Chapter 58

“Sister, long time no see.” Yan An stood at the door, a faint smile on her face.

She had just called her Yan Wan downstairs, but now she purposely addressed her as “Sister.”

Yan Wan didn’t expect her to return. As soon as she opened the door and saw a small, slender figure standing outside, smiling eerily at her, her heart skipped a beat, and she screamed out loud, “Ah!!!”

The shrill scream was so sharp it sounded almost unnatural.

Yan Ning, worried that something had happened to Yan An, quickly ran upstairs.

Yan Yu, who had been dawdling while changing clothes in his room, also heard the scream and rushed out. “What happened? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

Seeing Yan An standing at Yan Wan’s door, he instinctively said, “Yan An, don’t scare Sister Lili.”

Yan An turned her head to look at Yan Yu. After her illness, he rarely came to visit her in the hospital. This was the first time they had met in months, and his first words were to tell her not to scare Yan Wan.

Yan An was nearly speechless. She pressed her lips together, raised her hand, and as her sleeve fell, her wrist, which was no wider than two of Yan Yu’s fingers, was exposed. “Yan Yu, you’ve really been foolish these years. With my little arms and legs, how could I scare your precious Sister Lili? You might want to ask her what kind of guilty conscience she’s hiding to be so afraid.”

After Yan Wan screamed, she realized her reaction was excessive and felt awkward.

Yan Yu’s defense of her didn’t make her feel any better—in fact, it made things more embarrassing.

She forced a smile. “I wasn’t paying attention when I came out and suddenly saw someone in front of me. I got startled. It’s fine, Xiao Yu, it’s not An’an’s fault, it’s all my fault. Let’s go downstairs, Grandpa and Grandma are waiting.”

Since she had said that, Yan Yu didn’t say anything more, though his expression remained awkward.

Yan An was his real sister, and she had just returned home after being sick, so it wasn’t right for him to scold her.

He took two steps forward, intending to reach out to Yan An and explain.

Yan Ning stood at the top of the stairs. When she came upstairs and saw Yan An leaving the two of them speechless, she didn’t approach.

Yan An noticed her and ran up to her, linking arms with her. “Sister, why did you come up? Were you worried about me?”

Yan Yu’s hand, which had been reaching out, froze in midair for a moment before awkwardly retracting. He thought to himself, “Why is Yan An so close to Yan Ning?”

Yan Ning noticed Yan Yu awkwardly pulling his hand back and turned her gaze to Yan An. “Hmm, I heard the noise and was worried something might have happened to you.”

“Really, the best is still my dear sister. I love my sister the most,” Yan An said with a smile, walking downstairs with Yan Ning, chatting and laughing.

Yan Wan could only feel that the words “dear sister” were like a slap in her face, knowing that Yan An was deliberately mocking her.

But now, she was like a fish on the chopping block, having no choice but to endure.

The four of them walked down the stairs in sequence, leaving the house and following the small path to the yard.

Aunt Wu and Uncle Zheng were busy working, while the others were gathered around a long table chatting.

Tang Minrou was the first to spot them and waved at Yan An and Yan Wan. “An’an, Wanwan, come sit over here.”

Yan An pulled Yan Ning over to sit down. “Mom, I want to sit with Sister.”

“Okay, okay, do as you wish.” Tang Minrou’s ordering of people was done according to her usual habit.

But it was easy to tell from the side that, in her heart, Yan An and Yan Wan had their own positions.

Everyone else had a somewhat awkward expression on their faces, and Tang Zhengya directly asked, “Has Yan Wan’s family been found yet?”

Yan Zhengjun lowered his head and drank, not saying a word.

Tang Minrou’s face stiffened. She smiled awkwardly and explained, “I don’t know what happened, but no matter how we investigate, we can’t find any clues about Yan Wan’s family. But does it really matter whether we find them or not? We’ve already raised Yan Wan for so many years. A few more years won’t make a difference. Even if she never finds her family, she’s still my daughter.”

The atmosphere was already a bit awkward, and Tang Minrou’s words made the situation freeze completely.

Yan Ning picked up her spoon, intending to quietly drink her porridge. She had things on her mind and originally planned to wait until everyone was full and they had finished celebrating Yan An’s discharge before saying what she had to say.

But Tang Minrou’s words erased the last bit of hesitation she had.

She gently set down her spoon, picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, and raised her hand. “I have something to say.”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Yan Ning, as if they had finally found an escape route.

Yan Ning glanced around the table, then said clearly, “Originally, today was the first time Ningning would meet Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt, and it was supposed to be a happy occasion to celebrate Yan An’s discharge. But since Mom brought up this topic, I have a few words I want to say.”

Tang Minrou’s gaze was filled with surprise as she looked at Yan Ning, and a bad premonition rose in her heart.

The incident at the hospital made her feel embarrassed, and she had secretly blamed Yan Ning for not understanding her feelings as a mother. She hadn’t properly spoken to Yan Ning since then.

She had never liked the daughter brought back from the countryside, even though she knew this was her biological child. No matter what, she just couldn’t bring herself to like her.

Yan Ning looked up and stared directly at Tang Minrou. “With Yan Wan by your side, and now that An’an has recovered, it seems like I’m of no use anymore. I want to move out and hope that Dad and Mom will agree.”

