Chapter 4

“You’ll soon have two more sisters.”

Fang Junrong set down her chopsticks and addressed her son, Li Shize.

During dinner, Fang Junrong officially announced this news. Li Wangjin had suggested that since both children listened to her more, she should be the one to break it.

Li Wangjin’s faint smile froze as he turned a puzzled gaze toward Fang Junrong. “Not just one?” Besides Yage, who else? How come he didn’t know about this?

Fang Junrong flashed a flawless smile, her eyes crinkling with delight as she mentioned Zhong Yi’s situation. “That poor girl has no parents to support her, so I thought I’d lend her a hand.”

She casually brought up Jiang Yage’s matter as well.

Li Shize remained indifferent—having two more sisters at home just meant two extra mouths to feed. At this point, he hadn’t considered the implications for inheritance. In his view, his parents wouldn’t leave their assets to outsiders anyway.

Li Xinyun pouted unhappily. “Will they be living with us then?” She didn’t like the idea—it felt like their private family space was being invaded.

Li Wangjin frowned. “She works at ‘White Crane’? No decent girl would work in a place like that.”

His tone carried faint disdain, clearly looking down on Zhong Yi’s background, but more than that, he was displeased that his wife hadn’t consulted him before deciding to adopt another girl. For families like theirs, adoption wasn’t just about adding an extra pair of chopsticks—they’d have to provide a dowry when she married later.

Fang Junrong chuckled inwardly: When it came to double standards, Li Wangjin was second to none. Didn’t Jiang Yage also work there? Yet in his eyes, she was the epitome of purity rising from the mud—a kind, resilient girl. Of course, it was possible they didn’t know about Jiang Yage’s past. It wasn’t something to boast about, and Jiang Yage wouldn’t go around telling everyone.

She suddenly looked forward to Jiang Yage’s arrival.

Though her mind was full of sarcastic remarks, her expression remained gentle. “That girl only went there to pay for her grandmother’s medical bills. I thought I’d give her a chance.”

“Her background is even more pitiful than Jiang Yage’s. Since we’re already adopting Jiang Yage, I don’t mind having one more daughter. Besides, I consulted a master—Zhong Yi’s fate brings some benefits to our family.” This last part was, of course, pure fabrication.

Li Wangjin had been about to say something, but at the mention of Jiang Yage, he relented—after all, Zhong Yi sounded even worse off than Jiang Yage. He opened his mouth, then finally said, “I’m just worried you might be deceived. Money isn’t the issue—I don’t want you getting hurt emotionally.”

“If you admire her, then let her come. I still don’t trust the character of girls from that kind of place. I’ll be watching her closely.”

As always, he had a way with words. What was essentially his reluctance to accept Zhong Yi came out sounding like concern for Fang Junrong’s protection against deception. The longer she lived with him, the more she detested this hypocrisy of his.

Then, he went on to share some stories he had heard in business circles—tales of young women from clubs scheming their way into becoming mistresses of wealthy men, with the most cunning even managing to oust the original wives and secure their positions as the new spouses.  

After a few such stories, he successfully stamped the people from those places with labels like “scheming” and “gold-digging.”  

Although Zhong Yi herself hadn’t arrived yet, judging by the expressions on her son Li Shize and daughter Li Xinyun’s faces, they had already formed a negative first impression of her. This was also an indirect slap in the face to Fang Junrong, but she wasn’t the least bit angry.  

Keep talking! After all, every word he said now would eventually turn into a slap on Jiang Yage’s face.  

Come to think of it, in her past life, Li Wangjin had doted on Jiang Yage so much that she even suspected Jiang Yage might be his illegitimate daughter. It wasn’t until she secretly ran a paternity test later that she confirmed they weren’t related by blood.  

This had remained an unsolved mystery in her heart.  

When Fang Junrong returned to her room, about half an hour later, her precious daughter Li Xinyun dawdled in. Seeing the clear “unhappiness” written all over her face, Fang Junrong couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.  

She smiled warmly. “This time, you actually waited half an hour before coming to find me. That’s progress.”  

Li Xinyun huffed, her expression a little haughty. “Now that Mom has two more ‘devoted’ daughters, I won’t be worth much anymore.”  

Fang Junrong shook her head. “You’ll always be my most precious treasure. No one can compare.”  

“Not even Brother?”  

“Of course not,” Fang Junrong replied without hesitation. If she had been reborn twenty years earlier, she might have just aborted that useless son.  

Li Xinyun’s expression softened immediately. Her pretty little face then twisted into confusion. “Why did Mom suddenly decide to adopt daughters?”  

Fang Junrong knew her daughter wasn’t particularly shrewd. If she revealed the truth before the divorce, Li Xinyun might inadvertently give things away. Besides, before Jiang Yage appeared, Li Wangjin had always played the role of a good father.  

She patted her daughter’s head. “In half a year, I’ll tell you the real reason.”  

Within six months, she would definitely settle the divorce. Besides, once Jiang Yage arrived, Li Xinyun would likely notice something anyway.  

By giving a concrete timeline, Li Xinyun instinctively felt her mother must have a good reason, making it easier to accept.  

“Okay! Just half a year—I can endure it!” She clenched her fists, her adorable determination making Fang Junrong chuckle. The greatest meaning of her rebirth was being able to protect her daughter’s smile again.  

“This is our little secret, just between us, okay?”  

