Chapter 07

Starting from seven o’clock, the brand representatives began delivering items to the Jiang household one after another.

Various new seasonal clothes, handbags, and jewelry were piled up in the living room. At a glance, the place looked dazzlingly luxurious, leaving Mother Jiang and Jiang Nuonuo, who had just returned home, completely bewildered.

“These… where did they all come from? I didn’t buy any of this.”

Mother Jiang noticed one particular box among them. It was a custom limited-edition Hermes item for VVIP clients, a style only available to those who had reached the highest spending threshold. She clearly remembered that she hadn’t met the required limit.

Looking again at the dresses, they were all styles suited for girls around seventeen or eighteen years old.

Unable to make sense of it, Mother Jiang quickly grabbed the shopping mall manager in charge of the delivery. “May I ask who sent all of these things?”

The manager smiled obsequiously, his face full of deference. “It was Ms. Su Yu who sent them.”

Ms. Su…

Wasn’t that Madam Zhao?

Madam Jiang drew in a sharp breath, then glanced again at the pile of items. Her expression instantly lit up with joy as she happily pulled Jiang Nuonuo over. “Madam Zhao must have heard about your piano award and sent these as gifts. Nuonuo, you really make your mother proud.”

“But these are too extravagant. I must visit Auntie Su personally to thank her later.” Jiang Nuonuo replied modestly, though the pride in her expression could not be concealed.

Though she looked down on Zhao Ming, the Zhao family’s status was undeniably high. Jiang Nuonuo had no choice but to cling to them. Seeing all this today, her past efforts hadn’t been in vain.

As the mother and daughter began to pick and choose from the pile of items, the manager standing to the side began to feel awkward. He couldn’t tell whether he should stay or leave.

At that moment, they heard Aunt Liu’s voice from outside—

“Second Miss is back? Have you eaten? There are still some dishes in the kitchen. If you haven’t eaten yet, I can go heat them up for you.”

Compared to her earlier cold attitude, Aunt Liu was much more enthusiastic today.

The moment she heard that Jiang Lisheng had returned, the pleasant expression on Mother Jiang’s face immediately vanished.

Jiang Nuonuo, holding her mother’s arm, gently reminded her in a soft voice, “I wonder if Sister has properly apologized. Speaking of which, I think Dad has been in the study this whole time. Could it be that…”

She trailed off meaningfully, and sure enough, Mother Jiang’s expression turned serious.

Seeing this, Jiang Nuonuo curled her lips in satisfaction. Thinking about how she would soon witness Jiang Lisheng’s attempt to curry favor, her mood soared to its peak.

Soon, a slender figure stepped through the door.

The moment Jiang Lisheng appeared, both Mother Jiang and Jiang Nuonuo were momentarily stunned. In that brief instant of shock, they almost thought they had mistaken her for someone else.

The girl who walked in was dressed in a gray-and-white women’s suit.

The suit itself was a very formal style, yet the uniquely shaped silver buttons on the jacket added a touch of designer flair. A chain draped across the chest lent it a playful, girlish charm.

The material of the suit was soft and fluid, hugging her figure while highlighting the advantages of her long arms and legs.

Jiang Lisheng’s hair had been dyed black, the ends reaching her collarbone. Beneath her short hair, her expression was languid and indifferent. Under the glow of the lights, her features carried a cold weariness, as if disillusioned with the world.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what had changed, yet everything seemed different.

Her facial features weren’t significantly different from before, yet looking at her now felt like seeing someone entirely unfamiliar.

And…

Jiang Nuonuo vaguely saw traces of Jiang Ansheng in her. That unsettling resemblance stirred a faint sense of crisis within her.

The moment he saw Jiang Lisheng, the manager immediately approached her with eagerness. “Second Miss Jiang, give those to me, I’ll carry them for you.”

The plot for today had already run its course, which meant it was officially after work hours.

Jiang Lisheng didn’t stand on ceremony and casually handed the items over. “Thanks.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” the manager replied. “And here are the rest of the items. The list is all here. I’ll trouble you to take a look, Second Miss Jiang, and sign if everything is in order.”