Tang Minrou raised her hand and patted her hair, lowering her gaze to avoid Yan Ning’s stare. “Ningning, what are you talking about? You’re already such a big child, why are you acting so spoiled? Just because Mom called Ningning and An’an to sit down first, you want to move out? What are you thinking?”

Yan Zhengjun chimed in, “Your mom is right. Yan Ning, be more understanding.”

Yan Zhengya felt that something was wrong. Yan Ning’s expression didn’t seem like someone who would want to move out over something so trivial, and she wanted to say a few words to help.

It seemed that Yan Ning knew she was about to speak. She raised her hand to stop her and gave her a reassuring look. However, her next words shocked everyone.

“Mom, the reason you took me back was actually to replace my heart. After I went for a physical check-up at the hospital that day, I came back and couldn’t get out of bed. When you sent me to the hospital, although I was unconscious, I was still aware of everything you said. Later, Uncle helped investigate, and Doctor An confirmed everything.”

After saying this, Yan Ning turned her gaze to the two elderly people. “Grandpa, Grandma, I’m sorry that you had to hear this on our first meeting.”

She then looked at Yan Zhengjun and Tang Minrou, her tone calm: “I can accept the fact that I wasn’t favored by my parents from birth. You brought me back, and I agreed to it myself. I have learned my lesson. But now that I’m of no use to you, please, Dad and Mom, allow me to move out.”

After hearing this, Old Master Yan’s eyes widened, and he glared at Yan Zhengjun with anger. “Is what Ningning said true?”

Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, everyone present already knew who Yan Ning’s heart was intended for.

Yan Zhengjun lowered his head, not daring to look Old Master Yan in the eye, and his intention was obvious.

After bringing her back, he never returned home, afraid to face Yan Ning.

They had never told the other family members about Yan Ning’s return because, in their plan, this child would soon die.

Old Master Old Master Yan stood up, grabbed a plate, and threw it directly at Yan Zhengjun’s head. “^[1]“Even tigers don’t eat their own cubs” (虎毒不食子) is a Chinese proverb that means even the most ferocious or cruel beings—like a tiger—won’t harm their own children. It … Continue readingEven tigers don’t eat their own cubs, how could you become like this?”

Tang Minrou was terrified of Old Master Yan, but when she saw Yan Zhengjun being struck, she gathered the courage to stand up, crying, and said, “It’s all my fault. I came up with this idea. My husband just couldn’t refuse me and reluctantly agreed.”

Old Madam Yan stood up immediately upon seeing Tang Minrou about to throw a tantrum. “If you know you were wrong, then go stand aside! What, are you saying your mistake is justified? If it weren’t for you being so restless all the time, would Zhengjun be as muddled as you?”

Yan Zhengya also stood up. “Yes, brother and sister-in-law, how could you be so muddled? If An’an’s condition really required a heart transplant, we could have waited for a suitable donor, or tried other methods. Our family is not incapable of doing this. Why do you have to harm Ningning like this? She was taken in by mistake, and has suffered so much outside. You bring her back and still have such intentions…”

Yan Zhengya couldn’t continue. She had just given birth and had become a mother herself. She felt that no matter how good she was to her own child, it would never be too much.

She couldn’t understand Yan Zhengjun and Tang Minrou’s actions. Even though Yan Ning hadn’t been raised with them from the start, blood ties still had a connection. How could they be so heartless?

Everyone around the table had a serious expression.

Only Yan Wan felt a strange sense of joy in her heart. She thought Yan Ning was really foolish, giving up the life of a young lady to confront Tang Minrou head-on.

But at the same time, she hoped Yan Ning would make a scene, and then get kicked out. After she recovered from the shock, she would find an opportunity to deal with her and Yan An.

As long as she had a chance, even if Yan Ning returned to Xinghua Village, she would find a way to torment her as much as possible.

Yan Wan immediately had numerous thoughts. Even without the system, as long as she was still the Yan family’s young lady, taking revenge on Yan Ning, who had no background, would be easier than squashing an insect.

It seemed that Yan An sensed her thoughts. She glanced at her, and Yan Wan felt a chill in her heart.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, I also have something to say.” Yan An raised her hand, and the eyes of the adults turned to her.

Yan An took out her phone from her pocket, opened a video, and handed it to Old Master Yan. Old Madam Yan, Yan Zhengya, Yan Zhengjun, and Tang Minrou all leaned in to watch the contents of the video.

“This is evidence of what Yan Wan has been doing at home all these years. When I was sick, she controlled me, preventing me from speaking. After you watch it, you will understand what she has done these years.” Yan An’s voice was calm and composed. “The information about me was compiled after I recovered, and the information about what she did to my sister was given by Uncle.”

The video Yan An shared was a compilation of images that Yan Ning had instructed 007 to create a while ago. Originally, she hadn’t planned to include what Yan Wan did during the competition, but Yan An insisted. As a result, the two sets of information were combined, making the video a bit long.

However, when Tang Minrou saw the footage of Yan Wan tormenting Yan An, she couldn’t bear it.

With red eyes, she took two steps forward and grabbed Yan Wan by the hair, shouting angrily, “What did I ever do wrong to you, that you treat my An’an like this?”