“Okay!”  

With her daughter reassured, Fang Junrong could focus more on her own plans. These days, she spent most of her time shopping—buying properties.  

She had assumed Zhong Yi would contact her soon after receiving her business card. Surprisingly, by Thursday, she still hadn’t received a call. That was unexpected.  

After some thought, Fang Junrong decided to visit the “White Crane” club to ask Zhong Yi in person. Sure enough, Zhong Yi was working that day. When she saw Fang Junrong, she froze, looking stunned. The next second, tears welled up in her eyes, though she quickly wiped them away.  

Her voice trembled slightly. “President Fang.”  

Fang Junrong smiled faintly. “I thought you’d call me.”

Zhong Yi wiped away her tears, her peach blossom eyes appearing even brighter. “I originally kept your business card, but then it went missing. I searched for it for a very long time…”

She thought she had lost this opportunity, never expecting Fang Junrong to reappear before her and personally come looking for her. She had once wondered if Fang Junrong had some ulterior motive. But then she thought, she was just an ordinary girl—what could Fang Junrong possibly want from her?

Because she had lost the business card, she didn’t dare contact her.

Fang Junrong was a little puzzled. “I thought you would have memorized my phone number.”

Zhong Yi sniffled. “Losing the card was like losing my ticket in. That’s why I didn’t dare call…”

Fang Junrong could somewhat understand her feelings—it all came down to being overly anxious about gains and losses, compounded by her low self-esteem.

Steadying herself, Fang Junrong said, “We’re having a family dinner this Sunday evening. You should come. Give me your address, and I’ll send a driver to pick you up. You can quit this job too.”

“Okay.”

Casually, Fang Junrong brought up Jiang Yage. “By the way, what about your friend? Is she off today?” She paused, giving herself a plausible reason. “I think her looks would suit a friend’s magazine style. I wanted to recommend her.”

Zhong Yi shook her head. “Yage took leave today, but I’ll let her know.”

Fang Junrong had only asked out of curiosity. Judging by Jiang Yage’s absence, Li Wangjin must have already told her about the adoption.

“Did you lose the business card at home?”

Zhong Yi shook her head again. “I kept it in my uniform pocket, but when I came back the next day, it was gone.” She deeply regretted not taking it home with her.

Fang Junrong seemed thoughtful. After returning, she called Ning Qing, the owner of the club. She and Ning Qing had some rapport, and she was certain the staff area had surveillance cameras. A business card couldn’t just vanish—someone must have taken it out of spite toward Zhong Yi.

After arranging to treat Ning Qing to a meal, she hung up.

Then, Fang Junrong waited for Sunday to arrive. Li Wangjin and both children would be home that day. Early in the morning, Fang Junrong even took Li Xinyun out for a beauty treatment, ensuring they both looked radiant and flawless.

She took out the ruby necklace she had bought a few days earlier and fastened it around her daughter’s neck. She had been spending lavishly lately. Perhaps out of guilt, Li Wangjin had only grumbled a little, at most reminding her to save some money for their son’s future business.

Fang Junrong paid him no mind.

Li Xinyun adored the necklace. Though she had plenty of jewelry, she rarely saw such a large gemstone. Because of this, she truly believed her mother still loved her the most, which helped her face the arrival of her two new sisters with calm composure.

Zhong Yi arrived earlier than Jiang Yage. When Fang Junrong sent someone to pick her up, she also arranged for a stylist to dress her up. Wearing a peach-colored gown, Zhong Yi looked as stunning as a peony in full bloom, standing there like a breathtaking sight. Still, her nervousness was evident—her hands unconsciously clenched the fabric of her dress.

Her appearance clearly wasn’t to the taste of Li Shize or Li Wangjin, especially the latter, whose brows furrowed in displeasure.

Fang Junrong, however, was in high spirits. “Zhong Yi, come here by my side. This is your younger sister, Xinyun.”

Zhong Yi, hearing her voice, visibly relaxed and walked up to Li Xinyun with an ingratiating tone, “Xinyun, little sister.”

Li Xinyun gave her a perfunctory smile, “Sister.”

Li Wangjin remarked indifferently, “Now that you’re in the Li family, remember your place. Don’t bring any of those improper habits you picked up there.”

This was undoubtedly a warning.

Zhong Yi paled but didn’t dare retort.

Fang Junrong frowned disapprovingly, “I think Zhong Yi is just fine as she is—pretty as a flower, a delight to look at.”

Li Wangjin said nothing more, his gaze fixed on the door, clearly waiting for Jiang Yage to arrive.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jiang Yage finally appeared. She wore a white dress today, with youthful makeup that accentuated her delicate, fragile beauty—utterly captivating. Especially those cherry-blossom-pink lips, radiating an indescribable vulnerability.

At the sight of her, Li Wangjin’s brows instantly smoothed, his voice dripping with gentleness as if afraid of startling her, “Yage, you’re here.”

Zhong Yi stared at her in disbelief—she hadn’t expected her friend to also be adopted by the Li family.

Fang Junrong feigned surprise perfectly, “Oh, I didn’t expect it to be you.”

Li Wangjin asked, “Junrong, have you met Yage before?”

Fang Junrong replied cheerfully, “Yes, I saw her at the White Crane Club once—she and Zhong Yi were working as waitresses together. I never imagined such a twist of fate.”

“Fate truly works in mysterious ways.”