Jiang Lisheng took the lengthy list, gave it a quick scan, and signed at the bottom.

“If that’s all, then I’ll—”

“Wait.”

Mother Jiang finally came to her senses. She hurried forward a few steps, pulled the manager aside, and stared at Jiang Lisheng in shock, looking her up and down several times. “You’re saying… all of these things are for Jiang Lisheng?”

The manager replied, “Yes, these are all gifts from Madam Zhao to Second Miss Jiang. I was slow to react earlier and didn’t get a chance to clarify for you both.”

Gifts for Jiang Lisheng…

Mother Jiang’s expression changed instantly.

Jiang Nuonuo looked at the room full of luxury goods, and her heart gave a sharp twinge. A subtle sense of discomfort began to spread.

She clenched her fingers, though a graceful smile still curved at the corners of her lips. She continued to present herself as calm and composed. “Oh, I see. I misunderstood the manager.”

Then she turned to Jiang Lisheng and said, “Since Auntie Su sent you so many things, I suppose everything has been resolved, hasn’t it?”

Jiang Lisheng raised her eyebrows, her gaze shifting to the figure behind the two of them. “Yes, not only did Madam Zhao forgive me, she even said she wants to recognize me as her goddaughter from now on. Isn’t that right, Dad?”

At some point, Father Jiang had appeared by the elevator. He had just finalized the next quarter’s contract with the Zhao family, with the amount ten percent higher than the previous quarter. He was riding high on success at this very moment.

What’s more, Jiang Lisheng had clearly won Madam Zhao’s favor. Let alone blaming her for that kick—now even looking at her felt more pleasing to the eye.

“That’s right. Even I didn’t expect things to be resolved so smoothly.” Father Jiang walked forward and gave Jiang Lisheng a pat on the shoulder with satisfaction. “This was all thanks to you. I was a bit harsh with my words before, Shengsheng, so don’t take it to heart.”

Jiang Lisheng said nothing, quietly observing the expressions on the mother and daughter’s faces.

After all, Mother Jiang was still her biological mother. Naturally, she wanted the Jiang family to do well, and knowing the crisis had passed, her expression showed a trace of relief.

As for Jiang Nuonuo…

Her gaze drifted, and her complexion had turned slightly pale.

Jiang Lisheng knew that Jiang Nuonuo was feeling uncomfortable right now, but that was fine—she would be feeling even more uncomfortable soon.

After seeing the manager off, Jiang Lisheng began carefully checking over her pile of things.

Ever since she came home, she had never been favored by her parents. At first, she had tried to build a good relationship with them, so even though she didn’t like Jiang Nuonuo, she still accompanied her on shopping trips.

Unfortunately, her figure was lacking, and her complexion wasn’t great either. When trying on clothes, Jiang Nuonuo would deliberately choose outfits that didn’t suit her, causing her to be embarrassed in front of crowds.

Over time, Jiang Lisheng’s pride couldn’t bear it, and Mother Jiang felt that it was humiliating too. From then on, she never took her out again.

As for clothes… they were all bought by Jiang Nuonuo under the guise of being considerate of her older sister.

Without exception, they were all ugly styles and clashing rainbow colors.

Not a single piece of clothing in the entire walk-in closet was wearable. In the end, she was left wearing the old clothes she had brought with her from her original home.

Looking back now, the version of herself before awakening really was a pitiful little bitter melon.

“But all this… it’s still too much,” Mother Jiang said, watching Jiang Lisheng’s face filled with fascination. After a moment of hesitation, she quietly reminded her, “Gifts should be reciprocated. Shengsheng, you’re still young and don’t understand, but how could you actually accept so many things from Madam Zhao?”

It wasn’t that she thought Madam Zhao had given too much, but deep down she believed Jiang Lisheng didn’t deserve it.

