treated her indifferently.
Xia Ruya could not help but resent her father and grandfather for keeping mum instead of chiding Chen Linfang for making such a snide remark. However, she would often hide her emotions ingeniously by staring at the ground.
“How’s the situation at the Wen Family? Have they accepted our offer to give them a hand?” asked Old Mr. Xia, who was glaring daggers at Xia Ruya.
Chen Linfang sneered. “Father, you can tell from her expression that the Wen Family is not interested in receiving help from us. Like I said earlier, the Wen Family is not easy to get along with. Otherwise, why didn’t she come home last night and refused to answer our calls? She’s just an underage teenager. What does she know? Does she really think the Wen Family will fall for her little trick? She’s no longer the heiress of the Wen Family.”
Xia Haolin glared at Xia Ruya coldly and questioned, “Didn’t you say that the Wen Family would definitely agree?”
A sullen expression formed on Xia Ruya’s face. She swallowed her pride and apologized. “Grandpa Wen wanted me to thank Grandpa and Father on his behalf. He said that the Wen Family doesn’t need help for the time being. It was my mistake this time. I’m sorry, Grandpa. I’m sorry, Father!”
Since she had decided to be honest, Old Mr. Xia and Xia Haolin could not find a reason to blame her. Although their faces grew sullen, they suppressed their anger and tried to get a grip on their emotions. After all, the fact that the Wen Family had allowed her to stay over the night before meant that she still had a say in the Wen Family. They would still need her to help out with their future plans.
However, Chen Linfang was not concerned about their future plans. She rebuked. “I knew it. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Teenagers your age should be focusing on academics. What’s the point of plotting against others every day? Do you really think you’re still Miss Wen? Do you actually think the Wen Family would listen to you?”
Xia Ruya bit her lip and stared at Chen Linfang with tears in her eyes. “Mother, I just wanted to help Grandpa and Father because they were put in a spot. I wanted to do something for them. You’ll never know if you never try!”
Chen Linfang scoffed. “Who do you think you are? You used to be Miss Wen, but you’re now just an illegitimate daughter. If the Wen Family cared about you, they would have agreed to a trivial matter such as allowing their brand to launch in our mall.”
Chen Linfang’s words had struck a sour note within her. The thought of her glorious days in the past never failed to make her feel indignant and disgruntled. She used to be a respected and admired heiress who was the subject of envy of everyone else. Yet, she had now become a disgraceful illegitimate daughter. The stark contrast caused her to be overwhelmed with resentment.
Chen Linfang stared at her in disdain and chastised. “You’re the only one who has yet to realize that. Do you still think that you’re the mighty Miss Wen who can command everyone’s respect? Haha… hilarious! The real Miss Wen already has five percent of the Wen Corporation shares even though she’s still underage. How about you? You were their adoptive daughter for twelve years and what did you get in the end? You didn’t even receive any valuable jewelry!”
“Mother, how could you say that…” Chen Linfang’s words were like salt being rubbed into her wound. She was suddenly overwhelmed with a massive wave of misery and anguish.
Her hatred towards Wen Xinya grew deeper the moment she was reminded of when the Wen Family asked for all the jewelry that they had given her to be returned after Wen Xinya reunited with them. To make matters worse, they had even donated her favorite piece of jewelry, the Star of the Sea, to charity.
Wen Xinya had everything that she used to have, as well as everything she never had.
Chen Linfang scowled at her and warned. “I was just stating facts and reminding you of your status. Don’t bother having unrealistic ideas and harboring designs on things that don’t belong to you.”
Xia Ruya felt as if the world around her was spinning and as if the black walls were closing down on her. Her sharp nails sunk deep into the flesh on her palms. Her dreams were shattered, and the ideal world that she had envisioned began to crumble right before her.
