It was nighttime when Shen Yelan arrived at the Shen family estate.
Shen Yelan stared out the car window at the massive gates, her expression blank. She had never heard of this family before in her past life, which meant they were not important enough for her to know. The only information she had about them was based on the memories of this body, which was not much. The Shen family was a generational family that had roots going back a hundred years in South City, though their power had been declining over the years.
The Old Master had a son and a daughter, while his wife had passed away a decade ago.
His eldest son, Shen Chengwei, who happened to be the father of this body, had married thrice. His first wife died while giving birth to his eldest son who, for some reasons lived with her mother's family after her death. He did not marry for a few years, but he did play around with women here and there. During that period, he met Shen Yelan's mother. That woman had gotten pregnant after a drunken night mistake. Shen family could never let a child of their live outside so he had no choice but to marry her. It was a cold, loveless arrangement from the start. Her mother married him for money. Shen Chengwei married her only because of the child.
Even after marriage, Shen Chengwei continued his carefree lifestyle which made the couple fight everyday. That marriage did not last long and they divorced a few years later. Her mother walked away with money and Shen Yelan was left behind. Shen Chengwei had never liked his second wife, and because of that, he couldn't bring himself to care about their daughter either.
A few months after the divorce, he married again. This time, it was the woman he'd actually fallen in love with while still married to wife number two. She already had twin children, a boy and a girl who were just a few months younger than Shen Yelan but Shen Chengwei treated them children like they were his own flesh and blood and even gave them his family name. In the end, Shen Yelan was left alone like a stranger in her own family.
The car stopped in front of the main building, and the door was opened by an older woman in her fifties. Shen Yelan recognized her as Aunt Li, the nanny who had raised her since she was just a baby, because neither Shen Yelan's actual mother nor her father had ever cared enough to bother.
Aunt Li stood there frozen for a moment, just staring at Shen Yelan with tears welling up in her eyes. Her gaze traveled over every inch of Shen Yelan's appearance
"Young miss," she called out softly, running her eyes all over Shen Yelan. She bit her lips when she saw how thin and pale Shen Yelan looked.
"Hurry up. Get her inside," Shen Chengwei snapped, seeing the woman standing there frozen. Then he rolled his eyes and went inside.
"Yes, Master Shen," Aunt Li said and helped Shen Yelan into the wheelchair.
Though Shen Yelan's broken bones had healed while she was in the coma for two months but her muscles had atrophied from lack of use. She could barely stand, let alone walk.
Aunt Li looked down at Shen Yelan with worry, wanting to ask her how she was, but she kept her mouth shut.
Shen Yelan could feel the worried gaze boring into the back of her head, but she did not say anything. The memories of this body told her that this woman was one of the few people here who genuinely cared for her. She also knew how badly the original Shen Yelan had treated her because she thought Li Ting only cared for her out of pity. She'd hated how the servants looked at her with sympathy while her own family fawned over someone else's child. So she'd lashed out at the people who actually cared about her while desperately chasing after the approval of people who treated her like a stranger.
What an idiot.
The original Shen Yelan had thrown away real warmth chasing after the fake affection from people who would never care about her.
Then again, could she really blame the original Shen Yelan? Watching your own father treat another girl like a princess while acting like you were some kind of unfortunate mistake, who wouldn't become bitter? The original Shen Yelan was just a little girl.
In the main hall, sat an old man with a cane resting against his knee. He had to be in his eighties at least, but his back was straight.
"...does it taste? I made it for you myself, Grandpa." A young girl sat next to him, holding a plate of pastries.
She looked a couple of months younger than Shen Yelan, with long black hair that fell in soft curls over her shoulders, and she wore a pale blue dress that complemented her soft features, making her look like a sweet, innocent girl.
There was another boy who sat on the separate sofa, playing games on his phone. He was chubby, but one could see his similar features to the mother-daughter duo.
Nearby, an older woman with similar features to the girl. It was Shen Chengwei's current wife and Shen Wanwan's mother, Feng Xin.
They all turned to look when Shen Yelan and Shen Chengwei entered.
