When Shen Yelan arrived at the Shen Estate, there was no one there to greet her.
"Master Shen had to go to the company for an urgent meeting. Madam Feng has an appointment with some ladies for afternoon tea. Young Master and Young Miss have gone to school." He paused, then added, "They will be back by evening, so you can meet them at dinner."
Butler Wang watched her carefully, waiting for some kind of reaction. When there was none, he was momentarily surprised. Most people would be hurt or at least annoyed by such a cold reception.
He cleared his throat and turned to one of the maids standing nearby. "Show her to her room."
The maid stepped forward. She looked to be in her early twenties with plain, unmemorable features and dark hair pulled back in a simple bun.
"Follow me," she said curtly, not even looking at Shen Yelan. She turned on her heel and walked inside without waiting for a response.
Aunt Li's hands clenched into fists at her sides. Even the servants were being disrespectful towards her Young Miss as if she were some unwanted guest.
She opened her mouth to say something, but then she caught Shen Yelan's eye and closed her mouth.
Shen Yelan followed the maid. Aunt Li moved to follow her, but Butler Wang stepped in front of her, blocking her path. Once Shen Yelan was out of their sight, he spoke.
"You don't need to worry about her anymore. There are enough people to look after her," Butler Wang told her coldly.
"What do you mean, Butler Wang?" Aunt Li frowned.
Butler Wang took out a cheque from his pocket and held it out for her. "The Shen family is aware of your services all these years, and this is your reward."
Aunt Li was not stupid. She was being dismissed. In this entire household, she was the only one who still cared about Shen Yelan, a common knowledge everyone knew. The other few people had either left or changed sides. Now that Shen Yelan was back, they were getting rid of her last bit of support, rendering her completely alone in this cold, hostile place.
She opened her mouth to retort, but then her phone chimed. It was a text message from Shen Yelan.
[A taxi is waiting for you outside. It will take you to my place. Go there and wait for me.]
Seeing the message, she realized that Shen Yelan already knew that they were going to dismiss her. Her heart immediately calmed down. She took the cheque from Butler Wang.
"Please take care of Young Miss," she said and turned around, leaving.
Burtler Wang stared at her disappearing figure in surprise. He did not expect her to agree without arguing. Everyone knew how much this woman cared about Shen Yelan. But she'd just... left?
He stared at her retreating figure until she disappeared through the gate. Then he shook his head and turned away.
He had more important things to worry about than that jinx.
.
.
On the second floor, Shen Yelan stood behind the curtain, watching Aunt Li walk through the gate and get into a taxi that seemed to be already waiting for her. The car pulled away and disappeared down the street. Only then did Shen Yelan step back. The young maid who'd brought her up was still in the room.
"Young Miss," she held out a glass of water for Shen Yelan, her head slightly lowered.
Shen Yelan took the glass and sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs casually.
"How is everything here?" Shen Yelan tilted her head and looked at the maid.
Sun Lili immediately began reporting everything in detail.
Sun Lili was young and had started working here just a year ago. She also happened to be someone who was sent by Shen Yelan. Her face was quite ordinary, and she usually stayed quiet, so no one usually paid much attention to her.
The Shen family would have never realized that while they sent away Aunt Li, thinking they had suppressed her in every way, Shen Yelan had placed her own people inside the estate a long time ago.
.
.
Later that evening, Shen Yelan was called down for dinner. When she arrived at the dining hall, the family of four was already eating.
Shen Wanwan was happily telling them about her school exam, where she had scored third in her class and was even appreciated by her teacher.
Shen Chengwei sat at the head of the table, nodding along to his daughter's story with a pleased expression on his face.
Shen Qian, Shen Wanwan's twin brother, rolled his eyes and kept his head down, shoveling rice into his mouth. He was a pudgy teenage boy with soft features and perpetually messy hair.
Feng Xin, who sat beside her husband, kept reaching over to pile more food into Shen Qian's bowl. "Eat more, darling. You've gotten so thin from all that studying. You need to keep your strength up."
Shen Qian grunted in response, his mouth full.
Shen Yelan stood at the door, observing the family.
