Chapter 11: Capital City  

As soon as she landed in Capital City, Tao Wanxing spotted her sister in the crowd from afar—someone she hadn’t seen in six years.  

Years of living in comfort and privilege had made her appear even more elegant, a stark contrast to the sign bearing Tao Wanxing’s name that she held in her hand.  

Suddenly, Tao Wanxing felt a pang of fear, an urge to flee.  

Back then, she had left Capital City without consulting her sister, not even giving her a reason.  

Tao Chuxia was still scanning the crowd, completely unaware that Tao Wanxing had already walked up behind her.  

Seeing the streaks of white in her sister’s hair, Tao Wanxing’s eyes stung. She reached out and tapped Tao Chuxia’s shoulder.  

When Tao Chuxia turned around, Tao Wanxing pulled her into a tight embrace.  

Tao Chuxia smiled softly, patting her sister’s back. “Alright, you’ve finally decided to come back. I thought you’d abandoned me.”  

Buried in her sister’s arms, Tao Wanxing fought back tears, her voice muffled.  

“Sis, I’m sorry.”  

Tao Chuxia comforted her the same way she always had, gently patting her back, her own nose tingling with emotion. “What are you apologizing for? If anything, I’m the one who failed you.”  

“It’s because of me that you suffered in the Meng family.”  

The more Tao Chuxia thought about it, the worse she felt.  

Tao Wanxing’s heart clenched—so this was what her sister had been carrying in her heart all along.  

“No, sis, I never suffered at all.”  

It was just that she couldn’t bear to watch Meng Chu get married, so she ran away.  

Tao Chuxia sniffled and chided lightly, “Alright, alright. Come on, let’s go home.”  

A thought occurred to Tao Wanxing, and she asked nervously, “Sis… did you tell brother-in-law you were coming?”  

Tao Chuxia chuckled softly. “Don’t worry. I didn’t bring the driver—I drove here myself.”  

Tao Wanxing relaxed.  

Right now, she didn’t want to interact with anyone else from the Meng family.  

After the sisters had eaten, Tao Chuxia took a key from her bag and handed it to Tao Wanxing.  

Tao Wanxing looked at her, puzzled.  

Tao Chuxia explained, “This is the key to an apartment near Capital City Hospital.”  

“I bought it thinking you’d come back to Capital City after graduation, but you stayed in Cloud Province instead, so it’s been empty all this time.”  

Tao Wanxing was stunned. “Sis, how… how did you afford this?”  

Capital City Hospital was in the heart of the downtown business district, where land was worth its weight in gold.  

Tao Chuxia laughed. “Silly girl, I’ve been with your brother-in-law for so many years—did you think I wouldn’t have any money of my own?”  

Tao Wanxing flushed awkwardly.  

The Meng family was one of Capital City’s most elite.  

The family patriarch, Meng Liguo, was a founding general who had only one son. For certain reasons, Meng Liguo had stepped down from his position and ventured into business, riding the wave of opportunity to build the Meng commercial empire.  

Meng Liguo had three sons: Meng Han, who joined the military; Meng Chu, who entered politics; and a third son who went into business.  

Tao Wanxing was about to refuse, but Tao Chuxia anticipated it and added, “Although I paid for most of it, the down payment came from Mom and Dad—it was meant for you.”  

Tao Wanxing froze. “Mom and Dad?”  

“Yes.” Tao Chuxia nodded. “I promised them I’d take care of you, but I broke that promise. If you won’t even accept this apartment, how will I ever face them?”  

Hearing this, Tao Wanxing knew her sister’s heart was fragile. If she refused now, it would only hurt her more. So, she had no choice but to accept.

Tao Chuxia’s previously sorrowful face immediately blossomed into a smile. “Come on, let me show you. All these years I kept thinking you might return anytime, so I’ve been cleaning it regularly. You can move right in.”

Tao Wanxing felt her nose sting, fighting back the urge to cry.

She had been nothing but a burden to her sister.

After a long day, Tao Wanxing finally collapsed onto the sofa after seeing her sister off.

She wondered if Meng Chu had seen the divorce papers yet. He must be furious, she thought.

Something he always thought was under his control had suddenly derailed from its predetermined course.

But it seemed he had silently accepted it.

Otherwise, given his temperament, he would have bombarded her with angry calls by now.

Lost in thought, she drifted off to sleep on the sofa.

Cloud Province.

The cleaning aunt only noticed the wide-open dining room window and the mess covering the floor and walls when she entered the house.

The morning’s storm had left her extra work to do.

Muttering complaints, she reluctantly began cleaning. Spotting a wind-blown document with faded handwriting on the floor, she remembered Meng Chu’s strict rule about not touching any documents in his home. She placed the paper in a cabinet drawer.

Better than letting it get blown around again.

Meng Chu had left early for a research conference in Yucheng that day.

It wasn’t until evening that he had a free moment. Remembering Tao Wanxing was still running a fever, he tried calling her, but couldn’t get through.

Frowning, Meng Chu was about to redial when Gao Ming entered.

“Governor, Secretary-General Chen requests your presence to discuss some details,” Gao Ming interrupted.

Meng Chu nodded, left his phone in the room, and went out.

Tao Wanxing was startled awake by knocking.

Glancing through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw the city lights had already come on.

Groggily rising from the sofa, her bare feet touched the cold marble floor, making her sneeze and jolting her awake.

September in Jingzhou was much colder than in Cloud Province.

“Who is it?” she called through the door, her voice still soft with sleep.

“It’s me. Open up, Wanxing,” came Tao Chuxia’s voice.

Surprised, Tao Wanxing opened the door. “Sis, why are you here so late?”

Tao Chuxia smiled gently. “Your brother-in-law’s at the military base and won’t be home for a while. I came to keep you company.”

After looking her sister up and down, Tao Chuxia added, “Go change. I’m taking you out.”

Tao Wanxing wanted to refuse, but one look at her sister’s expression made her relent. She obediently changed and prepared to leave.

Tao Chuxia nearly groaned seeing her sister’s outfit – no makeup, an oversized sweatshirt, jeans, and white sneakers.

“You’re going out like that?”

Tao Wanxing nodded, glancing down at herself. “What’s wrong with it?”

Maintaining her composure, Tao Chuxia forced a smile. “No wonder you’re still single.”

“Come on, your sister’s going to give you a proper makeover today.”

Tao Wanxing froze, staring at her sister’s kind face, unsure how to respond.

A bitter taste rose in her throat.

How could she possibly explain her current awkward situation to her sister?

Noticing Tao Wanxing’s odd reaction, Tao Chuxia frowned briefly before suddenly brightening with realization.