Old Master Shen's expression immediately soured. He scoffed and looked away, like the sight of her disgusted him.
"Dad, you're back." Shen Wanwan put the plate down and stood up with a bright smile. Then her eyes landed on Shen Yelan. Surprise flickered across her face, followed by a flash of disdain mixed with something that looked almost like delight. She quickly covered it all with a concerned, innocent expression.
"Sister, you...how are you?" she asked hesitantly. "I was so happy when I heard you were found. I wanted to come visit you, but you were in another country. Mom said you needed all the rest you could get, so we couldn't come disturb you. I hope you won't blame us for not being there.
"What are you saying, Wanwan? She's your sister. Of course, she understands how much you care for her." Feng Xin chimed in and turned to Shen Yelan with a smile. "Right, Shen Yelan? We were so worried about you. I even went to the temple every week to pray for your recovery. And now look, you're back safe and sound. My prayers must have been answered."
She said this with such sincerity that anyone who didn't know better would've believed her.
Shen Yelan did not say anything and watched the mother-daughter continue their play. Her face was blank, but if someone looked closely enough, they might catch the hint of mockery in her dark eyes.
Old Master Shen hit his cane against the floor. Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned their attention to him. Even Shen Qian looked up from his phone.
He looked directly at Shen Yelan, his gaze cold.
"Now that you're back, I hope you've learned your lesson and won't cause any more trouble."
Shen Yelan stared back at him for a few seconds. It was quite clear how much this family cared for her. To them, Shen Yelan getting kidnapped for months was nothing but her causing trouble for the family.
From what she could remember from the memories of this body, old master Shen was the only reason she was still considered part of this family at all. If it had been up to Shen Chengwei, she would've been sent away permanently years ago, written off completely. But that didn't mean the old man cared for her. The only reason he kept her here was that she was Shen family blood, and he couldn't let that blood wander around outside, bringing shame to their name. It was about pride and reputation, not love.
"Yes, Grandfather," Shen Yelan responded, making the old man give a satisfied nod.
"Good. I've arranged for you to live in the countryside to recuperate. It's a quiet place. No one will disturb you there."
Shen Yelan stared at the old man for a moment. The original Shen Yelan had lived in this estate with her parents before everything went wrong. And in all those years, the family had never once mentioned that place, let alone visited.
The fact that this man was sending her there meant that he no longer wanted her around him. Before the kidnapping, they'd at least tolerated her presence. But now, because of this incident, she had become a stain on the family's reputation. He wanted to hide her away where no one would see her or remember she existed.
Shen Yelan did not mind, though. She actually needed a space where she could recover properly and adjust to this new life she was going to live from now on. This man was basically giving her exactly what she needed
"I will follow the arrangement of my grandfather," she agreed, catching others by surprise.
Usually, Shen Yelan would never agree to something like this without crying and throwing a tantrum. She'd beg to stay in the main house, accuse them of not loving her, maybe even threaten to run away or hurt herself. But now, she had agreed without a single complaint or tear.
Perhaps the kidnapping had changed her, and she'd finally learned her place.
Shen Wanwan and Feng Xin shared a glance, suppressing their smile. It seemed like this girl did not understand what was happening. Being sent away was basically exile within the family. From this moment forward, Shen Yelan wouldn't be included in family gatherings or events. She'd be kept away from public appearances.
Shen Chengwei's eldest son was already out of the picture. Now she'd gotten rid of this girl, too. From now on, it would be her children who represented the Shen family at social events.
"Very good," Old Master Shen said, seeming pleased by Shen Yelan's compliance. "I'm glad you're being sensible about this. You should focus on recovering your health. When you're well enough, we'll discuss your future arrangements."
What a joke. His "future arrangements" probably meant finding some way to marry her off.
"Yes, Grandfather."
"You may go rest now. The journey must have been tiring. They'll take you there tomorrow morning."
Shen Yelan gave a small nod. Aunt Li stepped forward to wheel her back out.
As she was turned toward the door, she caught Shen Wanwan and Feng Xin watching her with barely concealed glee. Even Shen Chengwei looked satisfied with his father's arrangement.