"Shen Yelan is here," Feng Xin was the first one to notice her. She smiled at her as if she was really happy to see her.
Shen Wanwan turned to look, and her chopsticks froze halfway to her mouth. Her eyes went wide.
This was Shen Yelan?
Shen Wanwan's grip tightened on her chopsticks. But it had been taken from far away, and she'd convinced herself it was photoshopped or filtered or something. Because there was no way someone who'd been living in a village for years could look like that. She had imagined Shen Yelan would look rough and ugly now. Instead, she now looked even more beautiful now that she had lost the childhood immaturity. A hot spike of jealousy shot through her.
Shen Qian looked at her, surprised. Was this the same crippled girl he had seen years ago? Was living in a living so good that it would transform one into a fairy?
Shen Chengwei snapped, "It seems that after living in the countryside, you have forgotten basic manners. You even make others wait for you at the table."
Shen Yelan stared at him for a second and then at the half-eaten dishes on the table. She internally rolled her eyes and, without even uttering a word, she took a seat.
Shen Chengwei slammed his chopsticks down.
"You ungrateful thing! You don't even greet your father now? I shouldn't have brought you back!"
Shen Yelan looked up slowly, meeting his angry glare. She tilted her head slightly, a tiny spark of amusement flickering with amusement that he did not notice.
"You are right. You should not have brought me back," Shen Yelan agreed, catching them off guard.
"But what can we do?" She pouted slightly. "You didn't really have a choice, did you? After all..." She paused, meeting her father's eyes. "We don't want people to talk and damage the Shen family's reputation, now, do we?"
The air around them stilled as everyone stared at Shen Yelan. Even the maids standing along the wall looked horrified, like they couldn't believe what they were hearing. In the corner, Sun Lili had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.
They were scared just by this? But Young Miss hadn't even started yet.
Sun Lili had met Shen Yelan three years ago. Back then, she was sold by her parents, who had gambling debts, and was saved by Shen Yelan. From then on, she was personally taught by Shen Yelan and had witnessed what this girl who was years younger than her was capable of.
These people had no idea what was coming.
Shen Chengwei's face went from red to purple. "Yo-you..." He could barely get the words out. "You're the one behind all this?"
Thinking about it, it suddenly made sense. This wretched girl had leaked the information herself just so he'd be forced to bring her back.
"I have no idea what you're insinuating, Father," Shen Yelan said innocently.
Shen Chengwei glared at her. The more he looked at her, the more convinced he became that she was behind it. But then, thinking about how she was just a girl who had lived in the countryside, he thought he was overthinking it. There was no way this girl was capable enough to orchestrate all of this.
Feng Xin shared the same thoughts as her husband and did not think much about it.
"Honey, let's not get angry at her," she said, placing a hand on her husband's arm. "She just came back. She probably missed you a lot. Isn't that right, Shen Yelan?"
She looked at Shen Yelan with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Shen Yelan nodded her head, agreeing. "You are right, Aunt Feng. I really missed you all and can not wait to spend more time with you."
Feng Xin's smile wavered slightly. There was something about the way Shen Yelan said that felt off. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
She forced her smile wider. "That's wonderful. Now that you're here, our family is back together."
Shen Yelan tilted her head, a small frown appearing on her face. "That can't be right, Aunt Feng. The family won't truly be complete until Elder brother is back."
Feng Xin's smile stiffened. One bastard had just walked back in the door, and she was already talking about the other bastard.
She stole a glance towards her husband, and sure enough, she saw the distant look on his face. She mentally cursed.
Shen Chengwei might hate Shen Yelan because of her mother, but he actually cared about his eldest son born from his first marriage. When that boy had left to live with his maternal family, Shen Chengwei had done everything he could to bring him back. But that family was too powerful compared to them and there was an unknown grudge. She had never been able to uncover what grudge was held between these two families, but she knew it was the reason why the father and son had become estranged.
But she knew that Shen Chengwei would still sometimes think of him. There was no way she could let that boy come back, or else her own son's position as heir would be threatened.
Shen Yelan enjoyed the myriad of emotions on their faces and continued eating. She had already sown the seed of chaos. Now all she had to do was sit back and watch it grow.