Bai Wanjun walked slowly toward Shi Han, scolding as she went. “You’ve really grown up, haven’t you? So full of airs now. Just got home and didn’t even come down for dinner. No manners at all. I said it the day you came back—those bad habits you picked up in the countryside need to go.”

“Bad habits from the countryside?” Shi Han closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly, an old woman’s face appearing faintly in her mind.

She couldn’t remember how she ended up in that remote town after being rescued.

All she knew was that she’d been raised by her grandmother, and after her grandmother passed away, she returned to the Shi family.

Her memories of life with her grandmother were already starting to blur. It was as if the people who had truly mattered in her life were slowly being erased from her mind.

Who else had she forgotten?

“What’s wrong with you now?” Bai Wanjun saw Shi Han frowning deeply and assumed she was throwing another tantrum. Her voice shook with anger. “Why can’t you be more like your sister? She’s outstanding in her studies, polite, well-behaved—and she’s already achieved so much in both violin and piano. And you? You ran off for two years doing who-knows-what disgraceful things. Every time someone brings you up, I can’t help but feel ashamed.”

“Can you stop yelling?” Shi Han rubbed her temples. “I’ll move out as soon as possible. I won’t bother any of you. Besides, in front of others, I’m just the adopted child of the Shi family. No matter how much of a disappointment I turn out to be, people will still praise you and your husband as generous, kind-hearted philanthropists.”

“Throwing a tantrum again?” Bai Wanjun scoffed. Shi Han’s identity might not have been acknowledged publicly, but she had always received the same treatment as Shi Yin.

Far better than anything she would’ve had in the countryside—what exactly did she have to be unhappy about?

“…”

“Enough. Starting tomorrow, you’re going to fix that attitude—one step at a time.”

With a look of disdain, Bai Wanjun glanced at her and said, “Bring the milk to my room.”

She turned and began walking upstairs, only to notice at the top of the stairs that Shi Han hadn’t followed her.

Shi Han met her gaze, smiled faintly, and lifted the glass of milk in her hand before taking a slow sip.

Under the soft white light, her face looked even paler, like porcelain—her delicate features gleaming faintly.

She had no intention of bringing the milk to her. Even that smile seemed laced with mockery, as if mocking Bai Wanjun for assuming she still held any authority over her.

Bai Wanjun’s first instinct was to think Shi Han was just being defiant again—but she had to admit, for all Shi Han’s supposed failings, her beauty was undeniable.

If she hadn’t gone missing at five years old, she would’ve surely stood among the most prominent young ladies in the capital’s elite circles.

But none of that could be reclaimed now.

Bai Wanjun shot her a fierce glare before turning sharply and going upstairs.

Shi Han finished the milk in her glass and headed upstairs as well.

They never called her for meals, never saved her a plate—and the sooner she got used to that, the better.

…

The next morning, Shi Han rose early. After washing up, she returned the guest room to its original state, restoring everything to how it had been.

When she came downstairs, the house staff were already up and cleaning, but the rest of the Shi family was still asleep.

“Miss Shi, breakfast isn’t ready yet,” the young maid from yesterday stepped forward to remind her gently.

“Thank you, but I won’t be eating here,” Shi Han replied.

The girl watched as Shi Han walked out the front door, a faint sense of unease stirring in her chest.

She couldn’t understand it—why had the Shi family adopted Shi Han, only to treat her like a stranger?

No—more accurately, she was a familiar stranger.

Miss Shi Han felt like someone the entire family had quietly excluded.

On the way out, Shi Han bought a few steamed buns and caught a ride to the rural outskirts of the imperial capital.

Though technically still part of the city, the area was remote. The main road had only been paved a year ago, and many old homes had been torn down to make way for small two-story buildings.

It was the height of July, and by the time Shi Han arrived, the heat was already oppressive. She stepped off the vehicle and pulled on her sun hat.

It had been four full years since she last came here. From the age of six to fifteen, this had been her home.

The woman who took her in—her grandmother—had lived off the land. Her husband and son had both died in accidents long ago, leaving her to survive on her own in poverty.

=^_^=