Jiang Lisheng sneered inwardly, but when she turned back, her expression was all wide-eyed innocence. “Mom, I didn’t want to either.” She bit her lip, feigning embarrassment. “But Auntie said she heard I didn’t have clothes to wear at home and no allowance to spend. She felt sorry for me, and that’s why she bought me all this. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

As soon as the words fell, Father Jiang was the first to react, his voice rising with agitation. “Nonsense! Didn’t I just give you an allowance last month? That card has the same spending limit as your sister’s and brother’s. How could you let Madam Zhao misunderstand like that? This makes the Zhao family look down on me, Jiang Huaide!”

See? No matter what happened, in the end, it was always her fault.

Jiang Lisheng blinked, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

She looked at Father Jiang in surprise. “Dad… when did you ever give me money?”

“Last month, when you weren’t home, I had Nuonuo deliver your share along with hers.”

As soon as he said this, both he and his wife turned to look at Jiang Nuonuo.

Jiang Lisheng’s gaze followed, her tone slow and deliberate. “Nuonuo, when did you give me the money? How come I have no memory of it?”

“I…”

Now all three pairs of eyes were fixed solely on Jiang Nuonuo.

Her whole body went rigid, and cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.

Jiang Nuonuo’s lips trembled slightly. She didn’t dare meet her parents’ eyes, and a wave of panic surged through her in an instant.

She knew that Jiang Lisheng cared about her dignity and saving face, and that she had never truly fit into this family. So no matter what happened, she would never go to their parents about it.

It was precisely because she counted on this that Jiang Nuonuo had dared to secretly take over her allowance.

At first, she would give Jiang Lisheng a few hundred or a couple thousand, just enough so she wouldn’t be completely penniless. Last month, because she had a fight with Huo Bai, she withheld the card entirely out of spite.

Jiang Nuonuo had thought about returning it later, but since Jiang Lisheng never brought it up, she had boldly continued to keep it.

What she never expected was that Jiang Lisheng would expose the matter today.

“Nuonuo, answer me. Did you not give your sister the card?” Mother Jiang was still inclined to believe in Jiang Nuonuo. She didn’t think she would do it on purpose and was hoping for an explanation.

But to her surprise, Jiang Nuonuo suddenly burst into tears.

“I… I forgot…” Jiang Nuonuo’s tears came instantly. “Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. Sister, I’m sorry. I really didn’t do it on purpose. I just wasn’t feeling well that day, and since Sister never asked me for it, I… I just forgot.”

She cried sorrowfully, and Mother Jiang frowned. But in the end, her heart softened and she pulled her into a hug. “Oh, what are you crying for? It’s not like you did it on purpose. Just give the card back to Shengsheng later.”

Jiang Lisheng watched the touching display of maternal love with cold eyes, then the very next moment, she too burst into tears. “So it was just that Nuonuo forgot. I thought Nuonuo didn’t like me and deliberately withheld the money, making me believe that Dad and Mom didn’t care about me, which is why I only got two hundred and fifty yuan every month.”

Her sobs were loud and dramatic. Jiang Nuonuo’s breath caught, and she hurried to defend herself. “Dad, Mom, I didn’t—”

But Jiang Lisheng gave her no chance to speak. With every word Nuonuo managed to utter, Jiang Lisheng’s wailing escalated another level.

Father Jiang was already agitated by her crying, but he quickly caught the key detail. “What do you mean two hundred and fifty? The monthly allowance for all three of you siblings is fifty thousand!” Realizing something was clearly off, he impatiently waved his hand. “Enough, stop all that crying and tell me exactly what happened!”

Jiang Lisheng stopped crying the moment he told her to.

She noticed that Jiang Nuonuo was still pitifully leaning into their mother’s arms, and her brows lifted ever so slightly. Then, in a soft, wronged, helpless, and pitiful tone, she said, “I don’t know. The money was always given to me by Nuonuo. But Mom, Dad, I really think you should take Nuonuo to the hospital for a check-up. I don’t think it’s her body that’s unwell—being this forgetful, it might be her brain.”

She added the final blow, still looking pitiful, “Nuonuo’s still young. It’s best to catch it early and treat it early. If you wait too long, even if she’s cured, she might end up drooling.”