Shi Han didn’t notice the strange look in Bai Wanjun’s eyes. She closed her eyes and stretched lazily.

“I went wandering. Lately I’ve been feeling tired, so I decided to come back and go to college.”

“College?” Bai Wanjun froze in surprise.

Shi Yinyin, still nestled in Bai Wanjun’s arms, lifted her head in shock.

Back in high school, Shi Han had been an excellent student — but she’d been gone for two years.

On top of that, her academic records were still at her old school. How could she have possibly taken the college entrance exam?

Yinyin opened her mouth to ask, but thinking of her own delicate position, she didn’t dare speak up.

As her heart churned with anxious curiosity, Shi Xuan beside them spoke up first.

“What was your exam score?”

Shi Han gave a faint smile.

“I didn’t take the exam.”

A flicker of barely hidden delight flashed across Shi Yinyin’s eyes.

“You ungrateful child!” Father Shi was practically shaking with rage.

“Why can’t you be more like your sister? She got into Imperial University, and you? What have you done?”

Whenever people in their social circle mentioned Shi Yinyin, it was always with praise and admiration. Everyone envied him for having such an accomplished daughter — she had brought him so much face in public.

But Shi Han hadn’t even taken the college entrance exam.

Even if she went to university now, it would only be some no-name, second-rate school. He’d never be able to hold his head up in front of anyone again.

If not for the DNA test sitting in front of him, Father Shi would have long suspected that Shi Han wasn’t even his biological daughter.

“What a coincidence,” Shi Han said breezily, seeming entirely unaffected by Father Shi’s furious glare. She slowly stood, bracing her hands on the table, and smiled over at Shi Yinyin.

“I’m headed to Imperial University too. Isn’t fate amazing?”

Bai Wanjun’s eyes went wide.

“Shi Han, are you out of your mind? You think Imperial University is some back-alley college you can just stroll into?”

Shi Han glanced once around at her so-called family, too tired to say anything more.
“I’m tired. I’m going upstairs to rest.”

She turned and headed for the stairs, while Bai Wanjun’s voice, sharp with anger, filled the softly humidified air.

“Look at that attitude — how could I have given birth to such a disgraceful daughter?”

“She was so good at pretending back then. The moment she came home, I knew she’d never amount to anything.”

“I should’ve strangled her at birth.”

As a mother, she seemed completely numb to how vicious her words were. She knew perfectly well Shi Han could hear her — and still, she said them anyway.

Bai Wanjun was bracing herself for another argument.

But as she waited, Shi Han didn’t so much as pause. Not even a flicker of emotion crossed her face.

She was always the same — clean and decisive. Once she let go, she never looked back.

Shi Han walked to her old room and opened the door, only to find it had been turned into a music room.

The young maid trailing behind her spoke in a soft voice, explaining, “Miss, this room is now the second young lady’s music room.”

“Where are your guest rooms?” Shi Han yawned.

“Guest… rooms?”

The maid looked completely stunned.

After being gone for two years, she returned to find even her room had been taken away. She had expected Shi Han to be angry and had braced herself for some harsh treatment.

But to her surprise, the eldest young lady simply asked to stay in the guest room instead.

The young maid lowered her head.

It was hard not to feel a pang of sympathy for Shi Han — even this outsider could sense the quiet sadness of being relegated to the guest room in her own home.

“No guest room at all?”

“There is… this way.”

…….

Living Room.

Shi Yinyin, confused, asked, “Mom, if she didn’t take the college entrance exam, how is she going to Imperial University?”

“Of course, she’s hoping your father will figure it out. Otherwise, why would she suddenly come back after two years of running away?”

Bai Wanjun, looking more frustrated than ever, sat on the couch, “She’s my own daughter, but how can she have no ambition at all?”

“How am I supposed to figure it out for her?” Father Shi’s eyes reddened with frustration.

“She just leaves whenever she wants, comes back and expects me to make things happen for her. Fine, I could settle for getting her into some second-rate university, but Imperial University? No matter how much money I throw at it, there’s no way I can get her in.”

Imperial University — the country’s most prestigious institution, where only the most exceptional students can gain admission. No one has ever been able to buy their way in.

=^_^=