Chapter 1

Sheng Kangning opened her eyes and stared blankly at the gray, peeling ceiling above her. Her head still felt heavy and foggy as voices drifted in from outside the room.

A single tear slid from the corner of her eye, burning its way down her cold cheek.

She was back.

Back to the year she turned seventeen.

Outside the door was her stepmother Yang Chunling’s voice—tinged with false sobs.

So fake.

That woman always knew how to put on a show in front of her father and outsiders.

No, in truth, Yang Chunling could act in front of anyone. The entire housing compound believed she treated Sheng Kangning better than her own biological daughters. While Sheng Fengjiao and Sheng Fengxiang sometimes wore patched-up clothes, Sheng Kangning never had to wear anything mended.

To outsiders, that was proof of how generous and loving Yang Chunling was to her stepdaughter.

But clothes were just for show. Yang Chunling made up for that “generosity” in other ways—like controlling her food. As long as Sheng Kangning didn’t starve to death, it was enough.

As for Grandma Wang Cuilian, she had never liked Sheng Kangning from the beginning. Whether she was fed or not didn’t matter to her. In Wang Cuilian’s eyes, there was only one person who mattered: her precious grandson Sheng Weidong. Sheng Kangning—and even Fengjiao and Fengxiang—were just afterthoughts.

Now, outside the room, Yang Chunling’s voice rang out:

“Kangning’s so against going to the countryside, it must be my fault as a stepmother… It’s been two days, and she hasn’t had a bite to eat! If this goes on, what will we do if something happens to her? Maybe we should just send Fengxiang with Weidong instead. Fengxiang might be younger, but she’s much more sensible! And Weidong’s a boy—he can take care of her. I’ll talk to them when they come back.

After all, Kangning’s not my real daughter. If outsiders hear we’re sending her to the countryside, they’ll say I’m being unfair!”

She sighed deeply.

“What can I do? I’m just the stepmother. If I do well, people say it’s only natural. If I slip up, I’m labeled cruel. And Weidong still needs to find a wife—people’s gossip could ruin him.

Alright then, it’s settled. Let Fengxiang go with Weidong. Fengxiang isn’t as pretty as Kangning and is more obedient. She’s less likely to attract trouble out there.

Kangning is just too eye-catching, too naïve. If she’s tricked into marrying some rural man, her life would be over!”

In her room, Sheng Kangning let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Her stepmother sure had a way with words.

Calling Fengxiang “sensible” was just a roundabout way of saying she was not. Constantly badmouthing her in subtle ways.

And now, even with all this talk, she knew full well it would still be her and Fengxiang being sent to the countryside in the end.

Sure enough, Grandma Wang Cuilian’s grumpy voice followed:

“Yang Chunling, are you stupid? Are you seriously comparing some girl to my grandson? Girls, no matter how good they are, are just outsiders. Once they’re married, they’re gone!

A son is different. If he doesn’t have a job, how can he ever marry? And now you want to send Weidong to the countryside?

You wretched woman! This is favoritism! No matter how great a daughter is, she can’t compare to a son!

That job spot at the canning factory—we fought hard to get that! And now you want to hand it over to some useless girl? I won’t allow it! That job goes to Weidong!

That Kangning is ungrateful! Raised by her grandmother, not one of us! She’s not even loyal to this family!”

Yang Chunling looked toward her husband, Sheng Hongqi, gauging his reaction carefully.

In truth, she agreed with everything her mother-in-law said.

Giving the job to Weidong meant securing his future—and finding him a good wife would be much easier. But she couldn’t say this aloud. If a stepmother openly took from her husband’s daughter to favor her own son, the neighbors’ tongues would tear her apart.

That’s the difficulty of being a stepmother.

Seeing her husband’s increasingly annoyed expression, Yang Chunling knew the decision was almost made.

So she put on a look of reluctant heartache and sighed:

“Even though Kangning isn’t my real daughter, I really do care for her. Out of all three girls, she’s the prettiest.

If it weren’t for this countryside assignment, once she turned eighteen, with her looks, she could easily marry into a government official’s family.

People always say I treat her well, but I’m not without selfish reasons—if Kangning married well, Weidong could benefit too, right?”

But her mother-in-law Wang Cuilian snorted coldly:

“You’ve got two daughters of your own! What’s wrong, Fengjiao’s not good enough for you? I think our eldest girl is the one with real blessings. She has a job! She’s going places. Don’t be a fool—Fengjiao and Fengxiang are your real daughters!

That Kangning girl? She didn’t come from your womb. Don’t expect her to help Weidong out of gratitude someday. That’s wishful thinking!”

Sheng Hongqi frowned.

“Mom, Kangning is still your granddaughter.”

Wang Cuilian huffed but fell silent.

Then Sheng Hongqi finally spoke again:

“Let Fengxiang go with Kangning to the countryside. They’re sisters—it’ll be good for them to look out for each other.”

Yang Chunling feigned reluctance.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”

She gestured toward the door and whispered,

“Kangning is still throwing a fit in there…”

Grandma Wang Cuilian rolled her eyes dramatically.

“What’s she making a fuss about now? Go out and ask around—which girl out there has it as easy as she does? They say girls without mothers grow up quickly. Does she look like she’s matured?

Has she ever gone hungry? Lacked clothes? Every time we bought new ones, did she not get any? And now she’s going on a hunger strike—who is she trying to scare?

If she really wanted to die, she could just hang herself and be done with it! All this drama like she’s some noble young lady, acting like we all owe her something.

Now the family’s in a tough spot. Of course it’s the girls who should take the fall. What—she expects her brother to suffer in her place? What kind of sister does that?

If she keeps refusing to go to the countryside, she’s nothing but heartless!”

That last sentence came out especially loud—clearly meant for Sheng Kangning to hear.

Yang Chunling struggled to hide the satisfaction in her eyes. Her lips nearly curled upward, but she forced them down.

“Mother, you can’t say things like that! If people outside hear, they’ll say we’re unfair parents, that we’re playing favorites!”

Wang Cuilian snorted again.

“Fair or not, some things matter more. This countryside reassignment isn’t some trivial issue—it’s not her decision to make!

You treat her well, but she’s still just a girl—she’ll be married off one day! That canning factory job should go to my grandson, no questions asked.

That girl? With her ungrateful heart, if she ever gets into that factory, she’ll never share a thing with this family!

But Weidong is different. He’s my grandson. I know his character—he has a conscience!

And anyway, she’s just a girl—not even your own. I don’t understand why you’ve been protecting her all these years!”